“Congratulations! We have found your fated mate.”
He gasped and quickly followed the link to find out who his match was. His heart pounded and his palms began to sweat. Up until recently, he hadn’t even realized he wanted to mate. But now it was everything to him. It had taken months for him to be matched with a mate. Now that he’d arrived on Fate Mountain, he found her.
When he saw the profile of the woman who was his one hundred percent match, he nearly lost it. She was enchantingly beautiful; beyond anything he could have imagined. She had flashing green eyes, long black hair, and alabaster skin.
She had beautiful athletic curves under a sexy but simple long, white dress that fluttered in the breeze around her gorgeous body. He was too stunned to think or react for several long moments. The look in her eyes kept him spellbound, and he didn’t understand quite why.
The lion inside him growled and roared loudly, clawing at the backs of his eyes. Mate. Mate. Mate! He had to meet this girl right now, tonight, and make her his. She was not a shifter, otherwise it would have said so in big bold letters at the top of her profile. But something about her didn’t seem quite human. He thought maybe his instinct was messing with him because he was so excited and brushed the thought aside.
When he finally met her and sniffed her, he would know exactly who she was to the core. His lion would definitely know. The beast was pacing back and forth inside Rowan’s mind, roaring to be let out in pursuit of his mate.
Rowan took another sip of beer before focusing on his phone again. He had to think clearly about this because it was the most important moment of his life.
This was the moment of first contact with his fated mate. He couldn’t mess it up because there was no going back from a first impression. He took a deep breath, considering what he should say.
“Hi. It’s me Rowan. I guess we’re mates. I’d really like to meet you soon if that’s possible,” he typed out.
He sent the message and sat there feeling like an idiot. Maybe his text made him sound like a weenie. Maybe it made him sound like some kind of weirdo stalker.
Internet dating was not his favorite. Although he hadn’t really been dating very much anyway. Rowan, like most shifters, only really wanted his fated mate. If a woman wasn’t his fated mate, he wasn’t all that interested. Not that he hadn’t had women in the past, but dating for the sake of dating had never been much of a concern for him.
Men who looked like Rowan didn’t really have to put a lot of effort into finding a woman to spend the night with them. But he hadn’t really gone out with anyone since returning from the war. He’d been more concerned with healing his spirit and finding himself.
But now, his fated mate was revealed to him. And he had no idea what to do. He waited for several more minutes. Maybe she didn’t really want to find a mate. He had heard of women signing up for this website just to mess with shifters. Not very many of them, but enough that it made him nervous.
As he waited, he read her profile. She lived on Fate Mountain. She had inherited her mother’s land and now worked as a midwife and an herbalist for the people of the mountain. She was young, but not too young and there was a look about her that made him believe she understood untold powers and mysteries that were beyond most people.
When she didn’t respond to his text for fifteen minutes, he turned off his phone and shoved it back in his pocket. Dark disappointment began to rain down over his shoulders. He chugged down the rest of his beer, slamming the pint on the bar.
“I’ll have another, bartender,” he said, the growl in his voice more aggressive than he meant it to be.
She raised an eyebrow at him, but took his pint glass and filled it again. As he was lifting his second pint to his lips, he felt his phone buzz in his pocket. He took a small sip and pulled out the phone. Flicking his finger across the screen, a text message came up.
“Hello Rowan. I would like to meet you tonight.”
“Me too,” he responded without thinking.
“There is a haunted house at Fate Mountain Lodge,” she said. “Meet me there in an hour.”
Chapter 5
Geneva stared at the image of the man who was supposed to be her mate. He was drop dead gorgeous with a mane of wavy blond hair surrounding his handsome face. His square jaw was dusted with a day of stubble. Blue eyes shined at her through the screen, speaking of untold adventures and animal desires.
She shuddered. What had her mother gotten her into? She was so not ready for this. Geneva read his profile, learning he was a lion shifter who had served in the war. He’d just gotten out of the military six months ago and had spent that time traveling the country on his motorcycle.
After a recent brush with death, he’d finally realized what was really important. He wanted a mate and a family and had come to Fate Mountain to settle down.
Geneva let out a long sigh. Why, oh why, did he have to be so perfect? She wanted to disobey her mother like she was twelve years old for the first time since she was, well, twelve. Having her mother tell her to find a mate and then having the coven vote her in as the matriarch had left her in a disagreeable mood.
She growled and gritted her teeth, slightly resenting how perfect this guy seemed. Rowan. She kept saying his name over and over in her head like a mantra.
Geneva was so confused; she hadn’t even been able to respond to the guy’s text when he sent it. He wanted to meet her. Geneva stared at the text and then set the phone on her bedside table before getting up and leaving the room without it.
She walked downstairs and poured herself a glass of wine. She took a long swig and considered her options. She could blow this guy off, blow off her coven, and disobey her mother. An option that seemed attractive, but ultimately futile. Or, she could go along for the ride and see what happened.
After she finished off her glass of wine, she realized her only real option was to go along for the ride. With that decided, she climbed back up the stairs, went back into her room, and picked up her phone. He hadn’t texted again and she kind of felt like a jerk for not responding.
She sat down on her bed and flicked on the screen, bringing up the text pad.
“I’d like to meet you tonight,” she said. “At the haunted house at Fate Mountain Lodge.”
If this lion shifter was going mate with a witch, he was going to have to get used to being spooked.
Geneva might be a white witch, but she was still a magic user. The reality of which was a secret to humans and shifters alike. This guy would have to keep her secret if they were going to be together.
When he agreed to meet her in an hour, Geneva felt a sudden rush of panic. She’d spent the entire day preparing for the ritual, not a date.
Geneva stood and regarded herself in the mirror over her vanity. She didn’t look disgusting, but she was far from date ready. She brushed back her black hair and frowned. She hadn’t even bothered to put on makeup or put any product in her hair. In fact, it was part of preparation for the ritual. No makeup, perfumes, or inorganic products could be used. So she was basically all natural, a look not usually popular on first dates.
Speaking of first dates, Geneva hadn’t been on one in ages. When was the last time she’d gone on a date, let alone had a boyfriend? It had been years.
That realization made her slightly depressed. She’d been so transfixed with her relationship to the natural world, that she’d ignored her relationships with the opposite sex. Maybe now was the time to turn that around, not for her mother, but for herself.
Geneva inspected her closet, looking for anything that could be considered first date material. She growled at her clothes which consisted mostly of cargo pants and flannel shirts. She pulled out the one dress she owned and looked at it.
It was white and wispy, not exactly a Halloween costume. But she was an actual witch, whatever she wore to a Halloween party counted as a costume she decided.
She threw the dress across the patchwork quilt on her bed. Looking in the mirror,
she picked up her brush and started to run it through her long, black hair.
After a few strokes, her hair was smooth and shiny so she put some product in it to make it look a little more stylish. Then she applied some dark eye makeup, in keeping with the holiday, and applied deep red lipstick. She checked herself, approving of her look.
Finally, she pulled off the simple clothes she’d worn during the ritual, threw on the sexy bra and pantie set she had accidentally ordered a month ago but never returned. And then pulled on her dress.
She glanced in the mirror and realized that she was wearing the same outfit she’d worn in the profile picture she’d used on Mate.com.
Well, Mr. Wonderful was just going to have to deal with it. She was showing up for this date, and that was going to have to be enough.
At the back of her mind, she asked herself why she was being so disagreeable. Being forced to lead when you aren’t a leader puts a person in a bad mood. Her prospective date was in for quite a night.
She wished she could be more excited about it. But none of this had been her idea. Everyone seemed to be ganging up on her and she wanted to just run away. Why wouldn’t they leave her alone with her plants and flowers and wilderness? It was all she needed. Wasn’t it?
But maybe it wasn’t all she needed. Geneva knew she was fundamentally lonely and needed someone to love. She knew that at the bottom of her heart. And this guy, who came out of nowhere, was probably it. According to the website.
Why wasn’t she bouncing off the walls with joy? As she twisted around in the mirror, inspecting her curves, she decided she was going to try to give him a chance. That meant keeping the bitchy, rebellious part of her under wraps. A task that promised to be difficult.
Finally, Geneva walked out of her room, hurried down the stairs, grabbed the keys from the side table in the hall, and stepped out the front door.
She climbed into her car, and turned the key in the ignition. Gripping the wheel, she looked at the front of her house in the glow of her headlights. A shadow wisped at the edges of the light, making Geneva shudder involuntarily. Was her mother’s spirit still here? She reached out with her mind, trying to feel the fragments of her mother’s magic. But she felt nothing.
She made the short trip to the lodge. The parking lot was packed, but she finally found a spot in the back of a dark corner. On the way up the front walk, she heard loud festive music and the sound of voices filling the cool night air. The lobby was crowded with people of all ages wearing costumes. Signs led to the atrium for the haunted house. Off to the other side of the lobby, through the double doors, people filled the dining room, laughing and talking over wine, beer and food.
She wondered where prince charming was right now. Her phone buzzed in her bag. Stopping in the crowded lobby, she pulled out her phone. Her heart raced.
“I’m in the haunted house.”
Chapter 6
Rowan stepped down the dark path inside the atrium. The light of the full moon glowed above the domed glass roof. Stars splashed across the night sky. He was surrounded by a thick tropical habitat that had been maturing for decades. The smell of tropical flowers and rich soil filled the air. Rowan also smelled a pair of human teenage girls who were waiting in the bushes to scare him.
A second later, light flashed around him on the ground and the girls jumped into his path, wearing ghoulish costumes. He jumped and gasped, letting them think they’d scared him. The girls giggled and moved back into place as he continued down the path. He followed the faint glow along the ground and turned the corner. As he moved around a thick palm tree, he picked up a new scent on the air.
It was her. Geneva.
His inner lion roared and panted as it paced back and forth inside his mind. Rowan tried to calm himself, he was nervous enough about meeting Geneva. She was his mate. Meeting her tonight should be the best thing that ever happened to him. He shouldn’t feel all tied up inside.
Rowan opened up his night vision and took in his surroundings. The trail led around the outer perimeter of the structure, but there was a path through the center that led to the waterfall in the middle of the atrium. He stepped through the thick tropical vegetation, hearing a protesting voice from among the trees.
“You can’t go that way,” the male voice whispered.
“Sorry,” Rowan said, not stopping.
He skirted around the vegetation, trying not to step on anything but grass. At the edge of the waterfall, he had to jump down a stone wall. He landed in a bricked patio area in front of a waterfall that fell into a pool. He smelled the water and several other people.
Lights flashed all around and three more teenagers jumped out in masks and bloody clothes. A woman stood in the middle of the patio, dressed in a white dress. Her long black hair fell around her curves, making Rowan instantly hard.
The lights went out again and they were plunged in darkness except for the faint glow of the path runners on the ground. He stepped toward the woman. She gasped in the darkness as he approached.
“Geneva?” he said in a low voice.
“Rowan?” she said with a nervous giggle.
“It’s me.”
He reached out and touched her arm, feeling her warm skin under his palm. She reached up and grasped his arm back. They moved closer to each other and the smell of her skin filled his body and mind. He was transfixed by the honey sweet flavor of her and he had to drink it in. He took a deep draw of the air and tilted closer to her in the darkness.
“Hi,” she said faintly, her voice muffled by the headiness of the moment.
“Hi,” he said, stepping closer. He could see the outline of her face in the blue darkness. Her full lips pursed up at him and her eyes were wide, trying to see in the dark.
“You can’t stay here,” one of the teens said.
“We should go,” she giggled.
He took her hand and led her down the path toward the exit. A line of cloth ghosts flew across their path and Geneva squeezed his hand and laughed. Finally, they came to the exit for the lobby.
Still holding hands, with smiles on their faces, they saw each other in full light for the first time. She was wearing the white dress from her profile on Mate.com. He could barely contain himself and his lion was beyond reasoning. Rowan blinked several times, trying to get a hold of himself.
“So you are as good looking in real life,” she said, stepping back and letting go of his hand.
He hated letting her go, but he liked the look in her eye as she took him in. He raised his arms and made a cocky posture to show off his body. He didn’t mind one bit. He’d worked hard all his life and with his shifter genetics, he had what the ladies liked.
He definitely liked what he saw. Geneva had those tight country girl curves, like a woman who liked to eat and work hard. He could almost feel her body under his palms as he watched her inspect him. He’d worn a pair of black jeans and a form fitting black shirt, which Geneva apparently approved of.
“You never know with online dating these days,” she said, crossing her arms.
“Do you do a lot of online dating?” he asked, feeling a rumble of jealousy he quickly put out.
“Not really. I keep pretty busy with my practice.”
“You’re an herbalist, right?”
“Basically.”
“Let’s get a drink in the dining room,” he said, taking her hand again.
“Sure.”
He led her through the crowd, his heart pounding. Up until this moment, he hadn’t realized how much he’d missed this woman. How could he miss her? He’d only just met her. It didn’t make sense but that didn’t matter. She was his mate. His lion roared and scratched, but Rowan didn’t mind. It was the animal passion inside him that made knowing her so much sweeter.
They went to the bar at the end of the room and sat on stools beside each other.
“What can I get you?” the bartender asked. Rowan could tell he was a bear shifter by his scent and the look in his eyes.
“Two glasses of champagne,” Rowan said. “We’re celebrating.”
“Oh, fancy,” Geneva said, sliding her fingertips over the bar.
The bartender popped a bottle of champagne and filled two glasses before sliding them across the bar to Rowan and his beautiful mate. Geneva lifted her glass to her full lips and took a sip. He watched her with the stupefied awe of a spiritual experience. She was so gorgeous; he could barely think straight.
“You were telling me about your practice?” he said.
“Oh right. I’m an herbalist and a midwife.”
“You deliver babies?”
“I’ve delivered about a hundred babies since I started my apprenticeship ten years ago.”
“Wow, that’s incredible.”
She brushed her black hair over her shoulder, showing off the soft pale skin under the thin strap of her dress. He longed to reach out and touch her flesh, kiss her soft skin. She was so accomplished and so beautiful, he was transfixed.
So transfixed that it wasn’t until that moment that he realized that his mate’s scent was not quite human. It hit him like a slap in the face. It wasn’t the smell of a shifter. It was something else, something spicy and deep. Something full of raw power.
Rowan looked at her blankly, blinking as he took a sip of champagne. The bubbles ticked his nose.
“What do you do, again?” she asked, bringing him back to reality.
“I was in the military until six months ago. Since then I’ve been riding my motorcycle around the country. I finally decided to settle in Fate Mountain.”
“What made you choose this town?”
“Good people like you,” he said.
She blushed and sipped her champagne.
“What do you plan to do in Fate Mountain?” she asked.
He hadn’t thought about it all that much. First he needed a permanent place to live, then he’d start thinking about a job.
“Before the war I was a carpenter. But I could do a lot of things.”