Helping out the occasional shifter by removing a magical curse is one thing. Falling for them is another…
As a half-witch/half-coyote shifter, I can do without mingling with the sexy-as-sin shifters that I help by lifting curses, but it pays the bills, and I can secretly gather Intel on my missing father. Yet working with them means never surrendering to my passion and doing my best to keep all those handsome beasts at arm’s length.
That is, until I discover that I’m destined to be the Thirteenth Zodiac. And the shifter council orders me to mate with twelve hot shifters to keep everyone from going insane.
Now I’m in a race against time to save their species, and binding myself to these hot males is only part of the issue. Turns out, there’s more at stake than I thought, and the council has just put a target on my back.
As my connection with my mates deepens and passions grow stronger, so does the danger we face. Because when the answers I seek are uncovered, no one will be safe.
Do you like sassy heroines, thrilling action, and ridiculously gorgeous men?
*Urban fantasy fans will adore this fast-burn reverse harem, filled with sex, intrigue, and magic.
If I’d known every eligible shifter in a
hundred-mile radius would try to mate with me in less than an hour, I’d have
brought more magical ammo to protect myself.
I marched along the corridor with whitewashed
walls, which ended at the ugly, faded green carpet that led to the hotel’s
ballroom. The silver and copper charms on my bracelet jangled with each step. The
last time I was summoned to a meeting, it was to help a bully who’d tangled
with a witch and couldn’t shift back into his human form. If I weren’t being
paid to lift curses, I would’ve sided with the witch. I hated bullies.
At the end of the hallway, two six-foot-plus
shifter guards—silverback gorillas—stood in front of a doublewide wooden door.
Jerome and Marc resembled muscled bouncers in jeans, tight-fitting T-shirts,
and boots, with military-style haircuts. And constant pains in my ass whenever
the council summoned me.
“You know the drill,” I stopped in front of
them. They loved disobeying orders if it meant giving me a hard time. “Council
business.”
“Magic is evil, Karen.” Marc glared at me like I
had the plague. “We shouldn’t allow it into our packs.”
Weird. Wasn’t like I was even an honorary member
thanks to not being able to transform. “Well, if shifters would stop bothering
witches, then we could all go out for pizza instead.”
“What meeting? No one needs you or any of your
filthy magic.” Jerome’s lips curled up in a sneer. “Get out of here half-blood
or we’ll rip off your arms.”
The sting of his words struck my chest. No
matter how much I tried to ignore their bigotry, it still sucked. Well, screw
them.
I snapped my fingers. “That’s right, I haven’t
met my quota of animal sacrifices today. Maybe the universe will take two
small-minded dicks.”
I tried to move past them, but their meaty hands
shoved me against the chest hard. I stumbled backward to keep my footing and
was happy I didn’t give them the satisfaction of falling on my ass. Yet, my
face still burned. I balled my fists, ready for a fight.
“Fuck off,” Marc said.
“And there goes your membership into my fan
club.”
God, I hated dealing with these arrogant pricks,
but I needed this job. The council had summoned me here for something. No way was
I going to leave without collecting my fee after coming all the way here and
having to deal with these two morons.
“Guess I have to do this the hard way.” I took the sigil on my
charm bracelet that was the shape of a tiny key. “Auferat ianuam,” I said under
my breath.
I flung the charm over their heads at the huge
double door. The metal tinkled against the wood. Bye-bye door.
Both Jerome and Marc spun, gasping at the
vanished door.
I strolled past them and into a grand ballroom.
Inside, I skidded to a stop the mix of scents assaulting my senses. Damn, the
place was packed with at least sixty shifters. A few tables with cream-colored
tablecloths were scattered around the room with shifters reclining in chairs
and laughing. Others were standing and several more leaned against the far
walls. At the front of the room, on a raised stage, twelve leaders sat in a
semi-circle of chairs.
I was the only female in a space filled with
male shifters. This wasn’t good. I shouldn’t have come here. A few of the men
barred their teeth and curled their fingers into fists, as if ready to fight. I
felt like the dessert everyone had been waiting to gobble up. Dread slid
underneath my skin, but running would only entice them to chase me.
“Looks like I’ve got the wrong room.” I took a
step back, my legs shaking. “Bingo must be on the next floor.”
Several shifters growled, their eyes brightening
to an amber color and cued that they’d transform.
Shit! Many, like Jerome and Marc, thought me an
outcast because I couldn’t change into my coyote.
“No need to rip into me boys, I’m not a threat,”
I said, hoping my voice sounded calmer than I felt.
The twelve elders dressed in ceremonial white
robes frowned, some whispering in harsh tones to each other. Usually, I only
dealt with one or two elders at a time and I didn’t recognize any of these.
What was going on? My stomach plummeted into my shoes.
“Karen Martin?” one of the male elders asked.
“That depends on what you want,” I said, hoping
they bought my bravado, but I couldn’t stop myself from eyeing the exit over my
shoulder before snapping my attention back to them.
The energy in the ballroom sizzled to an almost
tangible level. Many of the men gazed at me openly, ogled my breasts, then slid
their attention down to my hips and back up again. Warmth spread through me as
the sense of virile animals in heat hung heavy in the air.
Doubted they’d asked me here to become an
honoree member.
Within the circle of elders, a man with a white
beard and baldhead stood, waving off Jerome and Marc who stomped toward me. I
gave them both a mock salute before turning back to the council. The throng of
shifters who were standing parted and I walked toward the elders.
“What happened to Solomon, Travis, or Cecilla?”
"I’m Elder Warren. Thank you for joining us
on such short notice.” The old man’s voice was soft and crackly.
“Where are the other Council members?” I placed
a hand on my hip, trying to keep my fear from spiking more than it already was.
“No offense, but I’ve never seen any of you before.”
Warren gave me a thin smile. “That’s because the
Lower Council handles trivial matters.”
Cool, a Higher and Lower Council. All this time,
I thought I’d been dealing with the top, when in fact, they’d handed me off to
the squabble-dealing lowlifes.
“We have a very essential task we need you to
perform. One that we do not take lightly, nor should you,” Warren continued.
“Why call all of these male shifters here?” My
gaze swept the room. “None of them look magically afflicted.”
One of the shifters behind me whispered, “Nice
ass."
I turned to find the source so I could flick him
off, but with so many stuffed in here, it could’ve been any of them. In the
corner of the room was a man in a leather jacket and sunglasses. I sniffed to
figure out what kind of shifter he was, but it was nearly impossible with all
the other shifters’ pheromones jostling in this cramped room. My magic tingled
in my hand, telling me that power radiated off him in waves. Maybe he was a
half-breed like me. Shifters weren’t known for possessing much magic, if any.
I jerked my attention back to Warren. “What do
you need?”
I’d help if I could, with payment, of
course.
The elders muttered around Warren. Many of them
frowned like they were discussing whose turn it was to take out the trash.
A burly guy with super short bangs that gave him
an odd look shook his head. “How can a half-witch who is stuck in her form be
of any use to us?”
I straightened. “I’ve aided plenty of your kind
with my magic.”
"We called you because of a serious matter
that has come to our attention.” Warren cleared his throat. “One that few
outside of the shifter community is even aware of."
Wow! Insider information. Might discover something
about my father. Murmurs rose from the crowd.
Warren clapped his hands and the noise dimmed
down again. Then he gave me an apologetic look. “None of the shifters here,
outside of us on the council, have been able to find a mate.”
Explained why they were practically drooling
over me. I pulled at the collar of my buttoned shirt. Heat flared across my
skin. I needed to get the hell away before my hormones overruled my common
sense.
"Sorry, but I'm not in the matchmaking
service. If that's what you want, you're out of luck.” Time to exit and get the
hell out of here. “Maybe a sympathetic witch can give you guys a love-locator
spell or something."
“Wait,” Warren said, standing up. “You are our
last hope. A-are you aware of the twelve signs of the zodiac?”
"Yes, of course."
In the human world, the astrology charts were
fun for predicting the future. For the shifter community, they had a much
deeper meaning. Instead of people, they were animals. Those born under the sign
of Leo were actually from any type of cat-shifter pride. Those born under the
sign of Cancer were the bear shifters, not crabs, and so on. It was based on
animal species rather than birth dates.
“There exists a thirteenth sign who only a
select few pure-blood shifters are aware of that connects all twelve and is the
foundation for the Council’s future generations. It is essential to keeping the
peace among us." Warren clasped his hands in front of him. “These men are
pure-bloods, and some are rare among our kind. Only once a generation or so, a
female is born under Chimera.” Warren’s voice was filled with reverence. “It’s
been fifty years since we had someone to take her place among the packs and
prides.”
“That’s nice. But what the hell does this have
to do with me? You want me to find this thirteenth sign?” None of this sounded
promising or gave me warm fuzzies at all.
"No." Warren’s face paled, his hands
clutched his robes.
The shifters around me went eerily quiet. My
heart galloped in my chest and the very air felt charged.
Warren leveled me with a stare. "We've
already found her."
"You need me to try to talk her into taking
one for the team? Uh, no thanks." I twisted to the open doorway and Jerome
and Marc blocked my path with smug looks on their faces. "Sorry, guys, but
I'm done."
I snapped the bird charm off my bracelet for a
quick exit, but several of the shifters stood, their metal chairs scraping
across the wooden ballroom and surrounding me. This was a super dumb idea.
Their ogling didn't make me feel any better either. I looked behind me for
another exit when one of the shifters winked at me and ran his tongue over his
lips as if I was chocolate pudding with a hidden yummy center. Strangely, I was
both repulsed and turned on. What the fuck is wrong with me?
From the back of the room, Warren said,
"Karen you are the thirteenth zodiac sign."
I spun around, my fist tightening around the
silver charm. My heart lurched into my throat. What he said was impossible. I
certainly wasn't some thirteenth zodiac symbol. I would know if I was.
“Please,” Warren said, his voice climbing over
the growing noise of the crowd, “without you, unmated shifters everywhere will
go insane. We must prepare you for what is to come."
