by D T Strange
Fated
Treasures
A Paranormal Dating Agency Story
D.T. Strange
Fated Treasures/D.T. Strange - 1st ed.
Paranormal Dating Agency
Copyright 2018 Jen Talty
D.T. Strange
[email protected]
Published by MT Worlds Press, Inc.
Winter Springs, FL 32708
http://mtworldspress.com
Formatting by Celtic Formatting
All rights reserved under the International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.
This is a work of fiction. Names, places, characters and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, organizations, events or locales is entirely coincidental.
http://mtworldspress.com
Fianna Arden is a witch that seeks ancient lore and treasures. When she learns of Gerri Wilder’s Paranormal Dating Agency, she discovers Gerri’s reputation as an expert matchmaker and decides she has to look into it. After all, love is the stuff legends and lore are based off of. That and Fi needs to know how she does it. But will being matched up with jaded wolf shifter, Cameron Bishop on a mock double date end up being more than she bargained for? Or could it be possible, that a fated treasure will help both Fianna and Cameron find, not only what they are looking for, but also what they never expected to find?
Dedication
This book is dedicated to our family, friends and all who dare to take a chance and read it. We thank each and every one of you.
Always,
D.L. Potter & T.J. Finn
Acknowledgment
This book couldn’t have been done if it weren’t for all the fabulous support of the CRW crew! They helped with advice and encouragement of all sorts that kept us going when we thought we couldn’t get through another chapter or another edit!
One
Just another day on the job
Fianna stood in the shadows of the alley. The smell of rotting garbage mixed with grease and foods being cooked wafting through various windows almost causing her stomach to turn. She hated alleys. There were always too many dark corners for monsters, human and non-human, to hide in, waiting to attack.
The man she had been following for at least an hour finally stopped a few yards from the entrance to the alley she stood in. She’d had to walk past him before finding another entrance into the alley. Darius Moreau was a witch, small time thief and general troublemaker, but tonight he was about to take a giant step into a world he was not qualified to walk around in.
Her phone vibrated in her pocket and she tapped the ear piece she was wearing, keeping her voice low as she answered. “Joseph, it's not a good time.” Fi had known it was Joseph before answering even. The two of them had been talking earlier and she had quickly hung up on him, when the man she was following had left his office building.
“Fianna you need to go back to your hotel and try to arrange another meeting with this man. I don’t like you skulking around an area you know nothing about in the dark.”
Fianna frowned at the voice in her ear. “I tried twice. He’s not going to talk to me.” The heavy sigh on the other end of the line had her taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly to keep calm.
Joseph Hunter was her grandfather’s best friend and assistant who had worked with him for many years before Fi had come to live with them. Joseph was her guardian, staying with her when her grandfather had gone out of town on business trips. He had been parent, teacher and confidant, especially after her grandfather had disappeared when she’d turned thirteen.
Fi had gone to live with her grandfather and Joseph when her parents had been killed in a plane crash when she was three. The two had taken her in with open arms and raised her. Her grandfather had been a professor at several universities before retiring and devoting his time to the “family business. For generations, Fi’s family had searched for and acquired mystical and magical items that were dangerous if they fell into the wrong hands. They also researched myths and lore then recorded them so that the stories would not be lost to mankind. Her father and her grandfather had written several books on the lore they had come across.
She had grown up living in the family home, a large, red brick house surrounded by several acres of green grass and trees. There was a high brick wall that surrounded it and a tall gate that no one could pass through without first announcing themselves. As a little girl she had pretended she was living in a magical castle and one day her prince charming would come and whisk her away to _his_ castle. When she reached her teens, especially after her grandfather disappeared, she had felt like a prisoner. She had moved out shortly after turning eighteen although she spent a lot of time there doing research and planning trips with Joseph when she would go and retrieve relics.
“Go back to your hotel and call me. We can come up with another plan for you to get the knife.”
Fi started to speak when she saw a black town car with dark, tinted windows pull up next to the man she’d been following. “Sorry Joseph too late. Gotta go.” Pressing the disconnect button on the earpiece, she pulled it out of her ear and slipped it into her pocket. Stepping closer to the entrance of the alley, her heart pounded hard in her chest and she felt a fluttery, empty feeling in her stomach as excitement and apprehension filled her.
The driver, a big, overly muscled man who didn’t seem to have a neck, yet had a tie tied around it, came around the vehicle and Fi jerked her head back quickly as he scanned the area. He must not have seen her because he continued around the car and opened the back-passenger door. The man who stepped out was impeccably dressed in a fine Italian suit that, even from her hiding place, Fi could tell had been made for him. He sneered at Darius’s rumpled, wrinkled clothes, as if they’d never seen the dry cleaners, state of dress and turned to say something to the driver. The driver nodded and took a few steps back from the two of them, giving them some room.
The two of men didn’t exchange a handshake but spoke a few words before Mr. Impeccable pulled a black bag from his pocket and handed it over to Darius. She watched as Darius opened the bag, his hands visibly shaking, and pulled out the knife that had been nestled within the bag. Sucking in a breath, a shiver ran down her spine as the hairs on the back of her neck stood up. Even from where she stood Fi could feel the magic of the knife.
Without taking his eyes off the knife, Darius reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out an overstuffed envelope, absentmindedly handing it to Mr. Impeccable. The man counted and nodded to his driver as he stepped back into the car without a parting word to Darius. The driver shut the door, walked around the car and got in himself, then slowly pulled away from the curb. Fi pressed herself against the brick wall of the building she stood next to as the car passed by.
She stepped out of the alley and slowly approached Darius, who seemed oblivious to everything around him as he continued to examine the knife. She saw him turning it in all directions as he studied it. “It’s impressive isn’t it?” Fi said as she carefully neared.
Darius jerked his eyes away from the knife, turning his head to frown at her. “Who the hell are you?” His hand tightened around the handle of the knife, his whole body turning in response to her approach.
Fi called on her magic, felt it dancing along her skin, knowing what was going through the man’s mind as he watched her. This wasn’t going to be as easy as she’d hoped. She forced herself to stop a few feet away from him, a safe dist
ance she hoped and kept her feet slightly apart, so she was balanced and ready for anything.
Keeping one eye on the knife and the other on the man, she forced a smile. “I’m Fianna. I’ve been trying to set up a meeting with you.”
The man frowned, and she knew he was trying to figure out what her trying to set up a meeting and her appearance here had to do with each other. He looked down at the knife then back up at her, his lips curling into a sneer. “You want the knife. What do you know about it?”
From where Fi stood, she could make out the feather-patterned Damascus blade with an African Blackwood coffin handle. It looked like any other knife you could buy in one of those specialty shops dealing in fantasy trinkets and collectibles. Except this one was ten times deadlier, far from a trinket and way more than $19.99. It had been charged with very strong, black magic bound by several small, intricate Celtic runes at the top of the silver blade. Legend told that the knife never missed its mark, no matter how poorly it was aimed. That made it very dangerous in the hands of the wrong person.
Fi gave a slight shrug of her shoulders. “It’s a beautiful knife and one I’d like to buy off you.”
The man laughed and shook his head, the hand holding the knife dropping to his side. “Trust me you couldn’t afford it. This knife is priceless to me.”
She rubbed her hands on her jeans, preparing to move if he did. “Everything has a price Mr. Moreau. You just paid a hefty sum for it and I’ll double that amount.”
Darius fidgeted, his eyes darting around them, balancing himself on his toes, rolling the knife in his hand. She took another step forward and then stopped as he jerked the knife up, pointing it at her. “Stay back. It's not for sale. So just move along.”
Fi pushed out some of her power, trying to send a sense of calm being to him but it only seemed to agitate him more. He tensed, the knife still pointed at her, and she lowered her head slightly, tucking her chin in, waiting for him to move. They stood like that a moment before, much to Fi’s surprise, he turned and started to run away from her.
“Really?” She watched him a moment before she started after him. Raising her hand, she pushed out her power, hitting him square in the back, sending him tumbling, face first, onto the sidewalk. The knife fell out his hand and Fi darted after it, jumping out of the path of the arc of electricity Darius threw at her. With a flick of her wrist, his hands were suddenly bound with rope as she moved past him to retrieve the knife.
“That’s mine!” Darius’ shriek reminded her of Gollum from Lord of the Rings crying out for his precious ring. Irritated, Fi hit him with another blast of magic and a piece of duct tape appeared over his mouth.
Picking up the knife she walked over to him as he struggled on the sidewalk and pulled out a white envelope from her pocket. Bending at the knees, she put the envelope in his lap, her eyes never leaving his. “There’s more than enough money in there to cover what you paid for the knife and then some. Don’t come looking for it.”
Standing, she walked back the way they had originally came, hearing Darius trying to scream at her as she turned the corner and hurried toward her bike. Pulling her ear piece out of her pocket, she put it in her ear then pulled her phone out hitting Joseph’s speed dial number.
“I got it Joseph. You’d be proud of me. I didn’t damage anything and left the guy tied up on the sidewalk. No, I’m fine and on my way home to lock this thing away. I’ll see you soon.”
Two
Don't Be Late For An Important Date
Cameron Bishop stared down at the rather cryptic message from his mother, Caitlin O’Hara-Bishop. “This message couldn’t have been more vague if it had come encrypted from the FBI.” His eye roll was accompanied by a grumble at being told to put on a nice suit jacket and be at her place by five p.m. sharp. Cam knew the threat of a verbal skinning if he was late, was most definitely implied in his mother’s text.
Standing, he swiped a hand down the back of his head, taking a second to knead the tight muscles his fingers found there. “Damn, even as a grown ass man, my mother is a force to be reckoned with.” Still, he wouldn’t deny her request, nor would he be late. A memory flashed back to him. The memory was never far from the surface, always causing his breath to catch and quicken when it hit.
It was the first day of summer vacation and the day had been swelteringly hot. Some of his friends were camping out down by the lake. Even after being told no, he’d snuck out, hopped on his bike and gone to the lake anyway.
As he turned off the main road and onto the forest path leading to the lake, he felt the heat start to give way. It cooled even more as the sun started to set. With about a half mile to go, guilt began chewing at his gut as frown lines grew deeper across his forehead.
Twilight was just taking hold when he turned around and headed back to the main road. As his front tire had hit the pavement, he saw his parents’ car coming down the road toward him. Dread coiled in his gut because he knew he’d been caught sneaking out. His parents saw him the moment he’d seen them.
What none of them saw until it was too late, was the deer that darted out into the road between their car and where Cam sat waiting. Cam watched as his father jerked the wheel toward the other side of the road to avoid hitting the deer. The car didn’t respond when his father tried turning the wheel back to his side of the road. Cam saw, with unbelieving eyes, the car flip over, sending it careening off the embankment on the other side.
Cam’s head pounded harder than his heart was, as the memory of the car going over the edge jolted him back into the here and now. Taking several shaky breaths, he slowly started to get himself back under control. That night had cost he and his mother dearly. His father had been killed by a tree limb that had gone through the window and into his heart. Cam’s mother been badly injured but survived thanks to the strength of her wolf and the ability to heal from most injuries. She had only a few light scars that showed after she’d recovered. Their hearts however had been scarred very deeply.
Cam fingered the somewhat melted medallion, acknowledging how his actions had and still could impact those he knew and loved in ways more horrible than he could possibly imagine. Slowly, carefully, he tucked the memory back into the recesses of his mind once more.
That fatal mistake had taught Cam to judge carefully before acting. The last thing he ever wanted to do again, was to cause someone else the pain and suffering because of a rash decision he made. This gave him a strong sense of right and wrong, almost a fore sense one might say. Something akin to a gut feeling he’d learned not to ignore.
Cam pulled up his schedule and nodded. “Looks like the rest of my night is clear. Perfect for going out to dinner with mom.” He smiled indulgently as he thought of how she still liked to have mother son date nights. She’d get him to talk about his week and the clients he was working with over a glass of wine and a good meal. If a woman she thought to be nice looking was there, she’d attempt to play matchmaker with the hope that Cam might find someone to settle down with.
Cam chuckled at that last thought. His mother knew that he indulged her but wouldn’t seriously think about settling down with any one woman. No, he’d seen what losing that supposed one fated mate had done to his mother. She wore an invisible cloak of loneliness even now, so many years after her mate’s death. Nope, he had no intention of ever shackling himself up to one female, only to go through pure hell if anything ever happened to her.
Glancing at his computer, he noted that he still had some time before having to leave, so he turned his attention back to the file on his desk. Cam studied the bio on the leader of the lion pride that had recently come into the area seeking territory to settle on.
Being a wolf shifter, one might wonder why Cam was working out territory arrangements with the leader of a lion pride. The answer to that hung upon Cam’s office wall. His eyes sought out the neatly framed deed for several hundred acres of land, all owned by the wolf pack he belonged to. Their pack had been the first to settle this area
after coming from Ireland. That more than anything, made them responsible when more non-human’s and humans started showing up, asking to settle on the land.
Tapping his finger on the desk, Cam took a moment to recall all the appointed Liaisons. Since humans were aware of the existence of shifters, witches, vampires, and all the other non-human kinds out there, it was important that they be included in all dealings. There were twelve Liaisons that formed a group known as the Justice Keepers and for the most part, everyone got along fairly well.
Cam turned his attention back to the file, turning to the next page that told him a little about the pride members. Being the owners of the land gave Cam's pack the responsibility of keeping peace between all those that lived upon it, along with helping any new folks wanting to move into the territory to adjust to the others already established here. Having the Justice Keepers made that immensely easier than if they’d tried to keep the peace themselves. But all newcomers went through Cam first.
Cam’s chest swelled with pride as he recalled how he’d been asked to be the lead Liaison when their old pack Liaison had passed on. At the time he’d been a little lost as to how he could contribute to the pack, outside of being the pack legends keeper. When the old pack Alpha, Henry Bishop had asked him to take on the position of Lead Liaison, he had eagerly stepped in, throwing himself into all the responsibilities the job required.
A video message pinged on his computer. Cam smirked, recognizing the icon for his packs current Alpha and clicked accept for the video call. “Checking up on me are you Zep?” Zep’s face filled the little box, a chuckle being his only reply. The whole pack knew that Zep was hardly one to check up on his pack members. Usually the Alpha only got in touch with someone if his mate prodded him to check in on a situation she felt was their duty to keep tabs on.