The Shifter's Future Mate (Fayoak Romance Book 1)

by Moira Byrne

  Table of Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  The Shifter’s Future Mate

  A Fayoak Romance

  Moira Byrne

  Copyright © 2017 by S&S Press

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  1

  Roselani

  I bit at the inside of my cheek, my stomach in knots. The good kind. The ones that are warm with excitement and anticipation. He would be here soon. I had known the exact time, down to the very second, that my Maddox would show up since last night.

  "Well, not my Maddox," I corrected myself out loud as I glanced about The Honeyed Peach. I absently noted all the diner's tables and booths were full. The happy clink of forks hitting plates intertwined with laughter and conversation—familiar sounds that made my heart dance. The smiling faces of our regulars sat among many I didn't recognize. Tourists, most likely; here to experience Fayoak's famous orchards.

  I turned my attention back to the task at hand and poured Mrs. Greenhaven a cup of coffee. She cleared her throat and shot me a curious look, so I gave the silver-haired woman a big smile.

  My thoughts continued to ramble as I went over our conversation from last night. Maddox hadn’t so much as hinted to his impending visit during our phone call; I simply knew. He probably thought he was going to surprise me and I would let him, even if my clairvoyance had spoiled it.

  Giddy with anticipation, I glanced out the large windows that lined the walls. The sunlight streamed in, highlighting the gleaming wood all around the cozy diner. My eyes drifted out to the parking lot, where Maddox would be pulling in soon. I could barely wait, but I knew I had to be more careful about letting my thoughts run amok.

  I was a little too excited to have him come home outside of his usual schedule. Our secret relationship wouldn't stay secret for long if I kept this up. The last thing I needed was for him to someday bring home his mate and have the whole town tell her we used to be an item. That would be a hundred different levels of awkward.

  I tucked away my excitement over his impending arrival and turned to leave Mrs. Greenhaven's table, but she tugged at my wrist.

  "Roselani, you silly girl, get your head out of those clouds," she chastised. "I've been trying to tell you that I asked for decaf."

  I blinked at her, then shook my head. "You want regular. It's going to be a busy day at the orchard."

  "Well, yes, of course it will. I'm going to be grafting the apple trees today." She pursed her lips, then lowered her voice to a near whisper. "Why, what do you know?"

  "Actually, this is something more like . . ." I crinkled my nose as I gave it some thought. "I'm not really sure. Something about your irrigation lines and . . . coyotes?"

  "Say nothing more." Mrs. Greenhaven waved a hand through the air, a vexed look on her face. "I suppose I won't be grafting after all."

  "That actually made sense to you?" I couldn't help but let out a delighted giggle. It was rare that I was so good at pinpointing exactly what was going on. I couldn't possibly count the times people had come to me after something had happened and let me know it would have made so much more sense if I had been able to tell them just a little bit more. If only I could.

  Unlike my grandmother, I was the discount clairvoyant in town. Sometimes my visions were super specific, but usually only with the most mundane things. The other day, I knew that the morning paper was going to arrive at exactly 5:29. Not very impressive, or even all that useful. However, knowing that Maddox was going to be here in a little under fifteen minutes was nice.

  "Fortunately and unfortunately, I understand exactly what that means." Mrs. Greenhaven's words brought my attention back to her as she suddenly stood up with a huff. "When Alexander comes by with your order today, please let him know that I need him to finish up his deliveries and get home quickly."

  "Will do," I said with an enthusiastic nod. "I'll get you that coffee to go."

  "I should really—"

  "Oh, no," I interrupted, despite knowing that was dangerous with someone like Mrs. Greenhaven, "I really meant it when I said you would need it."

  She eyed me for a moment and I briefly wondered if this was going to be one of those times that I went too far. I did that sometimes. It hadn’t taken me long to realize that people didn't like their surprises ruined, or getting bad news, even if it could possibly be prevented.

  A lesson learned as early as kindergarten when I absent-mindedly told my teacher that the ring her boyfriend was going to give her was beautiful. Unfortunately, she hadn't known the proposal was coming. That sort of stuff seemed to spill out of me without a second thought, though. I really couldn't control it, but sometimes I wished I could.

  I let out a tiny, secret sigh of relief when Mrs. Greenhaven brushed a hand over her tightly pulled-back hair and primly folded her hands as she sat back down in her chair. She didn’t get as angry as I feared. Crisis averted.

  "I'll wait," she said, her lips barely opening to let the words out.

  I turned around and resisted the urge to break into a run. There was still a chance she could blow at any minute. If I had been thinking, I would have given her the news a bit more delicately. I was so out of it that I hadn't even realized whom I had given the bad news to. Mrs. Greenhaven never liked things out of order, not even a little.

  My eyes wandered up to the clock. I hoped it would be near the time Alex normally showed up with his delivery, but when I saw the time, my thoughts drifted back to Maddox. I couldn't wait to see him. I loved to slip my fingers into his dark hair as he kissed the breath out of me. He kept it just long enough for me to grab a handful in the throes of passion.

  Shivers of anticipation ran through me at the thought of all the extra time we would have together. By the time I made the ten steps it took to get behind the counter to the coffee pot, my worries about upsetting Mrs. Greenhaven had long since floated away.

  I knew I was supposed to grab a to-go cup for her, but my hand hovered in the air in front of them as a dopey grin spread across my face. It was nearly time for Maddox to arrive. I could practically feel his hands in my hair. His lips hungry on mine. The way he always—I blinked rapidly as a set of neatly manicured red nails waved in front of my face and knocked me out of my fantasy. The hand tugged out one of the to-go cups and held it right in front of me, making me go cross-eyed.

  "What's got you so distracted? Something interesting on the Future Channel in your brain?" Rhonda, the other waitress working the morning rush, asked me in a teasing tone.

  "Oh, yeah, you kno
w how it goes," I said, shifting my eyes to the side as I reached to take the cup from her. "I just had to give Mrs. Greenhaven some bad news."

  She tugged the cup back suddenly. I braved a look into her eyes, but I knew it was a mistake the moment I did it. They were narrowed suspiciously.

  "Oh, don't give me that. It seems a bit early for Maddox to be back already."

  I looked down at the floor with far more interest than it deserved. I desperately tried to think of something to distract her. Our relationship was supposed to be a secret.

  "Maddox? Pfft. Isn't the running joke that I'm always out of it? Silly, distracted Rose."

  Although I was trying to distract her, it was true. If there was anyone in this world who didn't need to have unwanted news briefs about the future constantly distracting them, it was me. Mrs. Greenhaven wasn't wrong. I hadn't met a cloud I wasn't willing to poke my head into. The whole clairvoyance thing only made it worse. It was hard to stay in the here-and-now when tomorrow kept poking its head in.

  "You're always a little checked out, but usually you float around like a cartoony princess singing and daydreaming. I don’t know how you manage to get your work done," Rhonda said with a smile. "I know well enough by now that this," she paused to look me up and down, "means that Maddox is coming into town."

  "Rhonda," I hissed through clenched teeth as I darted a look around us," I told you to use the codeword if you're going to insist on talking about certain secret things."

  She rolled her eyes. "Is your cat paying a visit?"

  "He's not my cat, for one thing."

  Rhonda snorted. "I’ve heard that before."

  I chose to ignore her and continued, "And two, yeah, but he didn't even tell me, okay? I told you it's not a big deal between us or anything. He's probably just coming home because his sister is about to pop . . . like, any day now."

  "Is Meghan really going to have her baby that soon? Do you know exactly when? We’ve got a pool going." Rhonda eyed me with excitement. "I can’t believe it's been nearly nine months already."

  I danced a little jig inside my head when it seemed like she was finally distracted. Thank you, Meghan.

  "You haven't seen her lately, have you? You don't need clairvoyance to know, trust me," I said with a grin. "She's barely off the couch these days. But even if I knew the exact hour, I wouldn't help you cheat."

  "Fine, be that way." Rhonda grinned and narrowed her eyes. "That was a nice try, Rose, but you're not off the hook."

  "I don't know what you're talking about," I replied innocently. I even batted my eyelashes for effect.

  Rhonda rolled her eyes. "Really, you’re going to try that on a mother of two? Hon, it's very easy to tell—" she suddenly stopped mid-sentence as her eyes flicked behind me.

  I blanched as I looked down at the cup in Rhonda's hand. I couldn't believe I had forgotten. That was bad even for me. "It's Mrs. Greenhaven, isn't it?"

  "Get your move on," she replied as she shoved the cup into my hand. "If she makes the plants go the way of Jack and the Beanstalk again, you're the one pruning them."

  I nodded and stiffly turned around to the coffee pot and filled the to-go cup. I made sure to leave just enough room for a dash of cream and one packet of sugar. When I sat the cup down in front of her with an apologetic smile, Mrs. Greenhaven looked sharply up at me, her eyes narrowed.

  "About time," she snapped.

  "Sorry, I got a little distracted," I said through my teeth, my smile so firmly in place that it made my cheeks hurt.

  I really didn't want to have to prune the plants. Being that we were a town celebrated for our orchards, arboretums, and gorgeous forests, The Honeyed Peach had far more plants than your average diner. I knew from past experiences that it took the better part of an eternity to prune them all if worse came to worst and a plant fae lost her temper. It would turn into a jungle in here.

  "I can't say I'm terribly surprised." Mrs. Greenhaven slid out of her booth, her eyes never leaving mine. "Try keeping your focus long enough to remember to tell Alexander that I need him home right away."

  "I will." I nodded and etched it deep into my memory so I wouldn't forget, then I crooked my pinky and held it out to her. "Pinky-promise."

  She looked down at my pinky, her brow furrowed, then back up at me. The look she gave me was cold. "I won't be doing that."

  I slowly pulled my pinky away, hiding the offending digit behind my back.

  "Right. Of course. Have a nice day, Mrs. Greenhaven." I cringed the moment those words left my mouth, but it was too late.

  "We both know I won't," she said with her characteristic huff, then made her way to the exit.

  I watched nervously as she approached the entrance to The Honeyed Peach. The plants by the front door subtly shifted toward her, as if seeking out her presence. I bit down hard on my lower lip, half-expecting the plants to have a sudden growth spurt. I told the tourists it was a magic trick last time. I managed to pull that one off pretty well, but I didn't know if I would get so lucky again.

  I breathed a sigh of relief when she walked through the door and the plants straightened back up. They were a little taller and greener, but nothing that would require pruning shears and manual labor.

  My gaze hadn't yet left the wooden door when I felt it. I bit down on my lower lip in anticipation. I didn't even need to look at the clock to know that he was only minutes away from walking inside. A tingle slowly worked its way down my spine, making me squirm in place.

  Maddox was home.

  2

  Maddox

  Anticipation clawed at my stomach. My hands gripped the steering wheel and I forced myself to drive the speed limit. I came home to visit a month ago and wasn't due for another visit yet, but my little sister’s pregnancy was about over and the newest member of the family was expected to arrive any day now. I couldn't miss the birth of her first child. I wouldn't be seeing her right away though, there was one person I always made a point to see first when I got into town.

  I glanced up at The Honeyed Peach's familiar sign as I turned into the parking lot. As usual, it was packed and I had to search for a space. It wasn’t normal in most cities for a diner’s lot to be this packed on a weekday morning, but it was always like this at The Peach.

  I drove around to the back of the diner and finally found a spot. As I got out of the truck, I slammed the door shut and hurried around to the front of The Peach.

  The polished wood door to the diner invited me in. It swung open easily, and the aroma of eggs, bacon, and coffee hit me all at once. I was hungry, but another hunger had me in its grips.

  Out of habit, I glanced left to the gift shop to make sure no one was there. The Peach didn’t bother to have someone work it. The locals knew if they wanted anything, they simply had to ask one of the servers.

  I halfway expected to see Red waiting for me, but she wasn’t. Even if she had already seen that I was coming, I knew she was too busy to simply be standing around doing nothing. No matter how much I wanted her to be. I was glad to see no one else was there, though. That meant I could drag her in there right away.

  I paused a moment, my attention caught by the plants near the door. I knew they were regularly pruned, but they appeared larger, bushier. It looked like Mrs. Greenhaven had recently visited.

  I continued on and came around the partition that separated the restaurant and the gift shop. There she was. Red. My Red. Her eyes immediately met mine. She smiled and a dimple formed on the corner of her mouth. It was like a punch to the gut and I felt my body respond. Tension leaked out of my shoulders, while other parts of me stiffened up. I felt a shift in my eyes and knew my cat looked out. It needed to see her, too.

  "I'll get you your three coffees, and your iced tea. Take a look at the menu and don't forget to look at the back side," Red said to the four customers at the table, "that’s where the pancake options are. You're going to love the ones with peach syrup." Her gaze briefly met one of the patrons. "I’ll be back shortly." She
nodded and turned away from them without waiting for a response.

  Even through the din of the restaurant, I heard her clearly. Part of it was my shifter hearing, but I was attuned to her. I felt like I could pick out her voice in any crowd. I smiled at her, and felt my grin widen at the surprised looks on the customers' faces as she walked away from them. Instantly, I knew they must have been visitors from out of town. They all leaned forward in their booth and snuck alternate glances at Red's retreating form.

  "How did she know I didn't want coffee?" I heard one of the surprised customers say to the others.

  "And that I’m craving pancakes?" another said. "Peach syrup sounds really good, too."

  Red paused by the packed counter and placed a coffee cup in front of an empty seat. I noticed how her spotless uniform hugged her curves as she bent over and I itched to touch her. A strand of red hair fell from her messy bun and she brushed it away from her eyes, a simple gesture that never failed to drive me wild. I was so distracted that I barely noticed when she started to walk toward me.

  "You're back," she said with a smile as she reached me, but she didn't stop. Instead, she continued to walk past me around the partition I still stood by, to enter the gift shop. I followed right behind her. As soon as we were out of sight, she stopped and turned to face me.

  She shook her head and said, "Hair."

  I grinned. I loved to run my hands through her hair, but that would pull her bun down and it would take her too long to put it back in place.

  Then she was in my arms. My mouth came down on hers and I was kissing her deeply. She kissed me back just as fiercely. One of my hands crept up to the back of her neck. I was about to dig my fingers into her hair when I remembered what she said, and kept my hand where it was.