The End
The Witch’s Stripes
The Witch’s Stripes Blurb
He was only ever meant to take some pictures...
When charity spokeswoman, Dana, needs a last minute photographer, the last person she expects to turn up is her mate. But the moment he arrives, something changes within her.
* * *
Luke has always been able to control his magic. But now it's interfering in just about everything he does. If only he could keep it away from the enchanting tiger shifter it seems to have taken a liking to...
* * *
Book 5 in the Paranormal Council Novella Series.
1
Luke didn’t know whether he was looking forward to today or not. Work was steady anyway, and he technically didn’t need to do it, but when his best friend’s sister-in-law said she needed a photographer, he’d agreed almost instantly. Which was odd. Gut feelings like that normally accompanied big life events, the most likely being to do with meeting his one. Which wasn’t Camille. She was pretty and everything, but not for him. Not only that, but she’d recently mated with a tiger shifter, of which he was a tiny bit jealous. He’d heard that non-shifter mates tended to be able to shift within a few months, and being able to become a tiger at will was pretty damn cool.
He checked his camera bag for what felt like the hundredth time. He always did this, but then, his camera was his livelihood, he couldn’t afford for anything to happen to it, especially with one of his cousin’s weddings coming up. He scowled at the thought. He didn’t like the man she was marrying, nor did the rest of the family from what he could tell. He didn’t even know why Bex was marrying anyone. Paranormals didn’t need to marry, once they’d met the one that was it.
Secretly, he was just a bit jealous. He’d watched one by one as his friends found their ones, and when his best friend, Ethan, had found Eliza again, it’d been too much. Especially seeing their magic meld together and their familiars appear in front of him. That was odd in itself, familiars didn’t normally appear in front of anyone but the witch’s life partner. Then again, he supposed that Eliza almost being drained by a vampire was a pretty good reason to break the norm. He was still worried about that. Not about Eliza, she was fine after the whole thing, unreasonably so if you asked Luke, but because of the kick back there might be from the vampires. Even if one of them had ultimately been the one to do any staking. He shuddered, remembering the fear in Eliza’s attacker’s eyes as he faced a slight pink haired woman. To be fair to the attacked, facing the other vampire had been the last thing he’d ever done, so maybe fear was the right expression.
“Earth to Luke,” Camille half-sung, waving her hand in front of his face. He hadn’t realised he’d zoned out as much as he had, or even that he’d arrived at the shoot already.
“Hi Cam.”
“Don’t call me Cam,” she muttered darkly. “It’s Camille, or Millie, you know that.” He nodded once. He did know, he’d just forgotten for some reason.
“Sorry Camille.”
“No worries. Are you ready?” she asked, her tone lightening again to one more like he was used to from her.
“For what exactly?” He was genuinely curious. When he’d first been asked, all he’d been told was that it was for a charity photo shoot, but he knew nothing more than that. Given that they appeared to be in a large, spacious warehouse, it really could be anything. He just hoped to God that it wasn’t a naked firemen shoot. He’d still do it, but it wouldn’t be fun.
“You look worried.” She cocked her head to the side. “No matter, you’ll see soon. Come meet Dana.” Something in his gut twisted at the name, and he had to wonder what was going on. That certainly wasn’t a normal reaction to have to a name.
He followed Camille deeper into the warehouse, and was surprised by the sheer number of people in attendance. But more than that, he was surprised by the large wood that seemed to have been set up in the centre. Except that this wasn’t a fake wood like he’d expect at a photo shoot. It seemed to live and breathe like a normal forest would do. On the plus side, it would make the photos look and feel more alive, and he was always on board with that.
“Wha-” he started, his word stopping in it’s tracks as a dark-haired woman with the most startling eyes he’d ever seen turned around. They almost glowed, an odd amber shade that he’d never seen before and was sure he’d never see again. Next to him, Camille just smiled, clearly amused at something, but he didn’t have the brainpower to figure out what. Not with the woman in front of him demanding all his attention. She wasn’t wearing anything particularly fancy, just worn jeans and a plain shirt that clung to her frame in a way that had him thinking highly inappropriate thoughts. She was easily the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen, but it was nothing like the models he normally spent time around. This was a natural beauty that shone through from the inside as much as it did from the outside.
The woman took a step forward, closing the distance between them with a confident stride that emanated grace in a way he’d never truly seen from anyone else. She really was extraordinary.
“You must be Luke,” she said, her voice soft but firm. “I’m Dana.” She held out her hand, and it took Luke a moment to respond. The moment his palm touched hers, he felt small prickles over his hand, as if he’d called his magic to the front. Yet he hadn’t, or he hadn’t purposefully. Quickly, he dropped the handshake, unsure what to make of the unusual sensation.
“Hi.” She smiled, lighting up her face even more. He’d photograph her all afternoon if he could, though he suspected he wouldn’t get a chance.
“How much has Millie told you about today?” she asked, shooting a glance at Camille who was still watching in amusement.
“That you needed a photographer.”
“Oh Millie,” she admonished, shaking her head even though her smile never disappeared. “This is your set.” She waved her hand towards the wood behind her.
“Yes,” he got out through the slight lump in his throat. “What’s with the wood?”
“I wanted the animals to feel more at home,” she replied, a glint of something like mischief in her eyes.
“I’m photographing animals?” he asked, excitement building. It was something he’d always wanted to do, but never had the time or funding to.
“I’d hope so, we’re an endangered animal charity after all.”
“What kinds?” he asked.
“Wait and see,” Camille butted in. “Dana you need to go get ready.”
“I do. See you in a bit Luke.” She gave him a swift wave as she turned and walked away, smiling at him over a shoulder.
“Oh Luke,” Camille said, smothering a laugh.
“Do I want to know?” he asked, finally turning to look at her.
“I don’t think you need me to tell you.”
“I don’t know what you mean,” he lied, thinking back to the way that his eyes hadn’t been able to leave Dana.
“Of course you don’t. Let me know if you need any help setting up.” She walked away, not looking back like Dana had. Not that Luke minded. Camille wasn’t where his mind was right now, and he suspected she wouldn’t be even if she wasn’t mated.
2
“So?” Camille asked, walking into the small office that Dana was using as a dressing room.
“So?” she repeated, stripping out of her jeans and shirt, not caring that her best friend was in the room. Even if it wasn’t Camille, Dana probably wouldn’t have thought twice about stripping off, she was a shifter after all, and they tended to get used to nakedness pretty early on in their lives.
“What do you think of Luke?” Camille sounded amused, making Dana want to throw something at her. Shame she didn’t have anything to hand.
“Don’t say it like that. We both know you don’t have precog powers.”
“True.” Camille sighed, and Dana instantly regretted her comment. She knew that Camille was sore on the subject. “But I do have eyes, and anyone could have s
een the way you two were looking at each other.”
“We weren’t.”
“Should I warn you away from each other?” Camille asked softly, causing a slight growl to slip from Dana’s lips. She didn’t like that idea in the slightest. Camille just laughed. “Oh Jesse is going to love this.” She slipped her hand into her pocket and pulled out her phone, starting to type the second she could.
“You wouldn’t tell him,” Dana said, slightly panicked at the idea of her brother knowing she’d been staring at a guy.
“Please. Would I? I just told him to get his ass down here. Probably thinks I just want to defile you desk or something.” She jumped up slightly so that she was sat on the desk in question.
“Ew, Millie, please. I thought we already established, no sex talk about my brother,” she reminded her, thinking about to the first time Camille and Jesse had met. She’d banned the pair of them from going near each other, and they’d both ignored her. She dreaded to think what they’d got up to at her charity gala, but they’d hardly been separate since.
“Sorry, I forgot. We used to talk about these things.” She glanced away, tears pooling in her eyes, and Dana felt awful. It hadn’t been long since the two of them had met, but when a mating bond struck, that was it. Maybe she’d understand at some point. If she was lucky. She glanced towards the door before shaking her head.
“I’m sorry too, Millie. It’s just going to take some getting used to.” She looked at her friend pleadingly, and was relieved when she nodded her head once. “Are you joining me by the way?” She stripped off the rest of her clothing, hoping that Camille would say yes. It would be pretty awesome to be able to shift with her best friend.
“I don’t think I can yet.”
“Try?” She hoped Camille would. It would take her mind off how much of a bitch Dana had just been.
“I don’t even know how,” she admitted, carefully avoiding looking at Dana’s now naked body. She was going to have to get used to that if she was going to shift, but Dana said nothing. Now wasn’t the time to point out that Camille would have to get used to being naked around others.
“Just picture yourself as a tiger, I guess. That’s how it works for me anyway.”
“Jesse said the same.” Camille sighed and hopped off the desk. Her face screwed up in concentration, but other than a few rogue sparks, nothing happened at all. “Nope, not happening yet. They say it takes months though Dana.”
“I know, but-”
“Plus, this way I get to see Luke’s face when he realises you’re you.” The joy was back in Camille’s voice, and she almost clapped her hands together with glee.
“You think he will?” She tried not to hope for that too much, but was already failing.
“He’s a witch, not an idiot. We can tell you know.” Camille gave her a look that said she really shouldn’t be thinking like that. She had a point. After all, Dana knew full well that Camille hadn’t had any problems recognising Jesse for what he was. Well, after she’d realised that he hadn’t been Dana’s date.
“Does he even know that I’m not human?” She wasn’t sure why she was feeling so insecure about this. Maybe it was the way her tiger was purring in her chest and trying to get free. Like she knew something that Dana’s human side didn’t. Well, her human side did, but it didn’t want to think it in case she was wrong.
“Nope. But I suspect he’s going to find out. Now hurry up. We have photos to take.” Camille was way too happy for the churning sensation in Dana’s gut to handle, but nonetheless she thought of herself in her other form and shifted seamlessly.
Dana stalked down the corridor with Camille by her side, already amused by what was to come. Everyone in the building at the moment was a paranormal, and knew what she was, so it wasn’t like anyone was going to freak out if they saw a tiger prowling around. Well, everyone except Luke that was. He had no clue. She wondered how long it would take for him to work it out.
She tilted her head and made a sound low in her throat to communicate with Camille. They’d done this routine enough times for Camille to understand what she was saying even if she wasn’t speaking aloud. Dana imagined that the communication between them would only improve more once Camille was able to shift, and she was looking forward to it. Having her best friend by her side would be almost as good as having her own mate.
Camille nodded, splitting off from Dana and heading towards where Luke was standing, looking thoroughly confused and clearly not having spotted her animal form. Oh this was going to be fun.
Dana headed around the back of the wooded area and leapt gracefully onto one of the lower branches, grateful for her powerful back legs. She loved being in her animal form, most shifters did, but she also had to make sure that she could find time to be in it. Luckily, Camille had long ago had the idea of a calendar, and that if they only employed paranormals to work on it, and got them to sign disclosures, then Dana would be able to wander around as a tiger for most of the day without anyone yelling and screaming that a tiger had escaped from the zoo.
Sometimes, she wished she was a small shifter, maybe some kind of bird, and could shift without anyone noticing her, but then she remembered the sheer power she had in her animal form and wouldn’t wish to be any different, particularly after her trip to India and discovering how it felt to be out in the true wild. It was that trip that had made Dana even more determined than ever that she needed to save as many endangered species as she could. Which was why there were paranormal models in human form here too. Not everyone would buy a calendar full of wildlife, so Dana made sure to hit both markets, thankful that her business minded father had imprinted his knowledge on her throughout her teenage years, before she’d lost him that was. Tears welled up in her eyes. Even in animal form, thoughts of her father did that. She swore she missed him more and more each day. It was also his knowledge that meant Dana was able to make a passive income that rivalled that of vampires who had been at it for years. With it, Dana was able to live while devoting all her time to the charity. She knew that some of the others wondered about her financial situation, especially given that she was unmarried, unmated and still in her twenties, but she’d given up worrying about them. She could take care of herself, that was all that mattered.
3
Luke watched as Camille sauntered back over, without her dark-haired friend unfortunately. Though she did have an amused smile on her face, like she knew something that Luke didn't. Choosing to ignore her, he turned back to his camera, making sure that everything was set up the way he liked it. He may not know what he was photographing, but he could make judgements based on what he could see in front of him.
"Hi," a female voice sounded from his left, and he turned to see a leggy redhead who was far too skinny for his tastes, though he supposed that she was beautiful in that ethereal and untouchable way.
"Hi," he replied half-heartedly, focusing more on his equipment than the woman.
"So you're the photographer," she pointed out needlessly.
"Yes."
"I bet you're looking forward to photographing me. All of them are." It sounded like she was trying to purr, but it felt wrong. He wondered why that was, but dismissed the question. It didn't really matter after all. He was here to do his job, not flirt with the models.
"I look forward to photographing everything." It was true. Photography was something that ran in his veins. Even when he was small, he'd carried around a disposable camera and snapped photos whenever he could. He loved the way that lighting could make a difference to the mood of a picture, even when the same object was captured at different times in the day. It was like it's own kind of magic. A magic that had nothing to do with the sparks he could create. Really, he was prouder of his photos than he was of his magic. They actually took skill. It wasn't something he was born with, even if it was an integral part of him.
"I bet you do," she said, slipping a hand onto his chest while he wasn't paying any attention. He snapped to attention, not liking that s
he was entering his personal space without his permission. But before he could take a step back, a low rumbling growl sounded and he looked around, surprised to see a large tiger staring at them with startling amber eyes and her teeth bared in a snarl. He didn't know how he knew the tiger was female, it was just knowledge that seemed to come to him.
"Bianca, step away," Camille warned, though despite the seriousness of her words, she still had an amused expression on her face, mischief dancing in her eyes.
“W-what?” the woman, Bianca, asked, her eyes flitting between Camille and the animal.
“Step away.” Camille’s voice was surprisingly stern, and Luke was surprised. He’d never heard the other witch take that tone before. Bianca’s hand left his chest, and relief crashed through him, even as his eyes never wavered from the tiger before him. She was beautiful, and the way that the light was playing over her black and orange coat just made him want to take photos, even if she wasn’t quite in the wooded area she was probably supposed to be in.
Without being fully aware of what he was doing, Luke lifted his camera and looked through the lens, focusing on the creature in front of him. She tilted her head to the side slightly, as if to question what he was doing. He didn’t really know himself, but the intelligence in her large amber eyes was captivating, and the moment he pressed the capture button, he was sure he’d taken one of his best photographs ever. He was also sure that he’d never share the photo with anyone, but couldn’t quite explain why.
He let go of the camera, letting it sit against his chest, supported by the strap around his neck, and reached out a hand towards the big cat in front of him. When his hand touched the surprisingly soft fur of her head, she leaned into it, pressing herself into him, a low purring emitting from her.
The Paranormal Council Complete Series 1-5 Page 21