Mated in Forbidden Read online

  “Hey,” she said, striding forward with a canvas sack at her side. “I brought all my stuff. Shall we get started?”

  “Yeah, sounds good.” My voice came out hoarser than I wanted, but she didn’t say anything about that and we walked up to the porch together.

  I couldn’t help holding back a little to admire her ass in those tight jeans she wore. I’d been fantasizing about that ass for years.

  She turned around suddenly and if it weren’t for my quick shifter reflexes, she would’ve caught me staring. Actually, fuck. She’d caught me.

  She blinked quickly and cleared her throat before speaking. “Um, so I thought I’d start with a simple cleansing spell.”

  I kept my gaze on her face and did my best to keep myself together.

  “Cleansing spell sounds good,” I said. “No one’s been in the house in years, so, I don’t know, all kinds of bad shit could’ve built up.”

  “Exactly.” She gave me a proud smile. “Have you been reading up on this?”

  “Nah, just had a chat with Cordelia. She said remnants of past hurts can build up in an empty place, when there’s nothing positive going on to interact with them. She used some word, I can’t remember what the fuck it is. Nullify?”

  Pearl beamed. “Nullify is the one. Anyway, shall we?”

  Oh, right. I was the one with the key to the front door. I twisted it in the handle and pulled the door open.

  Dust and a dank, old smell immediately filled my nostrils. A sneezing fit overtook me, so I turned away from Pearl. Didn’t want to coat her in my snot.

  After the fourth sneeze, it seemed like I was done with them, so I turned around. “Sorry about that—”

  The words froze on my lips. Pearl was leaning against the door frame, her eyes shut, her mouth open. Her entire body shook. She was about to fall to the porch floor. Reaching out, I grabbed her just in time.

  “Pearl?”

  Her eyes remained closed. She kept shaking. Was this some kind of seizure? What was I supposed to do? Panic charged through my veins. I tugged her away from the door frame and onto my lap.

  “Pearl, talk to me. Babe, come on.”

  The shaking eased, and her eyes fluttered open. “Brody.”

  “Yeah, I’m here,” I said.

  We were so close to each other, our faces nearly touching.

  “Let me go,” she said.

  “Not yet, I need to make sure you’re okay—”

  “I mean it—there’s bad magic in there and it’s made me sick.”

  I held tight to her. “I’m not letting you go until I know you’re—”

  Her chest heaved, and she coughed. She warned me with her eyes to let her go. She didn’t want me to keep holding her.

  I’d hold her. I’d hold her no matter what.

  And then she vomited all over me.

  A Taste of Forever in Forbidden

  Pearl

  “Get it off, ew, ew,” I said, wiping at my dress. I smelled like a sewer rat, and he did, too. I’d always had a mad crush on Brody, but nobody looked attractive or cute when they smelled like poo.

  “Here,” he said, tossing me a towel. “Let’s get cleaned up.”

  At this point, I didn’t care about modesty. I stripped right down to my panties and undies. They weren’t sheer or anything, so it was just like wearing a bikini. Just like a bathing suit, I repeated to myself.

  Brody cleared his throat and quickly turned around.

  “Oh,” I said. “Um, sorry. I didn’t think you’d mind.”

  He was a shifter. They were naked all the damn time.

  “Mind?” he said in a strangled voice. “Nope, I don’t mind at all.”

  “Dibs on first shower,” I said, starting the water.

  “Okay, I’ll...wait outside,” he said.

  “Leave the door open, okay? I don’t want to fall into a dream and be in the shower.”

  He coughed. “Right. For...safety reasons. I can stay.”

  “Why are you acting so weird?” I asked, wrapping the towel around me and sliding off my bra and panties. I made sure he was facing the other way, then dropped my towel on the closed toilet lid and stepped into the shower.

  “I’m not being weird.”

  Well, that was a bald-faced lie. “Does my nudity offend you?” I asked.

  “Nope.”

  From the direction of his voice, I could tell he was facing me. Smirking, I decided to test something. I gripped the edge of the shower curtain and tore it aside.

  Brody’s jaw dropped and his eyes got big. “Pearl. Fuck.”

  Forever in Forbidden is coming soon!

  Also by Keira Blackwood and Liza Street

  Alphas & Alchemy: Fierce Mates

  Claimed in Forbidden

  Fated in Forbidden

  Bound to Forbidden

  Caught in Forbidden

  Mated in Forbidden

  Forever in Forbidden

  Alphas & Alchemy: Fierce Mates combines the worlds of Keira’s Alphas & Alchemy and Liza’s Fierce Mates.

  You can find more of Liza’s Fierce Protectors on all major retailers HERE.

  And for more from Keira and Liza together, the best duo since peanut butter met chocolate, check out their reverse harem series Spellbound Shifters—available on all major retailers HERE.

  About the Authors

  Keyboard ninja, late-blooming bibliophile, proud geek, animal lover, eternal optimist, visual artist.

  USA Today Bestselling Author Keira Blackwood writes exciting paranormal romance with all the snort laughs and all the feels.

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  Liza likes her heroes packing muscles and her heroines packing agency. She got her start in romance by sneak-reading her grandma's paperbacks. Now she’s a USA Today bestselling author and she spends her time writing about hot shifters with fierce hearts.

  FREE BOOKS—Join Liza's mailing list and get Fierce Heartbreaker for FREE, as well as an exclusive Sierra Pride prequel story and more fun bonuses! Go to Liza's Free Book page to get started: https://lizastreetauthor.com/free-book

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