A Bundle of Trouble (The Lynlee Lincoln Sets Book 1) Read online

  All rights reserve. Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the above publisher of this book.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, brands, media, and incidents are either the products of the authors imagination or are used fictitiously. The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of various products referenced in this work of fiction, which have been used without permission. The publication/use of these trademarks is not authorized, associated with, or sponsored by the trademark owners.

  Copyright © 2015 Olivia Hardin

  All rights reserved.

  TABLE OF CONTENTS:

  The Trouble with Holidays (A Lynlee Lincoln Series Prequel)

  Trolling for Trouble (The Lynlee Lincoln Series One)

  Tangled Up in Trouble (The Lynlee Lincoln Series Book 2)

  This Spells Trouble (The Lynlee Lincoln Series Book 3)

  The Trouble with Holidays (A Lynlee Lincoln Series Prequel)

  Olivia Hardin

  All rights reserve. Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the above publisher of this book.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, brands, media, and incidents are either the products of the authors imagination or are used fictitiously. The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of various products referenced in this work of fiction, which have been used without permission. The publication/use of these trademarks is not authorized, associated with, or sponsored by the trademark owners.

  Copyright © 2012 Olivia Hardin

  All rights reserved.

  My hand was moving back and forth across the paper, scribbling notes without giving them much thought. I paused a moment to click the end of my mechanical pencil to refill the lead, but otherwise kept writing furiously as the professor continued his lecture.

  Suddenly I shook my head and my writing stopped dead in its tracks. I blinked and looked up. Did he just say that the Native Americans had PMS?

  I hadn’t heard him wrong. He wrote the letters vertically on the dry erase board: P M S.

  I had to give him credit—he was knew how to get the class’s attention. All thirty or so sets of eyes in the classroom were focused on him now, a few of the females with their mouths agape.

  “That’s right, the Indians had PMS, and not just the women.” He paused for effect, then grinned and winked. “They were polytheistic: meaning they worshiped multiple gods. They were matrilineal in that they traced their lineage through the mothers or females—and they had sex-linked traits— meaning their job and purpose within the tribe was derived by whether they were male or female. That’s PMS.”

  Huh, I mused, cocking my head to the side. You learn something new every day.

  The werewolf to my left was enamored with the class, his eyes glittering with attention as he hung on every word the professor was saying. Teddy was a history major, so his interest made sense. He was a good looking young man and that meant most of the female students tried to catch his attention.

  I glanced back down at my notes and thumbed through my spiral notebook. I was surprised to see I’d written about ten pages. I wasn’t sure why the hell I was going to so much trouble. I wasn’t even supposed to be in this class. In fact, I wasn’t even a student at this university. I was here strictly for Teddy.

  All I had to do was get through today without any major incidents and Teddy would be mine. My very first charge.

  My name is Lynlee Lincoln. I’m a witch and a Neutralizer-in-training. It’s a Neutralizer’s job to keep Magical And Undead Creatures – more commonly known as MAUCs – out of trouble.

  When I decided to become a Neutralizer I was lucky enough to get to train under one of the best agents in our profession. Tig Durham was a goblin and a top-notch Neutralizer. He had also gotten me out of a very sticky situation when I was just eighteen. After that was when I knew what I wanted to do with my life.

  Books and papers started shuffling all around me and I snapped out of my thoughts to realize class was over. I grabbed my notebook and reached into my pocket for my schedule. Teddy didn’t have another class for a few hours so I figured he’d probably grab a bite to eat.

  He was ignoring me, which didn’t necessarily hurt my feelings. The truth was the dude got on my nerves, so it wasn’t as if I really had an interest in chit chat. Also, he didn’t like the idea that he needed a Neutralizer. More than that, he didn’t want a female Neutralizer. Male werewolves tended to be a bit chauvinistic.

  I tailed him from a distance, pleased when he walked a few blocks to a little sandwich shop. My stomach grumbled as I approached the counter a few people behind him. When I had my chicken sandwich with extra cheese on wheat, I carried the tray to a spot where I could keep an eye on Teddy. There was already a gaggle of young college girls surrounding him. I rolled my eyes.

  “He’s quite the lady’s man,” a male voice spoke from beside me. I took a moment to respond, narrowing my gaze so that I could be sure Teddy wasn’t about to get himself into a pickle. Satisfied that he was playing nice, I pivoted my head towards the voice with an absent nod.

  “Yes he is.”

  And that was when my stomach jumped up into my chest. I inhaled to force away the tightness around my heart, then licked my lips. The corners of the man’s gorgeous whiskey eyes crinkled and I flicked my gaze down to his lips to see him grinning at me. I was unable to help myself, and my mouth curled into a smile to match his. I didn’t smile much. It felt a little weird to me, but at the same time it gave me a warm feeling deep inside.

  Or maybe that warmth could have been a reaction to how absolutely sexy the man grinning at me happened to be. My mouth went dry and I didn’t even try to speak because I was afraid I wouldn’t be able to manage it.

  “I knew I should’ve tried the chicken sandwich. It looks a helluva lot better than this BLT.”

  Like an idiot I frowned and glanced at my sandwich then at his and back again. I nodded but remained silent.

  “Sorry,” the man muttered, looking a little embarrassed. “I guess I’m probably interrupting your lunch.”

  When his eyes broke away from me it was as if the air in the room got sucked away from me. I mentally slapped myself, then reached out my hand to touch the table he was sitting at. “No, you’re not interrupting. You could sit here if you want.”

  His eyes lit up when I motioned to the chair in front of me and he wasted no time picking up his tray and moving it from his table to mine. “Beck Hale. I’m with the firm working on the new student center.”

  He put out his hand and I took it, giving it one hard shake before putting mine back in my lap. “Lynlee Lincoln.”

  “Are you a student? You don’t look like you should be a student.”

  I laughed, which was also pretty damned unusual for me. I generally kept a tight lid on emotions. “Was that a weird way of saying I look too old to be a student?”

  He rubbed his neck, his expression a little stricken and his face a shade or two pinker. “Not at all. I’m gonna try not to screw this up, but just look at those gals over there surrounding Casanova. All giggly an
d fawning all over him for attention. No self-respect. That’s the typical college girl I see around here. You’ve got more class than that.”

  He took a bite into his sandwich with nonchalance, emphasizing the confidence he had in the words he’d spoken. I tore my gaze from him to look at Teddy.

  There were about five girls sitting at tables all around him, listening to him tell some story. I needed to keep my eye on him because this was exactly how trouble began for Teddy. He was a young werewolf and we were currently in a full moon cycle. Just because it was daytime didn’t mean the moon wouldn’t have an effect on him. His hormones were all keyed up and the slightest incident could incite him into a shift.

  “So are you an instructor then?” Beck asked, drawing my attention back. I wasn’t sorry. Something about this man made me want to look at him until the end of time.

  “No, I’m not an instructor. I’m here to keep an eye on him,” I pointed at Teddy, then popped a potato chip into my mouth.

  “Wow, now you’ve peeked my interest.”

  “He’s in the witness protection program.”

  Not my best cover story ever, but those brown eyes of his were turning my quick wits to mush.

  “Seriously?”

  I didn’t say anything, just raised my eyebrows at him.

  Beck got a confused look on his face as he stared at Teddy again. “What did he do?”

  “Ah,” I tapped the table with my finger. “It’s not what he did, it’s what he knows. And that’s classified.”

  He digested that, then seeming satisfied, fixed his gaze back on me and smiled again. Heat wrapped around me and I crossed my legs with a deep breath. I was becoming totally overwhelmed with my reaction to this man, but at that moment I didn’t care.

  “So tell me about your job.” I urged, wanting just to hear his voice and have time to look at him some more.

  He started in about the new dormitory project and how they were about two weeks behind schedule. I listened half-heartedly to the words, mostly just enjoying the smooth sound of his voice. His hair was reddish brown, cut short and parted on the side. His “look” was clean and business-like, with a white button-down, striped tie and a sport coat. I hadn’t noticed his pants and couldn’t see them now, but I imagined they were probably something along the line of flat front khakis.

  With two fingers I pushed my tray forward a bit and propped my elbow on the table, my chin in my hand. Beck just kept on talking, random wit and chuckles drawing more of those strange laughs out of me.

  “I’m sure your business is much more exciting than mine. What do you …”

  There was a racket behind us and my stomach twisted as I heard Teddy’s all too familiar growl. I was on my feet and at attention immediately, my hand twitching and ready just in case I needed to summon my wand.

  “You’re a creep! Get your hands off me.” A blonde girl, who had just a few moments ago been practically swooning over Teddy, was now standing; her face flushed and her eyes narrowed in anger. I spotted a few burly dudes checking things out from the restaurant’s order counter and I recognized them for jocks. Things were about to get messy if I didn’t jump in.

  I rushed forward and squeezed in front of Teddy, wrapping my arms around him and whining into his chest, “Oh, Teddy. Teddy, I’ve been looking for you since yesterday. When you didn’t come home last night I was so worried about you.”

  He tried to shrug away from me but I held tighter, mentally willing the tension in his body to relax. If he turned into a werewolf things would get messy and Tig would be pissed. I was too close to becoming a Neutralizer to let that happen.

  “Who are you?” the blonde woman demanded.

  “I’m his wife!” The people surrounding us all took a collective step back, horror on a few of their faces. “Teddy, you promised,” I continued, somehow managing some tears for effect. “You promised me you’d stop doing this after the twins were born.”

  That pretty much finished things off. The crowd disbursed within a few moments. I looked back at the table I’d been sitting at just a few moments ago to find it also empty. My heart and my stomach collectively tightened in regret.

  I told myself it was just as well. My lifestyle didn’t really have room for romance right now.

  Tig was laughing uncontrollably, one knobby hand reaching out for the banister to hold himself up and the other slapping at his stomach with each wheezing guffaw. “Oh… oh, Lynlee, I wish I coulda seen that little pup’s face when you said … when you said you were the mother of his twins. Bwahahaha…”

  “Geez, Tig, it wasn’t that funny.”

  But apparently to him it was. I decided to count my blessings that he was happy now because Tig wouldn’t like what I had to say next. He finished catching his breath, then proceeded through the foyer to the kitchen of my soon-to-be-home. In just a few days I was set to close on this house, my very first home. I was going to hire an inspector, but Tig insisted he could do the job and do it better.

  “Well, at least you won’t have to bother with him until school is back in session after the holidays.”

  My brows drew together as I followed behind him. “Before I orbed him back to his pack, I told him I’d see if there was a spell or a potion that could help him.”

  Tig’s stopped short and turned to face me. He was an ugly little goblin, but then most of his kind were ugly. His body was squatty with a mole-covered face and bulbous nose. His frown did nothing to help his appearance. “Help him what?”

  “Fight the change. Fight the call of the pack. Lead a normal life.”

  “And what exactly is normal, girlie? He’s a werewolf. He can’t change that. There are no quick fixes in this world. The best thing for him would be if we could find him more of his kind, another werewolf pack. There are even new packs starting all the time from weres who want to go out into society. You shouldn’t fill that pup’s mind with crazy promises.”

  I waited for him to turn away from me to roll my eyes. He whipped his head back around and pointed his finger at me. I wasn’t sure if he had somehow seen my impertinent action or if he just guessed. Either way, I pasted the necessary look of contrition on my face.

  “I’m sorry, but I don’t understand why you’re so keen on him going back to his pack. He was miserable there and they refused to let him come to school. All the kid wants to do is get an education.”

  He growled but proceeded with his inspection. The master bedroom was on the first floor, a big room in and of itself. The closet attached to it was massive. About as big as the bedroom, it was completely lined in cedar and with built in shelves and cubbies along all of the walls.

  “Whew!” Tig said and then whistled, cocking his head and looking around. I knew what he was thinking. I loved this house and the awesomeness of its crazy features gave it a sense of character that I was drawn to almost immediately. It was a really strange building, but in a way I thought it was practically made for me.

  While I admired the expansive closet and mentally considered all the possibilities for it, Tig was looking at something behind me and up high.

  “What was it you said the realtor called this house?”

  I grinned just a little. “The mafia house. Why?” When I turned I saw what he was staring at. In the far corner of a shelf up above the closet door were two huge blue plastic bins. Written in bold letters on each box were the words: Cheating Wife

  “Do you suppose the boxes contain the cheating wife’s possessions … or perhaps the cheating wife?”

  “That’s silly. Of course it’s just her things.” I muttered, but my hand involuntarily flew to my mouth in alarm.

  Tig swung his arm out and whacked me in the leg. “I’m just screwing with you. If there was a body in one of those boxes I’d have smelled it the moment we entered the house.” He tapped his nose and I rolled my eyes at him again, this time to his face.

  “So do you have any plans for the holidays?” he asked as we started up stairs. There was a large landing
that looked down on the living area and a few bedrooms were down a hall off to the right.

  I hesitated before answering Tig’s question. He knew enough about me to know I didn’t have any family ties and wouldn’t likely have any plans. That meant he was asking for a reason. “I don’t have anything special going on.”

  “Good, cause I do have plans and you’re gonna cover things for me while I’m gone.”

  My eyes widened and it was a struggle not to show more eagerness in my expression. Tig rarely left town and when he did he had never once asked me to keep an eye on his charges for him. “How long will you be gone?”

  He shrugged, looking into the medicine cabinet in the upstairs bathroom, then scratched his head a moment. There was a small door inside and I knew it was a sort of peep-hole into the adjoining bedroom. Little surprises like this were the real reason this was called the mafia house. “I’m going down to inner earth. I’ll be back about New Year’s Day. I’ll have my calls forwarded to your phone.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  When he glanced at me a strange spark entered his eyes. “Are you sure you don’t have plans?”

  “No, of course not.”

  “You look like there’s something else that happened today.”

  I shook my head, then brushed a lock of thick black hair out of my face.

  “Did you get laid?”

  As dead-panned as I could manage, answered him. “Now when would I have the chance to get laid? I work for you twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week.”

  He chuckled. “Exactly. If you’re getting’ laid then I’m not doing my job as your boss. You shouldn’t have time for men in your life.” He paused and looked up at me again. “Or women.”

  Just before Teddy and I left campus the day before we’d walked past a bookstore that claimed to be having a huge clearance sale. That seemed as good an excuse as any to go back to the university. I needed to tell myself I had an excuse that didn’t rhyme with the word “heck.”