Shifters in the Shadows: Seventeen Paranormal Romances of Sexy Shifters, Dangerous Vamps, & Things That Go Bump in the Night

by J. K Harper

  “You never know with online dating these days,” she said, crossing her arms.

  “Do you do a lot of online dating?” he asked, feeling a rumble of jealousy he quickly put out.

  “Not really. I keep pretty busy with my practice.”

  “You’re an herbalist, right?”

  “Basically.”

  “Let’s get a drink in the dining room,” he said, taking her hand again.

  “Sure.”

  He led her through the crowd, his heart pounding. Up until this moment, he hadn’t realized how much he’d missed this woman. How could he miss her? He’d only just met her. It didn’t make sense but that didn’t matter. She was his mate. His lion roared and scratched, but Rowan didn’t mind. It was the animal passion inside him that made knowing her so much sweeter.

  They went to the bar at the end of the room and sat on stools beside each other.

  “What can I get you?” the bartender asked. Rowan could tell he was a bear shifter by his scent and the look in his eyes.

  “Two glasses of champagne,” Rowan said. “We’re celebrating.”

  “Oh, fancy,” Geneva said, sliding her fingertips over the bar.

  The bartender popped a bottle of champagne and filled two glasses before sliding them across the bar to Rowan and his beautiful mate. Geneva lifted her glass to her full lips and took a sip. He watched her with the stupefied awe of a spiritual experience. She was so gorgeous; he could barely think straight.

  “You were telling me about your practice?” he said.

  “Oh right. I’m an herbalist and a midwife.”

  “You deliver babies?”

  “I’ve delivered about a hundred babies since I started my apprenticeship ten years ago.”

  “Wow, that’s incredible.”

  She brushed her black hair over her shoulder, showing off the soft pale skin under the thin strap of her dress. He longed to reach out and touch her flesh, kiss her soft skin. She was so accomplished and so beautiful, he was transfixed.

  So transfixed that it wasn’t until that moment that he realized that his mate’s scent was not quite human. It hit him like a slap in the face. It wasn’t the smell of a shifter. It was something else, something spicy and deep. Something full of raw power.

  Rowan looked at her blankly, blinking as he took a sip of champagne. The bubbles ticked his nose.

  “What do you do, again?” she asked, bringing him back to reality.

  “I was in the military until six months ago. Since then I’ve been riding my motorcycle around the country. I finally decided to settle in Fate Mountain.”

  “What made you choose this town?”

  “Good people like you,” he said.

  She blushed and sipped her champagne.

  “What do you plan to do in Fate Mountain?” she asked.

  He hadn’t thought about it all that much. First he needed a permanent place to live, then he’d start thinking about a job.

  “Before the war I was a carpenter. But I could do a lot of things.”

  “Oh. That’s cool. I have a small farm that seems to be constantly falling apart.”

  “I bet you could use some help around there,” he said thoughtfully.

  “Especially since my mother died. It’s been hard.”

  “I’m sorry to hear that.”

  The bartender filled their glasses for a second round.

  “Well, life goes on,” she said as if she were telling an inside joke only she understood.

  “That it does. Can I just say what a surprise it is to meet you?”

  “It is for me too. I didn’t even join Mate.com until a few hours ago.”

  “What made you decide to do it now?”

  “Let’s just say, I was compelled by a force greater than myself.”

  “Mysterious,” he said. “I like mysterious.”

  “Honey,” she said, holding her glass as she hopped off the stool. Even in her black heels she was still petite. “You have no idea.”

  He followed her around the edge of the dining room and through the French doors that led to the patio. Outside, fires blazed in blazers for the Halloween event. He could see the firelight in Geneva’s eyes as she gazed up at him.

  The night sky stretched overhead and the world stood still.

  “I cannot get enough of you,” he said in a throaty voice.

  Geneva walked toward the railing and looked down at the shimmering waters of Lake Fate. Her white skin glowed in the moonlight under her white dress. The moon seemed to illuminate her from within. He stepped closer, watching her profile as she gazed into the distance.

  “There are things about me you don’t know,” she said softly.

  “Babe, I’m a shifter. With my sense of smell, there isn’t much about you I don’t know.”

  “And what can you tell about me?”

  “You smell like you aren’t quite human,” he said, scratching his head.

  “You can smell that?” she asked.

  “What is it?”

  “I don’t know if I can trust you,” she protested. He felt his heart sink but didn’t give up.

  “You are my mate. You are the last person I’d ever betray.”

  “So it’s true then. I am your mate.”

  “Without a doubt. You’re the one for me and I’m the one for you.”

  She let out a long sigh. “Okay, but you can’t tell anyone.”

  “On my life. I swear to keep your secret until my last breath.”

  “All right,” she said, looking around to make sure there was no one within earshot. “I’m a witch.”

  “A witch? As in hocus pocus sleight of hand?” he asked, confused.

  “Not exactly.”

  “You can do legit magic?” he said, taking a step back and seeing her with new eyes. It all seemed to make sense. Her ethereal beauty, the strange scent of her aura, she was beyond the ordinary.

  “I can do legit magic. Although, I’m far from the most powerful magic user. Even on Fate Mountain.”

  “Still, magic. That’s impressive.”

  She was funny. Geneva was probably the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen. She’d just told him magic was real, yet she kept downplaying herself. He liked humility as much as the next guy, but Rowan thought she deserved a little more credit. She did use magic after all.

  “Can you show me?” he asked.

  “Not here,” she said, nodding her chin toward the crowd inside the dining room.

  “Let’s take a walk,” Rowan suggested.

  The set their champagne flutes in a bus tub on a side table and walked around the patio toward the backyard of the lodge. Down the stairs, they stepped out onto a well-defined path, free of scary teenagers.

  They followed the path until they came to the lake’s edge where there was a sandy beach between the path and the water. They watched the shimmering lake, holding hands in the chill air.

  “Aren’t you cold?” he asked her, realizing she was wearing a slinky dress in the autumnal mountain air.

  “You wanted to see magic,” she said.

  “You really aren’t cold?” Shifters didn’t get as cold as quickly as humans either. “Is it a spell?”

  “Yes. I basically amp up the energy field around my body to keep the inside temperature at a comfortable level.”

  “That’s cool,” he said, wanting to feel her heat close to him.

  The warmth of her body radiated toward him as if she was inviting him in. He turned to her in the moonlight, wanting to kiss those pouty lips. Was it too soon? He decided he would take his chances. Leaning in, he stopped long enough to read the signs coming from her body. Her scent was aroused, her heart beat quickened with desire. He went in for the kiss, pressing his lips to hers in a hot rush.

  The connection between them spiked and all he could feel was lust. She let out a needy groan and moved closer to his body. Rowan wrapped his arms around her and pulled her closer to him, feeling her tight curves against his flesh. God she felt g
ood. He went hard in a split second and crushed her against him.

  Their tongues lashed and Geneva ran her hands down his back and cupped his ass, pulling him against her. This girl didn’t mess around. He liked that. Rowan cradled her cheek, kissing her passionately, lovingly. He wanted this moment to last forever. It was like the events of his life had all led up to this moment in time. This was the reward for a life well lived. To kiss his mate, Geneva, his magical angel. This was what it was all about.

  She pulled back, catching her breath and rested her head against his chest. Rowan held her close, straining against his desire. The feeling of her head on his chest was heaven on earth. He wanted to keep her here, but his lion roared with need.

  Images flashed across his mind. Running his hand up her thigh, pushing away the length of that white dress to find her sweet flower. He saw himself lick the honey from her lips until she groaned his name.

  His cock went rock hard, but Geneva didn’t seem to mind it rubbing against her stomach as he held her.

  “That kiss was really intense,” she said softly.

  “It was for me too,” Rowan said. “I can barely wait for more.”

  “I know what you mean.” She looked back up at him with those shining eyes and smiled.

  “Want to take a boat ride?”

  Chapter 7

  Geneva held Rowan’s hand as he helped her into the boat. His flowing blond hair waved around his shoulders. She felt shaky and overexcited. Rowan had come out of nowhere and now he felt like everything to her. She couldn’t have asked for more in a man.

  Somehow her mother’s spirit had known he would be here in town. Now that she and Rowan had found each other, all she wanted was to be closer to him. The urgency of it frightened her. It was as if magic and fate were guiding her hand.

  Rowan climbed into the boat behind her and untied the rope from the dock. She could see a little island in the distance as Rowan rowed out into the huge lake. They could have privacy.

  “Why don’t we go over to that island?” she asked.

  “That’s where I’m headed.”

  “I think there is a gazebo over there,” she said. She remembered reading something about it in the newspaper. She’d always been curious to see it.

  She watched Rowan’s strong arms pull the oars through the silver-black waters of Lake Fate. He was built like an athlete, strong and tall. Everything about him screamed sex. The feelings that swirled around inside her since she’d first touched him wouldn’t calm down. Was she losing her mind?

  Dealing with magic, one had to become accustomed to the absurd. But of all the things she’d experienced in her life, falling in love with a stranger had to be the strangest. Was she falling in love? She asked herself. Was it possible?

  Rowan’s bright smile and handsome face beamed back at her from across the space between them in the boat. The sound of wind and the oars slapping in the water filled her ears. She could feel the wild nature of his heart. It pulsed like the deep fires of the Earth, and she knew she could count on him.

  Her heart melted. She really was in love with a stranger. As they approached the beach on the island, she wondered what was going to happen. She didn’t trust herself alone with him. Naughty thoughts were running through her mind. She wanted to climb in his lap and watch his eyes as she rode him like a stallion.

  Geneva made a silent growl at the thought of it as Rowan helped her out of the boat. They walked up to the entrance of the windowed in gazebo and Rowan tried the door.

  “It’s locked,” he said.

  “Hmm,” Geneva said, pondering. Rowan wanted to see magic. “I’ll find the key. It’s here. I can feel it.”

  She muttered a location spell and watched in her mind as the energy zeroed in on the location of the key. It was under a stone near the door. She bent down and tipped over the stone, revealing the key. She brought it up into the bright moonlight and showed it to Rowan.

  “Nice,” he said.

  She smiled and turned to open the door. Once inside, Rowan found a couch and a fireplace with a stack of firewood beside it. He knelt on the floor and started to arrange the wood.

  “What are you doing?” she asked, kneeling next to him.

  “Building my mate a fire,” he said.

  “Stand back,” she said with a smile in her voice.

  She took a deep breath and let it out before snapping her fingers. Flames jumped from the firewood inside the hearth. Rowan looked at the fire with a shocked expression in his eyes and on his lips.

  “Holy crap, Geneva. You amaze me,” he said, helping her to stand.

  “Hopefully, I still have a few tricks up my sleeve,” she said.

  He leaned in and claimed her lips, pulling her body against his. He tasted like fresh rain. The crackle of the fire warmed their bodies as they pressed against each other. He ran his hands over her hips and walked her back toward the couch. Geneva slid up onto his lap.

  Rowan gazed up into her eyes. She felt his hardness under her soft, wet core. Her hands gripped his shoulders and she bit her lip, lost in the moment. She should stop to ask herself if she really wanted this, but she already knew. All the signs were there allowing her to let go. Rowan was the one, they were meant to be together.

  She slid over his erection, hard against his jeans. Rowan ran his hands up her waist and over her back, pulling her into a kiss. He pushed up under her, drawing a moan from her throat. She wrapped her fingers under the hem of his shirt and pulled it up over his head. His chiseled abs and chest glistened in the firelight. She swept her fingers over the ridges of his pectoral muscles, biting her lip.

  Rowan’s hands gripped her hips as he looked at her with lust filled eyes. He pulled her dress up over her head and set it on the polished wood side table. Geneva kissed him as he went for the clasp of her bra, opening it with a deft flick of his fingers. It popped away and fell from her breasts.

  Rowan helped her out of it, setting it with her clothes. He grasped her hair and kissed her harder. His hands moved down her body as the heat of their kiss intensified. Rowan slid his palms over the sensitive skin of her breasts and grasped her nipples in his fingers. Sensation shot through her, and she thrust against his hard erection.

  Geneva was lost in the sensation of Rowan’s touch, his kiss, his very being. He was everything she’d been waiting for without even knowing it. His body sang to her and she needed to feel him inside her. She needed to make the coupling complete and be at one with this man. Rowan.

  Her love.

  He picked her up and turned her over on her back, bringing himself carefully over her to rest between her legs. He quickly pulled out of his pants and shoes before running his hands up and down her skin. She felt the warmth of the fire. It’s light cast shadows over Rowan’s handsome face. His hair hung around his shoulders like a young god. She reached up to him, cupping his square jaw. The feeling of his soft bristles under her hands excited her anew.

  Rowan reached his hand between her legs and felt the wetness of her panties. He kissed her lips, kissed her neck and ran his tongue along the sensitive spot behind her ear. She melted into him, yearning to hold him closer.

  He slid her panties down her legs and put them with the rest of her things. She was naked on the red velvet couch, looking up at her gorgeous lover. Geneva reached for his cock, still hidden behind his boxer briefs. She felt his thick shaft, ridged along the impressive length.

  His fingers slid over her pussy, pressing through to her wetness. She groaned and laid back. Rowan’s sly fingers found her clit and her rhythm, and his other fingers slid inside her core. Geneva groaned as Rowan licked her nipples.

  He replaced his fingers with his tongue against her clit, swirling and lapping her desire. He pushed his fingers in and out of her as he licked. She arched her back, feeling the flood of desire rising from deep within.

  To be with Rowan like this now, with all she had on her shoulders, it was a revelation. He was the one she was meant to find tonight. She gaspe
d as her orgasm exploded from within her womb. Rowan groaned against her twitching clit and pulled away to kiss her, the tang of her juices on his lips.

  He pulled off his underwear revealing his gorgeous cock. Geneva rose to sitting and grasped his shaft. He leaned toward her, giving her access. She ran her tongue up his length and slid the head in her mouth. He took in a sharp breath through his teeth as her mouth moved down over him.

  She moved it up and down, sliding over the smooth skin of his cock with her lips. She cupped the rest of his length with one hand and his balls with the other. The smell and the taste of him filled her with lust. His clean musk intoxicated her and she needed him inside her. Now.

  She came up for air, gasping and laid down on the coach, spreading her legs. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a condom. Geneva grabbed it and threw it on the floor with his jeans. With her index finger, she motioned for him to come closer. He smiled at her and grabbed the base of his cock, sliding his head over her opening.

  “You want my seed tonight, little witch?” he said, grinning at her.

  He slipped the tip of his cock inside her.

  “More than anything,” she gasped as he pushed deeper.

  He was so big, bigger than she remembered ever taking in. But her wet pussy opened around him as he filled her inch by inch. His hips rested against hers and she rocked into him. He held her, their tongues dancing. Geneva let out a moan.

  “Are you ready to take my fangs? To be claimed as my mate?” he said, whispering in her ear as he kissed her neck.

  “Yes,” she gasped.

  He drew his hips back and slid inside again, holding her close. He see-sawed in and out, going slow and steady to build her up. He kissed her ravenously, on the mouth and neck, taking in her scent with powerful draws of breath through his nose.

  “Do you want a lion inside you?” he asked her, thrusting hard for the first time.

  “No,” she said. “I don’t know what it would do.”

  “Good point,” he whispered, running his hand up her thigh.

  He ran his thumb over her jaw and held her head in his hand as he kissed her and drove into her core.