The Dryad's Pawprint: The Paranormal Council, #1

By Laura Greenwood

A panther shifter will give up his happiness to help his people--but can he give up his fated mate?

When Kem is called before the Shifter Council, he's told he needs to marry to secure an alliance for them. There's only one problem: a year ago he met a woman he can't forget.

After meeting a mystery man a year ago, Lia has a secret. One that she can't even tell her sister, Aella. When fate brings the two of the back together, even the most carefully laid plans get disrupted.
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The Dryad's Pawprint is book one of The Paranormal Council, a fated mates paranormal romance series. It can be read as a standalone and includes a shifter-dryad m/f romance.

If you enjoy fated mates, light-hearted paranormal romances, intertwined standalones, a hint of steam, quick reads, and plenty of swoon, check out the complete Paranormal Council series today!

 

• Language: English
• Publisher: Drowlgon Press
• Release date: Jun 7, 2018
• ISBN: 9781386461616

Laura Greenwood

Laura is a USA Today Bestselling Author of paranormal romance, urban fantasy, and fantasy romance. When she's not writing, she drinks a lot of tea, tries to resist French macarons, and works towards a diploma in Egyptology. She lives in the UK, where most of her books are set. Laura specialises in quick reads, with healthy relationships and consent positive moments regardless of if she's writing light-hearted romance, mythology-heavy urban fantasy, or anything in between. You can find a full book list and more information on her website, or in The Paranormal Council Facebook Group. Happy Reading!

Book preview

One

KEM

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Kem’s memories focused on a beautiful blonde with hair down the small of her back. He’d met her about a year ago, when he’d been dragged out to a new club by his co-workers. Kem had watched from the sidelines, amused as they’d done anything they could think of to disprove the stereotype that accountants were boring. But, from the moment he’d seen her in the middle of the dance floor, he’d felt different, and he’d known that no matter what happened; he had to have her. And he had. The mere memory of their one night of passion had his blood heating and his attention lagging from the work he should be focusing on. No matter what he did, his mind always seemed to focus on the need to find her again, but all he knew was her first name and what she looked like, both pretty much useless in a large city like he lived in. They hadn’t done much talking that night though, so he wasn’t even sure that she lived here too.

Giving up on any pretence of working, he unfolded the letter that had been burning a hole in his pocket ever since it had arrived three days ago. It was a summons before the Shifter Council and he still wasn’t sure how he felt about it. On the one hand, it was an honour that the Council even knew who he was, on the other, he didn’t really want to be the focus of their attention. While his brother was an Alpha, Kem had managed nearly thirty years without being involved in paranormal politics, and that was the way he liked it; from what he knew, backstabbing and feuding was a way of life among the paranormal elite, and they didn’t give any thought for the lives of ordinary shifters like him.

Kem stretched, cracking his neck out as he did and considering that it might be time for a shift. While living in the city allowed him to have a somewhat normal life, it didn’t allow for late-night runs in his panther form, or at least, it didn’t if he didn’t want to create crazy rumours like his cousin had on Dartmouth Moor. They still teased him about that whenever the family got together.

Sighing, he pushed to his feet and shrugged on his suit jacket. He figured he was presentable enough for the Council. The rules about appearing before them were strict, almost as if they were still stuck in the past. He realised that it probably wasn’t down to the current Council members, but it was another good reason to stay out of paranormal politics.

Night, Kem! Tony called from his desk, looking a little worse for wear. He was about Kem’s age, though just human as far as Kem knew, but still partied like he was in his early twenties. It showed in his bloodshot eyes and frequent hangovers, but if someone could see past that then they’d find a classically handsome face and a protective nature surrounding a kind heart. His own nature, plus the fact that he was a self-confessed romantic, meant that Kem was always trying to see the best in people, even those that tried to hide it.

Night, Tony, he replied with a wave, walking from the office and onto the street outside. The moment the cold night air hit him, he breathed a sigh of relief. He had nothing against being inside, but there was something about the open air that called to the panther within him. Despite living in a large city, the constant calls from the government to keep pollution down helped to keep the air fresh and clean, for which he was constantly grateful. Kem glanced at his watch, relieved to find that he still had an hour before his summons from the Council, enough time for him to walk across the city and enjoy the crisp night air rather than having to catch a cab. It wasn’t a shifted run, but it was as close as he was going to get, though he could tell that he’d need to press some weights in his home gym later just to use up some of his pent-up energy.

As he walked, Kem relaxed, taking in his surroundings without being conscious of it. A movement in corner of his eye caught his attention as a slight woman with pale blonde hair walked by. His pulse skyrocketed and the pounding of his heart could surely be heard from a mile away, at least it would be if there was a vampire or another shifter about.

Lia! He couldn’t stop himself from calling out to her, even if he’d wanted to. It was almost as if something deeper within him was pushing him to do it. He just needed to talk to her. Even if it meant discovering that he was the only one fixating on their night together. To his disappointment, the woman didn’t turn around and the only thing stopping him from running after her was the logical part of his brain that told him it probably wasn’t actually her, and he’d be accosting some other woman. That, or she