Shifter Secrets: Shifter Romance Collection

by Juniper Hart

  Her car door opened, and she didn’t bother to lift her head. Asher’s hands were on her, checking her all over to make sure she was okay. He then tugged her into his chest as he awkwardly hunched down to be at her level.

  “I’m sorry, I’m so sorry. I know this is a lot for you, and I could have handled giving her the information better, more discretely. No one is going to make you meet your biological parents or find anything else out about them, I promise. I’ll handle all of that, and you can decide for yourself whether or not you want to know,” he told her.

  Olive nodded and buried her face in the fabric of his shirt. They stayed like that as she did her best to draw in deep breaths and completely calm herself.

  “I know it sounds weird after everything we’ve talked about, but I do trust her,” Asher continued. “She is different from the other witches I know. While I will still be guarded around her, I think she’s going to be an ally in all this.”

  That comforted Olive. For the past several days, she had been criticizing her ability to judge others’ character since Esme and Asher had given conflicting information about one another. However, it was all from misunderstanding and lack of communication. Esme was a good friend, and Asher was her lover, and he would never purposefully hurt her. She wasn’t exactly sure if she should have been trusting one over the other, but that felt insignificant to her. Perhaps they were there to give her balance, so that she didn’t put her full self into either and could find a way to stand on her own two feet.

  “It all makes sense,” Esme’s voice called from the near distance. Olive and Asher looked up from their embrace and took in the expression on Esme’s face. A light bulb should have been lit up above her head. “I can’t believe this hasn’t happened before now, but you two were able to conceive because Olive is technically a witch.”

  “What makes you so sure?” Asher challenged.

  “The curse that Imogen placed on the dragons. Her exact wording was, ‘never to breed with dragon or human alike.’ Witches aren’t in that list. Guess it’s hard to think about semantics when you’re burning alive,” Esme explained, unable to help but add in her dash of dark humor.

  “That… actually makes sense,” Asher murmured, looking back to Olive. “I’m sorry, sweetie. I think you really are from witch descent.”

  Olive sat back in her seat and looked up to the fabric ceiling of the car. Would the surprises ever stop coming? “I don’t get it,” she mumbled. “I mean, this is already a lot to process on the surface without diving deeper, but why did they give me up like that? They knew I would be left alone, not knowing what I was, and that I would run into problems with it sooner or later.”

  “That explains your dreams, too. They were more than likely premonitions,” Esme added.

  “Right…” Olive grimaced. She didn’t want to think they were true, not with how horrific they had been. The entire time, she had figured it was her mind festering in her fear and projecting it into something larger than herself. “Well, then, we really need to get back on the road.”

  15

  The next several days were nothing but driving and stopping to rest. They had long talks about Olive’s apparent past and what it meant for the baby and their future. Esme hypothesized that her being given away could have been as simple as her parents fearing being tracked by the government, since they had been forced into the hospital due to a car accident. Or because Mariella and George had apparently been having a secret affair. Arranged marriages were commonplace in the coven, and the two of them had not been paired together by the elders.

  That had been trivial to know, but it had given Olive some weird sense of comfort, knowing that she hadn’t necessarily been unwanted. Beyond that, it had brought them closer to understanding how in the world she had gotten pregnant. With that knowledge, and the several states between them and the Tallant family, the three of them found peace for the first time in months.

  Asher had purchased them a new car, ditched the rental, and withdrew as much cash as he could from his personal accounts so that there wasn’t a paper trail for his family to follow if they did seek him out. He was certain that he still had enough personal wealth from his collection of artifacts, antiques, and actual gold that they wouldn’t have to stress about money--ever. Now they just had to get to Asher’s brother, Sebastian.

  When they finally reached the West Coast, they settled into a resort on the water. Olive had tried to protest. Even though money wouldn’t be an issue, they should still be frugal until they knew he could retrieve his wealth. However, Asher was adamant in the fact they all needed to relax and have a breather from the insanity they had been enduring day to day. That, she could not argue with.

  They all sat together in the resort’s restaurant for dinner, Asher’s arm around Olive and her head leaned on his shoulder while Esme sat across from them. Esme entertained herself with countless cocktails and flirting with the waiter. After the initial tension between the two of them, Asher and Esme had started getting along surprisingly well.

  “Wait, so you picked ‘Henry’ after Asher?” Esme asked as she plucked the olive from her cocktail sword with her teeth. Olive nodded, a blush coming to her cheeks. Esme laughed. “I’m not sure if I think that’s sweet or annoying.”

  “You can find it to be both, doesn’t change anything,” Olive chuckled.

  “Still, Esme is a lovely middle name.”

  “Uh-huh.”

  Esme’s attention went to Asher. “So, tell me, what exactly is it like living thousands of years, suppressed by rules and a crazed leader?”

  “Come on, we’re supposed to be relaxing,” Olive groaned. She didn’t want to talk about it anymore. Even though nothing about them was normal, she would like to have gone a day without it being a topic of discussion.

  “Probably about the same as living with insane women in charge with their own doctrine of expectations. Like arranged marriages,” Asher breezily shot back.

  “Alright, alright, touché.” Esme laughed and held up her hands in surrender. “There was a good reason for me to leave the coven.”

  “As there is for me leaving mine,” Asher breathed. Olive could feel his eyes on her. She met his dewy gaze, love and admiration swimming in his brown eyes. Her lips curled in a smile as he leaned down to kiss her. His lips were tender, and they lingered on hers. Olive’s body was consumed by bliss at his passionate yet gentle kiss.

  “Get a room, you two,” Esme groaned, tossing a straw wrapper at them, bouncing off Asher’s cheek.

  “We have one,” Asher shot back at her with a wiggle of his brows, causing Esme’s face to sour.

  “Ugh, gross. I’m aware you two conceived a child. Don’t need the imagery.”

  “You brought it up!” Asher laughed. Olive was all smiles, her heart brimming with love for the two people she was with.

  Their food eventually came, and they enjoyed their meals over light conversation, with laughter and smiles being plentiful. Once done, Esme, a little too tipsy, insisted on taking a walk on the beach. It was nighttime, and no one would be out there. It didn’t take much convincing at all before Asher was paying the bill and they were exiting the building, walking right onto the beach. Olive awkwardly bent over to take her shoes off, and Asher wrapped an arm around her to support her as she did so. Esme ran ahead like an excited child. She tended to be more adventurous and excitable when drunk, always making Olive roll her eyes.

  “I’ve never been in the Pacific Ocean!” Esme exclaimed as she walked directly into the waves, not bothering to take her shoes off or roll up her pants.

  “You’ve been putting up with this for seven months?” Asher leaned in to whisper in Olive’s ear.

  She laughed lightly and nodded. “She’s wild and maybe a little unstable, but she has a good heart.”

  “You’re actually a remarkable judge of character,” Asher sighed, letting his hand travel up and down her side. “I’m sorry. I hate that we had you questioning yourself and your own intuit
ion when you were actually doing the right thing the entire time.”

  “It’s okay,” Olive responded with a weak smile. “Both of you thought you were doing what was right as well.” They walked along with nothing but Esme’s fits of laughter and the sound of the waves surrounding them. “You know… it still hasn’t really sunk in that I’m… I’m a witch. It feels weird even to say it.”

  “I can’t even imagine,” Asher mumbled. “Seems like you’re relatively unaffected by it genetically, though. Other than perhaps having a touch of foresight and, well, the obvious.” His sentiment ended with a large grin.

  They walked for a while, coming to a portion of the beach that was entirely secluded. Rolling sandy hills obstructed their view of the resorts, and it seemed like not another living thing was on the beach. Asher stopped Olive suddenly, holding both of her hands and searching the depths of her eyes.

  “I never thought any of this to be possible. To find my mate, to lose you, and then come back with the news I had a child… Not to mention what’s going on with my family. I could be overwhelmed and feel defeated, but I’m not. I’m excited. All it has done is prove to me just how much you mean to me, and how I want nothing in this world but what is promised in our future.” He bit his lip as his eyes gleamed with happiness and admiration. “You’re my soulmate, Liv. That’s what I meant by the bond we share. I know I’m not insane, and I know you feel it, too.”

  Olive wasn’t sure why, but a large rush of embarrassment flooded her. They had spoken in great length about how they felt for one another and how it just seemed so natural and right, though they had never placed such a hefty label on it. Even though her initial reaction was to dismiss such a thing, thinking soulmates to be something that only existed in stories, she knew that would only be denying what she truly felt. Asher was right. They practically knew what the other was thinking or feeling without a single word having to be uttered. She could sense when he was nearby without ever laying eyes on him or hearing his voice.

  “I think you may be right,” she replied, her eyes unable to meet his with the butterflies growing in her stomach.

  “That’s the thing. I know I’m right.” Then, Asher was in her line of sight, kneeling in front of her. Olive’s gaze searched his wildly, not knowing what exactly he was doing. Still holding both of her hands, Asher spoke. “I’ve lost you once, Olive, and it nearly killed me. I don’t think I could ever bear that sort of pain again for the rest of my days. I mean it when I said that all I care about is our future. Mine, yours, and Henry’s. Maybe you think I’m being brash, since it’s been only a week since we reunited, but I’ve never been so certain of anything in all my years. Olive, will you—?”

  There was a scream in the near distance, breaking the intimate moment in half. Both of their heads jerked to the side, looking past Olive. It was Esme, being overpowered by a large, brutish man.

  “They found us! How?” Asher breathed. Before Olive could react, he commanded, “Stay right here.” Then he was rushing over to the scene in a blur.

  As soon as he was upon Esme and her attacker, he launched himself at the man, and all three of them went tumbling onto the sand. Esme scurried back as soon as she was freed from the man’s grip. There was hollering and animalistic hissing and growling. As the stranger and Asher rolled around, struggling for dominance, Esme ran over to Olive.

  “What’s going on?” Olive asked with wide eyes, tears already threatening to spill over.

  “H-he snuck up behind me, the bastard. Had I had my bag with me…” Esme let out a bitter laugh. “He wouldn’t have been a problem for more than a second.”

  There was a thunderous roar as the two men shifted into their dragon shapes. It was so bizarre to watch, even with having seen it before, that Olive’s mind tried to tell her that her vision was lying to her. Their skin rippled as their bodies elongated, scales sliding out and armoring their flesh, wings expanding and flapping rapidly, kicking up sand all around them. Before her brain could fully process the scene before her, another dragon was swooping down, giving a hellish growl.

  “No, no, no!” Olive cried, beginning to run forward before Esme caught her and held her back.

  “There’s nothing you can do to help, Olive. They’d crush you in a heartbeat,” Esme informed her in a grave tone. “Let’s get inside, okay? That’s the best thing to do.”

  Olive was shaking her head. “I can’t just leave! What if something happens to him?” Her eyes were glued to the fight. Asher’s golden form stood on top of another dragon’s neck, pinning him in place as he breathed an explosion of fire toward the other.

  “There is nothing you can do. What Asher would want you to do is get to safety and protect your son. At least come with me to get my bag, okay? We can help him then.”

  It was no use. Olive was rooted to her spot, hot tears streaming down her face as worry and anxiety ate away at her insides. She felt the urge to get sick, but not even that would take her eyes away from the scene before her. A diluted thought in the back of her mind told her that as long as her eyes were on him, he would be okay. Esme began pulling on her, trying to lead her away from the beach. It was becoming more and more clear to Olive that there never would be a way to truly run away from the Tallants or the control they had over the land. Carlyle would always find them. He would find Henry.

  With Asher’s attention turning to finish off the dragon he had pinned, the other took the advantage to attack, knocking Asher into the water. Olive’s stomach tightened, the stress becoming too much for her. The dragon was attempting to hold Asher’s head beneath the water, hissing and growling on top of him.

  A sharp pain overcame Olive, and she doubled over. It was the same sensation cramps gave but much, much worse. She let out a cry, strangled in pain and worry.

  “Okay, okay, you need to sit down,” Esme instructed, helping to lower her to the ground. Olive’s eyes still never left the dragons, praying over and over again for Asher’s head to lift up. The pain overrode her senses, not even realizing she was screaming as she did. “Oh, my God,” Esme let out hoarsely. “Olive, you’re bleeding…”

  Her words didn’t register. Olive was lightheaded, and in the blink of an eye, she was met by blackness.

  16

  Asher’s back was scraping against the rocky ocean floor as he tried with all his might to get the man off him. Even while being held underneath the water, Asher’s head was filled with questions. How did these two find them? Were there more in tow? Had they already told someone they had picked up on the dragonborn’s scent?

  Blindly, Asher slashed his claws upward, finding satisfaction in tearing flesh with his claws. As the tide pulled back, he finally had the opportunity to jerk upward, lifting his head from the water. He was expecting to be met with the sounds of growls and waves, but instead, it was blood-curdling screaming ringing in his ears. Asher launched himself up at the man and pinned him down himself, just to take the split second to look over to where Olive had been.

  Much to his horror, she was lying down in the sand with Esme knelt over her, screaming at Asher to come quickly. If Asher hadn’t been fueled by adrenaline before then, he was in that moment. With strength he didn’t realize he had, he gripped the dragon and kept him pinned hard to the earth as he belched a burst of fire directly into his face. The dragon screamed and squirmed around, trying to get away from Asher, but it was no use. Asher let out fire in a continuous stream until the dragon stopped moving. Only when he felt the man’s body go limp did he stop. Acting quickly to drag the two dragon’s bodies into the ocean, praying they could get swept away with the tide, Asher could finally turn his attention to his mate.

  Shifting back, he rushed over to Esme and Olive with alarm. Esme was crying and holding Olive close. “We need to get her to a hospital or something!” she wept.

  “What happened?” Asher questioned, his chest heaving.

  “I don’t know… I guess the stress was too much for her? She’s bleeding, Asher!”

&
nbsp; Asher’s hands went into his hair, panic setting in. They couldn’t go to a hospital. The baby’s vitals would be different, along with the sonogram, if they took one. That was a situation they couldn’t easily escape from. What else were they supposed to do, though? What if Olivia was losing the baby?

  “Let’s just get her back to the room for now,” he decided, cautiously scooping Olive up into his arms.

  “Are you crazy? She needs medical attention!”

  “Do you think I’m going to let anything happen to her?” he snapped. “You know as well as I do that taking her to human doctors is out of the question!” He didn’t wait for Esme to respond, not really caring how she felt about it. He beelined for their room, thankful that he had suggested one of the private bungalows on the outskirt of the resort.

  Getting inside, Asher lay Olive down on the bed and hovered above her, trying his best to think clearly. She hadn’t lost that much blood. If she had passed out, it had to have been because of shock, right?

  “We need to wake her up.” Walking into the bathroom, he found a stack of clean washcloths and soaked one with cold water before ringing it out and going back to Olive.

  “Could I do that while you put on a pair of pants?” Esme mused.

  Asher didn’t pay her any attention. The last thing he cared about was his appearance. Perching on the edge of the bed, he gently pressed the cold rag against Olive’s cheek and then against her forehead, moving in a pattern. Instinctively, Asher’s hand rested on her stomach. He could feel the baby moving around, but not to the extent he would have liked. What was going on in there?