by M. L. Briers
“Mate thing?” Nathaniel said grinning, and Joe rolled his eyes.
“Yeah, that,” he said.
Kirsty didn’t look up from the book, but she did point to the door. “Out!” she said, and Erin chuckled at the look on the brother’s faces. Surprise didn’t cover it.
“It’s my spell, she means you,” Nathaniel said to Joe.
The alpha grumbled a growl. “You’re the one mentioning…”
“You’re both distracting – you can both leave,” Kirsty said.
How she wanted a little alone time; she’d even throw Erin to the wolves to get it, well maybe not as there were actual wolves, but in theory – out she went with a splat.
“Out you go, boys,” Erin said, wiggling her fingers at them to shoo them away. Reluctantly they left. “I’m staying, right?”
“As long as you don’t mention the M-word, sure,” Kirsty said.
“Perish the thought,” Erin said. “I’ve got your back and a fast car out of here – after all, what are best mates for?” She couldn’t help but chuckle when Kirsty groaned.
“I need to concentrate on the spell,” Kirsty lied; she just didn’t want to talk about Joe and her.
Erin plonked her backside in a straight back chair, dragged a leg up and wedged her foot on the seat; then she placed her chin on her knee as she looked up at Kirsty all doe-eyed and innocent. “Fine,” she said and sighed.
Kirsty placed her palms on the desk on either side of the book and offered her friend a long, hard stare. “What?”
“Nothing,” Erin said, still trying to maintain that air of innocence.
“I don’t have time for games, so nix the butter not melting in your mouth act and get on with it,” she replied.
Erin couldn’t help the grin that took her lips, and her eyes sparkled with mischief. “You do like him, though, right? I mean, the whole package is – sexy good, and he is your mmm…person that you are going to spend the rest of your life with, right?”
“I don’t know him, but…” she rushed out, holding up her hand to silence her friend before she got another word in. “He’s hot and sexy, and…” She stopped on a thought that took her attention.
“And?” Erin encouraged her to continue, even though it looked like she was having a senior moment. “And – and?”
Kirsty shook her head to try to clear her mind that had gone from thoughts of Joe naked to ideas of them sitting on a porch in matching rockers watching the sun go down. She could even hear the sound of children laughing in the distance.
Damn, but fate was good. “And fate says he’s a sure thing,” she added.
Erin looked slightly let down. “That’s it? That’s what I was waiting for?”
“Suck it up, buttercup, that’s life,” Kirsty tossed back, returning her attention to the spell at hand. “Blood.”
“Not my thing, but we do have a resident vampire…”
“A witch, a wolf, and a vampire,” Kirsty said. “I’m not volunteering to get the wolf blood.”
Erin pulled her head back and snorted. “Don’t look at me, I’ve come down with a sudden case of allergic to fur,” she said.
“Vampire,” they both said as one.
~
“You’re overthinking it,” Nathaniel called from where he sat inside the protection of the darkened room to his brother who was standing out in the garden starring off towards the woods that joined the two properties. Of course, there were at least two miles of woods between the dwellings, but Nathaniel had chosen well.
Joe turned to look at his brother. “I was thinking about our pack…”
“I know,” he said and tapped his temple.
Joe grunted in annoyance. “Could you stop doing that?”
“Could you learn to share more?” Nathaniel tossed back.
“I leave those feminine ways to you, brother,” Joe replied.
Nathaniel sat forward in the chair. “Look, we have the spell, we know who the bad guys are - maybe, and you have a mate to woo, what’s to think about?”
Joe took a long moment to just stare at his brother. Nathaniel had always flown by the seat of his pants; he never thought anything through, hence why he was now a vampire. “I have to wonder if the vampire…”
“Is still around,” Nathaniel said and tapped his temple again. “I tried to track him, came up empty…”
“But what if…?”
“What if he’s still on call for Conrad’s evil little plan?” Nathaniel asked, and Joe cocked an eyebrow at him. “It’s easier if I just…” He tapped his temple again.
“But really damned annoying,” Joe growled.
“I think if he could get hold of the vampire, then he would have gotten rid of you the easy way when you won the challenge for alpha,” Nathaniel said. “I do wonder why they didn’t just kill me…”
“Because they could use your vampirism to push our family out,” Joe said. “Leaves their hands clean and who is going to challenge for alpha when Conrad is on the elders' council?”
“We did,” he said and shrugged.
“Who else, smartass?”
“So, what now?” Nathaniel asked. He knew what he’d do, but he wasn’t the alpha now, and he showed his brother the respect he deserved by honouring the chain of command.
“We get your wolf back and go to war if we have to,” Joe said.
It was a foregone conclusion. Even if the council held to their side of the bargain and allowed Nathaniel to be a part of the pack if his wolf was set free, then there would always be trouble brewing, and who knew what they might do next?
The only way to bring peace to his pack was to challenge those who would gladly tear it apart to get what they wanted.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
~
“What is that, stench? Did I go to hell and nobody told me”? Nathaniel asked, walking through the large, open hallway towards the kitchen and encountering Kirsty going the other way. He sniffed at her and screwed up his face. “It’s clinging to you,” he said with disgust.
“What’s that smell?” Joe asked, coming from the other direction and meeting them in the middle of the room.
“Erin’s cooking a little something up in the kitchen,” she replied, amused by their reaction.
“Takeout!” The brothers said together.
“Not food, the basis for a spell,” Kirsty said, but she couldn’t help but laugh.
Joe turned a mocking grin on his brother. “Does he have to drink it?”
“Yes, all of it,” Kirsty said. “It’s only about two litres.”
Nathaniel turned his nose up at the idea. “Who needs a wolf,” he said shrugging.
“Are you serious?” Kirsty asked, looking slightly annoyed. “We’re doing this for you.” She rolled her eyes. “Well, not you exactly, but that poor beast sitting within you that’s desperate to run wild and free again.” She folded her arms, cocked an eyebrow, and offered him a pointed look.
“It’s true, they are,” Joe said, catching the glint of amusement in his mate’s eyes. He was learning her ways, figuring out her mannerisms, and getting to the heart of her – if only that could happen sooner.
“Well, I…” Nathaniel scowled. “Was joking…”
“Ha! Me too,” Kirsty said, and the look of relief on Nathaniel’s face was priceless. “But you will have to bathe in it.”
“What?” Nathaniel snapped.
“Gotcha again,” Kirsty said, and started for the staircase, tossing a smirk back over her shoulder. “I need a shower, that thing stinks,” she added and started up the stairs.
The low, deep growl that rumbled through Joe’s chest was unstoppable, not that he tried to silence it. The thought of his mate naked under the water made his blood run hot.
“I think your mate wants to join you,” Nathaniel called, and chuckled when the toe of Kirsty boot snagged on the stair, and she tripped, pitching forward. She slapped her palm down to save herself the fall, cleared her throat as she straightened, and with he
r chin up, she continued.
“Butthole,” she bit out, loud enough for the vampire to hear her.
“I believe she’s talking to you,” Nathaniel said to Joe before he turned on his heels and started for the kitchen. He caught another whiff of what Erin was cooking and detoured towards another room.
Joe watched his mate go. Coming or going, she was undoubtedly a damn tempting sight. He’d put off the thought of trying to woo her until after this mess was over, after all, what did he have to offer her right now but uncertainly?
But his beast was clawing within him to stake a claim to their mate, and he couldn’t stop the need that was building within him any more than he could hold onto a day as it turned to night.
Kirsty was his mate; he’d protect her with his life, and he might just need to.
“Oh,” she called down from the top of the stairs. “I’m going to need some of your wolf’s blood for the spell, and you’re going to have to let Nathaniel have it.”
Joe heard the warning rumble of a growl from his beast and knew what the wolf was thinking. “That’s not a good idea,” he said. Then he did what he’d had the urge to do as he’d watched her walk away, and took the stairs three at a time to be by her side.
“The blood?”
“The vampire,” Joe said, lowering his voice so Nathaniel couldn’t overhear him.
“Huh?” Kirsty didn’t get it.
Joe motioned for Kirsty to walk with him down the long hallway towards her room and she obliged. When they stopped outside her bedroom door, he leant in closer so he couldn’t be overheard. “My wolf is still a little undecided about trusting Nathaniel’s – vampire side.”
Kirsty’s eyebrow rose on her forehead. That little juicy revelation was the only thing that took her mind off the fact that he was so close he could have been going in for a kiss – their first kiss – and that realisation made her stomach flutter and slapped her around the back of her head.
“I thought you said…?”
Joe nodded. “It’s a wolf scent thing. The wolf smells a vampire and…” He lifted his hands and clawed the air giving a half-hearted growl.
Kirsty felt that growl deep within her soul, but the realisation that everything about him was affecting her on some level or another made her pull back. Her heel caught on the carpet and the back of her head connected with the door.
“Damn,” Joe bit out, but that curse was mild compared to the words Kirsty spat out as she furiously rubbed the back of her head.
Joe cursed himself. Obviously, his mate was nervous about his beast, and that didn’t sit well with the wolf, but he could understand it on some level. She hadn’t met his wolf yet, and the sorrowful whine of the beast that echoed in his mind told him that the moniker big bad wolf wasn’t going to apply in this case.
“Dumbass,” Kirsty muttered, and Joe took a step back, a step she was grateful for because it gave her a little room to breathe, but that little devil on her shoulder sure was disappointed.
“I’m sorry, I never meant…”
“Not you, me,” she snapped, rolling her eyes and tossing up her hands.
“But, I shouldn’t have scared you…”
“Scared me? What, do you think I’m a little princess in a fairy tale who’s going to be afraid of your wolf?” Kirsty couldn’t help but giggle at the thought of it. “If you’re anything to go by, then I’ll have that big wild beast eating out of my hand in no time,” she teased him.
Joe had a feeling she was right as the wolf practically did cartwheels from knowing that their mate didn’t fear him. But then why had she pulled back like that? “But…”
“Nope,” she said, shrugging off the question before he’d even got to ask it. “But I’m still not going to be the one to take your wolf’s blood because I’m not hurting an animal.”
“Why did you pull away?” Joe asked. He didn’t much care who took his blood as long as it wasn’t Nathaniel, hell, he’d do it himself. What was bugging him was why she’d stepped back.
Kirsty looked a little sheepish and a lot guilty. Her cheeks had pinked up, and she gave the slightest wince. “I was – surprised,” she said and nodded emphatically. “Surprised…”
“And you’re lying,” Joe said. Now he had another look, another tone of voice to add to everything else he knew about her.
This was like taking candy from a baby – he only hoped she didn’t burst into tears. That was the one thing that could freak him out with babies and women – it was his Achilles Heel.
Kirsty frowned and gave a small shake of her head. “No, I’m not…” She stopped denying it when his eyebrows quirked and amusement twinkled in his eyes. “Ok, I’m lying, but – you got too close,” she admitted.
“Mates can never get too close, Kirsty,” he said, and that twinkle in his eye matched a roguish smile, and she was lost in the moment.
It wasn’t Joe that initiated the kiss, but he wasn’t beating her off either. Kirsty came to him, and when she pushed up on tiptoes, and her soft lips touched his, he rumbled a long deep growl of desire and took her into his arms.
Kirsty thought she might have lost her mind, and for a while, as she felt the strength of his arms wrapped around her, the heat of his body – everywhere – and hot, sexy kisses that dulled her brain, silenced the little angel on her shoulder and made her legs weak – she had lost her frigging mind.
But, she put it down to curiosity and animal magnetism. At least that was going to be her story, and she’d stick to it during the awkward moments that followed any first kiss.
CHAPTER TWENTY
~
The night was crawling in under cover of rainclouds that had whipped up out of nowhere. Nathaniel was grateful to be able to stand out under the awning and watch his time come into being. Now he could hunt if he needed to, run free, even go for a beer in town if it suited his needs, and he revelled in it.
Nathaniel didn’t mind not being able to walk in the sun – not yet at least. He guessed he hadn’t been a vampire for long enough to miss the feel of the sun on his skin. Right now, he could tell himself it was winter and that the sun would return, but he knew the truth.
Nathaniel doubted the sun would feel the same if he were blessed enough to feel it again. Nothing felt the same; everything was heightened; every sense was constantly on alert.
It was no surprise then that he heard and scented the witch coming before she made it outside. Even the mild wind couldn’t keep her scent from him.
Nathaniel knew he was the ultimate predator – the top of the food chain – and he wasn’t entirely unsatisfied by that thought. “Whatever you’re hubble-bubbling in the kitchen smells repulsive,” he tossed over his shoulder to inform her that he knew she was there.
“Ah, that’s gratitude for ya,” she said, stepping outside and revelling in the fresh air. He wasn’t wrong; the scent of what was brewing was disgusting.
“Eye of newt?” he asked, cocking a look at her as she walked to stand beside him.
“All that’s missing is your bat, jump in,” she said with a mocking smile.
“I would, but my inner wolf would be jealous,” he tossed back and grinned. “I thought all witches were old crones, or younger versions, and were to be avoided at all costs.”
“Disappointed?”
“Surprised,” he said. “No pointy hat, broomstick, and warts and all, what am I going to mock?”
“Wait until the witching hour; there’s all those old clichés and more…”
“It’s the more that intrigues me,” he offered her a sinful look that made her take one long step to the side away from him.
“Don’t get any ideas,” she warned him, but there was a playfulness about her that didn’t set any warning bells off in his mind. “I’m here to let Lassie run free again.”
“I thought you were here to keep your friend safe from me?”
“That too,” she said. “But I’m a sucker for anything in fur.”
Nathaniel couldn’t help bu
t chuckle. “I’ll keep that in mind.”
“Naturally furry,” she informed him.
“We’ll even if I don’t get my wolf back, isn’t it the thought that counts?” he teased.
Erin took a long moment to think about it. “Not in this lifetime.”
“A witch who knows what she wants…”
“And aims to get it,” Erin replied.
Nathaniel turned his full attention on her, and she cocked an eyebrow in warning back at him. “And what do you want, Erin?”
“Right now, I want my friend to be happy, and if fate says she’ll be happy with her wolf mate, then so be it,” she replied with a shrug. “But, if anything were to happen to her…”
“She has a wolf and a vampire protecting her, nothing is…”
Erin slapped her hand over his mouth, an instant later, she remembered who she was dealing with. “One, you bite, and I’ll hit you in the nuts with my magic so hard you’ll still be walking with a limp at the next millennium, and two, do not tempt fate,” she warned him on both counts.
Nathaniel’s eyes shone with amusement. He reached up fast and wrapped his large hand around her wrist, pulling her hand down. “Why bite the hand when you can go for a much more interesting vein right here,” he said, running the index finger of his other hand down her neck.
Erin shivered at his touch, but it was a good shiver, and he saw no sign of repulsion on her part for who he was. He leant in, and she didn’t pull back. “And I would never tempt fate.”
“Can I have my wrist back, or is it your intent to try to creep me out as long as possible?” she asked, and he immediately let go.
Erin was anything but creeped-out by him. If anything, she found herself wondering just what that bite to the neck would feel like. She’d heard the rumours, but rumours were seldom in line with reality. “Gee, thanks, now I’m going to go stir your brew because I prefer that smell to you.”
That was a big fat lie, and they both knew it, but Nathaniel didn’t pick her up on it.