Tate's Foxy Shifter (Shifter World - Book Ten) (Series of 13 Short Stories)
Prologue: The Runaway Soul

(DO NOT READ THIS IF YOU HAVE NOT READ BOOKS ONE, TWO, THREE, FOUR, FIVE, SIX, SEVEN, EIGHT & NINE) -Her Shifter Bodyguard / Shifter On Ice / The Shifter Bar / Bearing the Shifter / Dreaming of the Shifter / Shifting the Shifter / Pucking the Shifter / Running from the Shifter / Made for the Alpha Shifter-

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-Three Hundred and Fifty Years Ago-

“She’s gone.”

“What do you mean, she’s gone!?” Senshire demanded as she turned to her younger sister.

“I mean. She was in her garden one minute and gone the next. We can’t replace her anywhere.”

Senshire cursed under her breath. “I knew it had been a bad idea to let her mate go to Earth so long ago.”

Her sister nodded. “She’s been depressed for so long. Even though time is so different here, it still feels like an eternity when you’re separated from your soul mate.”

Senshire nodded as she and her sister headed to the gardens, where one of their favorite souls liked to spend her days.

“Did she at least go to Earth as a Shifter?” Senshire asked as they stepped into the garden.

“No, Sister. She’s Human.”

Senshire cursed words her sister had never heard before.

“We have to replace a way for her to stay alive for three hundred and fifty years, at least.”

Her sister nodded. “What do we do?”

“When did she leave?” Senshire asked as she turned to her sister.

The Goddess of Souls looked at her soul keeper, which she kept around her wrist like a watch.

“Two days ago.”

“How did you not see this sooner, Biason?” Senshire demanded. “You are the Goddess of Souls, after all.”

“I have so many souls to watch over. You can’t blame me for losing track of one!” Biason yelled as she crossed her arms over her ample chest.

Senshire grumbled. “It’s not that you lost a single soul, Biason. It’s that you lost a Fated Mate.”

Biason sighed heavily.

“How many years on Earth have gone by?” Senshire asked.

Biason looked through a puddle of water on the ground. “Twenty-Eight.”

Senshire nodded. “She’s old enough.”

“For what, dear sister?”

“It’s time we activated the Fated Mate’s Guardian.”

Biason blinked.

Senshire shrugged. “He has always known who and what he is. It is now time for him to do his job.”

Biason nodded. “What will you have him do?”

“The only thing he can do.” Senshire said as she moved to the communications room, of the castle.

“Wait.” Biason said as she ran after her sister. “You can’t do that to her…” She cried out.

Senshire turned to her sister. “You should have thought of that before you let her escape.”

Biason’s face turned pasty white and Senshire scoffed.

“Did you think I wouldn’t know that you were lying to me? Give me some credit, Sister.” Senshire said, then moved into the communications room.

“No.” Biason whimpered.

“It is the only way to keep her alive until the time she is activated.” Senshire said as she stood in front of a large fountain.

“But… Can’t we just bring her back up here…”

Senshire swiveled on her right foot and took hold of her sister’s shoulders and shook her. “She won’t be able to go back down there! She will be stuck up here for eternity and will never reunite with her mate. Do you want that!?”

“No! Of course not. She just looked so sad…and I hoped she would become a Shifter or at least a Witch…”

Senshire shook her head. “We cannot predict what our souls will become once they are sent down to Earth. We have been lucky with a few of them, but that luck won’t always be so…”

“But…the kind of life you are sentencing her to…”

Senshire shook her head. “It will only be for a few hundred years. Then she will become a guardian herself.”

Biason blinked at her sister. “A guardian of what?”

Senshire smiled. “The twins.” She said, then turned back to the fountain, where she summoned one of the most powerful beings ever born to the world.

“Fuck.” The Vampire said as he splashed into the fountain.

Senshire grinned at him. “Hello, Tate.”

Tate blinked up at the Goddesses. “What do you want?”

Senshire smiled as she sat on the edge of the fountain and played with the water.

“One of my special souls escaped and went to Earth. I need you to replace her.”

Tate scoffed. “Why should I help you?”

“Because I am activating you.” Senshire said as she eyed the Vampire.

Tate sighed heavily. “Have they come to Earth already?”

She shook her head. “Just the one. She missed her mate so much, she was depressed, and my sister felt sorry for her.” Senshire said as she looked over at her sister, who bowed her head in shame.

Tate nodded. “What is it you want me, to do?”

“Turn her.” Senshire blurted out.

Tate sputtered. He has never turned a Human to a Vampire before. As a guardian, he’s not allowed to do such horrible things…

“It is the only way for her to live.” Senshire said softly.

Tate shook his head. “It’s not living.”

Senshire took a deep breath. “If you do this for me, I will forget that you were involved with human trafficking.”

Tate closed his eyes. He should have known she’d hear about it. He opened his eyes and glared at the Goddess. “I didn’t know that was what they were doing.”

She nodded. “Yes, yes. Wrong place at the wrong time. Bla, bla, bla.”

Tate grumbled as he sat in the water of the fountain and watched the Goddess study his expressions.

He has only been here a few times. Mostly them wanting him to do one thing or another for them. The first time was so they could convince him he wasn’t a normal Vampire.

He was born a Vampire, which makes him unique. Because Vampires, cannot have children. Yet his parents had had him.

The fountain keeps the visitor from having their soul ripped from them when they visit the realm. At the Goddess’ “Invitation”. Invitation, yeah sure. They will just yank you here, doesn’t matter what you’re doing. Once, they’d kept him here so long, five years had passed by on Earth.

“Well. Can’t keep you here too long. You have a job to do.” Senshire said as she raised her hand to send him back.

“Wait!” He hollered.

Senshire stopped and studied him. “Yes, Vampire?”

Tate snorted. “You didn’t give me her name. How the fuck can I search for her, without her name…”

“You will know her.” Senshire said, then sent him on his way.

Biason giggled. “What are you going to do when she follows him around like a little lost puppy?”

Senshire didn’t even look at her sister. She waved her hand over the fountain water and watched the Vampire as he searched for his prey.

“She won’t.” Senshire said with a smile as she waved her hand over the water again.

“But a Vampire always follows their creator.” Biason whispered.

Senshire grinned. “They won’t remember any of this.”

Biason sighed. “How long until they’re needed?”

Senshire looked at her sister. “As I said. Three hundred and fifty years before she discovers what she is. And a few years before that, everything will be put into play.” She said, then turned back to the water. “The brothers won’t be leaving here for a couple of hundred years.”

“I hope you know what you’re doing.” Biason said with a shake of her head.

Senshire smiled. “The brothers are the key to everything.”