Mates & Magic: A Reverse Harem Paranormal Romance Box Set Collection

by Jade Alters

  “Hey, hey,” Grant says softly. “It’s gonna be alright. Promise.” He looks so sweet. And I swear he’s taller and a little more muscular than I remember. He’s wearing a vintage overcoat with a t-shirt and jeans. It’s a cute look, but when his coat parts I see the broadness of his chest. It makes me want to collapse in his arms again, but I’d really like to get out of here before Ted makes good on his threat to call security.

  Grant

  None of us know exactly what’s happening, but we’re starting to become pretty certain that Dora is really important to us. We’re just not sure why. Personally, I like to live by the seat of my pants. Life is so goddamn short anyway. You might as well make the most of it, and if that means sometimes working on impulse, that’s fine by me. If it means befriending a girl as gorgeous as Dora, even better. Not to be crude, but I’ve jerked off to this girl a few times already. I’ve even imagined all four of us giving her as many orgasms as she can handle. It’s the hottest thing I can possibly imagine.

  But...first things first, I know I’m getting way ahead of myself. So far, she’s just a friend, I guess? And we’re helping her with this spell that might have gotten messed up. Today was a busy day in the shop. It seems as if half of Upstate New York suddenly needed an antique armoire for some reason. By the time Dora texted me, I was collapsed in one of our old leather club chairs and putting my feet up. I was sipping on a hot chocolate from the coffee joint across the street when a weird feeling came over me. It wasn’t exactly a feeling like danger was coming. It was more like I could feel a strong sense of fear and anxiety that wasn’t my own. And then, Dora texted me. Even though she was in trouble, it made me smile. I don’t know what this connection is we all seem to feel with her, but I dig it.

  I didn’t hesitate to come to her rescue, despite my aching feet from loading antique furniture onto trucks, driving it all out to somebody’s revamped Victorian, and moving stock around to cover up the gap on the floor. We’re going to need to do that buy in the city sooner than we thought at this point.

  But screw all that. Our girl needs me. So I grabbed my overcoat and told Nathan that Dora needed help. Of course, Nathan wasn’t satisfied with that explanation. It took a couple minutes of explaining before he would let me go without insisting he come with. But he was busy ringing up our receipts for the day, and there was still some inventory to do.

  Besides, it doesn’t really sound like Dora is actually in trouble. Sounds more like she needs a friend. Not that I won’t be on alert.

  When I get to Dora’s office, I smell it right away. A wolf shifter. Not that it’s a crime to be a wolf shifter, but we’re bear shifters and our two species don’t exactly get along. I’m definitely on alert now. But the place seems really empty. I’m not sure, as the elevator doors open, if the wolf shifter is somebody who works there and is gone for the night, or if they’re still there… Or rather, I should say “he.” It’s definitely a male.

  When I see Dora’s weepy face and she throws herself in my arms, my heart breaks a little. I’m also pissed. It sounds like she’s been fired on totally bullshit grounds, and I have a strong urge to the break the face of whoever made her feel this way and wrecked her life. Getting fired sucks. Before we opened our store, I had more than one shitty job, and I got fired for stupid reasons from a couple of them. It’s not just the issue of money that makes it so awful either. It just feels really shitty for someone to tell you’re not wanted or needed like you’re totally expendable.

  “Did he hurt you?” I ask the question and try to pretend like I’m not quaking with anger. I can hear somebody rustling around in the office behind Dora’s desk. I don’t know if that’s Ted or not. I think she mentioned that she’s an assistant for him and two other lawyers, but I don’t know for sure where his office would be in relation to her. “Did he hurt you at all? You need to tell me if he did.”

  I’m calm. As calm as I can be. Dora looks up at me and I wince, wiping her tears away with my thumbs. Anybody who would hurt this girl needs to go die in a fire. I’ll set it. I’ve got a Zippo in my pocket right now, and it’s hungry to eat Ted for dinner.

  I wouldn’t really set Ted on fire, of course. I don’t need too. I’m a bear shifter. I can just rip his throat and watch the life drain from his eyes for daring to hurt Dora and for making her feel less than on any level.

  “You’re growling,” Dora says, raising her eyebrows.

  She’s lucky Nathan didn’t come. If he had, Nathan might actually be ripping his throat out right now. Or at least threatening too.

  But I don’t want to freak out Dora right now. “Am I? Must be something I ate.”

  Dora chuckles at that, and I stroke her hair and pat her shoulders. “It’s okay, girl. Let’s get you out of this two-bit pop stand, yeah? Let me help you pack up your stuff.”

  I try to keep things light, cracking jokes to bring the mood up a little. I figure, if anything, that’s what I’m here to do. And if Ted happens to threaten her at all, then I’ll get to have some real fun. I wouldn’t mind it. This guy with his golf shirts and his slick guy haircut—who I can see through the blinds behind Dora’s desk when she confirms that’s him—really needs a beat down as far as I’m concerned.

  When we have everything packed up, I rub my chin. A lot of times when I’m not sure what to do, I ask myself what Nathan would do. Then I ask myself how mad he would get if I did the opposite. But now is probably a time for caution.

  I squeeze Dora’s shoulder and say, “Hey, do you want to get cleaned up in the restroom or anything before we leave? I just want to take one more look around.”

  Dora agrees, and I get as close to Ted’s office as I can sniff around. Yeah. I wasn’t sure, but now I am. When I get up by his door, it’s like a stench. I mean, I’m sure he doesn’t actually smell bad. It’s just a primal kind of thing. Ted is definitely a wolf shifter. That’s bad news. I certainly don’t like what it might imply about how he treated her or how the spell might have affected him. Just to be thorough (and because I know Nathan will ask later), I give the whole floor a walk around, looking and smelling for anything suspicious. But I don’t smell any other shifters or sense any other magic energies that might affect Ted or Dora. There’s just Ted. When I return to Dora’s desk, she hasn’t come back yet. But I see him through the blinds of his office, and we make eye contact.

  I know he knows what I am. And he knows I know what he is…

  This could be dicey. But as rough as it is for Dora, I’m glad she got fired. It might be bullshit, but she’ll be safer away from him. Although, it would be better if she’d agree to stay with us for a while. It might sound crazy, but it feels right to me. Dora needs protection, and we can give it to her. Just have to get her to agree to it first.

  Ted and I mad dog each other for a minute. We have a cold stare down, and I find myself growling under my breath by the time Dora returns.

  I’m already holding her box of stuff, and I’m feeling jumpy. The sooner we get out of here the better.

  “Let’s go, yeah?” I nod to the door, and Dora nods.

  “What about my car?” She says worriedly.

  “One of us will pick it up for you if you’re okay with that?”

  “Yeah,” she says, sniffing. “I just want to get out of here.”

  In the elevator, Dora leans against me. It’s such a small thing, what I’m doing for her tonight, but it feels like something important is happening between us.

  “What were you looking for?” She says. “In the office?”

  “Mmm.” I wince at that. But she’s in our lives now, and if we’re gonna convince her to stay with us, we’re going to need to come clean. She’s a witch anyway. Hopefully, it won’t be that big of a shock to her. “I was getting his scent.”

  The doors slide open and Dora follows me through the eerie quiet of the parking garage to my car, an old Volvo that I’ve had since I was sixteen.

  “His scent?” Dora says wryly. “Are you joking?”

 
; “Ah, no.” I grin awkwardly and lean against my car, fiddling with my keys. “So you should know that we’re bear shifters...” I take a breath and give her a second to process that as I stow her box in my trunk. I’m hoping she’s about to agree to come to our place tonight. I’m just afraid this is about more than whatever stupid reason Ted gave for why she’s fired.

  “Bear shifters,” Dora says slowly. She stands in front of me as I lean against the car and squints as if she must have heard me wrong. “Like shapeshifters, right? Like you can shift into bears is what you’re saying?”

  “Yes, well, one species of bear. The four of us. We’re all brown bears. Not actually native to Upstate New York, but luckily nobody’s kicked us out yet. Heh!” I chuckle at my own joke, but Dora looks like she’s still trying to process everything.

  “You’re pretty cute for a bear,” Dora says, sneaking a smile.

  That makes me happy. I bite my lip and lean in a little close. “Yeah? You’re pretty cute for a witch.”

  She blushes at that. She’s so pale usually. Not bad pale. More like she has this pretty creamy complexion with little freckles. Makes her look pretty adorable when she blushes.

  “Whatever,” she mumbles.

  “Listen, though…” I clear my throat and fidget with my keys some more. I hope this doesn’t freak her out. It kind of depends on what she knows about wolf shifters. “Your now former boss, Ted, he’s a wolf shifter.”

  “Wolf shifter,” Dora repeats. “Wait, are you serious?”

  “As a heart attack,” I say nodding. “And it’s bad news. I was actually hoping you might agree to maybe stay with us for a few days at our place? I know that’s a little crazy, but I mean…” I rub my eyes, suddenly feeling tired. “A wolf shifter. Jesus…”

  “Wait, what’s so bad about Ted being a wolf shifter?”

  “Because they…” I sigh heavily. It’s too long a story, and I really want to get us far away from this building. “Nathan can explain it to you better than I can.”

  “Is it bad?” Dora says.

  She looks so freaked out, but I decide then and there, that I really never want to lie to Dora. So I just nod. “Yeah. It’s bad.”

  “Then I’ll come to your place,” Dora says quietly. “I just want to pick up some stuff from my place first.”

  “Okay.” I nod and go around to the driver’s side, unlocking the door and climbing in before reaching over to unlock her side. “I won’t lie. I’m really relieved you’re coming over.”

  Dora gets in the car and sits there for a moment, seeming contemplative. “There’s something between us,” Dora says, choosing her words carefully. “I mean, between all five of us. There’s some kind of connection. You feel it too? And the others? Am I right? Or am I crazy?”

  “You’re right,” I say, nodding. “There is something. And we can’t really explain it yet.”

  “I’m glad,” Dora says quietly. Then she nods and sits back in her seat, seeming to absorb that.

  “Hey, Dora.” I reach over and squeeze her hand before I start up the car. She seems a little more relaxed than she was when I found her, but I can tell she’s still pretty scared. “Everything’s going to be alright.”

  “Wish I could believe you,” she says softly.

  Dora

  “I have to warn you about something.” Jesse is frowning at me as I sit at the dining table, still trying to adjust to the idea of the main part of the house beginning at the second story because the antique shop is downstairs. Everyone seemed more than happy that I came over, but now Jesse is sitting across from me, casting a serious gaze.

  I brace myself and wonder if this is about the wolf shifter thing. Grant was so cagey when he mentioned it, but I expect they’ll explain further at some point. I don’t want to be left in the dark about anything, not when I’m trusting these guys with so much.

  “What is it?” I ask. I take a sip of hot chocolate for comfort.

  “Well, I’m cooking dinner tonight,” Jesse says, smirking slightly. “And I suck at cooking. I just don’t want you to expect too much.”

  “Ah!” I roll my eyes, simultaneously relieved and annoyed. “I see. So you like to mess with people? You dick.”

  Jesse bursts out into delighted giggles. “Sorry! You’re just sitting there looking so tense with your hot chocolate. I’m trying to break the ice here.”

  “Well, I don’t usually accept invitations to stay over at antique stores,” I say wryly. “Also, I got fired today—”

  “I know,” Jesse says quietly, reaching over to pat my hand. “I’m really sorry, Dora. You want some rum in that hot cocoa?”

  “Please?”

  I was a little nervous about invading this house even though it was Grant who invited me over. He didn’t seem like he’d be willing to give up the idea easily if I’d said no, so I’d agreed to come with him. When I arrived, the other guys were all busy with their own work or household chores. I saw some knowing looks passed around, but Nathan only nodded hello from his spot behind the front counter in the shop. Brett was up in his little accounting office working on the books at first, but he soon joined the rest of the group as dinner time approached. As Jesse was doing his best to cook dinner, I passed the time at the dining room table, trying to relax before dinner.

  “I took your things to one of our guest bedrooms,” Jesse says when he comes back with a bottle of rum.

  “One of them?” I say, raising my eyebrows. “How many do you have?”

  “Oh, it’s a huge house,” Brett says, laughing. “It’s Coleridge’s house. As in Colonel Coleridge, the guy who founded the town. We have to give tours every year because it’s a historical landmark. Can’t tell you what a pain in the ass it was to get it fitted for a kitchen and laundry after we put the antique shop on the ground floor. The historical society had a fit.”

  I laugh at that and take the bottle of rum, pouring a conservative amount into my hot chocolate; just enough to take the edge off.

  Dinner turns out to be roast beef sandwiches, chips, and a simple salad. It’s hardly fancy, but the sandwiches are pretty good. He splurged on bread and used some kind of fancy mustard and cheese from the good deli on the corner.

  “Do you take turns making dinner?” I ask once we’ve finished eating.

  “Yes,” Nathan says firmly. “Regardless of skill level. If I let them pick and choose, Jesse will just insist he’s not good enough at cooking so he can get out of doing it. Which is bullshit, because these sandwiches are fine.”

  “I don’t care about having to cook,” Jesse argues. “I care about having to load the dishwasher.”

  “I don’t mind loading the dishwasher,” Brett says, shrugging.

  Grant snorts and says, “You don’t mind doing anything.”

  “Yeah, I also don’t mind giving Dora a house tour,” he says with a little wave of his hand. “Whenever you’re ready.”

  “Sure!” I smile and sit back in my seat. I feel a lot better about things with some food in my stomach. Though, if I think about having been fired and the threats that Ted made, the creeping feeling of dread and anxiety comes slithering in again. It’s like icy tentacles at the back of my neck telling me something terrible is going to happen. But the guys make me feel better. I may have just met them but if they’re willing to let me hang around and help me out, I’m not going to refuse them when I feel so much safer in their presence. Maybe it’s because of that strange connection we feel, or maybe it’s just because they’re bear shifters. I’m just gonna go with it. “First things first though,” I say warily. “Please tell me why it matters so much that Ted is a wolf shifter? Grant seems really freaked out about that.”

  “Oh yeah,” Grant says. He taps fingers on the table and looks to Nathan. “You take this one.”

  “Right,” Nathan says, chuckling. “Listen, it’s just that wolf shifters and bear shifters are natural enemies, especially around Upstate New York. We were wondering if Ted’s behavior toward you was connected to u
s somehow. Though I don’t see how it could be. But more importantly, shifters also react unpredictably to spells. I looked up the love spell you cast. If you had Ted in mind when you cast it, it would have hit him directly. And if he’s a shifter, it might have gotten pretty messed up in the casting, through no fault of your own. Once you know someone’s a shifter, you can correct for that. But if you don’t know...Well, there’s no telling what can happen.”

  “Ugh.” I rub my temples. I should’ve known there’d be some glitch like that. “Okay, well, if wolf shifters and bear shifters are such natural enemies, shouldn’t I be staying away from you guys?” I ask the question softly because it seems like an inevitable conclusion. But the truth is, I really don’t want to stay away from them.

  “Yes,” Nathan says, and my heart sinks. All the guys look at him, seeming a little panicked. But Nathan just waves a hand at them as if dismissing whatever they’re going to say next. “In theory, yeah, you should. And it’s entirely up to you. But if Ted is after you now, I don’t believe you’re safe on your own. I think you need...well, a bodyguard. Four is better than three. And so far it’s one against four. Unless Ted’s wolf pack gets involved, which is also a possibility.”

  “But it’s up to you,” Brett says quietly. “It’s a weird situation all around. But we don’t want you to feel like we’re taking you hostage or something, Dora.”

  “No, I want to be here.” I cross my arms and sit back. The only really strange part about being here is not being able to read the vibe between us all. There’s this feeling like we’re supposed to be in each other’s lives, but I don’t know if it’s romantic or just platonic or even just sexual. On my end, the sexual attraction is intense. Just sitting at the table with the four of them, I feel a kind of buzz in my body and I know it’s not just from the rum I drank. Truth be told, if any of them initiates something, I’m not sure if I’ll be smart enough to turn them down.