by Jade Alters
Lately, though, I have been thinking about it. Not because of any foresight or anything. But I love Ian and Brendan and Darren so much! We share everything together and always have. If they all fell in love and got coupled up, it would change everything. It’s supposed to be the natural course of life, but I’ve feared it for a long time. Whenever one of us would have a dalliance with some woman that never ended up lasting, I couldn’t help thinking that mates would tear us all apart. Then I started thinking about the shared fated mate idea. It would be ideal for us. I haven’t really brought it up to the guys though.
When we answered that call at the bookstore and met that girl, I started to wonder. I shouldn’t wonder. I know that. But it’s only a tiny, little thought: What if? Ian and I both had strange feelings just before we got that call, and when we met that girl, I had this feeling like I already knew her. It felt as if we shared some connection that I couldn’t quite put my finger on.
When I spoke about it with Ian afterward, he said he felt the same way.
That made me wonder a little more. But still, I didn’t say anything. Because meeting a girl once for five seconds and suggesting she’s going to be mated to you and your pals for life is a little extreme, even by shifter standards. It doesn’t help that she was talking to us because she has a stalker.
Still, that evening, as the four of us sat down to dinner, I kept thinking about it. Imagine what it would be like if we had a fifth person in our group; a woman with whom we shared an equal connection and attraction. I imagine somebody who would love all of us and allow all of us to love her. It would be so perfect. I can’t imagine a better kind of relationship
The truth is, I never talk about this stuff because I can be a little shy about sappy things like that. And my desire for a shared fated mate is probably extremely sappy. Ian says I’m shy about this stuff because I’m secretly a huge, goofball romantic and I don’t want to admit it. Ian can suck it.
That evening was otherwise, pretty typical. We all snuggled up together on the couch and watched Captain America: Winter Soldier because Darren loves Marvel stuff and he’s been trying to get the rest of us interested in it too. I liked it. Brendan didn’t. Brendan is a huge snob though, and he admits as much. We talked about the job and bitched about the state of the human world in general. We probably stayed up too late. I ended up falling asleep in Ian’s bed because we were talking into the late hours about Victoria and our “weird feelings.”
The next day, we all set off for the station as usual. Darren and Brendan are on desk duty for the foreseeable future. It’s a quasi-punishment due to their questionable behavior during the arrest of a few guys who were attempting to assault a woman outside a bar in the middle of the night a couple of months ago. What actually happened was that they didn’t want to use their guns so they shifted and attacked in fox form. But we can’t exactly tell the higher-ups that we’re foxes. As a result, the report was a little bit messy and there were some questions as to how the perps had sustained their injuries. Luckily, the perps in question were way too freaked out to tell anyone that they were stopped from attacking a woman by some magical fox men. Nobody would have believed them anyway. But it was enough to get Darren and Brendan off the street for a little while.
That evening, just as we’re hitting the end of our shifts, Ian gets a call to go to Victoria’s apartment. He’d already heard her message about the social media shit on his desk line. We put Brendan on the case trying to figure out how she had been hacked since he’s better with computers than the rest of us. Ian had wondered if he should call her right back but decided it would be better if he could come to her with something more concrete.
Then that asshole went and slashed her tires…
When we get the call in our cruiser as we’re heading down Fair Oaks back toward Lake Avenue, Ian and I glance at each other. He’s driving this time, and I answer for us on the radio that we’re on our way.
Ian says, “I think-”
“Let’s get Darren and Bren to follow,” I say, cutting him off. “They should meet her.”
“That’s what I was going to say,” Ian says.
“Well, I said it first,” I say, raising my eyebrows.
This is the game we play and we play it all the time. “Unbelievable,” Ian says, but he’s chuckling. His chuckle disappears abruptly though as he turns left onto Colorado.
“Son of a bitch slashed her tires,” he says dully. “That pisses me off. I hate the idea of somebody hurting someone else just because they feel rejected. It’s a douchebag move. But following her around, threatening her, and slashing her tires? I’d love to get my hands on this asshole.”
“I know.” I sit back in my seat. “She seems really freaked about this stuff. Ya know, I can’t help feeling like-”
“I know what you’re going to say,” Ian says, cutting me off. “She’ll never agree to it.”
“What if she’s the one though?” I say, and I can’t help how my voice pitches up with excitement at the very thought. “I mean, didn’t you get that feeling? That doesn’t just happen.”
“We talked to her for about twenty minutes,” Ian says. “I don’t know if that’s enough to be able to tell. Magic or not. Maybe it is. I just...It’s too much to hope for if I’m being honest.”
I roll my eyes impatiently. “I know and it does seem crazy but we’re not talking about some stupid human relationship. We’re talking about fates. We’re talking about magic, Ian. Those forces change everything. It’s not about how long you’ve known the person.”
“Alright,” Ian concedes. “But she’s human, Mitch. She’s not used to thinking like that.”
“Pfft. You smelled the magic on her,” I say wryly. “She’s at least a witch. We know that. She’ll understand about magic.”
“Maybe,” Ian says doubtfully. When he glances over and sees my hopeful face, he cracks a smile. “Alright look, we’ll see how this goes. If we think it’s necessary and depending on how she, ya know, reacts to us...maybe we can ask her if she would like added protection. As shifters, not just cops. Just cool your jets a little, okay, Mitch?”
“Cool your jets,” I say, rolling my eyes. “Where’d you even get that one?”
Ian shrugs. “I heard it on Law & Order.”
Brendan and Darren meet us on the sidewalk in front of Victoria’s building and I see right away that they’ve both caught on to what Ian and I are feeling.
Of the four of us, Brendan is the aristocrat. Or at least, I swear that’s how he sees himself. He’s from an old blood shifter family that came over from England just a few generations ago and settled in San Francisco. They have a lot of money and a hidden castle on the coast. Brendan is the result of a classical education (a fact he never lets us forget). But the most telling thing about him is that when we met up north in California, he chose to join our leash. That was over a century ago but whenever he happens to get on my nerves, that’s what I remember. Because none of the rest of us have ever had his kind of money or pedigree. But he chose us and changed his name to Love to show his loyalty and his affection for us. He may not act like it often, but Brendan is a total sweetheart. Ladies, however, don’t seem to mind his pretentiousness because Brendan has big, dark eyes surrounded by thick, long lashes and refined features that make girls and guys alike swoon.
Darren is a sweetheart too, but everybody knows that. Darren has dark skin and startlingly bright hazel eyes. He is rarely without a smile on his face (usually because he’s teasing Brendan). Darren is our resident nerd and it’s only gotten worse since we’ve moved back to America, especially when nerdy type things started becoming more popular. Back in the day, when there were just Universal monster movies like The Mummy and Bride of Frankenstein and some H.G. Wells books, he was quieter about it. But now half the house is covered in Star Trek and Spider-Man art.
Although, I admit...I do like Star Wars.
“We haven’t eaten lunch!” Darren says to us the second we get out of our cruiser
.
I take my aviators and clip them to my pocket as Ian and I walk up to our leash mates. Darren and Brendan are in plainclothes since they’ve been on desk duty. That means Brendan is wearing a shirt and tie that he likely bought for a stupid amount of money and Darren is wearing a Captain America t-shirt and a cardigan with jeans. Brendan’s hair has grown out and it nearly touches his shoulders now, all black and silky and looking vaguely 18th-century-esque. Darren’s just gotten his freshly buzzed, the tiny black curls are cut close to his scalp on top with a high fade on the sides. Despite the geeky outfit, he looks sharp, his pretty eyes bright and cheerful.
“Who’s fault was that?” Ian says, crossing his arms.
“We were working on the social media hack,” Brendan says, straightening his tie. “So it’s your fault. You owe us food.”
“Come meet Victoria,” I say, nodding at the building. “Soon enough, you won’t be thinking about food.”
“She a looker?” Darren says, raising an eyebrow. “Should I prepare myself?”
“She’s cute,” Ian says, shrugging. “But it’s... more than that.”
“Ah yes,” Brendan says. “You’re vague and mystical sensations. I think the both of you are suffering from boredom. Probably because there’s not enough excitement in Pasadena. We should have moved to New York.”
It’s warm out. As far as Southern California goes, Pasadena can run hot. It’s nearly ninety today, and the sun is blazing. There aren’t a lot of trees on this particular street either. I feel a drip of sweat creep down my spine and notice that Brendan looks pained. He’s never preferred warmer climates.
“I’ll bet you an ice cream, you’ll feel what we felt,” I say, nudging Brendan.
He tries to be Mr. Fancy, but Brendan loves his ice cream. In fact, he eats so much of it, I don’t know where he puts the calories. Shifter metabolism, I suppose. He makes up for it by being just as much of a snob about ice cream as anything else.
“Alright,” he says. “But we’re going to Fosselman’s if I win.”
We’ll probably go to Fosselman’s if he loses, but it’s always fun to see Brendan looking a little mischievous. He takes himself so seriously most of the time.
“What is it exactly I’m supposed to feel when I see this girl?” Darren says as we head into the building’s lobby. I can’t help but notice there’s no buzzer on the front door and glance at Ian who nods because he’s obviously noticed the same thing. Anyone could just walk in and go up to Victoria’s door, which, at the moment, is not ideal.
“Well,” Ian says as he pushes the button for the elevator, “Mitch and I had kind of had a weird feeling that somebody needed our help before we got the call the other day. And then when we met her, we just felt like…” He looks at me now, as if for help. That doesn’t happen often.
“I felt like I already knew her,” I tell him. “Not love at first sight though. More like...a premonition. She’s important to us. Just not sure why.”
“Are you sure you don’t know why?” Darren says as we step into the elevator when it opens its doors. “You’re telling me you’re not all excited it’s some shared fated mate thing?”
I feel my cheeks burn. My neck pulses with pain as I jolt my head around to look at Darren. “How do you know about-”
“You talk about it whenever you imbibe a bit too much,” Brendan says all too smugly. “One shot of Jagermeister and it’s fated mate this and fated mate that.”
Mortifying.
“It’s just a thought,” I say, grumbling. “I’m not saying she’s the one. But wouldn’t it be nice? It’s just hard to imagine us all splitting up into couples if...it ever happened.”
We step out of the elevator and everyone looks a little bothered except for Ian who throws his arm around my neck as we make our way down the narrow hallway to Victoria’s door. “Mitch, Mitchum, Mitchellita, I have absolutely no intention of splitting from the pack. I happen to like things the way they are.”
That is some comfort.
Darren walks around us and strides backward in front of Ian and me as we walk. “Okay, but if we did have that shared mate thing? One woman between the four of us? Sounds kinda great to me.”
“I wouldn’t mind that,” Ian says, shrugging. “Can’t imagine a woman who would go for it though.”
“You never knoooow,” I say in a sing-song voice.
“Look, no expectations,” Ian says quietly as we reach Victoria’s door. “Alright? Zero! We don’t want to freak her out. Our number one job right now is protection. We’ll investigate her place and then maybe-” Then, he glances at me and very quietly says, “Maybe I ask her to stay at our place for a while.
“Pardon?” Brendan says just as Victoria opens the door.
I swallow when I see Victoria. That feeling I had when I first saw her in the bookstore is amplified this time. She also looks a lot different. She looks a little panicked but more well-rested and she’s wearing a cute pink t-shirt with a tiger on it and skinny jeans. Her hair is down this time, falling in soft chestnut waves around her shoulders, and she’s wearing some kind of pink lip gloss that makes her mouth look wet.
I sigh a little and Ian tosses me an annoyed look, although I can see he’s affected too.
“Victoria,” Ian says, stepping in front of the rest of us. “Are you alright?”
“Yeah, um…” She blinks at us, looking mildly befuddled at Brendan and Darren. “But no. Not really.”
“We’re gonna take care of this,” Ian says sternly. “I promise you.” I see the muscles in his arms flex when he says it. Ian may be a little more laid back than a lot of alphas, but when he makes a promise, he means it. I wouldn’t want to get between him and somebody he cares about. “First, ah… I brought along a couple of guys to help us out with this case.” He introduces Darren and Brendan and briefly explains that they’re great cops stuck with desk duty. I notice that he doesn’t explain why though. Victoria smiles genuinely and shakes their hands. “Can we come inside?”
“Yeah, yeah…” She steps back and opens the door wider to let us in.
“You’re Victoria?” Brendan says dumbly despite having just been introduced to her.
“Uh, yeah,” she says, looking mildly confused as we walk in.
Brendan looks as if he’s been struck like a gong. Given how reserved he usually is, generally reacting to things with indifference or disdain until you can ply a real feeling out of him, I’m surprised.
“Have we met?” He says, stepping a little closer to her.
“I don’t think so,” she says, smiling softly. “It is the strangest thing though… All four of you seem sort of...familiar?”
“Yeah,” Darren says, leaning an elbow on Brendan’s shoulder. “I have that feeling too. No ice cream for you,” he says to Brendan.
“Ice cream?” Victoria says, the corner of her mouth turning up.
“Ignore him,” Brendan says. “It always helps. Although, I will admit I myself have been laboring to ignore him for a hundred...uh, days, and still, he has annoyed me for every single one of them.”
Victoria giggles and I find myself smiling. She points to Darren’s shirt and raises her eyebrows. “Excuse me, I can’t possibly ignore Captain America.”
“Heeeey.” Darren raises his hand for a high five and she laughs, slapping it.
“Okay, okay,” Ian says. “Victoria, why don’t you tell us exactly what happened? And then we’ll take a look at your car?”
Victoria
My first thought when I open the door is a visceral kind of lightness and electricity that starts in my fingertips and rushes down to my toes. Somehow both Ian and Mitch are even hotter than I remember and now there are two other men who are just as gorgeous standing with them. The other two aren’t wearing uniforms though, and until Ian introduces them, I’m nothing but confused and dazed. Then I’m just...charmed.
“Um…” I’m trying to tell them what happened today before I called. I sit in the chair across from the fo
ur of them, all crowded together on the couch that I’ve shoved it back its in place. “So, I was just really freaked out all day. I had a girlfriend stay over last night, I was so freaked. Especially after that social media stuff. Did you get my voicemail about that?”
“Yes,” Ian says quickly from his spot on the arm of the sofa. “I’m sorry I didn’t call you back. I should have told you to leave messages on my cell instead of my desk phone. But I did put Darren and Brendan here on the case.” He nods at them. The two of them only look a bit sheepish about it.
“Yeah,” Darren says, scratching his neck. “I’ll be honest, I couldn’t find a damn thing. Whoever hacked your accounts made themselves untraceable. So I don’t know if we’ll be able to conclusively prove whether Hardhum pulled that off. But Brendan and I can salvage your accounts for you. We also have measures for you to take to make them more secure. We can walk you through them when you have a chance.”
“Oh, that would be great,” I say. It would be good to be able to trace the hacker. I have to assume it’s Hardhum given everything. Although, since that spell, there’s no telling. For all I know, some kind of magical entity taking the form of different dudes is stalking me and fucking me up on Facebook.
I proceed to tell them every detail I can think of, and then we all go out to the parking garage to look at the car. Just seeing the angry slashes in all four tires makes me feel all panicky again and as if sensing it, Mitch comes over and tentatively pats me on the shoulder. I lean into the touch. I can somehow sense his empathy coming off of him in waves. In fact, as I stand there in my socks, in the overheated, muggy parking garage, I feel as if the sense inside me that’s magical (which I’ve only ever referred to as my “witchy sense”) is especially sensitive and strong right now. It’s as keen as my sense of smell, which it usually isn’t.