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Elk Grove Nevada: A growing city along the Sierra Nevada with a large population of shifters finally gets a Bite Cleaner of their own. Enter Dr. Reuben Camacho, the unlucky sap who gets sucked into the shifter world unwillingly. He treats every patient with respect, no matter what literal mess they got themselves into, provided they pay on time. Joining him are his DJ biter roommate Lucas, his bounty-hunter girlfriend Tanya, and Faviola the demanding NSA liaison. The doctor will need all the help he can get with strange patients and HMOs confused with his paperwork. Seinfeldian humor meets Urban shifter fantasy in this darkly funny tale. Yes it's tale, not tail y'all can't spell mother********!
Dr. Reuben Camacho took a sip of hot chocolate as he walked up his clinic's steps. It was a calm, dry evening out here in bustling, growing city of Elks Grove, Nevada. He looked to his right and saw the tall Sierra Nevada mountains in the distance. His smile went away as he went looking through his pocket for the keys. Giving up, he turned the doorknob as he remembered that Maddy already opened up the clinic.
As he walked in, a strand of his long lusciously brown hair flipped in front of him. A quick puff of air blew it back over his head. Inside, he saw three patients waiting for him. A woman wearing a black miniskirt and stockings looked at her smartphone. She rubbed her jaw slightly. After another quick glance he realized that he never saw her before. To the left of her sat a man in a dingy brown suit. He looked sweaty and uncomfortable. Reuben noticed that he was more than a bit overweight as well. He smiled as the doctor walked in and Reuben smiled back. The smile had given him the best clue as what was ailing him. For Reuben's clinic was not an ordinary clinic. It mainly served a dynamic clientele.
"Documents are already at your desk, " said Maddy as she pointed to his office.
"Thanks Maddy, " he said to his secretary and assistant, a friendly woman from Nebraska who's been with the clinic even before he took it over.
Reuben took another sip of his drink after he sat down and booted up his computer. He opened the first folder and read through what Maddy had gotten on the patient. {It's Gregg again. Damnit Gregg!} thought Reuben. {Thought we'd been over this already! Now look at you!}
Reuben pressed the intercom button and said, "Mr. Eggerston, please come in."
Gregg Eggerston entered the clinic as Reuben put on his gloves. The rash on his neck was a giveaway that Maddy had noted in her files. "I ain't feeling well, doc, " said Gregg.
"I noticed, " Reuben said as he stood up and Gregg sat down on the observation table. "Still need to be sure, though." He looked at Gregg's hair and noticed some hair fall off his hair. {Strike one}. A closer look at the rashes on Gregg's neck revealed some brown sores. {Strike two}. "Say 'Ahh!'" said Reuben as he looked at the man's mouth.
"Ahh..." Reuben immediately noticed some red patches in the man's mouth. Two at both sides of the lips and two on the gums above the fangs. Strike three.
"OK, close." Reuben took off his gloves. "Mr. Eggerston, you have Syph."
"Syphilis?" Mr. Eggerston responded. "Damn that sucks."
"Look, sir, " Reuben said as he went into lecture mode. "We've been over this before. Just because you're immortal doesn't mean you can't get sick nor does being infertile mean you don't need condoms."
"But I like it raw..." moaned Mr. Eggerston.
"You really shouldn't do it unprotected with new partners, Mr. Eggerston."
"Well it's hard to carry protection when flying."
"You can keep it in your wallet. You don't lose that when flying."
"OK, fine. Should I take antibiotics?"
Reuben opened the window. "While your immortality is the cause of this problem, it is also the cure. I want you to fly around the city for an hour."
"That's it?" Gregg asked incredulously.
"Yeah. Bats don't get syphilis. Not human syphilis, anyway. Your bat mode will kill off the bacteria."
"Thanks doc!" Gregg said as he stood up and faced the window. scrrupt! He quickly transformed, his body sucked into his bellybutton and inverted out, forming a larger than average bat. It quickly flapped its wings and flew away into the night.
"I'll text you the fee!" shouted Reuben as the patient flew away.
Reuben walked to the desk and pressed the intercom button. "Next patient."
In walked a man in his late 40s. He wiped sweat from his brow as he quickly sat down. "Doc, my wife's been bugging me all week to come see you."
"I'll bet." He looked at the file on the man. "You've been complaining of chest pains and exhaustion."
"Yeah. It's been a tough month at the job. Lotta nutty calls. I thought it was anxiety at first."
"How long have you been a-"
"Vampire? Six years now."
"I knew that already. What I meant was at your job."
"Also six years. It was a lucky year for me."
"I wasn't living here at the time, but didn't half of Tan Town burn down in the Thomas fire? I vaguely saw it on CNN."
"I remember that. I got hired after the fire."
Reuben steered the conversation back, "Then what do you eat most days?"
"Lasagna- my wife's an excellent cook. Chicken burgers from Mom's Touch. And a salad."
"With thousand island?" said Reuben as he pointed to the beige color stain on the man's tie.
"Oh yeah! My favorite."
"How many bites a week?"
"Two or three. Sometimes four."
Reuben gripped his hands. "Yeah. I know what the problem is. You're ingesting too much fat. Your arteries are getting clogged and you're going to get angina."
"My wife was right..." moaned the man.
"First, I want you to stop biting Americans."
"But doc!" The man threw his hands up. "They taste so good! It's like drinking McDonalds!"
"That's the problem! You're getting too much salt, sugar, and fat from them. You're going to have to lay off them for a while."
"But what am I supposed to drink from?"
"I suggest the community blood tap. But in your case, you need exercise. You need to hunt wild prey. I suggest a cow or two at the big ranch at first. They won't run as much. Then work your way up to rabbits." He took out his prescription pad. "And you're getting a fat blocker."
"I can eat at Mom's Touch?"
"Not their chicken burgers. Only their salads, no sauce. And no lasagna either."
"Urgh! What's the point of being immortal if I can't eat what I want?!"
Reuben got up and closed the window. "You can't die normally of old age. That's the best benefit. But if you don't change your ways, you'll have a heart attack every day for eternity."
"That don't sound fun."
Reuben gave him the paper. "Take this to my secretary. She'll give you a prescription and bill your HMO."
"Thanks doc. I'm glad you're in my network."
"I'm glad your network doesn't require as much paperwork as Kaiser."
Reuben finished off his hot chocolate, then read the final file. "Ms. Philips."
The woman wearing the black miniskirt with stocking walked it. Reuben noticed her black lipstick as well.
"Hey doc, " asked the woman, "can you help me?"
"I went over what you told my secretary, " said Reuben as she sat down. "But I don't know why you refuse to drink from the community pool."
"Ugh, doc. It's so clinical." She shrugged her shoulders.
"It's supposed to be a safe way to get the hemoglobin your body needs. Shifters, especially vampires, can't make hemoglobin in amounts the body needs. Hence you need to drink blood to get it so your body can copy. There's a magic component that has to do with shapeshifting and-"
"Yeah doc, I get the point, " Ms. Philips interrupted, "but I want to bite. I don't want to just suck on a straw. I want to drink organic blood."
Reuben struggled to hold back a laugh. "OK then, you've been a vampire for less than a year. Let's look at your fangs."
She smiled. The fangs on both sides of her jaw barely stuck out. Reuben thought they looked cute. "Have you made any bites?"
"Not with these chipmunk teeth in the way, " sarcastically said Ms. Philips.
Reuben pressed the intercom button. "Hold my calls, " he told Maddy. He then opened the bottom shelf and looked inside. Numerous hand and power tools were wrapped in plastic. He carefully reached down and pulled out a pack of pliers. He got the needle neck pliers out of the wrapping.
"Your fangs are fine. Just jammed because of your teeth. Since you can't go to a dentist for obvious reasons, I'll help you out."
"Thanks doc! This would be so much harder if I still lived in Vegas!"
"You might not be so happy in a few seconds. This is going to sting a bit."
Maddy put on her headphones and typed into the insurance form as the screams of Ms. Philips came from the office.
The dream of everyone with regards to marriage is to be able to find that special someone and settle down with them. Even arranged marriages grant you an opportunity to meet your partner briefly before the wedding. How will you feel about waking up in the morning with someone sleeping next to you who is not just anyone but your legally married partner yet with no memory of how that had happened in just a few hours of going out the previous day? This is the story of Jason Haward and Julia Harrison, two strangers trapped in a marriage they never planned. The quest to find out why led to the unfolding of a mystery which made them realize they are both living a lie. To find out more, read this amazing story of love, betrayal, revenge and murder.
Life was a bed of roses for Debra, the daughter of Alpha. That was until she had a one-night stand with Caleb. She was sure he was her mate as determined by Moon Goddess. But this hateful man refused to accept her. Weeks passed before Debra discovered that she was pregnant. Her pregnancy brought shame to her and everyone she loved. Not only was she driven out, but her father was also hunted down by usurpers. Fortunately, she survived with the help of the mysterious Thorn Edge Pack. Five years passed and Debra didn't hear anything from Caleb. One day, their paths crossed again. They were both on the same mission—carrying out secret investigations in the dangerous Roz Town for the safety and posterity of their respective packs. Caleb was still cold toward her. But as time went on, he fell head over heels in love with her. He tried to make up for abandoning her, but Debra wasn't having any of it. She was hell-bent on hiding her daughter from him and also making a clean break. What did the future hold for the two as they journeyed in Roz Town? What kind of secrets would they find? Would Caleb win Debra's heart and get to know his lovely daughter? Find out!
Elodie took a deep breath and knocked, the sound echoing in the quiet corridor. A moment of silence passed, broken only by the pounding of her heart. Finally, the door snicked open, revealing a surprised Dashiell. 'Can't you see the Do Not Disturb sign? We don't want-' His initial frown quickly morphed into confusion at the sight of his wife. 'What are you doing here?' he demanded. 'Your girlfriend invited me,' Elodie replied, her voice laced with icy calm. She tried to peer past him, but his broad frame blocked the view. A saccharine voice chimed in from within the room. 'Elodie? Oh dear, we didn't mean for you to find out this way. It's just that-' Elodie cut her short. 'Oh please, Selene. Spare me the fake apologies. You wouldn't have sent me all those texts if you didn't want me to know.' Dashiell shifted uncomfortably, his face a mask of annoyance. 'What texts?' Elodie stepped past him, taking in the luxurious suite with a sardonic smile. The king-sized bed, the scattered rose petals, the lingering scent of sex – it all painted a vivid picture of their betrayal. She looked up at Dashiell, her gaze unwavering. 'I want a divorce.' ****** Dashiell lived a life of luxury, surrounded by the best things money could buy. But when a car accident left him vulnerable, he met Elodie, a seemingly ordinary woman who nursed him back to health. Mistaking her for just another employee, Dashiell entered into a loveless marriage with her solely for convenience. However, fate had a different script in store. Elodie, the 'ordinary nurse,' held a secret more precious than any diamond: she was the sole heiress to Northstar, a vast and powerful enterprise. Unaware of her true identity, Dashiell cast her aside when his ex-girlfriend returned, leaving Elodie humiliated. But Elodie was not one to be easily broken. She shed the facade of the meek nurse, reclaiming her rightful inheritance and stepping into the role of Northstar's CEO. Now, the woman Dashiell discarded was the one holding the reins of power. As Elodie thrives in her new role, Dashiell is consumed by regret. He finally sees Elodie for the extraordinary woman she truly is, realising the depth of his mistake. But will his remorse be enough to win back the heart he so carelessly discarded?
Bailey seems to be never destined to fit in, a little geeky, but under it all, a hidden beauty that so many seem to miss, but still not what her pack Alpha is looking for in a fated mate... so he is determined to reject her and make her life hell. Bailey, knowing her life will likely never be the same focuses on what she can control, her future, and heads off to study; becoming a teacher. Asher is the Beta of Autumn Valley Pack, a neighbouring pack. A broken man having suffered the loss of his mate after a rogue attack, Asher is slowly crumbling. Falling to pieces. A shadow of his former self, and not a man that anyone wants to be around anymore... Until, Autumn Valley Pack require a new teacher, and Bailey finds herself there and pushed together with the Beta. Is there a connection building or is that in their imaginations? And what will happen when Bailey's mate comes back to claim what is his?
Veronica is an eighteen-year-old omega who falls into an emotional breakdown when her Mate, who was soon to be the Alpha of the Sun crest pack, turns against her, hurls hurtful words at her, and rejects her on the night of the full moon festival because he and everyone in the pack, including her, thinks she is an omega. As if the pain of rejection, helplessness, and worthlessness wasn't enough, she lost her best and only friend to the cold hands of death when rogue wolves attacked their pack. Right in the presence of her mate, she was tagged as someone who always attracted problems and calamities anywhere she went and he turned a blind eye and watched as she was banished from the pack. With hatred for her life, she runs deep into the woods that were off-limits and jumps off to end her life, but in a turn of events, something else happens. What would her mate do when he finds out that Veronica is not who he thinks she is? Will she be able to forgive him? What fate lies ahead for them?
6 years ago, Lydia suffered a brutal betrayal orchestrated by her own husband and step-sister, who drugged her and framed her. In a twist of fate, she ended up having a one-night stand with a stranger. Don't even remember what he looked like. Later, in the throes of death, she discovered the truth about her mother's death all those years ago. In the blink of an eye, she lost everything. 6 years later, Lydia returned with her genius son, vowing to exact revenge on all her enemies! Little did she know, she encountered an incredibly familiar man at the airport! *** The man was briskly pushing open the door to the restroom, heading to the urinal. Even with such a mundane action, he did it with unparalleled elegance and grace. Lydia, following him in a daze, saw his fierce lower body and suddenly snapped back to reality. She let out a high-pitched scream, instinctively covering her eyes with her hands, her cheeks flushed, and stood there stiffly, unsure of what to do. Lambert furrowed his brows slightly but remained calm as he continued to relieve himself. The sound of water hitting the urinal made Lydia's face even redder. She angrily shouted, "You pervert!" Little did Lydia know that Lambert, seeing her in this state, had a flicker of recognition in his eyes. Memories from many years ago flashed through his mind, and his heart couldn't help but stir. It was her!