Consort - Part Three: Willow Cove Shifters - The Pack, #9

By Margeaux Nix

Just when I start to think everything is going to be ok, I get kidnapped by the vampire king. It's just not my day!

 

Everly – Despite knowing there was still a threat to the Guardians – the special forces of witches and wizards that protect the Chosen Ones – I let myself relax just enough to enjoy my mating moon with my sexy shifter. Of course, that is when the vampire king decided to kick things up a notch. Before being whisked away to his creepy summer castle, I managed to get a message to my mate and to the other Guardians. Now I just have to stay alive long enough for them to get me out. Did I mention the vampire king is also working with demons to take over the world?

 

Axel – My mate has been kidnapped off the street in front of her coffee shop by the vampire king, and her coven only says they are working on getting her back. They won't share any information with me and I'm slowly going insane waiting. Then things change and her well-being is now being threatened. Suddenly, it's all hands on deck – including two Norse gods – to get her out before her captors can do any permanent damage. Oh, and we need to stop them from taking over the world. Just another walk in the park!

 

Will Axel and the crew of supernatural heroes be able to get Everly out safely and stop the vampire king before it's too late? Read the conclusion of their story Consort now!

 

Willow Cove Shifters is a serial following the four Burke siblings in the quest to find and claim their fated mates, with a new part released each month of 2022.

Intended for mature audiences 18+ for language and sex.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Margeaux Nix
• Release date: Sep 1, 2022
• ISBN: 9798201117603

Margeaux Nix

Margeaux Nix is a pen name for my paranormal books. I also write contemporary/erotic romance under the pen name J. Silence.  I never thought I'd like 'shifter' books and then I read one and quickly devoured the entire 10 book series. I was hooked! It didn't take long for me to fall in love with fated mates, alpha heroes and the women that love them.  When I started writing shifters, my intention was 'just one' while another series marinated. A dozen books later, and I can't seem to stop myself! I am a Navy son mom, a teenage girl mom, and a doggo mom to my two rescued writing companions - a lab mix and a border collie mix. I'm also a soon-to-be GG (gorgeous grandma)!

Book preview

Chapter 1

Axel

Y ou’ve been a moody asshole ever since Ryker and Violet went to Roxboro for their first visit. They’ve only been gone a week. It can’t possibly be that bad having Nash as your boss. What’s going on with you?

My sister Kat is over my attitude today. She doesn’t understand what I’m going through. She thinks it’s because our brother and his mate have left for their first trip to their new pack. But that’s not it at all. Her mate is no more than a few steps away. Even when they will be separated for him to return to work in a week, he’ll still be only a few minutes away. My mate is goddess-only-knows-where in the world. She could even be in the underworld for all I know. I can’t reach her through our mate link, and my moods have been worse than Xander’s because of it.

Everly’s coven has been almost no help. Only Cyrus or Wick will show themselves to me and when they do, they either can’t or won’t tell me anything. What little I do know is that for now at least, she is unharmed. She’s been taken by vampires and is being held in a location that they either can’t disclose or don’t know. Even the clutch of vamps that are our allies has no information they are willing to share. Either that means the vamps that took my mate are too powerful to go up against, or our allies don’t know much.

Everly’s coven said they are working on a plan to get her out but not what that plan entails or how quickly they expect to get her back. No matter how much I beg, whine, cajole, demand, etc. they just do not include me in their information. I don’t know if they simply don’t trust me, or if they are under orders not to include me in the information. And that just makes my attitude that much worse. I am worried for her, miss her terribly, and fear what could happen to her that I and no one else cannot protect her from.

Both Cyrus and Wick know that we are mated. That I am her consort. What I don’t know is if the rest of her coven knows. If the witches’ council knows.  If her captors know. I also don’t know if would keep her safer if they knew, or if it would make her situation worse. Basically, I know nothing about what’s going on with my mate, and it’s making me crazy. I’ve spent the last week combing through every resource in the pack library to find anything I can that might help.

What I was able to find in my research is that once a witch takes a consort, her power increases exponentially. More so if her consort is also supernatural. We’ve only officially been mated for a few weeks – and she’s been gone almost a third of that. We’ve not had the chance to explore what our mating has done for her magic or mine. We’ve barely had enough time to strengthen our bonds the ‘old-fashioned’ way.

I miss her more than I miss the air in my lungs. I miss the feel of her skin against mine. I miss her scent filling my lungs while I sleep. Not that I’ve been doing much of that since she was taken. Between the concern for her safety and the guilt that I wasn’t there to keep her safe when she needed me the most, and the weight of the unknown of her situation, I’ve barely slept more than a few disjointed, restless hours each night.

Kat splashes water in my face bringing me back to my present surroundings. We are in her back yard – the oasis magic created – floating in the pool on giant lily pads. Nash and I had our daily briefing this morning and Kat insisted I stay and relax in the pool with her since I’ve been so uptight lately. It’s not doing much to help me.

Nothing is wrong, I snap.

Really? She laughs. "You just snapped at me. Something you’ve never done before. Not even when I deserved it. What’s got your tail in a twist?"

You know what the problem is, Kat, I huff. Why are you being difficult?

"I’m being difficult?" She practically screeches the words, which has the oasis reacting accordingly. The calm waters of the pool become choppy, and the light breeze picks up to the level of an angry storm.

Ok, ok. It’s not you who is being difficult, I admit when I’m almost knocked down by a rogue wave.

A wave. In. A. Pool.

I’ve never felt so off-kilter before. It’s driving me crazy not being with her. Not knowing if she is ok, or even where she is. My wolf constantly paces with the need to find and protect her. The assurances of her coven have done nothing to help. Cyrus – as cranky as he is – has been the most helpful and forthcoming with information. Though even that is limited. I think he feels bad for me. At least someone does!

It’s Everly. She’s gone and none of her coven can and or will tell me where she is. She’s been gone a week, and every day is worse than the last. She’s my mate and I couldn’t protect her!

Almost instantly, the wind and water calm and it starts pouring down rain as I watch my baby sister’s heart shatter for me. I can see the pieces of the puzzle clicking into place for Kat as she realizes the importance of the new tattoo circling my arm. She jumps from the pool and practically sprints into the house. She’s on a mission, but for what, I haven’t a clue.

Where are you going? I call after her. And what the hell have you done to the weather?!

Don’t you worry about it. I’ll be back soon, and everything will be better. I promise!

Something tells me I won’t like whatever plan she’s cooked up in her head. My sister is the omega of our pack and now the mate of the pack alpha. Meaning that she knows more about the emotional welfare of our pack than anyone. Now that she’s gotten my confession, she plans to do something about it. The problem is, she doesn’t have what little information I have. All she knows is that her brother is miserable, and she needs to fix it for me.

She returns moments later with fire in her eyes. She’s changed from her bikini to a pair of cut-offs and a tank top and her boots and her hair is pulled back with her mate’s leather band at the end of her braid. It looks like she’s made the connection that Everly isn’t gone by choice and my darling baby sister has plans to leave the safety of the pack, of her mate and her Guardians, to make the situation better for me however possible. Determined to keep her safe even at the risk of my own continued misery, I growl, Where do you think you’re going, little wolf?

She’s not intimidated by my growl. She never has been, even as a child. She lifts her chin in defiance, her green and gold eyes sparking with determination. I’m going to bring back your mate.

Before I can form an argument as to why it’s a really bad idea to go charging into a situation she doesn’t fully understand, pain like I’ve never known shoots through every cell in my body, dropping me to my knees, gasping for breath even as a scream is forced from my throat. I hold my sides as if holding myself together or perhaps shielding myself from what felt like a magical blow to the ribs. I know immediately that something bad has happened to Everly, and if I don’t get to her soon, I will lose her forever.

Axe! Kat rushes to my side, falling to her knees beside me. She rests one hand on my back while her other forces my face up so our gazes meet. Even though slight, that small movement is excruciating.

It’s Everly, I manage through clenched teeth. She’s in trouble. Something is wrong. Someone is hurting her.

Can you see or feel where she is? I need you to focus, Axe. Tell me everything you know, Kat begs even as I begin to feel the waves of soothing energy pouring off my sister and into my body. I focus on Everly, on channeling this energy to her through our mate bond. I haven’t been able to communicate with her through it, but