The Texas Shifter's Mate
The mermaid and the werewolf When Zach Cantrell’s mermaid sister disappears, he goes looking for answers. What he finds instead is Shayla Dover, a mermaid princess moonlighting as a paranormal investigator. Even for a mermaid, she’s mesmerisingly gorgeous… Not that it should matter to Zach as his marriage has already been arranged. Shayla has her own reasons to keep her distance from this sexy shifter.But, after an attack on Shayla’s life, their undeniable attraction grows into something much deeper. Then they find themselves pitted in a race against time amidst a sea of lies, betrayal, and an enemy that threatens them both…
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Lost Mermaid. Werewolf Protector.
When Zach Cantrellâs mermaid sister disappears, he goes looking for answers. What he finds instead is Shayla Dover, a mermaid princess moonlighting as a paranormal investigator. Even for a mermaid, sheâs mesmerizingly gorgeous... Not that it should matter to Zach. His marriage has already been arranged. Shayla has her own reasons to keep her distance from this sexy shifter.
But, after an attack on Shaylaâs life, their undeniable attraction quickly grows into something much deeper. Soon they find themselves pitted in a race against time amid a sea of lies, betrayal and an enemy that threatens them both...
Outside, in the deserted alley, she turned to him. Surprised, he gazed down at her, waiting to hear what she wanted to say.
Instead, she pulled him down and kissed him.
There was no hesitation on the sensual movement of her lips on his. The first touch ignited a fire. He tugged her close, body to body, and kissed her back.
Emotionsâdesire, certainly, but something strongerâflared. He lost track of time, forgot where they were, because everything about her filled up his entire world. He wanted to push her up against the wall and make love to her right then, right there.
When they finally broke apart, each was breathing hard.
âI want you,â she said, her forehead resting against his chest.
âI want you too,â he replied.
KAREN WHIDDON started weaving fanciful tales for her younger brothers at the age of eleven. Amid the gorgeous Catskill Mountains, then the majestic Rocky Mountains, she fueled her imagination with the natural beauty surrounding her. Karen now lives in North Texas, writes full-time and volunteers for a boxer dog rescue. She shares her life with her hero of a husband and four to five dogs, depending on if she is fostering. You can email Karen at [email protected]. Fans can also check out her website, www.karenwhiddon.com.
Iâve always, always, always wanted to write a mermaid book. Timing or whatever never worked out and Iâm pleased to have been finally able to write my mermaid heroineâand a handsome, wolf shape-shifter hero.
For this story, I returned to Galveston, Texas, a location Iâve visited many times over the years since my husbandâs sister lives there. Thereâs a lot of history on this island, and it seemed the perfect place to set a story like this. Creating The Shadow Agency was fun, too, and Iâd hoped to write more books featuring this paranormal investigative agency, but it wasnât meant to be.
I hope you enjoy this story. Love, missing women, crazed evil scientists and the oceanâwhat more can anyone ask for!
Happy reading!
Karen Whiddon
Dedicated to animal rescuers everywhere.
Those who work in the trenches, saving lives, fostering, transporting, evaluating, doing home visits for potential adopters and showing animals love so they can find their forever homes.
I salute you!
Contents
The heavy oak door, scarred and weathered, looked like it had been salvaged from an ancient medieval castle. Above, a simple sign. No words, just a rusted iron bar from which hung two chain links, each half of what had once been whole. There were no lanterns, not even a streetlight to illuminate the shadows. The entrance sat near the end of a dead-end alley, innocuous enough that no soul, human or otherwise, would give it a second glance. Unless of course, one knew what lay inside. No humans ever would.
Shayla Dover had learned of Broken Chains, the bar behind the battered door, from her friend Maddie Kinslow, who happened to be a Shape-shifter. Theyâd met at a spin class. Maddie had known right away that Shayla wasnât human, and hadnât batted even an eyelash when Shayla had revealed her true nature. Of course, during her first visit with Maddie to Broken Chains, Shayla had learned being a Mermaid in human form wasnât even the most uncommon of the numerous paranormal beings frequenting the bar.
Broken Chains accepted everyone. The only criteriaâno human could ever enter. Vampires, Shape-shifters of all types, as well as Mermaids, Spirits and Wraiths mingled free of judgments, vendettas or complaints. A live band played most nights, rotating groups with enough different genres of music to suit all tastes. The small dance floor stayed crowded, and snagging a table became a matter of luck and skill.
Alcohol was sold, as well as specialty beverages that suited each particular kind of clientele. One sign boasted that Broken Chains carried twenty-seven varieties of blood, especially popular among the Vampire crowd.
Shayla loved the place. For the first time since making the choice to live on land, she felt she had found a spot where she belonged as much as she did under the sea.
