The Shifter's Mate

by Eden Cole

  He watched her with those intense yet friendly eyes. “What do you do, Katrina?”

  She cringed at the use of the false name but didn’t correct him. “I restore pai—restore houses.”

  He frowned. “Restore houses?”

  “Yes, I mean I don’t do the physical work of course. I just oversee. Some say I have an artist’s eye.” Jon knew that the real her liked to dabble with paint on her own aside from her canvas restoration business. She didn’t want to veer too far from the truth if they spoke more on the subject, and just maybe speaking of restoration would make the new her more familiar to him.

  At length, they spoke while they ate, getting to know each other all over again. Serenity stuck to the truth and heard the same in Jon since she already knew everything he shared. Her heart still ached being so close to him yet so far. Her suspicions of his being drawn to her were confirmed with each look of confusion cast her way one minute and genuine happiness aimed at her the next. We’re complete together, she thought with sadness.

  There was something to this fate thing, but how would it all work out? Would her grandmother just come along and wipe Jon’s mind again? Should Serenity walk away to give the poor man peace, a chance to find a woman who would be his wife? The thought of him with anyone but her hurt even more. She felt trapped and knew that Jon was as well, at the mercy of an evil old woman who had nothing better to do other than to screw up their lives. Something had to give and soon.

  The Shifter's Mate

  The Shifter's Mate

  Chapter Twelve

  Jon sat on the side of his hotel room bed staring at the small gift in his hands. When he’d come back to the United States, he’d had every intension of seeking out Serenity to see what it was about her that drew him, while at the same time his mind told him she was no one special. The thoughts and emotions he experienced were at war with that inner voice.

  And yet, from the moment he met Katrina, he could not stay away from her. He’d not thought to find Serenity once. It was as if everything in him was directed to this new woman, and oddly, the inner voice, his head, and his emotions were in tune about Katrina. Who was she? Why did he feel like she was his mate? He’d met her in the States as Mordecai told him his mate would be, but she’d said they went to school together.

  Over and over, he reviewed what Mordecai shared years ago about his mate. Jon was certain the elder panther had said Jon’s mate would be American. Katrina had no accent and didn’t have the basic knowledge of Scotland. Could she have lied? He didn’t want to believe that. When he looked into those lovely green eyes, he saw the same earnestness he felt inside of him for her. In just the few days they had been seeing each other, he felt a connection with her, like they belonged together. He couldn’t have explained it if he tried.

  What was odd to him was that Katrina was willing to continue seeing him while he tried to figure out his life and the reasons why he would uproot himself to flee the country, only to come right back and live out of his suitcase. He still owned the house in the country, but he was reluctant to go back there right now—as if that would jinx his budding relationship with Katrina.

  A knock sounded on the door, and he rose to answer it. There she stood so beautiful. While he stared at her not saying a word, he flashed on long flaming red hair and gasped. Katrina was gorgeous as she was, but the image of her with red hair put him in mind of Serenity. He shook his head and blinked. Katrina was her normal self. Rather than leaving her standing in the hall, he reached out and drew her inside.

  “Should we be doing this?” he asked.

  “Yes,” she said too quickly. “I mean no.” She bowed her head, and he grinned at her sweet shyness. “I don’t know,” she confessed.

  He drew her closer, resting light fingertips at her nape and raising her chin higher so she was forced to look at him. “I admit I’m unsure as well. I don’t know what it is about you, why I feel like I’ve known you for longer than a week. Yet, when I do this”—he brushed her soft lips with his—“nothing could be more right.”

  Desire uncoiled inside him, and he brought her closer to him, ran a hand down over her back and around to her hip. Jon lowered his head for another kiss. This time, he deepened it, pushing his tongue between her soft, trembling lips to taste her. Mm, she’s good, he thought, hungry to sample more.

  The way her goose bumps broke out on her arms and how she quivered in his embrace, he thought she was just as affected by their kisses and caresses. He lifted her and carried her to the bed. After laying her down, he stretched out beside her and would have continued what they were doing, except he noticed tears spilling over onto her pale cheeks.

  Jon hesitated. “What’s wrong, my love? Why are you crying? I thought you wanted this.”

  “I…” she began.

  He drew back. “It’s too soon. I rushed you. I’m so sorry. Damn it, I’m disgusting.” He would have rolled away, but she grabbed his arm to hold him in place. He waited for her to speak, his heart aching at the unhappiness he saw reflected on her face.

  “I just want…” She sniffed and glanced away so he couldn’t see into her eyes. More tears fell. “I just want you to make love to me as me, not someone else. The real me. I want you to see me.” She sobbed.

  “Oh, baby.” Jon gathered her in his arms and held her tight. He laid his head on a pillow and lay Katrina’s head on his chest. “I do see you. I promise I do. As odd as it seems, I feel like we’re connected, like we’re already one, Katrina—”

  “No!” She was really shaking now, struggling in his arms. He didn’t let go. He couldn’t let her go. She pounded on his chest, still crying. “Please, Jon. I love you so much. I can’t stand being this way. Please, see me! Jon, I love you!”

  He was about to again reassure her he saw her just fine, but then the flash happened. This time he was sure he saw Serenity in his mind, not Katrina. A slight pain started in his temple, spread throughout his entire head, and then dissipated as quickly as it had begun. For a few seconds, Jon was aware of no other change in his body, and then memories flooded his mind—memories of Serenity, of how much he loved her. Serenity was his mate, the only woman for him.

  He jumped up from the bed and backed away from it. At the same time, he felt a powerful loss of putting space between himself and Katrina. “I remember,” he whispered. “I remember Serenity. She’s my mate. I can’t—won’t—be with another.”

  Katrina sat up, joy bursting forth on her lovely face. She muttered several phrases and then said, “Release.” The first change was her scent. All at once, Jon knew that scent. He would never forget Serenity’s natural, intoxicating essence.

  His eyes widened as he watched her. “Serenity?”

  She nodded. Her face shape changed, the green in her eyes dripping away like teardrops to be replaced with hazel. Her hair lengthened and turned a flaming red. Jon’s heart hammered in his chest. He didn’t pause a second but almost leaped across the space between them to drag her into his arms. Devouring her mouth, he groaned and crushed her to his chest.

  “Serenity,” he moaned.

  Her eyes fluttered closed, and she dipped her head back to give him access to that long, graceful neck. “Jon.”

  He tore her blouse open and ruined her bra. Trailing greedy kisses over her tender skin, he placed her on the bed to rip off the rest of her clothing. While he stared down at her creamy skin, he tore out of his clothing and then felt for her pussy while he kissed her. She was already wet and ready for him. Not wanting to waste a second in case this gift was snatched from him, he thrust his cock into her heat. She screamed her delight, arching her back and offering him her nipples.

  While he pumped hard into her, Jon greedily sucked her tight little tips. He just couldn’t get enough. He didn’t want to get enough. Threading his fingers with hers, he raised her arms above her head and let much of his weight come down on her body. He thrust harder and faster, staring into her face and daring anyone to take away what belonged to him. He
pounded deep into her. She cried out, and her muscles squeezed the hell out of his cock as she exploded into an orgasm. Within seconds, Jon followed with his own release.

  Panting, he let his head fall down beside hers, and he felt her small figure shaking under him. He put a hand up to comfort her, caressing her soft shoulder. With depleted energy, he turned his head to look at her. “Don’t cry anymore, Serenity. We’re together again. I’m so sorry that I left you. I don’t know what happened to my mind. It was as if all of a sudden I couldn’t remember how I felt about you.”

  Jon pulled out of her feeling the loss and turned on his side to hold her in his arms. They clung to one another in silence for a while, and then she answered him. “I know. It was my grandmother. She’s a powerful witch I never met. My mother says she’s evil, but I don’t know if she means like darkness evil or a bad disposition. Likely both. All I’ve ever known over the years is that she and the other elders in my family—a bunch of old hags who carefully preserved their sacred bloodline—tossed my mother out when she fell in love with my father. He was not accepted, his blood not pure enough for them. And you…”

  She fell silent when it came to explaining him, but he could guess. The women in Serenity’s family thought he wasn’t good enough because he was part animal. If a regular human wasn’t good enough, then he wouldn’t be.

  “My mother is gifted with strong magic,” Serenity admitted, “but even she couldn’t break my grandmother’s spell. How did you get out of it? Are your people resistant to magic?”

  He shook his head. “Not that I know of. Now that I think about it, I suspect it’s our love, the fact that we are fated to be together and that we sealed our relationship before the spell.” He stopped to kiss her and nuzzle her cheek before continuing. “I do love you, by the way, Serenity. You are everything to me.”

  A tear slid down her cheek, and he wiped it away with his thumb. “You love me,” she whispered. “I was so afraid that I would never hear you say my name again. I thought it was a good idea to win your love as a different person, but I found out it hurt that much more.”

  “We’re together now, and we won’t let anyone take that way from us.”

  “No!” came an explosive declaration.

  Both Jon and Serenity looked to the foot of the bed. Upon seeing an old woman there, Jon flung a blanket over their naked bodies and began to scramble into his clothes. “Who are you?”

  “It’s my grandmother,” Serenity told him. She sat up and yanked on her clothes to stand beside Jon as a united front against the witch. “Why are you here, Grandmother? Your spell has been lifted.”

  “I won’t stand for it.”

  “You don’t have a choice,” Serenity challenged her.

  Her grandmother flicked a finger and uttered words Jon could not discern the meaning of. He grabbed hold of Serenity’s hand and put her behind him. He knew he was no match for this woman’s magic, but she would still have to go through him to hurt Serenity. He’d die if he had to, to protect her.

  Spell after spell dropped from the old woman’s lips, but nothing seemed to be working. Jon marveled at how much more enraged she became with each turn of phrase. “Why?” she shouted. “Why doesn’t it work? Who are you?”

  Jon squared his shoulders staring into the woman’s eyes. “I am no one except the man who loves your granddaughter, the man who will rip you and all your kind to nothing if you so much as touch one hair on her head. I don’t know why your spells are no longer working on us. Perhaps it’s because she is meant to be mine, and I’m meant for her.”

  “Bah,” she grumbled. “Don’t give me that! No one is meant for any other.”

  “Believe what you want, but remember what I said,” he warned. Jon let his teeth sharpen and the irises of his eyes shift just enough for her to notice. He let out a guttural sound that had always put fear in his enemies. The woman took a stumbling step back, but her eyes blazed with hatred, and she kept the arrogant bearing she’d arrived in.

  “You are not good enough for our kind,” she announced. “Mark my words. When I have learned your weakness, I will be back. You will not have her.”

  “Bring it on,” he countered, and the witch disappeared.

  Jon ran a hand through his hair and blew a breath out. Serenity’s arms came around his waist. He turned to draw her close, kissed her soft lips, and ran his hands down over her sides. It was over for now, and Jon had every intension of sealing them together as one in every sense of the word.

  He dropped to one knee in front of Serenity, taking her hands in his. Her widened eyes and mouth shaped into an o made him smile. “You know what I’m going to ask, don’t you, Serenity?” He couldn’t stop repeating her name. Just uttering it brought him joy after he’d almost lost her. “I want you to marry me. Say you will, baby.”

  “I…Yes! Oh my goodness. I can’t believe I hesitated, about to give you an excuse like we haven’t known each other long. Forget about that.” She dropped down before him and hugged him. “I warn you my family never lets up with the madness.”

  “I still own my country home. We can escape whenever we like.”

  She gasped. “Our time there was perfect. How about next weekend?”

  He chuckled. “Your wish, my love, is my command.”

  The Shifter's Mate

  Epilogue

  “Do you think she’ll keep her word, Serenity?” Sky asked with fear in her eyes. “Will Grandmother come after you to try to break you and Jon apart?”

  Exhausted from being up with the twins for what felt like forty-eight hours straight, Serenity covered her mouth through a yawn before answering her sister. “I don’t know. Her spells didn’t work after Jon and I sealed our love for each other. But that could have been a temporary phenomenon. She won’t give up, but what I’m really concerned about is her coming after you or Salacity. I’m also worried about Mom.”

  Sky rocked her baby niece while Serenity changed her other daughter’s diaper. Only after they had married and she was five months pregnant did Jon warn her that twins ran in his family. She loved her daughters very much, but they were more than a handful. If she thought escaping to the country would give her and Jon needed peace, it ended as soon as she gave birth.

  “Why are you worried about Mom?” Sky asked her.

  “Because she’s been quiet, not bothering any of us. I think Grandmother got to her.”

  Sky squeaked, startling the baby in her arms. “I’m sorry little one. Shh, calm down.” She raised her hand as if she intended to cast a spell, but Serenity caught her arm.

  “Don’t use a spell on my daughter, if you please.”

  Sky looked sheepish. “Sorry. Force of habit. You never know. She may be casting them herself soon.”

  Serenity shrugged. “Doubtful. I don’t sense a lick of magic, and Mom said we were all three spurting magic as much as throwing up milk when we were infants. She thinks that’s what drew Grandmother to us in the first place. We might have been ‘tainted,’ but we took on all of Mom’s genes.”

  Serenity finished changing her little one and picked the baby up to kiss her pillow soft cheek. “Anyway, don’t say anything to Salacity, but the reason I’m worried about Mom is because from what Grandmother said, we’re now suspecting that Grandmother had something to do with our father running off.”

  Her sister gasped. “You’re kidding. Is it true? What did she do?”

  “I don’t know, but Grandmother told Mom that she had interfered with fate once before. That made Mom think Grandmother is the one that ran our father off since she hated Mom with him.”

  “But to wait so long,” Sky mused. That was her youngest sister, clever, a thinker, despite her shyness.

  “I know. I don’t understand everything, and neither does Mom. If Mom was meant to be with our father, then they should have been able to break the spell that Grandmother put on him.”

  “If she did put a spell on him,” Sky interjected.

  “Right. And if she did
, then why didn’t she do it well before I was born?”

  Sky shook her head. “We might never know.”

  “Oh we’ll know, my darlings,” their mother declared as she floated into the room. “We’ll know!” The energy that rolled off Serenity’s mother was at its peak again. Serenity sensed she had revived to her old self, had somehow overcome the helpless feeling Serenity had sensed in her after learning she was not powerful enough to combat Grandmother. “I have every intension of getting to the bottom of this family mystery, and you, Sky, and your sister Salacity are going to help me. Serenity has her hands full with a husband and children. So be prepared.”

  Sky groaned. “Mom.”

  Serenity laughed. Here we go again. She reached out to take her daughter from Sky’s arms and prepared to take them up for their nap. Soon Jon would be home, and Serenity wanted to be refreshed for him. Even with lack of sleep, she was feeling a serious need to wrap her legs around his sexy body. Anticipation made her pick up the pace, and she smiled in contentment if not peace.

  Despite all the craziness that was in her life because of her family, she was confident of one thing. She and Jon would stand together against all odds, and just like Jon had promised her grandmother, Serenity would do whatever it took to keep them all safe—together.

  The End

  The Shifter's Mate

  About the Author

  Eden Cole has been creating stories in her head since she was a small child. Love and romance, sensual pleasures find their voice in her erotic stories of romance. Fantasy, paranormal and science fiction are her favorite genres to write in.