Furever After (2 page)

“Me, but only barely. I just managed to finish up a project for one of my clients, and I’m going to be going to sleep pretty soon.”

I could hear her
tsking
on the other end. “You work entirely too hard, you know that?”

I shrugged. “Can’t help it. There’s not exactly many job opportunities around here, after all.”

“That’s true,” Maria said. “But I have something for you that may be of interest. Or maybe not.”

Well, that piqued my interest. “What do you mean?”

“Have you heard of mail order brides?”

The term rang a bell, but I was entirely sure what it meant. “I think so, but I don’t exactly know how that applies.”

“Mail order brides are women who essentially sell themselves. You find a man, and if you like him, the two of you get married — and he takes care of you.”

The whole idea sounded preposterous to me. Who would actually do that? “What kind of men use mail order brides?” I asked. “Probably only old perverts.”

I cold almost hear Maria shrug. “It’s worth a shot. You should consider it; it could be your ticket out of Russia and to a better life, after all.”

We spoke for a little while longer over mostly banal topics, but the call ended shortly after that. At first, I didn’t give much though to what Maria had suggested; sure, it seemed like it might work, but it also sounded like a bad idea. But the more I thought about it, the more I realized it had promise.

After all, if I could choose the man, then I wouldn’t have to settle for someone I didn’t like. I could find a man who would care for me. But that would mean I’d need to give them all a chance…but that wouldn’t be such a terrible price to pay, all things considered.

I sat back down at my computer, willing myself to stay awake just a little bit longer and fill out the form on the website. I uploaded the best photograph I had of myself, answered a few questions about my age, height, and weight, and filled out a short bio:
I’m 22 years old. I grew up in a small village in northern Russia, and I’m looking for a new life full of adventure and fulfillment.

Now the only thing to do was wait and see what happened.

Mason still felt a surge of excitement at the memory. He had only seen the former leader transform once before, and it had been to deal with a traitor to the group. It had also been extremely messy when he was done.

But the sight of that massive black bear waiting for him hadn’t made him run in fear — in fact, it had ignited a bloodlust in Mason he didn’t know he possessed. The sight of his enemy made Mason surge with excitement, every nerve alive with the anticipation of combat.

Mason’s transformation had been swift. While most of the pack took several minutes to shift completely, Mason did so in mere seconds, his clothes falling to shreds around him as he turned into the Grizzly that he was. And unlike many others in the pack, Mason retained his humanity while in bear form — he could control himself, and his urges. Most of the others could not.

The black bear had charged him, hardly waiting for Mason to regain his bearings — but Mason had sidestepped, using the beast’s inertia against him. Mason pivoted, a snarl escaping from his lips as he faced his former leader, before he launched himself from powerful hind legs and slammed into the older bear, bowling him sideways before a savage swipe landed across his snout.

Mason showed no mercy. Once his leader was down, he tore into him, pummeling him with blow after blow, the sheer force of his swipes more than enough to render the older bear unconscious. It wasn’t until Jackson had shouted, “Enough!” that Mason stopped.

His former leader lay on the ground, slowly phasing out of bear form and back into his human state. He bled from hundreds of different cuts, and Mason’s paws were covered in blood. He paused, turned to the crowd gathered before him, and roared.

As Mason shifted back into his human form, all of the onlookers dropped to one knee and inclined their heads towards him. He had won. He was the alpha now.

Even standing naked before his pack, he knew he had earned their respect. No one wanted to test a man who could so completely destroy his enemies — even so, Mason knew that it would likely mean someone would try to overthrow his rule one day. He knew he had to change the way the Tartarus MC operated before that could happen.

That had been his mission ever since, and he’d made truly massive progress. But now his entire pack was rallying for him to find a mate. Mason understood why; should something happen to him, leadership would go to his children. If he had none, the power struggle could destroy his entire pack.

But he didn’t want to settle down. Not yet. Jackson was following at a distance behind him, he knew; Mason was familiar with his friend’s habits, and Jackson served as his voice of reason in most circumstances. He turned to face his friend.

“Jackson. Find me a mate.”

I stirred from my sleep, disturbed by the incessant beeping on my computer. I thought I’d shut it off, but I guess not; a small green light across the room told me the speakers were turned on, and apparently I had a message. I glanced at the clock; it was 7 AM.

I cursed softly. If one of my American clients had sent me another last-minute project, I’d scream. I was already wiped out from the previous day. I didn’t have time to take on another mind-numbing task. I stood and strode across the room, my nipples hardening from the chill.

I always slept naked; it was more comfortable, and felt more natural. However, rising this early in the morning often left me with goosebumps racing up and down my arms as a result of the temperature.

The screen of the computer came to life as soon as I touched the mouse, and much to my surprise, it was an email from a man named Jackson. According to his email, he had found me on a mail order bride website, and was interested in meeting me to evaluate me.

I wasn’t sure what that meant, but I was excited to have a response to my query. Attached to his email were plane tickets — first class, no less — and instructions on what to do once I arrived in America. I read over them quickly, and with a start, realized I would be going to New York.

I’d always dreamed of visiting the Big Apple, and here was my chance. Maybe Maria’s idea of becoming a mail order bride was a better one than I thought. After reading the letter, excitement filled me. There wasn’t even a slight chance of going back to sleep.

Instead, I went to my closet and flung it open, taking out the best clothing I had in preparation for the trip. Being so far removed from the rest of the world meant that I didn’t have a huge wardrobe to choose from, but I had managed to buy a few items that I thought looked beautiful. I laid out my shirts, pants, and dresses on the bed, along with a few pairs of shoes, and packed them all very carefully into a suitcase. I actually owned so little that I wouldn’t even need a carry on bag, but I hoped it would be enough to make a good first impression on this man when he and I met.

He didn’t include any details about himself, and the way he had phrased the question led me to wonder whether or not he was actually the man I would meet…it almost seemed as though he was acting as the middle man for someone else. The entire situation put me a bit on edge, but at the same time, deep sense of excitement ran through me.

After I finished packing, I sat down to make a bit of breakfast. As soon as dawn broke, I would go to the airport and redeem my ticket. The thought that I’d be in America by this time tomorrow as an exciting one.

Jackson stood at the arrivals gate of the airport, waiting on the girl he had found online to arrive. Katya seemed perfect — intelligent, down to earth, and beautiful. Everything that Mason would enjoy and appreciate in a woman, without the drama that came with most of the women involved in the Tartarus MC. Jackson hoped so, anyway.

Finding a mate for his best friend and pack leader was a task easier said than done. Mason was a very selective man. A good man, yes, but one who was rather picky about the types of women he associated with. When the elders had approached Jackson with the news that Mason needed to find a mate in order to hold his position as leader, Jackson had balked.

He knew exactly how his friend would react to the news, and it hadn’t been good. At least Mason had come around, Jackson thought; it made things easier on everyone when these sorts of deals went through without a problem. When Jackson had found Katya’s photo online, he had been blown away by the girl he saw. She was curvy, with a twinkle of life in her eyes he didn’t often see in girls that age.

And she was approaching him now. Jackson saw her walking through the gate, staring around the building in wonder. It was a very endearing expression, he thought; this girl had clearly never been to America, or even very far from her homeland, and she was enjoying the adventure. He just hoped she’d enjoy what was to come next.

“Katya!” he called, raising his hand. Her eyes brightened, and she hurried over to him.

“Jackson?” she asked, a hopeful smile across her face. He nodded.

“Right. I’m glad you could make it.” Her accent was cute, he thought. “How was the flight?”

She cocked her head to the side and smiled. “It was long, but I had fun. I’ve never been up so high before, and flying first class is exciting.”

Jackson couldn’t help but laugh. She spoke English very well, but certain sounds came out with a definite accent he found attractive. Jackson paused and shook his head; she was here for Mason. Becoming attracted to this girl was the worst possible thing he could do at the moment. “I’m glad to hear it. If you come this way, I’ll show you where we’re going.”

She nodded and followed along behind him. Jackson thought she looked even more beautiful in person, with her curvy body swaying with each step, the sprinkling of freckles across her face jumbling together every time she smiled. Mason would be pleased, he thought, ignoring the tingling inside his own gut.

“I’ll explain everything on the way,” he said, turning to face her as he opened the door to the vehicle. “And you can decide what comes next after you do that.”

When I first saw Jackson, I was amazed. He was a
much
better looking man than I had imagined; tall, blond, and broad-shouldered, he clearly took care of himself. He was also very young; Jackson couldn’t have been older than his early 30s. For some reason, I had imagined anyone using a mail order bride website to be rather old and curmudgeonly.

However, from the way he spoke, it seemed my suspicions were right; he had found me on the website for someone else. I wondered what sort of man would have someone like Jackson working for him, and I was a bit worried about the answer to that question.

Jackson put me at ease early on, though. “I asked you to come here for my friend,” he said, sliding into the car beside me. “He’s a rather busy guy, and doesn’t exactly have time to find someone for companionship. He’s intense, but he’s a good person.”

“Intense?” I asked.

Jackson chuckled. “You’ll see when you meet him. Don’t be afraid, though; remember, if at any point you want to back out of this deal, you’re welcome to. I just ask that you take the time to get to know Mason before making up your mind.”

I nodded. “What does he look like?”

Jackson gave me a curious look, and then understanding dawned on his face. “Oh, you’re wondering if he’s ugly or unattractive?” He laughed, and I couldn’t help but smile. It was a carefree, easy-going sound. “No, I’m told he’s very handsome. Then again, I’ve known him since we were kids, so I couldn’t tell you.” Jackson lowered his voice and leaned in close. “Just don’t ask for pictures of when he was a teenager.” He smiled, and I could see a hint of mischievousness under the surface.

I laughed. For some reason, I trust this man implicitly, despite knowing next to nothing about him. He just gave off the aura that he was honest. I’d been told horror stories of certain types of people in America, and I had been on my guard when I arrived — but Jackson seemed the polar opposite.

He and I spoke a few minutes longer, but Jackson was mostly interested in making sure I was okay. He seemed concerned that I would be tired after the flight, and I found it endearing. It wasn’t often that anyone fussed over me the way he was — yet he did it all with an easy confidence that made it clear he wasn’t trying to impress me.

A building loomed in front of us, and the car came to a halt. Jackson stepped out of the car, walked around to my side, and opened the door. “Right this way, Katya,” he said, an easy smile on his face.

I would finally get to meet the man who asked me to come.

Mason steepled his hands together in front of him, a nervous anxiety rising up inside him. He felt almost disgusted with himself; he had taken down his corrupt leader, turned around the entire club, and now he felt anxious over meeting a woman?

That had never happened to him before, and Mason was not sure how to deal with it. He heard the car pull up outside, and turned to look. Jackson walked around the vehicle, tossing a look towards Mason’s window, and then opened the door for the new arrival to step out.

And step out she did. Mason felt his jaw beginning to go slack as Katya climbed out of the car. She wasn’t very tall, but her body was well proportioned. She was curvy in all the right places, with long, blonde hair that fell to her waist. She walked with an enthusiasm he couldn’t quite place, and she had a large smile on her face as she looked around the area.

She was beautiful, Mason thought — and he felt a trill of excitement at the thought of meeting her. She was coming up the door of the building now, and Mason braced himself for what was coming next.

There was a knock on his door. He took a deep breath, calmed himself, and opened the door. Jackson stood outside, a small smile on his lips. Mason knew Jackson could tell in an instant what his thought process was; he reached up and clapped his friend on the shoulder.

Jackson stepped to the side, and Katya stepped forward, smiling at Mason. “Hi,” she said, a little timidly. The faintest hint of a blush spread over her cheeks as she stared at him, and Mason couldn’t help but smile.