The Hot Alpha Switch: A Paranormal Shifter Romance (6 page)

LONDON

London! They were going to London!

Inwardly, Kendra was jumping up and down like a frog on a lily pad. Outwardly, she was the very epitome of sophistication. Or so she would like to think.

She had never flown first class before, and she had to refrain from oohing and aahing at everything.

“Can I make your bed for you, Miss?”

Bed? You mean this compartment folds out
into a bed?

“Of course. Thank you,” she replied calmly.

I knew that!

Of course, what if she got into that bed, and it suddenly folded up on her? It would snap her in two! It had happened before with Milly Gotlieb’s bunk.

Then:

“Would you like lobster as your entrée, Miss?”

She couldn’t stop gazing at the menu.

“What are the other choices?” she whispered.

“Lamb, beef tenderloin, and a vegetarian lasagna.”

“Can I have all four?”

Werewolves had very large appetites.
She was glad that Taran was in another compartment, so he couldn’t fully see how all this was affecting her in the most delightful way.

When they finally arrived in Heathrow airport, she couldn’t stop looking out of the window.

“Miss home?” Taran asked.

“Yes.”

He clasped his hand over hers. She didn’t take it away.

*

London was exciting, frenetic, and everything Kendra thought it would be from Google Images. She could scarcely contain her excitement.

“You’re particularly stoked today,” Taran observed.

“No, I’m not.” She hastily pried her face from the window of Taran’s chauffeured Bentley. “I’m just glad to be home, that’s all.”

He smiled. “I haven’t seen you like this in a long, long time. Do you remember when we first met?”

She didn’t say anything.

He went on, “When I first met you, we were at Julia’s.”

Which might be a person or a restaurant, she couldn’t tell.

“You were this bright spark. I saw you across the room. You were laughing and infecting everyone with your energy. There were these young blokes around you, hanging on to your every word. You wore a blue dress with shimmery highlights, and your hair was done up in a chignon.”

Kendra wasn’t sure what a chignon was.

“I knew I had to go to you right away. So I picked up a martini and sauntered across the room, trying to look cool. Inside, I was very nervous. You were the belle of the party, and I knew that I had very little chance of attracting your attention.”

You’re a billionaire,
and you were nervous about meeting me? I mean Violet?

“You were so confident. So sure of yourself. I always had a self-image issue.”

No way! Taran was the epitome of English aristocracy. The only thing missing was a title.
Lord
Taran.
Earl
Taran. Kendra could certainly picture him in a double-breasted suit, chatting with the Queen in Buckingham Palace. Which they were passing by right now, so her eyes were drawn to it.

There had to be a reason why Taran had a self-image issue, but Violet hadn’t clued her in on it. She had hardly told Kendra anything about Taran because it was assumed that Kendra would already have asked him for space.

Taran went on, “But I plucked up my courage and walked over anyway. The other blokes around you looked up as I came over. They must have thought I was out of my mind. But you appraised me with those marvelous eyes of yours.”

Kendra’s heart expanded, and she held her breath.

“I thought you were going to ask me to go away. But you didn’t. Instead, you looked at me, and you said –” He paused, as though waiting for her to complete the sentence.

“I said,” Kendra began.

Taran’s blue-green eyes met hers through his glasses. He had such earnest, beautiful eyes.

“Don’t you remember?” he said softly.

“Not the exact words,” she replied honestly.

He did not seem
disappointed.

Then he said, “You said, ‘I’ve noticed you watching me. You have incredibly kind eyes’.”

Kendra exhaled. Violet’s observation was spot on.

“After that, I asked you out, and you said ‘yes’. That was two years ago. It was the beginning of a great love story.”

What happened then? Kendra wondered. What did you do to each other?

Taran cleared his throat. “I’d like to rekindle what we had, go back to those times when we were happy. Can you do that . . . for us?”

Yes!

(But you’re supposed to ask him for space. This is not your relationship. This is not your problem to mend or break.)

Kendra blinked but did not reply. She honestly had no words.

But . . . what if she could save Taran and Violet’s relationship? What if she could heal their rift? After all, wasn’t Violet trying to save her community?

An idea slowly began to unfurl in her mind.

“OK,” she said. “I think we owe it to ourselves to try.”

Her heart was beating very fast.

Could she pull it off?

THE BET

“The stakes are easy. I’m betting a whole lot of money on you,” Caleb said. “I’m giving six to one odds against you. You win, I win a shitload of money.”

“I’m putting in my money, too,” Ronnie said.

Violet shot him a surprised look.

They were in Caleb’s kitchen. The dining table had been transformed into a negotiation table. Caleb’s son, the shifty-eyed Joseph, watched from behind. Now and then, his greedy eyes
lit
upon Violet.

Violet’s skin crawled. She would like to think that she could take care of herself. But still –

And look what happened to you the last time.

“Who are you betting on?” Caleb’s eyes narrowed.

“Myself.” Ronnie took out a wad of cash. “This is clan money. There’s fifty thousand dollars in there. Count it.”

Caleb licked his lips as he took the stack of one thousand dollar bills and started counting.

“Ronnie,” Violet whispered urgently. “May I talk to you alone for a second?”

Ronnie and Caleb exchanged glances. Behind them, Violet could see Joseph grinning.

“Sure.”

Ronnie got up. They walked to the living room.

“Are you sure this is a good idea?” Violet said. “Betting clan money on yourself?”

To be honest, she wasn’t too comfortable about this whole fight thing. She had never seen a werewolf fight before, but it had to be brutal. She didn’t know Ronnie too well, but from what little she knew of him, she thought he was a very attractive and decent guy. She would hate for him to get hurt in any way.

The more she thought about it, the more anxious she became.

Ronnie said, “Relax, Kendra. I’ve done this before.”

Did you win the last time? Violet wanted to know but was afraid to ask. It should be common clan knowledge, right? But he was still here, so that had to count for something.

He went on, “What happened to my father was just plain bad luck.”

Her eyes flew open again. Something happened to his father during a fight?

“I can win this,” he assured her.

“But why are the odds six to one against you?”

“Because I’m fighting Grant Carter.”

Who is?

“The most ferocious werewolf on the East Coast,” he added. “The Black Wolf.”

Violet’ jaw dropped. “And you expect to win?”

“Yes.” Ronnie smiled. “And I’m going to make our clan a whole lot of money.”

*

To say that Violet was skeptical about this was to say that the ocean was a little salty.

Back in their RV, she squeaked, “Aren’t you a little overconfident?”

“I have to be confident,” Ronnie replied. “It’s the way we win battles. Besides, I’ve got you by my side. You’re going to be my lucky charm.”

Violet was astounded. “Ronnie, you can’t take me as your lucky charm.”

The words ‘lucky charm’ resounded in her head. The blood in her ears pounded. It was too uncanny. She had been called someone’s lucky charm before, but that was a long time ago and a whole different story.

She hadn’t exactly been lucky since.

“Of course I can. You’re the miracle girl. The tree crashed onto your parents, rest their souls, but you were spared. That’s the greatest miracle there is.”

Oh. Violet had almost forgotten about Kendra’s sad story. Then another thought struck her. Was that why Ronnie wanted so badly to mate with Kendra? Because she was some lucky talisman? If that were the case, she felt peeved for her friend’s sake.

“Don’t count on it,” she warned him. “Once you’re out there, you’re on your own.”

“Nah. I’ll have you in the sidelines. That’s powerful. Powerful enough for me.” His handsome face shone with undisguised zeal. “Don’t you see what a great team we’ll be, Kendra? You and me – the alpha pair. Touring the whole country. Me winning the fights with
you by my side. We can take our clan out of oblivion and make everyone rich!”

Violet couldn’t fault his ambition.

“Yes, but there are still many mountains to climb,” she argued. “We’re still in the dark ages where cultural beliefs are concerned—”

She halted.

An idea had just occurred to her.

She said slowly, “If I become your lucky talisman throughout this tour, not just your handmaiden, would you consider trying to convince the elders to let the wolf women be educated?”

“You mean reverse our culture as we know it?” His mouth twitched.

“Isn’t it time?”

He couldn’t help smiling, “You’re really persistent about this, aren’t you?”

“So it’s a deal?”

“It’s a deal.” He chortled. “I can’t lose now.”

Trouble was – how did one become a lucky talisman when one was an imposter?

And what if Ronnie lost?

THE FLAT

If she was to mend Violet’s relationship with Taran, Kendra decided that it wasn’t as simple as making nice with Taran. She had to lay the foundations. She had to find out what went wrong with their relationship in the first place.

And she had to do it without Violet knowing about it.

So much for asking for space! But it was the least she could do for her new friend.

Taran brought her back to her flat. Only it wasn’t just a flat, Kendra discovered. It was a spacious four-bedroom apartment on the tenth floor of a ritzy South Kensington building. There was more space in here than forty Shipshank trailers combined.

She couldn’t help but be dazzled by the crystal lamps, brocade curtains, plush armchairs, and everything else. Every inch of this place was interior-designed.

“Looking for cobwebs?” Taran asked, coming in with her luggage.

“Uh, maybe.”

“I hope you don’t mind, but I’ve arranged a little surprise.”

He stepped aside.

A deliveryman came in with a big vase of flowers – azaleas, marigolds, and red roses. Kendra stepped back.

“Oh!” she said in surprise.

Then another deliveryman came in with another vase of flowers. And another. Kendra could only watch, her jaw on the floor, as the whole sitting room was festooned with flowers of all sizes and colors.

Taran’s smile was contagious.

And she’s giving this guy up?

“For you,” he said. “A welcoming back present.”

He walked over to her and took her in his arms. The room was redolent with contrasting and dizzying scents. Kendra was not the type of girl who swooned easily, but she was ready to swoon now – primarily because of the heady smell of the flowers, she told herself.

Taran took his glasses off. His eyes were amazingly beautiful.

Then he kissed her, despite Kendra’s misgivings.

She gave in to the kiss. She couldn’t help herself. He was her dream guy – so far – and he was everything she had ever wanted in a man. His lips were soft and gentle, and his breath smelled of the mint toothpaste from the plane. Her mind whirled. She wanted so much more than a kiss.

But he wasn’t hers! He was someone else’s. She was just
borrowing
him.

Then something else crept into her mind.

If you don’t want him, Violet, can I have him?

But that would be wrong. What if Violet just needed space to figure out things on her own? What if she decided – at the end of one month – that she really wanted this wonderful, handsome, extremely cultured, young billionaire back at the end of it all?

He’s not yours. But you can mend this for someone else
. That would be the most selfless gesture she could do.

Ever.

Taran’s hands clasped her waist before heading north. His hands roamed over her back, exploring it. Their lips parted, and his eyes were like blue-green jewels as they held hers.

His voice was husky. “Do you want to?”

She knew what he was asking. Her body ached to be held by him, and her pussy clenched. Liquid sensations of need shot through her core.

I can’t
.

It took every ounce of her willpower to push him away gently.

“I’m really tired, Taran. I need to sleep.”

His face fell.

“We’ll talk later,” she quickly added.

“Of course.”

He put his glasses back on and straightened his back – the consummate English gentleman again. Then he gently brushed a stray hair from her cheek.

“Sleep well, Violet,” he murmured.

She wanted to clasp his hand to her face and hold his warmth against her flesh. But she had to let him go. For now.

“Good night, Taran.”

“Good night.”

He left, shutting the door behind him quietly.

Kendra leaned against it, taking in the entire lounge again with its bursting blooms. Her heart was racing.

Then her cellphone buzzed in her bag.

Violet!
she thought, her stomach flipping.
She knows
I
tried to steal her boyfriend
.

She ran to her bag and eased Violet’s cellphone out. The display said:

BLAIR

Blair!

Violet’s best friend.

Kendra remembered what Violet said about Blair:

“She’s vain, brilliant, and she can be a handful. But I’ve known her for a long time, and she’s the most loyal person I know. She’s older than me. Around Taran’s age, though she acts younger. Try to have as few interactions with her as possible because she knows me pretty well, and you might let something slip. Tell her you’re busy with the online business. She’ll understand.”

Kendra picked the call up. “Hello, Blair?”

“Vi! You’re back! I missed you! Oh, I have so much to tell you since you’ve been away.”

I haven’t been away that long, have I? Kendra thought.

Blair’s accent was decidedly English, like Taran’s. “We have to catch up! When can we meet? Tomorrow?”

“Um, I don’t think so. I’m sorry. The online business is running into some glitches, and I have lots to do with the website.”

“Oh!” Blair’s tone was aggrieved. “Surely you can spare your bestie some time for brunch? This is brilliant news, and it just can’t wait!”

“You can tell me on the phone.”

“No. This is too good for cellular communication. I have to meet you. Tomorrow at Fondant’s? Eleven o’ clock so you can recover from your jetlag?”

A thought struck Kendra. Blair would certainly know why Taran and Violet were at odds with each other. If anyone would know how to mend it, it would be Blair!

She had to play her cards right.

“OK,” she said. “Tomorrow at Fondant’s.”

Wherever the hell that was.

“Tomorrow then. See you. I love you.” Blair blew a kiss into the phone.

“Love you, too.”

Kendra rang off. Her mind churned. What a night! And she still had this wonderful place to explore.

The living room led to a beautiful kitchen. The stove was so shiny, and everything was so neat that she doubted Violet ever did any real cooking in here. The refrigerator was stocked with juices, eggs, and fruits. And chocolates. Boxes and boxes of them, mostly half-eaten. Violet was a chocoholic.

It was time to explore upstairs. There were indeed four bedrooms. One of them had been converted into an audiovisual room. The largest bedroom had a walk-in closet that completely floored Kendra. She had never seen a walk-in closet before.

She flung open the doors of each section. The sheer amount of clothes in there was staggering. The clothes were coordinated not by color, but by dress length, it appeared. Gowns were in one closet. Dresses that fell to mid-calves were in another. Pantsuits in yet another. Jackets. Hats. Trousers and jeans. Shoes.

Kendra felt dizzy just looking at it all.

The bed itself was canopied, and the mattress molded to her body as she lay upon it. The sheets were silk and felt like heaven itself.

Now she was in danger of never wanting to leave this place.