by M. L. Briers
That was a blessing and a curse. A vampire with a soul was a terrible thing. To remember what you once were, what you were capable of, and to live with that knowledge everyday of your life was a never ending burden.
Now he preferred subtle if he could manage it. He could have killed this witch a hundred times, but he’d much prefer they came to an agreement. It would be one less dead body for him to mull over. The same applied to the Lycan- pesky damn mutt that he was.
“Perhaps I’ll just change you into a vampire and be done with it. Then I’ll be your sire and you’ll have to obey me for the next hundred years or so…” Gideon heard the harsh breath that she sucked in between her lips. Then she hissed at him like a rattlesnake. “And don’t say over my dead body, because it would be.”
“Yes, over your dead body, and for the record- I really don’t like you.” She snapped back on something of a whisper.
“I really don’t care.” He offered back to her. “Now shut up so that wonder mutt down there can’t hear you.”
“Would you like me to stop breathing too?”
“That would be helpful, but I think it would circumvent what we are trying to achieve here.” Gideon gave her a wicked smile and she groaned.
“When I get hold of you…” Joe growled from somewhere below them.
“He really doesn’t like you.” Gideon grinned at her.
“Noticed.” She whispered back.
Gideon was done with trying to be stealthy. The witch’s heart was pounding their location like a drum, and the wolf would have had to have been deaf not to hear her. He made a break for it with her wrapped around him like a vine. Up and down through the branches at a speed that made the woman gasp and splutter…
Then he reached the clearing just before the car park and dropped down the twenty or so feet with the sound of the Lycan hard on his heels. He made a dash for his car, yanked open the passenger door, and felt the witch being snatched out of his arms…
Damn, he was going to have to fight for her after all…
Kathy was torn away from the protective arms of the vampire, and she found herself starring dumbstruck at the broad back that had appeared in front of her. For one long moment nothing made sense. For one long moment she questioned what she was seeing…
“Touch her again and I’ll kill you.” Joe growled out. His fangs had pushed down and his claws were out as his beast pushed forward to protect his mate, and he’d never regretted more than in that moment the human population that inhabited the village. If he were somewhere a little more secluded then his beast would have had its way and burst from within him.
Gideon eyed him. He’d misread the situation. How had he missed the damn signs so easily? He berated himself and yet excused himself all in one moment. The wolfman wasn’t trying to kill the witch- he was trying to protect her from the big, bad vampire…
“She’s all yours.” Gideon held his hands up at his chest. He wasn’t about to come between them. He neither wanted his head detached from his body, nor did he want to have to kill the man for what came naturally.
“Excuse the hell out of me?” Kathy piped up from behind Joe’s back.
“But I would like my ring…” Gideon pointed an absent finger in her general direction. Joe growled long and hard. “Doesn’t have to be this moment.” He added.
“We had a deal…” Kathy tried to move around Joe to get to the vampire, but his arms came down and back and he kept her behind him.
“Deal’s off. You didn’t tell me everything…” Gideon wasn’t impressed by her mercenary tactics.
“Like?”
“I’m not getting between mates.” Gideon assured her and Joe. There was a moment’s pause of pure deafening silence followed by a small squeak. Then a longer one…
CHAPTER THREE
~
“My- what- now?” Kathy’s voice exploded into the silence of the night. It was a couple of squeaks higher than it had originally been, and Gideon noted that Joe winced at the sound in the same way that he had.
“Wait until she screams in your ear. It’s a treat to behold.” Gideon informed the beta and got a low, deep growl back in return. “About my ring…”
“Oh you can feck the hell right off.” Kathy snapped back. Now she was actively trying to step away from Joe, but the man had a death grip around her in much the same way that the vampire had when they were in the trees.
“Leave.” Joe growled out.
“With pleasure.” Kathy offered.
“Not you.” He tossed back over his shoulder and heard her mutter in response.
“You can’t blame a witch for trying.”
“And she is trying… very trying…” Gideon offered and heard a muttered curse from her in response. “So, good luck with the rest of your life.” He smirked and Joe growled again. “Ring?”
“Cold dead body comes to mind.” Kathy offered back as she pouted unseen behind Joe’s back. Gideon nodded his head in expectation. He didn’t think that she’d hand it over so easily.
“I’m not going to tell you again.” Joe growled.
“Going!” Gideon started to back away from them. “But I do want my ring.”
“It’s my ring.” Kathy snapped back.
“It’s stolen property, and I know this- because I stole it.” Gideon slammed the passenger door and moved around to the driver’s side. He climbed in, started the engine, and pulled away- leaving her standing there alone with the beta.
“You’re- a- thief?” Joe asked with disbelief as he slowly turned towards her. His beast had pulled back and his fangs and claws were back where they should be. She eyed him as she considered his words.
“I’m a horrible person…” She informed him as she inclined her head slightly towards him as if she was sharing a secret.
Joe took a long breath in and slowly breathed it back out again.
“Wonderful. A witch for a mate- and a thief to boot.” He tossed up his hand. His brothers were going to love this, not just them, but their damn mates too. It was going to be a scream-fest at his expense.
“You’d probably be better off taking your chances without me.” Kathy gave a small shrug.
“Would I now?” Joe eyed her with the suspicion that was bubbling inside of him.
“I can’t help these feelings to do bad things. It just rushes up on me and takes me by surprise…”
“Is that so?” Joe looked down his nose at her. She seemed innocent enough, and yet she was a Fae, and he had to wonder how innocent she could be.
“You’d probably have been better letting the vampire have me…” She thought she might just have pushed him a little too far with that statement when he growled again. “Or just backing away and letting me go about my business.”
“Your thieving business…” Joe was on to her.
“And other things.” Kathy didn’t want to push him too far and yet she was starting to see amusement in his eyes and that didn’t bode well for her.
“Namely?” He asked as he folded two large arms across his broad chest and eyed her. Damn, but she hated to be put on the spot.
“I like to use my magic for evil, not good…”
“That’s not good.” Joe gave a small shake of his head.
“And I love the company of vampires…” She assured him.
“Also- not good…” He agreed.
“I have no moral compass at all.” She tossed up her hands and shrugged her shoulders.
“Wow. Good to know.” Joe nodded his head.
“So, I’ll just be going my own sweet way, and you, you can get back to… doing whatever it is you do…” She waved an absent hand between them as she started to back off towards her car. Joe looked pensive…
“Or, and this is a just a thought…” He started. “You’re handing me a load of BS and expecting me to swallow it.” He brought his eyes up to hers and she froze on the spot. She looked up to the night sky and considered her options.
“No, I’m pretty much a horribl
e person. You heard the vampire.” She thumbed over her shoulder to where Gideon’s car had been.
“Hmm, believe a vampire?” He lifted his hand and rubbed the stumble on his chin.
“Or believe your mate.” She offered.
“The mate that admits that she’s a horrible person with no moral compass…” He winced. “Choices- choices…”
“Well, see, that just proves my point. But while you’re deciding…” Kathy took another step back and his eyes snapped back to hers. She froze again.
She didn’t like having those soulful eyes on her; they made her feel guilty and she really shouldn’t. She’d never asked the Fate’s to send her a damn mate…
“You know what? I think I’ll take you home with me.” Joe smiled and she frowned.
“I’m not a bloody stray…” She snapped her head back on her neck and scowled at him. She watched as his eyebrows rose, and she clamped her lips shut before she insulted him again.
“So, you live around here?” He took a long step towards her and her eyes searched for a way out of her dilemma.
“Not exactly.”
“Meaning no…”
“Ok, no.”
“Then you have nowhere to stay, hence, you are a stray.”
He watched her consider that. She bit down on her annoyance and shuffled a little further backwards. He matched the space between them. From what he knew already, and not the tall story that had come from her lips, she wasn’t to be trusted.
“I wouldn’t put it like that.” She raised her own eyebrows and offered a hand in thought. “It’s not like I’m a damn dog or wolffff…” She heard the rumble that rolled through his chest and bit off the rest of her words.
“Do I look like an idiot to you?” He asked, but the moment that he saw the light of mischief within her eyes he waved that question away. “Don’t answer that.”
She looked a little disappointed as if that answer was just burning the tip of her tongue to be set free. He didn’t need to scent her Fae essence to know that she was a witch, it was written all over her face in the very moment.
“I’m still not going home with you.” She gave him a curt smile.
He took two long steps and closed the distance between them. His arm shot out and encircled her waist, and his warm hand palmed her back. His heat seeped through her clothes- and it felt good.
“When did you get the impression that this was a democracy?” Joe dipped his head to her neck and took in her scent. Up close and personal it was a thousand times more potent.
Every muscle within his body tensed. His hard length ached and twitched inside of his jeans. He closed his eyes and took another breath in.
He was lost in her. Lost in that moment. In the deep, soul affirming knowledge that he’d found his forever mate…
“You smell like wet dog.” Her voice cut through the haze of his one moment of bliss and he groaned. It was never going to be that easy.
“Good to know. You’d better get used to it sweetheart, because you’re going to be smelling me in one way or another for a very long time.”
“Eww, romantic, not.”
“Wait until I fart. Then you’ll be begging for that wet dog smell.” He offered her the kind of sexy grin that usually got him his way with the ladies, but she gave him a dark glare in return.
“Such a damn charmer. Boy, did I luck out.”
“Let’s go.” He went to move and to take her along with him but she held up her index finger and he waited for what came next.
“Here’s a thought…” She offered.
“Don’t think, don’t do, just be, and we’ll get along just fine.” Joe offered as he tried to move off again, but she dug the pointy heels of her boots into the snow…
“So, let me get this straight. It’s not a democracy, and I shouldn’t speak, let alone have a mind of my own… is this what you’re telling me, wolf?”
“That’s it sweetheart, now you’re getting the swing of things…”
“I’ll bloody well swing for you in a minute…”
“That’s not a good idea…”
Kathy was never one to heed a warning and she let loose with her magic. It hit him like a thunderbolt, bringing him down to his knees in the snow, and cramping up every muscle inside of his body. Joe bit down hard on his need to growl, knowing the sound of it would probably alert every damn villager to his presence.
His eyes were locked onto her pointy toed little boots. When they turned and disappeared. He wanted to kill something.
“Don’t- run- from- me.” He ground out. His body still couldn’t move, but his eyes followed her path away.
“Who can run in these boots and this snow?” She shot back over her shoulder with a small chuckle.
For a heartbeat he thought he was seeing things. A quick flash of an electric blue light appeared in front of him, and if his muscles hadn’t of been tense before they would have clamped tightly at that sight. The damn Faeries were back and there wasn’t a thing that he could do to protect himself…
He waited for that sting to his backside, but it never came. Instead the sprite zipped away on fast wings and he followed its flight with his eyes; it blinked off and on like it was losing power- maybe the damn thing hadn’t charged its battery.
It sparkled like Christmas tree lights against the snow and just in time for him to see it whizz up over his mate’s head and disappear into the darkness above the trees…
“What the…?” He mouthed the words, but they died on his lips the instant that she let loose with a loud cry of pure shock as the trees shook, and the snow fell in one giant avalanche that covered her body and brought her to an abrupt halt. She might not have been buried, but she was doing a damn fine impression of a snow cone.
“Motherf…” She bit out as the sudden splat of the snow shocked her system.
Joe felt the instant release of her magic from his body. He didn’t know whether to roll around on the floor laughing or push up to his feet and go right to her side. He chose to mix the two as he stalked towards her on muscles that were still recovering, and with a fit of laughter that said he was coming.
“I did tell you not to run from me.” Joe chuckled, and she would have spun around to face him, but her body had clenched in shock and she was sure that she could have spat out a diamond from her backside, given half the chance.
“What did you do?” She hissed. “How did you…?”
“It wasn’t me, but I kind of wish that it was.” He chuckled as he stepped around in front of her to take in the picture perfect moment. How he wished he had a camera.
CHAPTER FOUR
~
Kathy’s bright blue eyes were on fire with accusation, and he chuckled some more at the sight of her, covered in snow, and with a gobsmacked look on her face.
“I know magic and that- that was magic.” She grumbled.
“Honey, that was fate saying hello, and berating you from trying to run from your mate.” Joe informed her; looking decidedly smug for a guy that had just been on his knees at her mercy.
“What the hell are you rambling on about?” She found it within herself to start to dust off the snow, but she hesitated the moment that he leaned in on his large frame and came within an inch of her face…
“Faeries.” Joe whispered the words as if it was a secret.
“What is it with you supernatural males and breath mints? Buy some, damn it.” She wafted her hand in front of her face and he frowned as he breathed out and tried to catch his own scent. “And don’t be so stupid, Faeries don’t get involved with…” She saw a flash of electric blue out of the corner of her eye and groaned inwardly.
Damn Faeries it was. She shivered inwardly at the sight. How she hated those pesky little…
There was a sharp sting to her backside and she jumped in place as a squeal left her lips. Joe pulled back slightly and growled a warning at the- mostly- invisible creatures. He still had the urge to protect his mate, even if he did chuckle some more at he
r expense.
“Hurts, right?” Joe offered and she bit down on that need to curse and to zap him just for the fun of it. “Been there, done that, bought the tee, wore it with pride- now it looks like it’s your turn.” He grinned for all that he was worth. There was a rush of annoyance within her that she didn’t even bother trying to deny.
“How the hell did you get the Faeries to work with you?” Kathy hissed up at him. He pulled back a little more and gave her an innocent look as he pointed to his chest.
“Me? While I’d love to take credit for your dip into the realms of ice maiden, this has nothing to do with me.” Joe gave her a small shrug. “I suggest that you suck it up and realise that you’re a mate, and fate will have out.”
His grin turned into a smug smile and she wanted to zap him again, and zap him real good this time. But she had to bite down on that urge because she didn’t much feel like getting more retribution from the damn Faeries.
“The fact remains…” She tried to choose her words carefully so as not to get zapped in the backside again.
“The fact is, sweetheart. That you’re coming home with me. End of. Nothing more to say. Zilch. Nada. That’s all she wrote…” He was so damn smug right at that moment that she almost let loose a growl of her own.
“Bite me.” She muttered as she looked anywhere but at him. That didn’t mean that she didn’t hear the hungry growl that rolled through his chest and escaped his lips.
‘Mine.’
“Be careful what you wish for…” He warned her.
“I did not wish for it, and if you unleash those damn fangs I’ll knock your teeth down the back of your throat…” She gave him a smile that was filled with acid. “And trust me when I say that I won’t need my magic to do it.”
“Oooo, fighty talk from the little pint sized witch.” He teased.