Chev's Mate

Chapter One

VANESSA

I HIDE MY shaking hands behind my back as I stare at the portal, struggling to work up the courage to step through.

It looks rather inconspicuous at first glance, like nothing more than a doorway leading into a dark room. When it turns on, though, the blackness shifts into a blue, luminescent haze. There’s a low buzzing, too, but it’s so quiet, I’d never notice if I weren’t paying such close attention.

“You’re all set, Vanessa,” the guard on my left says.

He’s a shifter. I can tell by his bulging muscles and the way he tugs angrily at his jeans. Shifter males typically wear leather skirts, but they’re expected to wear traditional clothing around non-shifter women. They hate it.

It’s a rule meant to make women feel comfortable, but it doesn’t really work.

I was owned by a horde of violent ogres before the war, and I’m happy never seeing a half-naked man again. Still, even when clothed, being near men makes my heart race and my back sweat. The fear of what lies between their thighs is ever present in my mind, and no amount of clothing is ever going to fix that.

But I’m determined to overcome my fear.

It’s been six years since the demon wars, and I’ve spent almost five years in rehabilitation facilities. I’ve attended thousands of therapy sessions and have thrown myself into every trade program offered. I want my life to mean something, and when I saw an open facility manager position, I just knew I had to apply for it.

My life is going to mean something. I’m making sure of it.

I’ll be assigned to a rehabilitation facility, and I’ll be the voice of the women inside. Even after all these years, there are still so many women who rely on the therapy and trade programs they offer. It’s doubtful they’ll ever choose to leave, which I can’t blame them for.

It’ll be my job to ensure their needs are being met and to communicate with the shifters and elves who manage the programs. I’ll be making a difference.

The portal continues to buzz, the blue haze pulsating. It’s been programmed to take me to the shifter headquarters. To Echo’s office.

I’ve met her twice during my interviews, but she still makes me nervous. While she’s never been anything short of kind, being in her mere presence is overwhelming. She was never purchased, never mistreated by men, and she was raised with confidence. She speaks louder than I’d ever dare to, and she carries herself in a way I can only dream of doing myself.

Not to mention her influence.

Her brother is Chev, who everybody knows is the leader of the bear shifters. He worked directly with the demons and elves to execute the retrieval of the purchased females. He and Echo are the reason I’m no longer owned by those men.

It’s intimidating.

I swallow past the lump in my throat, knowing I need to leave. I can’t be late for my first day of work. I was provided a female escort for both of my interviews, but now that I’m officially an employee, I have clearance to travel alone. It’s terrifying.

The two guards in the portal room stare at me, their eyes darting questioningly between me and the portal, but they make no moves to intervene as I square my shoulders and lift my chin. It’s now or never.

I step into the blue haze, my heart pounding as I’m teleported to Echo’s office. I pause to catch my breath once I’m on the other side. I don’t think I’ll ever get used to that feeling, and I succumb to a full-body shiver as I catch my bearings.

The buzzing from the portal vanishes as it’s shut down, and I pat my hips and smooth down the front of my sweater. I wasn’t sure what to wear, but everybody was dressed casual during my interviews. I hope my black sweater and long skirt are appropriate. I typically wear baggy clothing, something to cover the generous curves most nymph women are burdened with, but today’s clothing is tighter.

I’m already regretting the color, though. My hair is light, and it stands out against the black fabric. I pick one of the long strands out of the fibers and clench it within my fist.

“Vanessa!”

I plaster a wide smile on my lips as I turn toward Echo’s receptionist.

She’s a friendly woman, a deer shifter with delicate features and a kind smile, and she tucks a piece of auburn hair behind her ear as I approach her desk. I can’t remember her name.

“Good morning,” I say by way of greeting.

Her smile widens. “Echo stepped out for an urgent meeting, but she should be back shortly. You can wait here.”

She gestures for me to sit in one of the chairs beside Echo’s office door. I take the one farthest from the portal.

The reception area is small, with only a desk, a portal, and three chairs inside. It’s made cozy with large plants and bright-blue furniture, though. I quite like it, and I shove my shaking hands under my thighs as I peer around.

The shifters prefer to live among nature, and Echo clearly attempted to replicate that here. Besides the large plants stuffed into every corner of the room, there are framed images of forestry hung on the walls.

I wonder if they’re of the shifter realm. I’ve never been there, but I’ve heard great things. There’s a rehabilitation facility on their lands, but I wasn’t lucky enough to be placed there. I got stuck in the elven realm, which was still nice.

I was told the elven lands are most similar to what my home used to look like, but it only served as a reminder that my home no longer exists. The nymphs were decimated during the female decline, and our land was ravaged.

It’s nothing more than ruins now.

I tap my foot against the ground, nervously waiting for Echo to arrive.

She’s kind, and she likes me. I repeat that to myself while I wait. There were thousands of applicants for this role, and the small voice in the back of my head tells me that I was only hired because I was rescued from the ogre realm. The shifters want to use me as an example of how successful rehabilitation can be.

It’s a painful thought, one I try hard to ignore. I got this job because I deserve it.

“I swear, I’m about a second away from cutting off Chev’s—” I stand as Echo bursts into the room, her eyes quickly shifting from her receptionist to me. “Vanessa! You’re here!”

Echo scrambles to collect herself, her angry expression shifting into a welcoming smile. She’s wearing a wide, leather band around her chest and a matching leather skirt, the traditional female shifter attire.

They call it their ‘leathers,’ and they’re incredibly passionate about them.

All shifters have a red design on one of their thighs that depicts the animal they transform into, and Echo’s is a bear. It fits her. The bears are known to be the loudest and most brutal of the shifters, and Echo’s personality reflects that.

Above the animal design is their mate marking, but Echo’s is covered by her skirt.

It’s well-known what they look like, though. All shifters are born with a thick, white line on one of their upper thighs, and the marking curves over their pubic bone before traveling along the top of their intimate parts.

It turns black when they meet their mates, and the shifters are notoriously protective of them. They take matehood seriously, and their marks are reserved solely for their other half.

“I’m sorry I’m late,” Echo says, hurrying to unlock her office door. “Have you been waiting long? I was meeting with Chev, and he was in a talkative mood.”

I smile, hoping she can’t see my nerves. “I understand. I haven’t been waiting long.”

I was supposed to meet Chev during my second interview, but something came up at the last minute and he couldn’t attend. I’m okay with that. I’ve seen photos of Chev, and despite the hard work I’ve put into being comfortable around men, I’m still terrified of the shifter male. Everybody talks highly of him, and many see him as a hero, but I can’t get past his size.

I much prefer small men, ones who look twiggy and unthreatening.

Chev is not that.

Echo opens her door and gestures for me to enter, and I quickly do so. Her office is just as bright as her reception area, and I glance at her cluttered desk before sitting in one of the chairs in front of it.

“I have some documents I’d like to review with you,” Echo explains, sitting behind her desk. “Afterward, I’ll give you a tour of the building and show you to your office. We encourage all new hires to use their first week getting acclimated to the building and the rehabilitation facility they’ve been assigned to.”

I nod, beyond happy to hear that. I was worried they’d load me immediately with work and deadlines.

“Sounds good,” I say, straightening my spine. “I’m excited to get started.”

I mean it, too. I’m passionate about the females, and working with Echo is a dream come true.

I thought my life ended the day I was purchased. The ogres did unspeakable things to me, and even when I was rescued and brought to the elven facility, I couldn’t imagine a life for myself. I sat in my room, curled up in bed, waiting for the ogres to steal me back.

At one point, I was hospitalized and given a feeding tube, but I’m working hard not to be that woman anymore.

Echo walks me through her paperwork. I struggle to understand some of it, but she’s patient when I have questions. Most of it seems straightforward, and I happily sign my name at the bottom of each page.

She makes copies for me.

“We’re going to start you off in the demon realm, specifically Wrath,” Echo says. She puts the copied paperwork into a folder and slides it across her desk. My hand shakes as I pull it into my lap.

Wrath? I frown.

Everybody knows the facility there is a joke, only placed so the shifters aren’t accused of playing favorites. The King of Wrath was the demon who discovered the cure for the female decline, and he and his mates were the ones who kickstarted everything. There are hardly any females in their facility, and the Wrath Queen, Charlotte, already acts as the facility manager.

I’ll have no work.

I want to make a difference, and that isn’t going to happen in Wrath. I let out a slow exhale, trying and failing to hide my disappointment. This is a joke. I should’ve known they wouldn’t put a rehabilitated female in a serious role.

They don’t think I can handle it.

Echo places her hand over mine. “Is everything okay?”

Her palm is warm, and she brushes her thumb across my wrist in a comforting gesture.

I gulp, hesitating. I probably shouldn’t tell her I’m disappointed. I don’t want to sound ungrateful, even if I am, and I don’t want to make a bad impression on my first day. This isn’t what I hoped for, but it’s better than nothing.

I moved out of my facility months ago, but the female community I now live in is boring. Ten communities have been built, and they’re essentially a woman-only retirement home. I loved it for about three months, but there are only so many bottles of wine I can drink and shows I can watch. I need stimulation.

Echo squeezes my hand, and I let out a low sigh.

“Everybody says the facility in Wrath is small and empty.” I hope this shows my concern without sounding whiny.

Echo nods, confirming my statement. “That’s true,” she says, “which makes it a great facility for learning. We start all new hires there, and once they’ve grown comfortable with the processes and work, we transfer them to a facility with more need.”

Oh.

“I should’ve started with that,” she continues, grimacing. “My apologies.”

I relax, beyond relieved to hear that. Echo chuckles and pats my hand before pulling away and leaning back in her chair.

“Let me show you around,” she says, standing. “Chev still wants to meet you, so don’t be too surprised if he pops his head into your office sometime later today.”

I lick my lips and rise, clutching my paperwork to my chest.

“I told him to wait until you’re settled, but he’s impatient,” Echo continues with a roll of her eyes.

I’m not excited to meet Chev, but I can’t turn him away. He oversees everything, and he’s an active member of the organization. I’ll have to face him at some point.

I’ll do my best to limit our interactions, though.

Echo leads me out of her office and through reception. Both of my interviews were conducted here, and I’m excited to see the rest of the building.

Her office opens to a large, spacious room full of desks. I tighten my grip on my paperwork as I exit the quiet security of her reception area. I knew her office was in the heart of the building—it makes sense—and I try not to look too scared as I eye the men and women bustling around.

They look distracted, but many shoot me friendly smiles as they pass.

I think I’m going to puke.

“This is a secure building,” Echo explains. “The doors are guarded, and the only portals are in Chev’s and my offices. They’re also guarded.”

She gestures toward a pair of shifters strolling the room. They’re men, and they’re large—probably bears. They must be guards.

It’s nice to know that not just anybody can enter the building. My nights are haunted by the ogres who owned me, and I still fear them finding me and stealing me back.

Echo walks into the room, and I wipe my sweaty palms on my jeans before following. Several shifters are working here, their leathers giving them away, but I spot a few elves and other breeds I don’t recognize.

It’s hard to tell what everybody is from only a glance, but the strength of the power they emit is suffocating. It’s impossible not to notice when they walk past, and I wonder what they must think about having a weak nymph in their workspace.

I keep my eyes peeled for Chev or demons as Echo leads me around. I’d rather die than have to communicate or be alone with either of them, but I’m interested in seeing them in person. There are rumors that the King of Wrath and his mates are frequently spotted here.

He has three of them: an incubus, a fate, and a human.

I’d love to meet the human, Charlotte. She’s the only female in the group and, along with Echo, she led the efforts to save us. She’s an inspiration, and everybody in the elven facility I was in looked up to her.

I was so excited to meet Echo, and I’m pretty sure our entire first interview was spent with my jaw on the floor. It feels almost surreal to be surrounded by such influential people, let alone getting to work with them.

Echo turns down a hallway, and the foot traffic thins out.

“Your office is this way,” she says.

I’m relieved it’s out of the way, and I clasp my hands behind my back as she leads me down another corridor and eventually comes to a halt in front of a door. There are several lining the hallway, probably all offices.

My door is a dark wood, and a black number twelve is engraved in the center of it. I commit that number to memory.

Echo claps. “This is it!”

I smile, my pulse racing as I push open the door and step inside. My office is small, barely fitting a desk and a filing cabinet, but it’s perfect. There’s a large window along the back wall, letting in so much sunlight, and I happily spin around and take it all in.

Echo said we’re encouraged to make the space our own, and I very much intend to do so. I’m going to fill it with plants and posters. I’m not sure which posters I’ll hang, but I enjoy the look of the human ones from before the decline. They were creative.

“The closest portal is the one in Chev’s office,” Echo says. “I’d recommend using that one when you need to travel.” She peers into my doorway, a soft smile toying at the corners of her lips. “He’s rarely here, so you shouldn’t run into him too often.”

I dip my chin, hoping my nervousness isn’t too noticeable.

“Good to know. Thank you.”

Echo nods. “Make yourself comfortable. I’ll come and check on you in a few hours. The password to your laptop is on the sticky note there.” She points to my desk. “And the files on the Wrath facility have already been downloaded.”

I turn and glance at the laptop sitting on my desk. It’s sleek, and I’m excited to use it.

“Do you have any questions?” Echo asks.

I shake my head, and she disappears. This is truly happening.