My Magic Mate
A Siberian Volkov Pack Romance
By
Caryn Moya Block
Published by Caryn M. Block
Copyright © 2013 Caryn M. Block
Smashwords Edition
Cover Design By Jirves GFX
Model Photo by Hot Damn Designs
This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
Dedication
To my new grandbaby who brings magic into my life just by being.
And to his mother, Rene. Thank you for this wonderful gift.
Acknowledgments
Thank you always goes to my fans who urge me to get the next book done. Knowing you are waiting is the best kind of inspiration. I know I could never have finished this project without the help of my editor, Bette Hileman, as well as my Beta readers, Yvonne Brashear, Judith Dreyer, Paula Scott Luddy, and Lisa Pugh. Thanks also go to the members of the Pen-to-Paper writing group of Culpeper County, Virginia, for their loving support.
Chapter One
Brencis “Bren” Solovyov, Siberian lycanthrope, stared in horrified fascination and amazement at the petite woman who clerked at Magic Herbs. Today, her hair was purple and stuck out like spikes in all directions. Maybe it was supposed to match the net tutu and purple, sparkly fairy wings she wore or possibly the combat boots. He shook his head in confusion. Every time he came into the store, the girl had on some outrageous costume. What would she look like without a crazy getup?
One thing he liked about the girl was her scent. She smelled like apples and cinnamon—a little sweet and a little spicy and definitely bitable. The aroma wasn't fake like the odors in lotion or body spray. Brencis was certain the scent was natural. It reminded him of the apple tarts his mother made for him when he was little. Because he could detect odors better than any human, he decided to trust his instincts.
Brencis walked into the little herb store every Wednesday on his way home from work. Solovyov Security was the company he and his cousin Grigori, the new British Alpha, started here in England. Today, like the other times he’d entered the store, his heart felt lighter, and his mood improved. The stress of the day disappeared as the muscles in his neck and shoulders relaxed. Some might say the good energy permeating the store changed his mood. He didn't puzzle over what made his spirits lighten. He wasn't interested in herbs or the metaphysical things in the store. He knew there was no such thing as magic. Though some would think his ability to turn into a wolf was magical, that was a trick of his DNA.
Brencis visited the Magic Herbs store because it carried the brand of chamomile tea Melisande, Grigori's new wife, liked best. Brencis assured himself he came to please the Alpha's mate and make her feel accepted in the pack. His visits had nothing to do with the crazy clerk, her smell, or how he felt when he was around her.
The store was crammed with people today. Several extra tables had been set up for special guests. One table sign proclaimed, “Have Your Tarot Cards Read”; another said, “Do You Know Your Spirit Animal?”
Maybe the current crunch was because today was June 21st, the summer solstice or midsummer’s day. Brencis remembered reading in the paper about other festivals celebrating the event.
When he walked past the display of organic honey, he realized his pack in Siberia would be celebrating today, asking for the blessings of fertility on its people and crops. The beekeepers of the pack would harvest honey from the hives and distribute it to the families.
Moving farther into the store, Brencis stepped around a woman holding a small child, then past a teenage boy who was looking at incense. Brencis’ nose wrinkled at the odors filling the air, overwhelming his sense of smell. He kept trying to maneuver himself to the side of the store where tea was normally stocked, but the shop was so crowded he could hardly move. It was surprising to see such a variety of customers, from young to old, male to female, odd to boringly normal. He almost made it to the tea when a large woman with rose-colored glasses grabbed his arm and stopped him.
“Did you know your spirit animal is the wolf?” she asked. “If you come over to my table, I will tell you all about your wolf-spirit guide.” This woman knew he possessed a wolf spirit?
Brencis frowned and looked down at the woman’s hand on his arm. “You don't say,” he said. “I did know my spirit animal is a wolf, so thanks anyway.”
The woman grimaced and muttered but let go of Brencis' arm, and that was all he cared about. He didn’t like the woman’s touch. Something seemed off about her. Reaching the area where the tea was stocked, he picked up two boxes of chamomile. Turning, he looked back toward the register and the people he would have to get around to reach it. Sighing, he decided the best thing to do was get on with his errand.
As he was making his way to the counter to pay, a tall, thin elderly man with silver hair and disturbing light-blue eyes asked if Brencis wanted his tarot cards read. Brencis declined. This silver-haired man made Brencis’ wolf nervous. It rushed to the surface, as if there was an unknown danger. Brencis needed to take a calming breath and suppress his wolf spirit. Instead, he inhaled the mixed odors of incense and started coughing. Covering his mouth and nose with his arm, he breathed deeply, trying to clear the incense from his nasal passages. What was going on? Was his wolf reacting to the crowd or something else? Dropping his arm, he looked around but didn’t sense a threat. Finally, he made his way to the register.
The clerk looked up and gave him a bright smile. For a minute, the world shifted. Brencis forgot about her crazy hair and funny shoes. Her smile was warm and lit up the fine features of her face. Her violet eyes sparkled with merriment. She stood only as high as the bottom of his chin. Her figure was slim, and he liked the way her lavender T-shirt set off the color of her eyes. She looked beautiful, and he imagined she resembled the fairies she portrayed. He wanted to bask in her sunny happiness.
Then, one of the purple spikes fell over her eyes, and he was reminded where he was—in a crazy store, surrounded by crazy people. Didn’t this same woman look like a vampire last week? Brencis grimaced. Two weeks ago, she had been dressed as a dryad, complete with green hair and silk leaves sewn on her clothing.
But her amethyst-colored eyes seemed to draw him in, mesmerizing him as they looked into his soul. She touched him in a way no one ever had. Shaking his head to break the spell, he hoped Melisande appreciated what he went through to bring her favorite tea home.
“Hi, Mr. Solovyov. Getting tea for your cousin again?” the clerk asked.
“Yes, like every Wednesday,” Brencis answered as he tried to remember the clerk’s name.
Was it Rainbow or Meadow or Willow, something like that? He really should remember. It was good practice for his job. The clerk had remembered his name ever since the second time he appeared in her store. Brencis flushed with guilt as he handed her his credit card and waited for her to put it through the card machine.
“I want to give you a free sample of a new product I am thinking of carrying,” she said.
Not really understanding why, Brencis stood there as she put a small, brown-glass bottle into his hand and pushed it up to his lips. As he opened hi
s mouth to ask what it was, she emptied the liquid onto his tongue, and he swallowed reflexively.
“You always seem so alone, and I thought if anyone might be able to use this potion, it would be you,” she continued.
Brencis felt heat on his tongue and wanted to scream like a cartoon character with flames coming out of its mouth. Then, the potion went down, and he felt nausea start to roil his stomach. Sweat began streaming down his face.
“You've poisoned me!” he yelled as he ran toward the front door, hoping he would make it before the Chinese food he ate for lunch came bursting out. Pushing past the people in the crowded aisle, Brencis grabbed the door and ran outside. He saw a metal trashcan and shoved the lid aside as his stomach heaved. He vomited into the container.
“Oh, Mr. Solovyov, are you okay? Brencis? I didn't know it would make you sick. I would never have given it to you if I thought it was dangerous. Are you allergic to any herbs, or do you think it might be the powdered rose quartz I put in it?”
Brencis rubbed a hand across his mouth as he glanced back over his shoulder. He couldn't believe he was standing here on the street, being sick, while the purple fairy from hell tried to console him. He was still shaking and wondered if his stomach would rebel again.
“Look, Rainbow.”
“It's Meadow,” she interrupted
“I think you've done enough.”
Brencis grabbed the sides of the can, as his legs began to wobble and the sun started to darken. He wasn't going to faint, dammit. He was a lycanthrope. Lycans didn't get sick, and they didn't faint.
There was a flash, and a golden cord of light slammed into his chest. The only reason that would happen was if he truly had been poisoned. Then he saw where the cord led and groaned in despair. The woman who was dressed like a purple fairy and who had just poisoned him was his mate. Brencis let the dark take him and slumped to the sidewalk.
Falling to her knees beside the collapsed man, Meadow didn't understand what had happened. Brencis shouldn't have had that kind of a reaction to her potion. It was a love potion. It was supposed to help a person find true love, not die a gruesome death.
She had wanted to help him. He seemed so alone all the time. Checking him, she watched his chest rise with each breath. At least, he was still breathing. What could have gone wrong? Nothing in the potion could cause this kind of reaction.
Sighing, she leaned down to remove his wallet from his pocket. She saw his business card and pulled out her pink cell phone so she could call the number.
“Hello, this is Meadow Seymour from Magic Herbs in Glastonbury. Is this Grigori Solovyov? Good, your cousin Brencis has fainted in front of my shop, and he needs help. Should I call for an ambulance or will you come and get him?” she asked.
After Meadow heard Grigori say he was on his way, she couldn't help but reach down and brush her fingers lightly through Brencis' brown hair. It was the color of creamy chocolate, her favorite treat. She replaced his wallet in his pocket, then sat down to cradle his head in her lap. She continued to pet his hair as she looked at the fine features of his face. He was a handsome man.
She liked Brencis. He possessed an intense nature, but he had always been kind to her, though a little distracted at times. She couldn’t help but drool at his muscular physique. She had looked forward to seeing him every week. His emerald-green eyes always seemed so solemn. But they would sparkle when he looked at her. She hoped that was because he liked her.
Waiting to see him walk into her store every Wednesday had become an important part of her life. She looked forward to his visits as she would a holiday or a special treat. Excitement would race up her spine, making her tingle when she saw him.
She had thought up ways to make him smile at her. One smile and the world dropped away, leaving only the two of them in a magical bubble. She was very much afraid of the feelings that rushed over her when that happened. But, like an addict, she craved his smile. She knew in her heart it was important to her to see to his happiness. If he was happy, she was happy.
He took his work at the security company very seriously and had even given her free advice on a good lock for her back door. He was protective by nature, and she foolishly hoped he was protective of her. That would mean he cared, at least a little.
She liked the color of his green eyes, especially when they looked at her so incredulously, which was most of the time. Sometimes they would darken and sparkle like the finest emeralds. When he looked at her that way, her breath always shortened, and she felt light-headed.
Meadow didn't suppose he would be willing to come back to the store now that he was sick. She bit her bottom lip in consternation. That thought caused an ache that hurt deeply. But, honestly, she hadn’t poisoned him. And what exactly was this yellow cord of light that seemed to tie their hearts together?
§
Grigori was astounded by the call he’d just received. He knew the shop the woman was from. It sold the tea Meli liked so much. Brencis had made it his duty to provide a fresh box every week. However, lycanthropes did not faint. Using his telepathy, Grigori reached for Brencis. There was no answer, which only concerned him more. Had Brencis been drugged? Grigori jumped in his car and tore out of the parking lot, hoping Brencis would be okay. The shop was only ten minutes from the office. He should be there in no time.
When he arrived in front of the shop, he couldn't believe his eyes. A woman with purple hair, wearing fairy wings and a purple net tutu over biker shorts, sat on the sidewalk, cradling Bren's head on her lap. Grigori noticed right away the tender expression in her pretty violet eyes as she stroked Brencis’ forehead. Grigori saw the golden cord signifying a mating bond going from her chest to Bren's. Were those green combat boots on her feet? Who was this young woman? He jumped out of the car and ran over to the pair.
“What the hell happened? Is he shot?” Grigori asked, while running his hands up and down Brencis' still form. He didn’t find any apparent wound.
“No, he had a reaction to the love potion I gave him,” she answered.
“You're Meadow, the owner of the shop?” Grigori asked, glancing over at her.
“Yes, and you must be Brencis' cousin, Grigori. He looks like you.”
“We have lived together since both our parents died. You said you gave him a love potion?” Grigori asked.
“Well, yes, he always seems so alone. I thought if he could find his true love, he would be happier,” Meadow said, looking apologetic.
“What was in it?”
“Oh, let me see if I can remember all the ingredients,” Meadow said. “First, some powdered rose quartz to help open the heart chakra, then some rose oil for love, some cinnamon for passion, some thyme oil for trust. Some jasmine oil for romance, and some frankincense oil for the joining of the souls. So you see there really isn't any reason for him to react so violently.”
“What happened after he drank the potion?” Grigori didn’t think there was anything in the potion that should have caused this kind of reaction. How had she convinced Brencis to drink it?
“He seemed very upset. Then he ran out here and vomited in the trash can,” Meadow said. “There was a blinding flash, and this yellow cord of light showed up. Then he fainted. Poor Aglaral Hatcher and Delores Melody were very upset. They helped me by closing the shop early. But they left in a hurry. I think they are worried that you and Brencis will want to press charges against me. I tried to tell them Brencis is too nice a man to take revenge for a misunderstanding. Oh, here is the tea for your wife. Since Brencis comes in every week, I thought it was the least I could do. No charge of course,” Meadow said, holding up a brown bag.
Grigori stared in fascination at his cousin's mate. No wonder Brencis fainted after the mating bond snapped into place. Grigori didn’t smell the acid stench of a lie, and he couldn’t detect the odor of any poison. She really believed what she was saying. Still, there were some unsettling things here that needed to be cleared up. First and foremost, how did this crazy woman make a l
ove potion that could trigger the mating bond of a lycanthrope? What kind of psychic power did she possess?
“Meadow, would you mind helping me get Brencis home?” Grigori asked. “I'm sure you are going to want to know when he wakes up, and if he is all right. We have a guest bedroom, if you want to get some clothes or personal items. We live out a way in Somerset.”
“Oh well, if I can be of help, then, yes, I would like to come with you,” Meadow said. “Aren’t you going to take him to the hospital? I don’t want to intrude.”
“I know for a fact Brencis is going to want to see you as soon as he's well. I’ll call our family doctor to come check on him. Knowing you are close by while he is recuperating will help him feel better.” Plus, there was the mating bond to consider. Brencis would need his mate nearby.
“If you are sure, I would be glad to come. I need to grab a couple of things from my apartment upstairs.”
“Let me move Brencis to the car.”
Meadow got up and held Bren's head while Grigori carefully lifted him into his arms. Then, she ran over to the dark sedan and opened the back door, watching as he gently laid Brencis in the seat. She seemed to care about him. Maybe she really was Bren’s mate.
Grabbing her keys from her pocket, she ran upstairs to her apartment. Grigori walked around and got into the driver’s seat, hoping she wouldn’t take too long. He didn’t want to chance getting a ticket while parked in a loading zone.
This mystery was a little unsettling. Brencis appeared to have nothing wrong with him. The potion hadn’t been in his system long enough to do any real damage. The ingredients should not have caused this kind of reaction. But he hadn’t woken up, not even with a telepathic call.
In a few minutes, Meadow rushed back down the stairs with a small tote bag overflowing with garments. She hopped into the front seat of the car.
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