Swipe Right to Mate Read online

  Swipe Right to Mate

  Paranormal Mating, book 1

  DJ Bryce

  Terra Wolf

  Copyright © 2018 by DJ Bryce and Terra Wolf

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  Cover by Cosmic Letterz

  Proofreading by KMS Editing

  Created with Vellum

  Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  7. Mal

  Chapter 8

  9. Kai

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  13. Mal

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  20. Kai

  Chapter 21

  22. Mal

  Chapter 23

  24. Kai

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  27. Mal

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  30. Kai

  Epilogue

  Keep reading for a peek at Book 2!

  Swipe Right to Love ~ Chapter 1

  About the Author

  Also by DJ Bryce

  One

  “Oh my God, Tori, are you okay?”

  I heard my best friend calling, heard the worry in her tone, but I didn’t bother turning toward her, or acknowledging her at all.

  I stayed still in her bed, facing the wall, and going over everything that had happened over the last few months.

  Months of hope, followed by confusion, and finally, ending with pain.

  “Tori,” Stacia, my best friend, said more persistently. I felt the bed depress and knew she’d sat down next to me. “What happened?”

  I stared ahead, tears rolling down my face and wetting the pillow case.

  “Kale left,” I replied softly. “He’s gone.”

  Kale was the guy I’d been seeing for the last few months. He was handsome, rich, and arrogant as hell. I’d thought he was a dream and couldn’t believe it when he’d asked me out. It turned out, he was a fucking nightmare, and made the last few months of my life a living hell.

  “Good,” Stacia said. “Fuck him and his dumbass name. Who names their kid Kale anyway, it’s a nasty vegetable that tastes like dirt, just like his dirty ass.”

  Normally, Stacia’s rant would make me laugh, but I was too numb.

  “I don’t understand why you’re so upset, you’ve talked about what an asshole he is, and how you wanted to leave him since he started showing his true colors.”

  “He took everything,” I managed, my throat raw.

  “What do you mean, everything?” she asked, her voice shaking with anger.

  I’d moved in with Kale soon after meeting him, eager to be out of my parents’ house and live like a grown up. My parents had disapproved of Kale, and my decision to live with him, and had said if I left, I wouldn’t be welcome back.

  But, that wasn’t the worst of it.

  “He took all the money, all of my stuff, and sold his house. He’s gone. Like, vanished without a trace.”

  “How’s that even possible?” Stacia asked.

  I wished I knew.

  I sat up slowly, my limbs feeling light lead weights, and looked at my friend.

  “He must have had the house up for sale before I even moved in… I had no idea. I went home after work today and it was empty. No Kale, no furniture, nothing. My clothes were all gone… the place was spotless. I was standing there in the empty living room like an idiot when the realtor came in with the new owners.”

  “Did you ask where Kale went… he had to have left a forwarding address?”

  I shook my head.

  “She wouldn’t tell me anything, said it was confidential and I needed to leave. My name wasn’t on the house, so I have no rights. I have nothing.”

  “You can stay with me as long as you want. We’ll find this mother fucker, Tori. We’ll get your money and your stuff…”

  “It’s gone,” I whispered. “And, I can’t stay here, Stacia, you’re married with a baby on the way. I’d just be a burden, and I don’t want to be that to you.”

  “You’re not a burden, you’re my best friend. John will understand. He loves you.”

  Stacia’s husband, John, was the absolute best. But, even the greatest guy in the world didn’t want a waitress with no money, no belongings, and no plan to get her life together, loafing on his couch for an extended period of time. Especially when he was about to become a new father.

  “I have a different idea,” I said, my voice shaking.

  The idea scared the shit out of me, but I really didn’t think I had a lot of options. I couldn’t get a place on my own, I couldn’t go back to my parents, and I wouldn’t stay here and take advantage of my friend.

  “What idea?”

  I brought my hand out from underneath the covers and turned my palm toward her. I was holding my phone, and on the screen, I’d brought up the Swipe Right to Mate app.

  “You can’t be serious,” Stacia argued.

  “I’m totally serious,” I countered, then went to my saved tab and showed her my prospects.

  “But, they’re like, shifters and vampires, and beings…”

  I chuckled for the first time in what felt like forever.

  Being human, neither Stacia or I had ever really encountered any Paranormal beings. We lived in a predominantly human city and went to an all human high school. Once we hit legal drinking age, we’d run into a few in bars and clubs, but that was the extent of our dealings with the Paranormal population.

  “I know,” I assured her. “But, I’ve heard amazing things about this app, and about the men who use it. Shifter men are the complete opposite of human men. They treat their women like prized possessions, not things. They revere us, protect us, and from what Claudia at the diner said, they know how to pleasure us, in a way a human man never could.”

  “My man knows how to please me quite well, thank you very much,” Stacia said, and I knew I’d offended her with that last comment.

  “You know I wasn’t talking about John… I’m sorry. But, Stacia, these men are seriously looking for mates. Not to date or fool around, but, like, for forever.” I reached out and took her hand in mind and said honestly, “I’m twenty-two years old and I waitress at a diner. My boyfriend took all of my money, my place to live, even my damn toothbrush. I need to figure out what I’m going to do with my life, and right now, although it may seem like a rash and crazy idea, I really think this is a great opportunity for me.”

  “You really can stay here for as long as you want,” Stacia said, then took in my face and gave a sharp nod. “Okay. Let me see who you’ve got saved.”

  Two

  Stacia and I had stayed up well into the night, looking at possible mates, saving the ones that sounded good. I was trying to be sensible, yet realistic. If I didn’t find a guy’s picture eye-catching, I didn’t save him.

  If I was going to mate with someone for the rest of my life, we at least had to have a mutual attraction.

  We’d gone over each saved member’s bio, requests, and guidelines.

  Some men were looking for someone right away and wanted a commitment before ever meeting in person. While others were open to a trial period. I was leaning toward the latter. It was scary enough to think I was finding my mate on an app, rather than the old-fashioned way, but I wanted to at least meet the man before agreeing to live out the rest of my days with him.

  Stacia had agreed.

  “There’s no way in hell you’re marrying, or mating, or whatevering, an absolute stranger,” she informed me.

  I hadn’t argued, because I’d already come to that decision myself.

  So, that had helped narrow down the prospects. We’d gone back through and deleted anyone that was looking for instant gratification, and I’d also deleted anyone who was a big cat shifter.

  Not to be prejudice or anything, but lions and tigers and such had always terrified me, and I didn’t think I’d be able to handle being mated to one.

  That had left us with three possibilities.

  Before going to bed, I’d completed my profile, including a recent photo, a brief bio, and the stipulation that I was only looking for men who were willing to have a trial period. That way, if anyone found my profile and wanted to contact me, they’d know a little bit about me and what I was looking for.

  I contacted my three prospects to see if they were still looking for mates and would be interested in learning more about each other before possibly meeting, then fell asleep on Stacia’s couch feeling much better about my situation.

  When I woke up the next morning, I was excited to reach for my phone and open the app, eager to see if anyone had contacted me back.

  I held my breath when I saw I had four notifications.

  The first one said, Thanks for reaching out, Victoria. I am currently in the middle of a trial with another prospective woman, but will let you know if things don’t work out.

  I frowned, because that guy had been really cute, then moved on to the next message.

  I’m so sorry, I forgot t
o take my profile down. I have already chosen a mate. Best of luck to you.

  With a sigh, I deleted that message as well.

  Shoot, this was turning out to be harder than I’d initially thought it would be.

  I just realized I didn’t specify where I was in my profile, Victoria, so, before we set up a meet, I have to know if you’re willing to live in North Dakota…

  That was the message from the third person I’d contacted. And, although I was desperate, I didn’t know if I was desperate enough to live with all of that snow. I guess I’d never really wondered about where shifters lived. The type of climate they needed.

  What if all shifters lived in cold, desolate places? Could I still go through with it?

  I looked at the photo for the fourth notification, not recognizing it from last night. There were two men in the picture, standing in front of a beautiful lake, holding up fish they’d obviously just caught.

  Curious, I opened the message.

  Hi, this is Kai and Mal. We saw your profile picture and had to click on it. After reading your bio, we’d love to meet you. You can check out ours, then let us know if you’re interested. Hope to see you soon!

  Kai and Mal? I wondered why there were two men sharing one profile, and what they’d seen on mine that had made them click it.

  I chewed my lower lip as I navigated to their profile.

  It didn’t say much, just that they were Kai and Mal, which I already knew, and that they were bear shifters. They live on a lake in Indiana and are looking for someone to share their lives with.

  Their lives…

  Were they each looking for someone, but using one profile? If I decided to meet with them and do the trial, would I be on trial with both, then have to choose one at the end?

  Although I had a lot of questions, I did think they were both pretty hot, and they were currently my only chance at getting out of here and starting my life over.

  When I put it like that, I guess it wasn’t that hard of a decision.

  I clicked reply, told them I’d love to meet them in person, and hit send.

  My tummy tingled as my response went through, and I was partially excited, yet terrified, as I waited for their response.

  I decided to shower, then grab something to eat on my way to work, so I wouldn’t be in Stacia and John’s hair while they were getting ready to start their days. As I was undressing and getting ready to step into the steam, my phone dinged.

  I grabbed in eagerly, my fingers getting clumsy in my rush to open the app.

  Fantastic. If it works for you, we can fly you out this weekend. If we all agree, we can begin the trial right away. Send us your email address, your first and last name, and your phone number, and we’ll email you the tickets.

  My eyes widened, and I wondered if I was being foolish to trust them. After all, I’d just trusted a man who’d taken everything from me without looking back.

  I took a deep breath, figured I had nothing left to lose since Kale had already taken it all, and sent Kai and Mal the information they’d requested.

  It looked like I’d be taking some time off of work and heading to Indiana.

  Three

  As the plane began its descent, a fresh wave of nerves overcame me.

  Stacia had made me promise to text her with my location as soon as I arrived at Kai and Mal’s place, and to message her every morning by nine am, so she’d know I was still alive.

  I’d agreed and said a tearful goodbye to her at the airport.

  Now, I was about to meet two men, one of which, could possibly be my mate. It was overwhelming to say the least, and as we taxied down the runway, I worried that they wouldn’t like me in person, or that I wouldn’t like either of them.

  I was tall. Quite tall for a female, the doctors had always said, at six feet. I had large breasts and big hips, and a ton of sandy hair that fell down to my waist.

  Not all guys liked women who were built like me, preferring more of a petite stature.

  One of the things that had drawn me to Kale was that he was a couple inches taller than me, and therefore didn’t feel uncomfortable with my height.

  As I crossed the airport, I realized the app hadn’t asked for stats like height, weight, or hair color, so I had no idea how I’d measure up to the guys I was about to meet. I was guessing, since they were bear shifters, that would be at least as tall as me, so hopefully it wouldn’t be an issue.

  When I finished at baggage claim, I headed outside, which is where they’d told me we’d meet.

  I looked around until I noticed a sign that said Victoria, then I looked up. And, up. And… up.

  Whoa…

  Standing there holding that sign with my name, were two of the biggest, hottest, burliest men I’d ever seen in my life.

  My steps stuttered a bit as I started toward them, my heart beating painfully in my chest, my gaze going from one handsome face to the other, then back again.

  “Victoria?” The blond one asked, his voice deep, but friendly.

  “Yes,” I replied softly, probably too quietly for them to hear, so I nodded as well.

  He grinned in response.

  “Hi, I’m Mal and this is Kai, welcome to Indiana.”

  “Thank you,” I said, looking carefully at Kai, who hadn’t said anything and wasn’t smiling, before bringing my eyes back to Mal. “I’m happy to be here.”

  “Do you have other bags?” Mal asked, looking down at the ground next to me.

  “No, just this,” I replied.

  Kai frowned, and my stomach dipped.

  “Does that mean you aren’t planning on staying for the trial?” Mal asked, taking the backpack off of my shoulder and putting it on his own.

  “Oh, no,” I began, my heart thumping as Kai’s frown deepened. “What I mean is, yes, I was hoping to stay for the trial, but, this is all I have.”

  “With you?” Mal pressed.

  I shook my head.

  “No, at all. These are my belongings.”

  Now Kai was scowling, which made me nervous even as it did funny things to my nether regions.

  “I don’t understand,” Mal said, his tone also conveying anger.

  “It’s a long story,” I said, then looked around. “Maybe we can talk about it somewhere else, like, your place?”

  Mal’s face softened, and he seemed to understand that I didn’t want to air my troubles in the middle of the airport.

  “Of course, let’s go,” Mal said, offering me his arm, which I took with a grin. “We’re parked in the garage.”

  I noticed Kai walked a couple steps behind us, his focus seeming to be on everything and everyone all at once. Well, everyone except me, of course. Maybe I was here just to meet Mal and do the trial to see if I was his mate, and Kai was just there as some sort of chaperone or something.

  They led me to a Land Cruiser and Mal opened the door to the front passenger side for me and waited for me to get in before closing it.

  I was a little disappointed when he got in the back and Kai took the driver’s seat. Already, I was more at ease with Mal. Kai had an air about him that said, Don’t fuck with me, which I found nerve-wracking, yet sexy.

  Maybe I just need to give him time to get to know me. I’m sure he’ll warm up, I assured myself as we left the airport for parts unknown.

  “So, how old are you, Victoria?” Mal asked, sitting up so he was in between the front row seats.

  “Oh, call me, Tori,” I said, looking over my shoulder at him. I was hyper aware of Kai’s presence next to me, but Mal had an affable quality about him that I really liked. “And I’m twenty-two.”

  “Twenty-two?” Kai asked.

  This was the first time he’d spoken, and his voice caused chill bumps to cover my body. It was deep, rough, and all kinds of sexy.