Agency of Extraordinary Mates: 4Saken Read online

  Agency of Extraordinary Mates: 4Saken

  Eve Vaughn

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  Copyright ©2006 Eve Vaughn

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  ISBN (10) 1-59596-467-3

  ISBN (13) 978-1-59596-467-0

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  Changeling Press LLC

  PO Box 1046

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  www.ChangelingPress.com

  Editor: Crystal Esau

  Cover Artist: Karen Fox

  This e-book file contains sexually explicit scenes and adult language which some may find offensive and which is not appropriate for a young audience. Changeling Press E-Books are for sale to adults, only, as defined by the laws of the country in which you made your purchase. Please store your files wisely, where they cannot be accessed by under-aged readers.

  Prologue

  “They have got to be friggin’ kidding me. There’s no way I’m setting foot on that godforsaken island again. They can kiss my ass.” Shelby Morgenson threw the letter down on the coffee table and paced her living room floor.

  The nerve of them! How dare they send her another invitation to Chimera! What made the proprietors think she’d want to give them another try? To think that a little over a year ago she’d been so happy. But then her dreams had been dashed just like that.

  It was hard not to think of the heartache and betrayal she’d suffered, even after all this time. Shelby remembered the first time she’d gotten a letter like this one. It said she’d won a trip to an all expenses paid resort. All she’d have to do in return was rate their services for a travel brochure.

  Her family warned her that what seemed too good to be true probably was, but being the only sibling without a family of her own was lonely. She’d needed to get away and sort herself out. She figured even if staying on the island did cost her something, it would be worth the stay.

  “What’s wrong, sis?” Cindy asked, patting her three-month-old daughter on the back, trying to get her to burp.

  Shelby handed her the letter and watched her sister frown as she glanced over the contents. “Is this something you’re considering?”

  “Hell no. Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me. I’m staying away from that godforsaken island. Besides, I just got approved for a loan to open my own nature shop. I have too much on my plate to deal with that crap right now -- or ever.”

  “Well, I can’t really say that I blame you, hon. You were handed a pretty raw deal. For that year we had no word from you, we thought the worst. Now the thought of you going to that place again to meet God knows what is scary. They could whisk you off to some heathen place, and who knows how long it will be before we hear from you this time.”

  “You’re preaching to the choir, Cindy. I want nothing to do with Chimera Island or its inhabitants.”

  “Good girl. This is probably the best decision. Besides, from what you’ve told me, those… creatures over there turned on you. If you went back, you could meet something or someone far worse.”

  Shelby rolled her eyes. She loved her older sister, but once Cindy got on a rant it was hard to stop her. “Yeah, Cindy, I know.”

  “And another thing. I’m still a little miffed at you for not giving me the full story. I thought we were close. You used to tell me everything.”

  “I did when we were kids, but now we have separate lives. You have your own family to worry about.” Just then her niece, Emily, let out a loud belch. A content smile spread on her cherubic face.

  “That’s Mommy’s good girl,” Cindy cooed, smoothing down Emily’s flaxen curls.

  Shelby held out her arms. “Let me hold her.”

  Cindy handed over the gurgling baby, mindful of Emily’s head and neck. Shelby’s heart melted as her niece rested a soft cheek against hers. Holding the baby close, she inhaled the fresh powder scent. She walked over to her couch and sat down to tickle the baby’s tummy. “Hey, pretty girl.”

  Emily blew a spit bubble and waved a starfish-shaped hand in the air.

  Shelby released an inward sigh. When would it be her turn? At thirty-five she was tired of being the doting aunt. She wanted to have a couple of rug rats of her own. She supposed, if she really wanted to, she could visit a sperm bank, but the traditionalist in her found the thought of having a turkey baster as her child’s father distasteful.

  She wanted a husband, some animals and the proverbial white picket fence -- the whole nine yards. Shelby realized hers wasn’t the most modern attitude, and the feminists would have a field day with her, but there it was. She’d already accomplished so much in her life, earning her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in forestry, the outdoors being her passion. She’d traveled the world, had her dream job, and was now starting her own business. What was wrong with wanting to share all of that with someone?

  “She’s gotten so big since the last time you brought her over here, and her features are getting more distinctive.”

  Cindy plopped down next to her. “Yes, she is adorable. I’m annoyed that I was the one who carried her for nine months but she looks like Bob, right down to her smile. I think I was just an incubator. You know, after four kids, you’d think I’d have one who looks like me,” she sighed with disgust.

  “Hey, the man has super sperm.”

  Cindy rolled her eyes. “Super sperm my hiney. You should see him walking around the house like a rooster with his chest all puffed out.”

  “But you love him.”

  A content smile touched the older woman’s pink lips. “Yes, I do, and I pray that you’ll find a man who’ll love and respect you for who you are. You’re smart, beautiful, and kind.”

  Shelby laughed with an ironic titter. “I thought I’d found that, but I guess I was wrong.”

  “You never really went into detail about what happened when you went to live with those men. That’s another thing I found a little shocking about the whole fiasco you got yourself involved in. What manner of people were they that allowed a woman to be with three men? While I’m sure having three guys is nice fantasy material, the reality has to be a whole lot different.”

  The reality had been much better, until things went horribly wrong, she wanted to say, but instead Shelby said, “I hardly believe what happened to me either. When I came back, I had to fake amnesia for the sake of the press and the others because no way would anyone believe what I’d gone through. You’re the only one who knows anything about my experiences on Chimera and Laiocean. If I told the others, they’d have me committed.”

  “I’m still debating whether I should have you committed, but even as a kid you were never one to make up wild stories.”

  “I don’t think I could make up anything like this if I tried. Things that we thought were just stories to scare and amuse us when we were children are real. Vampires, Werewolves, Incubi, Aliens, Demons, and things I can’t even name roamed that island freely. It was like a big Halloween party but everyone wore beach gear.”

  “Tell me about the three men… creatures you were with?”

  Shelby shifted her now sleeping niece in her arms. “What’s there to say? I fell in love with them and they broke my heart.”

  “All of them?”

  “Yes. It’s so weird because I used to think you could only love one person, but I loved them all equally and intensely. There was something special about every one of them. Tegor was t
he tall, dark warrior. They were all virile, alpha males, but Tegor… he would throw me against the wall, pull my hair back, take what he wanted, and make me like it. Then there was Rain -- his smile was contagious. He always knew what to say to bring my spirits up and he made me laugh. Geho was the silent, tender one. We could communicate without even speaking.”

  Shelby’s mind drifted to the time when she’d first met them. She’d been on the beach and couldn’t quite get her suntan lotion on her entire back. That’s when three gorgeous men approached her to offer their services. Each one of them had been tall and broad, with aquamarine eyes. Tegor had been the dark one with long hair the color of a moonless sky, shaggy and wild. Rain’s stick straight brown hair rested on his shoulders while Geho had a mop of dark blond curls giving him an almost angelic look.

  With just one glance, her bikini bottom had become instantly wet. They were so gorgeous she didn’t even notice their tails until later on in their acquaintance when they revealed to her that they were shifters. Hesitant at first about being with three men at once, Shelby soon found herself falling hard for each one of them.

  Cindy cleared her throat to get Shelby’s attention. “Hmm. Except for the freaky sex part, I have all of that in Bob. Why do you need three guys to provide you with what one good man can do?”

  “It’s hard to explain. They all shared a lot of the same qualities, but each one of them brought something to the table. As for finding a guy with all those qualities, come on. What world do you live in? As wonderful as you claim Bob is, don’t you sometimes complain that you wish you two were more intimate at times and you wish he’d do more around the house? No one is perfect and neither were they, but the connection was undeniable.”

  “Until they turned their backs on you at the first sign of trouble. Some men they turned out to be.”

  Shelby flinched as if she’d been slapped, but Cindy was right. After leaving Chimera, she had gone to live with her men on Laiocean. The Manani people who had welcomed her with open arms at first became cold and distant toward her. The ones she’d counted on as friends turned away when she walked in their direction.

  When she had expressed her concerns to her mates, they’d brushed them aside. Only three men had offered her a shoulder to cry on, but as it turned out, they were the ones behind the entire plot to get rid of her in the first place. They’d accused Shelby of being unfaithful to her mates.

  Because of that, she was banished and had lived alone in the forbidden forest for a year, surviving on the land. Had it not been for Trina, another human woman who’d found her, she would probably still be there, or maybe even dead if the wild beasts had their way.

  “Earth to Shelby.” Cindy waved her heavily ringed fingers in Shelby’s face.

  “Oh, I’m sorry. I guess I was off in my own little world.”

  “I’ll say. What were you thinking about?”

  “Tegor, Rain, and Geho.”

  “Why do you care what those jerks are doing, especially after the way they treated you?”

  “Just because someone treats you bad, it doesn’t mean you forget about them. It’s not like I can flip off the switch and all the feelings are gone just like that. Enough about me. What’s the big news you wanted to tell me that you couldn’t tell me over the phone?”

  Cindy blushed, turning a pretty deep pink. Her hazel eyes, so much like Shelby’s, gleamed brightly with what looked like… No, it couldn’t be. It was the same look her sister had when she was pregnant with her other four children. “No way!”

  “Yes, way. What do you think?”

  “I think you’re going to have to give your womb a rest. Sheesh. Emily is only three months old.”

  “I know, but when the doctor gave Bob and me the go ahead, we didn’t take the proper precautions the way we should have. I guess it’s kind of my fault more than his because I was supposed to go on the pill, but I didn’t.”

  “What does Bob think?”

  “Bob is bitching and moaning about another mouth to feed, but I know he’s pleased. You’re the first one I’m telling because I’d like you to be the godmother of this child.”

  Cindy had chosen a sibling as a godparent for each of her children, and Shelby knew that after Emily it would be her turn. The thing was, she hadn’t thought her sister would have any more. Now she would not only have to play the doting maiden aunt again, but the godmother as well. She genuinely felt happy about her sister’s news, but it also depressed her. She wouldn’t put a damper on Cindy’s joy, however.

  Pinning a smile to her lips, she leaned over and hugged Cindy with one arm, careful not to crush the sleeping child. “That’s wonderful news. I’d be honored to be the godmother.”

  “I’m so glad. Stacy made such a fuss about it when it was her turn. If you remember, she had to be the star of Parker’s baptism,” Cindy sighed, rolling her eyes.

  Shelby giggled at the thought of their sister, Stacy, who thought she was the center of the universe and didn’t mind telling people that. Being such a tomboy herself, Shelby remembered how she and her brothers used to put slugs and crawly things in Stacy’s bed just to see her scream. Stacy had a good heart, even though she was high maintenance.

  She loved all six of her siblings, but it was hard to deal with this growing envy. She felt like a bitch for having such petty feelings.

  “Shel, is everything okay? There’s a smile on your face, but it’s not quite reaching your eyes.”

  Cindy was too perceptive for her own good. “Everything is great. I’m about to open my own business, and you’re pregnant again. What could possibly be wrong?”

  “I don’t know. That’s why I’m asking you.”

  Shelby shook her head. “Nothing’s wrong. Seriously.”

  “If nothing’s wrong, why do you have lines in your forehead like that? Don’t lie, little sister. Something is on your mind and we’ll sit here all day until you tell me.”

  “Cindy, I’d rather not talk about it.”

  The hurt expression in Cindy’s hazel eyes said it all. “There was a time when you would tell me everything. It upsets me to see you sad. Please, won’t you tell me?”

  This was a battle she knew she wouldn’t win. Cindy could be relentless when she wanted to be. “Fine, but you won’t like it.”

  “Why don’t you try me?”

  “Don’t get me wrong. I’m very happy for you and the baby, but I guess it serves as another reminder to me just how lonely I am. I want what you, Stacy, Joe, Ty, Jack, and Mark have. At big family dinners I always feel like the odd person out because I have no cute kid stories to share or even know who the heck The Wiggles are. When I go to bed at night, I do it alone and when I wake up, there’s no one there to greet me in the morning. I don’t want to sound like one of those women who can’t live without a man, but I wish I had some companionship.”

  Cindy’s eyes were wide as saucers. The look on her face spoke volumes. “Get out of here.”

  “I’m serious. That’s how I feel.”

  “I never would have guessed. I honestly thought you enjoyed your freedom. Actually, if the truth be known, I’ve often envied you.”

  Now it was Shelby’s turn to be surprised. “Me?”

  “Of course. I married Bob straight out of college. I never really got to experience my swinging twenties as a single woman. After Patrick came along, my life was no longer my own. Don’t misunderstand, because I wouldn’t trade being a mommy for anything, but you always seemed so happy and so kid free. Bob’s single friends were always asking about his gorgeous sister-in-law, but you seemed so content with your life, we never approached you about them. I didn’t want to be the kind of person who couldn’t stand to see other people single. I guess the grass isn’t always greener, huh?”

  “I guess not.”

  A silence fell between the two of them and Shelby reflected on her life. She supposed getting to do the things she wanted wasn’t such a bad thing. If she had gone the route of her sister, maybe she wouldn’t
have become a nature walk guide or seen so much of the world. Now that she thought about it, life hadn’t been bad at all. It was just that she was ready to share it with someone.

  “Maybe you should go on a singles cruise or something to meet men.”

  “No, I’ve been on one of those things before. Half the men are married, looking for a good time. I can do without that scene.”

  “So what are you going to do? Please don’t tell me you’re considering going back to that island.”

  Shelby hadn’t thought about it at all. Absolutely nothing would convince her to go to that place again as long as she drew breath.

  Chapter One

  Tegor inhaled the deep sea air as he watched the sun set over the horizon. He felt an affinity with this island. Parts of it reminded him of Laiocean. What he liked most about Chimera was that this was where he and the rest of his Triad had met Shelby Morgenson. His favorite memory was when he’d seen her standing on the shoreline, letting the waves crash around her delicately curved ankles. Her long blonde hair swayed in the breeze, the wind playing freely with it. She’d had her face turned up to the sun, a content smile on rose painted lips.

  His heart sped up when he remembered how she’d turned eyes on him that were somewhere between brown and green.

  “Are you thinking about Shelby too?” Rain asked, placing a hand on his shoulder.

  A humorless smile touched Tegor’s lips. “Is it that obvious?”

  “It wasn’t really hard to figure out considering that Geho and I have had nothing but her on our minds since we received that letter from the proprietors of this island.”

  “I only hope she comes back to Chimera. When she left Laiocean, she made it clear that she never wanted to see or hear from us again. She didn’t even make eye contact.” Rain sighed, raking fingers through his hair.

  “How can we be sure she’ll even be here? For all we know she could have balled her letter up and thrown it away.”

  “Failure isn’t an option. Besides, the Alpha fem has already stated that we’re not to come back to Laiocean without Shelby,” Rain pointed out.