Mated To Magic (Stark Creek Shifters Book 1) by Barb Shuler (free ereaders .TXT) 📕

Melody’s eyes glanced over my shoulder and she laughed.

“Just play nice, please?” I shot a look at Jay, who needed the warning more than the other girls.

“With them, yes. With your pain in the ass man, no.”

“Again, I say take that up with him.”

I left everyone to do the last of the setup preparations and went to check on the music. Last thing I needed was for something to go wrong there. I knew it had all been checked recently, so I didn’t foresee any issues. One last check on the guys on the door and this place would be ready. Let’s just hope that last night didn’t affect my numbers tonight.

I checked my phone, knowing Dalton would be busy; I couldn’t help but wonder what the two of them were up to. I just wanted him back here so I knew that he was okay and could see that with my own eyes. Now that we had both admitted how we felt, our bond felt stronger. I knew that it was more than love. I’d heard stories of what happened when a shifter found his mate. This was something I was ready for.

Telling Dalton that I loved him was me letting him and his wolf claim me as their own. Hell, in my eyes, they’d done that a long time ago.

11

Dalton

I paced the lot, my boots the only sound outside the building, until Tyson pulled in. Without a word, I climbed into his truck. I let out a long frustrated sigh, my fingers clenching and unclenching before I pulled my seatbelt on. I took a moment to try and settle my beast then pulled my phone out and read him the address that Liam had given me.

“7455 Calder Rd Unit 3.”

I had it memorized, but I needed that moment of focus to keep from shifting. I don’t think my pissed off, snarling wolf would have helped the already tight nerves in this cab.

“You planning on telling me what we’re doing?” he asked as he pulled out of the lot.

I tried to center my inner beast, which was not a simple task at the moment. He was as wound up as I was. He wanted to sink his claws and teeth into flesh, tearing at it, torturing him slowly until he took his last breath. This bastard had lied to my girl, and he’d allowed someone to come into the bar and hurt her. Even if it hadn’t been Mia, he’d come in there with the intent to hurt someone. Real men did not use women like that. You didn’t put your hands on them in anger. The motherfucker was going to die. And when I found his knife-wielding friend, he was going to die too…a lot slower, though.

“We’re going to grab Josh and take him on a little hunt,” I growled.

Ty looked at me, but I kept my gaze out the front of his windshield.

“What’s going on, Dalton? Not that I’m not up for a hunt, but I’d like to know what I’m getting into.”

“He let someone in the bar last night that attacked my mate. He drew first blood. I’m drawing last.”

Tyson’s answering growl made me take a deep breath. My wolf, God help us, was most likely going to take over and kill the fucker on the spot. Feeling my phone buzz, I pulled it from my pocket. I chuckled at Mia’s message.

“Well, the little kitty deserved it,” I chuckled again and shook my head.

“What did you do?”

“I pissed off Mia’s bar manager. She has OCD and likes things in a certain way. I rearranged a few dozen bottles…” I snorted. “She’s a little pissy.”

“Man…”

I shook my head as I pulled up a new text box to reply to her message, but an incoming call stopped me.

“Yeah.”

Liam’s voice rang out through the speaker. “Ludlow has a warrant out for him. I found it in Tennessee. Drunk and disorderly, resisting arrest. He’s got a bit of an attitude when it comes to women.”

“He won’t be a bother after today. Ty and I are going to play a game with him. I’m calling Kody in on this in case my wolf loses control. I’ll message Max and tell him to play look-out from across the street. You stay inside until I get back. If you need to handle anything, do it, just tread lightly and don’t step on Mia’s toes. And—”

“I won’t step on toes. The girls won’t even know I’m here unless it’s life or death.”

“Thank you.”

“Nothing to it, boss.”

I hit the speed dial for Kody next. It went to voicemail. I growled and hit it again.

“Boss, I was pissing. What is it?”

“Hold on, I’m conferencing Max in.”

I hit the icon on my phone and dialed Max. He answered on the first ring.

“Boss, it’s a little early.”

“We have shit to discuss. Hold on.”

I flipped the lines together. “You both hear me?”

“Yeah, boss.”

“Loud and clear.”

“Ty and I are picking up someone. Kody, meet us at the spot. I need a hunt and I’d appreciate you backing up Ty in the event my wolf—”

“Goes crazy? Yeah. I got you. Care to fill me in?”

I heard him shuffling around then a door closing in the background.

“Max, I want you at the bar but not in the bar. Use the office building across the street. The front offices are unoccupied at the moment, so pick a spot and sit there. If you see anything out of the ordinary check with Liam; he’s on the inside looking through Mia’s computer system. You two are not to step foot inside the bar itself unless you have to.”

“Sure thing. I’m with Kody, what’s going on?”

“The short of it is, the one we’re grabbing—he’s responsible for Mia being hurt last night. He dies.”

The line went silent for three beats. “I’m on my way,” was all he said before the line went dead.

My guys knew what Mia meant to me. They all loved her—we were family, after all. We fought for each