Chapter Five

Jasmine

The bet I made with Beth and Anya said that I had to pick the first match on the app.

But the first match was an orc throuple wanting a fourth. Wasn't exactly a match for me, but they contacted me anyway.

The app said I was only 23 percent compatible.

I wasn't betting my life or my financial future on 23 percent. I swiped off it and looked at all my options. Packs of wolf shifters seeking omegas. Harems looking for a female pivot.

My second match was a pair of shifters and, as I explored their profile, I saw they were serpent shifters.

Serpents? Like snakes? A popular movie franchise with a basilisk hidden in a secret underground lair conjured up visions in my mind.

Here I was expecting a hot wolf shifter or maybe dragon.

No way I would fall in love, according to the bet, but there was no reason I couldn't have a good time while I was there.

I went back to their pictures. Drake and Naga looked similar. Both had short haircuts, but Naga had a bit of gray in his despite being in his late twenties. Drake had a well-kept beard, while Naga was clean-shaven.

They were lean but their black T-shirts strained against their biceps and shoulder muscles. Naga wasn't smiling, but Drake was.

Serpent shifters sounded like a good way to win the bet. Perhaps they were cold and lifeless. Slithering through life. Shedding their emotional skin at every chance possible. The word unfeeling came to mind.

And unfeeling would make me a shoo-in to win this bet. I hated when men were emotionally unavailable, showing no love or care. Not bothering to give as much as they took.

Maybe they would fuck me and let me leave without any attachments.

I texted Beth and Anya and we began a video chat. I sent them screenshots of Naga and Drake and told them everything on their profile.

They didn't bat an eye at serpent shifters.

"This was the first match?" Beth asked.

"No, but the first one was a throuple of orcs who were looking for a fourth. I'm not doing that. I don't care what the bet terms were."

They got a kick out of that. Once they stopped laughing, I got serious. I had to admit there was something about Naga and Drake that called to me. Even while Beth and Anya were laughing and carrying on, I was staring at their pictures.

Maybe it was the eyes, but despite my judgments that they would be cold, they held an undeniable warmth.

"So, what do you think?" I asked.

"It's the first real match, I will admit that. And those were the terms, babe." Beth leaned in to the camera. "Have you accepted the match? Sent them a message? Huh?" She winked. "They are sexy. I'm not sure you can resist."

I shot her the best stink eye I could. "I can resist. Trust me."

Anya nodded. "I'm in agreement. You're in danger here, though, Jasmine. Beth's right. They are damned sexy."

"There are attractive people all around the world, but I'm not panting after any of them. What do I do next? Just accept the match or message them?"

Beth shrugged. "Depends on how fast you want that debt taken care of."

Today. Now.

"I'm sending them a message. No big deal. Ninety days, and this is over, and I'm free."

Beth ended the video chat, but Anya stayed on a bit. "Good luck, Jasmine. Personally, I'm hoping you fall head over heels for those two. We want to see you happy more than anything else."

I wanted to be happy and in love and secure with someone who would be kind and considerate too.

Someone who would cherish me.

Someone I could cherish in return.

But it wasn't these two. These two were a means to an end. An end to an era that couldn't come quickly enough.

I quickly sent a message to them and then put my phone down.

It was about time something in my life changed.