by R. A. Boyd
Score! Maybe he could be her friendly Ghost shifter supporter buddy that would keep the locals from asking too many questions.
Taking another sip of cider, she gathered her thoughts so he couldn’t smell the lie about to burst its way through her lips. “That’s nice of you. I came here to see how that all works and be a part of it. It’s really nice that you’re standing with them.”
It really was. Regardless of the things Paige had been raised to believe, the people gathering here to protect the Ghosts were admirable. They just didn’t know what they were getting into.
“Here you go, sweetie,” the nice waitress said. Paige knew this was Melinda Bale, part owner of this establishment. She and Ghost shifter Audra Defoe were business partners. Paige had to know everything about the Ghosts and their associates before she came. Poppa Sam had made sure of that. He’d given her files and pictures of them all. Learning their stories was like reading a fairytale about forgotten creatures that needed to stay forgotten.
Melinda winked one bright blue eye at Paige and smiled. “Bacon burger deluxe with fries and a salad. You looking to be one of my regulars here?”
“For now, I guess.” Paige slid her cup of cider out of Mr. Benjamin’s way.
Melinda turned her gaze to him. “Regular order, Benny?”
He nodded and slapped his hand on the counter. “You bet your pretty hair. Coming to the meeting tonight, Melinda?”
“I sure am. So is cutie-pie right here.” Melinda was looking at Paige.
Holy shitake mushrooms. Melinda had figured her out! Poppa Sam was going to be so mad at her.
“What— I don’t…” Paige couldn’t even get her lie straight. She didn’t think she’d have to have one so soon. No one was supposed to know.
Melinda put her warm hand over Paige’s and quieted her. “I’ve seen you sitting at the booths by yourself. You always take a flyer talking about the meetings when you come in here. Tonight was the first time you sat at the bar and actually talked to someone. I knew you were sniffing around the meetings but were too scared to come by yourself.”
Perceptive human. The infamously crazy Audra must have schooled her on stalking. Audra was known for her stalking.
Stay calm and stick as close to the truth as possible, she reminded herself. Shifters can smell lies.
Giving a nervous laugh, Paige averted her gaze and nodded. “You’re right. I was just telling Mr. Benjamin—”
“Call me Benny.”
“—Benny about it. Tonight is going to be my first night.” That was the truth.
Paige watched as Melinda’s gaze quickly turned to Benny. He nodded his head as if verifying Paige’s words.
“Well then,” Melinda said, grabbing a bottle of ketchup from under the counter and giving it to Paige. “I guess you can come with me.”
Heck yeah! She was in. No one would question her if she was with Audra Defoe’s best friend.
“Thank you, ma’am,” Paige said, a force of happiness blooming in her head like one of the beautiful flowers in her garden. She was really good with flowers. Could keep them growing all year round if she tried, even in the colder months, but that was probably mostly her godfather’s witch presence.
Poppa Sam would be so happy. Things were so much better when he was happy with her. She’d never done anything to upset him, but the feeling of doing so brought on an uneasiness that made her want to cringe at the mere thought. He’d never been mean to her, and she didn’t want him to be.
This is it. She was in.
Paige grabbed her acorn pendant and rubbed it between her thumb and pointer finger. Her mother would be so proud of her. She was doing something good for the entire shifter community. Poppa Sam had always kept them away from shifters, but when he heard about the new Rogue pack that would stand against the treacherous Ghosts he had plunged them into a new world.
He had asked her to pledge to the Rogue pack, telling her that it was what her grandmother and parents would want for her. Paige hadn’t done it yet, but the more she learned about the Ghosts the more she wanted them dead. One of them had killed her grandmother, the love of Poppa Sam’s life.
She would do this for them. For the grandmother she never got a chance to meet, and for Poppa Sam. The Ghost shifters would pay, and if Paige could muster up enough strength to monkey wrench the continuation of their pairing up she would do so. They didn’t deserve to be whole. God help the world if they all got to be whole again.
The Ghost shifters would bring the paranormal community to its knees if they all managed to find their mates. They would be powerful angels with the ability to shift into prehistoric beasts that would ravage anyone who opposed them, and Paige would never let that happen.
Chapter 3
God help the person destined to be that woman’s mate. Aiden had stood behind her, Melinda, and Benny as they set up the refreshment table with coffee and sweets from Riley’s shop. At first, he felt pity for the poor woman. Melinda and Benny had grilled her on where she grew up and why she didn’t have a clan to speak of. But as Aiden listened to her speak and trip over her words he could hear the deception and rage sown inside the truth.
She was good with her lies. And off.
Not off like Audra. No. Something hovered behind her words as she spoke that didn’t make sense. She didn’t belong here.
Benny rubbed his hand over his skullcap and pulled it off. “So you don’t ever want a mate, Paige?”
Paige. Nice name for a woman, but she wasn’t nice.
She shook her head and played with her necklace. “No. I don’t. I—I don’t ever want to be paired up with someone I didn’t choose myself. What if the only reason we wanted each other was because something in our DNA said it was right or because our animal was going off of instinct, not love.” Her voice trembled with the last few words as if the mere thought of pairing up with a mate was the most horrific thing she’d ever heard of. “That’s just wrong.”
Aiden scoffed. “Truth,” he said, butting into their conversation. She may be off, but what she’d just said made complete and total sense to him.
Kind of.
All three turned around and looked at him, and when the little liar’s gaze fell upon him her eyes grew wide and she almost dropped her plate of mini desserts.
Her eyes were such a light brown they were almost hazel. A pretty little nose sat above her full lips that sat open in shock, and at that moment Aiden had a perfect visual of those soft looking lips wrapped around his cock. Her hair was dark and coily, and his fingers itched just to touch the beautiful strands. Smooth, mocha skin seemed to glow in the waning sunlight, and hot damn she was built like his favorite full-figured pin-up girl. Her black jeans may as well have been painted on those thick thighs, and her pink tee-shirt fell just below the rounded curve of her ample ass.
He’d be ashamed of himself for gawking at the woman if she weren’t doing the same to him. Her hazel eyes traveled slowly from his thick-soled boots right up to his eyes that were trained on her. Her gaze had stopped at his cock for a few seconds too long. She must have realized it. Paige’s eyes shot up to his with a hint of shame and insecurity.
He didn’t mind. She could look at him as long as she wanted to, as long as he could do the same to her.
“Aiden,” Melinda said, stepping forward to break the spell between him and Paige. “It’s good to see you. Big turn out tonight.”
He nodded and kissed Melinda on the cheek. “Yeah. But you don’t have to do this, Melin. Hey, Benny,” he said, reaching forward and shaking the man’s hand.
Benny’s gaze shifted to Paige and then back to Aiden. He canted his head toward her and then winked. The old bird was trying to tell him to make a move on the woman.
Before he could shake his head, Melinda punched him in the arm and scoffed. “I know I don’t have to do this, but I want to. After hearing about what the Rogues did to you all, people just started showing up to the restaurant and asking me and Audra how they could help. Just s
hut up and say thank you.”
Aiden ran his hand over his head and gave Melinda a hesitant smile. “Thanks.”
“You’re welcome.” She punched him again. “Aiden. This is Paige. She’s staying at the New Rose Inn for a while and wanted to help. Paige. This is Aiden.”
“I’m Paige,” she said, giving him a shy smile. “But you know that ‘cause Melinda just told you.” She bared her teeth in an awkward smile that was cute as hell, but he didn’t like liars.
Aiden nodded his head at the woman and was about to walk away, but Melinda slapped him on the back of the neck. “I know you’re not a barbarian, Aiden.”
He rubbed his neck and took a step toward Paige. “Hi,” he said, reaching out his hand to take hers.
Paige’s hair bobbed around her shoulders as she shook her head and tried to back away. “He doesn’t have to, Melinda. He doesn’t even know me.”
“Paige,” Aiden said, taking another step toward her. “She’ll keep abusing me if we don’t do what she wants. I’m Aiden.”
He reached out his hand and Paige looked down at it, taking another step backward like he held a baby bear in his grasp; something she thought was cute and cuddly but also deadly with sharp claws and teeth.
A spark of something akin to recognition flashed in her eyes. She shook her head as if waking from a spell. “I’m sorry. I get nervous around new people.”
Bringing her hand forward, she plastered a forced smile on her lovely face and let Aiden’s large, calloused hand engulf hers. As their skin touched, sparks of electricity and lust shot up his arm and landed in his chest, slowly making its way through his entire body. One moment he was shaking Paige’s hand with hesitance and the next his chest was on fire. His heart beat against his breast bone like it was trying to break through his flesh and bone to hand itself over to her. Every muscle in his body tensed as he realized what was happening, and from Paige’s reaction, he knew she was experiencing the same rollercoaster ride of emotions that he was.
Paige leaned forward and took a deep breath that echoed in his head like the sounds of angel wings beating against the air. Her hazel eyes flashed as bright as the moon and she let out a little helpless noise that sent a bolt of lightning straight to his cock.
They stood there like that for some time, staring at each other with wonderment and unease.
No. Fuck no. She lied through her fucking teeth like the truth would burn a hole through her gums.
“Did you just meet my new sister?” Audra said from behind him. “I like her. She’s growling. I bet she could kick Simon’s ass.”
The glow from Paige’s eyes dimmed back to their normal color and she shook her head, snatching her hand out of his. She looked over at Audra and frowned. “What?”
“My sister,” Audra said, drawing out the words in slow motion. “I’m yours. And you’re mine. Do you have a big family? You’re about to.”
“No,” Paige said as she backed away. “No. No, no. I can’t… don’t want… I gotta go.”
“Take off the necklace first,” Zeke said through a mouth full of cheesecake. “You’ll feel better if you do.” He stood against the wall with a plate full of lunchmeat and mini sweet treats.
Aiden looked over at him and silently thanked the man for the distraction. This woman could not be his mate. His siblings had all found someone good and honorable. Paige wasn’t.
Paige’s hand flew to the little blue shimmery ball that hung around her neck and cupped it. “Why? It’s mine. My mother left it to me.”
“Trust me, Baby Bird,” Zeke said, taking a step toward her. “You’ll thank me.”
Fear emanated from Paige and it called to him. “I need to go.” Almost falling over Audra’s small frame, Paige bolted toward the exit as if she were afraid for her life. Just as she reached the door she turned around and looked at Aiden. With her moon-bright gaze trained on his, she brought her hand up to the charm on her necklace. “Aiden,” she said, her voice a tiny whisper. “Help. Us.”
Then she was gone.
Chapter 4
“What the hell was that?” Aiden asked, pacing the kitchen space of Riley’s shop.
He’d been ready to crawl out of his skin since Paige ran from the town hall, but Zeke had dragged him outside and talked him down. He had to stay calm. Many of the new shifters were already looking at the Ghosts like they had something to prove, and Paige running out of there like she’d been threatened did not help them.
Benny had told everyone that he was there and witnessed another Ghost shifter finding his mate, and not two minutes before that she had been going on and on about not wanting to find a mate. Many of them had accepted the story, saying that they’d felt the same way when they were paired up. They commended Aiden for not running after her.
“It’s good you gave her some space,” Benny said, patting him on the back hard enough to pitch him forward a few steps.
The meeting started and continued until Aiden thought he would rip through his skin if he didn’t do something. She needed help.
Just when he thought he couldn’t wait any longer Zeke grabbed his arm and took him to Riley’s shop. Good thing Zeke moved when he did. Aiden wanted to punch a hole through a wall.
“What the fuck is happening?” he asked Zeke again.
Zeke cleared his throat and tapped the toe of his boot a few times against the hardwood floor. “There is a spell wrapped around that woman, and it comes from her necklace. I could see it swathed around her aura like tentacles. It’s a compulsion spell. Someone wants her to do something and she doesn’t want to do it.”
“How do you know?” Aiden asked. He stopped pacing long enough to run his hand over his face and up to his hair.
“She’s fighting,” he said, anger laced through his voice. “Her aura is bleeding through the blanket of that spell, but every time it spills through it’s like the blanket grows over her light to make her compliant.”
And this was one of the reasons the Ghost shifters were lucky to have a fallen angel from the Coven of the Fallen on their side. He and Willow had helped them so much since they’d come here.
“It’s a strong spell,” Zeke said, pulling Aiden from his thoughts.
To hell with that. Paige was his mate and someone was making her act against her will. Even if they didn’t belong to each other, he would have helped free the person from this blasphemy.
The lies. That’s why her words were off. Everything she said she might believe was true, but the bits and pieces of her that were holding on inside were fighting to be heard. Help. Us. Who the hell is us?
If his beast could have its way he would have shifted by now and ripped that necklace from Paige to free her.
“What do we do? She’s staying at the New Rose Inn.”
Zeke nodded and scratched at his beard. “We go find her. Audra is still at the meeting, but that should be over in—” he looked down at his watch. “Twenty minutes. Can you wait a…”
“Nope,” Aiden said. A low growl worked its way up his throat. What the hell? His beast hadn’t made a sound in centuries. Unlike most of his brethren, Aiden’s beast had been completely asleep. Yeah, he was strong and fast and didn’t age, but his saber-tooth hadn’t shown hide nor hair in forever. “Text Audra and tell her to meet us at the Inn. Can you do a locator spell or whatever to find her if she’s not there?” He had to get to her and fast.
What if whatever spell was controlling her made her leave town if she were found out?
“Don’t have to,” Zeke said, pointing toward the window of the shop.
Aiden turned around and saw Paige standing in front of the shop window. She was staring at him and her eyes were flashing from hazel to white as her hand still held tight to the necklace.
Why was she standing here? Every instinct in her body was telling her to get her butt back to her hotel room and call her godfather, but something deep inside that she hadn’t taken notice of in so long wouldn’t let her.
The Ghost shifters were
bad. Really and truly bad, and she had just found out that one was her mate. How horrible was that? All her life Poppa Sam had told her of how one of them killed her grandmother and most of her coven. The Ghosts were too powerful for their own good. They needed to be stopped. They couldn’t be made whole again. They couldn’t find their mates, yet here she was about to offer herself up to that sexy as sin man so he could take over the shifter world.
He motioned for her to come into the shop like he was afraid to get too close to her. She was afraid. If he took too many steps toward her she would run like her behind was on fire. Running wasn’t exactly what she wanted to do, but some desperate fear buried deep inside her mind like a well-hidden needle warned her to stay away from him. From all of the Ghosts.
She shook her head and was about to step away, but someone from behind her gently grabbed her hand and entwined their fingers with hers.
“Hey, Baby Bird,” said a teasing voice.
Paige knew this was Audra. She knew who all of them were. But not the man that had asked for her necklace. He was a stranger, but he reminded her so much of Poppa Sam.
“Hi,” Paige said, her trembling voice barely above a whisper. She shook her head and gave a worried smile. “I don’t know what to do.”
Vines of unease and panic slithered through her veins as she pinned her gaze at Audra. After the Alpha and the Omega of the Ghosts, Audra was the most deadly. Even more so according to who you asked.
The small woman brought Paige’s hand up to her mouth and kissed the back of it. “Well, we’ll start by going inside and finding out who put a spell on you and break its hold so you can be all you again. Then, you’re probably going to diddle my brother — which I really wish you would because he is an uptight pain in the ass and really needs to get laid— and then you’re going to meet everyone. Does that sound fun?” Her eyes held a touch of madness, but they were kind.