Shifted Love: Volume 1

by Davenport, Fiona

  Holding my hands up, palms toward my gorgeous mate, I murmured, “Relax. You’re safe. I’m not going to hurt you.”

  “Relax?” she yelled, her eyes narrowing as she pointed her index finger at me. “I don’t know you.” Her middle finger joined the first. “You just carried me out of my best friend’s boyfriend’s house while I was kicking and screaming for you to put me down.” Her ring finger got in on the action before she waved her hand in a small circle. “You brought me to another house, locked the door before putting me down, and you’re standing in front of it to block my exit.” Her hand dropped, and she pressed her fists to her hips. “Don’t you dare tell me to relax after doing your best to scare the crap out of me.”

  Knowing she was afraid of me was like an arrow to my heart. I wasn’t about to let her escape until I had the chance to explain who she was to me, but I could at least give her access to the door since I was fast enough to catch her if she somehow got past me. Taking a few steps to the left, I apologized, “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you.”

  Her gaze slid to the door before returning to my face. “You do realize how ridiculous that sounds, right? How else did you expect me to react to the stunt you pulled? You can’t just go around kidnapping people and then act all surprised when they’re afraid.”

  “It worked for Zeke,” I grumbled, wondering how my beta had gotten Allegra to accept him so damn quickly.

  “I’m still unclear on exactly what happened between my best friend and Zeke last night, but I’m pretty sure you can’t compare him rescuing her from a car accident to you carting me off in the middle of a conversation you weren’t even a part of.” The cutest little wrinkle formed in the middle of her forehead, and I wanted to brush my lips across it. “He was acting like a hero, but what you did was more along the lines of a villain.”

  My wolf almost went berserk at the possibility of my mate preferring Zeke over me. I held still, forcing my beast to remain within my skin until she was ready to meet him. Once he was no longer ready to tear across the street to rip Zeke’s throat out, and I had him back under control, I prowled closer to my mate. My lips curved up in a satisfied smirk when she held her ground, refusing to back down from me. There was only the slightest whiff of fear in her delicious scent. No matter how scared my mate thought she should be, she felt the pull between us the same as me, and it was stronger than her uneasiness with the situation. “You can kid yourself all you want, but Zeke would’ve done the same damn thing with Allegra if he’d had to.”

  “I find that difficult to believe,” she scoffed with a frown. “He’s the freaking sheriff. It’s not like he’s going to run around kidnapping women when his job is all about upholding the law.”

  I shrugged my shoulders, and my smile widened. “So what if he’s the sheriff? I’m the mayor of Timber Ridge, and that didn’t stop me from taking you out of his house.”

  Her blue eyes widened as her gaze swept down my tall body to take in the flannel shirt and faded jeans I’d put on after my run earlier. “You’re the mayor? You’ve got to be kidding me. Is this why I never heard much about Timber Ridge even though I moved to Stewart three months ago?” She paced back and forth in front of me, waving her hands in the air. “With you at the helm of this town, there are probably all sorts of illegal things going on that you need to keep quiet.”

  I barely held back the chuckle that rumbled up my chest at her rant. Pressing my lips together, I shook my head. “Nope, there’s no illegal shit going on in Timber Ridge that we need to hide.”

  We didn’t need to add crime to our collection of secrets. The fact that we were a town full of people who could shift into animals was more than enough to keep on the down low from the human world.

  “Oh, really?” She quirked a brow at me and tilted her head to the side. “What do you call kidnapping me then?”

  “I wouldn’t call it a kidnapping, that’s for damn sure.” I grinned when she parted those plump lips of hers to argue, hurrying to add, “And based on the lack of reactions from the sheriff and your best friend when they saw me carry you away, they didn’t think so either.”

  “Thanks for reminding me”—she marched past me—“that I have a bone to pick with Allegra. Just because she’s all loved up doesn’t mean she should let some strange guy haul me away like a sack of potatoes.”

  When her hand wrapped around the knob, I came up behind her and crowded her against the door. “There’s a flaw in your logic.”

  Her lungs expanded, her back brushing against my chest. She held perfectly still as she asked, “How so?”

  “I’m not just some strange guy.” I wound a stray lock of her hair around my finger and let it drop down her back. My wolf wanted to mark her bare neck, and my canines pressed against my gums as I rasped, “Your best friend already trusts Zeke, and he knows you’re safe with me because I’m his alpha.”

  “Alpha?” she echoed, twisting her head to meet my eyes. “Do you guys have a whole different vocabulary or something? Zeke wished me luck with his alpha, but I didn’t know what he meant.”

  I knew a few shifters besides my beta who’d mated humans, and I’d heard stories about how they’d broken the news to them. Learning from their experiences, I figured it was best to spit it out sooner rather than later. Otherwise, I was running the risk of her discovering my secret when I shifted in front of her without any warning, which was the worst-case scenario when it came to her accepting who and what I was. With no better choice, I said, “It’s fair to say shifters have our own language since we need words for things that don’t exist in the human world.”

  Her eyes widened, and the wrinkle popped up on her forehead again. “What in the ever-loving heck do you mean?”

  “The residents of Timber Ridge aren’t fully human,” I confessed, my muscles tensing as I waited for her reaction. “We’re able to shift into animal form.”

  3

  Larissa

  I blinked up at him before turning to face the door and letting my forehead drop against the hard surface. For a little bit there, I’d thought maybe Allegra had stumbled across an awesome town full of hot guys, and I was looking forward to visiting her on the regular. And that was after being kidnapped, which just went to show how good-looking these guys were.

  Zeke was attractive enough to make any woman look twice, but the guy who’d dared to snatch me out of his house was the one who called to me. He was a good nine to ten inches taller than me and had muscles on top of his muscles. His light brown hair was long enough for me to run my fingers through it, and his eyes were a rich chocolate brown. It really was too bad he was the one who caught my attention since he was completely out of touch with reality. And lucky me...I was trapped inside his house with him. “Why me?”

  It was a rhetorical question, but the guy who thought he was part animal decided to answer anyway. “Because you’re my fated mate.”

  “You’ve got to be freaking kidding me.” Squeezing my eyes shut, I lifted my head and banged it against the door again.

  Gently gripping my shoulder, he turned me to face him. Then he cupped the back of my head so his hand was protecting me from the door. “Stop, you’re going to hurt yourself.”

  Startled laughter burst from my lips. “Oh, that’s just great. The guy who kidnapped me because he thinks he can turn into an animal and I’m supposedly fated to be with him is worried that I’ll bruise my head or something during my perfectly reasonable reaction.”

  “Kace.”

  He stared at me as though I’d know what his random, one-word response meant. “I’m sorry, what?”

  “I figured it’d be easier for you to refer to me if you knew my name.” His lips curved up in a sexy grin, and I wanted to kick my own butt for reacting to it. “Kace Lowell.”

  My dad had drilled the importance of a firm handshake so deeply into my head that my response was automatic. Stretching out my arm, I replied, “Larissa Nash.”

  Kace’s palm slid against mine, and I felt
his touch all the way to my core. “Larissa,” he repeated in a low, raspy tone. “A unique name for a beautiful woman.”

  I tried to tug my hand from his hold, but he didn’t let go. “Oh, sure. Now you pour on the charm after you already showed me your faults.”

  “I can be a fuck of a lot more charming where you’re concerned,” he promised with a sexy smirk. “And being a shifter isn’t a fault. It should go in the plus column because you’ll never have to worry about how I’ll treat you. You are the center of my world. The one person I put above my pack.”

  He had me falling for his line, right up until the last bit. “Is your pack part of the whole changing into an animal thing?”

  Tightening his hold on my hand, he guided me over to the couch. After getting me settled, he crouched down until we were eye level. “I get that it’s difficult to believe that shifters exist, and I don’t expect you to take my word for it when we only just met.”

  He was back to sounding reasonable, and I felt as though I had mental whiplash. “That’s good because I’m not going to believe you can change into an animal without seeing it with my own eyes.”

  “Deal.” He unbuttoned the top two buttons of his shirt before tugging it over his head. My gaze was glued to his six-pack abs, so it took a moment to register in my brain that he had kicked off his boots and popped open the snap on his jeans.

  I slapped a hand over my eyes, but I was super tempted to peek through my fingers because he was so darn sexy. “What are you doing?”

  There was a rustling sound, and then his jeans landed on top of my feet. “Showing you my wolf.”

  His answer was so matter-of-fact, as though people claimed they could shift into an animal every day. “Your wolf?”

  “He’s bigger than most since I’m the alpha, but you don’t need to be scared of him,” he promised. “My wolf would die to protect you.”

  My eyes popped open at his vow, and I stared at my hand until I felt the brush of fur against my legs. I dropped my arm and gasped in shock at the huge wolf sitting in front of me. Its head was several inches above mine, and familiar dark brown eyes stared down his snout at me. “Holy crap! You were serious. You really can change into a wolf.”

  He chuffed at me and lowered his head, his rough tongue swiping against my hand.

  “Okay. Wow,” I breathed. “I’m going to take that as a yes.”

  Remembering what he’d said about not being afraid, I reached out to stroke my hand down his back. “Your fur is so soft.”

  With his tongue hanging out, the wolf jumped up next to me on the couch. He rested his head on my lap, and I took it as an invitation to keep petting him. I dug my fingers in his thick fur and murmured, “You’re freaking huge, but I’ve never seen a more gorgeous animal in my life.”

  It was impossible to miss the gleam of male satisfaction in his dark eyes. “Duh, I guess I should’ve realized you’d understand what I’m saying. But I refuse to be embarrassed. I’m sure you already know how amazing your wolf is. I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised. It makes sense that a superhot guy wouldn’t turn into just any wolf.”

  He shifted on my lap, his tongue stroking against my cheek. I rubbed my hand against the trail of wetness the lick left behind. My vision was partially blocked, and I shrieked when my hand dropped back down to my lap, and I saw that Kace’s naked body was sprawled next to me. “You think I’m hot, huh?”

  I jerked my gaze away from his impressive hard on and used all of my willpower to stop myself from looking back down at it. “Like you don’t already know how attractive you are. I’m sure you have women hitting on you all of the time.”

  “I don’t think so.” He shrugged his broad shoulders. “It’s possible, but I never really noticed because nobody else is you.”

  It felt as though butterflies swirled in my belly. My hands twisted together, and I started to look down at them when I remembered he was still naked. My cheeks filled with heat, and I blurted, “Could you put your jeans back on? I have some questions, and it’s really difficult to talk to you while that thing is pointing straight at me.”

  I couldn’t tear my gaze away when he fisted his hard on and stroked down the length. “If you’re sure that’s what you want.”

  I’d never seen a dick up close and personal like this, but I wasn’t about to admit to how badly I wanted to touch it—and maybe take a lick or two. Instead, I forced myself to say, “I wouldn’t have asked if that’s not what I wanted.”

  His thumb circled the tip, and I bit back a groan when he bent over to grab his jeans off the floor. I pressed my head against the back of the couch and stared at the ceiling until he sat next to me and slid his arm around my shoulders. A quick glance confirmed that he hadn’t bothered with his shirt, and a shiver raced down my spine at being this close to his bare chest. “What did you want to ask me?”

  A million questions barreled into my brain. “What’s an alpha? And a beta? Can everyone in Timber Ridge shift? Are they all wolves, or are there other animals? Wolves are super cool, but what about stuff like bunnies or honey badgers? What’s the deal with fated mates? Does Allegra know about Zeke? Is he a wolf, too? Is that why she’s all loved up so quickly?”

  I finally trailed off when I felt his shoulders shake and a deep chuckle rumbled up his chest. “Keep going if you have more questions.”

  “There are plenty more I can come up with, but let’s start there.” Having him so close was wreaking havoc on my ability to concentrate. I pulled out of his embrace, shifted on the couch so my back was against the arm, and bent my knees to sit cross-legged.

  Kace turned toward me and leaned his shoulder against the back of the couch. “You know how you asked if there was illegal crap going on in Timber Ridge?” I nodded and flashed him an apologetic smile. “I’m happy to answer any questions you have, but you need to be ready to keep what you learn to yourself. Being a shifter isn’t against the law, and I’d like to keep it that way, which is why we don’t go around advertising the fact we exist.”

  4

  Larissa

  People tended to be judgmental of things they didn’t understand, so I totally got where Kace was coming from. But that didn’t mean I was going to blindly agree to keeping everything he told me a secret from the people I loved. I crossed my arms over my chest and blushed when his gaze dropped to my boobs. My nipples pebbled at the spark of desire in his eyes, and a knowing gleam filled his dark orbs even though he couldn’t see them. “That could be a problem. I tell my best friends everything.”

  “You can talk to Allegra,” he conceded with a smile. “Zeke already told her since she’s his fated mate.”

  It was a relief to know I wouldn’t have to keep secrets from one of my closest friends, but it only half-solved my problem. “What about Calliope? She, Allegra, and I have been a trio since kindergarten, and it would totally suck for her to feel left out. I spend a lot of time with her since we’re roommates, and we’re already going to have to adjust to the fact that Allegra has apparently decided to move in with Zeke even though they’ve only known each other for one night. Calliope is way more sensitive than Allegra or me, so it’s going to be tougher on her. The last thing I want to do is make her feel worse because she thinks I’m hiding something.”

  He ran his hand through his thick hair. “If it’s that important to you, then we’ll figure it out.”

  “Really?” I was surprised he was agreeing so quickly. It made me consider the possibility that he’d truly meant it when he’d said I was going to be the most important person in his life.

  “As the alpha, I have the final say when it comes to sharing information about our existence with anyone other than human mates and their families,” he explained as he reached out to lace his fingers through mine. “Allegra already wanted permission to share with both of you, and I promised to consider her request after she got settled into the pack. Finding out you’re my fated mate makes the decision a fuck of a lot easier. If you say Calliope can be trusted
, then I believe you.”

  “She’s the softest of the three of us, but she’d never do anything to hurt Allegra or me,” I promised, giving his hand a little squeeze. “Calliope hates confrontation, but she took on this soccer mom who wanted me off the team my senior year of high school after I accidentally sprained her daughter’s ankle during practice. She was drawing in her notebook up in the stands, waiting for my dad to pick us up after practice. Usually when she’s in one of her creative moods, the rest of the world kind of fades away. But as soon as my teammate’s mom started to rip into me, Calliope came storming down the steps like an avenging angel. I can’t remember another time when she yelled like she did then. It was so out of character, but she was scary as heck. By the time she was done, my teammate was pulling her mom off the field to get away from Calliope even though she only had one good leg.”

  Kace’s thumb brushed across my palm, sending goose bumps up my arm. “She sounds like a great friend. I’m sure we’ll get along great.”

  “Oh, crap!” I reached into my coat pocket and pulled my cell phone out. Glancing down at the screen, I groaned, “I was supposed to call Calliope as soon as I found Allegra, and now she’s freaking out. She called three times and sent half a dozen texts.” I stabbed my finger against the screen to pull up her number. She picked up a split second after the ringtone began. “Allegra’s fine. I’m sorry it took so long for me to call back.”

  “Oh, thank goodness,” she sighed. “I was going to skip class and order a rideshare to go hunt you down. What’s going on in this Timber Ridge place? I was almost afraid to go there since it’s like the Bermuda Triangle for my friends. You both went in but never came back out.”

  Kace chuckled, and I realized he could hear everything my friend was saying. I shook my head and pressed a finger against my lips before turning my attention back to my best friend. “Don’t skip class. There’s nothing to worry about. Allegra got distracted because she’s all loved up on her sexy sheriff.”