Fated Mate: Soulmate Series, #1

By Anna Santos

Can a forbidden love between different species survive in a world where hybrids are still seen as aberrations and hunted by purebloods?

Annabel is a hybrid supernatural agent who arrives undercover in a supernatural town with one mission: to find a pureblood vampire to save her brother's life.

She's not expecting to feel irresistibly drawn to the gorgeous werewolf shifter in charge of protecting the town—Shane. Or to fall madly in love with a pureblood shifter.

As Shane keeps insisting on being her knight in shining armor and winning her affection, Annabel needs to figure out a way to keep her true identity a secret while being successful in her mission.

Shane feels the pull when he sees the beautiful human and is certain when he smells her—the sexy brunette is the soulmate he's been searching for almost two hundred years.

Still, Annabel seems adamant about resisting their attraction. Not surprising since humans don't know how powerful a mate bond is. He will not give up so easily. Annabel is his mate, and he'll do anything to make her feel safe with him.

 

But will their love survive when the secrets of her past and true identity come back to haunt them?

 

Find out in this thrilling and sexy paranormal romance.

 

If you enjoy books like Dark-Hunter Novels and Vampire Diaries, you'll love Soulmate.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Anna Santos
• Release date: Jun 29, 2023
• ISBN: 9798223916512

Anna Santos

Anna Santos is a Bestselling Author with her paranormal romance story: "Soul-Mate". Meanwhile, she has authored and published another standalone paranormal romance named "Punishing Her Vampire Master".  She likes to write steamy and happily ever after romances with magical and complex characters. All her books feature clever, witty, and strong heroines and dominant males who either get what they want or get what they deserve. She's currently in the process of editing the second book in the series of the Immortal Love so it can be published in 2016. She's also in the middle of writing the third book in the same series.  You can find her at: Website: http://annesaint90.wix.com/annasantosauthor Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AnnaSantosAuthor Twitter: https://twitter.com/AnneSaint90 Instagram: https://instagram.com/annasantosauthor Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/23301866-anna-santos

Book preview

Anna Santos

Fated Mate

Soulmate Series, Book 1

First published by Crystal Palace Publishing 2023

Copyright © 2023 by Anna Santos

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning, or otherwise without written permission from the publisher. It is illegal to copy this book, post it to a website, or distribute it by any other means without permission.

This novel is entirely a work of fiction. The names, characters and incidents portrayed in it are the work of the author's imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or localities is entirely coincidental.

Anna Santos asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work.

Anna Santos has no responsibility for the persistence or accuracy of URLs for external or third-party Internet Websites referred to in this publication and does not guarantee that any content on such Websites is, or will remain, accurate or appropriate.

Designations used by companies to distinguish their products are often claimed as trademarks. All brand names and product names used in this book and on its cover are trade names, service marks, trademarks and registered trademarks of their respective owners. The publishers and the book are not associated with any product or vendor mentioned in this book. None of the companies referenced within the book have endorsed the book.

Inquiries about additional permissions should be directed to:[e-mail].

First edition

Editing by Nancy Zee

Cover art by Cristal Designs

This book was professionally typeset on Reedsy

Find out more at reedsy.com

Whatever our souls are made of—

his and mine are the same.

—Wuthering Heights,

Emily Bronte

Contents

Foreword

Acknowledgement

1. Encounter

2. Savior

3. Connection

4. Attraction

5. I just met you

6. Vampires aren’t real

7. Date

8. Seduction

9. Passion

10. Things didn’t go as planned

11. We bonded

12. Did I make a mistake?

13. Nothing like I had ever experienced before

14. Enthralled

15. Rescue mission

16. Reality hits

17. Doubts

18. Prejudice

19. The perfect boyfriend

About the Author

Also by Anna Santos

Foreword

Dear reader,

Thank you for giving this story a chance.

If you’re curious about my other stories, you can find an updated list of books in my website:

http://www.annasantosauthor.com

Or Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/AnnaSantosAuthor

You can also sign up for my Newsletter to get a notification the day a new book comes out and find more about my other books and giveaways.

Join The Immortal Love Series Newsletter.

Or grab a free copy of my Paranormal Dragon Standalone HERE.

Acknowledgement

Thank you to all my faithful subscribers—the ones who keep opening my newsletters and reading my silly updates, my life drama, and my projects and dreams for the future.

Thank you to everybody who has bought, lent, and read my stories. I hope they help you escape reality and dream of a better world.

I also want to thank Nancy Zee my editor and cover designer at Cristal Designs.

One

Encounter

Chapter Separator

SHANE

THE WOMAN was a vision of confident femininity in her black leather pants and an off-the-shoulder white blouse. With dazzling, big, blue eyes and bee-stung lips that were red as ripe cherries, she moved with the grace and prowess of a feline.

Self-assured and possessing an almost regal bearing, she strode to the counter and sat on a stool. Throwing back her long black hair, her skin gave off a gentle glow, looking softer than silk. Her presence seemed to fill the room with an almost palpable sensuality.

The moment my eyes met hers, I was spellbound. She was like a beacon of light, mesmerizing and irresistible. I felt a strange tugging in my chest, like a powerful magnet drawing me in and taking away my will to resist. My senses sharpened until the world around me receded, replaced by her form and her spirit radiating out to meet me. I’d lived for over two mortal lives, and I’d never wanted to meet a woman so badly.

The pull I felt served as a reason to approach her. With no control over my body, I walked to the counter, sat next to her, and flashed my sexiest smile.

God! Her scent is an addiction, completely intoxicating. She smelled like a bouquet of roses, orchids, poppies, Heaven, vanilla, and candy. What a feast for my senses! She was the personification of lust, temptation, and dreams come true. I couldn’t believe it. I had long since lost faith in finding her, but there she was, after all this time: my soulmate.

I’m not interested, she replied to my smile before I’d had the opportunity to open my mouth. You’re not my type, she added as an afterthought.

That caught me off guard. What’s that even supposed to mean?

Stupidly, I asked, And what is your type? I’m not usually that pathetic with words, but I’m not often rejected, either. Come to think of it. I’ve never been rejected before.

The downside of your soulmate being a human—she doesn’t recognize you as hers.

The magnificent being didn’t respond to my foolish query, thankfully. She quickly glanced at me as if I were a nuisance, turned away, and asked the bartender for a drink. He smiled at her before glancing at me and rolling his eyes, as if to label me a loser. I’m sure Sam was pleased with the fact that I’d been rejected, but he didn’t know that I would not let her go that easily. After all, she was my other half.

My eyes wandered to her figure, intrigued by her choice of clothes. She was so sexy, my heart hurt. Yet that wasn’t the safest night for her to enter this place. A gang of dangerous predators lurked in a dark corner of the bar. Their eyes were riveted on her. I could sense their heads turning, smelling the air to catch her intoxicating scent.

She was too irresistible to be true, and she utterly dazzled me. I couldn’t even believe that she was here. It was like a dream, and if it truly was one, I dearly hoped I never awoke from it.

Can I buy you a drink? I asked, trying to make conversation.

Sparing me a look, she requested, Could you just leave? Her tone was soft but not impolite—far from it. She had a sexy, girly voice, and I swear I could detect a hint of concern. Like being far away from her was the best option for me.

The problem was that she was mine. At least I would do anything to make her mine. Leaving her there to be a vampire’s snack was out of the question. It was out of the question before I smelled her. Now, it was a death sentence to anyone who dared to touch her.

Are you new in town? I was curious and wouldn’t be driven away any time soon.

Yes, she answered, throwing back more of her drink.

I noticed she was looking at the mirrors on the wall. Her eyes were on the dark figures near to us. I almost sighed with impatience. Humans were inclined to get themselves in danger. They were drawn to evil creatures like moths to flames. She couldn’t possibly be serious.

Does that dark ‘emo’ look attract her?

They weren’t even the best-looking specimens of their race. They were newborn, pale, and skinny. The vampires had arrived an hour ago, and I had only seen them two or three times before. They weren’t from my town. Still, they knew who I was, and they had caused no trouble. Yet. Even if they looked hungry in a bar filled with werewolves and shapeshifters, they wouldn’t get lucky. If they knew what was good for them, they would leave and stop staring at the girl.

In a matter of moments, the vampires had gotten up and drifted out of the bar. I kept a watchful eye on them, and my right hand hovered over the gun at my hip, to let them know I would protect her no matter what. When they had gone, she rose, paid her tab, and headed out the door. For a second, her curves captivated me, until I realized she was leaving. I didn’t know her name or phone number, and the vampires could pick up her scent as soon as she left.

I snatched up my coat and hurried outside to find the woman of my dreams zipping up a leather jacket while straddling a beautiful bike. It was the kind of bike any biker would covet—including me.

I thought I was hallucinating because it was far fetched that my dream girl rode a bike, and she had such impeccable taste.

That’s so damn hot!

As she was putting her backpack on and preparing her helmet, the vampires stumbled out of the shadows, teasing and pushing one another like they had been drinking. But I knew better—the lure of a human meal was too strong for them to ignore.

The young woman must have realized something was off, because she stopped in her tracks, gazing from me to the vampires with curiosity. They were closer to her than I was, and the vamps could be incredibly swift when they wanted to be.

Luckily, I’m fast at shooting and lethal when necessary. There was no way any of those undead bloodsuckers would lay a finger on her—she belonged to me.

The vampires must have realized how dangerous I was when their eyes saw my narrowed gaze and my hand resting on the gun with its wooden and silver bullets. I had already killed those who neglected the laws of this town, and if I had to, I would do it again without a second thought. Yet, they were foolish enough to attack me and the young woman, who screamed in fear.

In a matter of moments, the vampires were no more than ashes, as I had shot three precise and rapid bullets from my gun. When I was sure there weren’t any more vampires, I re-holstered my revolver.

When I glanced her way, she was staring with wide eyes at the ashes of what had been our adversaries only seconds before. She must have been confused, unable to process what she’d just seen. People usually assume they are dreaming or that what they’ve seen is impossible. Vampires disintegrating into ashes only happen in movies.

I wanted to tell her everything was okay, but I couldn’t get the words out in time. Just as I was about to speak, she stumbled, her eyes rolled back in her head, and she began to fall. I sprinted and caught her in my arms before she hit the pavement.

Miss? I called her,