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

I have some groveling to do. And I have a plan that may or may not piss off my little witchy mate, but it doesn’t break her rules…technically.”

“Dare I ask?”

“She said you, Max, and Kody are not allowed in the bar. There is a reason, but I am not at liberty to say why. I just need you to trust me. It wouldn’t be a good mix; that was confirmed with my own eyes last night. Liam and I are allowed in, but even we will be doing what we can to stay out of sight. Again, I can’t say why.”

“Fair enough. I trust you. If I didn’t, I wouldn’t be here.”

I knew that to be true.

“Let me get the other two on the conference call.”

I hurried to add Kody and Max to the call.

“Boss, you still in the doghouse?”

“He’s probably trying to hide since he got beat up by a girl.”

I really was going to kill them both one day.

“Shut up, we have business to discuss,” I growled out.

“Go ahead, Dalton,” Ty sounded amused.

Assholes, the lot of them.

“Let me add Liam to the call.”

“Hey boss, you missing any skin?”

I sighed as Max and Kody let out booming belly laughs.

“I’ll have Mia set your hides on fire, keep it up.”

“What is it you wanted to talk to us about, D? I got an appointment in thirty minutes.”

“Alright. Tonight, I want you and Kody working the front door, Ty. Outside of her barrier. Company shirts, I want you to be there in the official capacity. If they look shady, tell them to fuck off. If they’re carrying anything, they don’t get in. Max, you’ll be running perimeter, two feet, four, I don’t care as long as you’re invisible. Liam, you’ll be in the back. Simon and his team will stay inside. Two in the bar and one on the back door.”

“Is Mia going to fry our asses if we step in like this?” Max asked, all amusement from earlier gone.

“No, if anyone gets fried, it will be me. We’re not breaking the rules she set forth. We won’t have shifters in the bar area. Liam will be on monitor duty and I plan to stay out of sight if at all possible. Just trust me when I say this is for the best of us all.”

“I trust you, boss. I just want to make sure to wear a fire suit if she is feeling sparky.”

I snorted at Max.

“It will be okay. We’ll play by her rules until things change. Just let me know if there’s a problem outside. If I’m not inside, call Liam. We all need to be tight lipped, on task, and eyes open. Things aren’t as they seem.”

“What’s going on?”

I’d already clued them all in on a few things, but now it was time to let them in on the entirety.

“Liam, go ahead, tell them everything.”

The talk with the pack made me feel a lot better. We were all on the same page, ready to do what we needed in order to keep Mia’s bar open and running smoothly. Our main priority was keeping the riff raff out and the girls inside safe. Tonight Jayden, Melody, and Nix would be working the bar, so I would make sure they had all eyes on them in one way or the other.

I downed three glasses of water before I pulled out the eggs, bacon, and butter to make breakfast. The bread was already out so that was one less thing to find. I’d have her breakfast ready and I wanted to make a peace offering for Jayden. Muffins were a way to a girl’s heart, right? We had fresh fruit; I’d cut up some berries to go inside them.

I pulled down the baking ingredients, grabbed the big mixing bowl, and went to work. I had three muffin pans lined with those foil cups, which are a pain in the ass to get pulled apart, and ready to go in the oven.

By the time the bacon was finished cooking, the first pan of muffins was done. I pulled it out, slid the next tray in, and went to fix the toast and eggs. I heard the shower start earlier, so she should be almost done. Maybe I was trying for brownie points, but I wanted to have her wake up to something nice this morning. She could just relax and not stress before we went to the bar.

When she made her way into the kitchen, I grinned, scooped her up, ignoring her protest, and leaned in to capture her mouth. Her body pressed against mine as I gave her a gentle squeeze.

“Good morning.”

She grumped. “Morning. Coffee, please.”

She was adorable, though I’d never tell her that. She wasn’t a fan of being told she was cute or adorable. She would say, “That's for babies and puppies.” I liked my balls where they were. I chuckled to myself and moved to the pot to get her a mug filled, careful to not let the hot coffee slosh. Watching her take in the aroma of the coffee and then take that first sip was erotic as hell. I’d never had this reaction before, but today it was off the charts.

The oven beeped and I spun, grabbing a pot holder. I opened the door, pulled out the muffins, and slid the last one in. Then I set out to make her eggs. Two scrambled, a side of bacon, and two pieces of toast cut on a diagonal with a pat of butter on each.

“What’s with the muffins? You turn into Betty Crocker overnight or something?” Her lips twitched.

“They’re a peace offering for Jayden. I know she’s not big on eating meat so I can’t go kill a deer for her. This was the next best thing. I will have to go with you to the grocery store because now we’re out of fresh berries.” I slid her plate beside her and handed her a fork. “Eat up, we have lots to do today. I have