by R. E. Butler
Cupid’s Fated Mate
Arctic Shifters Book Five
By R. E. Butler
Copyright 2017
Cupid’s Fated Mate (Arctic Shifters Book Five)
By R. E. Butler
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Cover by CT Cover Creations
This ebook is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination and not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or locations is coincidental.
Disclaimer: The material in this book is for mature audiences only and contains graphic sexual content and is intended for those older than the age of 18 only.
* * *
Editing by Jennifer Moorman
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Thanks to Shelley for beta reading
For Joyce, with extra SC hugs.
For BB and BL - I love you both.
Table of Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
R. E.’s Newsletter
Contact the Author
Other Books by R. E. Butler
Coming in 2018
Cupid’s Fated Mate (Arctic Shifters Book Five)
By R. E. Butler
Roi, an arctic shifter who calls North Pole City home, has watched four of his friends find their fated mates in the human world. He wants nothing more than to join them…to find the one woman on the planet meant for him, so that they can start their life together.
When the father of one of the fated mate’s falls ill before Christmas Eve, Santa Claus is unable to send her home to visit because his magic isn’t powerful enough. When he calls his old friend Sandman for help, Sandman’s daughter comes instead. Dreama, who is as powerful as her father, agrees to take the fated mate and her shifter home. When Santa sends Roi along as a guard, sparks fly between Dreama and him.
Dreama’s never met anyone like Roi, the sexy shifter who can change into four different animals. She wants to spend the rest of her life with him, but can a woman who walks in other people’s dreams get her own happily ever after? Or will an ancient law prevent her from staying in NPC? Only Santa knows if her dream will come true.
Chapter 1
Dreama settled on a thick tree branch in an old oak and looked into the window of the second-story home. A pale blue light in the room, which came courtesy of a cute nightlight shaped like a fish, illuminated the interior. The wind blew, rustling her long hair, and making her wish she’d remembered to grab a hair tie before she headed out for work.
The tree swayed slightly, and the branch creaked as her father joined her. A bit of sweet-dreams-sand fluffed up from his clothes.
“Hey, Dad,” she said, nudging him with her elbow and smiling. “What are you doing in Iowa?”
He held out his hand, and she laughed as she saw a package of Tim Tams, her favorite Aussie treat.
“I take it you were in Australia?” she asked as she opened the package and handed him one of the cookies.
“Of course.”
“You know you can buy these in the states now? The Internet had changed commerce dramatically.”
“They’re better when they’re actually from Australia.”
“You don’t say.”
“Are you worried about this house for some reason?”
“A little. His happy dreams keep turning into nightmares. I used stronger sand, but I wanted to make sure it worked before I left.”
He hummed, turned his attention to the room, and gazed through the window. She knew he was using his power to see the dreams of the little boy. When she’d shown up earlier, the sweet-dream-sand had sent him off to sleep immediately, but the dreams disappeared in the wake of a frightening image of a scary clown. The second dose of sand hadn’t worked long, either, which was why she’d increased the dose. He’d been asleep for a half hour now, which she knew was long enough to know that he’d sleep soundly, and peacefully, through the night.
Her father shook his head. “Ugh, clowns.”
“I know, right? Must have watched a scary movie.”
“Night’s waning, sweetie,” he said, moving off the branch and hovering in the air. Shimmering sand cascaded from him, catching on the breeze and twisting away in curlicues.
“I know.” She hopped off the branch. Her power allowed her to float alongside her father, unseen by the humans and their children. “I was just leaving, I promise, boss.”
He chuckled. “You know I have utter faith in you to do your job well.”
“I know.”
“Stop by for dinner tomorrow?”
“You bet.”
He blew her a kiss and disappeared in a swirl of golden sand, leaving her hovering just outside the window of the little boy. She took one last look at his dreams, satisfied he was sleeping well, and then headed off to her next assignment.
Dream walking was something she was born to do. As the only daughter of Sandman, she’d grown up following him at work and stepping into humans’ dreams. She and her father mostly walked in the dreams of children, promoting sweet and restful sleep. They could walk in adults’ dreams, too, but adult humans could be tricky. If they had zero belief in magic, then the sand didn’t affect them.
Dreama was a supernatural being, able to transport at will to anywhere on the planet. Well, almost anywhere. She couldn’t go to North Pole City, where Santa, Mrs. Claus, elves, and shifters lived and worked. NPC was closed to any supernatural creatures except for those who were under SC’s protection. The ban had been in place for centuries and stemmed from a feud between SC and Jack Frost, although the details of the city’s closure were unknown to her. Her father and SC had been friends once upon a time. Almost all the supernatural creatures were close, from the Easter Bunny to the Tooth Fairy. Except for Jack, who didn’t appear to get along with anyone and kept to himself. She occasionally saw Jack when she was working, but she had never spoken to him.
Dreama wasn’t immortal like her father, because she was half-fae. Dreama’s mother was a fairy who could control animals. Dreama hadn’t been gifted with any fae powers; instead, she inherited her father’s powers when she was young. Her mother hadn’t been much of a presence in her life. Shortly after Dreama was born, her mother mated a fae male from a powerful, ruling family, and he hadn’t wanted a half-dream walker as a step-daughter, so Dreama’s father had raised her.
Her father had never married. There were other dream walkers, but none of the females were single. Since he was immortal, he said he’d wait until he found his mate, and he hoped that she would also be immortal, but there weren’t many races with immortality.
Turning her attention back to her job, she pulled a handful of sand from her bag and moved over a line of houses. The sand sifted through her fingers as she moved by each house, finding the sleeping little ones and giving them sweet dreams. She glanced at their dreams as she moved, ensuring that none were tormented by nightmares, and then she continued on her way.
She paused at the window of a couple. They were embraced in sleep, the man holding the woman as if he couldn’t rest well without her presence. She peeked into their dreams and found the man was dreaming about work and the woman about gardening. Although th
eir dreams weren’t about love, she could feel how much they loved each other, could sense it in the way they stayed close in sleep. As she moved on to the next home on her work list, she wondered if she’d ever find a male who would hold her like that. Who, even in sleep, would be protective and loving.
Dreama hadn’t gone on a date in ages. As busy as she was at night, working when others were out partying or sleeping, she didn’t have much opportunity to find romance. Someday, though. Someday she’d find a male to love her and start a family of her own.
Chapter 2
Roi turned up his collar and ignored the bracing wind that swept over him as he made the circuit around North Pole City. During every shift, he walked the perimeter of NPC, where he and his fellow shifters and elves called home. Their leader, Santa Claus – known to the residents as SC – lived with his wife, Mrs. C. Roi was a quad shifter, meaning he could transform into four different types of animals – polar bear, arctic fox, snowy owl, and reindeer. As a quad, he was chosen to be part of the sleigh team, and he held the Cupid position.
His fellow quads teased him about being a fat cherub from time to time, but he didn’t mind. He loved being on the sleigh team and helping to bring joy to millions of kids around the world. He had more than he could have asked for – a comfortable room in the unmated males’ barracks, a job as a security officer and a position on the sleigh team, parents who loved him, and loads of friends. But the one thing he didn’t have was a mate.
Four of his friends and fellow quads – Arian, Rhys, Sullivan, and Mire – had found their fated mates, the term used to identify the one perfect female on the planet for each male. Fated mates were rare, and up until a few years ago, when Arian’s harness broke during a Christmas Eve run and he fell into his fated mate Charli’s backyard, no one had found a fated mate in years.
His kind could find a mate in one of two ways – either finding their fated mate or asking Mrs. C for a mate-match. She had her own kind of magic, which allowed her to match up males and females within NPC. Roi’s parents were mate-matched. His father could shift into three of the polar animals, not the reindeer, so he wasn’t a quad. He worked in the tech department, handling Internet surveillance to ensure NPC remained a protected secret. He also ordered supplies for Christmas Eve pickups. Their city was magically closed every day of the year through SC’s power, except for the twenty-four hours beginning at six a.m. on Christmas Eve. Then, their own magic could take them anywhere in the world.
“Hey,” Arian said, drawing Roi from his musings.
Roi hadn’t realized he’d stopped in front of Arian and Charli’s home until heard Arian’s voice.
“How’s it going?” Roi asked.
“Good. You look like you’ve got something on your mind.” Arian paced the length of the front porch while he held his newborn son, Anthony, who appeared to be wide awake.
“I didn’t mean to stare at your house.” Roi’s cheeks heated.
“No worries. Anthony was crying, and Charli’s tired, so I said I’d walk him until he fell asleep, and I saw you out here, so I came out. What’s on your mind?”
“I was just thinking about finding my fated mate.”
“That’s a popular interest in NPC,” he said, smiling.
“It seems like one of us a year is finding his fated mate. The four of us who are unmated are wondering who might be next.”
Arian’s brow rose as he shifted his weight from foot to foot and patted his son on the back. “I do believe that every quad has a fated mate. But you might be right about the timing. Although, if you remember correctly, I found Charli, and we lived in her house for a year, and then came here the following Christmas, and Rhys didn’t find his fated mate until the following year.”
Roi frowned and then shrugged. “I guess they show up when they show up.”
Arian chuckled. “Seems that way. I wish I’d met Charli years ago, but it was also perfect timing, too. When you find your fated mate, it will be the right time for both of you, I’m certain. But I do hope it’s soon.”
Roi didn’t point out that it was October, which meant that Christmas was a ways off. Instead, he said, “Me too,” and returned to his rounds. He felt that Arian had a valid point. He’d meet his fated mate when the time was right, and there wasn’t anything he could do to speed up the process.
But Roi hoped he’d meet her soon.
As he made his way past the other homes belonging to quads and their mates, he pushed the thoughts aside and concentrated on his duties. As he passed Merri and Rhys’s home, he heard a shrill “No!” followed by a sob. His beasts rose to the surface, worried something had happened to their son, RJ. Rushing to the front porch, he knocked on the front door.
“Rhys? It’s Roi. Is everything okay?”
He couldn’t make out the soft words that were spoken between the two, but he could hear Merri’s sobs. Rhys pulled open the door. “Merri’s mom just contacted her. Her father had a heart attack and is in the hospital.”
“Oh, man, I’m sorry.”
Rhys ran a hand through his hair. “Yeah. She already knows she can’t go see him, but her mom is pushing for her to visit, and it’s tearing her up.”
“You should talk to SC.”
“He can’t send her home; he’s not powerful enough.”
Although SC was the most powerful person in NPC, he could only leave the protected city by himself during the year; he couldn’t take someone with him.
Merri, face blotchy and cheeks wet with tears, appeared next to Rhys. “We could still ask, though? Maybe he could figure something out. Please, Rhys. We have to try.”
“Okay. Get dressed, sugar plum.” He waited until she hurried off, and then he said, “Would you contact SC for me now, so he knows we’re coming?”
“You bet.”
“I’ll grab RJ, and we’ll be over shortly.”
Roi walked toward SC’s home, using the walkie to communicate to the security room, where Declan, another quad, was working. “I’m going to SC’s. Merri’s dad had a heart attack, and she wants to talk to him about going home.”
There was a pause, and Declan said, “Rhys did tell her that it was impossible, right?”
“Yeah. But she still wants to ask.”
“Keep me posted. And tell Merri I’m sorry to hear about her dad.”
Just as he was about to knock on the front door, Mrs. C opened it, her face carved with worry. “I knew something bad had happened. What’s going on?”
Roi walked into their home and found SC on the couch with a cup of coffee in his hand. “Sorry for the disruption,” he said, and then he explained about Merri’s father.
“That’s too bad,” SC said. “But I can’t do anything about it.”
Roi opened his mouth to respond when there was a knock at the door. Mrs. C let in Rhys and Merri, taking RJ from his mother’s arms. “I’m so sorry,” she said. “What’s going on with your father?”
Merri said, “They’re going to do bypass surgery tomorrow. I need to be there. My mom is all alone, and she’s begging me to come.” She sniffled and brushed at her cheeks with shaking fingers. “Isn’t there anything that you can do?”
“I’m sorry, Merri,” SC said. “You know I can’t. I’m only powerful enough to take myself out of the city, not anyone else.”
Merri released a heartbreaking sob.
“Damn,” Roi said, muttering under his breath.
“Well,” Mrs. C said gently, “there might be a way.”
“No, there isn’t,” SC said.
“You could ask Sandman for help.”
“Who?” Roi asked.
“Sandman,” Mrs. C said. “He brings sweet dreams to kids.”
“Is he real?” Merri asked, her voice hitching as she struggled not to cry.
“Of course he’s real,” Mrs. C said with a smile. “So is the Tooth Fairy and the Easter Bunny.”
“Absolutely not,” SC said, rising to his feet. “The city is closed for good reason.”<
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“I don’t understand,” Rhys said. “What are you talking about?”
Mrs. C handed RJ back to Merri and moved to stand by her mate. She smiled up at him in encouragement, and then he sighed deeply, scrubbing his hand through his hair. “There are several supernatural creatures who are as powerful, or more so, than me. Sandman is one of them, as are the others whom my wife mentioned. NPC used to be an open city, where any supernatural creatures were welcome to visit at any time. But there was a male who wanted my wife for his own, and he waited until I was gone on the Christmas Eve run, and he came here and tried to take her away. The shifters and elves came to her defense and forced him to leave, and when I came back, I created a magical creatures law. I banned any magical creatures from coming into NPC without my consent.”
“Who was it?” Roi asked.
“Jack Frost,” Mrs. C said. “He was young and lonely, and he thought that I would want to leave NPC and travel with him. Of course I didn’t, and he didn’t take the rejection well.”
“So if you canceled the ban, then you could call Sandman, and he could take me to my dad?” Merri asked, her face brightening with hope.
Roi could tell by the look on SC’s face that he was going to say no, but Mrs. C spoke first.
“You could give your consent for Sandman to come in and transport Merri and Rhys to her dad.”
“The consent only lasts twenty-four hours,” SC said. “If I were willing to do this, you’d have to be happy with only seeing your father for that one day. I couldn’t extend the time for any longer without eliminating the law, and I won’t do that.”
“No, it’s enough. I promise!” Merri said. “I swear I’ll be content with one day. I just need to see him.”
SC sighed deeply. “I’ll contact Sandman to see if he’s willing. I’ll let you know.”