Finding Her Mate: A Three Book Shifter Romance Collection

By AJ Tipton

These sexy shifters will stop at nothing to find their mates. 

This collection includes the first book in the Billionaire Bear Shifter, Her Elemental Viking, and Dragon Shifter Motorcycle Club series. Each story in the collection stands alone, but inhabits the same rich world of romance, adventure, and sizzling hot studs who will do anything for the women they love. 

Alpha's Heir: Orson is a billionaire bear shifter running from commitment. Casey is a curvy chef struggling to make ends meet. When their paths collide, it's delicious. This novella includes sassy women, drool-worthy cooking, exciting bear attacks, and a love so hot it sizzles. 

Her Valiant Dragon: Sexy dragon shifter Dylan Masters seeks redemption for his dark past. His journey leads him into terrible danger, but he's found what his wounded soul needs: Marie. This adult novella includes naughty nurses, badass motorcycle clubs, dramatic dragon brawls, and a passionate love that heals all wounds. 

Her Fiery Viking: Mikkel is an immortal Viking cursed to become an exploding inferno when enraged. After a thousand years, he believes he may have finally found his match. When Joanna--a smart, sexy engineer angry at the world--explodes into his life, Mikkel can't resist her smoldering allure. This mature romance includes incendiary bar room shenanigans, a harrowing kidnapping, high speed car escapades, and a love strong enough to heal even the most damaged of hearts. 

These STANDALONE novellas can be read in any order. There are no cliffhangers, and each short ends as it should: happily ever after.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Savvy Storytelling, LLC
• Release date: Aug 29, 2016
• ISBN: 9781536504699

AJ Tipton

AJ Tipton is a writing team: Annie and Jess (Get it? "AJ"). Based in Brooklyn with the greatest dog in the world as our mascot, we love to create fun romances that astound, amuse and arouse. Our romances are steamy and paranormal, with strong heroes saving the day through extraordinary adventures.   Check out our FREE novella, Coaching the Bear, for a taste of what our magical worlds have to offer! We are huge proponents of informed consent, and love to wind cheeky pop culture references into our works. Let us know which ones you catch!  Please say hello! You can get in touch with us through: Email: [e-mail] Facebook: www.facebook.com/AJTiptonAuthor Twitter: twitter.com/AJTiptonAuthor Blog: ajtiptonauthor.wordpress.com  

Book preview

Finding Her Mate

Finding Her Mate

A Three Book Shifter Romance Collection

AJ Tipton

Copyright © AJ Tipton 2015-2017 The right of AJ Tipton to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by her in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 (or other similar law, depending on your country). All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise) without the prior written permission of the author, except in cases of brief quotations embodied in reviews or articles. It may not be edited, amended, lent, resold, hired out, distributed or otherwise circulated without the publisher’s written permission. Permission can be obtained from [e-mail]

This book is for sale to adult audiences only. It contains substantial sexually explicit scenes and graphic language which may be considered offensive by some readers.

This is a work of fiction. All characters, names, places and incidents appearing in this work are fictitious. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, organizations, events or locales is purely coincidental.

All sexually active characters in this work are 18 years of age or older.

Cover art photos provided by BigStock.com, Morgue Files, Flickr.com, and Upsplash.com. Graphic Design by ChameleonStudio, Padrón, and ZamajK

Contents

Alpha’s Heir

Her Valiant Dragon

Her Fiery Viking

Letter from the Authors

Meet AJ Tipton

Alpha’s Heir

The mahogany desk smashed through the window in a rain of glass shards .

I just got that window fixed, Orson thought, clenching his fists around the sheet wrapped around his waist. Cold air from the broken window blew across his bare pecs and his nipples pebbled to hard points.

Calm down, Dad, he said through gritted teeth.

His inner bear stirred in his chest, trying to force itself to the surface in response to the growing threat. Not now, not yet. Not here, he told the bear, pushing it back down again. Not while she's in danger.

How dare you disobey me! You are a disgrace to your clan! Nikolai bellowed, grabbing Orson's favorite armchair and throwing it against a bookshelf. The shelves rattled and broke, sending Orson's books on various programming languages cascading to the floor. The globe-shaped award Orson won for outstanding achievement in innovative software rolled across the hardwood floor.

Please, I didn't know. The source of today's trouble whimpered in the corner. Sarah was shakily putting on her clothes, her delicious curves disappearing under her voluminous sweater.

They'd been dating a few days and Orson had known it wouldn't last--the bear inside had never liked her--but only a few hours ago he'd finally coaxed her to take off all her clothes when they had sex. When she'd finally realized how much he needed the sight of her large breasts heaving as he roughly plunged into her folds, the rush was exquisite. The awed look on her face in that moment didn't make up for the terrified expression etched there now. He'd barely had time to finish before his father smashed his front door to kindling.

You are my son! Nikolai roared. I am the Alpha. You will do what is good for your clan, or I will kill you. He stopped pacing for a second. Or, better yet, I will send for Cleo. She will put a stop to this ridiculous behavior.

Because I need another reminder that you think Cleo will be a better Alpha for our clan than your own son, Orson thought, taking deep breaths. He ran his hand through his short black hair and reminded himself, again, that he must respect his father.

Nikolai's flannel shirt was beginning to tear as his inner bear stretched beneath his skin, layers of fur and sinew ripping the red and black-checked fabric to pieces. Through the tearing shirt, Orson could see his father's overlapping scars criss-crossing his chest, each one a reminder of how differently they viewed what was right for the clan.

Cleo has her own business to worry about, Orson said.

Moving slowly, he picked Sarah's purse off the floor and walked it over to her, keeping his body protectively between her and his stalking father.

Cleo has no business more important than making sure her fiancé stays faithful, Nikolai said. He picked up the rolling globe and smashed it through the next unbroken window.

I'm sure Cleo's Fortune 500 company would disagree with you there, Orson bit his tongue to stop himself from saying. Orson eyed the destroyed living room. So long as his father kept his rage vented on his furniture and awards, Sarah would stay breathing.

Who's Cleo? Sarah whispered, as she took the purse from him and held it close to her chest.

Arranged marriage. Trust me, it doesn't mean anything, he told her. He could smell her, the cologne she'd dumped on her skin not quite hiding the acrid fear wafting off her skin. I'll call you tomorrow. He kept an eye on his father, but put down a hand to help her to her feet.

No, he will not! Nikolai yelled, kicking at the scattered books so they sailed through the air. My son will not have associations with any human scum!

Sarah leaned away from Orson's hand and used the wall to haul herself to her feet. I'm sorry, Orson. You've been great, but I really don't have time to deal with… she looked between him and his father, All of this.

Orson nodded, keeping his face carefully still. He hadn't loved her, but her rejection still stung. He'd made her come three times; surely she wasn't going to give up on him that fast.

Sarah scrambled to her feet, clutching her purse in front of her.

Apparently she really is going to give up that fast. He nodded that he'd understood her, and turned back to his father.

He focused on the feeling of the sheet's soft fibers between his fingers as he heard Sarah's boots click on the marble all the way out the door. His keen shifter hearing heard her car door slam, followed by the loud revving of an engine, fading as it sped down his long driveway. Orson focused on his slow, even breathing until he heard her car disappear down his private road through the woods.

Then he let go.

His inner bear exploded out of him, filling him up and transforming him into a giant grizzly, his massive furred head brushing against the wooden rafters of his ten-foot tall ceiling.

In one breath, Orson felt right for the first time in hours, his human and bear selves melded into his true form of muscle, claws, and jaws. He roared and the walls shook, paintings and mirrors smashing to the floor around him.

You're weak, boy, Nikolai growled as he shifted to his full bear shape, his head coming up to Orson's shoulder. His lengthened jaw distorted his voice into a low growl, but his words and disdain were clear. I'd already defeated the Alpha by the time I was your age, and what have you done? Played on your computer!

I provided for our clan! Orson roared. His Alpha instincts pushed at him to prove to his father he deserved respect. Only his father would see developing software worth billions of dollars as disgraceful.

In his bear form, it was harder to fight his instincts to challenge his father for dominance. He's the Alpha, he repeated over and over. It is my duty to respect the Alpha.

And what will your money matter if your actions bring dishonor to our clan and my name? You were fucking a human, Orson, a filthy human.

Orson forced himself back onto all fours, bowing his head. He wanted to point out that fucking a human didn't disrespect his clan. Bear clans were too few and too scattered to follow the old ways of only mating with other bear shifters. Only the handful of remaining Old World minded Alphas like his father clung to that narrow way of life. Long ago, forged truces ended the wars between the clans and put a stop to the ancient traditions of violent challenges for rank. Nikolai's world was gone before Orson was even born.

The old rivalries were still there, of course; ancient feuds didn't just disappear. But they now played out in the most powerful symbol of the modern age: money. Any other Alpha leader would have been proud of Orson's achievements, selling his software and making billions of dollars for the clan's accounts. He'd proven to his people that he could provide for them in a way that brought power and honor.

How had his father reacted when he made his first billion? Ridiculed him for not having enough scars.

Orson clenched his jaw and concentrated on shifting, making his form shrink back down to his human size. His inner bear roared and fought, but Orson forced it down. As much as his father frustrated him, Nikolai was the Alpha, and Orson had to respect that.

He picked up the upended arm chair and righted it back on the floor. The hard wooden frame was barely damaged. Orson didn't bother wrapping the sheet back around his naked body before settling down in the chair. He’d only bothered with the sheet for Sarah's delicate human sensibilities. Now he wondered why he'd bothered with her at all.

Orson noticed with wry amusement that his father stayed in bear form as he paced on all fours. Even with Orson in his weaker human form, Nikolai's bear recognized the threat of a young Alpha in the room.

If you will not listen to me as your father, listen to your Alpha. You will respect the alliance I made between you and Cleo, or I will renounce you as my heir.

Orson stilled. He wanted to believe it was a toothless threat. He had no siblings and the clan had no other potential Alphas. If Nikolai denied him as his heir, the clan would fall apart, leaving Orson a rogue Alpha without family or name. He'd still have the money he'd made of course, but he would lose the clan he’d spent his life protecting.

Was his father really so threatened that his son wasn't his blood-thirsty mirror that he'd deny Orson his birthright?

Orson studied his father's aggressive pacing, the cold set in his father's eyes.

He might.

Yes, father. I will marry Cleo and stay away from other women. Orson could feel a headache coming on. Marry Cleo?

Nikolai nodded slowly, his eyes narrowing. Good, see that you do.

I need a drink.

Shit! Casey cursed under her breath as she watched the pint glass smash against the floor. She pulled the stained mini broom and dustpan from a shelf under the bar and sighed. Yup, that’s exactly how today is going. Professional disaster, clothing malfunction, and now I'm breaking shit.

AUDREY’S bar was relatively quiet for a Tuesday. The regulars hadn't arrived yet and the vampire in the corner sipping a cocktail of A Positive and vodka was reading a crime novel so intensely Casey was certain he wouldn’t notice if a parade of tiger shifters in plastic body suits danced through. Casey deposited the broken glass shards into the trash can as quietly as possible, pulling at the bottom hem of her shirt as she leaned over. This shirt was a lot shorter than she liked; the last thing she needed today was flashing her muffin top.

Sorry about that, Audrey, I can totally pay for it, she called over to the bar’s owner, serving drinks alongside her.

Oh please, don’t worry about it, Audrey grinned as she scooped ice into two cocktail shakers. She snapped her fingers and the remaining litter of broken glass on the floor disappeared in a dramatic puff of smoke. You'll never beat Lola’s record for the most broken glassware in one day. Although that was more ‘throwing’ than ‘dropping’...

Casey watched in awe as Audrey’s completed cocktails floated in the air above the heads of the patrons, landing softly at one of the nearby wooden tables.

I'm never going to get used to this place.

Casey had known when Audrey hired her to serve drinks at AUDREY’S that it was a bar for supernaturals. Even after more than a year, Casey couldn't stop her jaw from dropping a little whenever Audrey showed off her skills as a witch. Being a human was so boring sometimes.

The doors to the bar burst open with a roar as six mud-covered men entered in various states of undress, singing a drunken anthem so garbled Casey couldn't tell if they were singing about a winner or a fibber.They carried their victor on their bulging shoulders, singing and dripping water all over the floor.

Casey stopped herself from drooling slightly at all the muscled flesh parading past. This was one of the major benefits of being on AUDREY'S staff: the shifters. Everyone has a type, and Casey’s was big, half-naked, and growling.

Orson is our Shifter Challenge winner! Lola’s voice rang out through the bar as she walked in behind the men. The bartender's long black braids hovered over her head, swaying of their own accord. Her bright red smile was the same shade as the rose petals on the thorny tattoo circling her neck and dropping low into her ample cleavage. Lola leaped over the bar in a quick effortless motion, grabbed a few empty pitchers as she jumped through the air, and positioned them below the taps in a single graceful movement. Let’s get our champion a drink!

Audrey and Casey applauded from behind the bar as the men hollered merrily. Casey concentrated on keeping her facial expression neutral as Orson the bear shifter was lowered to the ground and the group settled at one of the back tables. Guys that gorgeous didn't notice poor, heavy bartender-caterers and it wasn't worth the heartbreak to try.

Lola smiled her normal mysterious smile as she pulled the taps. It was hard to know what Lola was ever truly thinking, but Casey knew Lola was proud of the Tuesday Night Shifter Challenge. Lola set up the obstacles herself, a twisting chaos of logs and ropes for the werewolves, werepanthers, fox shifters and so on to race each other through in their shifted form. At least it kept the tips rolling in on a Tuesday night, which was something Casey desperately needed today.

Hey, what’s wrong? Audrey was looking at Casey with her head tilted, eyebrow up. Caught. Casey knew there was no way out of a conversation when Audrey looked at her like that.

Casey pulled at a loose lock of her strawberry blonde hair, mentally cursing her inability to keep a poker face. My catering company had this huge order this week. Everything was perfect until they canceled 20 minutes ago. They’re contractually obligated to pay for half of the food, but I’m still out for the other half and the refrigerated van rental. It was this wealthy family that was supposed to be a great source for referrals , but now I’m just screwed.

Audrey wrapped Casey in a hug. "The way you cook? There is no way you aren’t destined for culinary greatness. Bring that food in and we’ll sell it to everyone in here.