Hunting a Mate

by Celia Kyle, Mina Carter

  Table of Contents

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  About the Authors

  Copyright Page

  Chapter One

  They had to be fucking with her. Paige glanced at the page—job description—before her and then back to Mari M. Roe, owner of the M&M Mating Agency. Her smile was radiant, broad, and reached her eyes.

  So, the woman was serious. Or she had an excellent poker face. For the agency’s sake, she hoped Mari simply had a good poker face. Otherwise they—Mari and her brother Maddox—were in a heap of trouble. They were a workplace lawsuit waiting to happen. God, a PR nightmare ready to explode. If she took this job, she might as well burn her résumé and get used to living on the streets. She’d lose all credibility, and when it came to public relations, it was all about who you knew and who you could schmooze.

  “Look, Ms. Roe—”

  “Mari,” she immediately corrected. They got points for being casual, but…

  “Mari,” she acquiesced. “Is this some sort of test?”

  The woman frowned, her bright red lips pursing as she drew her eyebrows together. “I don’t understand.”

  Paige’s ferret twittered, its little nose twitching and whiskers trembling. It squeaked its objection, jumping around and practically shouting “liar!” Paige cleared her throat. “Right, here’s the thing—”

  “Are you done with this shit yet?” A man who looked almost the complete opposite of Mari strode into the room and threw himself into the seat beside Paige. He gave her a head tip. “I’m Maddox. How you doin’?”

  Ah, Mari’s brother. Where Mari was bright blond hair, sparkling blue eyes, and curves that put Marilyn Monroe to shame, Maddox was chiseled muscle, dark hair, darker eyes. He reminded her of a rugged, drop-dead gorgeous Jason Statham.

  He’d be the perfect man if he managed an accent. Even if it was fake.

  “Quit hitting on her, she doesn’t work for us yet and I don’t want to run her off,” Mari snapped.

  The left side of his mouth kicked up in an all-too-sexy grin. A panty-wetting grin. One that said he’d gladly chase her if she ran and he’d like it.

  Is it getting hot in here?

  Oh God, it was getting hot. Or rather, she was getting hot. Danger, Paige Baxter. Danger. She sought calm, counting from one to ten while also slowing her breathing and silently praying to the gods. Any god, really. She’d sorta jumped around religions in the hope she’d find one who’d help her with her little “problem.” Okay, realistically, religion hopping was damn offensive considering she wasn’t truly dedicated to a single one. But desperate times and desperate measures sorta coincided pretty often for her.

  Like when she was in the grocery store and someone dropped a can of green beans, which was immediately followed by a sudden shift. Her sudden shift. One minute woman, next minute furball. So much for the shopping cart. It had a damn wobbly wheel anyway.

  Then there was that time someone honked at her as she crossed the street. Poof! Ferret! She’d really liked that outfit before the shocked driver hit the gas and drove right on over it.

  Maddox growled, drawing her out of her attempt to keep her little animal at bay. “Who said I was hitting on her? I only asked how she was doing.”

  Mari narrowed her eyes. “It was the way you said it. You channeled Joey from Friends like that creep at last week’s Meet & Mate.”

  “Don’t hate on my lines. You know the writers at Friends stole that shit from me.” He turned those eyes on her, but this time they weren’t human-brown, but purple. Purple? What the fuck? What the hell was he?

  “I know you’re delusional,” Mari volleyed back, her voice flat. “You’re interrupting my interview. Go play in traffic or something.”

  “Bitch.” He said the word without a single ounce of heat.

  “Man whore.”

  Maddox grinned with Mari’s insult. “Jealous much, Mari?”

  With that, he rose to his feet and slipped around Paige, heading toward the office door. Except… except before he passed, he leaned down and brought his head toward hers, lips nearly brushing her ear as his warm, moist breath bathed her neck.

  “So, Paige, how are you doin’?”

  And then it happened. Right there. It happened.

  He was close, his scent enveloping her, his presence teasing her and… her whiskers came out. Boom. The little parts of her ferret form burst through her skin. They sprouted from her upper lip in a quick rush and dragged a high-pitched squeak from her throat.

  “Oh. My. God.” Surprise tinged Mari’s voice. “That is amazing. The cuteness. The adorableness. Your mate is gonna eat you up.”

  Maddox chuckled, the sound deep, and it filled her ear before he pulled away.

  Great. Just… amazing.

  One owner of the M&M Mating Agency laughed at her while the other called her cute as if she were a puppy. Well, she wasn’t. She was a wereferret. Maybe her kind wasn’t the biggest or the baddest, but they made up for it with other fine qualities like… she couldn’t think of one right that second. But they had them! I am ferret. Hear me roar!

  Paige fought the trembles that made their way through her body and leaned forward to carefully place the job description on Mari’s desk. “Thank you for your time, but I don’t believe this is the place for me. Good luck in your search.”

  “Wait, no,” Mari sputtered. “Seriously. Wait a second.” The woman glared at Maddox over Paige’s shoulder. “Apologize for being an asshole.”

  “I’m not the only asshole in the room. You were bitchy too.”

  Mari pushed to her feet. “I wasn’t—”

  “Oh,” Maddox’s voice was high-pitched as he pretended to be his sister. “You’re so cute, and adorable and blah, blah, blah…”

  Embarrassment and anger thrummed in her veins and her nose burned. Great, any second now it’d take on the remaining characteristics of her ferret. Fan-fucking-tastic.

  Screw this.

  Paige pushed to her feet and ignored the way her fingertips stung. The longer she remained upset, the closer she’d come to shifting. Her sudden move had the two Roes quieting and her attention bounced between them. “Look, thank you for the opportunity to interview, but this meeting is at its conclusion. I can see myself out.”

  She skirted Maddox and was thankful he didn’t try to stop her.

  “Wait!” Mari called after her. “Please…”

  Paige held up a hand to silence her. “No. I’m done. You need to do a few things before you continue your search. One, don’t require your employees to sign up for this mating search gig. Two, for the love of God, do not advertise for a ‘Director of Non-human Resources’ and expect your new PR rep to rewrite the ad and spin it in a good light. It’s discriminatory. Period. There is no good light. Have a nice day.”

  She strode from the office and turned left, heading back down the hallway she’d entered through only minutes ago. Both of the Roes were hot on her trail; Mari attempting to cajole her to stay while Maddox remained silent. A glance over her shoulder revealed his gaze was centered on her ass.

  He must have sensed her disapproving look because his gaze raised and met hers. “Nice ass.”

  Paige jolted to a stop and spun to face them both. She pointed at Maddox while she spoke to Mari. “And he’s a sexual harassment lawsuit waiting to happen. God—any of them—help your agency’s reputation then.” She was on a roll and her whiskers and nose were out, and her claws were two seconds from an appearance. Screw it, she might as well finish. “Do you think a guy wants to come in here, sign up, and know that Maddox�
�ll hit on his mate? How many registrations will you get? How many males will try to kick his ass for trying to move in on their territory? Stop discriminating and quit hitting on women.” She returned to her path. “There’s your PR plan and it didn’t even cost you an annual salary or benefits.”

  She was anxious to get to the lobby and out of the building. One quick elevator ride and she’d be on the first floor with her car parked less than fifty feet from the door. Hopefully, she could hang onto her mostly human shape for that long.

  A low ding from the elevator told her some poor soul had arrived—probably another interviewee—and she prayed they’d be smart and turn back around. The M&M Mating Agency had “career killer” all over it. She strode across the tile, past the empty receptionist desk and straight to the elevator.

  A hot hunk of a man dressed in faded jeans and a worn t-shirt stepped into the office’s lobby. Gorgeous. A chitter from her ferret told her the animal agreed. No. They didn’t have time for agreements. They had to go. Now.

  But those dark eyes flashed gold for a split second, his gaze colliding with hers for a brief moment before he took her in from head to toe. She wanted to do the same, ached to stop and drink her fill. Well, she could slow down and peek a little, make sure she got a good look at all those muscles, his flat stomach, and broad shoulders. Shoulders that seemed to widen farther. It was as if his beast wanted to impress her, his body reacting to her nearness.

  Riiight. As if.

  She was five six and had curves that didn’t quit, but that wasn’t what would turn a guy off—some men liked cushion with their pushing. Nope, it was the whole ferret whiskers, nose, and now… claws.

  Who wanted a girl who couldn’t control her shift?

  No one. She knew that from experience.

  Which was fine. Fine. Because she had a career—that she refused to let the M&M Mating Agency kill—and a great family.

  She didn’t need a man.

  But she could want one. And this guy? She wanted him a lot.

  Anyway.

  Paige rushed forward, brushing past the stranger as she bolted into the elevator. “Excuse me.” He spun around, following her with his gaze, and their eyes locked as she reached over and jabbed at the down button. “Sorry. Have a nice day.”

  She smiled widely as the doors began sliding closed.

  “Wait!” The man bolted forward, his sudden movement scared her—of course—which frightened her ferret—double of course—which triggered her shift. All the way this time. From two curvy legs to four fluffy, furry ones in a flash.

  Then one deep breath had her world tumbling down. Hottie McTottie was… her mate.

  * * *

  Archer had been uneasy about going back to the M&M Mating Agency on his own behalf, but now he was thankful he’d sucked it up and come down. Mainly because two feet into the office he’d found his mate. His mate. Here.

  Or rather, there. He flicked his attention to the changing numbers above the elevator. Nine… eight… seven…

  Archer spun to face the owners. “Who is she? Where does she live? I want her.”

  “Is she…”

  Mari wiggled her eyebrows and Maddox chuckled. Maddox. He’d caught the male staring at his mate’s ass. Fucker needed to die now. Slowly and painfully. His cat roared within, happy to get on with the clawing and the shredding until he reminded it that their woman—their mate—was getting away.

  “Yes,” he all but roared. “My mate. Where. Now.”

  Great, he’d reverted to single word sentences. There was no time to waste though. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled free a business card and shoved it toward the woman. “Text me her details. I’ll call and pay you guys for finding her later.”

  Without waiting for her answer, he swung around and barged through the doors to the stairs. Elevators were slow and he was a cat on a mission. He took them four at a time, channeling his cat to ensure he didn’t slip and roll an ankle. Wouldn’t stop him but he’d look like a fucking idiot limping after his mate. No, she needed strong and dependable. A full alpha male to help with that out-of-control shift he sensed. Crap, what kind of leader let one of his pack suffer like that?

  But those whiskers… that nose… he’d never seen anything so cute.

  His thoughts bouncing this way and that, he burst out of the door at the bottom of the stairwell and into the lobby. The few visitors shot looks his way, eyebrows raised and then their unease tickled his nose. Yeah, he probably looked like a psycho, but he didn’t care. He was a cougar with a plan. One sweeping look told him his mate wasn’t here.

  Shit. Panic set in and his cougar roared its displeasure, kicking his ass for losing her. Yeah, he’d kick his own ass. Later. After he found her, claimed her, and tied them together forever.

  Archer took a deep breath and sorted through the scents that filled his nose. Floor cleaner. Cheap perfume. Heavy aftershave. What the hell? Why couldn’t humans go with their natural scents? Those weren’t so hard on the nose.

  He tried again, gathering the aromas and… caught her scent. He swung his attention to the side doors. There, out the door.

  Unable to hold in his snarl, Archer launched himself toward the revolving door. And slammed into it with a thunk as it stopped dead. He shoved again, only to bounce off once more. Seriously? He was tempted to rip it outta the fucking wall and have his brother send some of the construction guys from Catson Construction to fix it.

  He pushed and the third time was not the charm.

  “Shit.” Wrong way, dumbass.

  Resisting the urge to simply smash his way through the thing, he turned and shoved the opposite direction, peering through the glass the whole time. His cougar gave him a visual boost, allowing him to see farther than his human eyes, and… he picked up a curvy figure hurrying down the sidewalk. Her clothes were skewed, the shoulder of her top slipping to reveal a pale shoulder while her skirt was twisted and showing way too much of her legs for his liking. Well, he liked seeing them, he just didn’t want anyone else to see them.

  Fur pushed through his pores as he finished his rush through the revolving door and triumph filled him. There she was. He hadn’t lost her.

  He took one step onto the sidewalk and then another, his gaze focused intently on his mate’s retreating form. Damn, but she had a lush ass and those hips… He wanted to grab them, hold onto her as he pounded into her from behind. His dick throbbed and he lowered a hand to palm his hardness. He gave himself one firm stroke and then thumped his cock. Now wasn’t the time for a hard-on. That could come later. When they were alone. And naked.

  A blaring horn filled the air and he spun to his left, slamming his hands on the hood of the car that threatened to run him over.

  “Fucker.” He pointed at the driver. “Watch where you’re driving,” he snarled.

  He ignored the driver’s shouts as he returned to his path and sought his mate. She faced him, fright etched in every one of her features and he tried to smile, to show her he was calm and in control. That he was a good guy.

  He might have been successful if his fangs hadn’t appeared and fur didn’t coat his arms, but it wasn’t like he could keep the cougar entirely at bay. She was his mate. A little leeway had to be given.

  Shocked eyes met his for one heartbeat and then two and then…

  He watched his mate vanish, her clothes collapsing a split second after she transformed from sexy curves to her inner animal. He snarled again, stomping toward her just as a small, furred figure wriggled free of the pile of clothing and bolted off.

  “Hey! Wait!” he called out, ignoring the ranting driver as he chased after her, but it was too late. Heart in his mouth, he watched the tiny form dodge across the parking lot, between oncoming cars. One honked, swerving, and he felt sick. Oh crap, no. It couldn’t have hit her. But the car moved on, and there was no patch of red and fur. He breathed a sigh of relief, a short-lived one as he looked up and down the road, gaze trained on the ground.

  He’d lost he
r.

  Less than five minutes after meeting his mate. He’d lost her.

  Fuck.

  Chapter Two

  There were times in life when manners and courtesy flew out the window. Paige finding her mate, spontaneously shifting in an elevator, managing to redress before the elevator hit the lobby, and then shifting (again) in the parking lot was one of those times. Thank God she’d managed to avoid being hit by a car and actually made it back to her vehicle. She’d never been so glad for her emergency clothing stash in her life.

  So when she knocked on her BFF’s door and Chloe answered, Paige didn’t even wait for an invite inside. She barged right on in and vomited her issues all over the room.

  “Shitty interview… and mate! And shifting… and clothes… and shifting! And a car almost ran me over!” She paused and took a breath. Okay, maybe that wasn’t a clear explanation of her issues.

  “Whoa, let’s slow the chittering a little bit and take a breath.”

  Chittering? Paige brought her hands to her face and groaned. Whiskers. Ferrety nose. Small pointy teeth. The ferret was out in full force. She took a deep breath and prodded her animal, urging it to take a massive step back already. How could Chloe help if they couldn’t be understood?

  The ferret assured her the only help they needed was their own and she should get her fluffy ass back to the M&M Mating Agency and find out who their mate was. Pronto.

  And Paige told the ferret that if it wasn’t such a pushy beyotch she wouldn’t have run in the first place. They were thirtyish years old, for furball’s sake!

  The ferret refused to admit Paige had a point, but she knew. She knew it was just being stubborn. Stupid little—

  Chloe shoved her hand in Paige’s face, snapping her fingers. “Stop talking to the cotton ball and focus on me.”

  She shook her head. “Ferry doesn’t like being called a cotton ball.”

  That’s what she came up with?

  Chloe sighed and stroked her stomach, the baby bump seeming to grow before her eyes. Her best friend mated a werecougar a month ago and she was already pregnant. Very pregnant since she’d pop in two months. With twins. If Paige ever had kids, she was totally going the “multiple births in the shortest span of time” way like her friend.