Tamed Galley Master

by Lizzie Lynn Lee

  “Gosh, you really are a Negative Nancy.” Kate continued typing. “We’re still doing this. They asked your name and birthday. That’s it? Nothing else? Okay. No pain no hot guy gain.”

  Danielle frowned. “Kate—”

  “Hold on. I’m almost finished.”

  “Kate, cut it out.”

  “One second. Send.” Kate grinned triumphantly.

  Suddenly, the world around her flickered like a dying television. Danielle blinked back in surprise. The reality shifted and a new scene emerged.

  She was no longer in Miami.

  Chapter Two

  Dane Edwards stood under the archway that separated the dining room and the living room, watching the party underway in his apartment with a forced smile. His face hurt from putting on a fake smile when he didn’t give a shit about it at all. His aunt had put him up to it. His family had raised concern about him not being inclined to get a mate anytime soon.

  Okay. They made a big stink about it. Dane’s father, Prima of the clan, had announced that he would soon abdicate his position to the oldest son, Dane, and it was a rule that before a prima took over, he must already have a mate.

  Since their clan was a prominent House in the underground supernatural community in New York, the mate of Prima was a coveted status by the lesser Houses. Dane’s House preferred to avoid complicated political favors by taking a mate and the guarantee of a future heir was at hand.

  Problem was Dane hadn’t met any woman he liked, let alone head-over-heels enough to marry. Plus, his close bond with his twin brother rather complicated everything.

  Collin stalked by him and motioned him to follow.

  Dane withdrew himself unobtrusively from the party and shadowed his twin to the second floor of the penthouse. Collin closed the French doors of the library behind Dane.

  Dane sank into a wingback chair by the fireplace.

  “See anyone you like?” Collin asked. He took a seat on the opposite side.

  Dane only grunted in displeasure. “This is the last time I have to sit in this kind of ridiculous party. I won’t fall for another of Titania’s tricks.” Their aunt was a perennial busy-body who made her life mission to stick her nose into other people’s business. Since Dane and Collin’s mother passed away when they were in high school, Aunt Titania appointed herself as their mother replacement.

  Collin chuckled softly. He was born one minute after him and dodged all obligations expected from a future Prima. They were identical straight down to their voices. When they were young, Dane and Collin loved switching identities and tricking people. They were always involved in mischief, one after another, and people couldn’t distinguish one from the other, not even their own mother. Weighed down with heavy responsibilities of the clan, Dane grew to be a serious man, rather cynic at times, while Collin maintained his happy-go-lucky persona.

  Dane checked his wristwatch. “When will she arrive?”

  “Anytime now,” said Collin.

  “I wish Titania hadn’t scheduled the party for today.”

  “I think the timing is perfect. When she comes, you could announce you’d found your bride. I’m sure everyone will get off your back from now on.”

  Dane smirked. “Yes, and they will hound you next.”

  “They can try. I’ll just tell them I’m gay.”

  “No one would believe you. Your womanizing past is quite a legend.”

  Collin shrugged. “Hey, people change over time. Maybe I want to play on the same team now. You can’t fault me for that.”

  “Shut up.”

  Exactly one month ago, Dane and Collin had gone to a weaver who owned a wish-granting shop in underground Harlem. This specific weaver, or witch, dabbled in the matchmaking specialty. Once the weaver sent them their perfect mate, Dane and Collin had forty-eight hours to convince the woman they were what she was looking for and claim her. During that time, the woman would be enchanted so she’d be unable to contact or return home.

  And if they failed to convince the woman, Dane and Collin were doomed into a loveless life until their demise.

  The price was steep, but thinking that they had nothing to lose, Dane and Collin agreed to make that deal with the weaver.

  As paranormal twins, they shared closer bonds than human twins. If Dane was in pain, Collin would feel it. If Collin was intimate with a woman, Dane would experience the ecstasy as well. However, Collin’s pleasure was incomplete. Hollow pleasure that was unsatisfying. Unless the two of them shared the same woman.

  But managing a ménage relationship out of the bedroom was tricky. The type of woman Collin liked, Dane couldn’t stand. And vice versa. Once, they both fell for the same woman, but she was old-fashioned and couldn’t bring herself into a three-way relationship.

  Collin never planned to marry. Dane needed a wife and heir for the future of the clan. The two of them were looking for the perfect woman who could play the role as Dane’s wife but could share a bed with the two brothers behind the closed door.

  It’d been impossible to find the perfect one. With the deadline fast approaching, they resorted to hiring a weaver of matchmaking. And tonight, the weaver promised to deliver their perfect woman.

  Dane sat restless in his seat. He checked his wristwatch again.

  Collin followed suit. “Anytime now.”

  Just as he said that, a brilliant bright light appeared out of nowhere…

  One second ago, she was with her best friend Kate, drinking Cuban coffee and eating a sandwich on Miami Beach, and now Danielle found herself sitting on a sofa, in a room full of books with two gorgeous men lounging by the fire.

  A wave of vertigo made her dizzy. When it passed, panic set in.

  Her first reaction was to scream. Then she jumped off the sofa, trying to make sense of what was happening.

  “She screamed. And we hadn’t even touched her,” said one man with an amused expression.

  “Oh dear, people outside might think we did something to her,” said the other one, rather concerned.

  The two men were identical. They looked in their late twenties, physically fit, and immaculately dressed in designer suits. They had smoldering golden hazel eyes, pale hair, and were drop-dead gorgeous. One wore a formal three-piece black suit with beautifully coordinated silk tie and the other wore a brown sport suit paired with a preppy shirt and khakis.

  “Who are you people?” she demanded. “And where am I?”

  They both rose from their seats. Their height towered against her. She quickly calculated they were at least six feet tall.

  “Welcome,” said the man in the black suit, with a smile. He sported short hair. “My name is Dane Edwards, and this is my brother Collin. You’re in the Dakota.”

  “W-where?”

  “New York City.”

  She thought she’d misheard him. “New York? No, no, that’s impossible.”

  There was a knock on the door. “Dane? Collin? Are you in there?”

  The man with the sport suit and shoulder-length hair inclined his head apologetically. “That’s Aunt Titania. I’ll handle this.” He stepped through the door and extracted himself unobtrusively.

  She heard a muffled voice through the heavy door. “Nothing happened, Aunt Titania. No, no, go on. There’s nothing to see…”

  Danielle cut her attention to Dane. “I’m pretty sure I’m not drunk anymore. Seriously, where am I?”

  He waved toward the empty chair next to him. “Why don’t you take a seat? I know this must be confusing for you. I’ll explain everything.”

  Collin returned and swiftly closed the door on someone. “Forgive me. It was a misunderstanding. Our aunt is quite nosy, you see.”

  Danielle hesitated. Dane took her arm and guided her to the chair. She sat, feeling unreal. This can’t be happening. People don’t get zapped to another state because they sign up on a matchmaking website.

  Collin disappeared out the other door and came back with a bottle of water. “You look so flushed. Drink this.�
��

  Danielle accepted the water. She unscrewed the cap and took a few sips. Geez. I gotta stop drinking Zombies. I already have a hangover when the buzz hasn’t completely gone.

  “Feeling better?” asked Dane.

  “Not really. Am I really in New York?”

  Collin waved his hand toward the windows. “See for yourself.”

  Danielle had to check it out. Collin wasn’t lying, and neither was Dane. She was in New York. She pressed her forehead onto the glass pane. The window faced the expansive view of Central Park. She recognized it from the last time she went on a family vacation a long time ago.

  I am in New York. Holy crap.

  Danielle turned and took a deep breath. She gripped the ledge of the window as she tried to make herself calm. Okay. I can do this. I will sort this weirdness out and make it through this as a sane person. “How is this possible?”

  “Did you sign up with any dating website lately?” Collin asked.

  “Yes. No. Actually, my friend signed me up. She put in my name and birthday and I suddenly got here. It doesn’t make any sense at all.”

  “I see. It appears that you have been chosen by the weaver as our perfect mate,” said Dane.

  “Excuse me, mate? And what is a weaver?”

  “A weaver is a witch. A powerful one,” answered Dane. “My brother and I were desperate to find a wife, so we went to a matchmaking witch and asked her to find a woman who’d be most compatible with us. When she found a perfect match, she would send that candidate to us. There are three simple rules once the candidate arrives in our home: one, we have been given forty-eight hours to court you as our mate. Two, during those forty-eight hours you’ll be under enchantment. That means you’re unable to contact your friends and family at home. This rule is placed to ensure that our courtship won’t suffer any distraction.”

  Collin chipped in. “And three, in the event you refuse to be our mate, you’ll be sent home at the end of the forty-eight-hour period. You’ll be placed under enchantment to forget about us and everything that ever happened.”

  “Why?” she demanded.

  “I suppose to ease the transition back into the real world,” Collin offered.

  “I mean, why did you go to a witch for matchmaking? Do witches really exist in this day and age?” Danielle edged toward the door. “Are you guys even human?”

  Dane and Collin traded gazes.

  Collin answered, “No. We are not.”

  “Then what are you people?”

  “We’re shapeshifter tigers. Weretigers,” said Dane, deadpan.

  Danielle tried to wrap that revelation around her head but couldn’t. It was ridiculous. “Weretigers,” she echoed. “Like werewolves, but tigers?”

  “I guess wolves are more popular with the mainstream audience, but to be honest, tigers are way cooler than wolves,” said Collin playfully. “We outweigh any canine species by several hundred pounds in muscles and ferocity.”

  Danielle gave up. Where’s the stop button to end this weirdness? “I’m out of here. I don’t want to be part of this crazy game. Goodbye.”

  Before any of the men could stop her, she yanked the door open and found several women had been eavesdropping. They quickly gave her a wide berth for passing. The women were dressed in fancy clothes and were dolled up to the max.

  The oldest of them, a woman around sixtyish, glammed in diamonds and enough fur to offend PETA activists called her, “Pardon me, missy, are you really Dane’s chosen mate?”

  There it was again, “mate.” Danielle narrowed her eyes. What’s wrong with these people? “I’m nobody’s mate. Excuse me.”

  “Danielle, wait,” said Dane.

  She didn’t listen. She wanted to get out of this place and go home. Am I hallucinating? Is all of this even real?

  She cut a path in the middle of the party and barged out the front door.

  Collin followed her. “It’s useless, what you’re doing. We told you that you’re under enchantment.”

  She ignored him as she looked for the elevator. Found one and slammed the down button. The bell dinged and the doors whispered open. She stepped in. Collin didn’t try to stop her. He merely got in and watched with blatant amusement.

  Danielle just realized she didn’t have her phone or wallet. How was she going to get home? Calm, Danielle, one step at a time. She should call Kate or her mom to wire her money. Then she could buy a plane ticket to Miami. Oh boy, what a night. Kate won’t believe this.

  The elevator opened into the building lobby. She flagged the white-gloved concierge. “Excuse me, can I borrow the phone?”

  “Certainly, madam.” He directed her to the reception desk and another polite, smiling man handed her a landline phone.

  “You know, you could have asked me if you needed to make a phone call,” Collin commented.

  Ignore, ignore. Danielle grabbed the receiver and started punching Kate’s numbers. Midway, she went blank. What the hell, how come she forgot her best friend’s phone number? Sure, she put Kate on speed dial, but she’d never forgotten it when she called her on landlines at work.

  Danielle dialed her mother’s phone. The same weird thing happened. Then she spent five minutes blanked trying to figure out what she was doing here in the first place.

  “Can I be of assistance, ma’am?” the front desk guy asked.

  “P-please,” Danielle stammered. “I’m trying to reach my friend, but it seems I have forgotten her number.”

  “I’d be happy to help you with that. What is this person’s name and where does she live?”

  “Her name is Kate…” Suddenly, for the life of her she couldn’t remember Kate’s last name or where they lived. Danielle couldn’t remember her own address in Miami.

  Wait. Did they live in Miami or Tampa? But Boca Raton sounded more familiar. Who lived in Boca Raton? Had she ever lived there?

  Danielle was so confused.

  How am I getting back home?

  “Ma’am? Are you all right?” asked the man. “Do you have any form of identification? Driver’s license would be fine.”

  “I don’t have my wallet with me. Or phone.”

  “Do you need police assistance, ma’am? Are you a guest of this building?”

  “No. I mean, I don’t need police help. I just need…” Again, who was she going to call again?

  Collin, who had given her some distance, decided to interfere. “She’s with me, Charles.”

  “Ah, Mr. Edwards. How are you this evening?”

  “Fine, thank you. My girlfriend here just had a little too many. Sorry. She’s such a party girl. I’ll be taking care of her now.”

  “Of course, Mr. Edwards.”

  Collin leaned to her ear and whispered, “It’s the enchantment at work. You won’t be able to remember anything about home for forty-eight hours.”

  “So, I’m stuck here for two days?”

  Collin took her arm and steered her toward the door. “Yes, you’ll be stuck here two days. The question is, what are you going to do about it? Will you continue to freak out for the duration of the matchmaking, or will you take this as an advantage to enjoy it to the fullest? Why did you sign up with the weaver in the first place? The weaver wouldn’t have chosen you if she didn’t think you are our perfect match. You’re looking for a mate, aren’t you?”

  “I didn’t sign up willy-nilly,” Danielle retorted. Her tone heated. “My friend used my phone and entered my information in it. Before I knew it, I was here.”

  “You avoided the real question.”

  Danielle threw her hands up. “Fine! We were on double dates and it didn’t go well. We ditched them along the way.”

  “I have a feeling there’s more to the story.”

  The doorman opened the door for them.

  “Come with me,” said Collin.

  Danielle hesitated.

  “Do you still want to test the enchantment placed upon you? You can. Walk three blocks from here and ask anyone you see on th
e street. You won’t remember anything about home.”

  What the hell. She was already in New York City and she might as well enjoy it. The last time she was here she was in third grade during Christmastime. She went with her mom and dad, grandma and grandpa. It was a nice family vacation.

  She walked toward Collin.

  “That’s my girl.” Collin offered his arm.

  Danielle took it.

  “Where are we going? Don’t you live here?” she asked.

  “I do. But there’s a party at the moment in our apartment. It’s our aunt’s doing. Remember the old crone who asked you if you were Dane’s mate?”

  “That’s so cruel.”

  “She’s Aunt Titania. Dane was born one minute early, so he was shackled with many expectations from our family. One of them is to choose a mate before he takes over as our clan Prima. Aunt Titania organized that party so Dane can have his pick over the blossoming flowers from various families in our clan and allies. Dane would love for you to go back to the apartment, but I figure you wouldn’t want to be interrogated by our nosy aunt.”

  “Ah. You’re right. I’m sorry I’m ruining your party.”

  “You kidding? Aunt Titania is the one who ruined our party. Dane and I already had an engagement with the weaver first.”

  A red Lamborghini pulled up into the curb. A valet driver got out and handed the key to Collin.

  “Thank you,” said Collin. “Let’s go.”

  “Where’re we going?”

  “I’ll show you a little scenery of New York.”

  It was eleven p.m. in New York, and Collin drove her around to see the night scene. They toured Central Park, headed west to ABC Studios, Grand Millennium, Broadway, then turned right to the American Museum of Natural History before back toward Midtown. Collin concluded his tour by pulling into the Plaza hotel.

  “Hey, I remember this,” said Danielle. “I stayed here a few nights with my family when I was nine.”

  “How was it?”

  “It was the best vacation ever. It was Christmas too. Everything was decorated beautifully.”

  “I’m glad to hear it. How about we relive a part of your childhood while Dane deals with Aunt Titania and her war maidens?”