The Shifter and Her Human Mate

Chapter 4

Marshall Sherman's POV

*TW: contains dark thought patterns, mentions of assault"

"Marshall, what about this one? He normally requests Bea but she..." Ariana handed me a file out of the stack she had of our customers.

"Leave it to Bea to leave us hanging!" I snapped, aggravated that the little b***h picked a busy time of year for my business to act stupid. Bea tried to escape last week and was in no shape to work at the moment. As much as I hated to put my girls out of work, they had to remember who they were dealing with and the kind of man I am. Perhaps after a week in my cellar without human contact, no food, mere sips of water and smelling her own excrement, would the wayward Bea learn her place!

"Give him Anna for the night. Or two, depending on how happy she can keep him." I told Ariana.

"Anna is paired with Flowers for the weekend." She reminded me.

"Who else is available?"

"Casey, Janae, a few others."

"I couldn't care less, just pick one. As long as these men get off, leave happy, and come back for more!" I laughed.

"I have a new man here who desires a Fae virgin. A Mr. Bates." Ariana handed me his file. I glanced at it carefully, noting the details of Ariana's research of him.

"He's from Ireland?" I read over his file.

"Yes, and a Fae himself. You will see he has already paid a substantial entrance fee." I charge all my clients a one-time membership fee to join my private club. For their fee, we match them to quality girls within a month, most of the time sooner. Our fee starts at a minimum of $5,000 and the higher they pay, the higher quality girls I offer clients. I also charge a deposit once they are matched that is refundable if they do not enjoy their night.

"Fifty thousand! He must be a high roller!" I laughed.

"Many have paid higher for a virgin." Ariana smiled. This is why I stationed my partner in my nightclubs to spot new talent. Ariana's eyes for virgin supernaturals are spot-on. Ours is a business relationship with occasional f*****g. As we are both older now, those carnal moments are few and far between.

"Ariana, who do you have in mind?"

"The only girl I can think of to make him come back for more is the newest one, Ellie."

"Isn't it too soon for her!" I snapped before I caught myself.

"I can't think of anyone else at the moment, Marshall. Kate was just broken in last week and Brennan is in the cellar again. I've been working with Ellie quite a bit and really believe she's ready." Ariana countered.

"The customer's experience is of utmost priority." I couldn't afford a lousy customer experience. The majority of our clients are in professions worse than ours, like organized crime.

"Alright. Set her and this Mr. Bates up. But you put them up in the Rue en Vien! I want to keep eyes on this man!" I told Ariana and dismissed her.

Mr. Bates would be a perfect client except, there is no such thing. As a rule of experience, I do not trust over-eager men, especially ones that drop fifty thousand dollars suddenly.

I've been in this life for over thirty years after a youth in petty crime and being a collector for loan sharks and lower level p*mps. My business started with a chance meeting with a woman over on the West Bank, Eva Deveaux. Eva hadn't been too weighed down by the life when I met her. The man she had been living with was murdered and she had to make ends meet, but Eva was saving to get out. For the one and only time in my life since, I loved a woman. We never married and kept separate residences at Eva's insistence. Eva still worked as an escort, but I only allowed her to work minimally when she gave birth to our two daughters, Mindi and Beth. I had a small but lucrative escort service and the more it grew, the more girls I sent out. Eva was still my top billed girl.

It was dangerous work. I had to be creative to stay ahead of the law. It was a hell of a lot better than what I grew up in. My girls would never know poverty. I grew up in a one room shack deep in some God-forsaken swamp with a drunk for a father and a mother who didn't give one damn. If I had to step on backs and people to make sure I never go back to that or have my children grow up in it, so be it.

A few years after I met Eva, I learned of the supernatural world and saw the need they had for my services. Business erupted at a rate beyond my wildest dreams. I broke one million in profits within six months. Eva was my main girl.

Until one horrible night.

****Flashback****

"Marshall you're not listening to me! I can't do this anymore!!" Eva sobbed, bloodied from head to toe.

"Eva come now, let me get you cleaned up..." I tried to comfort her but she pushed me away.

"WEREN'T YOU LISTENING TO ME! THERE WERE FOUR OF THEM MARSHALL!! THEY DID HORRIBLE THINGS! THEY COULD HAVE KILLED ME! OUR GIRLS COULD'VE LOST THEIR MOTHER TONIGHT!!" Eva shrieked.

"And I will deal with them and their leader, Eva. Trust me." I tried to placate her. But Eva knew the truth.

"How much did they pay you!!" Eva spat at me.

"Eva you know better than this!" My temper was rising.

"You just told me everything I need to know. I'm done with this life and I'm done with YOU! I'm taking our daughters and getting OUT!" Eva tried to leave, but I...got mad. The next thing I knew Eva was on the bed and I was in the bathroom cleaning up the aftermath. I came out and glared at her curled up on the bed, sobbing.

"I own you, Eva! I own our daughters. Whatever I do with you, with them, that's it. Never ever question me or threaten me again!" I got up and walked out.

****End flashback****

Eva left me the next morning. It took me over a year in a city the size of New Orleans to find her, but I did. By then, our daughter Mindi was running the streets wild and Eva, strung out of her mind, told me Beth was with Mindi. I knew Eva was lying through her damn teeth and beat the hell out of her for hours, but she wouldn't budge. I watched her for weeks and the girls never came home. As much as I wanted to kill Eva, I kept her alive all these years to see if our daughters would ever come home.

There was another reason I wanted to kill Eva for her betrayal. I was waiting for Beth to come of age and work for me. Beth had a gift, the same gift I managed to keep hidden from Eva for years until the night she defied me. I have never known the name for my power, but I can stop time. It has given me an edge in this business, as well as my other gift no one knows about.

I lost a vast financial opportunity with Beth because of that b***h Eva.

A few months ago, I learned Eva moved into a nursing home in Baton Rouge. I had men watch that nursing home for weeks, trying to see if Mindi or Beth would ever visit her. The only visitors she had were two young women and four men one random day. But my men could never determine who they were. Right after they visited, Eva passed away.

Ellie, the new girl I kidnapped a few days ago, reminded me a lot of Eva. She had that same freshness Eva did once. And being a Fae, Ellie would make me a great deal of money.

"Excuse me." I looked up and saw a man in my office. He had dark piercing eyes and jet black hair.

"How the hell did you get in here!" I shouted. The man chuckled and held his hands up.

"Through the walls." The man smirked...and vanished into thin air right in front of me! I jerked as something tapped me on my shoulder.

"So you see what I am. You may have heard of me. My name is Luca Lombardo."

"Can't say that I have." I really hadn't, to which Luca scoffed.

"Marshall, Marshall where have you been! You haven't heard of the war I am waging with fellow witches against the Fae King?"

"Sure haven't." I was unnerved for the first time in a long time, and I didn't like it.

"Something came up in my campaign that may interest you. Weren't you with a woman at one time named Eva Deveaux?"

"I was."

"And you had two daughters?" I fought the urge to jump and grab this man by his throat.

"I did. Please tell me you have found them." I replied calmly.

"I'm sorry to be the one to tell you this. Your oldest daughter Mindi is alive but serving a prison term. Your youngest, Beth..."

I swallowed hard, tears building at the confirmation of what I have always known, deep down. "Beth is gone, isn't she?"

"She is. I'm so sorry, Mr. Sherman."

"What happened to her?"

"It was a car accident. She and her husband were both killed." My girl had got married, and I never knew.

"Did they have children? What about my other daughter?"

"I don't know much about the other one than what I told you. Mr. Sherman, Beth had a daughter. I know who your granddaughter is. For me to give you information about her, I want something in return."

"What is it? Money? That is no object!" I told Luca Lombardo.

"I need Faes willing to fight a war." Luca told me, his dark eyes bright with fury.

"Now that, Mr. Lombardo, I can certainly do!" I had a bunch of Fae women I was going to have to offload pretty soon. After a few years of this life and the d***gs I supply to keep them compliant, these girls lose their charms eventually and drain my resources. When they get to this state, I take them up to rogue werewolf territory in Arkansas and leave them there. It's basically a dumping ground without me having to actually kill them.

Perhaps I can recruit them for this man's battle. It's the same thing, more or less.

"You say you want to take on the Fae King? I have several women who were banished by him. You can start with them." I smile and offer my hand. Luca took it without hesitation.

"See Marshall, I knew you were a smart man! Your granddaughter's name is Brynlee Hunter, she goes by Brynn." Luca brought his phone out and showed me a picture of my granddaughter with a tall blonde man behind her. Brynn was absolutely beautiful and looked just like Beth.

"Who is the man with her?" I asked.

"That is King Arlen Miller of the Faes. He is Brynn's mate. And he is a monster!" Luca hissed out.

"You don't have to tell me twice. A few of my girls have stories to tell about him. Count me in!" I told Luca.

"I'm glad we understand each other. I've got my mother and Brynn's paternal grandmother in my sanctuary. We have much to tell you. Brynn also has powers!" Luca assured me.

"Give me a couple of days. I have business to tend to. In fact Luca, why don't you tag along? Because I got a feeling one of my new clients isn't just paying for a night with a Fae virgin!!"