A Twin Valentine [Moonlight Shifters 8] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour)
Page 1
Moonlight Shifters 8
A Twin Valentine
Tabitha Burn’s life hasn’t turned out like she imagined. Now a werewolf, she fears that her mates, Ryken and Luken McCree, were never meant to be hers. Convinced that her lovers are not interested in a life of family and children, Tabitha takes advantage of her estranged aunt’s death to return to Seattle. There Tabitha discovers that her life doesn’t have to be the one she'd had forced upon her. Now she has choices. A lot of choices.
Ryken and Luken are anxious when Tabitha insists on leaving them behind while she attends a family funeral. But when Brie McCarthy, Tabitha’s best friend, comes to them with mystic concerns of her own, both men fear the worst. Somehow, the mating bond they share is vanishing. Neither wolf wants to lose their mate and will do anything to bring her home…even if it means letting her go.
Genre: Ménage a Trois/Quatre, Paranormal, Vampires/Werewolves
Length: 20,973 words
A TWIN VALENTINE
Moonlight Shifters 8
Morgan Fox
MENAGE AMOUR
Siren Publishing, Inc.
www.SirenPublishing.com
ABOUT THE E-BOOK YOU HAVE PURCHASED: Your non-refundable purchase of this e-book allows you to only ONE LEGAL copy for your own personal reading on your own personal computer or device. You do not have resell or distribution rights without the prior written permission of both the publisher and the copyright owner of this book. This book cannot be copied in any format, sold, or otherwise transferred from your computer to another through upload to a file sharing peer to peer program, for free or for a fee, or as a prize in any contest. Such action is illegal and in violation of the U.S. Copyright Law. Distribution of this e-book, in whole or in part, online, offline, in print or in any way or any other method currently known or yet to be invented, is forbidden. If you do not want this book anymore, you must delete it from your computer.
WARNING: The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 years in federal prison and a fine of $250,000.
If you find a Siren-BookStrand e-book being sold or shared illegally, please let us know at
legal@sirenbookstrand.com
A SIREN PUBLISHING BOOK
IMPRINT: Ménage
A TWIN VALENTINE
Copyright © 2016 by Morgan Fox
E-book ISBN: 978-1-68295-014-2
First E-book Publication: February 2016
Cover design by Harris Channing
All art and logo copyright © 2016 by Siren Publishing, Inc.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED: This literary work may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, including electronic or photographic reproduction, in whole or in part, without express written permission.
All characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead is strictly coincidental.
PUBLISHER
Siren Publishing, Inc.
www.SirenPublishing.com
Letter to Readers
Dear Readers,
If you have purchased this copy of A Twin Valentine by Morgan Fox from BookStrand.com or its official distributors, thank you. Also, thank you for not sharing your copy of this book.
Regarding E-book Piracy
This book is copyrighted intellectual property. No other individual or group has resale rights, auction rights, membership rights, sharing rights, or any kind of rights to sell or to give away a copy of this book.
The author and the publisher work very hard to bring our paying readers high-quality reading entertainment.
This is Morgan Fox’s livelihood. It’s fair and simple. Please respect Morgan Fox’s right to earn a living from her work.
Amanda Hilton, Publisher
www.SirenPublishing.com
www.BookStrand.com
DEDICATION
To all the readers who celebrate the joy of love and cherish a heartfelt love story.
For my own Valentine. My husband. I love you very much.
Table of Contents
Title Page
Copyright Page
Dedication
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
About the Author
A TWIN VALENTINE
Moonlight Shifters 8
MORGAN FOX
Copyright © 2016
Chapter One
“My aunt’s dead,” Tabitha Burns muttered, clutching her cell phone to her chest. “Besides me, she was the last of my family.”
Ryken McCree moved to collect her into his arms, his heart breaking for the woman he loved. “That’s not true. You have me and Luken.”
She glanced up at him, her eyes watery. “But I don’t have any more blood relations. My parents, everyone I grew up with in Seattle, they’re all gone.”
“You still have us, Tabby. You still have Brie and the kids and we’re all here for you.” Ryken had never seen her so distraught. Then again, he’d never seen her lose a member of her family before either.
“The funeral’s Wednesday,” she told him as if dismissing his comment without thought.
Ryken’s gut rolled, sensing a change in his mate, and he didn’t like it one bit. “Luken and I will go with you.”
Tabitha swallowed loudly, a somber expression etched on her face. “No. You and Luken are needed here. I can do this myself.”
“I would prefer—”
She held his hand in hers, kissing the palm and bringing it to the side of her face to nuzzle. “I’m okay, Ryken. I didn’t even really know her. She was my father’s sister and had been distant from me most of my life.”
Be that as it may, something was changing inside Tabitha and being parted from her was the last thing he thought they should do. His wolf told him to hold on to her, grab her tight and not let go, but that would only drive her further away. His instincts told him that much.
“But that doesn’t mean you’re not—”
“Upset? I am, but it’s not because I’m sad. I mean, I’m sad to hear she died, but I’m sadder to know that I’m the last Burns.” She smiled softly as if to ignore the emotions she was clearly feeling. “I’d like to go alone. I haven’t been back in so long. I need to do this for myself.”
But why?
Ryken wasn’t the best one to handle sentimental issues. He was best at being the wrecking ball—the muscle when needed. Emotional mumbo-jumbo was his twin brother Luken’s territory. “I don’t like this one bit, Tabitha,” he grumbled sternly. “Promise me that if you ever need us, you’ll call us.”
She nodded, her gaze drifting off, revealing that her thoughts were anywhere, but with him.
He clasped her by her shoulders to gain her attention. “I mean it, Tabby. You will call us.”
“I will,” she whispered, with her eyes wide as if he’d startled the answer from her. “I promise.”
His nerves bounced with worry as he pondered their time apart. Since the day he and Luken brought her to McCarthy Ranch, she’d been at their side. The idea of letting her go alone was choking him.
He gritted his teeth. “How long will you be gone?”
“I’d like to take a week. Besides meeting the attorney, attending the viewing and funeral, I want t
o visit my parents burial sites as well and maybe visit with some of my old coworkers. I haven’t seen anyone from back home in years.”
Ryken tasted the thick bile that sprang up into his throat. He didn’t want to seem like an insensitive ass, but a week was a few days too long. He clenched his jaw, resisting the urge to deny her the right to go and kissed her instead. “Whatever you need, honey.”
She eased back and retreated to their bedroom. Before Ryken even had a second to call his brother, Luken was storming into the house. “What’s wrong?”
That twin thing he shared with his brother was pretty damn cool. “Tabitha’s aunt died.”
“Is she all right?”
“No, dummy, she’s dead.”
Luken frowned. “Not the aunt, jackass. Tabitha.”
Ryken snickered, knowing that was what Luken meant. “Yes and no. She said she’s okay, but she doesn’t seem okay. I can feel that there’s something going on with her that she’s not telling us.”
“Wouldn’t you act a bit off if someone you knew died?”
“It’s more than that. You must’ve felt it too?” Ryken shook his head, groaning. “Why don’t you go talk to her? You’re more woman than me anyway. Maybe you can figure her out.”
Luken rolled his eyes at him. “You still know so little about women.”
Ryken grinned. “I know the stuff that matters.”
“You know the stuff that matters to you,” Luken corrected.
Ryken scoffed, feeling like Luken was more right than he wished to admit. “Just go talk with her.”
* * * *
Tabitha was packing up a suitcase when Luken entered their bedroom. He leaned against the wall next to the closet, watching her pop in and out with shirts and pants folded in her arms. She didn’t seem to notice him, so he cleared his throat.
She gasped, startled by him. He’d been right. She hadn’t noticed him.
“Don’t tell me. Ryken asked you to come in and decode the womanly hormones or emotions I must be feeling.” She arched a brow. “Again.”
Luken grinned shyly. “I wouldn’t call it decoding as much as making sure you’re all right.”
Tabitha sighed, tossing another shirt into the suitcase. “Like I told him, I’m good.”
Luken wanted to accept that, but he couldn’t. It wasn’t that she sounded upset or even looked it. It was something he felt. Ryken was right. There were changes happening between them, and for some reason, Tabby didn’t want to discuss it. Perhaps she needed time to digest the loss of her family member.
“Would you mind if I sat with you while you packed or even helped?”
She waved her hand at him dismissively. “There’s no need. I’m almost done.”
“So you keep saying.”
She frowned. “Don’t do that to me, Luken. Don’t dig when there’s nothing to dig up. My aunt died. I’m feeling a bit nostalgic about going to a place that was once my home, but other than that, I’m good.”
He grimaced, realizing that she’d only brought out one small suitcase, only large enough to carry her own belongings. “Traveling alone, then?”
She nodded, moving to her dresser to collect her undergarments. “You and Ryken are needed here. I’ll be fine on my own. It’s only for a week.”
“A week?” Luken snapped, reeling in the shock of her soon-to-be absence. He and Ryken had planned to propose to her on Valentine’s Day. She was going to be gone. An unfamiliar panic stole away his breath. “That’s the longest we’ve been without each other since we agreed to live together. Since we became a mated pair.”
His chest grew tight and his stomach cramped. He was in tune with his emotions a lot better than Ryken, and right now they were telling him to panic.
“I know,” she said plainly. “But it will go by fast.”
“And you’re okay with this?” Ryken asked, stepping into the room. “You’re not bothered by the idea of leaving us?”
Her eyes swept over them. He and Ryken were now standing directly in front of her. Luken could sense that Ryken was just as curious about her ability to separate from them without concern. The wolf link should be making this much more difficult for her. She should hate the idea of being apart from them, but it didn’t seem to be affecting her at all.
I feel like I’m coming down with the flu, and she’s business as usual. What the hell is that about?
Tabitha furrowed her brow and folded her arms over her chest. “Why does this suddenly feel like an interrogation? Guys, my aunt died. I’m going to the funeral. What’s the issue?”
You’re just leaving…without us.
Ryken looked at Luken. Neither understood what was happening between them. In a phone conversation’s time, Tabitha was different. Then again, things had started changing a few months back, but he hadn’t put much stock in it until now. Maybe he should have.
“No issue,” Ryken said.
“No issue, at all,” Luken lied. “If you want us—”
“I’ll call,” she said, finishing Luken’s statement before he could.
“Good,” he said, leaving the room while Ryken followed.
As soon as they were in the kitchen, Luken faced his brother. “You were right, something’s wrong. Our bond, the wolf connection between the three of us—”
“It’s gone,” Ryken finished.
Luken’s heart shattered. He loved Tabitha beyond measure. The three of them had made a home together, spent every waking moment together. But now, it felt like they were just friends.
“How is this possible?” Luken ran a stiff hand through his long blond hair, apprehension swelling inside him. “I feel like I can’t breathe.”
“Maybe it’s a good thing we haven’t asked her to marry us yet,” Ryken said coldly, dropping a heavy fist to the counter. “Right now, I get the impression she would’ve said no.”
Without the bond the three of them were like strangers to one another. Not with Ryken and Luken, their wolves were howling for her. But Tabitha’s wasn’t for them—the mating bond was somehow severed. Without it, they would never be the same.
* * * *
Tabitha could feel Ryken and Luken’s eyes on her as she boarded the plane. Neither had said much during the two-hour ride to the airport. She was aware they had questions. She just didn’t have any answers.
Or anything I’m willing to share just yet. I’m so confused.
Living with the twins at McCarthy Ranch offered an isolated location that was perfect during her transition into the werewolf community, and it was the perfect place to run and hunt. But that was also an issue.
Not long ago, she’d been bitten and everything in her world was turned upside down. She once had a lucrative job where she earned a good income and provided a nice living for herself. She’d been independent and had friends that were human. Plus, she had a chance at a normal life. Things were drastically different now. Not that she hated being a werewolf or no longer loved Ryken and Luken. That wasn’t it, at all. She did love them, but lately those feelings were being drowned out by anxiety, and even regret.
Since Christmas, Tabitha felt as if she were suffocating, watching everyone around her get married, pregnant, sometimes more than once, and all the while she stayed just a mate. In the beginning, she was content, but slowly she grew to want more—marriage, children, and a career. She craved a little of what she’d once had, but her mates kept her close, making her more of a homemaker and a sex kitten. They made love so often she was shocked that she hadn’t gotten pregnant. Things had become all about them and it was tearing her apart that neither could see how unhappy she had become. She feared that things with her mates would never change, and the tumbling spiral of despair would only grow.
What if this is all I can expect in our relationship?
The death of her aunt, as sad as it was, couldn’t have come at a better time. She needed an escape, even for a short while. A trip back to her roots may be the one thing that could give her clarity and heal her breaking
heart.
The few-hour plane ride ended faster than she’d expected as she’d been caught up in her thoughts. She hailed a cab and made her way to the hotel where she’d made reservations. Then she changed her clothes and headed to the attorney’s office that had called her with the news of her aunt’s death.
Tabitha waited in the lobby of Joseph Warner’s office, the attorney she was scheduled to visit with. A door opened and out stepped a man that forced Tabitha’s tongue to roll from her mouth. His eyes were an intense blue, his hair midnight black with slight brushes of gray, and his dazzling white smile rendered her breathless. She quickly recovered as he called out her name. “Ms. Burns?” Hearing her name forced her legs to lock into an upright position.
“Hi. Hello. Hi.” She cleared her throat, regaining her composure. “I’m Tabitha Burns.”
His smile broadened. “Nice to meet you, Ms. Burns. I’m sorry about your aunt June.”
“Thank you,” she muttered.
“Please come in,” he said, sweeping his hand to the side to indicate that he wanted her to come into his office.
She sat down on the black leather chair across from his desk.
“Can I get you a water?”
“No. I’m fine, thank you.”
He jumped into business, opening a file and pulling out her aunt’s will. “As you probably know, you are the last remaining relative your aunt had, and she left you everything.”
Tabitha had no idea what that meant since she barely knew the woman. She wasn’t sure why her aunt had been so distant. She just had.
“She gives no specific instructions on the estate. She only stated that it now belongs to you in her death.” He flipped a page. “She is leaving you with a substantial financial inheritance. Through her investments and insurance plans you will receive 3.5 million dollars.”