Seth

As the head of the shifter council, my job never seemed to be done. If it wasn’t one thing, it was another. And the issues had only become more complicated when I gave a seat on the council to a witch six months ago. It had been a bold decision since shifters were wary of the power witches held, and witches were petrified of the possibility of being outed by shifters since they were the only ones who knew their secret.

Both groups had a long history of staying far away from each other. Or, at least, most of them did. I’d met more witches over the years than anyone would ever expect. Then again, in my position as council leader, I had the advantage of being aware of the secret prophecy that proclaimed how important a witch would become to shifters.

As the prophecy had been explained to me, it had come about when a dragon shifter had a witch for his fated mate, and he was the witch’s destined consort. Their union was unheard of—an impossibility in everyone else’s minds. His hold and her coven didn’t allow them to come together as nature had intended. They killed the powerful dragon, and the prophecy was born as the witch follwed him into death.

I never expected to meet the young witch mentioned in the prophecy all those years ago, the one who’d be destined for a shifter. A powerful witch, unlike any who had come before her, able to face the challenges to her union with her shifter and hold on to her consort. Then Camden McMahon, the youngest triplet son of a member of the council, mated a witch, and I knew the prophecy was going to be fulfilled.

I watched the situation closely, waiting for the moment when Selene Trevil proved me right. She didn’t make me wait long, and I swooped in with my offer for her to join the shifter council. Damien, the powerful dragon shifter who served as the council’s enforcer, had convinced me of the necessity of the plan when he shared with me part of the prophecy that was only known to his hold—since the dragon had been part of it. He had explained that the shifters needed to make the next move to fully unite our worlds, or else we’d never have a real alliance and this would all be for naught. I refused to fail all the shifters I was tasked with protecting. The only solution that I came up with that made any sense was creating a spot on the council for a witch and asking Selene to fill it.

I expected there to be shifters who would be vocal in their protest of Camden and Selene’s mating. My fear was that they would push for the council to nullify it, not that I’d ever agree to such a thing. With Selene in a position of power on the council, I was able to demonstrate the degree of support she had. It left nobody, witch or shifter, in doubt about the permanency of the changes being made.

With the prophey fulfilled, our world was evolving. It was my job to ensure that shifters continued to thrive. We had a tough road ahead of us, and my mind was on the long list of things I needed to get done as I walked to my car. Even though I was distracted, I was still completely aware of my surroundings. My senses never failed me, which meant our council enforcer couldn’t sneak up on me—much to the chagrin of the powerful dragon shifter.

“Damien.” I didn’t bother turning around before I said his name. It was more enjoyable to let him think, for that brief moment, that he might have finally been able to take me by surprise.

“Dammit,” he grumbled. “One of these days, I’m going catch you unawares.”

“Not if I can help it,” I chuckled as he caught up with me. At six foot six, it didn’t take him long to eliminate the ten feet separating us. Unfortunately, his green eyes didn’t hold even the slightest hint of humor, and my laughter dried up. “I take it this isn’t a good news/bad news situation?”

“Is it ever?” he drawled.

“Not when you’re the messenger.”

“Just so long as you don’t shoot me.”

“Like that would stop you.” He wasn’t just built like a Mack truck, he looked like he could stop one from barreling into him with a flick of his wrist. It was hard to picture a mere bullet taking him down.

“Keep that in mind when you hear what I have to say, since I have a feeling you’re going to want to shoot me.”

“Shit,” I groaned. “It’s that bad?”

“Or that good, depending on how you want to look at it,” he replied mysteriously.

“What the hell is that supposed to mean?”

“Not out here.”

I jerked my chin towards my car, and he rounded to the passenger side while I climbed into the driver’s seat. Since it was cold outside, I started the engine and cranked up the heat. When he closed the door and turned to face me, I snapped, “Explain.”

“You need to speed up the process to find your fated mate.”

“Speed up the process?” I echoed, unsure how to react. Not only was it the last topic I thought he’d bring up, I had no idea how he expected me give fate a nudge in the right direction.

“Yup.”

“Yup isn’t going to cut it. I need you to help me out here by being a little more specific.”

“Okay. I can do that.” He nodded, flames swirling in his green eyes—a sign he was tapping into his dragon magic. “Finding your fated mate is going to be more vital than ever in the near future. It’s time to consider... unorthodox measures.”

“Do you have a particular one in mind?” I had the feeling that he did, especially since nothing he’d said so far made me want to shoot him.

“Call in an expert, Gerri Wilder.”

The name sounded familiar, but it wasn’t ringing a specific bell for me. “Who’s that?”

“The owner of a paranormal dating agency.”

“A matchmaker?” I scoffed, incredulous at the suggestion.

“She has an outstanding track record when it comes to helping shifters who’ve had no success mate hunting on their own.”

“I’m the head of the shifter council, I can do my own damn hunting. Of anything, including my mate,” I grumbled.

“Sometimes even the strongest of us—and fate—need a helping hand.” There was something in his voice, the slightest note, that had me wondering if he included himself in that statement. “Besides which, who’s to say this isn’t exactly the way you’re supposed to find your mate? Maybe fate put me in your path so I’d suggest this course of action.”

“Considering what a pain in my ass you can be, I somehow doubt that.”

“Only when it’s absolutely necessary.”

“Only when you’ve decided that it’s needed, you mean,” I sighed. “Completely ignoring the fact that I’m the head of the council you’re supposed to serve.”

He quirked an eyebrow at me, an arrogant smirk on his face. It was a reminder that he could just as easily serve in the same role if he wanted it. “What can I say? When I’m right, I know it.”

“And you think this is one of those times?”

“Yes, Seth. I do.” Those damn green eyes of his swirled with flames again, making it more difficult for me to argue against the idea that I balked at with everything inside of me.

“Shit,” I groaned. “A matchmaker?”

“Desperate times call for desperate measures.”

“You calling me desperate?”

“Nah, I’m just giving you a hard time,” he chuckled. “But do me a favor and don’t tell Gerri that I referred to her as a ‘desperate measure.’”

I was skeptical about the idea of using a matchmaker to help me in my search for my fated mate. But I was also excited to meet the woman who was able to make Damien worry about her reaction to his choice of words. Anyone who managed to scare him was someone I wanted to know.