Austin

by Erin Havoc

  Table of Contents

  Opening

  Blurb

  Chapter 01

  Chapter 02

  Chapter 03

  Chapter 04

  Chapter 05

  Chapter 06

  Chapter 07

  Chapter 08

  Chapter 09

  Chapter 10

  Epilogue

  Epilogue

  Free book!

  Read Next!

  Backmatter

  Copyright

  AUSTIN

  SHIFTER DATING APP SERIES

  * * *

  ERIN HAVOC

  A Curvy Woman Shifter Romance

  VIVIAN

  I have the best job ever.

  Photographing a Firefighter Calendar at the first all-shifters station.

  Hot men? Check. Preference for curvy girls? Check.

  Meeting my ex and finding out I still have the hots for him?

  Nope. That was so not on the list.

  AUSTIN

  Nothing matters in the life of a shifter but their mate.

  I found mine early on. Then I had to leave her behind.

  It was to keep her safe. I swear.

  But she doesn’t believe me. She doesn’t care.

  Nothing matters but her. And I will have my redemption.

  1

  VIVIAN

  Big day.

  Big day, I tell you. When I woke up, it felt like Christmas morning, and I half-expected to waltz into the living room and find it covered with all-colored gifts topped with huge bows. That’s how I’ve been feeling the last days. All anticipation, zero shame about it.

  Ever since this whole shifter thing came out to the public, I had one dream. One goal. One objective to achieve in my life as a photographer.

  Make a shifter photo album. Can you blame me? Hunky men. Muscular, strong. Never shorter than 6’5”, always with wide smiles and naughty winks for curvy girls like me.

  And I don’t have to choose. I can pin for copper-skinned and fair men, blonds and brunettes, and I can appreciate all forms and sizes of beauty. Plus, with a camera in hand, I can do that without looking like a creeper.

  Dream job. And I nailed it.

  Today’s the day. The day I’m spending the entire afternoon photographing semi-naked hot shifters. A Firefighter Calendar, on the first all-shifter station in the city.

  I know. Jackpot.

  Spreading more leave-in between my hands, I tilt my head sideways and press my curls between my fingers. Twirling tresses on my forefinger, I make sure my hair is absolutely perfect. It falls as a mane, red and curly over my shoulders, and I love it. It gives me a sort of feral, wild look that, I don’t know, I hope shifters will enjoy.

  Because I’ve heard they like nature. And I’m looking very much the Celtic Queen.

  My phone buzzes and I peek at it to see a new message. It’s Bella’s, and I press my finger on it, the digit staining the screen. Best friends are heavensent. I have just been thinking about messaging her. Because I have news, and of the best kind.

  Bella: It’s today, isn’t it?

  I’m surprised she remembers, so I wash my hands clean of the leave-in leftovers and dry them, finally picking my phone. Bella’s profile picture has changed a couple of weeks ago. Lucky girl had to beta test the Shifter Dating App, and she landed her match from the get-go. In the picture, Dorian, her man, stands next to her, all smiles and adoration for his mate.

  Vivian: It is! I’m surprised you remember. With everything that’s happening in your life right now.

  Bella: Everything? Nothing has changed, you know. I still get those stinky beta tests.

  Vivian: Please. Now you have a hot man next to you to massage your feet while you fuss over a faulty algorithm. By the way, when are you telling me where is that wishing well? I’m throwing a thousand dollars worth of coins in it.

  Vivian: I’d wish for a mate. Just FYI.

  Bella: I’ve heard the DNA add-on has been released into the public. Haven’t you got yours yet?

  Shimming my shoulders, I shoot a glance at the ripped-open cardboard box I left over my sideboard. Of course, I was the first girl to register for that thing. My best friend is proof it works. I’d be a fool not to want it too.

  Vivian: I did! And good news: I already received it and I already sent it back!

  Bella: Awesome! Soon enough, we’ll be able to go on double dates. Preferentially inside someone’s home.

  Bella is an introvert and I love her just like that. And I guess her mate, Dorian, does too. Man, do I hope I’ll find someone just like this. It’s so hard to believe there’s someone out there who will get me, who will want me the way I am. Flaws and quirks, curves, and hip dips.

  I had someone like that once. Years, many years ago. We were still teenagers, dreamy-eyed, and full of ambition and hopes. I loved him so much it hurt. And I would have married that man even if we had to elope.

  Luckily, I didn’t, because he crushed my heart. The little fucker.

  Bella: Dorian’s here. Talk soon. Good luck with the firefighters. xx

  I mark the message as read and turn back to look at myself in the mirror. Pressing my cheeks together, I analyze my skin and judge what should I do for makeup. Something simple. Just some light foundation to even out my shade, fill out my brows... Maybe an eyeliner. Just to make my green eyes pop.

  Because I know one thing for a fact. Shifters prefer to mate with their perfect match. Now that the app’s out there, doing the hard work for them, they would rather wait for the special one. But loads of them don’t mind seeing other girls before they mate.

  And my focus is pinpointed on them. One night of fun, just to relax. It’s so hard for a plus-sized girl to have a man who truly adores her body. The boyfriends I had treated me like they were doing me a favor.

  I mean. All but one. But that fucker doesn’t count. I can still remember his lopsided grins that made my panties melt and the way he kissed my lips as he had never tasted anything alike…

  A perfect liar. I had given him my virginity. And yet...

  Shaking my head, I watch my curls bob as I wipe my ex from my head. Today’s not about this. Not about remembering the past and being gloomy about a time when I was humiliated. Today I’m having fun.

  Making a face to the mirror, I apply a thin eyeliner, then settle it all with spray. My freckles are almost covered — they’re not my favorite trait, but they’re hard to conceal. Once I’m done, I turn to my purse and pick my car keys.

  First All-Shifter Firefighter Station. How cool is that? It just comes to show how shifters are common, and we had no idea. And how their genes mean nothing. All those suckers complaining about shifters are just envious. They know they can’t hold a candle to hot men like that, and they don’t like the competition. I mean, a bunch of lazy, sexist, beer-gutted guys who had it easy because we had no choice? It’s kind of understandable why they’re mad. They will have to work to get a girl now. Shocking.

  My camera bag secured to the seat next to me, I turn my car engine on.

  “You’re ready, girl,” I tell my reflection in the rearview mirror. “You’ve sent the DNA sample, and your mate is out there. Somewhere. And while he doesn’t show up...” I shimmy my shoulders at my reflection, my eyes crinkling at the corners as I grin. “Let’s have some fun!”

  This girl is ready to find a hot shifter to go out with. I’m literally doing this job so I can window-shop. You would think ever since that sucker of my first boyfriend squished my heart beneath his foot, I’d have given up on dating. But nope. I do dating, and I do casual flings, and I like to enjoy myself. I’m a people person, and there’s always someone hanging out with me. Either a date or a friend, I like the vibe, the presence. It’s fascinating to share your life with someone an
d have them share theirs with you.

  Yes, I don’t have anything like the deep connection one would share with a mate, but that’s not my fault. I am patiently waiting for him to show up, and now that I’ve sent the DNA samples, it’s out of my hands.

  My future match shouldn’t be mad I’m having a weekend of fun while he doesn’t show up.

  So I drive out of my garage and into the street, slamming my finger into the radio button. Pop music drums from my stereos and I change the station until I find some good ‘80s song I can sing at the top of my lungs. Windows down, the breeze in my hair, I let a smile spread across my face.

  It doesn’t matter I’m approaching thirty and single. Age is of no importance unless you’re a cheese. Today’s about having fun, and I won’t let anyone take that from me.

  2

  AUSTIN

  Heat licks up a wall next to me. A drop of sweat bolts down from the base of my hair until it pools on my lower back. My entire body is warm, too warm under this uniform. The helmet visor fogs with my breathing, and I squint into the smoke to grasp my surroundings.

  A column to my right collapses. A muffled cry reaches me from somewhere in that direction, a female voice squealing low. Breathless. As if she doesn’t expect anyone to hear her.

  But I do. Hell, if there’s something my shifter genes are worth for, it’s for catching cries of help, and smell buried people that cannot let themselves known. I save lives, and that’s the one thing that matters.

  Darting into the room to my right, I push chairs and desks out of my path. Wherever this woman is, I have to pick her up and hasten out of the place. The column that collapsed wasn’t the first. And it’s just a warning of what’s about to come. The building won’t hold, and we all know that.

  Fire fiercely devours the very bases of the construction, licking up the walls and eating away everything it reaches. Luckily, it’s an office building, and when the alarm sounded, few were left behind. But since the fire started next to one of the emergency exits, some people got trapped.

  That’s where we come in. Firefighter. We put our lives on the line to make sure these people stand a chance. And thank God this station is shifters-only. I don’t mean to say we’re superior to humans or anything, but this job is made for us. We’re stronger, more resistant, and if things go south, we heal faster.

  Humans complain about our existence, but we’re keeping them safe. Alive. We dive into the fire so they don’t need to.

  The smell of smoke clogs my nostrils as I make a one-eighty looking for the last victim. My colleagues and I had cleared the floor, but I wanted to check twice. The others always make fun of me because of that, since I almost always get back with my hands empty. Between us all, I have the least impressive animal. A fox holds no candle in a firefighting station full of bears, wolves, and lions.

  But I’m also the one who always gets in the building a second time. Just to be sure.

  And my hesitation has brought me rewards this time. I see the woman lying on the floor beneath a piece of the ceiling. The debris struck her legs, and she’s half-buried when I reach her. As a single man, I can’t help but notice she’s a pretty woman, full curves beneath the white-shirt-and-pencil-skirt style she dresses in.

  Her eyes focus as she holds a hand to her mouth. They widen and glint with something I love to see in a victim’s face — hope. It’s the greatest thing I can give them. A fighting chance.

  “It’s all right,” I tell her over the sound of the world ending. Squatting next to her, I grip the piece of cement and pull it up. She pulls her legs closer, reaching for her ankle. It’s broken, bent in a weird shape. She winces, but that’s all she does. The woman holds herself, not crying and not plummeting in despair. Slipping an arm around her back and another under her knees, I pick her up carefully. “I got you.”

  She grips the front of my uniform, a sound like a sigh escaping her as she presses her face to my shoulder. Since I’ve already cleared the way into the room, I make quick work out of the place, pressing her closer as we approach the window I used to get in.

  “You okay in there, Austin?” The voice of my captain, Hunter, sounds from somewhere within the smoke. He’s stood by in case I needed some help, and I stride back the way I came from, following his voice.

  “Incoming!” I cry out, my heart hammering inside my chest as another column collapses.

  “Hurry it up, boy!” He says, and in the back of my mind, I roll my eyes. I’m certainly no boy. Twenty-eight is young compared to some guys in the station, but I sure ain’t no boy.

  Anyway, I don’t have enough breath to argue with him. Not in the middle of a fire, not with a wounded victim in my arms. I see the yellow uniform that is Hunter waving at me and stretching out his arms when he sees I carry someone.

  “Let’s get the hell out of here! The building’s not hanging for long!” He heeds as I pass the woman through the window, into his arms. Though she’s hurt, she holds herself up, and step by step the two lower themselves enough so I can join them on the stairs.

  The sound of the ceiling coming down is deafening, and I pass a leg over the frame with my heart climbing up my throat. I can’t die. Not here, not like this. Something hits my back and I lose my balance for a moment, gripping the framework.

  “Austin! Get the hell out of there!” Hunter bellows, picking the woman up over his shoulder and jumping down the steps two on two.

  The ladder pulls back, the guarantee they need that nothing will hit it and propel Hunter and the victim to the ground. Smoke fills my lungs as I try to catch my breath, my heart pumping in my ears like drums.

  An image flashes in the back of my mind. Freckles and green eyes, and a smile I could die for. It’s gone as fast as it comes.

  We’re three stories high and I’m not sure my fox will handle the fall. The ladder pulls away, protecting Hunter and the victim, and I have seconds to reach out for it before it’s out of my reach. Another piece of ceiling hits me, this time on my shoulder, and I grind my teeth before I take the jump.

  Gripping the first rung of the ladder, I feel it quiver beneath me as it bears the full brunt of my weight. And that because I’m not one of the bears. My helmet slams into a rung, but I grind my teeth and catch my breath.

  “A fox all right.” My captain guffaws, the sound muffled as I look over my shoulder. The building is more distant than I hoped for, but foxes are known to have a trustworthy pair of legs. I release a sigh.

  “Is she all right?” I call as I wait for the ladder to be lowered, hanging from it with an arm as I readjust my helmet.

  “I’m taking her to the paramedics as soon as we’re down,” he tells me, and sure enough, the moment he lands, he sets off to the ambulance parked nearest.

  The building holds, to everyone’s surprise, but it still takes us thirty more minutes to quench the fire. It’s destroyed much of the interior, but it’s done. It’s done.

  My heart settles back to its normal rate as I pull my helmet out. The air is tainted with the smell of smoke, but it’s nothing like the inferno inside the building. I take deep breaths, mentally promising my fox we’ll go out for a run tonight. He sneers as if he says “you better be saying the truth this time”.

  He thinks I’m a liar. I’ve broken my promises before, but never because I’m shallow. If an emergency comes up, I have to prioritize it. Even if my friends are also shifters, and exactly because of that, no one would accept my excuse of “can’t go, my fox needs to hunt”.

  “Damn, your instincts are spot on,” Hunter greets as he watches me approaching him. He’s older and bigger than me, but there’s a kind smile across his face as he grips my shoulder. “Found someone the others overlooked. You did a fine job.”

  “Thanks,” I tell him, looking around me. “Is she all right?”

  He nods. “And has just been asking about you.” He juts a thumb over his shoulder to the nearest ambulance. I leave him behind to find the girl.

  The woman’s face is covered
in soot, the color of her hair muted. But she smiles when our eyes lock, sat over a stretcher with a nurse caring for her ankle.

  “How are you?” I ask with a nod. My mom has taught me some manners, and I’m careful to use them. It hardly comes up since I’m mostly around shifters. They were also taught manners, but leave them at home.

  “Alive,” she says with a laugh. “Thanks to you! I thought no one would come. I had already accepted my fate.”

  I shake my head as I press a thigh to the stretcher. “You looked in control. Steady.”

  She shrugs. “I wouldn’t want to enter the afterlife looking like a crazed person.”

  We laugh at one another for a moment. Finally, I nod once more. “I’m glad you’re safe then. It’s been a pleasure.”

  “Wait.” Her hand shoots out to grip my uniform. I turn to meet her eyes, and she looks away. A blush crawls up her face, and it’s visible even through the soot. “I’d like to take you out for dinner. You know. As gratitude.”

  That’s not a first, so I turn back with a soft smile across my face. “You don’t need to do that. I mean no disrespect, but it’s my job. I would’ve done it for anyone.”

  She meets my eyes again and bites her lower lip. “I know. I’d like to see you again, anyway.”

  My fox perks his ears up. The pervert.

  He tells me, “Hey, what’s the matter? She’s interested. You’re single. I don’t see a problem.”

  But the problem lies in the face that flashed in the back of my mind as I hung from the window, and at that moment I thought I just might die today. It’s a quiet, lonely realization. Some despair. Some cry. Some just accept their fates, like the curvy girl sitting in front of me, still gripping my uniform. Some see their lives flashing across their eyes.

  I saw her. Vivian. Her red hair bright in the sunlight, her laughter making my heart beat out of rhythm. I saw the lips I once kissed, the woman I once had.