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

troopers and without them, I’m not sure I could have kept Mia and the girls safe. I’m grateful to them that I didn’t have to choose between her safety and my boys.

Not that it would have come to that. Like I said, we were all one big dysfunctional family.

I made a face as Roxy and Belle looked up at me from the kennel. I hated leaving these sweet babies alone while we worked, but it had to be done. Mia was at the bar with the girls, setting up for tonight. The bar opened in an hour and with it being a Friday night, it would be ridiculously busy. I’d come home to shower and change before heading that way only to be side-tracked by the cuteness in the kennel.

“Don’t give me those eyes.” I walked over and reached through the kennel slats and gave them each a little scratch behind their ears. I could go to my office and work on some paperwork. If something happened and I was needed, I’d just be across the street. I could take them up there with me. Then scoop them up on the way home.

No, Mia was at the club so that meant I needed to be there too. I stood, gave the girls one more glance, and headed back to the front of the house. If I didn’t leave now, I’d never get out of here…alone, that is.

I shook my head as I hurried to my truck and climbed in. Fifteen minutes later, I was parked in my spot beside Mia’s car and scanning the lot. I pulled the earpiece from the console where it had been charging, slipped it in my ear, and put the small battery pack in the pocket of my cargo pants in the event it was needed.

With the click of a fingernail, it was turned on.

“There’s no way those are real!”

“Why do women dress like that?”

“Look at that ass, though…”

I shook my head at Kody and Max. Slipping from my truck, I cleared my throat.

“You’re supposed to work security, not be the fashion police. Focus, boys, focus.”

“What? Inquiring minds want to know. Do women think less clothes will make them prettier or something?” Max asked, sounding confused.

“Ah, boys, that’s the question for the ages. Don’t try to sort it out now; just focus on your jobs, please.”

“On it, boss.”

“Oh shit, her ass is about to fall out of that—”

“KODY!” I snarled. “Shut the hell up before someone overhears you.”

“Uh, sorry, boss.”

He wasn’t sorry in the slightest. I couldn’t help but chuckle. These kids were going to give me grey hairs. I went in through the back door of the club. My fingerprint was all I needed to get in now. No codes, this was much safer. You could enter a code, but it would go straight to the emergency department, which was another safety feature I added. Thanks to the new upgrades, everyone that worked here would be safer.

The moment I walked in the back door, my wolf perked up. His mate was close. I rolled my eyes as he pranced and pawed at me to get out. Damn asshole.

“Mia.” I pressed my lips together seeing Angus in the office. “Sorry.”

“It’s okay, come in, D.” Mia gave me a kiss and I grinned, swatting her ass.

“What are you two up to?” I asked, leaning back against the wall beside her desk.

“Angus is fussing about Jay tossing a water bottle at him, again.” Mia busted out laughing while poor Angus’s face turned red.

“It’s not my fault she’s in a pissy mood today. I just happened to be the messenger.” Angus squinted his eyes at Mia.

As her laughter subsided she held up a hand. “I’m sorry, Angus, but you know not to go behind that bar. Why didn’t you grab a bottle from Nix or Mel?”

He grunted. “I wasn’t on that side of the bar. I know people with OCD and anxiety can be testy, but Jesus, she’s a bit off the rocker. You should give hazard pay!”

“You should stop pissing her off,” Mia laughed again.

I had to admit, I was fighting back my own laughter.

I raised a brow at him. Seriously? He knew how she was. The man was asking for it. He did sound as if he knew someone with anxiety. Each person handled theirs differently. Jay was…extreme at times, and I believe that was due to her being a shifter. We felt things ten times more than a normal human.

“You know someone with a severe anxiety issue?” I asked, curious but not wanting to sound pushy.

“I did,” he nodded, “My sister, Anna. She was...” he paused to take in a deep breath through his nose and let it out before he continued, “She was accosted and beaten within an inch of her life when she was sixteen. I was off at college. My parents were shitty and let her go to a party she had no business going to.

“By the time word got to me, she had shut down. She wouldn’t talk to anyone. She talked to me after some persuasion. Kids are assholes. They lured her to the party to make fun of her, and it got out of hand.

“After that, she was never the same. She wouldn’t leave the house. I had a hard time getting her to eat. I left college and moved her in with me. She was healing, slowly. I noticed that when I would push her, she would fold in on herself, so I had to learn to let her heal in her own way. I was there when she needed me, but I wasn’t hovering.”

“Oh Angus.” Mia got up and moved around to hug him. The big man seemed to need that contact. I patted his shoulder.

“I’m really sorry, man. How is your sister now?”

“She passed away about seven years ago. Car accident. She had decided to get out of the house and they think she swerved to miss an animal. She hit a tree. They assured me