Natasha fumbled with the sandwich wrapper on the table in front of her. She’d skipped breakfast this morning after pushing the snooze button one too many times, but for some reason, she wasn’t in any mood to eat. The turkey and provolone cheese sandwich she chose from the cafe was a little drab. Nothing seemed to be going right this week. Monday turned out to be a mess when the one person she could gripe about it to had left early. Not only that, he wasn’t even taking her calls.

It was now Tuesday and she felt like a wannabe slut who’d been used. Why would he just cease contact with her with no explanation whatsoever? She’d been dumped before they ever officially claimed to be together.

On top of that, Natasha had just found out that one of the only available units in the apartment community that she was looking at moving into was rented out before she could make it there to fill out the paperwork. The shortage of places to rent in the town of Aspen Valley was worse than she thought. Even her dad had warned her before she moved from Miami that most all of the best homes in the best subdivisions were already spoken for. At this rate, she’d be living with her parents for months. This was definitely not what she intended, especially after learning that her dad still didn’t realize that there were some affairs he just shouldn’t meddle in. That included who she chose to befriend, talk to, or heck…even have sex with. Not that she was going to jump in bed with Jacques. She had thought about it—often—and wondered if it had anything to do with the fact that she couldn’t even remember the last time she had sex. Now, that probably wasn’t even a possibility. Jacques had disappeared.

Natasha dug into her handbag and took out the romance book she’d started earlier last week. She couldn’t help but recall the look on Jacques’s face when he spotted the muscular male on the front of the cover. Uninterested in reconnecting with the sultry, sexy hero in the romance novel, she tossed the book on the table and pulled out her cell phone. She fumbled through her contacts list, pausing on his phone number again.

She couldn’t keep calling and calling. She wouldn’t run after a man if he didn’t want to be with her…not even a shifter.

But was he hurt? Was something wrong? Had he gotten injured at one of his fights? A family matter? Had he ditched town?

After more hemming and hawing over how and when she would contact him again, she toggled further down her contacts list and dialed a new friend she’d run into at the post office. After all, Melody was a shifter too. Maybe she’d have answers. Or maybe Melody would just tell her that she was a crazy person who’d let yet another man fool her.

Melody answered on the third ring. “Hello?”

“Hi Melody,” Natasha replied. “It’s me—Natasha.”

“Oh, hi you! I was meaning to call you last weekend, but I had to drive over to Cross City to pick up some deliveries from my aunt.”

“Oh, that’s no problem. Are you busy?”

“No, I’m actually off today. Thank God! I’m supposed to be cleaning out my apartment, but I somehow ended up on Netflix.” She giggled.

Natasha grinned. “Well, of course. You deserve it anyway. I remember you saying that you spend a whole lot of time working for your family’s courier services.”

“Speaking of, I thought you worked during the day. So, what’s up?”

Natasha sighed. “I have a question for you about something…maybe someone. I understand if you aren’t able to tell me anything. I know you’re loyal to your wolf pack and all.”

“Yeah…so what is it?”

“I kind of met this guy. He’s a shifter and he works here at Reverie…”

“Oh…”

“So, I have this feeling that something’s not quite right,” Natasha continued.

“Not quite right about him, you mean?” Melody laughed. “That’s what they all say about us.”

“No, not that. We’ve been having lunch together for a little over a week. We were actually supposed to meet yesterday but when I got here, he was gone. And then this morning, he didn’t even show up for work.”

“Ah, don’t worry about it. Us shifters can be moody, especially around certain times of the month. Maybe he just took a vacation.”

Natasha shook her head and pulled the bottom of her lip between her teeth. “No, that’s not it. It’s only been like a day and a half since I was supposed to talk to him again.”

“Less than two days! Are you kidding me?”

“Of course, you probably think I’m being silly. But I just feel that something isn’t right. I could barely sleep last night. He wouldn’t promise to meet me and then not show. He’s not that type of man.”

“How much do you know about him?”

Natasha paused.

“Let me guess? Not much.”

“We were getting to know each other, so I knew something,” Natasha corrected.

“Okay, let’s get to the point. I need his name or at least his last name.”

“Jacques Shalane Kent.”

There was morbid silence on the other end.

“Melody? Hello?”

“Yeah, I’m still here,” she replied.

“So? Do you know him?”

“Not personally, but I know of him,” she said, bluntly. “And my family does own a courier company so…”

Natasha sat straight up in her chair and pressed the cell firmly to her ear. “Oh good. So that means you know where to find him?”

“Kind of. Us Pack mates stick together, you know,” Melody said. “He’s sort of a loner. He just moved out of a home that was right across the street from my pop’s bungalow. I think he spends most of his time at his late grandmother’s property. She left it to him. The property is still in her son’s name—Jacques’s father…he was a human. His mother was a drunk. She skipped town way before he did. Folks don’t know where they’re at. They could be in another country for all we know. They could be dead with the way they were drinkin’ and snortin’. Fact is, they abandoned their only son. I can give you the address, but it’s not easily accessible by car or anything. It’s like that way on purpose…for reasons. I wouldn’t go out there alone. Besides, he’s probably long gone…you know…just like his parents. Especially if there’s nothing left here for him.”

Natasha swallowed. “I hope he’s not, but if you’d give me the address, that’d be great,” Natasha said.

She pulled out a pen and a piece of notebook and wrote down the address.

“Sorry, I don’t have his cell number. I could easily find it out though,” she said.

“That’s okay. You’ve been enough help.” Natasha purposely didn’t mention that she’d already called him a few times with no success.

“Natasha…you’re not going to use any of this against him, are you? I’m not supposed to give information on the whereabouts of my kind and where they sleep. He’s out, but many of us are still not,” Melody said, uneasily.

“Melody, I wouldn’t do anything to bring harm to you or Jacques. I know it’s silly, but I think it’s my duty to make sure he’s okay.”

“Right. I just wanted to make sure. He’s gone through a lot with his grandmother dying. The county was questioning the validity of his grandmother’s will and estate records that he presented to them. Not too long ago, the cops were after him for something he didn’t do. Anyway, I hope you get in touch with him.”

Natasha sighed. “Thanks Melody.”

“Anytime. Remember that new movie I told you about that would be airing this weekend at the theater in Cross City. If you’re not doing anything maybe we can go.”

“Okay. Sure.”

“And Natasha? Can I ask you something and get the straight up truth from you?” Melody asked.

“Yeah.”

“Did you have sex with Jacques?”

Natasha’s face heated. “No.” She giggled nervously. “I haven’t.”

“You sure?”

“I’m pretty sure I would know if I wasn’t sure,” Natasha joked.

“Right. I mean, you know about the effects of having sex with a male shifter, don’t you?”

“Ah…no.”

“Just checking. Because if you did, depending on how long ago it was, you’d still have a bit of his essence in your system.”

“Essence.” Natasha lowered her voice. “You mean like sperm?”

“No! And wouldn’t you wear a condom?”

“Of course I would, but what are you talking about? I didn’t have sex with him.”

“The impression begins during sex and that includes foreplay and kissing. What it does is makes a woman crazy for the shifter who she had sex with for days and sometimes weeks after the encounter. It’s like a craving and it won’t stop until you get the next fix or the essence leaves the system.”

“Sounds complicated and also sounds like you know from experience.”

“That I do.”

Natasha could sense Melody grinning over the phone.

“You’ll have to tell me more about this. All this time, I’ve been hanging out with your kind, I never knew.”

“You got it,” she chimed. “And if I find out anything else about Jacques, I’ll let you know. Our Pack grew like tenfold after the Cross City wolves joined us, so we’re sort of all over the place in terms of meddling in each other’s business all the time. Which is good.”

Natasha glanced at her wristwatch. “I hate to cut this short, Melody, but I have to clock in now. I’d hate to get fired after only a few weeks on the job. Lord knows that I need this job now that I’ve gotta move out of my parents home sooner rather than later.”

“I hear you,” she said. “Don’t be a stranger. Call me anytime you need to talk.”

“Thanks again. Talk to you later.”

When she hung up with Melody, the sinking feeling of trouble mounting never left Natasha. She wouldn’t be satisfied until she knew that Jacques was okay, even if it had been his intention to walk away from her with not a single voluntary explanation.