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Where He Leads
by
Nicole Garcia
All rights reserved. Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of the copyright owner of this book.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
License Notes
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Table of Contents
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Epilogue
Chapter One
The cold wind hitting Jett’s face and blowing through his thick black fur was a huge contrast to the burning heat flowing through his veins. His paws hit the hard soil, faster and faster as he made his way up the path back to the resort. He loved this time of year. The snow had practically melted away and the air was a bit warmer as Spring neared. It made his job as a hiking tour guide much easier since the humans couldn’t balance themselves on the rough terrain with four legs as he could. Though he was quite accustomed to the trail and could more than likely navigate the woods with his eyes closed, he took this time to enjoy the privacy and be one with his animal.
He didn’t get to indulge his wolf as often as he would have liked since he was so busy at work. Sometimes a quick meal and a quick fuck was all he had time for at the end of the day. He was actually getting pretty damned bored of it all. Especially now that his best friend Adonis, an albino lion shifter, had a new mate and was expecting twins. Of course, there was always his twin brother Ronin, but Ronin was too busy humping everything in sight to be bothered with any other kind of communication. Jett didn’t understand how his brother had so much energy to go out every night on desire ridden conquests after a full day of rock climbing with the humans. To each his own he guessed. At least Ronin wasn’t bothering him.
Being the alpha of the pack was more than enough responsibility anyway. He didn’t have time to babysit the other members. It was peaceful on the mountain for the most part. Jett rarely had any trouble with other shifters and tribes threatening his pack, so there wasn’t much to do other than go to work and keep an eye out for the humans.
The branches crunching under his feet pulled his thoughts back to the peacefulness of the woods around him. Just a few more minutes to enjoy his solitude and the rest of the day would be spent doing tours. It’s not that he didn’t love his job, because he did. There was nothing he loved more than being outdoors and being one with nature. Only the more he thought about it, the more he realized he was missing out on something. What he was missing, he didn’t know. He just knew there was an emptiness in his heart that nothing had fulfilled yet.
Jett slowed pace to a quick trot and stopped in front of a tree where he’d hung a backpack full of supplies. He morphed back into human form and pulled out the fresh clothing in the backpack. He dressed quickly, putting the sack of supplies back on the limb. The sun had been up for a few hours already, so he only had enough time to grab a quick bite to eat and pick up his schedule for the day.
As he reached the resort he spotted Eira in the doorway; her big belly sticking way out in front of her. She was as big as a house and ready to drop those twins any day now. She lifted her head and waved at him. He waved back and smiled as he approached her. “Man, you’re huge!”
Eira took the baseball cap off her head and swatted him in the arm. “And you’re a jack-ass.”
She brushed a few stray blonde hairs out of her face and slid the tattered red and white hat back on her head. He laughed. “When are you going to throw that raggedy hat in the trash?”
“I’ll throw my hat away the day you conjure up some manners.”
“In other words...”
“Never!”
He chuckled and grabbed the strap of the duffle bag she was holding and placed it on his shoulder. “Why are you carrying this? Where’s Adonis?”
“He’s inside. I just came by to drop off lunch for you guys.”
“You didn’t have to do that Eira.”
“Yes I did. I’m so damn bored sitting around the house all day. My father won’t let me fly and Adonis doesn’t want me doing anything at all. I’m going insane.” She points to her enormous belly. “Hopefully these two will make their appearance soon.”
“Then you’ll have an even bigger headache. Screaming shifter babies who will grow up to be screaming shifter teenagers.”
Her smile faltered. “Oh no. I didn’t even think about that. Is it too late to change my mind?”
He laughed. “I think so.” He’d known Eira a few years now and he could safely say Adonis had his hands full with his mate. She’s a real character and very strong-minded, but she was also the sweetest woman he’d ever known. You couldn’t ask for a better friend. “Let me help you with this bag. Did you drive here?”
“No Jett, I sprouted wings and flew.”
He shook his head and laughed as he followed her to her car. “There’s no need to get testy. I sure hope you have these babies soon because you’re more ornery than usual.”
She unlocked the driver’s side door and slowly slid into the seat as he opened the back door and threw her bag in the car. He waited until her legs were in and slammed the door closed. “Do you need anything else before I go?”
“No, I’m good, thanks. And don’t you dare tell Adonis you saw me carrying that heavy bag. Otherwise I will never hear the end of it, and then you’ll never hear the end of it from me.”
“Fine, but only if you tell me what’s in it.”
“None of your damn business.”
She started up the engine and drove off as he called out to her. “Love you too Eira!”
Passing through the lobby of the resort he spotted his brother Ronin walking toward the elevator. Jett shouted his name to get his attention and Ronin turned around to wave Jett off. Jett, in turn, flipped the bird as Ronin stepped inside the elevator and he returned the gesture with a smirk before the doors closed. This was Jett’s relationship with his pain in the ass twin in a nutshell; vulgar gestures, constant insults, and neither one heading the other’s advice. But, no matter what they disag
reed on or how much they got on each other’s nerves, both were always there for one another at the drop of a hat; no questions asked. They were family, and family had to stick together. Especially since there weren’t many of his pack left.
Jett stripped off his coat as he made his way down a narrow hall to Adonis’ office and knocked on the door. Of course he didn’t wait for his best friend to respond, he just waltzed right in as usual. Adonis glanced up from the keyboard in front of him and lowered his head again to continue typing.
“Hey. Busy?”
“No, I’m sitting here at my desk for no reason at all.”
“I swear you and Eira are perfect for each other.”
“What do you want Jett, I have things to do.”
“I just wanted to drop by and see my best friend.”
Adonis raised his head, lifting a brow and met Jett with a questioning stare. “What do you really want?”
“Jeez, why do you think there is always some ulterior motive when I say something nice to you?”
“Because there always is. Now what do you want?”
“I told you, nothing.”
“Fine.” Adonis’ eyes settled on the monitor as he began typing again. “Eira made you lunch today, it’s on the table over there.”
“I know. I saw her as I was walking in and helped her to the car.”
Adonis’ head snapped up, worry etched in his eyes. “Why did she need help? Is she okay? I should go after her.” Adonis began to stand, but Jett held up his hand.
“Hold on. She’s fine. I just helped her carry that big bag she was schlepping around.”
“I told her not to take that bag with her and completely ignored me!”
Jett arched a brow. “Did you really expect her to listen to you. You know she doesn’t listen to anyone and she’s just as stubborn as you are.”
“I am not stubborn.”
“Yes you are.”
“No I’m not.”
“Yes, you are.”
“As much as I’d like to continue this extremely adult conversation, I can’t. I told you I’m busy.”
Jett sat in the chair across from Adonis’ desk and slumped in the seat. “Don’t you take a day off to just relax?”
“Don’t you?”
“I work outside. I relax every day. You sit holed up in this dank, stuffy office all day. If it weren’t for Eira you wouldn’t go out at all.”
“Is there a day when you don’t have your nose in everyone else’s business?”
Jett rubbed his stubbled chin, feigning to think. “Hmm. Nope.”
“Get out.” Adonis shuffled through some papers on the desk and handed Jett a sheet of yellow legal pad paper. “Here’s your schedule for the day.”
“What happened to the printer?”
“I have no clue. I called the store room and they’re bringing up a new one and taking this one down to see what’s wrong with it. I figured you’d be here to pick up your schedule, so I wrote it out for you.”
“Could you have wrote it more illegible?”
“You know what, you could’ve sat here and wrote it your fucking self, you ungrateful piece of...”
“Dude relax. I was just kidding. Man, I hope those kids of yours are born soon. The two of you are completely stressed out.”
Adonis leaned back in his chair, sliding his hands down his face. “I know. I’m sorry. I’m just worried about Eira. She doesn’t take the doctor’s advice, she doesn’t listen to her father, and she doesn’t listen to me. She just does what she pleases and that would be fine if she wasn’t carrying twins. No one can get it through her thick skull that she needs to rest.”
“Eira is a strong woman. If there is anyone you don’t need to worry about, it’s her. I know she’s your mate and you want to do everything in your power to keep her safe, but the only thing you can do now is support her and be there when she needs you. Trying to force her to do something will only make her more anxious. She doesn’t take to being told what to do very well.”
Adonis huffs out a breath. “Pfft. Don’t I know it. Speaking of mates, when are you going to settle down and have kids of your own.”
“I am quite satisfied being single and playing the field, thank you very much.”
“Yeah, maybe a little you running around here isn’t the best idea.”
I laugh. “You’re probably right.” Jett hopped out of the chair and walked toward the door. “Well, I’m off…”
“In more ways than one.”
“Ha, ha, ha, very funny. See you later.”
Chapter Two
Riding down the highway on her Kawasaki’s Ninja ZX-6R with the wind blowing in her hair and the vibrations of the powerful machine under her was pure bliss. It was the only chance Tatum had to relax and get away from the chaos at the shop. Being the only female grease monkey working in a predominantly male environment definitely caused some challenges. One, she was always being hit on, and two, she constantly had to prove she was good at her job. Just because she was a woman didn’t mean she frail and helpless; and it certainly didn’t mean she couldn’t be as efficient as her male counterparts when it came to mechanics. In fact, she knew more than they did at times.
Her choice of career wasn’t the problem because she loved it. She was just looking for more; a different environment, a change of pace from the mundane life she seemed to be living lately. The way she’s been feeling could have been due to the fact she hadn’t been on a date in months. Okay, maybe it was two years. Who knew? She’d lost count a long time ago. Anyway, it really didn’t at this point. If she couldn’t find some kind of validation and happiness on her own, there was no way she could expect some guy to jump in and rescue her. Besides, she didn’t need rescuing anyway. She was a strong, independent woman who could take care of herself. But, maybe a little friendly advice would do her some good.
She took the next exit, giving the bike more throttle as she came out of the turn and sped toward the building where she often found herself. Her best friend since she was a teenager was the only one she could count on for advice. He was honest with her at all times, even when if it was something she didn’t want to hear. He always had her best interest at heart and that was the reason why she loved Jasper so much.
Tatum cut the engine of her motorcycle and parked in front of Jasper’s house. After removing her helmet, she walked up the six flights of stairs to his apartment. Now, she was in great shape, but trekking up those stairs every time she had to go visit him was a back-breaking chore. Since it was an old building there wasn’t an elevator and since the landlord was as cheap as the day was long he wasn’t going to update the structure and put one in.
Out of breath and desperately gulping for air, she knocked on the door. When Jasper opened the door with his boxer briefs riding low on his hips and his dark hair sticking up in every direction she cringed a bit and thought maybe she’d made the wrong decision by not calling ahead first. He probably had some woman, or man, or...maybe both in his bed now. Tatum covered her eyes. “Dude, could you come to the door wearing a little less?” She said in the most sarcastic voice she could muster.
Jasper rubbed his eyes and turned his back to her, making his way into the kitchen. “It’s seven o’clock in the morning Tay. I was sleeping. Next time I’ll be sure to put on my best tuxedo before I come answer the door for you.”
Tatum took a few tentative steps inside and looked around. “Is it safe to come in? I’m not interrupting anything am I?”
“If you’re asking if I’m alone, then yes, it’s safe.”
She closed the front door to the apartment behind her and peeled her leather jacket off, throwing on the nearby kitchen chair. Hopping up on the counter next to the coffee maker, she grabbed a croissant out of the package and broke a piece off before shoving it in her mouth. She chewed a few times and struggled to swallow as it slowly slid down her throat. “When did you buy these?”
“I don’t know. The other day I guess.”
; “More like three months ago.”
Jasper shut off the coffee maker and grabbed two mugs out of the overhead cabinet. He poured each of them a cup and added some cream and sugar. “First you come over here unannounced, complain about my choice of wardrobe, and then you insult my food. Anything else that doesn’t fit your fancy this morning?”
“Who even says that?”
“I do, when my sleep deprived brain can’t think straight because my best friend has the nerve to come barging in my house at seven o’clock in the morning like she owns the place.”
“I did not barge in.”
“You might as well have. Now what are you doing here so early anyway?”
Tatum ripped off another dry piece of croissant and placed it in her mouth. She chewed several times and spoke with her mouth still full. She shrugged and sighed. “I don’t know.”
“You don’t know? Well, I’m glad you woke me up for something as important as that.”
Hopping off the counter, Tatum strode over to the half open window and stared out onto the busy street. “I’m sorry.”
Jasper sat on the windowsill next to her, bumping her arm with his shoulder. “Hey. What’s really going on?”
“I want more Jas.”
“More what? Coffee? Breakfast? Can you be more specific?”
“I want more out of life.”
“Again, a little more detail would be nice.”
“I don’t know, maybe I need a change of pace. Maybe a new environment; a job.”
“Hold on. You love your job. Are those asshole co-workers bothering you again? Do I have to go down there and crack some skulls?”
“No. And I can handle those idiots on my own.”
“Well, I can’t help you if you can’t make up your mind on what you want.” Jasper stood, placing his empty mug in the sink. “Look, why don’t you take a break and go on a little vacation. The last time you took off was over a year ago. You have enough time built up, don’t you?”
Paranormal Dating Agency: Where He Leads (Kindle Worlds Novella) Page 1
