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

by J. K Harper

  She bowed her head in respect. “Mistress of Water, Mistress of Earth, welcome. What honor do I have for your visit?”

  “No formalities, my child,” the Mistress of Earth said. “We’re beyond that now.”

  “Aren’t you going to invite us in, dear?” the Mistress of Water asked.

  Sherri moved back to let them in. “Forgive me. I’m a little shocked to see you here.”

  The Mistress of Earth patted her shoulder as she came in. “All will be revealed in time.”

  When they walked into the living room, Carmen stood up. “Mistresses, what are you doing here?”

  “We’ve come to speak to Sherri,” the Mistress of Water said. “We didn’t know you had a guest.”

  “Carmen is more than my guest. She’s family. Anything you have to say to me, I don’t mind her being here for it.”

  “This will affect her too, so she can stay,” the Mistress of Water said, making her way to an empty seat.

  The Mistress of Earth grinned. “It will actually save us a trip, because we were coming to your house next, Carmen.”

  Carmen sat back down, and Sherri sat down beside her.

  The Mistress of Water and the Mistress of Earth sat down on either side of them in separate chairs.

  “Why? Is something wrong?” Carmen asked. Worry filled her face. “Please tell me no one else died.”

  “No, my dears,” the Mistress of Earth said. “Calm yourselves. There is no immediate danger to worry about.”

  “Then what did you need to see us about?” Sherri asked.

  The Mistress of Water folded her hands and placed them in her lap. “As I’m sure you both know by now, the Master of Air and the Master of Fire have both been … relieved of their duties.”

  “You mean both are now considered enemies of the Kala West community,” Carmen said.

  The Mistress of Earth nodded. “Yes, that is accurate, and with only one in captivity, we’re not sure what to expect from the Master of Fire, since he’s still missing.”

  Sherri shrugged. “I don’t understand. What does that have to do with me?”

  The Mistress of Water turned to Sherri with a gaze that made her go still. “Without a spirit leader, we’re left with very little power as an Elemental Board. We need to stabilize that power before we come under another attack, one we may not be able to recover from.”

  “We’ve come to ask you to act as the interim Mistress of Spirit,” the Mistress of Earth said with a kind smile.

  “Say that again,” Sherri said.

  “We want you to be our next Mistress of Spirit,” the Mistress of Water said, “at least the temporary one, until we can find people to make up our permanent Elemental Board.”

  Sherri laughed so hard she bent over and gripped her stomach. She stopped when she realized no one else was laughing with her. “You’re actually serious.”

  “We have no reason not to be, my dear.” The Mistress of Earth patted Sherri’s knee. “This is a very serious matter. The rest of our entire coven is at stake. We need to fix that, and you can help us do it.”

  Sherri stared at both of them, in complete shock and not knowing what to say. It took a few seconds before she could speak again. “Forgive me for still being confused, but I don’t understand how I can help you with that.”

  “You are the only Mistress of Spirit we have in the area who can help us.”

  “That doesn’t make any sense. I know spirit witches are rare, but there must be someone more qualified than me.”

  “If you want to count a six-year-old little witch, who lives with her mom and aunt, then you are still the sole hope we have of finding an adult Mistress of Spirit soon.” The Mistress of Water stared at Sherri with no movement in her posture.

  “Holy goddess!” This time when Sherri leaned over, it was to catch her breath.

  “We know it’s sudden, but desperate times call for different kinds of magic.”

  “What does any of this have to do with me?” Carmen asked.

  “We want you to be our interim Mistress of Fire, Carmen,” the Mistress of Earth said.

  Carmen shook her head. “That’s madness.”

  “Are you calling us crazy, young witch?” the Mistress of Water asked.

  “No, I just mean, I’m the last person I’d think you’d want on the Elemental Board. Given—”

  “How you snuck into the Firewick Festival uninvited?” The Mistress of Water never blinked. “Yes, we know. Normally, under our old rule, you would be punished.”

  “However, if it wasn’t for you, we may not even be here talking to you,” the Mistress of Earth said, attempting to break the tension in the room.

  “Unlike our beloved Mistress of Spirit. May the goddess be with her.”

  Both Mistresses bowed their heads in respect.

  Sherri and Carmen followed their movement and bowed their heads, until the silence was broken.

  The Mistress of Spirit had been kidnapped along with Carmen by their Master of Fire, a man who killed and harmed anyone to get what he wanted and whose hatred for anyone non-magical tried to destroy their community and peace with other paranormals.

  Sherri was thankful Carmen made it out alive. Now, the Master of Fire was missing, and no one knew where he was hiding.

  The Mistress of Water said, “Now is the time for us to strengthen up all our resources to prepare for whatever comes next. That means adding new blood to positions of power.”

  “And we need both of you to do it,” added the Mistress of Earth.

  “What about the Master of Air’s position?” Carmen asked.

  “We will be asking your sister, Charice, to fill that position.” The Mistress of Water sat up straight in her chair. “It seems you Brixton sisters are making a name for yourselves.”

  Carmen shifted nervously. “We never meant to cause any trouble. The last thing we ever wanted was to bring harm to the people of Kala West.”

  The Mistress of the Earth leaned forward. “We know that, dear. If anything, you and your sisters have shown us the error in our ways. It’s because of you, Charice, and Claire that we know how weak the Elemental Board was prior to the Firewick Festival. That is why we need your help now. Both of you.”

  “What will we have to do exactly?” Sherri asked.

  “Since you are only temporary board members, you would not need to be sworn in,” the Mistress of Water said. “Instead, you’ll just merge your powers with ours. That should increase our defenses until we come up with a better strategy.”

  “I’d be honored to accept,” Carmen said. “If there’s anything I can do, please let me know.”

  “The biggest thing to plan for is the Kala West All Hollows’ Eve Ball,” the Mistress of Earth added. “We thought about cancelling it, but we decided that all the witches and warlocks could use the celebration amidst so much tragedy. The Mistress of Spirit has always been in charge of sending the invitations by using magic and her connection to her spirit element. We need you to focus on that as soon as possible, since the ball is in a couple of weeks.”

  Sherri took a moment to think about what they said. The community definitely needed a positive event. Carmen had been kidnapped during the last Firewick Festival, the mating ritual all magicals looked forward to. Thankfully, Carmen and her sisters were able to get out alive along with their mates. The same couldn’t be said for the Mistress of Spirit. She was their center and anchor, the one who tied all the elemental magic in Kala West together. Without her, everything was off balance.

  Then an idea hit her, one that could solve her problem, too.

  “I will accept the position too, but on one condition,” Sherri said.

  “And what would that be?” The Mistress of Water asked, caution in her voice.

  Sherri took a deep breath. “I want to be able to invite all the paranormal groups within Kala West.”

  The Mistress of Water grabbed the arms of her chair. “Now, who’s not being serious?”

  “Actually, I
’m very serious.”

  “We have too many in our coven who can’t stand the shifters, vampires, or anything else not of pureblood magic,” the Mistress of Water said.

  “Exactly, which is why this is the perfect opportunity to show them how other paranormals can be our allies. You just said that our community is weak from the actions of traitorous warlocks. I think it’s about time we joined forces with the other beings in our town. If anything, it will only strengthen our power.”

  Although Carmen stared at Sherri, she avoided her and focused on the Mistresses. She could inform her friend after they left, that is if the women approved.

  No one spoke for a moment. Sherri was waiting to be denied her request. Then the Mistress of Earth talked.

  “She has a point, Mistress,” the Mistress of Earth said as she rubbed her chin. “A couple of magical communities have already merged their powers with shifters and vampires that live within their borders. Since not many have done it, doing so here may just give us the element of surprise we need in case the Master of Fire returns.”

  The Mistress of Water glanced at all of them.

  Sherri felt less anxious with the Mistress of Earth in her corner, but the Mistress of Water had a way of making her feel like she was a child again.

  “That is very unconventional,” the Mistress of Water finally said. “But we are under some unconventional circumstances. If I agree, you will be responsible for anything the others do. We have enough to manage with our own witches and warlocks. I don’t have the time to supervise outsiders.”

  “Of course,” Sherri said. “I’ll take full responsibility.”

  Carmen moved like she was going to interject but stayed silent.

  The Mistress of Water turned to her. “Carmen, do you have something to add?”

  Sherri wished she had done a mindreading spell. At least then, she could tell Carmen why she needed this to happen.

  Thankfully, Carmen didn’t add anything to ruin Sherri’s plan.

  “No, Mistress,” Carmen said.

  The Mistress of Earth clapped her hands together. “Good. It’s settled then. This year’s ball should be a fun one. I can’t wait.”

  “We must be going since we have to see your sister, Carmen.” The Mistress of Water said, standing up. “Kye is expecting us.”

  Sherri remembered that Carmen’s sister, Charice, was mated to the Mistress of Water’s son, Kye, and his best friend, Warren. The men also served as Enforcers in the community to keep the law and order within the magical community. Now that Charice was pregnant, that meant the Mistress of Water was going to be a grandmother. That image looked so odd in her head.

  Although the Mistress of Water was kind, she was still traditional and had a serious personality. Sherri couldn’t even recall seeing the woman smile. She couldn’t imagine what it would be like to have the Mistress of Water as a mother-in-law.

  Sherri had been to Charice’s magic shop many times, and she thought of Charice and Claire as her family along with Carmen. As an only child, the Brixton sisters were the siblings she always wanted but never had.

  “How’s the pregnancy coming along for her?” the Mistress of Earth asked as she stood up.

  “It’s going well,” Carmen said in a voice filled with the joy of a proud future auntie. “Charice is starting to show. I can’t wait until the little witch or warlock gets here.”

  “Splendid!” the Mistress of Earth said. “We hate to ask for her help, while she’s with the babe, but we need all the power we can manage.”

  “I’m sure she’ll be thrilled that you’re asking,” Carmen said. “It’ll help take her mind off her warlocks.”

  “My son better not be causing any trouble.” The Mistress of Water analyzed Carmen sternly.

  “Oh, no. It’s just that since she found out about the pregnancy, Kye and Warren won’t let her out of their sight too often, which annoys her to no end.”

  The Mistress of Earth shook her head. “Even we Elemental Board members have no control over warlocks and their protective natures. After all, they are future fathers. We should get over there and help the poor witch out with some female company.”

  Sherri saw both Mistresses outside and didn’t speak to Carmen until they were gone.

  “I can’t believe it,” Carmen said. “You and I are part of the Elemental Board.”

  “I know,” Sherri said before falling back down on the couch.

  “What’s up with you inviting other paranormal beings?” Carmen asked.

  Sherri smiled. “Don’t you get it? If I invite all paranormals who are within Kala West’s borders, I’ll see them again.”

  “See who—oh! You’ll find your mystery men.”

  “Yep.”

  “I’m impressed. I don’t know whether to be thrilled or scared.”

  “Why would you be scared?” Sherri thought her idea was brilliant and flawless. Being the new Mistress of Spirit had its perks.

  “It was different when you were just a witch. Now that we are part of El-Board, it means everything we do impacts us even more as well as the other witches and warlocks in town. Are you sure you’re up for the consequences if shit hits the fan?”

  “I’ll do anything to find them again, Car. Absolutely anything. I don’t know how to describe it, but those two men belong to me. I can feel it.”

  “You don’t have to explain it. Ryan and Royce are my warlocks. I understand what it’s like to finally find your mates. So yours happen to be a vampire and possibly a fire-starting shifter. If you say they are yours, then I’m with you all the way. No matter what.”

  In that moment, Sherri was proud to call Carmen her best friend. All that was left to do was find her mysterious lovers, the men she was sure she belonged to just as they belonged to her. If her plan worked, she only had to wait a couple more weeks. Sadly, she had the patience of an eager bunny. It was going to be a long few weeks.

  Chapter 6

  There was no way Duke was leaving town. Now that he had found the woman he wanted, he was not going to give up until he discovered her again. He wasn’t the only one. Jai had an urgency to find her, too. Usually, he expected to feel jealousy at the vampire for looking for the witch, but the more time they spent trying to find her together, the more he depended on him to help find Sherri.

  The vampire searched for her at night, while he searched for her during the day. They had built up a partnership, and it was one Duke had trouble adapting to since he had a history of fending for himself, even when he was with in his dragon clan. He still had moments of rage he had to clamp down on, but it worked, and for now, that was good enough for Duke.

  He’d heard of mating bonds happening with in the shifter community, but he had never heard of one happening outside of it. He didn’t think it was common to bond with a witch, but his dragon new that she belonged to him. He learned from Jai that pair bonds occurred within some covens, which made them more compatible to find their witch, and he wondered if that was happening with him and Jai.

  Neither one of them would give up until they found her. The thought of needing her scared him to death, but it also felt like the most right thing he had ever done in his life.

  They were at an impasse. It was hard to get information when some witches and warlocks didn’t speak to outsiders, and the ones that did talk to them knew nothing about a witch named Sherri.

  It frustrated the living hell out of Duke, and he didn’t know what else to do. If he knew how to do magic then maybe he’d have a better chance of finding her.

  They were out of options, until a stroke of fate came out of nowhere. The letters were in their hotel room when he came back from his day-shift search. There was one for him, and it had his name embroidered on the front of the envelope and another personalized for Jai.

  “Where did these come from?” Duke asked after he had gone to his room and found the envelope waiting for him.

  “I don’t know,” Jai said. “Mine was on the nightstand when I woke up. You
didn’t let anyone in while I was asleep, did you?” The room they were in came with thick, black-out curtains, allowing Jai to sleep without sunlight harming him. It was a two-bedroom suite, so they each had their own bed, but at least they were able to work together to find their witch.

  “Does it look like I’d let a human in a hotel room with a vampire and dragon?” Duke tore open the envelope.

  “I guess not,” Jai said, following suit by opening his envelope. It read:

  You’re cordially invited to the 74th Annual Kala West All Hallows’ Eve Ball!

  This is the first time invitations have been extended beyond witches and warlocks. All paranormals within the borders of Kala West have been sent a personal invite to this special occasion. It’s time for us to find a way to coexist within our beautiful town.

  Join us for a masquerading night of peaceful collaboration, music, dancing, and refreshments. We ask that you attend without malice and enjoy this special time within our magical community.

  Formal Attire Required and Masks Expected

  With Honor to the Goddess, Blessed Be!

  The Elemental Board of Kala West, Florida

  Jai smiled after reading his invitation. “I think we’ve been given a chance to finally find our witch.”

  “If she’s going to be somewhere, this would be it.” Duke grimaced.

  “What’s wrong now, Duke? I thought you’d be thrilled.”

  “I’m not a ball kind of dragon. I hate that formal shit with a passion.” Duke rolled his shoulders back, feeling tension set into them at the thought of wearing a stuffy tuxedo and mingling with people he had no care to know, unless that person was the witch in question. Dressing up also gave him memories he wanted to leave alone.

  “If we find her there, I’m pretty sure we won’t be staying too long for formalities.”

  “I like the way you think, Jai.”

  Jai looked at Duke expectantly. “What? No vampire jokes?”