The tarot reader shuffled the cards as she hummed along to an odd tune. “Let’s find you love.” As she shuffled, two cards jumped out of the deck, and Audrey placed them on the table. One had a sun and the other a little hermit.
“Oh wow! I see two men in your life. I don’t think you’ve met them before, and seeing how these two cards just jumped out, these two men will enter your life when you least expect it, and they will sweep you off your feet if you’re not careful. You told me you’re a Scorpio—a water sign—so I feel like you’ll go with the flow and make the best of it. The Sun and the Hermit…this tells me fate dealt you a Leo and a Virgo. Both passionate signs. Let’s see what they bring to the table…”
Two mates weren’t completely uncommon in the werewolf community, but Tara had never expected for it to happen to her. Not that she believed this woman already, but the idea of finally finding her mate—or mates—kept her from leaving.
Audry grabbed two more cards and placed them next to the others. One had a label of “Two of Wands” and the other was “Seven of Cups.” Audry pointed to the wands first. “As I expected, the Leo will take you way out of your comfort zone, show you places—physical places, but also mental and emotional—you’ve never been to before. He will broaden your horizons, help you see, feel, and experience new things, and challenge you along the way.”
A little giggle left Audry’s lips and then she pointed to the cups card. Clover elbowed Tara with a big smile on her face.
“Meanwhile, the Virgo will make you feel like you’re on an emotional and sensual roller coaster. When it comes to love, Virgos are naturally contradictory, which I also see in these seven cups, all presenting you with different opportunities and experiences.” A grin lifted her lips.
“One thing I know for sure, is that you will never get bored with these two men. As a Scorpio, you need passion, spontaneity, and mystery. They are exactly what you need, but you have to accept them both. Choosing just one will throw the relationship dynamic out of balance. The Leo is all fire, while the Virgo is earth. You're a water sign, and while the Leo will ignite your imagination and test your limits, the Virgo will ground you and bring you back to the here and now.”
“Sounds like you’ll be having lots of fun. Too bad Ash isn’t into sharing.” Clover winked, and Tara half-choked, half-laughed at the idea of Ash, the big strong alpha male, sharing his little mate.
“I’d pay to see that conversation go down.”
Audry cleared her throat. “Now, let’s look into the near future.” She arched her brow and Clover bounced in her seat.
“Oh goodie. I really want to see this part.” Clover leaned forward.
She drew three more cards and set them down like before. The Chariot, the Wheel of Fortune, and the Eight of Wands all rested near the other four cards already displayed.
“You want to know where you will meet them…the Chariot makes me think of movement. Moving forward—racing, even.” She pointed to the wands card. “Racing in a fast-moving vehicle. See here, in the Chariot card? The vehicle is pulled by two sphinxes. They could be your two men. But don’t forget that you’re the one in charge.” She spoke as her finger rested on the blond charioteer guy.
Her mind raced in wonder, if Audry actually could tell the future. Would fate bring me my mate there? Her wolf hung on every damn word but her human half wanted to keep on her guard.
“The Wheel of Fortune tells me this meeting is destined to happen. It will mark a turning point in your life. It’s not something random, nor temporary. Do you believe in reincarnation? Because the Wheel of Fortune also indicates karma. You’ve met these men before, in a past life, and you had a great ride then, too.” A little giggle left Audry’s lips. Tara glanced down at the cards then up at Clover. Her wolf believed Audry, but the human side couldn’t trust a woman who believed the cards would give insight to the future.
“Well, thanks for that. You just gave me a great excuse to go to the races tonight.” Tara chuckled and grabbed Clover’s hand. “You owe me big time for this crap.”
They headed out, but Tara’s mind wandered back to the reading. Two mates for her—that was freaking impossible! Her wolf grinned. Oh, it’s completely possible…now, three would be too much.
Chapter Two
Jackson
Anger flared through Jackson’s chest as he stared at his twin brother, Leo. The fucker was itching for a gut check if he didn’t shake off his over-joyful attitude. The stuffy building would need to be aired out for days with all the fucking incense burning toward the back. Rows of booths stretched from one side of the building to the other.
“We should be out trying to find a mate, not asking some quack to help us,” Jackson hissed, and Leo turned toward him. They stood at the entrance while Leo scanned the area for something.
“We’ve tried the past few months. I heard good things about this one; she’s a wolf reader.” Leo’s sky-blue eyes widened.
“Wolf reader?” He repeated the words from his twin, trying his best to be optimistic. Jackson let the words roll from his mouth in a sarcastic way to show his brother how ridiculous he was being.
“Keep it up and you might get an elbow to the gut.” Leo turned, making his blonde hair move slightly as he strolled down the row of human readers and stopped at the end. They both had the same hair style but different eyes.
“Ah, I see we have another wolf wanting their reading done?” A female voice carried back to Jackson and he huffed. Part of him wanted to turn around and bolt toward the door.
“Yes, I’m Leo, and this is my brother, Virgo.” Leo used the damn nickname Jackson loathed. When he stopped next to his brother, the cards flew from the woman’s hands.
“Holy shit.” She visibly swallowed as her eyes bounced from Leo to Jackson and back. “Looking for love, boys?” She arched her black eyebrow and Leo nodded with glee.
“My brother’s skeptical but I think it could work. Should we go separately or do one reading?”
“One would suffice, since it seems you two will be sharing a mate anyway.”
“Why would you think that?” Jackson stepped forward. The scent of apple spice filled his nose, making his wolf stop pacing. Mate. Without thinking, he grabbed the woman’s hand to see if they’d imprint, but nothing happened.
“It’s not me; you two would be way too much for me to handle.” Her lips twitched into a smile. Leo grabbed her other hand and nothing happened still, so Jackson let go and growled.
“What are you playing at?”
“I’m about ninety percent sure your mate had a reading an hour ago.” She bent over and reached for her cards but froze on the floor. The only card facing upward had the label “Temperance” at the bottom.
“She has a spice scent?” Leo asked and grabbed two cards. She smacked his hands, letting them fall again.
“Yes. She left right after…but tonight will be your lucky night, boys.”
“What do you mean?” Jackson glanced at the cards; some faced up while others were down.
“Right here—the Sun and the Hermit, that’s you two.” She pointed to the cards Leo had tried to pick up. “Tonight, you two will have one hell of a ride.” She let out a little giggle while staring at the cards.
“I think she’s lost her damn mind,” Jackson hissed but Leo shook his head.
“No, I can smell a homey scent—the spice—and my wolf won’t calm down; he knows it’s her.”
“We have a race tonight, we can’t just freaking bail,” Jackson growled, and the woman bolted to her feet.
“No, you can’t miss that! She’ll be there at that…whatever you called it.” She snapped her fingers like she was trying to remember the place.
“The races?” Leo glanced down then grinned.
“Right. Yes, races.”
“Fine…but if she’s not there, I get the opportunity to tell you ‘I told you so.’” Jackson turned and headed right for the door. He didn’t want to give in to his twin, but the spice scen
t still lingered in his nose, giving his wolf a sense of hope. Storming past all the booths, all the sellers looked the other way to avoid his eye contact. The lady up front waved and said a quick goodbye so Jackson nodded before shoving the doors open.
Rows of cars rested in the lot and he aimed for their car, not caring how far behind his brother was. He paused when his hand grabbed the door handle.
“Let’s go fix the car so it’s ready for tonight.” Jackson slipped into the driver’s seat while his twin paused outside the passenger side door. He huffed before climbing in.
Jackson raced home, wanting to put as much distance between him and the wolf reader. He still couldn’t believe his brother actually thought they would magically find their mate because some she-wolf said so. His beast kept hoping tonight they would spot her at the races, but Jackson wouldn’t hold his breath.
They pulled up to their little apartment and his frustration grew stronger. After months of searching for an actual home, they were coming up empty-handed and the alpha could only help out so much.
“Food. I think we need a dinner for three.” Leo smacked Jackson’s chest then bounced out of the car and raced up the stairs. Jackson turned off the engine and rolled out.
When he walked in and closed the door, his brother bounced around in the kitchen like a puppy finding treats every second.
“Do you think turkey sandwiches will be lame?” Leo tapped at his chin then glanced at Jackson.
“What else can we really make that won’t go bad until after the races?” Jackson leaned against the wall. “I mean, that woman could be wrong. You don’t know if she’ll be at the races tonight. Or if we’ll even share a mate.”
Leo turned and yanked open the fridge, ignoring the comment for a few moments while he collected a jar of mayo, some lettuce, tomato, and bag of turkey.
“We’ve shared every damn thing, including girlfriends. Why would our mate be an exception?” Leo arched his brow. His twin had a point. They’d never crossed the boundary of incest, but they did share a few women growing up. Only one female didn’t want both at the same time, but had agreed to date them together. She only worked out for a few weeks before she left.
“You could still be wrong.” He folded his arms while Leo worked on making six sandwiches. “And if she’s not there, then all this food will go to waste because I know damn well you won’t be hungry.”
“Well, if it goes to waste because we found her and we’re too excited then I’ll be happy.” Leo pointed the butter knife at Jackson’s chest and they chuckled for a moment.
His wolf bounded around with excitement as Jackson glanced at the clock. They still had another five hours till they left for the races. The time inched forward while Leo continued to hum around the kitchen like a butterfly.
“If and I do mean if we find her, where would we go after the race? We can’t exactly mate with her there.”
“Shit, good point.” Leo froze in place with his knife halfway through cutting a tomato.
“What about that rocky point? It’s quiet and secluded enough no one would hear us.” Jackson’s mind wandered to the place he’d been to as a teenager. His wolf pictured a curvy woman ready to complete the bond with him and his brother. Screaming out their names as she came hard.
“Perfect.” He continued with cutting the rest of the tomato.
Leo turned, catching Jackson’s attention. He rubbed his hands with a bright grin, lifting his lips. “I have a great feeling about tonight.”
Chapter Three
Tara
Tara climbed into her sleek, black ’69 mustang; she loved the play on words when she had fun in the back seat. Her libido spiked as the engine roared to life. With soaked panties, she left her driveway to head toward the races. Somehow, the adrenaline from racing calmed her wolf down, so they didn’t focus on the need to have sex. Like going on a long run, only less work on her body. Most of the time it worked.
After her last turn into the parking lot, she zoned in on the newbies, fresh blood to the street world of racing. Twin males leaned against a newer model mustang like a couple alphas waiting to satisfy her dirtiest fantasies. She parked next to them and climbed out. Her wolf scratched at the edge. Part of her wanted to be near the twins and her wolf purred like a fucking kitten just staring at them.
“Nice ride.” Tara tilted her head toward the nearest twin. When he turned to face her, she lost her focus completely. Bright blue eyes stared deep into her soul, as if he could penetrate even her deepest secrets and desires. She swallowed hard as the other twin lifted his head. Her core clenched as she imagined staring into those blue eyes with one dick in her mouth and the other plunging deep…. She shook the image out of her head and cleared her throat. Her wolf snorted in her mind, clearly not thrilled with losing the image.
“Sadly, yours is better.” The first guy chuckled, his voice coming out like a smooth baritone. “What do you think, Virgo?”
“Fuck off, Leo.” Virgo shook his head. “I’m Jackson.” He nodded toward Tara. Their woody scent, with a hint of mulled fruit, filled her nose—twin freaking werewolves. One had a more citrus scent and the other a spiceberry tinge to the underlying wolf aroma. Oh, goddess above, this has to be too good to be true. Are they really my mates, like that woman said? Jackson’s voice was a hint lower than Leo’s, giving her something to distinguish them by. Potential Sex God One and Two would work.
“Tara.” She nodded seconds before the unofficial leader, Maesto, walked up to Tara and pulled her into a hug.
“My sweet, how have you been?” Maesto kissed her cheek like always. Did Leo just hold back Jackson? She wasn’t sure what she caught in the corner of her vision.
“I’m great. Just ready to race.” With the twins watching her, her libido spiked even more than normal.
“Oh, shit, sweets, these guys took the last spot. Unless someone drops out, you’re out of luck.” He shrugged. Tara’s stomach tightened. She needed the rush of a race to keep herself from fucking half the town.
“You’re joking, right?” Tara wanted to curse her best friend for keeping her home for so long. Clover always came first, but that was how friendships worked.
“Sorry, sweets. You could always ride with me.” He bounced his eyebrows, but Tara shook her head.
“I’ll figure something out. Go start the races, the kids look a little jumpy.” Tara winked. Maesto glanced at the young blood and nodded.
“You’re right, they might bolt.” Maesto rushed over toward the start line while Tara leaned against the hood of her car.
“You could always ride with us,” Jackson said.
“Hell, I would love to take yours out for a spin,” Leo added. Tara jumped off the car and walked over to get a better look at their racing machine. After a quick saunter around it, they opened the hood, letting her peek into their engine and see how it was nestled between everything. I want to be nestled between something, too. At least, that’s what she kept telling her wolf. She leaned on their hood, standing between them.
“Look, we all know what we are but being near me right now isn’t safe.” Tara sighed heavily.
“What’s life without a little risk?” Leo asked. Tara stared into his blue gaze, completely mesmerized. She licked her lower lip and tipped her head over to meet Jackson’s heated gaze.
“I would love to take a little risk.”
“Are you gentlemen trying to propose something and I’m just not reading enough between the lines?” Tara’s gaze bounced between the two of them. They inched closer as the racers zoomed past.
“We may not share the same birthday, but we share everything else,” Leo said.
“And we mean everything,” Jackson added. Tara’s core clenched with need. She closed her eyes, trying to calm herself down. Her skin buzzed as the cars around hummed, ready to zip down the track. Her wolf pushed images of them all together, which didn’t help her make a calm or rational choice.
A small current of electricity zipped under her fle
sh and her eyes snapped open. Mate! The pulse came from both sides and her gaze fell to her hands. They had touched her at the same time. Mates! Tara gulped. The lady had been right; she found twins to be her mates.
“Told you.” Jackson wrapped his fingers over Tara’s.
“Hey newbies, you’re up!” Maesto yelled over the roar of an engine.
“Let’s race.” Leo rubbed his hands together.
“Would you like front seat or the back?” Jackson asked.
“I’ll take the back.” Tara’s voice came out breathy. She sauntered past Jackson and climbed in, pausing while her ass hung up in the air before she slipped in to the middle. Her wolf liked the idea of being the center of a wolf sandwich. Tara grinned as she glanced over at them. Her beast kept making every little thing dirty, which only made it harder not to jump her new mates. She couldn’t get her mind around the idea of having two freaking mates. Clover is going to flip the fuck out. The twins climbed in, with Jackson sliding into the driving seat.
“Let’s win some money, Virgo, and go home. Her fucking scent is making me way too hard.”
“Try driving with a hard-on.” Jackson adjusted in his seat.
“Do you want me to wait?” Tara suggested. Her wolf panted, having them so freaking close. Both turned toward her and said “no” in unison. “Okay. Focus though, Jackson.” Tara pointed at the road.
“Don’t fuck it up, Virgo.” Leo pushed his brother’s arm.
“Why do you keep calling him Virgo?” Tara leaned forward; their scents filled her lungs. Heat zipped down right to her core.
“Well…you can see that we’re twins, but I was born August twenty-second, which makes my zodiac sign Leo. Jackson was born on the twenty-third. Our mother thought my brother would be a girl, so she intended for his name to be Virgo.”
“It’s been my nickname for so fucking long.” Jackson rolled his shoulders and moved the car to the start line.
Crimson Kisses: Valentine’s Day Edition: A Zodiac Shifters Paranormal Romance Anthology Page 14