Finding My Mate
Page 1
Contents
Title Page
Copyright Page
FREE Prequel
Prologue
Chapter One - Linne
Chapter Two - Linne
Chapter Three - Linne
Chapter Four - Linne
Chapter Five - Linne
Chapter Six - Derek
Chapter Seven - Linne
Chapter Eight - Derek
Chapter Nine - Linne
Chapter Ten - Linne
Chapter Eleven - Derek
Chapter Twelve - Linne
Chapter Thirteen - Derek
Chapter Fourteen - Linne
Chapter Fifteen - Derek
Chapter Sixteen - Linne
Chapter Seventeen - Derek
Chapter Eighteen - Linne
Chapter Nineteen - Linne
Chapter Twenty - Derek
Chapter Twenty-One - Linne
Chapter Twenty-Two - Linne
Chapter Twenty-Three - Derek
Chapter Twenty-Four - Linne
Chapter Twenty-Five - Derek
Chapter Twenty-Six - Linne
Chapter Twenty-Seven - Linne
Chapter Twenty-Eight - Derek
Chapter Twenty-Nine - Linne
Chapter Thirty - Linne
Chapter Thirty-One - Derek
Chapter Thirty-Two - Linne
Chapter Thirty-Three - Linne
Chapter Thirty-Four - Derek
Chapter Thirty-Five - Linne
Chapter Thirty-Six - Linne
Protecting My Mate (Sneek Peek)
About Rylee
FINDING MY MATE
Shifter Mates Book 1
By Rylee Winters
Copyright © 2019 by Rylee Winters.
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except in the case of brief quotations for review purposes.
This is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locales or organizations is entirely coincidental.
Cover Copyright © 2019 by Rylee Winters.
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PROLOGUE
“She’s a child. You’re suggesting putting a child to death for breaking into your home once, Bareiijnr.”
My ears twitched as Kalsni spoke harshly, and I didn’t need to tear my eyes off the ornately decorated floor to know she was sneering. If I was none the wiser, I would’ve been convinced of what she was saying, but I was and my heart thundered in my chest at the murmurs that swept through the Court.
“Linne is a curious child who possesses special abilities which can get her into mischief if she’s not properly watched. If you’re going to punish someone for her disobedience, punish me. She’s my property, and I am responsible for everything she does.”
Holding my breath in lungs that burned for air, I stiffened at the threat hanging in Kaslni’s tone. My mind spun wildly, desperate to save my master from the embarrassment my capture had caused her, and I clenched my hands into tight fists in my lap. Blood rushed to my ears and into my cheeks, and there was a long, thoughtful silence before a different voice rang in the large hall.
“I agree that this incident doesn’t warrant the death of someone so talented and so young. Linne has never shown any rebellious behavior before, correct?” The question earned an affirmative grunt, and my wings drooped slightly. Dark, soft feathers slipped across the clean floor, and tears burned my swollen eyelids. “Then, do you know what prompted this attempt to break into Bareiijnr’s home and steal his belongings, Kaslni? Surely you’ve interrogated your slave – or at the least have suspicions…”
“I did,” came Kaslni’s reply.
Lies.
Kaslni was lying for me – for herself – for us. Goosebumps washed down my arms and thighs.
In truth, her ‘interrogation’ of me hadn’t been to demand answers, but to demand compliance; I was to let her fix the mess I’d made by getting caught.
“Linne explained that she had always been curious about Court. She had no malicious intent from what I could tell, and only wished to sate her desire for knowledge. As such a gifted child, I let her interest run rampant in the hopes that it would help her explore the depths of her abilities. Unfortunately, that laxness resulted in her escape,” Kaslni said.
Protect Kaslni. Condemn Bareiijnr.
The mantra circled in my head over and over again as Kaslni lied deeper, and I blinked hard as the tiles on the floor started to blur together.
“That doesn’t explain why she was stealing those particular storage devices, Kaslni. She couldn’t have just wandered into my home and found them by coincidence.” Bareiijnr’s harsh, accusatory tone sent pin prickles up my spine, and my fingernails dug into my palms.
But Kaslni had an answer. She always had an answer.
“I was under the impression that you didn’t even know that Linne was in your home until after she tried to access a storage device, Bareiijnr. How do you know exactly how long she was there? I was not informed of her escape for well over 7 hours, and she did not appear for another 4 after that.”
Angry silence met Kaslni’s smooth declarations, and pride ripped through my chest that I served such a competent and capable master. “That is not the point of this meeting, anyway. We’re here to discuss her punishment. I understand completely that Linne’s escape will not be tolerated, but she’s only just become mature. I suggest banishment to the human realm, where she will die a quick, human death and suffer as the humans do.”
“Escaping the Pens is punishable by death, and it always has been, Kaslni.” Magic crackled in the air, and I stiffened as the familiar wave rippled just above my head. Bareiijnr cut his words off with a growl, and the tide subsided only to be chased by mixed whispers from the other Courtiers. Bitterness clogged my throat that Bareiijnr would dare stand against Kaslni, and vengeance seared my heart as he glared directly at me for the briefest of seconds.
“Linne is a model slave – obedient, hardworking, conscientious, and meticulous. She doesn’t deserve to die for feeling a burning curiosity for something she does not even fully understand. Do not try to throw the laws in my face, Bareiijnr. I was the one who wrote them. I do not need you to remind me of them.” Kaslni’s harsh words caused the fine hairs on my body to stand up, and my feathers ruffled as they ached to spread out and unleash their strength, but the shackles that bound them made such a drastic movement impossible.
There was a surge of agreement from the court, and I trembled feeling the force of it lace the atmosphere. “I will not allow the destruction of a young life when she showed clear subjugation by coming back knowing the consequences.” Kaslni was cold and stern as she frowned.
“I agree. I also believe that this is taking up too much time. We must not focus on trivial matters like this when the Seelie are slaughtering our people and stealing our wings.” The sudden turn of conversation by another female Courtier seemed to quell the simmering tensions above me, but they only solidified to coil deep in my gut. “We will vote. All for exile to the human realm�
�”
I sucked in a deep breath and bit my lower lip, hardly daring to blink.
The orb of light in the center of the room began to flicker yellow and change color as Courtiers began to cast their ballots magically using their individual signets.
“…and all against…” The Courtier’s voice rang across the room, echoing ominously, and there was a distinct susurration of movement as Faeries shifted in their seats.
My gut twisted with dread as the color swirling inside the magical glass orb shifted, changing first to an orange, then a green, before finally settling into an ocean blue.
I gulped. The vote had been close…
“It is decided, then.” Only a few seconds had passed, and Kaslni’s gaze landed heavily on me as resignation stained my chest. “Your punishment will be banishment.”
Exhaling harshly, a violent shiver raced down my chest, but dread was absent as my blood heated to a boil. Big, rough hands grabbed the shackles around my wings, and I grunted in discomfort as two large men hauled me to my feet. Magic spread just under my welted skin, and everyone in the room came under my spell but for Kaslni. Catching the eye of my master, I pursed my lips together as her eyes blazed with the reflection of my memories.
This was my last chance to cement my worth to her, and I would not fail.
“I will send Muss to watch you and to keep you informed. You deserve this rest, Linne. You did better than I could’ve ever anticipated. All is going according to plan.” No one else in the room could hear Kaslni speak, and I downright grinned even as my tears started to fall. Heartbreak throbbed through my chest, and I jerked my head in a nod as my master tilted her chin down. The magic died, leaving me cold and bereft, and my lungs heaved and strained for air as I suddenly rediscovered the ability to breathe.
All is going according to plan. Except for me. I had been caught, and that most decidedly wasn’t part of the plan. Glancing at Bareiijnr out of the corner of my eye, I reached to swipe away the tears that blurred his sour expression. He was visibly unhappy even as I was jerked and jostled towards an archway at the edge of the room that led to nowhere.
It was clear he wanted me dead. I knew too much about the terrible, illegal things he’d done against his own people. Bareiijnr was murdering Unseelie, and stealing their wings to sell to Seelie merchants to spark a war. Whenever war broke out, the Unseelie always won, but our white-winged counterparts were reaching their breaking point.
“Open the Veil.” The command stiffened my spine, and my eyes whipped from Bareiijnr as all thoughts of him fled from my mind. Before me, the archway began to glow, turning into a bright purplish-green vortex, and my pupils widened obscenely as panic slammed into my chest. From this side, the Veil was easily opened and closed, but there was no way back for me.
Once I was in the human realm, there would be no escape.
“N-no! No! No-no!” My bare feet slipped from the sweat that drenched my skin as I desperately tried to back up, but four palms kept me firmly in place. Two left hands held my wings at the axillar, and my onyx feathers fluttered through the air as I beat them viciously in my struggle. Long fingers wrapped around both my thighs, forcing me off the smooth, cold tiles, and I twisted and spasmed frantically.
My cries echoed around me, amplifying and ringing in my ears, but everything went silent as I was unceremoniously thrown into the portal, and completely swallowed up by the vortex. Shock turned my muscles to stone, and I couldn’t even blink before the Veil opened up to dump me onto unfamiliar, hard, rough ground.
The chains that bound me wrapped around my body and tangled between my legs, and the world spun before a singular thought stuck in my mind as my eyes swept over my surroundings in a disorientated manner.
This wasn’t my realm. It wasn’t my world.
A long, loud sound blared in my ears when I finally managed to brace my palms against the hard stone beneath me, and I shook out my wings and rolled my shoulders furiously. Glancing around in the direction of the noise, I barely had the chance to take in my surroundings before a sharp squeal crackled through the air.
Once again, the sky became the ground only to circle around, and my skin ripped and tore as I rolled across the stone. Pain seared down my back as my wing bent awkwardly, and shock prevented any noise from breaching my mouth as it opened wide.
“Oh my fucking God! Shit!” The deep, panicked voice drew my gaze, and I shook my head slightly to right my vision as the owner dropped to his knees next to me. “Shit- shit- shit…”
“Yeah, I hit someone… we’re on Maddison Ave right next to the green fire hydrant… I don’t know, she just came out of nowhere – literally appeared out of thin air. I tried to avoid her, but her legs… her legs are crushed…” The voice dropped, becoming muffled, and I blinked hard as my eyes wandered beyond the control of my mind. Hiccupping a shallow breath, I shivered as the heat inside me seeped out to coat the ground. “She’s awake, I think, but she won’t be for long. Just hurry up – I don’t think she’s a witch. I can’t tell, so how would I know if she used a teleportation spell? I didn’t even know that was a thing, lady.”
“Yeah, I’ll stay on the line. She’s not bleeding too bad, anymore… maybe she’s a shifter? I don’t know, I’m just a regular human… My name’s Chad Montegro.”
CHAPTER ONE
Linne
My eyelid twitched as I stared at the television sitting only a few feet away from the end of my bed, and I scowled at the pictures that moved across the screen. The dumb entertainment presented to me was killing off brain cells by the thousands, and I glanced down at the remote to tap the ‘channel up’ button with my thumb.
‘Still not used to human entertainment, Linne?’ Rolling my eye to glare at Muss’ shimmering form, I pursed my lips tightly and rolled the remote in my palm.
“No. I do not like it…it’s stupid.” My complaint wasn’t anything Muss hadn’t heard before, and he ducked his head in acknowledgment. His beak glimmered translucently in the early morning sun that streamed through the window, and I found even that better than what was on the box in front of me. “I do not understand how humans can like it.”
‘Maybe they like it because it’s stupid.’ Muss’ deep voice echoed around in my skull, and he blinked all five eyes simultaneously at me. Cocking his head, he hopped across my bed with no worry that his claws would catch on the soft, silk blanket beneath. ‘Aren’t you supposed to go to work today? The human Chad will be angry if you’re late.’
“I am.” Reaching to stroke his feathers with my fingertips, goosebumps washed up my arm when my hand went right through him. “I miss your physical form. Your feathers are so soft.”
‘I cannot stay for long, Linne. I just came to let you know that the Court has reached a stalemate. Bareiijnr is not happy.’ Blinking slowly, I exhaled slowly through my nose and stretched out my legs as my mind turned to the place that used to be my home. Betrayal seared through my chest, twisting my face with a grimace, and my wings ruffled as I bristled silently.
“Bareiijnr can crawl into a pit and dissolve. He does not deserve to be at Court – deciding the fates of the Unseelie that do not want another war.” Disgust dribbled from my tongue, and I slid off my bed to stretch my arms above my head in the need to do something. “If I ever see him again, I will kill him and take his wings.”
‘I see your despair has yet to chip away at your anger. That is all I have to report. I will keep Bareiijnr under my watch.’ Twisting to watch Muss shimmer into obscurity, I frowned deeply at the thoughtful tone he left behind to linger in my skull. Flexing my fingers, my nails scraped against my palms before I strode out of my room on stiff strides.
My new, quaint home couldn’t compare to the apartments I’d lived in back in my own realm, but what little I had managed to bring with me helped. Magic slithered along the walls to reflect the sunlight, and I traced the rivers with my fingers on my way to the living room. Still bare of furnishings, the wide space was instead occupied by various tools
and fabrics I’d been experimenting with. The human realm – for all its terrible choices of entertainment – was very good about acquiring fine things.
For months, I’d been trying to find the best way to sheath my wings in something both comfortable and easily accessible. Even as my body changed to suit the sparse amount of magic in this realm, so had my wings.
This was just another humiliation to add to the pile that burdened my shoulders.
Stroking my newest prototype, I licked my lips as I stared at the culmination of my trial and error. The straps had thickened and become curved over time to suit my shoulders, and their weave had simplified to just four crisscrossing braids. Picking up the light harness, I shoved my hand into the thin sheaths that would hold my wings as a frown dragged at my mouth.
The protective layer of canvas I’d initially used had been replaced with something called polyester, and a comfortable layer of silk now lined the inner cavity. Even with all this work, the harness was still uncomfortable to wear, but I knew that wouldn’t go away. Wings, even the pitiful miniatures mine had become, weren’t meant to be covered.
“It will have to do.” Grumbling to myself, I carefully slid my arms through the harness to fasten the buckle under my bust. Oh so gently, I eased my wings into the sheaths and clasped the buckle against the middle of my spine. My feathers rustled as discomfort skittered just under my skin, and I pulled at the strap tenderly before heaving a sigh.
It was better than before, at least. Now, the fastenings didn’t chafe my sensitive flesh and leave me burning. But it was still a far cry from the comfortable, elegant, long backless dresses I wore in the Unseelie realm.
Snatching my keys off my work bench, I emerged from my house to be assaulted by the harsh rays of the sun. Locking up with robotic movements, my steady hands moved to tug at my shirt as it bunched up under my harness. I had minimalized as much as I could, but this problem never went away, and sourness pooled beneath my tongue.