Impossible Mate (The Impossible Mate Series Book 1) Read online

  “Thank you,” I said to Jesse, not sure how the hell I was going to repay her for this.

  Jesse smirked. “You don’t need to thank me. Just wear it and don’t jump blindly into fights.”

  I placed it around my neck and just smiled. She knew full well that I wouldn’t be able to keep my word on that so instead I sipped my tea while wondering how the hell I’d lucked out on such a great friend.

  I spent a couple more hours with Jesse and Anna as they gossiped about the other witches that lived on the street before leaving to go run some errands. As I walked down the street, I kept a hand pressed against the pendant around my neck, half expecting it to vibrate, but it never did. By the time I’d finished shopping, worked out and cleaned my apartment, the sun was setting and I had to get ready for work.

  After I showered and dressed into my work clothes, I grabbed my silver knife before leaving, just in case there was a particular shifter in need of being reminded of his manners.

  Chapter Three

  Half an hour later, I stepped into the club and was immediately bombarded by multiple green souls. Shifter souls.

  What kind of fresh hell was this?

  I stopped dead in my tracks and sucked in a sharp breath as I slammed my sense shut against them and glanced around the room. A large group of people were gathered on the other side of the dance floor, including Jesse, Charlie and unfortunately, James. The other four people were completely unfamiliar to me, but judging from the energy pouring off of them and the way they looked at James, they were shifters.

  Great, now there were more of them.

  I wrinkled my nose and crept toward the staff room door hoping to avoid any conversation with them, but the back door slammed shut behind me. Internally, I cringed as heat burned up my neck to fill my cheeks as all eyes snapped over to me.

  “Hey, Lucy, come over here and meet our new bodyguards!” Charlie called as he waved me over.

  Oh, you have got to be kidding me.

  Casting a longing look at the staff room door, I turned and forced myself to stride over to the gathering of people. I could see from the twitching of Jesse and Charlie’s lips and the shine in their eyes that they were amused by my reaction. The shifters, on the other hand, had a mixture of curiosity and hostility towards me, with James the only one having a neutral expression.

  As I neared the group, a tugging sensation in my stomach yanked me towards them, almost causing me to stumble. Heat rushed through me, starting from my core and exploding outwards, stealing my breath away as I struggled to keep myself composed. I clenched my hands into fists and shoved them into my pockets as the overwhelming urge to move closer to James, to touch him and feel his warmth, washed over me.

  I gritted my teeth and watched James out of the corner of my eye as his eyes flicked to me. His expression was tight as his eyes bled from blue to gray and his jaw clenched. His body stiffened and I could see his nostrils flaring as he snapped his gaze to Charlie. Obviously, whatever the hell was affecting me was affecting him too.

  Charlie glanced between James and I with a smirk and the sharp point of his fangs peeking from between his lips. “James has generously offered some of his shifters to be our bodyguards for the next few weeks. Isn’t that nice of him?” His dark eyes sparkled as he spoke.

  I glared at him. “Yeah, real nice of him,” I mumbled back as the gears started turning in my head. Since I’d worked at the club, we’d never had a need for shifters as guards. Charlie’s vampires had been more than sufficient. So why was James suddenly so keen to have them here?

  “Why now?” The words flew from my mouth before my brain could even catch up.

  All eyes snapped back to me and oh boy, if looks could kill, I would have died a thousand times with the glares the shifters were giving me. I kept my face neutral as I fought against the urge to run. No way was I going to show any weakness to them.

  “Safety in my club is important and I trust my shifters.” James’ voice sounded diplomatic, but I could see the storm swirling in his blue-gray eyes.

  “Yeah, but why now? We haven’t had shifters as guards since I’ve worked here and we’ve been fine.” I knew I shouldn’t be poking the bear—or shifter in this case—but there was something about James that got under my skin. They were hiding something from us and it worried him enough to place his own shifters in the crossfire. Why?

  Jesse sucked in a sharp breath next to me as the shifters’ eyes widened. Charlie’s eyes gleamed in amusement as his lips twitched. Well, at least someone was enjoying the show.

  “Things have changed,” was all James said with a tense body and clenched jaw.

  I crossed my arms over my chest and met his eyes. “Like what?” There was no way I was going to let him get away with that shitty answer.

  A low, menacing growl rumbled in one of the other shifter’s chests and vibrated deep in my bones. Icy fear trickled down my spine as the hair on my arms stood on end. The urge to lower my eyes and take a step back was overwhelming, but I kept my gaze steady on James.

  James met my stare with a glare of his own, his eyes boring into mine and demanding that I lower my gaze. If I was a shifter, there was no doubt I would have been quaking in my boots and averted my gaze under the immense pressure. But something inside me told me to resist, to keep staring back at him. I’m not sure how long we stayed like this, locked in a battle of wills, before James finally spoke.

  “Women—human women—in our pack have been going missing and yesterday, we found one of them dead. I’m not sure if this is an attack on my pack, but in case it is, I want my business protected.” His voice was hard as he spoke, his fists clenching by his side and his eyes more gray than blue as his beast looked out through them. “Is that a good enough reason?” he snapped, lips pulled back to show teeth sharper than usual.

  I swallowed hard as terror dripped down my spine and my stomach clenched. All it would take was for him to lose control and I’d be dead. There were no laws protecting my kind. Shifters had seen to that, so he’d face no consequences. I gritted my teeth.

  Show no fear.

  Charlie clapped his hands. “I think we can all agree that anything is a good reason to be cautious. Now, I’m sure Lucy and Jesse have some last-minute things to do before the club opens.”

  Jesse tugged at my arm as the tension dissipated and James and I looked away from each other. I could still feel the hot gazes of the four shifters as I turned and followed Jesse towards the staff room door. Once inside, Jesse slammed the door shut.

  “What the hell were you thinking? Do you have a death wish?” she hissed, as she put her hands on her hips and glared at me.

  I sighed and sat down heavily on the couch. “Yeah, I know, it was stupid.” I didn’t need her telling me just how close I was to dying in that moment. “I shouldn’t have said anything.”

  Jesse shook her head. “It wasn’t that you said something, Lucy. You challenged an alpha with how you looked at him and I’m honestly surprised you survived.”

  So was I. “I don’t know what came over me.” It sounded lame even to my ears but it was the truth. Something had compelled me to maintain that eye contact with him, even when he’d all but demanded that I lower it.

  Jesse sighed heavily and dropped her hands from her hips. “Just…stay away from them for the rest of the night. I don’t really want to be cleaning up your blood off the floor.”

  I didn’t need to be told twice. “Gladly.”

  Jesse looked at me one last time, a frown still on her face, before leaving the room just as the music in the club started up. I sighed and rubbed my face before standing and making my way toward the same door. As I stepped into the main club area, five sets of eyes trained on me, all of them shifters and all of them filled with rage. The pendant vibrated against my sternum.

  God, this was going to be a long night.

  ◆◆◆

  Surprisingly, while the night started at a snail’s pace, as soon as the club filled, I was swept o
ff my feet.

  Like every other night at the club, it was packed to the brim, with a multitude of colored souls bombarding my mind, even though I had my sense locked down tight. Usually this was no problem, but the added shifters made it more difficult to stop tiny drops of energy trickling through the cracks. For some reason, shifter energy was the worst for this, and now I was having to contend with five of them.

  Luckily, none of the shifters appeared to be paying much attention to me after the confrontation earlier, and the pendant had stopped vibrating. In fact, it was almost like they were trying to avoid me. James spent most of his time up on the gangway to Charlie’s office while the others stayed near the front door. But that suited me just fine.

  By the time the club had closed and I sat in the staff room, I was shattered. Exhaustion was clinging to my limbs and while it wasn’t as pronounced as last night, it was still there. It was probably because of the extra effort I was having to put into keeping my sense locked down with the shifters around. Even now with it closed tight, I could still feel the green energy of the security guards as they milled at the front doors. Probably waiting for James to allow them to leave.

  With a sigh, I stood and changed out of my work clothes and into some comfortable jeans and a T-shirt. I re-tied my ponytail and tucked strands of my straight blond hair behind my ears. The place was almost eerily quiet after hours of listening to pulsing music as I stepped out of the staff room. Jesse was behind the bar, clipboard and pen in hand, as she took stock of what drinks we had left.

  She looked up as the door closed behind me. “Going home already?”

  “The less I’m around them, the better.” The last thing I wanted was another confrontation with James and his pack, especially with Charlie nowhere to be seen.

  Jesse’s lips twitched as her eyes flicked over to where James was standing with the rest of his pack. “Maybe he has a soft spot for you.”

  I snorted. “Or he didn’t want blood getting on his clothes.” I followed her gaze and pressed my lips together as I met James’ eyes from across the club. Even from this distance I could feel the intensity in his gaze as the tugging sensation bloomed in my stomach, urging me to step closer.

  I looked away. “I should go.”

  Jesse narrowed her eyes as she glanced between James and I. “Alright, text me when you get home.”

  I nodded and hurried out of the back door and into the cool night air. A few dogs barked and howled in the distance; their cries interwoven with the low grumbling of the occasional car engine. I closed my eyes and relaxed in the still quietness of the night. A few animals blipped on the periphery along with the souls of those I’d left behind in the bar but I was far enough away that their energy couldn’t reach me.

  Something scuttled in front of me.

  My eyes flew open and I tightened my hand on my bag as a knot grew in my stomach. I peered into the gloom of the nearby alleyway, but neither my eyes nor my sense could find anything there. The pendant around my neck remained still.

  I’d never felt unsafe at night here, especially since I could usually sense whatever was close to me, but something about tonight was setting me on edge. Maybe it was the fact that I now knew there was someone kidnapping women from the local pack. But that shouldn’t affect me, not when they made it clear that the women were human and from shifter families, both things I was not.

  I shook my head. I was being stupid and irrational, two things my dad had taught me not to be. I was more than capable of taking care of myself. I patted the sheath behind my back, feeling the familiar outline of my silver knife.

  A shadow flickered across the corner of my eye.

  My eyes narrowed and I jogged down the dark narrow alleyway beside the club and onto the well-lit main street. Looking around, I appeared to be the only person on the street and opening my sense further, I couldn’t see any other souls. But the middle of my back itched and the hair on the back of my neck stood on end as the pendant burst to life against my chest.

  Shit. I was being watched.

  I gritted my teeth, resisting the urge to bolt down the street even as my heart thundered in my ears and panic clawed at my throat. I wasn’t going to run like some terrified little lamb. If someone wanted a fight, I’d give them one.

  I walked as calmly as I could down the street towards my apartment. I didn’t want to tip off my stalker that I knew about them, especially since I couldn’t sense their soul. There were a few things that could hide a person’s soul, death being one and magic being the other. Since the undead were limited to vampires and I could sense those, that left magic.

  Great.

  I kept to the light, keeping my sense stretched out on the off chance the magic they were using wore off as I turned the corner and onto a smaller residential street. Here, the lights weren’t as bright, with some street lights flickering, causing long shadows to dance and writhe against the concrete. Empty bottles, cans and paper littered the street and clinked as the wind blew them across the pavement. More dogs howled, this time a lot louder than before with one howl catching my attention.

  It was deeper than the others, more guttural and primal that sent a cold chill down my spine.

  Shifter.

  I reached for the sheath behind my back and palmed my knife. My panic melted away at the familiar feel of the cool metal in my hand and a sense of quiet calm washed over me. I could do this.

  Something crunched behind me.

  I whirled around, eyes narrowed and peered into the darkness, but there was nothing there. My sense told me that there was nothing there even as every cell of my body was screaming that I was in danger.

  I was being hunted.

  I turned, my walk turning into a jog as fear trickled down my spine and panic bubbled in my chest, threatening to consume me. It took every ounce of my control to remain calm and not bolt. My hand tightened on my knife and my breath came out in pants as I reached the end of the street and turned the corner.

  And straight into the path of a large black wolf.

  It stood in the middle of the road; its green eyes narrowed as it stared at me. It was huge, the size of a small pony with a thick shaggy coat and wickedly sharp claws. The fur at the back of its neck stood on end, almost appearing like a mane as it took a step towards me and bared its fangs with a low, menacing growl.

  I froze, unable to do anything but stare at the beast as my heart pounded against my chest. This was the first time I’d ever seen a shifter in its animal form and it was horrifying.

  I didn’t show my fear on my face, especially since it was probably one of James’ wolves. Last thing I wanted to do was give them more fuel to annoy me with. “Hey, your alpha is still at the club.”

  The shifter snarled again and began padding towards me, its claws clicking on the pavement.

  What the fuck? Had James figured out what I was and told his wolves to kill me? My grip on the knife tightened and I sucked in a deep breath. If that was the case, I was going to have to run. But first, I had to deal with this wolf.

  As if reading my thoughts, the beast charged, its pale green eyes narrowed and its maw open, showing off a set of wickedly sharp fangs. I lurched to the side, feeling its claws catch on my T-shirt as I narrowly dodged its swipe and lashed out with my knife. The wolf jumped backwards and snapped at the knife, fangs scraping against the metal.

  It yelped and shook its head, giving me a chance to attack. I kicked out and slashed with the knife, the metal gleaming in the moonlight. My foot connected with its head and the knife bit into the wolf’s shoulder. The beast howled and lashed out at me, digging its claws into my thigh. Blood spurted, splattering the ground and soaking my jeans as white-hot pain exploded inside me.

  I gasped and stumbled backwards as the edges of my vision darkened and my knife clattered to the ground. The pain was nothing I’d ever imagined as every nerve was set on fire. What the fuck was in that wolf’s claws?

  I swallowed a scream and barely dodged another swipe fro
m the wolf. My leg crumpled beneath me and I quickly lost balance, using the nearby street lamp to keep me upright. However, I wasn’t the only one struggling. The wound on the wolf’s shoulder was oozing blood, causing it to lift that paw off the ground and against its chest. Unlike me, it still had three other legs and a mouth full of teeth while my only defense was currently lying on the ground beside it, smeared with blood.

  I needed to get my knife back.

  “You don’t have to kill me,” I said, grasping at straws as I pushed myself off the street lamp. I gritted my teeth as I placed some of my weight on my leg and formulated a plan in my mind.

  The wolf cocked its head to the side and made a weird choking noise, almost like it was laughing at me.

  Bastard.

  I snapped my gaze up and widened my eyes. “Oh, shit!” I shouted as I pointed behind the wolf.

  The wolf whirled around, its back tensing and haunches lowered, ready to pounce on the imaginary being behind it. As it turned its back to me, I drove for the knife, barely wrapping my fingers around it before the wolf whipped around and snarled. It lunged at me and I tried to dodge backward but my leg collapsed beneath me.

  I cried out as pain ripped through me and the wolf collided into me. Its weight knocked me to the ground and my head smacked against the tarmac as my breath was forced out of my lungs. I wheezed as my vision progressively got darker and darker and my body grew cold.

  Above me, the wolf growled, the sound vibrating through me and causing fear to slam into me. I tried to move, to get my arms to do something, anything, but nothing happened.

  Think!

  I needed power or energy, just something to tide me over until I was out of this mess.

  The wolf’s soul?

  With gritted teeth, I focused on the wolf, my sense desperately trying to find its soul. Only there was nothing. No soul, no energy. Nothing.

  What the fuck?

  Was this it? Was this how I was going to die?