Paranormal Dating Agency: Her Twisted Heart (Kindle Worlds Novella) (Twisted Tail Pack Book 3)

by Melanie James

  “Fifty bucks says he is.” Cam knew—oh, she knew just by seeing Callie’s reaction to him. She also knew by the scent in the air and the look on his face, her sweet Callie was about to get a degree in Hot Sex 101, and more than likely a minor in Orgasms That Make Your Head Spin.

  “Woman, you don’t pay me enough to be betting fifty fucks. You really think it’s him?”

  “Oh yeah.” Cam nodded. “I have zero doubts.”

  “So what do you think will happen?”

  “I think things are going to get very interesting around here.” Cam smirked.

  “Where can I sign up for these dream men? Look at that ass. Have you ever seen an ass on a man like that? Sweet, mama. That man is hot!”

  Chapter Five

  The last few minutes flashed through Wyatt’s mind. The last thing he’d expected when they pulled up to Cam’s Diner was to find his mate. Yet there he was, catching her in his arms as she collapsed.

  Everything had happened so fast his mind struggled with processing the gravity of the situation. Yes, he had come here to find her, despite knowing he didn’t stand a snowball’s chance in hell. Gerri had told him that he would find what he was looking for at Twisted Tail.

  Had he believed her?

  Not for a second. But his instinct drove him to investigate the lead she had given him.

  He could only sum up the experience to one thing. Fate.

  MINE! His wolf charged, demanding control, demanding the shift. After months of torment, his beast fought tooth and nail, refusing to be denied yet again.

  “Not yet. She’s human. We must give her time to warm to the idea. Besides, in case you haven’t noticed, she passed the fuck out when she saw us,” he told his wolf.

  They’d waited this long to find and claim her, it wouldn’t kill his wolf to wait a little bit longer.

  It took all of his mental might, every single bit of willpower he possessed to keep his beast in check. Wyatt may have found his mate, but the other scent he’d picked up on her was human. That was a curveball he’d have to wrap his head around.

  He hated humans. Loathed their very existence. Yet looking down at his beautiful mate, he could admit this one had beauty, even if she was a frail, wispy thing.

  His heart hammered in his chest. If he didn’t know better, he’d swear the vital organ was about to burst through his rib cage.

  He hadn’t even stepped a foot inside of the building when he had been immediately assaulted with the scent of his mate. The same tantalizing scent that had tortured him for months in his dreams was suddenly in his arms.

  “What did you do to her?” A woman raced over to where Wyatt stood holding his mate, clinging to her like a newfound lifeline.

  A low growl rumbled in his chest. “Nothing. I would never hurt my mate!”

  Every head in the diner snapped to glare at him.

  The woman’s brows arched, her hand locked on her hip. “Your mate? This should be good.”

  “Yes, my mate.” Wyatt turned to leave with Callie in his arms, but Cam blocked his path.

  “You are not taking her anywhere. How do I know you’re not some creep who’s out to hurt her?” Cam growled.

  “Do not mess with me, woman,” Wyatt warned.

  “I’ll mess with you if I damn well want to. This is my restaurant and Callie is my employee. She’s not going anywhere with you unless she’s conscious and agrees to it. Now, bring her to my office. I have a couch in there.”

  “Lead the way.” His wolf mere seconds from gaining control. More than ever, Wyatt had to keep his wits about him. He had to stay in human form. If he shifted with his mate in his arms, he’d likely kill her. A human body wouldn’t be able to heal the damage he’d leave behind if he were to shift with his mate in his arms.

  “She recognized me.” The words left Wyatt’s mouth before he could stop them. What did she mean by that? Had she dreamed of him, too?

  Wyatt pulled Callie closer and leaned in to inhale her scent.

  “I think she’s in shock,” Cam said as she opened the door to her office and pointed to the couch.

  “Why would she be?” Wyatt couldn’t come up with a single reason for her reaction to him.

  “I guess we’ll have to wait until she wakes up to find out.”

  Cam peeked her head out of the door. “Ruby Jean, can you grab a damp towel and a Coke with a straw?”

  “Sure thing, boss,” Ruby Jean replied.

  Wyatt tried once again to wrap his mind around the fact that she was a human, and one that appeared to be frail. There had to be an explanation for her passing out like she did. “Has she eaten today?”

  “Knowing Callie, probably not. She wasn’t due for her break for another hour.” Cam met Ruby Jean at the door and grabbed the towel and Coke from her. “Thanks.”

  Cam handed the towel and soda over before resuming her position.

  “Boss, there’s another beefcake out here that looks just like the one in here. What should I do with him?”

  Wide-eyed, Cam sniffed the air. “Is he with you?”

  “Yes.”

  “Ruby Jean, if you can send him in, that would be great.”

  Cam backed away from the door and bee-lined it to her desk. She quickly flicked on her computer and shuffled around a few papers.

  Her sudden movements didn’t escape Wyatt’s notice. If he didn’t know better, he’d swear she was trying to act like she was busy.

  Weird.

  He’d figure it out later, right now he needed to focus on his mate. Folding the towel in half, then once again, he placed the towel over her forehead, pausing briefly to admire her beauty. More beautiful than he could have imagined, a light dusting of freckles covered her tiny nose. Her lips full and rosy, just waiting to be kissed.

  “Do you have a name?” Wyatt asked, figuring he might as well know his mate’s boss and play nice. For now.

  “Camryn Dochart. And you?”

  “Wyatt Lockhart and when he enters, my brother, Ethan.” Wyatt nodded to the door.

  ***

  Fuck. Fuck. Fuck, Cam chanted in her mind while her wolf all but howled with delight. The second she caught the scent she’d been both wishing for her whole life—and simultaneously dreading, she was ready to pull a Callie and pass the fuck out, right along with her BFF.

  “This can’t be happening,” she said to her wolf.

  “Suck it up, buttercup. It can happen and is, indeed, happening.” Her wolf beamed with joy.

  Maybe, if she just put her head down and acted busy, he wouldn’t notice her.

  “Ha!” Her wolf laughed in her mind.

  Any second he would walk through that door and she would get to see her mate for the very first time.

  Her voice hitched in her throat. Her mouth flopped open to issue a greeting, but nothing came out. Whatever she’d imagined her mate might look like couldn’t have compared to the mountain of a man filling up her doorway.

  “I—I’m Cam. Uh, nice to meet you.” Whew! Words!

  She watched as his jaw ticked, his eyes narrowed. His mouth remained closed.

  Hardly the greeting she’d expected from anyone, let alone her mate.

  “Fuck it. It’s not like I wanted to find my mate, anyway.”

  Chapter Six

  Wyatt ran his fingers lightly over his mate’s face, brushing the dark strands of hair from her mouth. “Wake up, beauty,” he whispered.

  Her eyes roamed back and forth behind her lids before suddenly darting open, then closed again. “Not another dream!” She moaned and rolled over on the couch.

  “Callie,” Cam called.

  Why would Cam be in my dream?

  “Wake up, beauty.”

  There was his voice again, haunting her.

  “Go away, and let me sleep for once.” All she wanted to do was get one single night’s sleep without him invading her dreams. Was that too much to ask the universe for?

  “Here, let me try.” Cam moved from around her desk to the co
uch.

  “Callie, girl, wake the fuck up. You passed out at work.” Cam shook her a little harder than necessary.

  “What?” Callie jumped, smacking her head against something hard.

  “Ouch!” a male voice shouted.

  Callie scrambled to a sitting position and rubbed her forehead. She looked around the room, trying desperately to figure out what the fuck was going on. Her eyes landed on the man from her dreams. Her heart skipped a beat. “What the hell is going on? Who are these people?”

  This can’t be happening. Her mind spun, she felt like tossing her cookies—that was if she’d eaten any cookies, they’d be long gone.

  “Move over, you big oaf,” Cam grumbled.

  “Here, Spaz. Drink this Coke. You need to get some sugar in you before you pass out again.”

  Callie could only imagine what she looked like. A deer in the fucking headlights. With a look of desperation, she implored Cam to send everyone away so she could have a moment to breathe.

  Thankfully, Cam knew the look Callie sent her way all too well.

  “All right, everyone, out! Let’s go. Move your asses.”

  The man from her dreams stood, the look on his face one of heartache. “I’m not going anywhere.”

  “Move your ass before I toss your ass.”

  The look of outrage quickly disappeared, replaced by one of indignation. “I’d like to see you try.”

  Callie looked at the man, her eyes seeking his. “Please, just let me get my head together, then we’ll talk.”

  His face softened before giving a curt nod. “Very well. I’ll be outside the door.”

  She blew out a deep breath when the men left Cam’s office. Not knowing where to begin, she placed her head in her hands and began to weep.

  “Callie, sweetie. What’s wrong?” Cam sat on the couch beside her, pulling her into a hug.

  “I—I can’t do this. How can the man that’s been haunting my dreams be here? Alive and in person?”

  None of it made any sense. Not so much as a lick of fucking sense.

  “I know this is the last thing you want to hear, but Wyatt—the man from your dreams—is a shifter.”

  “Fuck!” Callie wanted to cry even more. Cam knew how she felt about dating another shifter.

  “Yeah, I thought you’d say that. Hold onto your panties, Spaz. It’s about to get worse.”

  Callie looked up at Cam, less than amused with the new nickname she’d garnered. “Please, oh wise one, tell me how it can possibly get any fucking worse.”

  Cam bit back a smirk. “You sure you want to know?”

  “Just tell me already.”

  “You’re his mate.”

  Chapter Seven

  “His mate! What the fuck does that even mean?”

  “It means that his wolf has a fated connection to you. He believes that you’ll be his for all of time.”

  “What?” Callie loved her son, God knew she did, but she was so fucking sick of this mystical shifter bullshit that her ex had dragged her into. All she had ever wanted was a normal life, filled with normal people, who do normal shit. She’d witnessed more brutality in the time she’d spent with Trevor than she had in her entire life.

  Other than working at the diner, Callie kept to herself. She didn’t need anyone other than her mom and Max. Avoiding all social gatherings the pack had really hadn’t been that hard until Calder took over. But things were different with him as Alpha. Instead of public trials, beatings, and executions, the pack now had potluck dinners and bingo nights. Not that she was complaining, she really did prefer a good game of bingo over watching someone get their throat ripped out for no good reason.

  Still—part of her wished she’d moved away when she had the chance, but she didn’t. She stayed on at Twisted Tail because life had drastically improved, and she knew that she’d need help raising Max with each year that would pass. He’d need someone to show him the ropes, a mentor of sorts in the shifter world.

  “I’ve got a theory on all of this,” Cam said, pulling her from her thoughts.

  “Great. I can’t wait to hear it.” Callie rolled her eyes, her voiced chocked full of sarcasm.

  “Look, Spaz. There’s a reason all of this happened. You’re meant to be here. I know how much you hate the word fate, but the Fates are a very real thing—and they are very powerful. It’s not very often that humans—like yourself— get caught up in our world, but it’s happening more often these days. Anyway, the Fates have decided to bring you into our world by pairing you with a shifter.”

  Callie blew out a deep breath. “I don’t like the idea of these Fates making decisions in my life.”

  “You still have a choice. You could refuse Wyatt.”

  “And how often do women refuse their mates?” Callie asked.

  Cam shrugged. “For shifters? Not very often, but not for the reasons you think. Our animal knows who their true mate is by scent alone. The wolf is driven by instinct to mark and claim their mate, but what happens is more than just down and dirty sex. I’m not saying the sex part isn’t a hella lotta fun, but it’s more. It’s a life with someone who is driven to protect you. Someone who will never cheat or stray. Someone who will be by your side—no matter what. That’s the true meaning of having a mate.”

  Callie’s chest ached. “That’s what I thought I was signing up for with Trevor.”

  “You know what? Fuck Trevor! Forget about Trevor. He was a piece of shit and you were not his mate. If you were, you would have worn his mark. He was nothing but a controlling, abusive dick wad. Had I known you back then, I would have told you to run far and fast from him, but I didn’t. I would have saved you from that experience if I could have.”

  “How do I know this guy from my dreams—”

  “Wyatt,” Cam interrupted.

  “Fine, Wyatt. How do I know he’s any different than Trevor?” There was no way in hell that Callie would jump into another relationship without knowing damn well what the guy was like. She’d taken that leap of faith once—to do it again? Nope. Not happening. The only thing good that came out of her relationship with Trevor was Max. The rest of her time with him turned out to be one hellish nightmare after another, filled with a whole lot of fuckery. She’d learned her lesson, and wouldn’t be making that mistake again.

  “While you were passed out, playing a swooning damsel in distress, I texted Calder to let him know what was going on. He’s on his way over to meet Wyatt.”

  Callie jumped off the couch like her ass had just been lit on fire. “You did what? Why would you involve him in this?” The last thing she wanted to do was to get Calder involved.

  “Relax. You’re going to give yourself a heart attack if you keep this up. I don’t know how to explain it, nor do I know how he does it, but Calder has a way of seeing through all of the bullshit and looking at a person’s soul. He can see if they are good or bad, filled with love or hate.”

  Callie groaned and plopped back down onto the couch. “More mystical bullshit. Great. Now, tell me, what the heck am I supposed to say to him? Really?”

  “Tell him the truth. Never lie to the Alpha. He’ll know,” Cam warned.

  “Well, there goes my dignity.”

  “Why do you say that?”

  “Because I’ve been dreaming about this guy for months! The things we’ve done in our dreams. Oh, god. Forget about Calder for a minute. How am I going to face Wyatt?” Callie could feel a blush burning its way across her face and down her neck.

  “I’m going to say it again. You need to chill out and relax. This isn’t the end of the world. Think of having a big strong protector for you and Max. Did you even catch a glimpse of him?”

  Callie leaned her head against the back of the couch and sighed. “Yeah, I saw him. I’ve seen all of him in my dreams. How this is even possible—I still have no fucking clue.”

  “That’s what I was trying to tell you. The Fates. They are the ones responsible for the dreams you and Wyatt have had.”

>   Callie’s eyes snapped open. She glared at Cam. “Back the truck up. You mean he’s been having the same dreams that I have?”

  “Of course he has. They are called mating dreams. I’m just not sure why you started having them before you guys met.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Mating dreams are normal,” Cam started.

  “Not for humans!” Callie had never once in her life heard of a human meeting their significant other in a dream, let alone nearly having wild monkey sex in said dream.

  “Right, so anyway—once a wolf finds his or her mate, their instinct drives them to mark and claim their mate immediately. If they don’t, they have what are called mating dreams. From what I’ve heard the dreams are erotic in nature and hot as hell, but I guess you know that already. What the elders will tell you is the dreams exist to help spur the attraction between mates.”

  Callie couldn’t believe what she was hearing. Who lived like this or experienced things like this?

  “I can’t deal with this right now.” Callie grabbed her jacket and purse from the hook on the wall.

  “Where are you going?” Cam asked.

  “Home to think about things. Can you have Brenda cover the rest of my shift?”

  Cam nodded. “Text me if you need anything.”

  “Can you take care of him?” Callie motioned to the door where she was certain Wyatt stood, waiting for her.

  “Easy. Peasy. Between me and Calder, he’ll wish he’d never set foot in this diner.”

  “Thanks! I owe you one.” Callie headed for the small window in Cam’s office.

  “You owe me a hell of a lot more than one.”

  “I know. I’ll make it up to you one day.”

  Chapter Eight

  Wyatt’s patience was running out. Who the hell was he kidding? It had run out the second his mate had asked him to give her time. He’d been ready to beat down the damn door and demand that his mate talk to him the second he’d stepped out of the small office, but he hadn’t. One pleading look from her was all it had taken to get him to keep from rushing through the flimsy door and making an ass out of himself.