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

start with. If you don’t know the difference between whiskey and vodka, you won’t have happy patrons. Some were doing nothing but stealing alcohol, and I’m sure some stole from the cash box before Mia took over. Mia didn’t have to worry about that kind of malarkey with Jayden back behind the bar.

Jayden was Mia’s best friend. They were as close as sisters and they were good for each other. I had to admit I didn’t know much about Jay except she was Mia’s friend and she would kill anyone that dared cross her girl. That’s really all I needed. I trusted my girl. If she was attached to you, then you were okay in my book.

Unless you were Sylvester Kolter. I’m still not convinced that he’s not trying to get into Mia’s pants. She likes him as a friend, and he’s been there to help with issues a normal cop wouldn’t know how to handle, but…still. He’s not winning any favors from me. I’d just like to punch him in his face, with a brick.

The other day I came in and she was on the phone with him. I have good hearing. The grubby bastard was flirting. Flirting. With. My. Girl! If I could have pulled him to North Carolina across that phone line, I would have beat the ever-loving crap out of him. Or I’d have tried. I’m sure Mia would have stopped me.

With a grunt, I moved to her office. The door was open slightly so I knocked with a knuckle and stepped inside. She was on the phone so I was going to just wave and move to the bar until she was done…but then I heard his voice.

A growl built in my chest and escaped my lips before I could stop it. Mia met my gaze and shook her head, mouthing “what” with her brows knitting together.

I couldn’t tell her what my problem was. I glanced at the monitors, as if I were watching something, then walked out of the office. I scrubbed a hand over my face, pushed the door open, and made my into the bar. My gaze scanned the area. Everything seemed to be running smoothly. No one seemed out of control. Too bad. I wanted to hit someone.

With a thought to my inner beast, I slowed my stride and let myself calm down before I went to the bar. I didn’t want to scare Jayden or the other girls. I couldn’t have anyone seeing my eyes glowing either.

“Jay, Wild Turkey, straight. Make it a double.” I laid a hundred dollar bill on the bar and took the glass when she handed it to me. “Leave the bottle.”

“You alright?” she asked, her hands squeezing the towel gripped in them.

“Peachy.”

I didn’t want to be short with her, but I needed to wallow in my own misery for a while. Jay shifted on her feet. The last thing I wanted to do was make her upset. Mia has always warned me that if I or my wolf scared her, she would set us on fire. I wasn’t willing to test whether that was true or just a warning.

“I’m good, Jay. I’m taking this bottle and drowning my…” I cut myself off before I said more than I wanted to.

“Do you want me to get Mia for you?” she asked, looking around the bar.

I shook my head.

She managed to get two drink orders done while I guzzled Wild Turkey. Then she was before me again, taking the bottle back.

“You’re cut off.”

I tossed back the last of what was in my glass and stared at the empty.

“She’s on the phone with that asshole.”

Jay tilted her head to the side. Her lip curled in a silent snarl. “Sy?!” she guessed.

“Yep.”

“You know there is nothing there…right?”

I shook my head and stood, pushing the glass back toward her. “No, I’m just going to head home. It’s been a long day. If she needs me, she’ll find me there.”

But I didn’t go home. I made it as far as the back lot before I started pacing. I just needed to tell her already and stop being a chicken shit. If she didn’t love me, I’d deal with that. I could. The unknown was what was getting to me.

Right?!

Jesus, take the wheel. I just don’t know what to do anymore. Some days I don’t know if I’m scratching my watch or winding my butt. This love thing… Okay, this mate thing was slowly making me and my wolf crazy.

5

Mia

Dalton turned to look at me. I crossed my arms over my chest and moved toward him. I was trying to make sure this came out right. The last thing I wanted was to fight with him, but I had a feeling that one was coming anyway.

“Want to tell me what that was all about? You come into my office, growl, then stomp around here like a toddler having a tantrum? Is there a problem I should know about?”

“It’s nothing.”

“Clearly. Want to try that again to something more believable, Dalton, because you are wound tighter than a rubber band and I would rather you didn’t snap at my bar where people could see you.” I could see the vein in his neck popping out. Then it hit me. “Oh my God. Are you jealous of Sy?” He turned his back and answered with a growl.

“No, why would I be jealous of Sylvester?”

“I don’t know, that’s what I am trying to work out. I don’t know why Jayden doesn’t like him, but one day I will ask the question. Maybe it’s a shifter thing that I don’t understand and never will, being just a witch and all, but he’s been nothing but helpful. He does shit without asking questions despite the fact that it could cost him his job.”

“Only because he wants to sleep with you. Do you really think he would do it out of the goodness of his own heart?”

“I don’t care why he does it. He knows