Untamed Shifter Love

by C. L. Scholey

  “I think so,” Porsha replied, trying to swallow. Her dry mouth made her feel like gagging. “Thank you again for this, Tina. I don’t think I could have done this alone.”

  “Hey, best friends, right?” Her friend’s small, pixie face beamed as she smiled. “Remember, you are your own woman. Don’t listen to all that shit your parents shoved down your throat. You can do it.”

  Porsha nodded. She’d only known Tina for a little over a month, but they had become firm friends. Porsha had told her about her upbringing and how shielded from life she’d been. Porsha was tiny, especially for a dragon shifter. Her mother had gone into premature labor—which was pretty rare for a shifter—leaving Porsha weighing little more than two bags of sugar when she was born, and she never gained enough muscle or weight to look like a shifter at all. Her parents thought she looked as weak as a human.

  For twenty-one years her parents had shielded and protected her. They kept her out of eyesight, fearing she would be bullied or ridiculed for her small stature. The final straw that led Porsha to run away from them was a huge, lavish party her mother had planned for her twenty-first birthday. She’d invited many prominent families that had bachelor sons in them. Her mother felt with Porsha being so tiny she would need a man to protect her for the rest of her life. Porsha felt differently. She’d spent hours debating what to do with her dragon, who urged Porsha to experience the world and find her inner confidence. The night of the party, with her parents’ eyes on others rather than her, Porsha packed a bag and ran.

  Here she was now a month later about to go into an interview with Troy Balliarth, a nightclub owner. Giving Tina a quick hug, Porsha faced Troy’s office door and knocked.

  “Come in,” a deep male voice said from inside.

  Porsha grabbed hold of the golden handle, her sweaty palms sliding along the metal. Gripping the handle tight, she pushed it down and opened the door. Troy was sitting behind his large, wooden desk, looking like the king of the jungle that he was.

  “Good morning, Miss Sallow. Take a seat please.” He gestured toward a chair opposite his desk.

  Sitting down, Porsha looked over the man, taking in everything she could. He was huge. His muscles stretched the white material of his shirt. He had a sculptured, clean-shaven face, his green emerald eyes stared at her with intensity, and he had slight dimples when he smiled. Porsha knew that this good-looking male had recently mated and married, and they already had a young whelp. Rumors were his human mate was pregnant again.

  “You don’t have to look so frightened. I won’t eat you, no matter what Tina has said about me.”

  “She hasn’t said anything bad,” Porsha blurted out in instant defense of her friend. A second after she spoke she realized what she’d done and heat filled her cheeks. “Sorry, you were joking.”

  “It’s okay.” Troy chuckled. “It’s good to see you admire your friend and would protect her. But yes, I was joking. Now…” He trailed off and looked down at her CV.

  When Tina had told her a waitress job was going to be available at Dragon’s Heart, she and her friend had sat down one night and tried their best to create a CV that made her look potentially amazing for the position. Alas, with only home-schooling and never working before, the sheet of paper that Troy had in front of him looked pretty feeble.

  “Your specialty is speaking any language?” he asked.

  Every dragon shifter had some kind of magic. Being able to shift was one of them, of course, but they also had their own talent for something else. Porsha had always been able to decipher and understand other languages right away. For fun, she’d watch movies in foreign languages. But watching them with Tina always turned into a giggle-fest. Her friend would turn the sound down and pretend the characters were saying something else, to the point where it would get dirtier and dirtier, until both friends would be laughing so hard they were clutching their stomachs. In fact, it was something they had done last night. Porsha couldn’t help but smile as she remembered.

  “Yes. I can understand, read, and speak any language.”

  Troy nodded. “That’s a very handy talent, Miss Sallow.” He looked down at the thin sheet of paper. “You have never worked before?” he asked, looking up, an eyebrow raised.

  “No, I umm…” She tried to swallow around the lump in her throat. How to explain her life?

  Her dragon stirred inside her, nuzzling against Porsha’s skin, sending waves of reassurance. I here, be honest. If he worthy and want you to work, he will say. If not, it’s his loss.

  Porsha sent a flow of love back to her dragon. Throughout her life she’d been told she couldn’t do this or that because she was too small, too fragile, or too weak. She still had more strength than a human, but for a dragon shifter, she was in fact tiny. Tears prickled behind Porsha’s eyes, but then she felt an overflowing band of love from her dragon, which gave her the courage to blink away the tears and hold her head up high.

  Yes, I can do this, and I’m so glad I have you, she replied to her beast.

  We are one. Her dragon nodded, then curled up and relaxed.

  “I was home-schooled by my parents, and no, I haven’t worked before. As you can see, Mr. Balliarth, I’m quite small for a dragon shifter. My parents thought that I should be mated to fit into the real world. They believed I should have a male beside me to protect me. I was deemed too weak and fragile to cope with real life.” She sat up straight in her chair with conviction. If Troy Balliarth wouldn’t give her a job, then bugger him. She would go out and get as many interviews as it took until someone finally hired her.

  “And yet you are here, on your own.” He smiled again at her. Was that admiration she heard in his voice? Troy leaned back in his seat and clasped his hands together in front of him in a thoughtful manner. “As you know, the job we are wanting to fill is a VIP room attendant. You will have to take orders and make sure the occupants of the room are comfortable and have everything they need. I will warn you that some males can get very handsie, how would you cope with that?”

  Porsha had already learned this from the chats she’d had with Tina. She’d often told her some of the wealthy customers could get very touchy-feely.

  “I’ve taken a lot of self-defense classes. Something I managed to do without my parents knowing,” she admitted.

  She’d become close to a member of the family’s staff who took many classes, including karate. She’d asked Dearen to teach her on the quiet, and he readily agreed. Over the years they became firm friends, and toward the end of being at home, he even helped her learn the more advanced moves of Krav Maga. The amount of times she’d been covered in liniment at night to help combat the bruising when she first began was ridiculous. She’d also had to wear long sleeves and trousers so her parents wouldn’t find out. But as time went by, she knew she could take care of herself if needed.

  Troy nodded, staring at her. Porsha could see the imaginary cogs turning in his head as he sized her up.

  “Your talent could come in very handy here. We quite often get different languages, and many of the VIP’s bring their own translators, but with you here…” He trailed off, nodding.

  Porsha felt a glimmer of hope. She dropped her hands to her lap in an effort to keep herself from wringing them nervously. “Please, Mr. Balliarth, I—”

  “You can call me Troy. My surname can be a mouthful.” He sat forward and closed the file on his desk.

  “Please, Troy.” She swallowed. “I would love an opportunity to prove, not only to myself but the shifter world, that just because I’m small doesn’t mean I can’t be someone. I can do this, sir. All I ask is that you give me a chance.”

  She knew she had a pleading tone to her voice, but she was desperate to prove to herself and to everyone else that she didn’t need to have a mate in her life to live. Being a dragon shifter had its perks. Dragon shifters had a knack for finding anything that was worth something, and they all had their own secret place to hide things away, so although she’d only been away
from home for a month, she had enough gems and sparkles to live a comfortable life. She didn’t need this job, she wanted it.

  “I can see fight in you.” Troy nodded as he spoke. “I admit Tina has told me about you, and it made me a little curious, that’s why I agreed to this interview. You are small in stature, but not any more than the humans who work here. You might get some ribbing from some of the shifter customers, but I think you can handle that.”

  Troy propped his elbows on his desk, his clasped hands touching his mouth as he looked her over. Even more hope filled Porsha.

  “Okay, I’ll give you a month’s trial, and if you can handle the work and the customers, I’ll offer you a permanent position.”

  Porsha felt like squealing. She wanted to hug someone while jumping up and down with glee. But instead she placed a smile on her face and politely said, “Thank you.”

  Troy chuckled as if he could see the excitement she desperately tried to hide. “Go see Cole at the bar and get your rota. You can start as soon as you have the uniform.”

  “Thank you so much, Mr. Ball… Troy,” she corrected herself. “I promise I won’t let you down.” Porsha placed her hand inside of Troy’s and gave it a light shake. His huge grip engulfed hers, making her realize just how small her hands were in his.

  She puffed out her chest, gave the man a big smile, and walked out of his office with joy in each step. She could hear the deep male laughter as she shut his door.

  Tina was at Porsha’s side lightning fast as she started down the stairs. “Well?”

  “He gave me the job.”

  Tina squealed and wrapped her arms around Porsha in a tight hug. “Oh my goddess. Oh my goddess,” she chanted, jumping up and down with Porsha as they went down the stairs. She dared not think what anyone thought of them if they passed.

  By the time they reached the dance floor the pair had calmed down. Tina was rambling away about the job, but inside Porsha’s mind, she was still going over the fact she had a job. Her mother would probably die on the spot in shock if she knew.

  I’m proud of you. You good and strong. Able to take on the world. Her dragon purred. Her beast sent her an overflowing array of emotions.

  Today is the beginning.

  Yes. Onward and upward, her dragon agreed.

  Chapter 2

  Two months later

  William Swift walked into Dragon’s Heart for his first shift in almost a year. It smelled like home. He was more than glad to be back. He stood in the middle of the dance floor, looking around the place. Yeah, it was mighty grand to be back.

  “Hey, brother from another mother,” a voice he recognized called out to him from above.

  Looking up, he saw his old friend Troy. They had known each other most of their lives, and Troy was like the brother William never had. Troy still looked the same as when William had left, although the male did have a spring in his step.

  Even though William was at least ten years younger than Troy, the two had been near inseparable growing up. Troy had been a carefree boy whereas William had always been the sensible one. After losing his father so young, it had added years on him mentally. Troy had started calling him an old man, and to this day he still did.

  “Nothing changes around here much, does it?” William said, laughing and walking toward his pal. Forearms were grasped and close hugs took place as well as a few slaps on the back.

  “Good to see you,” Troy said, stepping back.

  “I was just thinking the same thing. It’s good to be back. I missed this place.” William noticed a gold band on Troy’s left hand. “You found your mate? No, surely not. I’ve only been away five fucking minutes. Human?”

  “Yep, mated, married, one whelp and another on the way. And yes, human. You missed a whole bunch, man.” Troy beamed. Happiness seemed to flow from him.

  William felt a slight pang of jealousy, but shook it away quickly. After the year he’d just had, he was feeling pretty lonely.

  “Holy crap! Some things have changed then. What about Dennenth and Pete? Still around?” William asked. Dennenth and Pete were fellow dragon shifters. Although they hadn’t been at the club as long as William had, the four of them had become firm friends.

  “Mated too. Both of them,” Troy said. “In fact, last month Dennenth moved back to Scotland with his new family. He has an adopted son as well as…you’re never going to believe this, but the man and his mate had triplets.”

  “Goddess! He has three whelps?” Wow, I’ve missed so much.

  “Let’s get a drink and I’ll catch you up on everything.”

  “Sounds like it’s going to be a long fucking drink, man.”

  Both men laughed and headed for the bar. For the next hour, William caught up with as much of the news as he could before the club began filling with the evening staff. A few old faces as well as new ones all mixed in together, moving around and getting ready for opening.

  “Sorry to hear about your mother,” Troy said suddenly.

  Images of his mother shifting into a large, jet-black dragon for the last time filled his mind. As a child William had often flown alongside his mother, both of their beasts’ silver scales reflecting the sun as they flew. But when his father had died over fifty years ago, both his mother and her beast mourned his loss to the point her dragon’s scales changed color.

  “Yeah, it was heartbreaking watching her take her last flight. But she felt it was time. We had a good few months before she went.” William looked down at the drink before him. The amber liquid, known as Amber Tears, was a drink that was made for shifters by shifters. It was the only alcoholic drink that a shifter could actually get drunk on. The last time William had drunk Amber Tears it was when he’d shared half a bottle with his mother before she shifted for the final time and took off. He’d watched until all he could see was the black flicker of her wings flying over the clear blue ocean.

  It was common for dragon shifters who had lost their mate or couldn’t find one after many years of searching to take one last flight, to go off somewhere and give up, to die peacefully their way. William knew his mother had spent most of his life missing his father. A year ago she had decided to choose her leaving date, giving William a few months to spend some time with her before she went.

  That was six months ago. He had traveled while he mourned, not really seeing much. Finally, he thought it was time to head home. It still hurt so much. He missed her.

  “She is with the goddess now.” Troy’s voice was filled with sorrow.

  “She left you something,” William said, turning toward his friend. He had shared much of his life with this man. So many laughs and troubles. Troy had spent a lot of time around William’s mother when they were growing up, so Troy knew her well.

  “Oh yeah?”

  “Yep.” William nodded, trying hard to keep a smile off his face. “Her whole shoe collection.” He couldn’t hold back a snort, which grew into a laugh, then grew louder as he pictured Troy wearing one of his mother’s high-heel red shoes in his mind.

  The memory of his mother finding Troy’s pet frog in one of her beloved Christian Louboutin sandals still made him roar with laughter. When she’d finished screaming she whopped Troy’s backside for having the blasted amphibian in her house and for being anywhere near her precious shoes. She then sent him home to his mother who did it again for upsetting William’s mother. She made sure Troy never forgot that either. Every year afterward Troy bought her the newest Christian Louboutin shoe for her birthday, no matter the price.

  Through the tears his laughter caused, William watched his pal’s face pale. Then Troy shook his head in exasperation and started laughing too. Both of them sat at the bar for a good five minutes roaring with laughter, the staff looking at them as if they’d gone mad.

  Troy’s mirth slowly ebbed, and he leaned over the bar and pulled a bottle of Ember Tears from somewhere along with two clean shot glasses. Filling each glass with the liquid, he picked up one and nudged the other toward Willia
m.

  “To your mother. May she be looking down at us, and laugh at our antics like she did as she watched us grow up.”

  William picked up the shot glass. They both held it in the air, a silent prayer for the lost, and then together they downed the only drink that a shifter could get drunk on.

  “That shit still burns on the way down.” William coughed. The last time he’d drunk Ember Tears was six months ago, the night his mother had flown. He’d been so smashed that the morning after, he’d woken up and felt like his head was going to fall off. He’d vowed never to drink that shit again.

  “She never let me forget about the frog and shoe.” Troy set the shot glass down on the bar, looking thoughtful. “She was a good person. I will remember her fondly.”

  “Me too, brother, me too.” William followed suit, placing his glass on the bar too. “Your parents okay?” William asked. He was just as fond of Troy’s parents as Troy had been of his mother.

  “Yeah. Now that you’re back, I assume an invite for Sunday dinner will arrive soon.”

  “Boss...” Cole came toward them from the back of the bar. His double-take was comical. “William, you back?”

  Cole headed straight for him, his arms tightly winding around his shoulders in a bear hug. Pun intentional—Cole was a bear shifter, one of the rare other shifters that were employed by Troy. Dragon shifters were hard workers, but they also tended to take long breaks, the need to fly strong with them. Troy had brought in some other shifters to accommodate, ones who didn’t need such long times away. Cole and Brock were mated bear shifters who had the pleasure of taking over the extra shifts during those times.

  Pulling away from him, Cole looked him up and down. “Still looking good, my friend.”

  “Still don’t want to suck your cock.” William chuckled. It had been a long-standing joke for years between him and Cole. Cole would flirt with him and he would turn him down.

  “Don’t worry, I got two mates to do that now.” Cole winked.

  “Goddess, you too? Fucking hell, someone must have put something in the alcohol around here.”