by Barb Shuler
“Mia.” I pressed my lips together seeing Angus in the office. “Sorry.”
“It’s okay, come in, D.” Mia gave me a kiss and I grinned, swatting her ass.
“What are you two up to?” I asked, leaning back against the wall beside her desk.
“Angus is fussing about Jay tossing a water bottle at him, again.” Mia busted out laughing while poor Angus’s face turned red.
“It’s not my fault she’s in a pissy mood today. I just happened to be the messenger.” Angus squinted his eyes at Mia.
As her laughter subsided she held up a hand. “I’m sorry, Angus, but you know not to go behind that bar. Why didn’t you grab a bottle from Nix or Mel?”
He grunted. “I wasn’t on that side of the bar. I know people with OCD and anxiety can be testy, but Jesus, she’s a bit off the rocker. You should give hazard pay!”
“You should stop pissing her off,” Mia laughed again.
I had to admit, I was fighting back my own laughter.
I raised a brow at him. Seriously? He knew how she was. The man was asking for it. He did sound as if he knew someone with anxiety. Each person handled theirs differently. Jay was…extreme at times, and I believe that was due to her being a shifter. We felt things ten times more than a normal human.
“You know someone with a severe anxiety issue?” I asked, curious but not wanting to sound pushy.
“I did,” he nodded, “My sister, Anna. She was...” he paused to take in a deep breath through his nose and let it out before he continued, “She was accosted and beaten within an inch of her life when she was sixteen. I was off at college. My parents were shitty and let her go to a party she had no business going to.
“By the time word got to me, she had shut down. She wouldn’t talk to anyone. She talked to me after some persuasion. Kids are assholes. They lured her to the party to make fun of her, and it got out of hand.
“After that, she was never the same. She wouldn’t leave the house. I had a hard time getting her to eat. I left college and moved her in with me. She was healing, slowly. I noticed that when I would push her, she would fold in on herself, so I had to learn to let her heal in her own way. I was there when she needed me, but I wasn’t hovering.”
“Oh Angus.” Mia got up and moved around to hug him. The big man seemed to need that contact. I patted his shoulder.
“I’m really sorry, man. How is your sister now?”
“She passed away about seven years ago. Car accident. She had decided to get out of the house and they think she swerved to miss an animal. She hit a tree. They assured me it was instantaneous and that she didn’t suffer. Not that hearing she died quickly helped me deal with the loss. I’ve healed. She’s with me in my heart and with that knowledge, I can make it through the day.”
“My man, you are one in a million.”
“Anna is why I became a bodyguard. I wanted women to know not all men were assholes. Some of us give a shit, ya know?”
“I get it, my man, I get it.”
“Can I ask…is Anna the reason you watch Jay and the girls and not let anyone else do it?”
“Nick is allowed to do it. I don’t keep him from it. I just prefer to make sure you are all safe myself.” He shrugged slightly as his eyes went from hers to mine.
I gave him a nod. “I thank you for that, Angus, I really do. I know when I’m not here, my girl and the others are safe.”
“They will be. Nick and I will make sure of it.” He looked to Mia. “But we can’t do that if someone is trying to scalp us. She needs to not be so pissy…but…I get it. Is she okay after the issue with the guy attacking her?”
“She will be,” Mia said.
I nodded. It was hard, but we would make sure she and her cat were okay. It was just a little setback.
“She just needs a little time. Seriously, just stay from behind the bar and you won’t get scalped…maybe”
I chuckled again.
“Damn…” Max breathed out into the earpiece and I winced.
Dammit. It was then that I remembered the earpiece. I needed to change the subject.
“Maximus?”
“Erm, yeah, boss.”
“How’s the door looking?”
“Traffic is slowing down.”
“Good. Go do a perimeter check for me.”
“You got it. Two or Four?”
“Either, your call. Just give it a once-over.”
“Done.”
I turned to Mia. “I’m going to give Angus a few to finish his chat with you,” I grinned, “I’ll be at the bar. I need something to drink.”
“If she clobbers you with a bottle…”
“I’m not going to spy on her or mess with her space, I just need something to drink.”
“Dalton!”
I chuckled as Angus started back in on her. She was gonna skin me. I’d worry about that later, though.
The beat of the music filled my ears as I walked to the bar. My eyes scanned the area. Everyone seemed to be calm and enjoying themselves. I stopped at the end of the bar and patted the top.
“Wild Turkey, please.”
Jay gave me a look and I slid a twenty to her. I didn’t have to pay for drinks, but I did. I wasn’t here to spy; I was here to see for myself that she was alright. The wolf would be able to smell if something was off.
“Not you too.”
“I’m simply here for a drink. Honest.”
She took the money and moved to grab the bottle of Wild Turkey. But it wasn’t in its spot. I didn’t see it at all. I scowled.
“Who has the Wild Turkey?” Jay asked.
Melody cursed, “Dammit. I’m sorry, I got side-tracked. We’re out.”
Jay growled, turning to put her hands on the bar. I reached over, tapping her hand. She brought her gaze to mine. “Relax.” It wasn’t a command from me, it was my wolf. He was pushing forward to help her take a chill pill. She seemed unnerved and that was never a good thing.
“Thanks. I need to go get a bottle from the stockroom.”
“I’ll go get it. Why don’t you go take a break, let yourself breathe in a little fresh air?” It was a request, but the power behind it made it more like a gentle command. Thankfully, her cat wasn’t being an ass at the moment. She may not officially be a pack member, but I was responsible for her. As the Alpha, I had to make sure she was okay. Period. Same way I do for the boys.
“Sure.” She turned to Melody and Nix. “I’ll be back in ten.”
Both girls nodded and I walked with her to the back. I needed to make sure my boys were out of sight. Once I made sure the coast was clear, I left her in the alley. She had eyes on her here, she just didn’t know it. Liam could watch her from his desk.
Walking into the stockroom, I went down the line of boxes and found the Wild Turkey. I removed two bottles and went back to the hall. I didn’t see Jay, so I peeked out the back door just as she stepped back inside.
“Thanks, I needed that.”
“No problem. I got the bottles.”
She took them and headed back out to the bar. I followed her. I got my drink and sat myself in the back corner close to the bar. A few minutes later, Angus came back in and went to the opposite side of the bar. Now to just make it through the rest of the night with no breakdowns, big or small.
“I’ll grab the girls. I’m sure they need to piddle by now.”
I stopped when I walked into the room and found the girls both staring up at me. They looked so heartbroken, a piece of me cracked. I couldn’t handle the pressure. I chuckled to myself and squatted to open the kennel.
“Don’t you give me that look. You are not starving for attention.”
With my arms full of pups, I went out to the living room to find Mia. She was barefoot, her dress shirt off, leaving her in a tank top that slid over her curves perfectly. A soft growl escaped me. Her grin made me shake my head. Damn woman was a tease.
My lips met hers in a bruising kiss, then I walked out the back sliding doo
r onto the porch. I put the girls down on the grass and started to strip. I felt Mia watching me. I gave her a lopsided grin and folded my clothes. Once I was free of boots and socks, I took a few steps back and shifted.
The asshole wanted to see his girls too. He flopped down and started nosing the wiggly little bodies trying to climb him.
This was the way life should be.
Mated To Magic ~ Playlist
Anything She Likes - Mitchell Tenpenny feat Seaforth
Better Place - Rachel Platten
Chance Worth Taking - Mitchell Tenpenny
Fire It Up - Brantley Gilbert
Goner - Mitchell Tenpenny
Grip - Tessa Thompson
Hear Me Now - Bad Wolves feat Diamante
I Have A Dream -Westlife
Now And Forever - Richard Marx
Rescue Me - Marshmello feat A Day To Remember
Rescue You - High Valley
Stand By You - Rachel Platten
Superman - Rachel Platten
Stay tuned for more of Mia, Dalton, and the pack in Mated & Scarred, book two in the Stark Creek Shifters Series.
About Barb Shuler
~ Barb Shuler ~
Barb is a Carolina girl by right and a Texan by birth. By day she’s a desk jockey for a rural transportation company and a book lover, reading through as many books as she can. At night, though, she turns into her alter ego: a writer—cape optional, depending on her mood.
Her stories are a mix of real-life events, personal experiences, and the craziness of her own imagination and those of her best friends. And when their imaginations blend together, it can be crazy. Barb writes in multiple genres, encounters new adventures, creates new worlds, and has a fantastic time breathing life into new stories, creating something she hopes inspires anyone who reads to fall in love with them as she has.
Barb lives by one little rule: tomorrow is never guaranteed, so make sure you live each day to its fullest.
~ Connect with Barb here ~
Website: http://authorbarbshuler.com
About L Firminger
~ L. Firminger ~
L. Firminger has had a love affair for books her whole life. From the fairy tales that were read to her as a young girl to the stories of love and loss that would distract her as a teenager.
It wasn't until attending her first signing as a reader, in Sydney, that she discovered the world of Indie authors that would ignite her spark of writing once again.
Taking a leap of faith, Lauren published her debut novel, Learning to Fly. From there, the characters continued to speak with her and three years, seven books later, the words continue to flow. From military romance to motorcycle clubs, Lauren tests the boundaries of them all and hides inside the worlds she creates.
~ Connect with Lauren here ~
Website: https://laurenfirminger.wixsite.com/home
