Chapter Three
“Come in, Valerie.”
Val’s hand was still poised to knock when Mrs. Wilder’s voice drifted through the door. It was quickly becoming clear, spending time trying to figure how the woman always seemed to know was an exercise in futility.
She pushed the door open and stepped through to the Paranormal Dating Agency’s plush office. “Mrs. Wilder?”
“Over here, dear,” she replied from the couch. “I expected you much later. Did something happen, or not happen?”
Valerie met the matchmaker’s questioning brow, but didn’t know what to say. Her earlier irritation dissipated on the ten-block walk over. Maybe it was a blessing there wasn’t a cab to be found because she had time to think.
Closing the door, she waited beside the small reception area. “I brought your laptop.” She gestured with the device.
“Don’t stand there like a mannequin, dear. You came here for a reason. The matchmaker stirred her tea, almost too casually. “You can set the communicator on the ottoman. My desk is a little cluttered and we can talk better here.”
Gerri motioned to the flat tufted seat in front of the couch. Her delicate teapot and matching cups were in the way, so Valerie took the invitation at face value and moved the small round tray to the end table beside the couch.
“Did you access your proof of life?” the older woman asked.
Valeri shook her head. “Not exactly,” she replied, putting the laptop down in its place.
“I see.” Mrs. Wilder put her tea cup on the tray and then folded her hands in her lap. “Want to tell me about it?”
“Your Gemini dragons are what happened.” Valerie threw a hand up. “They’re super-hot, and yes, I was attracted—”
“But?” Gerri cut her off, not even trying to hide her smirk.
“Okay, jeez! I was more than attracted. I was creaming in my pants.” Valerie exhaled, flopping into a chair across from the couch. “Happy?”
The matchmaker angled her head. “Are you?”
“Oh my God! Between you and those two oversized hormones, I don’t know who prevaricates more! If you must know, I would have wrapped myself around both of them given half a chance. Truth is I couldn’t have stopped myself if I tried, but Arin freaked out just when it could have gotten good.”
Gerri topped off her cup and then poured a second for Valerie. “Freaked out? You don’t say.”
“You don’t seem surprised at all, Mrs. Wilder. There’s something off about them.”
Gerri raised her eyebrow again, but this time is was more defensive than curious. “Off?”
The dark-haired one. Arin. He’s fucking batshit crazy. Even his buddy said he was dangerous!” She paced in a small circle. “I get what you were trying to do and yeah, you’ve got a point about my constant irritation needing a sex-driven safety valve, but that guy takes it to a whole new level.”
She held out the tea cup. “It’s chamomile, honey. Go on, take it. It will smooth your stress.”
“Well?” Valerie asked, taking the cup. “Did you know this would happen, the same way you seem to know everything else before it does?”
Gerri considered her as she blew across the steaming rim. “I know why Arin freaked, though I wasn’t sure he would. Did either mention the Gemini and Dragos?”
“Yes,” Valerie sat straighter in her chair. “Xavier did, just before he rushed out after his psycho friend.” She blew out a breath. “The dude’s eyes went orange. As in flaming.”
Gerri nodded, but when the clock on her desk chimed, she leaned forward to turn the laptop around. “Do you want to know the story or would you rather speak to your friend first?”
“How do you do it?” Val huffed, shaking her head. “Just turn from one thing to another,” she snapped her fingers, “without confusion or fluster?”
Gerri chuckled. “Years of juggling practice. Besides, in this case, they’re all sort of related.” She patted the seat beside her on the couch. “Come. Talk to Camille and then we’ll finish up about the Gemini’s later.”
Valerie got up from her chair and slid onto the couch beside the matchmaker as Gerri lifted the lid to her strange device.
Sliding her fingers over the smooth dark glass, Gerri stopped at three small glass bumps at the center. Resting her fingertips on each, the screen turned a muted blue and seemed to pull inward, concaving slightly.
“Identify,” a digitized female voice asked.
Valerie leaned closer. “What the fu—”
Gerri’s free hand shot up, motioning for Valerie to stay quiet. A moment later, the matchmaker pulled her fingers from the screen, and a three-dimensional triangle rotating at the center joining the three glass bumps.
“Ready,” the digital voice prompted, and Gerri leaned in toward the screen, lifting her chin. Linear beams shot from the triangle’s main angles, merging to form a spherical cone, mapping Gerri’s face.
“Identity confirmed,” the digitized voice stated. “Hello, Mrs. Wilder.”
Gerri sat back against the couch cushions, folding her hands in her lap. “Hello, Lyra. Is the data I requested ready for upload?”
“Affirmative.”
Intrigued further, Valerie bent for a closer look. “Lyra? Isn’t that the name of a remote constellation?”
Nodding, the matchmaker smiled at the young woman. “I guessed you were a smart cookie. You know what else is smart? Wine. I have a good merlot on the sideboard over there.” She gestured to the side table to the right of her desk.
Valerie blinked, but didn’t argue. She’d take wine over tea any day. She took the merlot from the shelf and handed it and a corkscrew to Gerri before going back for wine glasses and an unopened bag of cool ranch Doritos she found in the cabinet.
“Not exactly brie and apples,” she said lifting bag, “but I haven’t eaten all day and I’m starving. What Camille had left in her kitchen was half way to penicillin. I checked.”
“See that door to the left of the sideboard?” Gerri pointed toward the opposite side of the office. “That’s my kitchen. I ordered pizza earlier.” She held up her hand. “I know, I know. How I did I know you’d be starving when you got here.” She shrugged. “Lucky guess.”
Val snorted. “Yeah, right. I expected you to answer my questions, not offer me dinner, too, so, win-win! And if the pizza has mushrooms on top, I will give you a total pass on explaining the Gemini boys. I mean, getting me all hot and bothered is one thing, but dealing with crazy is another.”
“They’re not crazy, honey.” Gerri gestured toward the kitchen again. “I’ll explain later. Get the pizza and let’s make this call before the solar window closes.”
Solar window? Valerie raised an eyebrow at that, but didn’t push. She swung through the kitchen door in a flash, coming back with the pizza box, two plates and a stack of napkins, making room for them on the end table.
She put a slice each on two plates and then handed one to Gerri. Val wrinkled her nose and glanced toward the office kitchen. “I should have cleared out Camille’s pantry sooner, but I didn’t want to believe she was truly gone.”
Gerri put her plate next to her laptop and then poured the wine, sliding a glass toward Val before patting the seat cushion. “She’s not gone for good, Valerie. Sit. Drink. In a moment you’ll see what I mean.”
Valerie did as she was told, eating her pizza while Gerri punched a series of symbols into the strange computer.
“Lyra, open communicator.”
Rhythmic beeping followed her command, and the screen moved from a muted shade to a vibrant, glowing blue. “Communicator ready,” the digitized voice replied.
“Upload data, then plot coordinates for a jump at 2300 hours tomorrow tonight. Send jump stats to base for a weather check. Standby for link to Nova Aurora.”
“Affirmative.” More rhythmic beeping followed. “Upload ready.”
Valerie stared at the older woman. “2300 hours? Jump coordinates? Where did you come from, NASA?”
Gerri flashed a quick smile as she keystroked more symbols into the laptop. “I’m just a humble matchmaker trying to bring happiness and hot sex to the lonely world.”
Snorting, Val sat back against the couch cushions. “Yeah, right. And I’m an Amazon Queen.” She gestured with a piece of crust. “Just for shits and giggles, how does the matchmaking gig work? You don’t usually show up on the doorstep with a matching set of dragon shifters, right?”
“No.” Gerri chuckled. “You are an unusual case. Most people contact me through my ads, as you did with Camille, or through a referral.”
Valerie reached for a second slice, studying Gerri as she blotted the excess oil with a napkin. “It’s fast. I mean, that’s normal, right? Like, one minute Camille answers an ad for the Paranormal Dating Agency and the next, poof, Ryker shows up all sexy and supernatural. Next they’re riding off into the sunset together. Is that how it usually works? The hairy and horny hook up with the human and hopeless via insta-Love Connection?”
“Waiting,” the computer prompted.
Gerri pressed an odd-shaped key on the computer’s console. “Lyra, sleep.”
The screen faded to black and a soft snoring emanated from the communicator.
“Your laptop snores?” Val grinned, surprised.
Gerri lowered the communicator’s lid and the snuffling quieted. “I’m surprised at you, Valerie. Especially after the way your body reacted to the Gemini. Not every human that contacts me is hopeless. Most are extraordinary in their own way, and simply looking for something special. You scraped the surface of what could be waiting for you with Arin and Xavier.”
She picked up her pizza, gesturing with it to make her point. “I have one question, though. Are you really interested in how I work my magic or are you asking because you wish you’d called me first and are too afraid to admit it?”
“Why should I be afraid?” Val answered her question with a question. “I’m curious, that’s all. Especially after my encounter with the hot and the hulky. When Camille answered your ad in the paper, the last thing I expected was for her to up and leave. I guess I’m asking is that normal?”
“Without a doubt.” Gerri nodded. “To be honest, it’s pretty commonplace for shifters to bond quickly with their chosen mates. That instant attraction you felt with Arin and Xavier is part of it.”
“You mean crazy and his keeper?” Valerie snorted. “No, thank you. I appreciate what you tried to do for me, but polite pass, at least with those two. Now, you have another pair of hotties you want to send my way, go for it.” She grinned. “As for Camille, you’re right. I pushed her out of her comfort zone when I handed her your ad, but I never expected her to pick up and leave. I wanted her to hook up with a flesh and blood man instead of burying herself in books, even if it meant taking a chance on an ad for a dating agency.
“Camille wanted the whole fairytale. Needed it. I don’t. I’m fine with my reality, unlike my romantic, bookworm best friend. I rock my curves, and if some guys don’t get that they can fuck off.”
Gerri flashed a quick smile. “I wish more big beautiful women felt that way.” She tipped her glass in salute, keeping her eyes locked on the young woman.
“Okay, magic matchmaker.” Val shifted in her seat under Gerri’s persistent gaze. “What’s with the Vulcan death stare?”
“You talk a tough game, Valerie, but my Spidey senses are calling bullshit.”
Val blinked. “Excuse me?”
“When it comes to the Gemini boys, you want them so bad you can’t see straight, and no matter who else I dangle in front of that cute little nose, you’re always going to wonder.”
“Hey!”
Gerri ignored her. “Valerie, whether you want to admit it or not, you’re jealous Camille gets to straddle her real life fantasy any time she wants, and you get left behind with batteries required. That’s one of the reasons you were ready to wiggle your sweet ass as dragon bait this afternoon.”
“I am not jealous!” Valerie balked. “And we were talking about Camille and her situation.”
“Camille’s situation is very situated. If you get my meaning.” She angled her head at the stunned look on the Valerie’s face. “Honey, what Camille has with Ryker is as real as anything you imagine real to be. And you could have it, too. Attaining that special bond with a mate is different for shifters. There are factors human senses don’t take into account, at least not consciously. Scent, for one. Plus a shifter’s inner animal plays a huge part. It’s primitive. Carnal.
“Intense physical attraction is a given and just as important as any emotional pull. Because the speed and process are different from what you’re used to, doesn’t make the connection any less real.”
Gerri lifted a casual hand. “You know I have a sixth sense about who belongs together and who doesn’t. Sometimes opposites attract, and other times like draws to like, and sometimes it takes more than one mate to fit the bill, but whatever the combination, the signs are there for me to see and feel, and my track record hasn’t missed yet.”
Toying with the stem of her wine glass, Val’s gaze dropped to her hands. “Maybe you’re right about the jealous part.”
“I see,” Gerri replied softly.
Valerie drew a sharp breath. “I’m the one who always put herself out there, not Camille. She was happy with her quiet life and her books. But me?” She shook her head. “Every day, I live my life with the attitude I deserve passion the same as anyone else. I’m the one who picks myself up after getting knocked down by assholes, the one who gives her reflection a pep talk about big beautiful women deserving more than just the friend zone. So, yeah, I guess I’m jealous my quiet friend got herself a hot hunk without even trying.”
She exhaled, lifting her eyes to meet Gerri’s soft gaze. “I know I sound peevish and petty. I’m happy for Camille, but I still have to hear it from her lips. You know?”
“Your loyalty to your friend was never a question, Valerie, and sometimes a little jealousy is a good thing.” Gerri paused as if assessing her. “How about we make a little bet? An experiment of sorts.”
“What do you mean?” Val asked, warily
Grabbing a handful of Doritos, she munched thoughtfully. “You’re a bundle of conflicts, girl, and that makes you a challenge. Why not let me finish what I started? Just for shits and giggle, as you put it. Control is not an attractive quality, except when training a lover how best to fuck you.” Gerri clicked the inside of her cheek.
“Jeez. Filter much? Besides, you already tried and it didn’t work.”
Gerri eyed her. “Didn’t it? You’re fiery and passionate, with a romantic side you don’t like to put on display. You have a hard candy coating, but are soft and sweet on the inside. That you reacted to the Gemini boys shows you’ve got cravings deep inside just waiting to be released. Waiting for the right match to make your body shake and your pussy drip, but that sort of bone-melting climax only comes when you give over control.”
“I don’t know, Gerri.”
The matchmaker chuckled. “I do, and I promise you won’t be disappointed. You need a force twice as strong as yourself to free the kind of desire sleeping in you.”
Twice as strong? Valerie knew what the old broad hinted at and she sucked in a breath remembering how her body quivered without a single touch being near Arin and Xavier. Gerri Wilder was both psychic and psycho with the way she saw right through her.
“Uhm,” Val stuttered, “how about we make that call you spoke of, remember?”
Gerri took a quick sip from her wine and then put the glass on the side table. “Okay, but promise me this,” she said, lifting the communicator’s lid. “Once you see Camille is where she wants to be, you’ll think about what I said.”