Chapter Nine

Harbor

I was on day three of my time in San Diego and still hadn’t explored very much. We’d had a couple of issues at work, and I ended up putting in extra hours…a ton of extra hours. It wasn’t ideal, but I got compensated on the other end, so I wasn’t working for free. So at least there was that.

But the longer I stayed in the parking lot I’d been using as home base, working my day and long into the night away, the more I felt like I needed to really get out and discover something—anything—about the area. Why come all the way to the opposite coast if I was going to see such a miniscule part of it?

I’d managed to find a shifter beach to squat in. They didn’t call it that, obviously, but mostly shifters came here, and as luck would have it, they didn’t seem to have a problem with me parking there overnight. It was a big relief because there weren’t a ton of places that welcomed people like me. If anything, most of the maps told me to park randomly late at night and hope no one noticed I was there. That was hardly the road I wanted to go down.

This location was great though. I loved waking up to the sound of the waves lapping at the shore, looking at the sunrises over the horizon, and being able to dip my feet in the cool water. This place was sheltered enough that I was even able to give my unicorn a chance to run along the beach, just like he wanted.

But, for the most part, I was stuck inside, dealing with one work fire after another, and I was exhausted. Beyond exhausted. It would be over soon, and things would get back to normal. I’d be back to working half time for full-time pay.

I contemplated just curling up in bed and going to sleep for the night, but then I remembered hearing a couple of the raccoon shifters earlier that day talking about going to Animals. I perked up quickly at that one. I’d heard of Animals SD, and I had even stopped at one of the sister clubs in Louisiana when I was passing through. I half knew there were other sister clubs floating around but hadn’t thought much about them, figuring if they were where I was, I’d figure it out. And I suppose that was true. It wasn’t until the raccoons were talking that I realized there was one here.

The one I hung out at in Louisiana was interesting because it wasn’t just shifters who frequented there. Given it was New Orleans, it probably was a shock to no one that there were vampires and a few other things I couldn’t quite figure out but was too embarrassed and a little too scared to ask. I’d correctly thought it might be best not to bring up who and what the patrons of the club were. Some things were best left secret.

Out here, I suspected it was mostly going to be shifters, which was good—but also, I didn’t really fit in with most shifters, my creature the subject of storybooks. Not really, but that’s how most people thought of them. Most people didn’t believe that I was a unicorn until I actually shifted in front of them for the first time. It made no sense, since there were enough of us floating around this country, but the whole unicorns and dragons were fairy tales myth seemed to be holding on for dear life.

I grabbed some jeans, swapped out my shorts, and took a look in the mirror. Good enough. I wasn’t really going to Animals for any specific purpose beyond meeting some people or at least being around other shifters. Although, I wasn’t turning down any possible one-night stands. It had been a long time since I had anyone in my bed.

When I drove down, I didn’t expect it to be empty. It was a weekend, and they were the hottest club in town. But what I drove into was… It was packed, which shouldn’t have been a surprise but to the extent of it, it was.

I parked and walked past the front door on the way to the end of the long line. But as I passed him, the first bouncer said, “Hey, you. I think you’re needed inside.”

“I’m pretty sure you have the wrong guy,” I told him. I didn’t know who he thought I was, but there was nothing VIP about my sorry ass.

He leaned in closer and looked at me before inhaling deeply and giving me a big smile. “Nope, not the wrong guy. Boss man said to expect you.”

“I don’t even know who the boss man is,” I replied, wondering if I accidentally walked into something I needed to get out of and stat. “I bet he doesn’t know who I am either.”

But the bouncer just shrugged and said, “You’re a unicorn, so get in there before you have to wait in line.”

I probably should have stayed and argued with him a little longer, but I wasn’t in the mood. If I could get in, I was doing it. As the door opened and before I even stepped inside, my unicorn pressed forward, and I sensed them. My mate was here.

Mates, my unicorn corrected.

“Mates, as in two?” It wasn’t the way I thought tonight was going to go, but also, I wasn’t going to tell Fate to eff off and come get their shit, especially when the only other person in this conversation was me, and I might be “their shit.”

I jumped back in surprise and then went inside, following the scent until I found two men in the hallway, pressed against each other. They were making out, hands all over, and it was hot as hell. I inhaled deeply. Sure enough, they were my mates. Gods, were they sexy.

One of them mumbled something about knowing the other one was right. I didn’t really understand it—my lower brain wanted my attention. No, scratch that, it wanted to join them. I cleared my throat.

“Excuse me,” I said.

The shifter, dressed like he belonged on the cover of a magazine, growled. It was sexy as fuck. He turned around, a scowl on his face, but I saw the second he scented me, the second he realized I was theirs.

Both of theirs.