Unlike the human world, shifters didn’t usually mourn the loss of life with funerals. It was Callie’s understanding that each pack treated death differently. Sometimes the bodies turned to dust, disintegrating moments after death. If there was a body—and it was recovered and intact, some packs would bury them. She had also read somewhere that some would eat them.
Yuck!
She was still adjusting to her new life filled with monsters and magic. Though she’d met a few shifters before, Callie had never considered dating one until she had met and fell blindly in love with Trevor. And now, she lived in a town full of them. Trevor had brought her to Twisted Tail, and it was where she’d remained, even after his demise.
For the most part, she’d been ignored by the pack until their new Alpha had taken over. He and his mate had taken her and Max under their wings, even helping her land a job at one of the newly opened local diners. It wasn’t much, but it helped her keep a roof over their heads and food in their stomachs. Calder had also been kind enough to help by moving her mother across country so she’d have family around to help with Max.
She’d thought about leaving a million times over, but knew she’d need the support of the pack when Max got older. His father had been a shifter. Common sense told her—her son would be, too. Not only that, it didn’t escape Callie’s attention how drastically the town had changed after Calder had taken over, and again when he’d found his mate, Daisy.
The once desolate town had transformed before her eyes. Gone were the drugs and crime. Now it was all about family and community. Somewhere she’d be proud to raise her son.
“I better get my butt moving before I’m late for work.” Callie hugged her mom and headed for the door, ignoring the nagging feeling that something was coming that her dreams had left her with.
Chapter Three
Wyatt looked around at the bustling city street. People packed the sidewalks. Cars, busses, and trucks packed the roads. Noise and chaos surrounded him. Something he despised. Smog nearly choked each of his senses. His wolf hated the city just as much as he did. He felt like he should be looking for hidden cameras or something. Maybe Ethan had set up some elaborate scheme, or he was going to punk him. None of it seemed right—or normal.
“Are you sure we’re in the right place?”
“One hundred percent certain. This is the address the website listed for the Paranormal Dating Agency.”
Ugh. When Ethan had first told him the woman’s name he’d been thrilled, hoping this mysterious woman could help him find his dream mate. The more he thought about it though—the more insane the whole damn thing sounded. How could anyone have known about his dreams? And what the fuck is the Paranormal Dating Agency?
“Let’s get this over with then,” Wyatt huffed, and headed into the building, wanting to punch the smirk off his brother’s face.
They rode the elevator in complete and total silence. Wyatt didn’t trust himself to not freak out on his brother for dragging him into the city to investigate what was sure to be complete and utter bullshit. It had to be some sort of hoax.
A coincidence. Right?
“Are you going to knock or just stand there?” Ethan asked.
“You should knock,” Wyatt countered.
“Why me? You’re the one having the dreams.”
“You’re the one who ran into her.”
They stood motionless in front of the door, whispering about who should be the one to knock when the door suddenly flung open.
“Ah, you must be Ethan and Wyatt Lockhart. I’m Gerri Wilder.”
Wyatt’s jaw nearly hit the ground when the older woman with a pixie haircut and bright blue eyes opened the door.
“Well, are you boys going to come in or do you want to keep measuring your dicks in the hallway?” Gerri stepped aside and motioned for them to enter.
“Sorry, I’m Wyatt. This is my brother, Ethan. You ran into him yesterday.”
“I remember.” Gerri led them into the living room. “Why don’t you have a seat, and you can tell me exactly how I can help the two of you.”
“I don’t need any help. I’m just here for moral support,” Ethan stated.
“Uh huh. Sure you are.” Gerri rolled her eyes. “If that’s the case, let’s start with you.” She nodded to Wyatt.
Was this lady for real? The question sat perched on the tip of his tongue, but his mother had taught him better than to be rude to a woman. Especially when he was a guest in her home.
“I’m not sure where to start. My brother said you ran into him with a warning or message. Something about dreams being more real than life?”
Gerri’s response was automatic. “Well, they are, dear. Wouldn’t you agree?”
Her response gave nothing away. No telling smile that perhaps she knew what was going on with him.
Wyatt didn’t have time for games with a woman he didn’t know. It was clear to him that she was as nutty as his brother had thought her to be.
“I’m sorry for wasting your time. I guess I came here looking for—”
“For the other half of your soul? Your missing piece? Your fated mate who will complete you?”
Wyatt saw a little smile tug at the corners of her mouth.
“Something like that.” Wyatt stood to leave.
“You’re right. You won’t find what you’re looking for here,” Gerri replied.
Wyatt tried to keep the look of disappointment off his face, but failed.
“But you’ll find exactly what you’re looking for a few hours from here.”
What kind of games was this lady playing? First, he wouldn’t find what he was looking for here? But drive a few hours and boom—he’d find his mate?
Gerri continued, “You’ll both find what you’re looking for at the Twisted Tail Pack.”
Wyatt’s eyes narrowed as he searched for any evidence of deception in her words, but he found none. Neither did his wolf.
Ethan turned to face Gerri. “What do you mean? What we are both looking for?”
This time, Gerri smiled. “You’re a smart boy. I’m sure you can figure it out.”
With that, she ushered them out of her apartment, spouting on about being needed elsewhere.
***
Wyatt and Ethan stood on the busy sidewalk once more, trying not to get run over by men and women in business suits as they scurried off to wherever they were headed. He didn’t know what to make of Gerri or her cryptic words. Both he and Ethan were completely dumbfounded by their meeting with Gerri.
He had no idea what to expect going into the situation, and even less as far as expectations went after speaking with her.
“What the hell was that all about?” Ethan asked.
“I have absolutely no idea, but I do know that my wolf is ready to hop in the truck and find this Twisted Tail Pack. Wherever the hell they may be.”
“That’s what I was afraid of.”
It didn’t take them long to get back to their shared house. Wyatt wasted no time in throwing a few pairs of jeans and T-shirts into a duffle bag before hounding Ethan to hurry the fuck up.
What Gerri had given him was a small thread of hope that he might be able to find his mate after dreaming about her for months. He was the first to admit—it was a long shot, but he’d take it in a heartbeat if it meant finally ending the dreams by claiming his mate.
Ethan, on the other hand, had been less optimistic. Which was a point of concern for Wyatt. He knew how much Ethan had wanted to find his mate. Gerri’s statement had led him to believe they would both find their mates at Twisted Tail. So why didn’t Ethan seem just as excited about the prospect of finally finding the one the Fates decreed as his?
Chapter Four
Callie glanced at the clock as she hustled to yet another table, delivering three bacon cheeseburgers, medium rare—of course—and fries.
What is it with shifters eating their meat half raw and oozing with blood? The thought of biting into a burger and having blood run down he
r throat… Blech! The image left her choking back bile.
Whatever, it wasn’t up to her to judge what others ate. It was her job to plaster a smile on her face and take the orders. Keep the customers happy.
She’d promised Cam when she had applied for the job that she would wait tables like a boss if given the opportunity. Camryn, the new owner of Cam’s Diner, had been reluctant to hire an ordinary human in a town filled with shifters. How would Callie deal with a shifter if a fight broke out or if something happened? It wasn’t like she could match any of them in strength or speed.
Thankfully, Calder had vouched that Callie was one of them. She may not be a shifter, but her son would grow up to be one. And Twisted Tail took care of their own.
Cam had hired her on the spot. From that day on, Callie buzzed around the diner with more energy than a squirrel on crack, busting her ass to prove that even though she was nothing more than a human, she could not only keep up, but run circles around the best of them.
The bottom line was Callie had a son to take care of and bills to pay. Without her job, she wouldn’t be able to make ends meet.
Today, she was dragging ass. More than anything, she needed to find her focus and the squirrel on crack energy that was her trademark. No matter what Callie did, she just couldn’t seem to pull it together. She wasn’t even halfway through her shift and she’d gotten three orders wrong and spilled two sodas on herself.
Her mind was a hot mess thanks to the erotic dreams plaguing her. What made matters worse, it seemed that everyone in town had decided to hit up the diner for lunch. Her feet ached. Her legs burned, but none of it mattered. She had food to put on the table and a roof over their heads that she needed to keep.
“Are you okay, Callie?” Cam asked, pulling Callie to the side.
She should have known Cam would notice that something was up. That she was off her game. “Yeah, I’m just—hell, I don’t even know what’s going on with me these days. I didn’t sleep very well last night.”
Cam had become more than just Callie’s employer. In the months she’d worked at the diner, they’d become sisters in their struggle to survive the aftermath of Griffin’s reign. Cam had quickly become her confidant, someone she shared everything with.
“Are those dreams still bugging you?”
Callie sighed. “Every damn night.”
“Have they changed at all?”
“Nope. Still the same bone-melting, blood-boiling, toe-curling freaking dreams. I don’t know how much more I can take. And the guy. Good gods, he’s killing me. Every time I close my eyes, he’s there. Kissing me, doing things to me that I’ve never done with anyone. My body feels like it’s going to explode!”
Cam arched her eyebrows.
“I know that look! Don’t you dare say it!” Callie warned.
Cam threw her hands up in the air. “You need a man.”
“I’m not getting into another relationship. Pass. Thanks.” A relationship was the last thing Callie needed or wanted. Trusting a man who had sworn he loved her was the exact reason her life was in shambles.
“I’m not saying you should hop into a relationship. I’m saying you need to get laid. You know, a good old fashioned wham-bam-thank-you-man.”
“Cam!” Callie felt her cheeks heat and knew her face was beet red. “You are so crass.”
“And you’re a prude. Loosen up. You’re young. In the prime of your life. Go out and have some damn fun. Find a guy with a big dick and ride him all night long. You’re allowed to, you know.”
“Oh, my god. Why do I tell you anything?” Callie looked around the diner to see all eyes on her and Cam. Not a single person in the entire place looked embarrassed about eavesdropping on what should have been a private conversation.
“I’m just trying to help you out. There are plenty of single guys in this town who are always looking for some fun.”
“I’ve got your fun right here, sweetie!” one of the male diners shouted.
“I don’t think you’re her type, Earl. You’ve got about a hundred years too many on our sweet Callie.” Cam laughed.
“Great! Look what you started! I am never going to live this down.” Callie stormed away and into the kitchen to see if any of her orders were ready.
“Prude!” Cam called after her.
“I’m going to kill her. In her damn sleep if I have to!” Callie didn’t care who heard her. What the hell had Cam been thinking? Of course, all the customers would overhear the conversation. They were freaking shifters for fuck’s sake! They all had heightened hearing, vision, and, as she found out the hard way—super-sensitive sniffers.
She would never forget the day she’d been walking down the street, lost in her thoughts as images of her dream lover flashed through her mind. Like any red-blooded woman, the dream had turned her on. What she hadn’t realized was that any shifter within a two hundred foot radius could smell her arousal. She’d had several nice gentlemen tell her how good her arousal smelled and they’d be more than happy to help her out with that, if she liked—of course.
“Child, you have got to relax.”
Callie’s head turned to face her newest critic. “Ruby Jean, have you ever once relaxed when someone told you to relax?”
Ruby Jean St. James was one of the cooks at Cam’s and lord knows Callie loved her to bits. Even if she was the vulgar mother hen, continually spouting unsolicited advice to anyone with ears.
“Of course not, but you need to take the advice Cam is giving you and unwind, let loose. If you don’t, that hymen of yours is gonna grow back.”
Callie closed her eyes and shook her head. “What is it with the women who work here? I swear you are all a bunch of walking hormones. Is sex all you guys ever think about?”
“Baby girl, we are shifters. You do know that, right?”
“Of course I know that. How could I not know that you sprout fur and get bitchy once a month?”
“Ha-ha, funny. I know that momma of yours didn’t drop you on your head at birth, so you need to use the brain the good Lord gave you. We’re part animal. Every one of us. We don’t complicate things that are supposed to be natural. Like sex. If you’re horny, get laid. No big deal. If you’re hungry, eat. Again, no big deal. Why do humans always have to overthink every damn thing?”
“As you pointed out, I’m human, and our lives are far more complicated than that. I don’t have base urges like shifters do. I’m not ruled by an animal.”
Ruby Jean rolled her eyes. “Maybe you do have base urges just like us and you’re too afraid to act on it. Besides, you know there isn’t a single man in this town who wouldn’t rock your world and get you to loosen up a bit.”
Callie grabbed the plates that Ruby Jean lined up in front of her and headed back to the dining room. “I’m not afraid to act on anything.”
“Umm-hmm, you keep telling yourself that. I’m thinking if you keep telling yourself all these lies, you might actually start to believe them.”
“Don’t you worry about me, Ruby Jean. I can handle anything that comes my way.”
Callie delivered the food to her table and made her rounds, checking to make sure drinks were filled and everyone had what they needed, all the while fending off multiple offers to rock her world.
Could this day get any worse? The question no sooner popped into her mind when she ran into a hard body. Strong hands latched onto her waist, keeping her upright and off her ass.
The man’s scent wrapped around her, teasing her—promising wicked things were coming her way. She would have known that scent anywhere in the universe.
Callie didn’t need to look up into the eyes she’d seen every night for months. She tried to suck in a breath, but nothing happened. Her lungs burned from the lack of oxygen.
“Look at me, sweetling.”
His voice… ahh gods, that voice. Just as seductive in real life as it had been in her dreams. The voice that whispered all the naughty things he wanted to do to her each time her head had hit the pi
llow.
Callie shook her head, denying the stranger’s request. She felt one of his hands slip from her hip and almost whimpered at the loss of contact. A million thoughts buzzed around in her mind. Most of which centered around the fact that she had to have been losing her marbles. There was no way in hell any of this was possible.
Yet, there she was. Wrapped in the same arms that had held her every night in her dreams.
The stranger placed his hand gently under her chin and lifted her head to meet his gaze.
She no sooner saw those thick, full lips of his and slammed her eyes shut. Oh god, those lips. The ones he’d kissed her with a thousand times over in her dreams.
This can’t be happening.
“Open your eyes, sweetling.”
Callie shook her head—again refusing his demand.
He leaned down to whisper in her ear. “It’s the least you can do after leaving me hanging for months.”
Her entire body shook. With fear. With desire. Hell, she had no idea what all the emotions were that blasted through her body at that moment in time. It was too much. Too much to deal with. Too much for her brain to process.
Not even five minutes ago she had told Ruby Jean she could handle anything that comes her way. Did she lie? Was Ruby Jean standing there, even now, watching the scene unfold? Would she call her out on the lie?
Sheer determination drove Callie to face the inevitable. Slowly, she opened her eyes. Though she knew what would greet her, she still wasn’t prepared when his misty gray eyes met hers.
“You!” Callie gasped before darkness washed over her.
***
Cam and Ruby Jean stood off to the side, watching Callie’s interaction with the handsome stranger.
“Who is that?” Ruby Jean asked.
Cam smiled. “The man of her dreams.”
“Woman, there is no way that man just walked up in here out of her dreams,” Ruby Jean protested.
Paranormal Dating Agency: Her Twisted Heart (Kindle Worlds Novella) (Twisted Tail Pack Book 3) Page 2