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

car so that Dalton could park beside me. Taking the keys out, we went inside. Grabbing some muffins I had made and drinks for both of us, we sat down on the couch and watched a movie.

A couple of hours later, Jayden left to go home to bed. I had just turned the television off when I heard the front door. A defeated looking Dalton walked in and met my gaze.

“We need to talk.”

“Let me just go take a shower and we can.”

I nodded. He went into the bathroom; I cleaned up the glasses and plates from the coffee table and set them in the sink. I was too tired to deal with them now, so I would take care of it in the morning. Taking my seat again, I laid my head back against the couch and closed my eyes. I heard his throat clear and Dalton came out wearing sweats.

“You should go to bed.”

“I will in a minute. I need you to sit down, shut up, and just let me talk for a minute. I can’t say too much, but you need to understand why Jayden is the way she is. Tonight, you saw a small glimpse of what’s hidden beneath the surface. That’s nothing compared to ten years ago when I found her.”

“I’ll listen. I’m sorry, I never meant to scare her. My wolf is unpredictable with everything going on with you. We just want you safe.”

“I know you do, but my safety doesn’t trump Jayden. When I first found her, she was a wreck. Physically, mentally, all of it. She was hanging on for her life, so I took her home, nursed her back to health, and got her strength back up. She had nightmares. I had to make her something that would put her into a dreamless sleep. She still takes it today but not as frequently. I can count on her taking it tonight, though.”

“What happened?”

“The Alpha of her pride wanted her for his own. She didn’t want that. She felt that would be like cheating on her mate, because she believed that he was out there. The Alpha didn’t like that, and he made her pay for it. Got his minions in on it too. After I found this out, I tracked them down one by one and lit them on fire. I encased them in a tomb of fire and listened as their screams echoed through the forest where I had found her. All but two.

“She is hidden through spells and protection amulets. Plants she thinks are just decoration. Now, the club. No shifter will be allowed in that club unless invited by me. I will not do so without her okay. I will not be ordered to lift it, so don’t even try and make me. There is no way around it. You understand me? Do you see why I had to do what I did? I understand that our safety is involved, but stop them coming in and we won’t have an issue. You and Liam are more than enough inside. I am not being unreasonable, especially after what she saw tonight.”

Dalton

He was going to get me skinned alive, set on fire, disemboweled, disowned, something. The fleabag needed to get his shit together. Excuses aside, something needed to change and fast.

I was soaking wet, pacing the back parking lot and the alley, trying to stay out of sight. I was not a fan of being wet; my clothes were rubbing and sticking to me in places I didn’t like. Jayden hadn't missed her chance to take down the Alpha. If I wasn’t so pissed that Mia locked out the men here to protect her, I’d laugh.

Jayden didn’t know it, but she saved me, no, my wolf from snatching Mia up and marking her right then and there. He needed that extra connection the mate bond would give him, us.

“Yo, boss.”

I kept pacing and growled at Max. I tried to ignore him, but he was like an annoying gnat; he kept buzzing until I acknowledged him.

“What?”

“Liam told me what happened in there. Dude, you got taken out by a girl…a little one at that...” he laughed.

I spun, growling at him. “Don’t you have work to do?”

“Waiting on Kody to get back with a door. You tore out the frame and all, Hulk.”

I stalked closer, ready to throttle him, but stopped when Ty rested a hand on my shoulder. I hadn’t even seen him move from his perch. He said nothing; he didn’t need to. I noticed Liam had stepped forward, ready to toss Max out of my reach if need be.

“Boss, you have to agree, it was a little comical,” Liam added, coming out of the opening where the back door previously was. It helped that his voice was calm and not full of laughter.

Max, on the other hand, was laughing hard enough to make himself cough. Fuck my life. If Liam told him, then Kody would know the moment his big ass got back in this lot. I may have to kill half of my pack tonight.

“Dalton, let me look at your hands. They’re still bleeding, I can smell it.”

That brought Max to attention and Liam’s nostrils flared. His eyes locked in on my left hand. I knew it was still bleeding. I had been pushing the piece of glass embedded in my palm deeper. I needed the pain to think with a clear head. The asshole couldn’t take over if I did that.

I didn’t want to lose it again. I never wanted to see the fear I just saw in Jayden’s eyes, her posture. No woman should ever be afraid of a man. Mate or not. I took in a deep breath and shook my head when Ty tried to take my hand.

“It’s fine, leave it.”

“It’s not fine. You’re being an asshole. Don’t make us take you down to look at your fucking hand.”

His growl was met with one of my own, but it died in my chest.