Shifter Mate Series Three Book Box Set - BBW Paranormal Romance: Includes Bear Boss's Mate, Werebear's Mate, Purrfect Mate (Shifter Series)

by Rayne Reilly

  Dayna undid her seat-belt as he put the car into park.

  "Thanks for the ride. Will you tell the tow truck driver where to bring my car?"

  "Sure will. You going to be alright out here?"

  "Have been so far. Until tonight."

  She forced a smile.

  Jake reached into the console between the two front seats and brought out a couple of business cards.

  "Here is my number. If you have any other problems or your car isn't back here by morning, call me."

  He passed a card to her. Their fingers touched ever so slightly, sending tingles through her body once more. She wondered if he felt it, too. His chin jutting out and slightly raised, he appeared to be sniffing the air. Dismissing the thought, she leaned into the car.

  "Thanks again," she said.

  She closed the door and went inside quickly. The police cruiser backed away as she locked herself safely inside her cabin.

  ***

  "Hi Max," she said as a large multi-colored Maine coon cat walked toward her, meowing.

  "I had a bit of an accident. Didn't get your treats, sorry."

  She dropped her purse to the floor and leaned down to pick him up. He meowed and then purred as she held him to her chest and snuggled her face into his long soft fur. Walking to the sofa, she put the cat down beside her and spoke aloud to him.

  "I saw some werewolves tonight."

  Max looked up at her, still purring. She stroked his head and watched as he turned in a circle once before lying down and placing his head on his outstretched paws. Dayna went to get her purse and pulled out her phone. Walking to the small kitchen, she placed the phone on the counter and grabbed a glass from the cupboard. Reaching for a bottle of red wine that sat on the counter, she poured herself a drink. Sighing heavily, she took a large gulp of the sweet crimson liquid. Her mind went over everything that had just happened and what she would tell Tim. Had she given Jake too much information?

  Surely telling him where she lived wouldn't be a problem...would it? He seemed nice enough. She didn't get a bad vibe from him. Picking up her phone in one hand, she thumbed through the numbers until she found the one she wanted.

  A gruff male voice answered after the phone rang twice.

  "Yes."

  "I have a bit of a problem. I hit someone with my car."

  "Are the police involved?

  "One was going by and saw me in the ditch. He stopped... So yeah. There was no body on the road though. I think it was a shifter that I hit."

  There was a long sigh on the other end of the phone.

  "Don't talk to anyone. I'll check things out and get back to you."

  She hung up and grabbed her glass of wine. Tilting it to her lips, she emptied it and poured herself a refill. Walking back to the sofa with the wine bottle in one hand and her glass in the other, she plopped down next to Max and put the wine bottle on the table next to her. Reaching to pet the cat, he pushed his head up hard to meet her hand. The low rumble of a purr could be heard. Dayna sighed as she looked over at him.

  "Things just became complicated, Max"

  Chapter Two

  Once Jake met the tow truck back at the scene of the accident and told him where to take Dayna's car, he drove into town.

  Back at his desk in the police station several hours into his shift, he found himself distracted to the point of tuning out everything else. The woman he'd met on the road had left him feeling perplexed. She wasn't like other females that he'd met in the past. She was tall and curvy just the kind of woman that he was attracted to, but it was more than that. Something about her made his inner cougar pay attention and that wasn't something that had happened before. The couple of times that they touched, no matter how briefly, a wave of energy rushed through him. He wondered what it meant, if anything. There was no denying that she was a very attractive woman. Regardless, it wasn't like him to feel the things he did tonight, no matter how attractive the woman.

  Dayna came across as very strong and independent. She didn't seem to want his help at all. That made it all the more satisfying for him when he did assist her. He could tell she was keeping things from him. He wondered if she was single or if she was hiding from a lousy ex-husband or something else. Hopefully, he would get the chance to find out more about her, now that he'd met her. Her hazel eyes and long light brown hair...those sexy curves of hers...Definitely...he would have remembered seeing her before tonight.

  Jake had watched his friends find their mates and knew how happy they now were. He had been telling himself for years that he was married to his job. It helped to make him feel better about being alone. Of course he wanted his mate to show up, but he didn't need anyone's pity while he waited.

  Now he felt drawn to a woman at last. Only she seemed to be harboring a secret and he worried about what it could be. When he saw the car off the side of the road, he wasn't sure if it was a man or woman inside and was pleased to see an attractive young woman when he approached the car. His inner cougar roared loudly when he saw her. Why was she so cool toward him? Was she frightened of the police?

  I hope she's not on the run or something, he thought to himself, laughing nervously.

  His mind was brought back to the room when one of the other officers called his name.

  "Yes?" he responded.

  "You asked me to check the hospital for reports of a motor vehicle accident victim? There haven't been any. I'm checking with our contacts around town to see if anyone knows anything."

  "Thanks. I don't think it's a coincidence that I was called out to a werewolf sighting and came across someone having hit what she thought was a wolf. Something is going on in my town. I want to know what it is. We haven't seen shifter-on-shifter violence in a long time here."

  The man nodded and held a piece of paper out toward Jake.

  "This just came in. I think you'll want to see it."

  Jake took the sheet of paper and looked at it. In some states, the human police worked alongside the Shifter Government, also called the Shifter Alliance Council or The SAC. Jake was only aware of Pleasantville's connection to The SAC. He rarely had contact with Shifters on other police forces, Federal or State Police. The law stated that when humans arrested Shifters they were to turn them over to The SAC to deal with. The SAC had their own justice system and their own rehabilitation facilities. From the warrant he was looking at, it wasn't clear as to whether or not someone from The SAC had sent it. Thankfully, several of his colleagues were shifters and shared the information with him when it came in. The SAC was in place to ensure the fair and just treatment of shifters that broke the law. In most cases, special holding cells and specially-made restraints were required to keep the shifters in custody.

  The human justice system and prisons were not properly equipped to deal with these sorts of criminals. Jake was proud of the fact that Pleasantville had a state of the art jail for shifters. This was due to the large population of them in and around town. However, he was glad to see it wasn't used very often. In fact, it was rare that the available shifter jail cells and the shifter van were even used these days.

  He stood looking at the warrant in his hand. There was a photograph of a dark haired man with a mustache, along with a description of him and his crime.

  Axel Rhymes is wanted for crimes in Rochester New York, including the murder of a young couple. Axel is a werewolf shifter. Suspect should be approached with caution and is extremely dangerous. It is believed that he has fled to New York City or the surrounding area.

  Jake scoffed. "If he thinks he can't be caught in this town...he has another thing coming."

  The officer who had passed the warrant to Jake looked at him and smiled. Jake thanked him for bringing the information to his attention. If this shifter was in the area, Jake and his men would find him. There was a whole town of shifters that would help find him if need be.

  Pleasantville was Jake's hometown. He'd lived there his entire life and felt as if most people knew who he was. His parent
s lived and worked in the area and he was a local guy who was known to be helpful and kind.

  What he didn't like was people bringing trouble into his town. Over the past year, he'd seen too much trouble. More than he'd become accustomed to seeing in the ten-plus years since he had become a police officer. This current situation was worse. If shifters were really chasing one another and a murderer was hiding in his town, he wasn't going to stand for it.

  It occurred to him that the two incidents were likely connected. The werewolf that was doing the chasing was probably a Bounty Hunter sent out by The SAC. Technically, he should have checked in with the local police when he arrived, but Jake would overlook that if the Bounty Hunter agreed to work together with him and his department.

  He didn't like the townspeople feeling worried for their safety. Especially when one of those people was a voluptuous, sexy woman who lived out of town. What if this murderer found his way to her small, out-of-the-way cabin? His jaw clenched at the very thought. His inner cougar growled angrily at the possibility. He couldn't let his imagination get the better of him; he would deal with this matter and see it sorted as soon as possible.

  ***

  Arriving home at the end of his shift, it was around midnight. Jake sat down on his sofa to watch some television and unwind before going to bed. He stripped down to his boxers and laid out on the sofa with his head propped on a pillow. The television volume was low, as he stared mindlessly at the screen not really paying attention.

  Instead, he thought about the werewolf sightings and wondered again if Dayna was caught up in something to do with them. He fully intended to find out. He hadn't questioned her the way he would have liked. In fact, she had questioned him. That made him even more suspicious.

  Along with her cool attitude toward him, his attraction to her threw him off his game. That had never happened before. He was used to dealing with all kinds of people, including those who feared shifters. But this Dayna woman had gotten to him. He shook his head, biting his lip at the memory of her. Before going to bed he resolved to go back to Dayna's cabin in the morning and find out more about her. He wanted to know what had really happened earlier that night.

  Chapter Three

  Loud knocking brought Dayna out of her slumber. She had fallen asleep on the couch. The cat was curled up on her stomach and meow-growled at her when she moved him off so that she could sit up. Wiping her eyes, she stood. The knocking continued.

  "I'm coming... Hang on," she snapped.

  You can stop with the loud knocking anytime.

  Her head pounded and her body ached. Another night of drinking herself to sleep and not going to her bed...her body didn't like it very much. The loneliness of isolation was getting to her and it seemed there were still many more weeks to go.

  She opened the door slightly and peered out. Jake, the police officer from the night before, stood on her front step looking at her with his brow raised in a surprised expression.

  "Oops. Did I wake you?" he asked with a grimace.

  She rolled her eyes and then suddenly it hit her. Oh, my god.

  "I'll be right back," she said sheepishly and closed the door.

  Hurrying to the bathroom she peered into the mirror. Her eyes widened when she caught sight of her face and hair. Her tangled hair looked as if she hadn't combed it in weeks. Running a brush through it, she turned on the warm tap water and splashed her face. Next she gargled with some mouthwash. It wasn't much better but at least she wouldn't scare him now. She hoped.

  She stood tall and marched out of the bathroom toward her front door. This time she opened the door wide and smiled. Sort of. It was more of an attempt at smiling because her head hurt.

  "Good morning. Sorry if I woke you," Jake repeated.

  He looked her up and down and pressed his lips together. She could see a smile forming on the edge of his lips. Looking down at herself she realized she was wearing the same clothing from the night before. She groaned softly.

  "What can I do for you?" she asked brusquely, staring into the face of the man who rescued her the night before. She noticed for the first time, just how deep blue his eyes were. He looked like he was a few years older than she was and she guessed that he was probably around his early to mid-thirties. She had definitely missed his rugged face and full lips the night before.

  Wow.

  Jake's head was tilted slightly to one side as he looked at her. It felt more like he was looking into her. The way he looked at her reminded her of Max, her cat.

  "I wanted to check in to see if you were okay. I didn't get your phone number, otherwise I would have called instead of just dropping by... I also have a couple of questions about last night, if you don't mind?"

  Dayna put a hand on her hip and kept her other hand on the door. Stepping back, she nodded for Jake to come inside. She knew she shouldn't be encouraging him but something about him made her feel safe. She trusted him, even though she knew she shouldn't. Jake stepped through the doorway and seconds later was on his knees at her feet, as Max jumped off the couch and ran to him. The two acted like old friends. Max rubbed himself up against Jake's legs. Jake ran his hands along Max's large body.

  "Who do we have here?" he asked, looking up at Dayna's surprised face.

  She responded, "That's Max."

  She rubbed her temples and closed her eyes.

  "He's a pretty friendly cat," Jake said as he stood in front of Dayna.

  She moved to close the door and motioned with one arm toward the sofa.

  "Have a seat."

  With her hand to her forehead she frowned and paused a moment. Excusing herself she went to get a glass of water and a couple of headache tablets. As she walked back into the living room, she marveled at Max's reaction to Jake. He was snuggled up next to him with his paws stretched up toward his new human friend, begging for more petting. She had never seen him take to anyone like this before. They were like best friends. She felt a pang of jealousy followed by shame. You're being silly.

  She sat across from Jake on an overstuffed armchair.

  "What did you want to ask me?"

  She sat back and put her arms out on the armrests of the chair.

  Jake continued to stroke Max as he turned his attention to her.

  "Do you think it was werewolves that you saw last night?"

  Dayna felt her body tense. She rolled her eyes without meaning to do it, then shifted uncomfortably in the chair. She brought a couple of fingers to her chin as if she was thinking. After a long pause she responded, "Oh. Um...Now that you mention it. Yes. They seemed to be werewolves... Has one turned up hurt or something?" she asked cautiously, wondering if he could be here to tell her she'd killed someone after all. Suddenly, she felt sick and prepared to run out of the room any second.

  She wished that she could be anywhere else right now. What if one of the werewolves was him? The thought of him having found her...it was too much. After everything she'd given up...just to be found by him...she couldn't bear to think about it.

  Jake's expression changed to one of compassion.

  "Are you okay?” he asked. “You look a little pale.”

  She stood and rubbed her arms, hugging herself.

  "Just not feeling great... Had a rough night."

  Jake remained seated. Clearly, he was not ready to leave just yet.

  Dayna had to buy herself some time to think about what to do next. Anxiety flooded through her body, filling her with dread about what might happen next. Would she have to move on from here? And what about the handsome man in her living room? Did he know something he wasn't telling her? Had it been a mistake trusting him with knowing where she lived?

  "I need a glass of water. Do you want anything?" she asked as she moved toward the kitchen.

  "No, thank you." Jake narrowed his eyes and gave her a thoughtful look as she turned her back to him and walked away.

  In the kitchen and out of Jake's line of vision, she held the edge of the counter-top with both hands and too
k deep breaths in and out. Things weren't looking favorable at all.

  A voice in her mind responded quietly, Get a grip. He doesn't know anything. He's just following up on the sighting. You'll be fine. Now go back in there and find out what he knows.

  After running the tap and pretending to get a drink, Dayna returned to the living room. Jake now sat with his hands on his thighs, his legs spread apart slightly. He leaned forward a little, as she entered the room and took a seat across from him again. She rubbed her hands along her jeans and then clasped them together in her lap.

  "You asked if I saw werewolves last night. You also mentioned that someone else reported seeing them. How many sightings of these werewolves have there been?" she asked him.

  He seemed surprised that she had asked him the question.

  "Only the two that I know of. You and the woman on the farm down the road...you said it looked like one was chasing the other?"

  She nodded, studying his face for more than he was saying.

  "Is last night the only time you've seen them since you have been living here?" he asked.

  "No. I think I have seen some go through my back yard from time to time. Why?"

  "I just wondered if you had noticed anything strange going on with shifters out in this area. You are pretty far out of town and it would be easy for a shifter to hide around here. I wouldn't want to see anyone bother you."

  Dayna felt herself go a little warm inside. He seemed genuinely concerned about her safety. Her mind quickly went from flattered to concerned when she reminded herself why she was out there in the first place. Did he know something that she didn't?

  "I haven't noticed anything unusual out here," she answered.

  Jake raised one eyebrow and Dayna sensed he was suspicious of what she was saying. She stared past him, looking over his shoulder at the wall behind him. When she brought her gaze back to his face their eyes locked and they stared at one another without speaking. Dayna realized he was studying her face just as she had done to him. Abruptly, she looked down at her hands. Clearing her throat, she was about to speak when he asked another question.