Shifters and Spice: A Shifter Romance Box Set

by Desiree Holt

  When Evan made no move toward his phone, Dare raised an eyebrow. “You going to call?”

  “Oh, yes.” Evan fumbled for his phone, turning bright red again. Instead of calling, he shot Gage a text. He hated talking on the phone at the best of times, unless it was Cole, Mindy, or his mother, but especially with someone he didn't know. He could feel Dare’s judging gaze as he typed away. Thankfully, Gage responded within seconds in the affirmative.

  “He's in,” Evan informed Dare. The older man nodded and left the room without a word. Evan slumped into the couch. If it weren’t for Dare—and, Evan reminded himself, the impending doom of homelessness when he returned to Seattle—this week would have been just what he needed. He felt more alive and more himself just tagging along after Cole than he’d felt in a long time. If only Dare's looming presence didn’t constantly remind him of his social ineptness when it came to his love life, and lack thereof.

  Chapter 8

  Dare could feel the frown in his eyebrows winding up a headache as he drove to the pub, Evan and Cole goofing off in the back seat behind him. What were they, twelve?

  He tried to push away the grim cloud that seemed to have wrapped around him the last few weeks. He sighed. He’d been so excited to be home for a while, just to rest. Maybe he’d been naïve thinking he could rest the week of his brother's wedding. Maybe next week would be better.

  He pulled into the pub's parking lot and took a deep breath. Tonight was for Cole.

  They were quickly seated—with a great view of the stage, as Dare had requested. They ordered, Cole and Evan trying to entice him into a round of shots. There was nothing Dare would like better than a couple shots of tequila to start the night and chase his blues away, but he’d volunteered as the designated driver tonight. He instead ordered a bourbon, neat, which he could nurse for much of the night. He supposed he ought to be ordering Irish whiskey, or Scotch, but he’d never really developed a taste for either. If he started in on the Guinness, well, one drink would quickly lead to another, and they’d be taking a cab home.

  The guys were about to take their first shots, but Cole put out a hand to stop Evan. He stood with a smile and called out, “Gage! Just in time!”

  A tall man approached them, nearly as tall as Evan, Dare thought, though he couldn’t compare with Evan still seated.

  “Let me get you a shot,” Cole said. “We’re going to get this evening started right.”

  Gage laughed as Cole pulled him into a hug. “Sounds good to me.” He shook Evan and Dare's hands as Cole introduced them, then took a seat next to Evan.

  Cole waved over their waitress and ordered a shot for Gage.

  Dare raised his glass when it came. “To Cole,” he said. “May Jess have enough patience to put up with your—” Dare paused with a glance at Evan, catching himself about to reference wolves.

  “Yeah, yeah,” Cole interrupted. “Save your innuendos,” he went on, turning Dare's awkwardly long pause into a brotherly jibe.

  “To Cole and Jess,” Evan added.

  Everyone raised their glasses. Dare calmly sipped his drink as the others quickly downed theirs with grimaces and grunts.

  “Good start, but let's get some food and music in us before we obliterate the night, shall we?” Cole suggested.

  “Isn't Dare supposed to be making the responsible suggestions?” Evan chided. “Trying to keep us on the straight and narrow?”

  “Dare is probably the last one to fuss about the straight and narrow if even half of what I've heard about the Europe tours is true!” Cole scoffed.

  Dare held back a grimace. Cole probably hadn’t even heard half of it. Not that Dare was ashamed, but trotting out pack gossip in front of two outsiders, one of whom wasn’t even a wolf, made Dare shift uncomfortably in his seat. He took another sip of his drink, unable to keep his eyes from drifting to Evan. He jerked them away, only to be caught by Cole’s smirk.

  “What?” he asked.

  Cole shrugged. “Nothing,” he said in that overly light tone all little brothers must have perfected—the tone that says there’s clearly something, but they want you to dig for it.

  Dare refused to give him the satisfaction. He lifted his glass to his lips once more to break the moment, only for his eyes to be drawn back to Evan as Gage leaned in to say something—something inane, from what Dare’s sensitive ears picked up. Boring small talk. But Evan laughed.

  Dare went to take a long gulp from his cup but—damn. It was already empty.

  Dare woke the next morning to his keys, a couple asprin and a note beside his head on his pillow. He gulped the asprin dry then squinted to read Cole’s handwriting through a fuzzy head.

  Don’t worry about your car—none of us drove. One of the cousins helped us load you up at the end of the night. You owe me $60 for his taxi home.

  And remember, what happens when drunk, ends up on online!

  With a horrible sinking feeling, Dare flailed around for his phone and pulled up Cole’s video channel. There were several new videos and Dare clicked on the thumbnail that clearly showed his face. He didn’t breathe a sigh of relief until the video finished, but it was simply him drunkenly dancing what he assumed was his attempt at an Irish jig. Nothing he hadn’t done before sober and probably with less skill. He skimmed through the remaining videos, pausing to actually watch Evan loudly tunelessly join in on a particularly boisterous drinking song, but closed out of the app with a grunt when Gage stepped into frame, throwing an arm around Evan’s shoulders and joining him.

  Dare dove back into his covers, pulling them above his head. He could feel the potential for drama building—and over nothing. He just needed to put his siblings’ friend out of his mind. And out of his line of sight. It would be best if he spent the day at Mom and Dad’s house…

  Once he slept off the hangover.

  Chapter 9

  The morning of the wedding, Evan was drawn out of Mindy’s bed by the distinctive smell of bacon. He had crashed hard. For the first time in a week, his dreams had not been filled with darkness and chaos, vague images and powerful emotions, but with clarity and pleasure. And perhaps the certain dark-haired brother of his best friends.

  Cole was lounging on the couch, the television on but quiet as he dug into a monstrous plate of food. “Grub’s in the kitchen,” he mumbled through a mouthful. “Mom sent it over this morning.”

  Evan nodded, rubbing at his prickly stubble as he sleepily followed the scent of bacon.

  Several large casserole dishes sat on the counter, covered by tin foil. Evan peaked under one. Bacon and sausage. Another with eggs, another with biscuits, and a bowl to the side filled with gravy. The only thing missing to round out the quintessential Southern breakfast was grits. Evan redirected to grab a mug of coffee and then filled his plate just as full as Cole’s had been before joining his friend in the living room.

  He inhaled a good portion of the plate and coffee before feeling like a human being once more.

  “You know that coffee is less effective if you drink it first thing in the morning instead of about an hour after waking?” Cole asked.

  Evan flipped him the finger. Cole was all about efficiency and maxing out potential. At this point in the morning, Evan was just about the caffeine. He took an extra long sip of coffee as Cole shook his head.

  Evan set the mug down and returned to his food. “So it’s the big day. What’s the plan?”

  “Show up, do what I’m told.” Cole shrugged. “All the thinking bits are done for us. We’ve handed the reins to the people in charge of implementing the details. So I think I’ll play some video games until Dad comes to pick us up.”

  “Sounds like my kind of wedding,” Evan said. “Is Dare going with us?” He hoped his friend didn’t pick up on his overly casual tone.

  Thankfully, Cole seemed oblivious. “Already gone out to the house. Ready to shoot some things?”

  Evan had known Samuel Williams since the first semester he’d roomed with Cole their freshman year.
Evan’s father had died when he was nine, and Samuel was the closest thing he’d had since. As the man wrapped him in a hug, Evan blinked back a sharp rush of tears. He’d missed this too. The last time he’d seen either Samuel or Alice had been shortly after graduation two years ago. Too long. He’d do better in the future, Evan promised himself. Though with what money, he didn’t know. But those thoughts could wait until he returned to Seattle. They chatted about inconsequential things as Samuel drove.

  Evan never tired of visiting the Williams’ family mansion. Mansion. Although he’d long been used to the idea that the twins never had to worry about money, he’d never gotten used to their family home.

  Giant columns framed the entrance to the three story, cream colored brick home. Other than the number of people bustling around with purposeful, determined faces, and a valet stand set to the side of the circled driveway, Evan couldn’t see much different from his previous visits to the house.

  A tall woman with a tight blonde bun and bright red lips approached them as Samuel handed the keys to a man wearing a cobalt blue vest over a white button up shirt and dark grey pants. Evan looked at the other people scattered around, working, and realized it was probably the event’s uniform. The woman nodded briskly to Samuel, but aligned herself with Cole, putting her hand behind his back to guide him into the house. “You’re late,” she said, firmly but not harshly. “We have to get you in the men’s preparation room right now in order to fit in all the pre-wedding photos in on time.”

  Cole cast a shrug and a smile back at Evan, but followed along obediently.

  Samuel clapped a hand on Evan’s shoulder. “You’d best go find Alice. She’s probably in the backyard fussing about some detail or another. If you can pull her away and stick a mimosa in her hands, I would appreciate it. But if you can’t manage and she pulls you into some project or another, I won’t blame you. She’s a powerful lady.”

  Evan grinned. “I think I’ll be able to entice her away from the crowd for a little while at least.”

  “Good man. The ceremony will be over by the lake. I’d start there. But if not, try the barn.” Samuel clapped his back once more, then turned and pulled Evan into another hug. “It’s good to see you, son. We’ve missed your laugh.”

  Damn it. Evan blinked back tears again as Samuel released him and headed off to make his own preparations.

  Evan swung by the kitchen where a tray of mimosas was already prepared. Evan winked at Louis, the head cook, as he stole two and the man motioned as if to swat Evan’s behind. Alice was out at the lake as suspected, but not fussing about anything as far as Evan could tell. She turned with a smile as he approached even though he could have sworn he wasn’t making much noise. She took the mimosas from him and set them on a nearby chair before pulling him into a hug. He hadn’t had this many hugs since…basically since he graduated. His life really was a mess. Evan picked Alice up and twirled her around, startling a girlish giggle from the woman. Setting her down, he kissed her cheek, then turned to pick up the mimosas, giving himself a chance to school his emotions.

  Chapter 10

  Dare stepped out of the room Rebecca had stashed him and his siblings in. Cole’s excitement was amusing, but grating at the same time. Maybe it was because of the recent conversation with his mother, but he had only so much patience for Cole’s overabundance of happiness.

  Not that he begrudged his brother even the smallest piece of joy. It was more that he was…jealous. Not of Jessica, certainly. But of his contentment.

  Dare slipped out onto the second floor veranda. It was quieter up here, the echoing susurration of the event’s preparations trapped behind the doors inside and softened by nature and the open air outside. From here he could see both the barn where the reception would take place and the setup by the lake for the ceremony.

  Even from this distance, he recognized Evan as he walked down the aisle toward Dare’s mother. Dare smiled as Evan twirled Alice around, the hint of her laughter just reaching Dare’s sensitive ears. It was good to see. Alice Williams was the alpha, first and foremost. Rarely did she relax around anyone other than her children and husband, and often not even then. For once, Dare let himself feel wistful and yearning without attempting to reign it in. Surely there was a wolf out there, meant for him, who would fit into his family like Evan did.

  Dare pushed himself away and headed back to the groom’s room. This was Cole’s day, not his.

  When he returned to the room, Mindy was glaring at a very fidgety Cole. “Something wrong?” Dare asked.

  “Can you please tell him nothing is going to go wrong today?” Mindy threw her hands up in exasperation. “He certainly listening to me.”

  Cole threw an apologetic look at Dare.

  Dare walked to a side table and pulled the top off a crystal decanter, taking a deep whiff. Bourbon. Good. He poured three glasses with a finger each. Wouldn't do to have too much before the wedding. “It's normal to have pre-wedding jitters.”

  “It's not that.” Cole took the glass from Dare and stared into it. “Jess…she's nervous about her pack coming. Things are tense between her family and the pack.”

  “It's just her and her brothers, right?”

  Cole nodded.

  “Is she worried about her pack being here, or about her brothers staying with the pack?”

  “Both, I think. She doesn't like to talk about it, but I can sense it.”

  Dare nodded. It wasn't common for a family group to fall out of sync with their pack, but it happened. And if he remembered right, Jessica’s parents had died recently. Now wasn't the time to ask, but later, he should find out exactly what had happened. “Don't worry about today. Nothing will happen with our pack around. Have you talked to Mom about inviting her brothers to join White Falls?”

  Cole shook his head. “Jess wouldn't let me. I think she feels like it would be asking too much.”

  “I'll talk to her. I don't see why it would be a problem.”

  Cole gave him a grateful look and Dare wrapped his taller brother in a bear hug. Mindy came up beside them and joined in. “Now be happy! This is your day.”

  Chapter 11

  Evan and Alice sat in the front row of chairs where in just a few short hours, Cole and Jessica would be getting married. The setup was deceptively simple and elegant. Having been conscripted into service for several of Alice’s smaller events over his visits, he could only imagine how much actual work had gone into the arrangement of the chairs, the small bouquets hanging in buckets from the end of each row, and a million more little details he would only notice if they were removed after he’d seen the completed product.

  “How are you doing?” he asked her. “Samuel seems to be under the impression you would be running around a bit…” he trailed off, realizing he might be poking a sore spot between the couple, but she laughed.

  “Samuel is used to me being in charge. But this? All I’m doing is hosting and providing my son. I spent over twenty years preparing him. I highly doubt there’s much more to be done at this late date. As for the wedding, Jessica is a wonderfully organized girl. And Rebecca is a wonderful wedding director.”

  “Rebecca would be the woman of Valkyrie influence with the bright red lips who commandeered Cole when we arrived?”

  Alice laughed again. “That would be one way to describe her. Jessica and Cole are lucky we’re related. Rebecca only takes on a few events each year, but they always run so smoothly. Or she makes them appear to run smoothly, and that is more important than the actuality.”

  Evan eyed the tired circles around Alice’s eyes. “Are you sure you're not stressed?”

  Alice smiled and patted his hand. “Any stress I have is business related, and it can be put on hold for a few days.”

  Evan knew Alice was the powerhouse of the Williams family. Not that Samuel was a slacker by any stretch of the imagination, but Alice was definitely the executive. He couldn't count the number of times he'd seen her called away for one business need or anothe
r. But she always set aside time for her family. Evan included.

  They continued to chat until Rebecca sent someone to retrieve Alice for pictures. Evan wandered around the grounds for a while before heading back into the house to quickly slip into his suit shortly before the ceremony. By the time he exited, about half of the guests had arrived and were seated. He joined Louis in the kitchen, stealing samples when he could. Louis gave him a look every time he turned around to see Evan’s overly innocent expression. “You do know I have three children and eyes in the back of my head?”

  “What?” Evan protested, his mouth mostly full of canapé.

  Alice found him there. “You’re not being too much trouble, are you Evan?”

  “Who me?”

  “Are you here to take him off my hands?” Louis griped.

  “Louis, I’m hurt!” Evan drew his hands to his heart, knowing full well Louis loved how much Evan appreciated his food.

  “Not quite.” Alice smiled. “Evan, dear, I just wanted to make sure you knew you’re sitting with the family. So when the ushers seat you, don’t argue with them.”

  As if she knew he was about to protest, Alice breezed out of the room before Evan could respond.

  The wedding was…different. The wedding party all entered from the front, not just the groomsmen. And Mindy was a groomsman—groomswoman?—wearing a black dress with a white triangle diving down the middle, imitating the cut of Dare’s suit. Jessica’s two bridesmaids were more traditional, wearing dresses that matched the golden vests that Cole and Dare wore. Looking closer, Evan realized that while the two bridesmaids had decorated their hair with large white flowers, Mindy had somehow managed a gold flower to match the dresses and vests. Surely it was fake. But it was a good fake.