Sassy Ever After: Twice the Sass (Kindle Worlds Novella)

by Melanie James

  “The only positive thing to come out of the mating mark is that we have a way to track her now,” Taavi said, pulling Tad from his thoughts.

  “Well, let’s get to it then.”

  Tad was the first to shift to his wolf form. Out of instinct, he put his nose to the ground trying to pick up the scent of their mate, but could find none. She had managed to disappear again, without leaving so much as the smallest, most minute hint of which direction she had gone. Tad concentrated on the mating mark, focusing on the female’s current whereabouts.

  “She’s in a town called Blue Creek.”

  ***

  There was only one person Nya could think of who would be able to help her: Barbara Wolfe. Barbara was a good friend of Nya’s, and one of the few wolves she had learned to trust on her journey. She sucked in a deep breath as the images of her encounter with the twins played through her mind.

  She knew it would always be the most centeral moment of her life, but sadly she knew it could never happen again. It was forbidden for her kind to mate outside her race, and the rules that bound other Fae were enforced twofold when it came to her. If anyone happened to see the bite mark on her neck, her fate would be worse than death. Her family would be dishonored according to the caste system by which the Fae lived and died.

  Nya had to find a way to get rid of it if she ever wanted to go home again. Hopefully, Barbara would be able to help. She had never intended to get that close to the twins, nor had she ever thought they would be remotely interested in her. The redheaded beauty she’d seen them with suited them better than she could ever hope to. Nya felt like dog meat compared to the beautiful stranger.

  The redhead had been tall and lean. Her perfectly toned body meshed well with the twins’. Nya couldn’t even begin to think how bad she must’ve looked standing between the two. She was short and chubby. Her breasts were definitely more than a handful and even with the best underwire bras she couldn’t hope to achieve the natural perkiness the redhead had. Hell, even the most powerful Fae majik still couldn’t hold those puppies up.

  Nya had to avoid the twins from here on out, at all costs. She couldn’t trust herself not to get caught up in her own wants or desires.

  A few minutes later she found herself standing on Barbara’s porch. Just as she raised her hand to knock the door swung open. Barbara’s friendly smile was always a welcome sight. Her friend quickly pulled her into an embrace and squeezed lightly before ushering her inside.

  “Nya, sweetheart, what brings you back to Blue Creek? I thought you were set to cross the veil and head home? Is everything okay?” Barbara asked.

  Shaky and unsure of where to even begin, Nya blurted out the first thing that popped into her mind. “I have a problem, and I didn’t know where else to go.”

  “Oh, sweetheart, have a seat and tell me exactly what’s going on.”

  Nya explained how she’d run across the twins and immediately felt a pull to them. She couldn’t explain the need she’d felt to be near them, or why she had continued to taunt them after they’d finally caught her scent.

  By the end of her story, she found herself once again in tears. Sobbing hysterically, Nya pulled back her hair to show Barbara the bite mark. “Please tell me there’s some way to get rid of this.”

  Barbara opened her mouth to speak, then quickly snapped it shut, pausing to think about what she wanted to say. “Where exactly did you first see the twins?”

  “In the forest just outside of Maple Ridge.”

  “So they’re wolves from Black Paw.” Barbara glanced off into the distance, as if she were looking for an answer. “The legendary Tad and Taavi. I should’ve known.”

  Nya wasn’t sure what Barbara was talking about. “What do you mean?”

  “I mean, what have you gotten yourself into?”

  “I don’t know what to do. But I know I can’t go home with a mark on my neck. It’s forbidden.”

  “Tell me, dear, what did these twins of yours make you feel?”

  Nya thought back over her brief time with the twins. She’d never felt more alive or more nervous in her entire life. They had made her feel something she’d only ever hoped to experience: lust.

  As one of the mystical Fae, she was supposed to be beautiful and alluring—like her sisters, her mother, and just about every other Fae female in existence. Somehow, though, she’d been dipped into the short end of the gene pool. Nya was petite and round with dark hair and amethyst eyes, and looked nothing like any of her relatives.

  “They made me feel attractive, even beautiful. It’s hard to explain, but my body felt like it had known them forever. I don’t know what drew me to them or why I even felt the need to touch them, but there was something, some unseen force driving me toward them. I don’t know if there’s any easy way for me to explain it.”

  Barbara placed her hand over Nya’s and squeezed gently. “Sweetheart, I don’t know how else to say it, and—well, you know me, I’m not about to sugarcoat it. You are their mate. You’re the one the Fates selected for them to love and protect.”

  Shock flittered across Nya’s face. “Both of them? There has to be some kind of mistake. I’m not a wolf nor any kind of shifter. I’m Fae.”

  “The Fates don’t seem to care what species you are. You wouldn’t have that beautiful bite on your neck if you weren’t the one they intended to mate.”

  Chapter Four

  Tad and Taavi stopped for dinner about a half hour outside of Blue Creek. They needed to get a hold of Rafe. Charging headstrong into another pack’s territory was a big no-no. They had to request permission from their Alpha in order to cross the boundary line. From what Taavi remembered, their Alpha was good friends with the leaders of the Blue Creek pack. Hopefully they would be given the permission they were requesting, because they were going after their mate come hell or high water. It would make their lives a lot easier if they didn’t have to fight their way in.

  Taavi needed to think about how to approach the situation with Rafe. Their promiscuous ways hadn’t left them with the best of reputations among the pack or with the Alpha. He needed to make sure Rafe understood the urgency of tracking down their mate. Their lives literally depended on finding and claiming their mate…ASAFP! They were damn near out of time.

  He thought about his options while they ate. After they finished their meal, Taavi took a deep breath, hit the speed dial button, and waited patiently. Just before the call went to voicemail, Rafe answered.

  “Do I even want to know what kind of trouble you and your brother are in this time?” Rafe asked.”

  “Ha ha, very funny. I suppose we deserve that, all things considered.”

  “Let me guess: You found your mate and she ran from you. To top it off, you want permission to cross into Blue Creek territory.”

  “When did you become a psychic?” Taavi was well and truly stunned that Rafe knew the exact reason for his call.

  “If I had the time, I’d really mess with you guys. But I have a million and one things to deal with here. So I’ll just tell you that Barbara Wolfe called to let me know that your mate stopped by her house today for a little chat.”

  “Oh shit!”

  “Oh shit, indeed. But don’t worry, Barbara said it’s fine for the two of you to cross the boundary line and find your mate. She was even nice enough to tell me that your mate, Nya, is going to the Horny Wolf tonight with some of the girls from the pack.”

  Taavi pulled the phone away from his ear and stared at it. Had he heard Rafe correctly? “Did you just say ‘the Horny Wolf’? What the hell is that, and why is the wolf horny? And why is our mate headed there?”

  “Yes, I really did say that. I have no idea what it is and no clue what her plans are once she gets there, but if my mate were going to an establishment like that, I’d make sure I was there to see what it’s all about.”

  “I guess we know what her plans are for the night. Thanks, Rafe. One more question. Did Barbara happen to mention what our mate is?”
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  “Taavi, what the hell do you mean, ‘what your mate is’? Is she not a wolf?”

  “She’s not a wolf, and I have no idea what the hell she is—but she’s ours.”

  “Oh, for the love of Odin. Please, please do not bring home a Valkyrie, a hellhound, a dragon, or any banshees. I am begging you.”

  Taavi ended the call with Rafe hoping that their mate was none of the above. He looked up at his brother open-mouthed.

  “What did Rafe have to say?”

  “Not to bring home any Valkyries, hellhounds, dragons, or banshees.”

  Tad shook his head in disbelief. “Those things are real?”

  Taavi combed his fingers through his long messy hair. “I guess so.”

  “So what’s this shit I heard about our mate going someplace called the Horny Wolf?”

  Taavi relayed the rest of his conversation with Rafe.

  “Say we do find her at this Horny Wolf place. How do we keep her from running again?” Tad asked.

  “If we knew what she was, we might be able to figure out how to make sure she stays put long enough to have a conversation with her.”

  Tad pulled his phone out of his pocket and quickly slid his finger across the screen.

  “What are you doing?” Taavi asked.

  “I’m Googling her.”

  “What exactly are you Googling?”

  “Paranormal creatures that have the ability to hide behind a veil, and can travel fast.”

  “You really think you’re going to find anything under that?” Taavi shook his head astonished by his brother’s philosophy.

  “You’re right. Let me add beautiful.”

  Taavi rolled his eyes. “Because that’ll help.”

  Tad scrolled through the search results, keeping his mouth shut until something of value popped up.

  “Well? Anything?”

  “Human junk, paranormal romance books. Ha! Here we go. Gotta love Pinterest.”

  “Seriously?”

  “Yep. Let’s see. Vampire, Faery, Wild Wolf, Nephilim.” Tad thought about the choices. “Hmm. I really don’t know much about any of them. Do you?”

  “I was really hoping the Fates would make this a bit easier. I mean, they are the ones who saddled us with this damn curse. Would it have been impossible for them to give us a wolf as a mate? And what the fuck is a Nephilim?”

  Tad set his phone down and faced his brother. “There’s a lot of speculation as to what they actually are. From what I just read, some people think they are the children of God. Others think they’re fallen angels, while others believe they’re aliens from a distant planet.”

  “Of course they are.”

  “What do you mean by that?”

  “They’re bound to be aliens. The Fates have always seemed to have it out for us. So why not give us an alien as a mate, right? You know, it would have been nice to have a normal mate. Maybe we wouldn’t be the talk of the town anymore.”

  Tad thought about Taavi’s rant. His brother was right. The Fates weren’t about to suddenly give in and make their lives easy. They never had. He had no idea which one of their ancestors had pissed off the Fates, but one day he would find out and throat punch one of their living kin.

  “Hey, the Fates aren’t going to win. We won’t let them. The old bitches probably never expected us to make it this far. We can’t give up now. We’ve found our mate and marked her. All we need to do now is claim her. And we know exactly where she’s going to be. What could possibly go wrong?” Sometimes it was like swallowing acid, but Tad had to be the positive one.

  Taavi snorted. “Oh, I don’t know. How about one of us turns evil if we fail?”

  “We’re not going to fail. You felt the lust she had for us. There’s something there. We just have to break through her shell and find out why she keeps running.”

  Chapter Five

  Nya couldn’t get rid of the feeling that she was being watched as she danced the night away, desperately trying to rid her thoughts of her newest obsession. Barbara was right: A night out with the girls was exactly what she needed to get her mind off of her problem with the twins. Besides, Barbara had promised she would research ways Nya could either rid herself of the mark or hide it.

  Being free and having fun before she embarked upon her boring life at court was the whole reason for her journey. The clock was ticking. Nya had very little time remaining when it came to her journey in the human world, and she desperately wanted to make the most of it before she headed home, where everyone seemed to walk around with sticks shoved up their asses.

  Every story she’d managed to find and read in the human world that revolved around Fae had turned out to be a complete fabrication. The humans depicted her race in romance stories as fun, carefree beings. That was the furthest thing from the truth she’d ever read. Everyone she knew in the Fae realm was a stickler for the rules. They had rules for this and rules for that. Gah! She hated rules. All she really wanted to do was live her life on her own terms, without having to explain her choices or decisions.

  If her family knew where she was and what she was up to, there’d be serious hell to pay. She could almost hear her mother preaching about the sins of promiscuity—how the Fae were better than the hormone-controlled humans, and should behave accordingly.

  Her mother would have a straight up motherfucking heart attack if she had any clue that one of her daughters had been bitten by a wolf while contemplating fucking two of them. At the same time.

  Once again, Nya felt the tingling sensation of being watched. She scanned the crowd, searching to see if someone had been keeping an eye on her, but came up empty. Stripers continued pumping their hips like there was no tomorrow. Women squealed as they were pulled up on stage; their bodies rocking back and forth, mimicking the sensual act of sex.

  She loved the rhythmic thumping of the bass, not to mention the erotic movements of the dancers on stage and those surrounding her, working the crowd. What she wouldn’t give to be able to live freely as the humans and shifters did! Nya knew enough to discern that she would never make it in the human world. Everything had always been provided for her in the Fae realm. Where would she live if not her parents’ house? She had no marketable skills to earn a living. Sure, she had a couple of friends, but it wasn’t like she would feel comfortable mooching off of them forever.

  And then there was the biggest issue: Nya had always dreamed of having a family and lots of kids, but that would never happen once she married the one her family had promised her to. Something had happened in the Fae realm long ago, causing all the males to be sterile. She had been one of the last babies to be born in her world.

  Jordan and Nicole bumped their hips against Nya.

  “What gives?” Jordan asked. “This is supposed to be a fun night out!”

  “Jordan’s right! No sad thoughts tonight. I think we need another round of drinks!”

  “That sounds great. I’ll meet you at the bar. I’m going to hit up the ladies’ room first.”

  Nya spun on her heel and slammed into a rock hard body. Shivers of awareness danced through her. Though she knew exactly who’d be standing in front of her, her jaw still hit the ground when her eyes met those of one of the twins. Oh my God. How did they find me? And why the hell does he smell so damn good?

  “Why did you run?” Taavi shifted closer to her.

  “Because you bit me. Last time I checked, biting wasn’t a good thing.” Nya took two steps backward, trying to put a little space between her and the dominant male encroaching on her. The last thing she needed right now was for her brain to shut the fuck down, leaving her completely useless.

  Taavi quickly closed the distance between them. “I didn’t bite you; my brother, Tad did. But I can if you’d like. My bite is much better than his anyway. I promise it will make you come harder than you ever have.”

  Whew! Nya didn’t know how to respond. She had never been spoken to in such a manner. The males at the Fae court were prim, proper, and downright
boring. Conversations at the court were monotone and mind-numbing, and it was never okay to display emotion.

  The crudeness and the vulgarity of the shifters and humans was an eye-opener—one she hadn’t expected. Hearing the passion in the male’s voice…well, it turned her on more than she would have thought possible.

  Her fingers flew to her neck, tracing the outline of the bite mark. Heat flooded her core. It wasn’t that the bite hadn’t felt good. It had, but it had also scared the fuck out of her. And now that she knew what the bite signified, she was even more afraid—afraid of what it could mean for her future. She knew nothing about the twins or their culture. Then there was the little gem regarding her family. They would never accept her if she mated with a wolf. Let alone two.

  Nya had backed up another inch, maybe two, when she felt the heat of a warm body pressed against her backside. Strong, thick arms wrapped around her waist, holding her steady. Her heart pounded inside her chest, and her blood heated to the point of boiling when she felt his erection pressing against her back.

  Goddess above, these males made her feel things she’d never thought possible. The slightest touch from either of them sent her nerve endings into overdrive.

  “Spend the night with us,” Tad whispered in her ear.

  The thought of being with both of them sent shivers down her spine. She’d dreamt about it since the moment she had seen them in the woods. Fantasies were great and all, but did she want it to be her reality? She had watched as the twins used the female and discarded her just as easily. Did Nya want to become that?

  All Nya had ever wanted was to live a fun, carefree life, family expectations and consequences be damned. She was tired of being told who she had to be and what was expected of her. And now she had these two fine-ass men offering her a night of passion. It was an opportunity that would never come her way again, especially after she crossed the ethereal plane and went back to her life in the Fae court.