Kitten Around (Shifting Hearts Dating Agency Book 3) Read online

  Oh. My. Goddess.

  What was happening?

  Her limbs felt tight, as if she had been sleeping too long in a strange position and the pain from her shoulder radiated through her body, bringing her up short.

  She scrambled up and turned to face him, not caring they were naked, only that she hadn’t meant what happened. And it was all her fault.

  “I’m sorry.” Tears welled in her eyes. “I didn’t mean to…”

  “Shhhh.” He tugged her into his arms and she tumbled against him, hot tears sliding down her cheeks. “I seem to recall returning the favor.”

  “But I didn’t ask you. I would have killed any man who did that to me. It’s…it’s unforgivable. I’m so sorry.”

  “Hey.” He clucked her chin and pressed his lips against hers. “We were lost in our beasts and they took over, human emotions and reality be damned.”

  “But…”

  “There’s nothing to forgive.” He replied, his dark eyes intense as they took her in.

  “Stupid cats.” She huffed, pulling back from his arms. She wasn’t ready for any of this. “What now?”

  He ran his hand through his hair and reclined on the bed, considering her. “Have you ever been mated?”

  “No.” She bit her response out so fast, he quirked an eyebrow in question.

  “No? Something tells me there’s a story there.”

  Paige twisted her body so her feet dangled off the bed. “There was a man once. My family wanted us to mate for political reasons. It would have been good to have a good witching family in the picture for them. And I was to be his bride and his familiar.”

  “Did you care for him?” The question was soft but she could read the hidden depth when she turned to look in Master Blackburn’s eyes.

  Or should she call him Tyler?

  “I don’t know what to call you now.” She realized, feeling foolish saying it.

  A hint of a smile tugged his lips upward. “Call me Tyler. I think we’re beyond the rest now.”

  “Okay,” she nodded. “And yes. For a while I did. Until I realized what they had in store for me. And what he was.”

  “And what was that?” He moved to join her at the edge of the bed, taking her hand in his.

  “They didn’t care anything about what I wanted. Only that I was supposed to do what they thought was best. Make the best match. Only Javier wasn’t what they thought.”

  “I don’t follow.”

  “When I wouldn’t submit to the mating, he stalked me. I moved. Changed my phone number. But now somehow he’s found me again. I got another call from him tonight. And another one from my mother.”

  “Your mother?”

  Paige nodded. “I was sitting outside the club when I got the call. Something must have changed for her to see past what the coven was putting out there. She was worried that he might be trying to find me. That his connections with Hexen have only gotten deeper. And he still wants me to be his conduit. No matter who he has to hurt to make it happen.”

  Tyler brushed back some hair from her face. “Go on.”

  “She thinks he’s been hanging out with weather witches. And this storm is him coming to get me.”

  “Over my dead body.”

  Chapter Nine

  “B ut what if it really is him and it’s more than just a little rain?” Paige nibbled on her lip.

  He hated the idea that his mate was in distress.

  Mate.

  The word should shock him, but instead it sent a whole new jolt of awareness through his body. His cock hardened and all he wanted to do was chase the shadows from her eyes and force any thoughts of another man from her mind forever. For the first time in a long time he felt peace, despite the storm raging all around them.

  She was his and he would protect her with his life.

  “We’ll have to go find out. There has to be a way to stop this. Lucas and Jonathan no doubt know some of the witches in town that haven’t been tainted with Hexen poison.”

  “We should go.”

  He knew she was right, but as she rose from the bed, he couldn’t bear the idea of her leaving. His animal roared, scraping down the center of his body. This wasn’t over. Not by a long shot. One night had never been in the cards for him and part of him knew that from the moment he sealed the deal.

  “Not yet.” Tyler grabbed her hand and she stopped. He watched the passion enter her gaze as she took in his erection.

  “Again?” Her amused expression turned heated as he leaned forward to nip and tug at her breasts.

  “I can’t get enough of you.” He eyed the silken cords on the dresser with longing, but instead pulled her down until she straddled his lap. There would be time enough for that later.

  “How are you?” His fingers slid against her opening and she shivered.

  “A little sore.”

  The head of his cock pressed at her slick opening. She didn’t wait for him, instead she grasped his member, guiding him inside of her. Sinking down on his length with an audible hiss, Paige trembled against him.

  “But?”

  “You’re going to be the death of me.” She breathed.

  He snorted and thrust upward, a few hard jerks of his hips and she was crying out against him, her release bathing his cock with liquid heat.

  “As long as we die happy.” One more stroke and he was done, shouting his release as he emptied himself inside her for the third time that night.

  If anyone was going to die, it was him from being so fucking happy. He’d found her. His Cinderella. And now all he wanted to do was take her home and forge a life together.

  He stood with trembling legs, their bodies still joined. Laying her on the bed, he withdrew. The adjoining bathroom held all the comforts of home and he drew her inside, letting the hot water of the shower cascade down her curvaceous form as he washed her hair and soaped her body.

  Rinsing her led to more temptation and he battled his cat’s urge to mount her once more. A faint buzzing sound from the bedroom caught his attention and when Paige reached for the soap, he caught her hand midair.

  “Let me do that or we’re never leaving this room.” He chuckled.

  She stuck her tongue out at him and grinned.

  A few moments later, they turned the water off and were reaching for towels when he heard something in the next room.

  Paige wrapped a towel around herself and handed one to him.

  “Hang on a minute. I think I heard my phone buzz.” Tyler reached for it the same time as the power went down, plunging the room into darkness.

  “Tyler?”

  “I’m here.” He held out his hand and Paige went to him, her cat leading the way. “Come sit on the bed.” The glow of the phone was a beacon of light in the room.

  “The storm is getting worse.” Her voice held a note of worry.

  Sheree had called. Three times. God. How had he missed it?

  “Hang on.” He ran his finger over the screen and hit the speaker so the message would play.

  “Tyler, it’s Sheree. I know you had that event tonight but I really need your help. Jake and I tried to talk to Pepper and now we can’t find her.” He heard the tremor in her voice and how close she was to losing her shit.

  He didn’t waste time. Shutting down the message, he dialed her cell.

  “Sheree.”

  “Oh God, Tyler. I can’t find her anywhere.” Her words ended with a sob.

  “What happened?”

  “Jake had to go in for a twelve hour shift tonight. It’s getting really bad out there. We wanted to talk to her again. To let her know we are thinking about getting married.”

  He sensed the hesitation in her voice.

  “You aren’t telling me something, Sher.”

  “He’s changing.”

  “Who?”

  “Jake,” she hissed, clearly at the end of her rope. “He showed signs of it tonight as he was walking out the door but he wouldn’t listen to me. Said his captain would have h
is ass if he even tried to call out.”

  “So we have a rogue cat.”

  “Don’t be smart with me. My daughter’s missing and my mate’s about to figure out what it means to be a cat with no one to help him!” The last few words came out in the roar of a panicked mother and Tyler flinched, in spite of himself.

  He closed his eyes and clenched his jaw.

  “Give us a moment and we’ll be there.”

  “We?” Sheree asked.

  “Yes. It seems you’re not the only one with a new mate. We’ll be over in an hour.” Tyler watched Paige’s eyes widen with his comment. He would have to fill her in on the way over.

  “Be careful. The roads are flooding and there’s a power line down on…” The line went dead and Tyler cursed.

  He took in his new mate, her eyes shining in the darkness, and forged a plan. They had to get to his sister’s and there was no time to waste.

  Chapter Ten

  L eaving Ventures was a blur of water, panic, and confusion. She’d changed back into her clothes and a harried Tyler guiding her out of the building. What had started out as a gala evening had turned to chaos. Flood waters had begun to seep inside of the first floor and most of the cars in the lot outside had flooded. Including Paige’s.

  “What do we do now?” Paige stared dully at her car, rain whipping around them mercilessly. Most of the guests had fled on foot. She’d checked her phone only to find a dozen missed calls from Javier. Her feet were submerged in water and the level was rising to her knees.

  This had to stop.

  Her mother’s words echoed in her head and she knew all of this was her fault. If she had only gone with him and done as he asked, none of these people would be in danger.

  Tears formed, hot and fierce, a total opposite of the icy rain bearing down on them. Magic burned in her blood and her cat seethed in anger.

  The beam of a flashlight cut the darkness. “You have to get home. Both of you.” Jonathan emerged from the darkened club and glared up at the water soaked sky, his expression grim. “They say it’s going to get much worse as the night progresses.”

  “Jonathan. Where’s Natalie and Lucas?” Tyler asked.

  “He’s got her in our quarters on the third floor. With any luck the water won’t rise that high.”

  “I hope not,” Paige responded. “Keep her safe.”

  “We will.” Jonathan turned to Tyler. “How are you going to get home?”

  “My truck is on the elevated parking level with yours.”

  “Good.”

  “Are you going home? Nat is going to ask.”

  Tyler shook his head. “I have to get over to Sheree’s. Pepper’s run off and now there might be some trouble with her new mate.”

  Jonathan frowned. “I didn’t know she had one.”

  “Long story. He was human and now his mark is coming alive.”

  “Shit.” Jonathan shook his head. “You want help?”

  “Thanks,” Tyler responded. “I’ll let you know if I do. He’s bound to be confused and he’s also a cop.”

  The big bear shifter let out a whistle. “You do that. I need to get inside. Don’t be out in this very long. I don’t like the feel of this storm. Something’s off.”

  Paige grimaced. He didn’t know the half of it.

  “Be careful, Jonathan. Give Natalie a hug for me.” Paige gave him a hug, glad they had their home on the third floor.

  “I will. Be safe. Both of you.” With that, Jonathan turned to wade back inside, the sky raging overhead and the waters climbing up from below.

  “My truck is up here,” Tyler pointed to some ground higher up where the water hadn’t risen to yet. “Come on.”

  They waded through the main parking lot and moments later, reached his vehicle. She was wet and all she wanted was to climb inside of Tyler’s arms away from everything and everyone. But that would have to be later. Right now they had a child to save and goddess knew what else.

  He opened the passenger door and she climbed inside of the truck, soaked to the skin, her dress clinging to every curve. The driver’s door opened moments later and Tyler climbed in. He turned the engine over and they began the dangerous task of navigating around flooded streets, much of which was only lit by the headlights of Tyler’s truck.

  “How much charge does your phone have?” Tyler asked, his eyes never leaving the road. He swerved to avoid a stalled car and drove up onto the grass, steering his way through a few good streets until they reached the highway.

  “Not much,” Paige frowned. Her phone was down to thirty-two percent. “How much farther is her house?”

  “Just a mile or so. If we can get through. Here’s my phone. Can you pull up local traffic?” Tyler pulled his phone from inside his tuxedo jacket and handed it to her.

  Paige brought up the search engine and landed on the site in moments. It didn’t look good. “All the major streets are flooded except the highway for about mile south of here.”

  Tyler frowned. “I can’t believe this much rain accumulated so quickly.”

  “I can. If Javier is behind it.” She handed him back his phone and stared out into the watery night. Street lights were irregular as they passed neighborhoods and shopping centers. In the dark, it was hard to make out just how deep the waters had gotten. Flood alerts dinged through both of their phones, causing them to jump.

  “God. This has to stop.”

  “You can’t control the weather, Paige. No one can.” Tyler said, his face a mask of concentration. The glimmer of blue and red police lights alerted them that something was wrong up ahead.

  Well, apparently Javier and his witch buddies could. All she had to do was figure out how to stop it.

  “They’ve blocked the road.”

  “Can we get off?” Paige craned her neck and tried to see out of the fogged up glass but it was hard to tell.

  “I think so. Hold on.” A bump and the truck was over the embankment and rolling down into the feeder lane.

  “It’s this next street. We’re almost there.” With expert handling Tyler maneuvered the truck through passable water where they could see and through yards when it wasn’t clear just what they were dealing with. The entire city was under siege and the rain wouldn’t stop coming.

  Paige had never been so happy in her life when Tyler pulled into the driveway of a cozy two story home and the truck stopped.

  Tyler was out like a shot as the door opened, revealing a distraught blond woman. He enveloped her in his arms and left her, returning to the truck for Paige. As he approached, her phone vibrated on her lap and she picked it up, quickly checking the text.

  Enough water for you, Paige? I know what you did. I felt it. Sever the ties and come to me or everyone you love dies.

  ***

  “How did she fall?” Tyler shut his mother’s bedroom door behind him and turned to face a pale Sheree. Paige was downstairs in the kitchen heating up some tea. The power, mercifully, was still on. The sound of the local news blared up the stairs and down the hallway, doing nothing to calm him.

  “She went outside looking for Pepper. That damned cat bolted out the door and she slipped on the wet mat and went down.”

  “You sure nothing is broken?”

  “She was able to stand on it. Wouldn’t let me call an ambulance or anything.”

  “We’d be hard pressed to get any kind of first responder here unless they came on boat.” He took the steps two at a time and made his way into the living room.

  “Emergency crews are responding to many instances of people stranded on roadways. If you don’t have to leave your home, don’t. In many cases, help may be too late. It’s dark and water is hard to judge. Stay off the roads.”

  No kidding.

  “What are we going to do?” Sheree followed behind him as he went into the kitchen.

  “Tea’s ready.” Paige said. She had changed into a sweater and pair of jeans of Sheree’s and he wore some of Jake’s sweats.

  “Have you
reached out to the pride master?” Tyler checked the time and winced. It was nearing four in the morning and he was exhausted.

  Sheree nodded. “They sent three of the boys out to check the school and some of the places they hang out.”

  “Anything?”

  “No.”

  “What did she say?”

  “It was more like what she did.” Sheree responded. “Here.”

  She led him into the dining room where every chair was stacked on top of each other until they were wedged into the ceiling.

  “She has witch blood.” Paige came around, clutching her cup of tea as if to keep all the warmth inside.

  Her face was pale, and her eyes frightened. Judging what she had revealed about her family and the machinations behind her last relationship, she had good reason to be.

  Sheree nodded. “Not many people outside of the house know it.”

  “Exactly how many?”

  “Well, we had a couple of instances at school, so some of the teachers. And the pride.”

  Paige closed her eyes. “That means everyone. This is bad.”

  “What?”

  “If Javier is here and he reached out to the local covens or prides, they keep records of who has witch heritage.”

  “I don’t follow.” Tyler responded.

  Sheree elbowed him aside. “Who is Javier? And why the hell would he want to know about my daughter?”

  “Because now he knows I have a mate and one good conduit is the same as another.” Paige swallowed, her expression one of increasing gravity.

  “He has no idea where you are.”

  “That’s not entirely true.” Paige held up her phone, her hands shaking with either fear or rage. There was a picture of a house. This house. And another of an eight year old girl running out the front door and into the rain.

  “Fuck.”

  He was going to kill the son of a bitch. As soon as he found him.

  Chapter Eleven

  P aige darted out the front door, shoving her phone into the back pocket of her jeans. The early morning sky was leaden gray, rain pouring down in a ceaseless torrent. Waters had begun to build up in the roadway overnight. She’d seen a little when Tyler had driven them out here last night. Watching something on a television screen was far different than witnessing it first-hand.