by M. L. Briers
Maybe it was Lachlan and Fraser getting a nice, tasty, sushi style takeaway? They hadn’t said when they’d arrived on Skye, mind you; they hadn’t said much of anything.
I didn’t trust those two as far as I could spit out sushi – yuck – but the big question had to be; did I trust Ross’ dark side?
It was all well and good when the man had his boots under our dinner table, and he was making puppy dog eyes at my sister, but what did he get up to when we were all tucked up in bed?
I know that Gran had put wards up around the house at night, and I couldn’t really blame her, between bat-boy and Ross, things were getting a little surreal around here. But could Ross really be out on the prowl?
On the kill?
That was the thought that hit me harder than any other. Yes, Ross was a werewolf, and he was trying to get a handle on that part of himself, trying to come to terms with it. Like me, he was getting up each morning and dealing with life. Not that I had Ross’ kind of problems, not by any means, but I still caught that look in his eye sometimes, like he just wanted time off from being him. Now that I understood.
My life wasn’t really tough, or harsh. I hadn’t suffered those life-changing things that others had. Everything had just sort of ticked along fine. That might be why hitting a few bumpy roads was harder now.
I might have had to lie to everyone I knew and conceal my true self, but who wanted to stand out as the local witch, or worse, insane person with the weird family? But things were changing. I was changing, and I wasn’t sure if that change was for the better.
I know that childhood was supposed to be our carefree years and with adulthood came responsibility, but I’d dealt with that. I might still live at home, but this was a small Isle, and there were only so many houses to go around.
I had the bistro, my life was … in progress, but was that progress for the better or worse?
I don’t think it was even the whole Jack thing. Aside from the whole; don’t tell anyone you’re a witch thing, I was pretty trusting of most people, but that thing with old Mr. Croon had sort of opened my eyes a little more. Of course, I couldn’t forget the fact that I’d discovered that monsters were very real, and they were – sort of – dating my sisters and that the very ground beneath my feet had a dark belly of magic to it, or did it?
Well, it once did, and that was another thing that I’d found out, Gran wasn’t exactly who I thought she was either. I’d thought I had that woman pegged a long time ago – I was wrong – about so many things.
I’d once wished for something exciting to happen on my little Isle, now that it had – was – I have to say – be careful what you wish for.
“Are you still thinking about that man?” Moira asked as she came in to find me in the midst of a pile of discarded chocolate bar wrappers … again. “If he upset you…”
“Nope, you can stand down from your broomstick and flying off into the night to enact your vengeance with some evil spell…”
“Me? Fly? After doing my hair to perfection?” She had the light of teasing in her eyes, and it was good to see. I felt like there was a darkness stalking me in some strange way that I couldn’t quite fathom, Moira made that gloom lift. “I was going to send Ross after him,” she lied.
“Don’t even joke about it. Not after that whole sheep mutilation thing,” I tested the waters and got a blank look back for my troubles.
“Huh?”
“Ross’ wolf?”
“Oh…” she nodded thoughtfully, but then her eyes widened, and she made an O with her mouth. “You think?”
“I’m trying not to.” That wasn’t exactly true. I couldn’t help but wonder about it.
“That would be…” Moira grimaced.
“On so many levels.” I acknowledged her hesitancy in finishing her statement.
“But, Ross wouldn’t…” she stopped, grimaced, and shrugged for good measure.
“Ross wouldn’t, but fang might.” I hated to state the obvious, but it was Moira, and she might not have got there on her own. “Maybe you should have words with the man.”
“Why me?” She leaned in as she hissed out the whisper.
“Well, der.”
Moira grimaced again. I’ll give her that, it was a touchy subject to bring up. How was your night dear, and did you change into a wolf and chew on a few sheep while you were out? Yep, I am really glad I didn’t have to have that conversation.
“You do it.” She offered me the look that always had our dad wrapped around her little finger.
“On your way, woman.” I snorted a chuckle. “He’s your … person of interest.”
“Don’t say it,” she warned me. I knew she couldn’t quite get her head around the whole mate thing.
“I didn’t, did I?”
“But you were thinking it…”
“T’is the truth, you dafty. How can I not think on the truth?”
“I could spell you up a case of memory loss, senility, old timers…”
“Just you keep your paws off the spell book…”
“Paws?” She raised those perfect eyebrows at me, and I couldn’t help offering her back a smug grin.
“Aye, paws.” I couldn’t have made the grin go away if I’d wanted too. My sister, dating a werewolf. Oh, that bit of life was sweet.
Moira grunted back. She didn’t want to challenge me because she knew I had the goodies, the upper hand, and the one word that still made her cringe.
That word was Mate.
“I’ll toss the question into the conversation, later.” That tone was begrudging.
“How are you going to do that?” I snorted another chuckle.
“C-a-r-e-f-u-l-l-y.” She looked rather sour at the thought of it.
“I’d say if he’s killing and eating his own uncooked takeaway, you’d better be very careful.”
Moira flinched that time. To be honest, I couldn’t blame her.
CHAPTER TEN
~
I felt like most of the day had gone by in a blur. Ross hadn’t been in once, Moira had spent most of her time hiding out in the kitchen, and from what I could gather between the death glares and the thudding of pots and pans, things hadn’t gone smoothly with their sheep talk last night, and the tourists were just a very long day of playing charades. I had to admit, my arms were quite tired and so was my brain.
I’d felt a strange sense of eyes on me all day – like I was being spied on, and I’d put it down to that man Jack Mackie waiting to pounce when I hauled my first sheep up onto the countertop and performed a satanic ritual for all to see. Silly man.
I supposed it could have been the local gossips that were gathering on the corner at odd times outside the shop, but as I felt my cheeks heat, the fine hairs on my body stand to attention, and a stiff wind came from the door being opened, I looked up and half expected to see Jack, Ross, or Duncan standing there.
What I didn’t expect to see was someone who looked like Thor and Wonder Woman’s love child. The bright blue of his eyes was intense, even with the distance across the shop, and those eyes were on me.
My cheeks grew hotter like I was sitting in front of an open fire after being outside on a snowy day. I could see heads turning in his direction in my peripheral vision, and there was no need to wonder why.
The man shoulda-coulda-woulda made a fortune as a model. Not that looks were everything, they weren’t, but they were on him.
His broad shoulders replaced the door rather nicely, and there were muscles tucked away inside a well-fitting shirt and hidden under the leather jacket that made him look like one of those bad-boy motorcycle guys from the movies. His hair was a dirty blond and collar length, and he commanded the kind of presence that made men want to be him, and women want to be with him.
I think the little devil inside me did a cheer, complete with an elaborate backflip, and little angel sighed and opened her mouth to offer her usual warning of; anything that good has to be bad, but the little devil just did a mic-drop. I mean;
that was the point, right?
I got a case of the weirds when he closed the door behind him and started in my direction, excitement made my stomach flip-flop, my heart rate increase, and if I’d been a dog then my tongue might just have lopped out of the side of my mouth, but really, who wouldn’t?
“Hello…” Moira said, coming out of the kitchen and grinding to a halt at the sight of him.
I wanted to tell her to behave, but she was right. I wanted to remind her that she and Ross were mates, but that seemed cruel to not allow her a moment of dreaming that this guy was going to be shirt off, walking towards her with desire in his eyes – he wasn’t, for either of us – but we could both savor that thought.
Then it hit – loud and proud as if it was screaming in my ear and battering me over the head – my witchy alarm bells rang and knocked some sense into me. Of course, something that good had to be bad, and he was – designed much like our bat-boy to lure you into his dark web.
“Feel that?” I bit out from the corner of my mouth at my sister.
“Oh, yeah,” she gushed, and I shot my foot out and kicked her ankle. “I get it.” She bit out on the pain. “Doesn’t mean I can’t drool a little.” She hissed those words, and I would have loved to have agreed with her, but big ears was listening.
There was a slightly veiled smirk on his lips, but I still had the capability to think about the big picture, and I drew my magic around me like a shield. Bat-boy’s brethren weren’t getting a foot in the door where I was concerned, because – well – just because.
“What’s on the menu?” His voice was equally as sinful as he looked. The depth of it reached out to me in a way that made my blushes-blush.
“Nothing you’d want to get your fangs into,” Moira said on a muttered whisper because I’d momentarily lost the will to be sarcasm queen of the world, and almost answered with a sigh, me, and the amusement in his eyes held me spellbound.
Jack – who?
“You’d be surprised,” he was teasing, playful even, but I had a feeling it was like a spider to a fly. I immediately reached for a menu and shoved it across the counter at him.
“Have at it.” I mentally patted myself on the back because trying to do it in the physical sense would have been so wrong.
Our American friends across the pond have a saying; sex-on-a-stick, well, yum.
“I’ll just have a coffee and some information,” he said, and when his eyes flared, I felt a tug on my shields and slammed that door shut.
“Go fish.” I have to admit when his mask slipped, and there was a moment of surprise on his face, I did a mental cartwheel with the splits, and waved my imaginary pom-poms, that would definitely not have been graceful or pretty if I’d tried that in real life.
“Powerful little creature, aren’t you?” His lips bowed, and he looked intrigued. I had the feeling that his interest would be a problem, but I didn’t voice my concern.
“That’s the thing with us humans…” I whispered back, knowing full well that he could hear every word.
“Witches,” he offered back like I didn’t know what I was and needed it confirmed for me.
“Still human, unlike some.” I had to offer him a look of pity and my sing-song voice because he didn’t have the monopoly on melody.
“Not very friendly,” he said as if he was a little disappointed.
Good. I’d say my heart bleeds, but, you know.
“Skye’s a very welcoming place, just not for some…”
“It’s lucky I feel comfortable in my own skin. Otherwise, that might have stung.” His eyes said teasing, but the whole package still said; spider to the fly.
“Feel free to take offense at your earliest convenience…”
“And use one of the two exits provided,” Moira added.
“I guess the coffee is…?” he left that hanging.
“For those of us alive,” Moira shot back without dropping a beat. He finally turned those intense blue eyes on her, and I felt like I could take more of a breath.
“For now,” he offered, angling his chin down and offering her the chilling warning. Well, I certainly felt the sudden freeze from his direction. Of course, my sister just snorted a chuckle.
“Little hint, the doors are marked exit,” I said.
I had to have my sister’s back, and I didn’t mind a little of that veiled anger aimed at me because then my insides might stop behaving like I was a schoolgirl with a crush. I was a grown woman whose last crush turned out to be a big disappointment.
Unfortunately, when he turned those blue eyes back on me, they were still filled with amusement. Could I not catch a break in the man department?
“We’ll meet again, Maggie McFae,” he said and walked away before my jaw hit my feet, or my eyes shot out of my head and hit his taut backside.
“He’s got your number,” Moira chuckled once he was safely out of earshot on the other side of the door.
“Aye, but how does he know my name?”
~
“Did you hear?” Isla swept into the bistro just as I was walking towards the door to shut up shop for the day. So close, yet so far from locking the busybody on the outside walls and claiming sanctuary like Quasimodo in Notre Dame.
“Kill me now,” I begged Moira as I turned on my heels and walked in the other direction. Moira offered me a sympathetic smile. It was alright for her; she loved gossip.
“Share,” Moira said, relieving my agony.
“Someone died,” Isla hissed out.
“People die every day…” I said before my sister dropped in her two pence worth.
“Not on Skye, they don’t. It wouldn’t have a population after ten thousand days, give or take.”
“I’m so glad that taking maths in school came in useful for you after all.” We shared a grin.
“But, are they mutilated?” Isla said, and I know my heart stopped beating in my chest, and I could only guess what Moira’s was doing, but she had turned a lovely shade of white.
“Where? Who? When?” I demanded as my heart kick-started again and thumped my ribs.
“The churchyard, don’t know, last night.” Isla listed the answers on her fingers and looked pleased with herself for not missing any out.
“That’s…” I turned my attention back to Moira.
“I have to go see a man about a … dog,” she said, almost absently.
“I’ll come with you,” I went for my keys.
“Nope, I need to …” she waved that away as she started for the counter and grabbed her bag and keys. It was only when she was gone that Isla turned her attention back to me.
“We were wondering about … Ross,” she said as if butter wouldn’t melt in her big mouth.
“We?”
“The family,” she offered back, innocent to the last.
“Tell Aunt Kenzie for me that Ross was with Moira last night – all night,” I lied. I had to. I didn’t need anyone pointing fingers at Ross until I did it, unless, I meant unless I did it.
“All …?” She looked as pleased as punch to be hearing that news, and rightly or wrongly, I’d just dropped Moira in it.
“And, Isla McFae McInnies, if I hear that word has spread about Moira and Ross, I’ll know where it came from, and if that happens…” I left that threat hanging in the air as her eyes narrowed at me.
“I remember poor skinny Mary,” she said and grimaced.
“Aye, that’s as maybe, but I’ve perfected my spellcraft now, who knows what I might be able to come up with.”
CHAPTER ELEVEN
~
“Gran!” I might have shouted a little too loudly as I shot into the greenhouse and snatched her attention from the care of her plants. She grimaced as my voice echoed through the room.
“I heard. Mutilated,” she offered back with a somber nod of her head.
“Did you hear who it was?”
“No, you?”
“Not yet, but the gossips are out in force. Isla was making noises about Ros
s that might or might not have come from Aunt Kenzie, but I’m sure Detective Snoops-a-lot is going to be pointing his finger at us sooner rather than later.” I think I covered everything. “Oh!” I declared, remembering what might have been the most important thing. “And we’ve got a vampire infestation.”
That last one did get Gran’s attention, and she snatched a look at me from under her low, greying eyebrows.
“You should have led with that one,” she snapped.
“I thought you always said; save the best till last,” I offered back, my tone dripping with sugary sweetness.
She grunted, like Queen Victoria, or was it, Mary? Anyway, she was not amused, but you couldn’t win them all.
“You spoke to the vampire…?”
“You drilled it in my head never to talk to strangers, and you can’t get much stranger than a dead man walking…”
“Moira!” she snapped.
“Maggie,” I shot back. “Please do not say we’re interchangeable because that would be…”
“Maggie!” she snapped again.
“Geez, someone’s got their grouch on today.” I know I shouldn’t have, but it was payback for … everything.
“Did you get a name?” Gran demanded.
“I was kind of busy fighting for my life…”
“What!?” she shrieked, and I immediately regretted it, well, my ears did anyway.
“Kidding!” I offered back and saw the look in her eye, more of a death glare really, but she didn’t zap me, so – progress.
“Vampires are not a source of amusement…”
“But they could be.” I know, I should have quit while I was ahead, and that thought only occurred to me when I felt that magic sting against my backside. My bad.
“You must take the appearance of a bloodsucking leech seriously…”
“I know I do,” he said. The bloodsucking leech in question was standing on the threshold of the outside door to the greenhouse, and boy did he look good – smug, I meant smug. “And I know I’m in danger of repeating myself, but, it’s not feeling very friendly around these parts.”