The Texas Shifter's Mate. Karen Whiddon

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       Chapter 3

      For the next two hours, Shayla traveled up and down the busy streets, wearing her long, dark hair up in a tight bun in hopes of disguising herself. She hoped no one would stop her, wanting to talk about Richard’s death or asking her where she’d been. The harder she made it to recognize her, the better her ability to move about freely.

      She wasn’t sure, but maybe so much time had passed that people didn’t recognize her. No one even gave her a second look as she made her rounds, stopping into cafés and bakeries, shops and drugstores, asking everyone she met if they’d heard anything about a missing Mermaid called Nantha. If anyone who recognized her was surprised to see Princess Shayla, back home in Coral, they didn’t show it. She was greeted with enthusiasm from everyone, and by now it seemed they felt enough time had passed that they no longer offered her their condolences. Maybe they believed the reminder would only make her sad. Since she tried not to think about Richard or the void he’d left in her life, she felt relieved.

      As for Nantha, no one had heard anything, nor did the name sound familiar. Which meant Zach’s stepsister hadn’t been connected in any way to the royal family, close or extended. That left three other quadrants of the city yet to be explored. This search could take several days, as Coral was a good size.

      Shayla made a mental note to use the photo of the girl she’d gotten from Zach and make up some laminated posters to place around town. That and prepare a list of questions to ask him once he’d signed the contract, starting with exactly where the missing Mermaid had lived and where she’d gone to school, and if she’d had a job. Shayla needed to speak with her friends, find out if Nantha had a serious boyfriend or if she’d had any man or girlfriend trouble.

      Though she wanted to speak to her father before heading back to Galveston, she had no way of knowing where exactly in the vast ocean he’d decided to go fishing. Briefly, she entertained the idea of visiting the castle and saying hello to her brother, but with all the court protocol, she decided to skip it this time.

      Which meant this trip had accomplished nothing. Mentally chastising herself, Shayla got ready for the long swim home. She stopped by her parents’ house once more to pick up the three artifacts her father had found. Bundling them into her backpack, she swam away. Though she hadn’t had any success, she’d been operating on very little information. At least now, she felt better prepared for the meeting tonight at Broken Chains. Once Zach had signed the contract and answered her questions, she’d be better able to spring into action and help find his stepsister.

      All the way home, she kept an eye out for great white sharks. Luckily, she didn’t encounter any. Though usually the vivid sea life relaxed her, she felt uneasy. Uncomfortable in her own skin, especially her Mermaid tail. The relative quietness of her swim home did little to distract her from thinking about Zach. Though she’d never admit it to her friends—heck, she could barely admit it to herself—something about him drew her. Mostly his raw sexual appeal. After all, it had been years since she’d opened her body to a man.

      When she finally reached her boat again, Shayla pushed off her exhaustion, and she swam close. Reaching up, she grabbed hold of the back step and pulled only her upper body out of the water. Shoulders and neck, nothing more. A quick look around to ensure there weren’t any witnesses, and she initiated the change from fish tail to human legs keeping that part of herself hidden beneath the waves. Sometimes this could be painful, especially after a long swim like she’d had today.

      At least the exercise helped her nerves. Though her legs were weak, she wobbled up her pier after securing her boat, glad her neighbors paid little attention to her.

      Once she got inside her house, she took a hot shower and prepared herself a meal. Though normally she relished the quietness of living alone, tonight she felt restless, even lonely. She didn’t like that. She hadn’t felt that way in a long time.

      To keep herself busy, she decided to clean up the things her father had found for her so she could list them on her website for sale. They were really great artifacts. One of them, a remarkably intact little treasure chest most likely from a sunken ship, contained ancient gold coins and an assortment of brightly colored gemstones. She’d most likely sell them separately, though she might offer them up together and see if she had any takers.

      This alone would fetch a pretty penny. The other two things—excellent finds on their own—would also sell quickly. Good, because she had a hunch she’d have to finance the Shadow Agency until it got up and running. Which might actually be a while. Though Zach, as her first client, would help pay some of the expenses, his bill wouldn’t be enough to support them for too long.

      Zach. She thought of his tall, powerful body. Muscular and rugged, everything about him seemed the opposite of Mermen, who were, as a general rule, trim and slender. Zach wore his masculinity like a cloak, and his confidence beckoned to her. Zach! There he was again, intruding into her peaceful afternoon. This first case felt more like helping a friend than a job, despite the fact that she’d never met Zach before. Except tonight they’d be signing a contract and money would change hands. How much, Shayla had no idea. Maddie would be handling the amount of their fee, promising it would be reasonable and in keeping with what other people charged.

      Since no one knew, Maddie had promised to research what kind of rates private investigation firms charged and type up a handy guide for each of them. Carmen had said something about finding them office space, which could become really interesting since no one even knew where Carmen lived or how her taste ran in buildings. Shayla had to wonder what kind of space the Vampire would consider normal for a business such as theirs.

      Of the three, only Shayla had begun the physical investigative part of things. Maddie had scoured the internet and reached out to her contacts, while Carmen had asked questions down near the waterfront. Of course, Shayla was the only one able to explore under the sea. Once the contract had been signed, she’d also go to the Neptune Pod, which was the Merfolk equivalent of the Shifter Pack Protectors. She had no doubt Nantha’s father would have already started the process of beginning an investigation, but it couldn’t hurt to let them know someone else was actively searching, as well. Especially a royal princess.

      * * *

      Though worry still made his chest tight, at least now Zach felt a renewed sense of hope. Running into the two women at Broken Chains had been the luckiest thing to happen to him in years. As one day turned into two without word from his sister, desperation had set in. Now, just because he’d made an impulsive decision to stop in the bar for a drink, he’d have help. He definitely didn’t mind paying for assistance, because with Ion gone under the sea and his mother an emotional wreck, he’d never felt so alone and powerless.

      Especially since he couldn’t shake the feeling of guilt. He’d promised Nantha he’d look after her while she was on land. And somehow, he’d let her down. He had no idea what might have happened to her.

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