by M. L. Briers
But as the charcoal clouds were playing chase-me across the sky propelled on by the winds, I stood at the back of the bistro and looked out over Loch Portree to Raasay in the near distance. If it wasn’t for the little boats bobbing on the water, then I could have imagined a dinosaur just strolling those large hills.
But it wasn’t dinosaurs that worried me, although, I did have a soft spot for Nessie and hoped nobody ever found the poor beast, but Ross, Kenzie, and the animal attack. People who knew what Ross was were going to be giving the man sideways glances, but without figuring out who the culprit was, be it Lachlan, Fraser, Malachi, or something else out there, then I couldn’t put the matter to bed.
“You wish you were far, far away in a land where the drain on your time and responsibilities vanished and only I existed to fill your day,” Malachi said, and I’d already covered myself in an anti-him spell, so even though he was projecting those words at me, they weren’t having the desired effect, but they did tickle my shields.
“Correction, I wish you were far, far away, and that you forgot the Isle of Skye existed,” I tossed back over my shoulder.
“Still fighting this thing between us, I see,” his voice was teasing, and it did perk me up a little.
Show me a woman that didn’t like a little flirting, and I’d reveal her to be a closeted nun.
“Correction, the only thing around here is you,” I tossed the words back, and snatched a look at him this time. Oooo.
His just rolled out of bed-head, black leather over a black shirt and jeans, did make him look darkly-good in a bad-boy way. But that smug smile was perched on his lips like he knew just how good he looked, and it annoyed me so.
“I’m not feeling the love today,” he was playing again, and sure, it was a distraction from my worries over Ross, but it was also a fire I knew I shouldn’t be messing with.
“I thought that was an ongoing thing for you.”
“You’re weakening to my charms…”
“That thought turned my stomach…”
“You didn’t say that when I saved you from the detective…”
“Saved me?” I turned a frown on him.
“Ooo, Gargoyle face…”
“Oh, this is for you.” I flipped him my middle finger and heard that deep melodic chuckle that soothed my nerves a little more.
“If I thought you meant it, I’d leave…”
“Please, tell me what I have to do to convince you?”
“And another thing…” Moira’s shrew-like tones came screeching toward me, and I turned to see her, rolling pin in her flour-covered hand, backing Lachlan out of the back exit from the kitchen of the bistro – good for her – but, when did the man sneak in there?
“I’m just warning you,” Lachlan said with a low growl in his voice that became more prominent the closer I got to them.
“You – warning me – pah!” She screwed up her face and rallied the rolling pin for action, a little magic behind that thick wood, and she’d do enough damage to put the mutt down for a wee sleep.
“We’ll not take kindly to you turning Ross’ head and keeping him from his kin…” Lachlan warned, and I joined Moira in a rush to anger.
I lifted my hands and forced my magic out, making the man suffer the pain that was akin to being stabbed in the gut with a knife. That pain was fleeting when Malachi knocked my hands down, whispering in my ear.
“Allow me.”
I was about to tell him where he could get off, but he was already stalking towards the alpha with purpose. Lachlan must have felt his approach because he spun around fast, and his eyes were locked and loaded on his biggest threat – Mr top of the food chain.
“This doesn’t concern…” Lachlan bit out, but he got no further when Malachi’s hand wrapped around his throat and slammed him back against the wall with so much force I was sure I heard the building protest.
“The witches are protected – nod if you understand,” Malachi bit out, and I could see what Gran and Duncan were talking about – dangerous – check, but as sexy as hell doing the chivalry thing – check – check.
“I – get – it,” Lachlan pushed out the words that sounded like sandpaper over gravel, and Malachi twisted his head to the right as his top lip twitched with anger.
“It’s done,” I said, jarring the vampire out of his wrath, and his black eyes flicked to mine for the longest moment of my life, causing my heart to skip a beat, my stomach to fill with butterflies, and my stupid girlie-self – that had a thing for bad-boys – to rise up and motion towards him like he was all things chocolate.
That wasn’t good. Although, a chocolate covered Malachi did raise that awkward question of; how much temptation is too much?
“Leave,” Malachi bit out, and I had the feeling that if I hadn’t been there, then Malachi would have stepped over the line in a heartbeat.
Malachi took a step back, although not far enough so that Lachlan could just walk away. No, the vampire had to rub salt into the man’s pride and make it, so he had to sidestep the vampire like he was walking away with his tail tucked firmly between his legs.
Malachi was certainly at the top of the alpha food chain, and boy, did he look sexy exerting his authority.
“Didn’t that make your loins heat with a need for me?” Malachi teased me, and for a moment I had to check to make sure my magic hadn’t slipped, and he hadn’t read my thoughts.
Nope, still had the wards up, but he didn’t know just how close to being right he was. Sucker – in more ways than one.
“Oh, my secret’s uncovered,” I used my best bored tone to match my best bored look. “I burn with desire for…”
“Chocolate cake,” Moira said, and I chuckled, she was kind of right too.
“What she said,” I offered the vampire a smug smile.
“Spoilsport,” Malachi sniped at my sister.
“What can I tell you? I’m a party pooper,” Moira said with a small shrug and a gleeful helpless look.
~
It was an uneventful dinner at home followed by an uneventful night at the pub. The only thing that happened that was out of the ordinary was that our youngest sister, and most unsociable bookworm, had decided to tag along on a siblings night out. I guess bat-boy was good for bringing our little tortoise out of her shell, and she was even doing magic again.
Thankfully, I didn’t see Jack the whole evening, and we spent the time laughing from around the corner table in the back of the pub and talking about all things male. Of course, Jack’s name came up, but I didn’t really get that buzz of butterflies dancing inside me anymore, not the way I did when Moira mentioned Malachi.
Now that was just silly. There was no way in Heaven or Hell that I was ever going to go there. Sure, the view was grand, and I appreciated the verbal jousting, who wouldn’t like either? But the man had a dark side that was a little too unpredictable to be a serious consideration in the dating department.
“I need one more drink just to…” Moira swayed as she pushed up to her feet.
“Fall flat on your face, and no, I’ll not carry you home, Moira McFae,” I berated her. I was the designated driver for the night, and even Eileen was a little buzzed.
“I’ll call Ross,” Moira said, giggling as she reached for her bag, and I pushed up to my feet. “He likes to carry me, the big, strong…”
“You’re done.” I snatched up her bag, grabbed her shoulders and spun her towards the door. She groaned as her hands came out to steady herself.
“You might regret that move sometime soon,” she muttered.
“Come on, Snow White…” I hoisted Eileen to her feet and pushed her into the back of Moira, setting off a little conga line towards the door.
“Who’s moving the floor?” Eileen asked, and I groaned inwardly. Those two were going to be fun to have in the car on the way home. Still, if one, or both of them were going to throw up, I’d make sure that they did it in each other’s laps and not on the little rugs I had in the back.
>
I was kind of hopeful that they’d both just crash out asleep and I wouldn’t have to deal with them until I got them home. Then I could just zap them all the way to bed if I had to.
When we rounded the corner of the street into the area not covered by the limited street lights, Moira tripped on something and squealed as she tried to right herself, but that only sent Eileen crashing into her and falling down to the ground.
I groaned again and reached down for Eileen’s hand, she felt cold to the touch as she giggled like a schoolgirl on her first date, and I yanked, but she didn’t put much effort into helping me.
“Geez, you’re like a dead weight, woman,” I bit out, yanking again and feeling her shift towards me.
“Like a hand?” Malachi’s tone wafted towards me from the right, and I thanked Gran’s spell for dissipating that projection thing that he did.
“I got it…” I huffed, yanking again, just as a light from a mobile phone illuminated the area and I dropped the hand I was holding as I jumped back into his hard chest.
Eileen squealed and scurried back on her hands and backside across the ground, as I stared in disbelief.
“I’m guessing you didn’t want to hold the dead guy’s hand,” Moira said, and then hiccupped.
“That’s…” Malachi turned an accusing eye on me.
“Not my dead guy,” I shot back.
“Well, you were trying to remove the body when I got here,” Malachi’s tone matched that accusing look.
“The last time I saw him you were trying to crush his throat,” I snapped back, and eyed Moira as she swayed, did a sideways crab, and leaned forward to eye the victim.
“That’s bad. That dead guy is Lachlan,” Moira hissed out, stating the obvious, and then hiccupped again.
“The man you threatened with a rolling pin,” Malachi announced.
“Did not,” Moira lied, pulling back and getting all defensive.
“He’s been sliced and diced,” Eileen said with disgust.
“Oh, thank the Goddess!” I rushed out and noted the double look that Malachi offered me.
“I know we didn’t like the dead guy, but can we save the happy jig for later?” Malachi offered me a smirk.
“You know what I mean,” I scowled at him.
“I know you had your hands all over a dead man.”
“Oh.”
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
~
I scowled, trying to think of a spell that would scrub him clean of my touch, Eileen’s fall over him, and Moira’s tripping on some part of his body, all of us could have left clues for the police, and the last thing we needed was Jack Mackie pointing fingers at the bad witches again.
“I know what you’re thinking,” Malachi’s teasing tone rang out, and I felt a twitch if annoyance at my lips.
“Good,” I announced, walking towards Eileen and hoisting her to her feet. “Then I needn’t waste my words.”
“Wait…” Malachi said as I manhandled Eileen into Moira and started pushing them towards my car. “I admit it. I lied…”
I shoved Eileen in the back of the vehicle first, and she was sprawled across the back seat like a rug. I sighed. “ You can not be that dumb…” I bit out in frustration.
“Well, excuse me. Drop the magic, and I can read your mind again,” Malachi said as I leaned Moira against the car and half climbed into the back to yank, push and shove Eileen over on the seat.
“Oh, look at that,” Malachi said, and I tossed a look over my shoulder to find him staring at my backside. I pushed back out of the car, yanked Moira sideways and pushed her into the car on top of Eileen. Two cats in a sack would fight it out for space.
I turned and offered the vampire my best death glare. He folded his arms to show me that he wasn’t impressed, and lifted his fingertips to his lips. “Nice view … for my benefit.”
“Bite…yourself,” I said, yanking my clothes back into place as I stalked around the car to the driver’s side.
“Aren’t you forgetting something?” he asked, and I couldn’t see his face very well, but I could hear the amusement in his voice.
“If you want to earn brownie points,” I hissed back, yanking open the door, and slipping behind the wheel.
“Put him in the boot?” he called back.
“Nice try,” I called, just before I started the engine and backed away without putting my headlights on.
“Just this once,” he said as if he was sitting in the seat beside me and I bit down on my stupidity. In the whole shock of the dead guy thing and herding my drunken sisters to the car, I’d let my magic slide.
I shivered at the touch of his non-presence.
~
“When did I lick the cat?” Moira groaned as she turned towards the morning sunlight streaking through the gap in the bedroom curtains, groaned for real and turned back.
“I think that was after you begged Ross to marry you,” I said, holding out the coffee mug just right; that when she screeched and shot up in bed, it was right there under her nose.
“W-hat!?” Her red-rimmed eyes were wide and she looked like she’d been dragged through a few hedges on the way to bed last night – I could neither confirm nor deny that happened.
“Don't scream like a Banshee!” Eileen protested as she pushed up to a sitting position from her makeshift bed on the floor beside the radiator. I held out the second cup of java towards her.
“I don’t remember…” Moira rushed out, as she chewed her tongue and pulled a disgusted face.
“Drink your coffee because last night is about to come back to you in a rush.”
Moira shot me a look of pure suspicion, narrowed eyes and all, but she did take the coffee and sipped it.
“The hair of the dog,” she sighed at the nip of Scotch I’d put in the steaming brew.
“I’m never drinking again,” Eileen groaned.
“Aye, you will. Just do it in moderation next time,” I berated her. “Get yourselves up; we’ve got a family meeting.”
“Oh no,” Moira groaned. “I’d rather a duvet day.”
“Lachlan,” I said, breaking the spell I’d put on them so they could get a decent night’s sleep without that nightmare creeping into their dreams. Me, not so much, but I was getting used to little sleep.
Moira turned a slow look upon me as the memories cut through the blurry haze of the night before. Eileen just offered a small mouse-like squeak.
“Tell me it wasn’t Ross,” Moira said, as much to herself as to anyone else.
“Get yourselves presentable – it might take a while,” I said, turning away and stalking out of the room, leaving the pair of them in silent contemplation.
I’d had all night to think about it, and all I could come up with was Ross.
I very much doubted Lachlan had dismembered himself, but for Moira’s sake, I didn’t mind putting that theory forward.
~
“Moira!” Gran called from her place at the table, but my sister ignored her and headed straight for the front door.
“I got this.” I was already up and hard on her heels. “I’ll drive you,” I called after her as she stormed up the driveway, but she didn’t look back, just muddled with her car keys, almost dropping them as she tossed a quick look at me.
“I need to see him, his uncle just died,” Moira muttered, but her hands were shaking like a leaf, and I wasn’t about to let her go off anywhere without me.
“I’ll take you,” I said again, reaching her and snatching the keys from her hand.
“What about the bistro?”
“Hungry tourists will always find a place to eat.” I yanked open the driver’s door and shooed her around the other side.
“Do you think…?” Moira asked, but stopped short of finishing that question as she stood on the other side of the car and practically begged me to put her out of her misery.
“I try not to because I sometimes come up with the answers that I don’t want to hear.”
“Sounds like a
plan. Brain off until we get to Ross’”
“Aye.” I dropped into the driver’s seat and scowled at the interior of her little toy car. While she was getting in, I ripped the stinky scenting thing from the mirror and tossed it out of the door before I closed it. “Default mode it is for you then.”
“Witch,” she muttered.
“And then some.”
~
I saw him in the distance, and my heart lurched. Ross’ car was still parked outside his house, so he was around somewhere, but the sight of Fraser did a lot to make me feel sick to my stomach with worry.
If Fraser was thinking along the same lines that I was, then he was looking to Ross for answers. Normally, I’d be of a mind to say that Ross could look after himself, especially now that he was packing wolf, but Fraser had been a werewolf longer, and that put Ross at a big disadvantage in the fangs and claws department.
“What’s he doing here?” Moira hissed. “Where’s Ross? Do you think he hurt him? If he hurt him, then I’m going to…”
“Slow down. Geez, who put a new battery in you this morning? You’re like the energizer bunny,” I shot back and silenced her into a growl.
She was definitely spending a little too much time with Ross.
“Run him over!” She hissed.
“Why?”
“Call it a pre-emptive strike.”
“Can’t I just call it insanity?”
“You’re slowing down, ramming speed!” She hissed out and even made a little fist and punched the air as she rocked back and forth in her seat like that would make the car go faster.
“I’m not going to kill or maim the guy until I have a reason.” I wasn’t sure where her thirst for blood had come from, but it didn’t suit her.
“It’s Fraser,” she hissed out.
Okay, she had me there.
“Well, he’s better than Lachlan.”
“Nope, Lachlan’s dead, can’t get better than that.”
“Wow.” I had no real answer for that little gem.
I pulled up and got a sneer from my sister. “Should have hit him, but I guess we can do this the old-fashioned way.” She grumbled as she tossed the seatbelt away from her body and started out from the car.