The Lion's Witchy Mate: Magic and Mayhem Universe (The Wilder Crew) Read online

  The Lion’s

  Witchy Mate

  Elle Boon

  By Elle Boon [email protected]

  © Copyright 2020 Elle Boon

  All cover art and logos © Copyright 2020 by Elle Boon

  All rights reserved.

  Cover art by: Tibbs Designs

  The Lion’s Witchy Mate

  Copyright © 2020 by Elle Boon

  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.

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, businesses, companies, events, or locales is coincidental.

  This book contains content that may not be suitable for young readers 17 and under.

  The Author of this Book has been granted permission by Robyn Peterman to use the copyrighted characters and/or worlds created by Robyn Peterman in this book. All copyright protection to the original characters and/or worlds of the Magic and Mayhem series is retained by Robyn Peterman.

  Table of Contents

  Foreword

  Dedication

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Thank You

  About Elle Boon

  Other Books by Elle Boon

  Foreword

  Blast Off with us into the Magic and Mayhem Universe!

  I’m Robyn Peterman, the creator of the Magic and Mayhem Series and I’d like to invite you to my Magic and Mayhem Universe.

  What is the Magic and Mayhem Universe, you may ask?

  Well, let me explain...

  It’s basically authorized fan fiction written by some amazing authors that I stalked and blackmailed! KIDDING! I was lucky and blessed to have some brilliant authors say yes! They have written brand new stories using my world and some of my characters. And let me tell you...the results are hilarious!

  So here it is! Blast off with us into the hilarious Magic and Mayhem Universe. Side splitting books by fantabulous authors! Check out each and every one. You will laugh your way to a magical HEA!

  For all the stories, go to https://magicandmayhemuniverse.com/. Grab your copy today!

  And if you would like to read the book that started all the madness, Switching Hour is FREE!

  https://robynpeterman.com/switching-hour/

  Dedication

  FIRST AND FOREMOST, I’d like to thank Robyn Peterman for letting me come and play in her world. I absolutely adore her and all her worlds. I hope I do her characters justice and y’all like where my characters pop in and do their thing LOL. Second of course, I have to thank my husband and my children and my new bestie Romy, who is my adorable little granddaughter who has brought so much love and joy to all of our lives. Love y’all so hard.

  To my amazing team of Beta Readers, y’all rock sooo effing hard. Thank you for all you do to make my books so amazing. And last, but certainly not least, you readers are the best ever. FLOVE y’all soo hard. And last but definitely not least to Valerie Tibbs who has always been so amazing at knocking out my covers, you did a phenomenal job as always. Mwah
  XOXO,

  Elle

  Chapter One

  Thadd jerked awake, sweat rolling off him in waves as the recurring nightmare he’d been having, ever since that crazy pink haired dragon chick had visited them woke him again. “Fuck,” he muttered, noticing not for the first time his one hand was gripping the sheet while the other had a death grip on his dick. Even in sleep, he was clearly a bipolar asshole. Well, he wasn’t really as crazy as he let others think he was. He just enjoyed fucking with people. Besides, it was free entertainment, and in his world, anything that was free was a win-win. He got a good laugh, and he got to fuck with those he felt deserved to be a little pissed off.

  “I’m not jacking you off, again.” He pumped his hand up and down his dick because it was his dick, and he could do what he wanted with it. Jacking off or not, it really was his to do with as he pleased. “Fine, I’m jacking off but only because I’m hard and handy.”

  He didn’t take the time to really enjoy his morning get off, but at least he wouldn’t be walking around with a pole in his jeans. By the time he pumped himself to a not quite earth-shattering climax, the nightmare was a distant memory. That was until he climbed out of bed, nearly tripping on the silver booty shorts with tassels dangling off of them. A tidbit of his dream punched him in the face, or maybe it was the memory of a big man who seemed intent on keeping Thadd from the female in his dream world. “You’re gonna need to be bigger than that, son.” Saying the words out loud made him feel better. Although if anyone would’ve overheard him, they’d say he was crazy, but in his mind—crazy is as crazy does. The pink dragon chick, she was definitely certifiable. He, on the other hand, was not.

  Thaddeus Winchester, better known as Thadd, picked up the silver stripper shorts, laying them on the bench at the end of his bed. He was actually quite fond of them if truth be known. Although they did give a dick-slip, a little worse, or maybe better than a nip-slip since it was his dick, and in his opinion, it was quite glorious. It was all in perspective, and if you were another male, seeing his dick hanging out from the bottom of the clearly too short bottoms, well, it could be unpleasant if you’re the other male and your dick didn’t measure up. In Thadd’s mind, that really wasn’t his problem.

  Again, his mind pulled up an image of a petite woman with long red hair and bright blue eyes. Their once gorgeous and intelligent orbs dimmed as she stared up at him unblinking. He nearly fell to his knees as he pictured the macabre scene. His stomach churned at the sight of the lifeless female with blood spreading all around her body. He wanted to hold her, hating to see her looking cold and alone against the grey concrete. He tried to make out any other clue as to where the vision had taken place, but the only thing he could see clearly was her. “Over my dead fucking body, upendo.” Saying a term of endearment made himself feel better. Her long fiery red hair mixed with the red of her blood making his lion roar to be released.

  He remembered the feel of her cool skin when he’d reached down, touching her smooth cheek. Even now he jerked his hand back, staring down at his palm as if he could negate the premonition. He’d been getting the fucking warnings of things to come for as long as he could remember, freaking his parents out so much they’d forbid him to speak of his unique abilities to anyone within their Crew. Most thought he’d be the next King of the Lions since his father was the reigning one. What they didn’t know was his mother had jumped the fence to see how the grass looked and felt on the other side, coming back with a little cub in her that wasn’t her mate’s. Thadd guessed he should be thankful his father, or rather his mother’s husband hadn’t killed him at birth as was the normal thing to do amongst lions.

  A growl escaped him along with thoughts of the bastard, which was what he called the fucker who’d raised him the first fourteen years of his life. Luckily for him, he’d found a new Crew with Hollis and Annie. They took in the misfits, the ones without a home. Those who’d wandered through their little town and needed a place to belong were given a chance with the Wilder Crew. Even though Thadd had carri
ed a chip on his shoulder the size of Texas itself and was at least fifty pounds heavier than Hollis, he’d showed his throat to the alpha, knowing he could’ve bested the older wolf. Although Thadd hadn’t intimidated Hollis, not even when they shifted into their animals, the alpha still had scented of fear but never had he lost eye contact with Thadd.

  Of course, Hollis hadn’t seen the real beast that resided inside Thadd. None of the Wilder Crew had. They’d just accepted him and his strange accent. Their words, not his. Being from Kenya, he guessed his accent was a wee different, but he’d mastered the English language along with many others.

  Through the window, the sun was barely peeking out, heralding the coming of the new day. His destiny was just out of reach, like it had always been. He grabbed a change of clothes along with a couple extra sets, shoved them into a duffel bag that had seen a lot of moves, before heading into the bathroom to take a shower. After he finished, he took in his appearance in the mirror, wondering what others thought when they saw him for the first time. Six-feet-nine, black hair with streaks of red and blond mingled throughout. Clean shaven he wasn’t too scary. Although with his shirt off and his tats on display, he did get people to move out of his way with a look. Or growl. Whatever, it got the job done. As a lion, his mane was glorious. Red with a lot of streaks throughout that looked like a living flame. Black, golden, and every facet of red you could think of, definitely not a lion you could mistake for a natural lion, although he would love to chill with a few, just to see how they’d react to him. Or not. They’d probably piss themselves, and it’d be all over the news about a crazy lion causing lions everywhere to keel over in fright. Nah, he’d do best to stick with other kinds of shifters.

  It took less than fifteen minutes to finish packing what he assumed he’d need, shoved it into the saddle bag on his Harley, and looked around the place he’d called his for the past five years. “No use moping,” he gave himself a pep talk.

  On the bike he’d modified to fit his large frame, he revved the engine, loving the sound of the old bike, pointing the front tire toward his alpha’s place. He’d learned early you couldn’t put off what lay ahead of you. Destiny didn’t wait for no man, or beast.

  Dust kicked up behind him from the lack of rain. The short ride gave him a little time to get his thoughts in order.

  Hollis had told him and the others they’d always have a place to call home with the Wilder Crew. Thadd had always wondered if the old bastard would say that if he’d seen the real Thadd, the big beast he’d kept hidden from everyone since that fateful day all those years ago. His fingers tightened on the handlebars, threatening to bend the metal. With years of discipline, he relaxed each digit one-by-one. By the time he pulled into the long drive, he was in control, slowing the bike to a crawl. Several lights were on, letting him know his alpha and Annie were up like normal. Normal was good for a beast like Thadd.

  “Ah yeah, Annie’s cooking breakfast,” he murmured. The kickstand came down with the press of his foot. He sat for a full minute taking in the sight around him. Texas was beautiful, especially their little piece of bliss. Throughout the years, they’d created a home for all the misfits and rejects, becoming more than just a Crew. They were family. However his recurring dream made it clear his destiny was outside the Wilder Crew. Not only that, but if he didn’t find her, he had a feeling her time on Earth was ticking.

  “You gonna sit out there all mornin’ staring off in the distance, or you comin’ inside?” Hollis’s booming voice interrupted his reflection.

  Thadd grinned at the other man’s southern accent. “I’m coming in. I can smell Annie’s cooking from out here.”

  “Smells even better on this side. Besides, I can hear your belly growling. Get your ass on in here, or I’ll eat it all. I’ll have to blame you for my spare tire.” He patted his stomach as he spoke.

  Thadd swung his leg over the bike, snorting at Hollis. “Sure, that’s gonna happen.” Not! Hollis may be older by who knows how many years since shifters aged differently than humans, but the male didn’t have an ounce of fat on him.

  “You two quit yapping and get in here,” Annie hollered.

  The alpha turned back toward the interior of the house, disappearing from Thadd’s view. Hollis was a man of few words, but when he spoke, they were important. He took a deep breath, loving the fresh air of the open land around them. He didn’t know where his journey was going to take him but trusted in his visions. When he’d left Kenya all those years ago, he’d been fifteen, barely old enough to be considered a man in human years or shifters. Although he’d been over six-feet tall and larger than most humans, he was nowhere near ready to run the Pride, especially the one he’d been born into. Not that they had wanted him once his mother had given birth to the next true King as the bastard had called his younger brother. His hands clenched into fists, iron claws threatening to break free. Thadd beat back the anger and pain of betrayal. They’d called his mother a Malaya, a whore, while dragging her to the middle of their village. No matter what she’d done, he couldn’t stand by and watch her be beat while the bastard he’d called father stood by, holding his son Yaro, Thadd’s half-brother.

  Before his thoughts could turn dark, he climbed the steps to the back of the house and gave two hard knocks on the screen door. “Are y’all nekkid?” he asked.

  A feminine snort was his answer from the sweet Annie. A low growl was his warning from Hollis.

  “Alright, but I’m just telling ya, if you’re in the all-natural, I’m still gonna eat. Seeing two elderly shifters in their natural states don’t affect my appetite none,” he teased.

  “I think we know this, Thaddeus. Come on in before Hollis has a fit.” Annie pointed a spatula at him. “You behave, son. Do you want blueberry pancakes or plain?” she asked, flipping something over in one skillet, moving to flip another over in the next.

  “Ahh, decisions. I’ll take a few of each. Can’t be discriminating since I don’t wanna be hurting any feelings. Ya know I’m sweet like that.” He bent, pecked Annie’s cheek as he passed, ignoring Hollis’s growl as he did.

  “Son, you’re truly walking a thin rope this mornin’.”

  “Calm down, Hollis. You know that gorgeous female only has eyes for you. Besides, she’s the only one on the planet who can put up with your snarly ass. Us in the Crew made a pact we wouldn’t mess with that years ago.” He pulled out a chair from the corner, keeping his back from an open window. Old habits die hard. Not that a shifter couldn’t come through a wall, but at least he’d have to make a whole hell of a lot of noise doing so.

  “Eat up first. You can talk after,” Annie said, placing a huge platter in the middle of the table.

  Thaddeus had learned early on you didn’t mess with Annie and her cooking. She had a routine, which didn’t include the males helping, or like she stated, messing shit up in her space. Afterward it was their turn to clean. He was real good at cleaning. “Thank you, ma’am. This looks amazing.” He waited for Annie to take a seat and fill her and Hollis’s plate before he grabbed a few of his own.

  “You’re such a well-mannered young man, Thadd. One day you’ll make a very good mate. Go ahead, dig in.” She pointed her fork toward the bottle of syrup. “Can you pass me that one?”

  After giving her the syrup she wanted, he got down to shoveling the best homemade pancakes he’d ever had the pleasure of eating down his throat. The sound of forks scraping across porcelain was all that was heard for several long minutes until finally he sat back with a sigh, looking up to see Hollis staring back at him. “You know why I’m here?” he asked.

  Hollis nodded. “I figured this day would be coming. You planning on coming back?”

  A sniff had him looking toward Annie. “I’m not sure. I hope so, but—I can’t say, Alpha.” He only called Hollis by that title when shit was serious. Shit didn’t get more serious than him leaving and possibly not coming back. He’d only packed enough for a few days, but when he’d left Kenya, he’d only taken
a backpack with a few things. That had been over fifteen years ago. It didn’t surprise him that the date of his departure from Kenya was on his fifteenth birthday. Maybe it was a fifteen year itch. It had taken him a good five years of traveling and yes, fighting to stay alive until he’d found himself in America on Texas soil. The twenty year old version of himself was a lot different than the fifteen year old who’d killed a dozen grown warriors to save his mother.

  “If you need the Crew we’ll be there, no questions asked. You call, and we’ll come.” Hollis stared at him. The bright blue eyes of his wolf unblinking.

  It was that look that reminded Thadd why the older man had never been scared of the beast within Thadd. Not that he could take what lived inside of Thadd. He didn’t know if any shifters could, but Hollis was an alpha to his core, holding his title among the mixed Crew of shifters like the leader he was meant to be.

  “I know and appreciate all you’ve done for me. I’m not leaving with the intent to never come back. It’s just”—he sighed, running his hand through his long black hair. Shit, how did he explain to Hollis about his visions without sounding like a crazy lion—"I have this urge to be somewhere. I’m not sure where but know I need to get on my bike and head north. I figure I’ll know where when I get there.” He hoped like Hell it wasn’t somewhere too cold.

  “As crazy as it sounds, I do understand, son.” Hollis nodded.

  Anytime the old male called him son, Thadd’s heart lurched. The bastard who’d raised him had disavowed him in front of the entire clan, while the male who’d actually helped create him was unknown to him. His mother never gave his name, not even as she lay in the dirt, gasping her last breath. Thadd, his given name had been Thabiti, held her head in his lap, brushing away her tears, daring anyone to come near them. “You’re going to be fine, Mama,” he whispered.

  She shook her head, pain twisting her beautiful features into one that would stay with him always. “Thabiti, I am so...sorry for my duplicity. You are meant for greatness.” She lifted her hand, placing it over his own where his claws had sprung free. “These mark you as the great beast to be ruler of all, not feared, asali.” Her words were getting weaker, each breath harder for her to take.