Dancer's Fated Mate (Arctic Shifters Book Six)

by R. E. Butler

  Pulling one side of the navy curtains back, she looked out at the woods, the tree branches covered with freshly fallen snow, some with sparkling icicles hanging from them. It was certainly a beautiful place to live, even if it was in the middle of nowhere. She wasn’t sure she could imagine living there, so far removed from everything, but she could admit that there was something very cool and peaceful about it.

  * * *

  Ellie woke suddenly, and it took her a moment of staring into the darkness of the bedroom to remember that she was in Neve’s home. Listening intently, she wondered what had woken her, but she didn’t hear anything else, just silence. Ellie picked up her phone and looked at the screen – it was nearly 5:00 a.m.

  She swung her legs around and stretched, then decided to get dressed, make herself some tea, and read for a while in the comfy chair next to the decorated tree. Finding her clothes from the day before on the floor, she pulled her leggings and sweater on, then spent a few minutes looking for the slippers she’d packed, which she finally found under the bed.

  She heard something when she stood up once more, freezing mid-motion and staring at the window. It almost sounded like someone or something was walking by. She dropped her slippers and crept over to the window, slowly peeling the curtain back. At first she saw only darkness, the trees a dark shadow against the night sky that had yet to start lightening with dawn.

  She looked toward the front of the cabin and saw a white shape moving slowly. As her eyes adjusted to the dim illumination from the solar lights around the cabin, she saw the white shape grow larger suddenly and realized she was looking at a polar bear.

  There was a freaking polar bear at the front door!

  Turning with a barely stifled squeak of alarm, she raced to the bedroom door, twisted the knob, and yanked the door open, the handle slamming into the wall.

  “Shit, Neve! There’s a freaking bear outside!”

  Ellie skidded to a halt in the living room, taking in the scene.

  Neve stood at the open door in a robe, and the polar bear was on the porch. Except the bear didn’t remain a bear. The white fur disappeared, the claws and fangs receded, and in its place stood Tom. Naked.

  “I… wh-what?” Ellie couldn’t form a coherent thought.

  “Ellie! What are you doing up!” Neve asked, moving to block Tom from Ellie’s gaze.

  Tom took a step forward to come into the house and panic lit Ellie from the inside out. She couldn’t breathe, her vision was blurry, and everything within her demanded she run as fast as she could, because there was no way in hell that a bear could turn into a man.

  Was there?

  She spun, her knees weakening and her feet slipping on the rug before she crashed to the floor, her mind fogging over and her world going dark.

  Chapter 3

  Declan looked at Mrs. C’s image in the monitor. “What’s the problem?”

  “Answer the phone first,” she said. “I’ll transport there.”

  “Right,” he told her, then spoke into the phone. “Hello? Security office, this is Declan.”

  “It’s Tom Hartnady, TH3478,” the male said. “My wife’s cousin saw me shift.”

  Declan’s eyes went wide. “Shit, seriously?”

  Tom had met his mate three Christmases ago in the human world while he was picking up supplies on Christmas Eve. He was a shifter, but not a quad, and he’d petitioned SC to allow him to leave town and live with her because she hadn’t wanted to move to NPC.

  Mrs. C appeared in the security office, and Declan pressed the speaker button and hung up the receiver. “Tom, repeat that. Mrs. C is here with me.”

  Tom blew out an exasperated breath. “I was out early this morning for a run in my shift. I was feeling antsy and I… well, we thought her cousin was still asleep, but something woke her up. Neve was waiting at the door for me, and her cousin saw me change from bear to man. She freaked out and then passed out. I’m so sorry. What should I do?”

  “Just hang tight,” Declan said. “I’m going to put you on hold and gather the team.”

  “Okay.”

  Declan put the call on hold and turned to Mrs. C. “How did you know there was a problem before I even answered the phone?”

  She shrugged. “I woke up in a panic. I can’t explain it, except to say that my magic alerted me to an issue and I came here.”

  “Where’s SC?”

  “Here.” came the booming reply as he strode into the room. “What’s going on?”

  Mrs. C explained the situation while Declan called the team to convene in the security office.

  “We absolutely don’t need this right now,” SC said. “There’s still much to be done to prepare for the flight tonight.”

  Mrs. C pulled him away to the corner of the office and they spoke quietly. While they talked, Declan picked up the phone and told Tom that they were still chatting about the situation.

  “I’m never careless, Declan,” Tom said. His voice was full of anger and regret.

  “I’m sure. But previous good intentions don’t excuse the mistake.”

  “I know, damn it.”

  Declan heard the rest of the team coming down the hall. “I’m going to put you on hold again.”

  Tom grunted in reply.

  Declan turned to the door when Rhys, Sullivan, Jack, Vaughn, Mire, Roi, and Arian rushed into the room. The situation was explained once more, and a few minutes later, there were eight worried quads looking to SC and Mrs. C for direction on how to proceed.

  SC turned to face them, as serious as Declan had ever seen him. “I need volunteers to go to Tom’s home.”

  Mrs. C stared at Declan, an unspoken plea in her gaze.

  “I’ll go,” Declan said.

  SC nodded and Mrs. C smiled in relief.

  “Me, too,” Jack said, a phrase echoed by Sullivan.

  “I’ll get some of the memory powder for you.” Mrs. C hurried from the room.

  “How did this even happen? Why the hell would Tom shift in the open like that?” Rhys demanded.

  “He said he and his mate thought her cousin was still asleep,” Declan explained.

  Rhys’s hand slashed through the air. “It doesn’t fucking matter! He had rules to follow in order to live in the human world with his mate, and the very first one is don’t shift where humans can see.”

  Declan looked at SC. “What are you going to do with him?”

  “I don’t know. He broke the rules. Something must be done, but I’m not sure what.” There was a significant pause, and then SC exhaled loudly. “Tell him to report to our home in one hour. With his mate.”

  “What about the cousin?” Declan asked.

  Mrs. C walked into the office with a vial in her hand, which she handed to Declan. He looked at it, the glittery sand so fine it was like powder.

  “You’ll need to stay until Tom and Neve return,” SC said.

  “Right,” Declan agreed. “Are you guys ready to go?”

  Sullivan and Jack nodded.

  Mrs. C looked at Declan intently.

  “Is there something else?” he asked.

  She didn’t say anything for a moment. Then she clasped his hand that held the memory powder and murmured, “Everything happens for a reason.”

  She released her hold on him and walked out with SC as Declan stared at the empty doorway. What the hell?

  “That was cryptic,” Rhys said.

  “Not the first time she’s said something that had a hidden meaning,” Mire reminded them.

  Rhys looked at the clock on the wall. “You’ve got ten minutes until dawn. Grab your trackers and get ready.”

  Declan, Sullivan, and Jack each picked up tracking bracelets, which were a requirement for anyone leaving NPC. Mire’s mate – a half-elf whose father had kept her identity hidden for over twenty years in the human realm – was the reason their people now had to have trackers whenever they left.

  Declan pressed the speaker button and said, “Tom, SC wants you and Neve to
transport to his home when we get there.”

  “What about Ellie?” Tom asked.

  “Sullivan, Jack, and I are coming as soon as it’s dawn. We’ll stay at your home until you return.”

  “Okay.” There was static on the line as Tom muffled the phone and spoke to his mate. “We’ll be ready.”

  “See you soon.” Declan ended the call and looked at Sullivan and Jack. “Ready?”

  “Yep,” Jack said.

  “I’ll finish your shift,” Rhys told him. “Report when you get there.”

  The tracking bracelets were also communication devices, which connected directly to the security office. Securing his tracker, Declan tucked the vial of memory powder into his shirt pocket and grabbed his coat off the hook.

  The three males headed out of the office, down the long hallway, and outside, where the bitter cold hit him full force. He didn’t mind the cold, because as a shifter he had a natural resistance to it thanks to his winter animals. Not that he couldn’t succumb to the elements if he were incapacitated for some reason, but it would take a while. Hopefully he’d never have to find out what happened in that scenario.

  The three males faced each other in a tight circle, Sullivan holding a tablet with a GPS screen loaded with Tom’s address. The satellite image gave them a clear picture of the cabin in the woods that was on the outskirts of a small town.

  When dawn arrived, the three males transported to the cabin, landing just inside the trees, far enough away from the house to be undetected by Ellie if she happened to have awakened. The moment Declan’s feet touched the ground, the animals inside him began to clamor, urging him to run to the house.

  “Are you okay?” Jack asked. He and Sullivan both took a step away from the other man.

  “I’m… yeah. Maybe?” Declan rubbed the space over his heart where an ache bloomed. “I feel weird.”

  “Your eyes are gold,” Sullivan said, then laughed. “Oh shit.”

  “What?” Jack asked.

  “Gold eyes, human female. You tell me.” Sullivan smirked.

  Declan looked beyond his friends to the cabin. He knew instinctively where Ellie was, even though no one had told him and he’d never met her. How did he know?

  It was simple, really.

  She was his fated mate.

  Without a word, Declan headed to the cabin, his thoughts on Ellie. The freshly fallen snow fluffed up around his boots, and the cold – while not nearly as bad as it was in NPC – caused his breath to puff out in clouds in front of him. If he weren’t intent on finding Ellie and exploring the sudden need to be with her, he would think about how nice it was there. How perfect it was for a shifter and his mate to be together in a little cabin in the middle of nothing, surrounded by trees and nature, where no one could see him shift.

  Except for visiting relatives, apparently.

  The front door swung open and Tom looked grave. “Come on in, guys.”

  A petite female behind him sniffled and blotted at her eyes with a yellow kitchen towel. Declan, Sullivan, and Jack walked into the house, stomping the snow from their boots. The first thing Declan noticed was the enormous tree in the corner of the living room, covered in nature-themed decorations. A fire crackled in the nearby fireplace, and Sullivan and Jack moved to warm their hands after hanging their coats up on the coat rack at the door.

  Declan took his coat off and hung it up, then turned to face Tom and Neve.

  He remembered when Tom left NPC for his human mate, but he hadn’t known the male well. To have to meet again under these circumstances was unfortunate for them, but very good for Declan.

  “Thanks for coming,” Tom said. He pulled Neve to his side and kissed the top of her head. “My wife is pregnant. Is it safe for her to transport?”

  “Yes, transporting is safe for her and your unborn young,” Declan assured them.

  “Congratulations,” Jack said.

  Neve sniffled and hugged Tom. “What’s going to happen when we get to NPC?”

  “We don’t know,” Declan said. “SC’s angry, but what’s done is done, and now we have to deal with the aftermath. Where is Ellie?”

  “In the back bedroom,” Tom said. “She passed out cold and hasn’t woken up yet.”

  “We’ll stay here,” Declan told them. “If Ellie wakes up, we’ll deal with her.”

  “What does that mean?” Neve demanded.

  “Calm down, honey,” Tom said.

  “Don’t tell me to calm down! That’s my cousin and best friend in there! You can’t ‘deal with her’ if it means hurting her.”

  Sullivan cleared his throat. “She won’t be harmed, we promise.”

  Neve’s eyes narrowed as she looked pointedly at each male. Declan felt that if she’d had the ability, she would’ve happily melted them all with her glare.

  “Fine. I’m holding you to that promise. She’s all the family I have left.”

  Tom cleared his throat.

  Neve rolled her eyes. “You know what I meant.”

  “We’re going to leave for NPC,” Tom said. “Make yourselves at home.”

  The two bundled up and headed outside. Sullivan watched through the window. “They’re gone. I’m having some of this coffee.”

  “Really?” Jack asked.

  “What? Tom said we could make ourselves at home.”

  Declan said nothing, simply walked toward the hall.

  “What are you going to do?” Jack asked.

  Declan paused, his beasts railing in his mind, pushing him to ignore his friends and move faster to the bedroom, to see Ellie and take care of her. How could someone he’d never even seen before consume his thoughts like that?

  “I’m going to check on my mate.”

  “We’ll hold down the fort,” Jack said. “If you need us, holler.”

  Sullivan lifted a coffee mug. “Good luck. Human females like to be wooed. Don’t go all caveman on her.”

  Declan snorted a laugh. Sullivan’s fated mate, Kerri, was human, so he would know. He hadn’t given much thought past just getting to her, but now that he was drawing close to the bedroom, he wasn’t sure how to proceed.

  He opened the bedroom door. A battery-operated lantern sat on the nightstand next to the bed, illuminating the figure tucked underneath a blue quilt. Declan shut the door silently and walked to the bed, staring down at her. The lantern revealed her features: long, dark hair, kissable lips, pert nose. Her scent made his mouth water. She smelled like honey, and everything within him roared for him to claim her.

  He ran his fingertip gently over her cheek, willing her to wake. She stirred but didn’t open her eyes, which made him wonder if even in sleep, some part of her recognized that they were meant to be together.

  Scrubbing a hand through his hair, he sat on the edge of the bed and waited for Ellie to wake. He hoped it was soon. He was ready to get to know his mate.

  Chapter 4

  Ellie’s head ached the moment she opened her eyes. With a groan, she sat up and rubbed her temples.

  “What the hell?” she whispered.

  She stared down and realized she was in bed. But hadn’t she gotten out of bed? The memory of seeing a polar bear turn into Tom rushed back at the same moment she figured out she wasn’t alone.

  Lifting her head, she stared at the man sitting on the end of the bed. He had dark hair and brown eyes, a kissable mouth, and broad shoulders that made the black shirt he wore stretch tightly, as if it was just a hair too small and he could flex and shred it.

  Her perusal took a moment, and then she blushed sharply as she realized she was staring.

  “I don’t know you,” she said.

  “I’m Declan. I’m a… friend of Tom’s.”

  She tilted her head. “Why are you in my bedroom?”

  “Because Tom and Neve needed to leave for a bit, and I wanted to make sure you didn’t wake up alone and scared.”

  She sat up and hugged her arms around her knees. “I feel like I should be scared to be in the room wi
th a stranger, but there’s something about you that makes me feel calm.”

  His mouth curved up at one corner, making him look incredibly sexy.

  “You don’t need to be afraid. I promise I would never hurt you.”

  “I believe you. Which is weird.”

  “It’s not weird to feel comfortable around people, especially not in our situation.”

  She narrowed her eyes. “What situation would that be?”

  He stared at her for a moment, her question hanging in the air between them.

  “You saw Tom turn from a bear into a man.”

  She opened her mouth to tell him that she wasn’t actually crazy, that she had in fact seen the bear become her cousin-in-law. Then she realized that Declan hadn’t acted as if that was an odd occurrence. He hadn’t accused her of dreaming or being crazy.

  She swallowed hard as her mind tried to come up with something to say to Declan.

  “You’re not crazy, Ellie. Tom’s a shifter. He can turn into a polar bear, an owl, and an arctic fox. You weren’t supposed to see it, because we work very hard to keep our identity a secret from humans.”

  She mulled over his words. “You said ‘we.’”

  He nodded.

  “But that’s impossible.”

  “You saw it for yourself.”

  “I’m going crazy. Or I went crazy. Or I’m dreaming.”

  He grasped her wrist with one hand and ran his fingertips gently up the inside of her arm. Her skin erupted in goose bumps and she shivered.

  Okay, so she wasn’t dreaming. But the jury was still out on whether she was crazy or not.

  “I’m a shifter like Tom, except I have a fourth animal I can shift into – a reindeer.”

  She snorted. “Oh really? Like Santa is real and you’re one of his reindeer? Who are you, Dasher? Or Rudolph?”

  “First of all, I’m Dancer. And second, Rudolph isn’t a real member of the team, just a fabrication from the human world. Thirdly, Santa is very real, and so is Mrs. Claus, and the North Pole. Not to mention elves, although they’re human-sized, not small.”