Nicole (The Mate Series) Book #1

  Nicole

  Teresa Gabelman

  In Memory Of

  I remember the first time I talked to you about my writing. You were so excited and we talked forever about vampires. Our talks were about everything and anything, and the laughter and friendship meant and still means so much to me. When I got the call from Ronnie, I couldn’t believe you were gone, and I still can’t at times when I look to see if you’re online. My heart breaks and as I type this, tears fall. You are so loved as a wife, mother, friend, and as just a wonderful person who will never be forgotten. The last conversation I had with you was about The Mate series. You loved the idea and couldn’t wait, encouraging me like always. You made me excited to write it, and so I did. And yes, Missy, Steve has a lot of funny parts, just like you wanted, and Damon is still his sexy badass self, just like you ordered. I miss you, friend!

  Nicole is for you, Missy…

  Melissa “Missy” Ann Eikelberger

  March 27, 1958 - October 26, 2018

  Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Also by Teresa Gabelman

  The Mate Series

  Nicole

  Copyright 2019 Teresa Gabelman

  All rights reserved. The right of Teresa Gabelman to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. This is a work of fiction and any resemblance between the characters and persons living or dead is purely coincidental.

  Gabelman, Teresa (2019-2-27). Nicole (The Mate Series) Book #1

  Kindle Edition.

  Editor: Hot Tree Editing

  Created with Vellum

  Chapter 1

  Nicole pushed her way through the doors of Special Family Services, a strange feeling of “been there and done that” hit her. Passing a few people, she nodded, noticing they were strangers to her, but that didn’t surprise Nicole. Social work was not only a revolving door for cases, but employees as well. The hours were demanding, the work heartbreaking, often dangerous, and the pay was pathetic. And here Nicole was heading straight back into the heart of the system.

  Slowly she made her way toward her office. Glancing inside through the open doorway as she edged closer, she was surprised to see it empty. Nicole had been back several times since leaving the agency, and the door had always been closed. Admittedly, she had never asked if she had been replaced. While she still did things for the agency, but only through the VC Warriors, it had been too hard for her to hear the answer.

  “I want my office back,” she whispered as she stood just outside the doorway. A smile curved her lips. Walking inside, Nicole looked around, and sure enough, no one was occupying her space. Yes, her space. This room had been her home for many years until she’d met a very handsome, moody vampire Warrior. As much as she loved Damon DeMasters, she had lost a small part of herself the day she quit the agency. Nicole had felt that loss ever since and with everything going on in the world, the feeling of loss and urgency to get back to what she knew and did best ate at her daily.

  Hearing a loud booming voice from up the hallway had her rolling her eyes. Yes, this was definitely home. Putting her bag on the desk, she turned and walked out, shutting her door. She knew she was back, but it was time to let Mitch Reed know that too.

  “If I have to do your damn job, I wouldn’t have hired you!” Mitch’s voice rumbled throughout the hallway. “Now find your fucking balls, get in your car I’ve paid for, and go do the fucking home visit.”

  A young man scampered out of Mitch’s office, white-faced and looking scared to death. He hurried past her without lifting his eyes, holding files in a death grip close to his chest.

  Nicole watched the harried guy disappear into another room before she turned and headed in to see Mitch rubbing his eyes behind his desk. “You know, if you didn’t bellow people to death, they might stay longer.” Nicole crossed her arms staring down at Mitch.

  “Callahan, I’m not in the mood.” Mitch growled the words, finally taking his hands away from his face, his tired red eyes glaring at her. “What in the hell are you doing here?”

  “From the looks of it, saving your ass… again.” Nicole tilted her head, more than ready to spar with Mitch, her ex-boss, soon-to-be boss again. Yeah, she just loved putting herself through hell, and life with Mitch was like living in the pits of the netherworld.

  His mixed expressions were comical. They went from a deep frowning scowl as if trying to understand her words, to open-eyed shock, and then to “holy shit and what the fuck” narrow eyes. “What in the hell are you talking about?”

  With a sigh, Nicole sat down in one of the vacant chairs and crossed her legs as if she didn’t have a care in the world. “I’m back,” she finally said, with confidence that filled the room.

  “You’re… back?” He cocked his eyebrow as he leaned back in the chair. “And what does your big, decapitating vampire husband think of this?”

  Nicole shrugged one shoulder. “I’ll let you know as soon as I talk to him.”

  Mitch sat there a long time just staring at her. Nicole didn’t even flinch or get antsy. She was used to this from Mitch, so she simply sat and waited. She was good at this job; he knew it. She was committed—he knew that also. And it was a fact he missed her, even if he would die a gruesome death before ever admitting it.

  “Jesus H. Christ, I’m going to regret this.” Mitch finally broke the silence. “When can you start?”

  “You want me to go with the kid you just scared the shit out of and do the home visit with him?” Nicole grinned at the surprised expression he tried to hide.

  “You don’t even want to barter me on salary?” Mitch frowned, leaning forward. “Who the fuck are you?”

  Back in the day, Nicole would have definitely done that, but she didn’t need a lot now, and she knew the agency wasn’t the best funded in the government. “What I left at is fine for pay.”

  “Seriously, who the fuck are you?” Mitch’s frown deepened.

  Ignoring his sarcastic question, Nicole stood. “What’s the kid’s name?”

  “Ben.” Mitch also stood. “But that’s a bad situation. Maybe you should start out slow until you’re comfortable.”

  “Who the fuck are you?” she threw back. “You’ve never worried about sending me out to ‘bad’ situations before.”

  “And that, Callahan, was before you married a huge son of a bitch who likes to take people’s heads off.” Mitch walked around his desk and out of the room.

  “Bite me, Mitch.” Nicole snorted as she followed him. “Bad situations don’t scare me. I’m a vampire now or did you forget?”

  Mitch slowed, turning to look at her over his shoulder. “How could I forget with you flashing them damn fangs at me since you got here.”

  “Just reminding you I bite,” Nicole teased, following him into a small conference room.

  Mitch pulled out a gun from his waistband and waved it toward her. “Just reminding you I only use silver bullets.”

  Damn, she had missed this. Shaking her head, Nicole glanced at the gu
y, Ben, who was frantically pouring over the file he had been clutching like a lifeline earlier.

  “Ben, this is Nicole.” Mitch’s booming voice made the guy jump. Yeah, he was going to have to find his balls if he was going to make it. “She’s going on your home visit with you.”

  “Oh, ah…,” Ben stammered, pushing his glasses up his nose and looking from Mitch to Nicole. “It’s a pretty rough part of town, and the family doesn’t really like—”

  Nicole reached across the table, snatching the file out of his hand. “I think I can handle it,” she replied with a flash of her fangs.

  Thumbing through the information, Nicole’s stomach tightened painfully. Okay, this was part of the job she didn’t miss. Quickly scanning the notes, she discovered the family had multiple infractions and yet still had the child in their care.

  “Why is…” Nicole looked for the name of the child. “…Carly still with this family?”

  “Because there’s nowhere else to place her and I haven’t been able to prove any wrongdoing.” Ben pointed toward the file. “Those are just observations I’ve made. Red flags.”

  “Have you seen this?” Nicole glanced at Mitch, who nodded.

  “It’s a different world, Nicole.” Mitch’s voice wasn’t the normal booming “in your face” tone. It was more tired and weary, something Nicole wasn’t used to.

  “I haven’t been gone that long.” She glanced back at the file with a frown. “And believe me, I know how much things have changed and are going to change. Why do you think I’m back?”

  “Fuck if I know.” Mitch replied, with a frown. “Been wondering that since you walked in my office.”

  Ignoring Mitch she shut the file and looked toward Ben. “You ready?”

  He stared at her for a few minutes confused, then jumped up. “Yes, ma’am.”

  “It’s Nicole or ‘hey you.’” Nicole grimaced, then shot Mitch a dirty glare at his chuckle. “Call me ma’am again, and I’ll eat you.” She snapped her fangs at him. His skin went pale as his eyes widened.

  “Yes, ma— ah, you.” Ben almost slipped then stuttered, correcting himself.

  Nicole led them out of the conference room and went across the hall to her office.

  “What are you doing?” Mitch grouched.

  “Grabbing something out of my office.” Nicole snatched her bag off her desk then turned to face Mitch and Ben, who was looking back and forth between them as if watching a tennis match. Man, this kid had a lot to learn. “You got a problem with that?”

  “Would it matter if I did?” Mitch’s usual sneer was back.

  Nicole acted like she thought about it, then grinned. “Nope, not at all.”

  “Watch your ass, Callahan,” Mitch called over his shoulder as he headed back toward his own office. “I don’t want to explain you got your ass capped to Damon. I like my head exactly where it is.”

  She held back her grin. She was back, and it felt damn good.

  Chapter 2

  Snorting, Nicole rolled her eyes, then noticed the color that had been coming back into Ben’s face begin to quickly fade. “Damon is really a sweet guy.” She almost kept a straight face when saying this but couldn’t help smirking at her own little lie. Well, not exactly a lie. He was sweet to her, but to others… yeah, not so much.

  “Ah, okay,” Ben replied, then nervously glanced at his phone. “I guess we better get going. I can drive.”

  Nicole frowned. “I thought this was an unscheduled visit?” One thing Nicole had learned during her time working with Children’s Services and the VC Warriors was to read people. She did that pretty well and either this guy was what the Warriors would call a pussy, or he was up to something. Her gut was going with up to something.

  “It is,” he answered quickly, almost too quickly. “Traffic is bad this time of day.”

  When he quickly glanced away from her stare, she mentally prepared herself that she may be walking into something sketchy. Following Ben outside, she held out her hand. “Let me see the file again.”

  Most wouldn’t have noticed his slight hesitation, but she did. As Nicole got into the passenger seat, she glanced at her car, wondering if not taking it and following him was a mistake. Dismissing the thought, she noticed Ben seemed irritated and knew she needed to diffuse the situation and put him at ease.

  “Listen, I’m not here to take over your case.” Nicole snapped her seat belt in place. “I’ve been out for a while and thought doing a ride along would help get me back in the right mindset.”

  When he didn’t answer right away, Nicole frowned down at the file in her lap. Deciding against looking through it again, she put it between the console and her seat, figuring a different route was in order. She didn’t want him suspicious of her suspicions of him.

  “So how long have you worked with Mitch?” Nicole asked, making another mental note of where they were going.

  “About six months.” His answer was short and to the point. He offered nothing else.

  “Six months is too long with Mitch.” She snorted, trying to make a joke out of Mitch being an asshole most of the time, but Ben didn’t seem to be in a joking mood. “So, is there anything I need to know before we get there?”

  Just as they pulled into a driveway, Ben stopped the car and looked at her. Fear flashed across his face before he glanced away to look at the house. “Just let me do the talking, please.” Ben’s voice cracked as he reached for the file. Before he got all the way out of the car, he turned to look at her again. “And watch your back.”

  Nicole sat staring at that closed door before getting out. Then her eyes went to the house. She saw a set of curtains in the upstairs window move. Someone knew they were there. Her phone buzzed a text. Glancing down, she frowned.

  You’re late

  Two words were usually the extent of Damon’s text. He wasn’t much on talking and definitely hated to text. If she didn’t respond, he would be out on the hunt looking for her with a whole army of Warriors at his side.

  Sorry. I’m good. Will explain later. Love you!

  The less she said, the better for right now. Getting out of the car, she put her phone in her back pocket, her eyes still assessing the house. Something was off, and if Ben walked any slower up the long set of steps leading to the front door, she’d never know what, but something felt really wrong.

  Her phone buzzed in her back pocket, indicating Damon had texted back. For a fact, Nicole knew he didn’t like her text. She usually texted paragraphs, and this one was short and vague. He knew her well enough to know when she was up to something.

  As soon as they reached the door, Ben glanced over his shoulder, giving her an uncertain stare before knocking on the door. Before she could ask him what in the hell that look was about, the door swung open.

  “Who the fuck is she?” a man’s deep voice sneered from the darkness of the doorway. Nicole didn’t miss the tone of anger and irritation vibrating from the man she could not yet see.

  Nicole could have sworn she heard Ben swallow hard, more like a gulp, before he said, “This is ah, my colleague. We are here to do a home visit.”

  As they waited for the faceless voice to answer, Nicole glanced up at the window. A girl’s face was barely visible before the curtains shut quickly. Her phone vibrated in her back pocket, and without a doubt, she knew Damon was calling her. Her hand itched to answer it, but she let it go to voice mail.

  “I’m Nicole Callahan.” Nicole broke the heavy silence. “As Ben said, we are here to do a home visit and talk to Carly.”

  Still, the man didn’t say anything. Nicole could actually see the guy since she had the eyesight of a vampire, and the man looked highly pissed off. Even though Nicole didn’t want or need to be saved, she would pull out the big boys if need be.

  “Listen, Mr., ah….” Nicole frowned, realizing she hadn’t looked at the name beyond that of the adoptee.

  “Rosenstein,” Ben added, still clutching the damn file against his chest.

 
“Rosenstein.” Nicole glared toward the man who looked like a wrestler on steroids, lots of steroids. His eyes were bloodshot and red-rimmed. His pupils were huge, almost to the point no color remained. He was definitely high on Crimson Rush, vampire blood. Jesus, would it ever end? “We can do this one of two ways. You let us in to do our report, or you can refuse, and we can get authorities here, but either way, we are not leaving. You know the rules.”

  Before anyone could say anything else, screams of help erupted inside the house. Nicole would never forget that sound for as long as she lived. It was multiple screams of terror sending chills throughout her body. The man tried to slam the door, but Nicole was quicker, using her foot to stop it. A hand reached out the door, grabbing her hair and pulling her inside. Ben had managed to grab her leg and was pulling her. With one hand, she held onto the wrist of the hand in her hair while fumbling with her phone.

  While being the rope in a bodily tug-a-war, she managed to unlock her phone, hit the last called number—praying it was Damon—and slide the phone to Ben. “Tell the Warriors who you are,” she screamed, kicking herself free from Ben.

  Ben grabbed the phone and fell out the door on his ass with the phone to his ear. Using her foot, she slammed the door, hoping to keep Ben safe by keeping him outside. The thing about Crimson Rush was it gave the user vampire strength in short bursts, and this asshole must have just used because he was as strong as hell, but as her bitch instincts rose to the surface and hearing the continued screams of terror, she turned her body and clamped down on the man’s crotch.

  Immediately, she was free as the man bellowed his pain, but she didn’t escape. Didn’t even try. Oh, hell no. This bastard wasn’t getting away, she’d make damn sure of that. She moved far enough away to get her bearings.