by M. L. Briers
“Do I have to render you unconscious — again?” Deanna asked as her boots came into view, and the alpha raised his head to look up at her. His top lip twitched with rage.
Her hands were on her hips, her head was twisted to one side, questioning his sanity, and he offered her a long, hard growl of warning.
“It might be helpful,” Greg admitted.
He knew his limitations. The beast wanted out.
There was a part of his rational mind that knew that they were working to help his mate, but there was also a part of his mind that was filled with his need to get to her.
Greg might have been an alpha, but he couldn’t always control his beast. Sometimes the wolf controlled him.
“Okay,” Deanna shrugged her shoulders and then punched him in the face once more. Greg face-planted the snow. “You might want to turn his head so he can breathe,” Deanna tossed back over her shoulder as she stalked towards the cavern.
George came buzzing out of the earth. His aura was bright in the darkness of night.
The vampire had the urge to swat him, just because she could, but she squelched that urge and berated herself for it when George appeared in his human form.
“Okay, whenever you’re ready — we’ve done it my way and it didn’t work,” George hated to admit it, but there it was. He’d hoped that exploring the narrow cavern would lead to a way out for the witch, but all exits were blocked.
“It would be petty of me to say I told you so,” Deanna offered back with a shrug.
“I guess…”
“But I told you so.” Deanna shrugged her shoulders again. “I guess I’m a petty person.” She flashed him a dazzling grin, and there on display were her fangs.
That Look never ceased to make George nervous.
“You go ahead and be as petty as you like,” George cleared his throat. He wasn’t about to pick a fight with the vampire. “But can we get the witch out now?”
“We could have got the witch out half an hour ago — but you had to do it your way first,” Deanna sighed. “Oh look, still being petty. Don’t you just love it?” She chuckled.
“Oh, it’s a real scream,” George offered back.
“Funny, I like the sound of a good scream, wakes up the imagination,” Deanna teased back.
“And — moving on,” George cleared his throat again. He took a sideways step away from the vampire.
He knew he was the Christmas fairy. But Christmas fairy or not — he still didn’t feel the giving spirit enough to offer the damn vampire his blood at Christmas.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
~
Deanna dropped down to her feet inside the cavern. Her back had bounced off a rock that was embedded in the wall on the way down, and she hadn’t realized just how far down it was until her feet touched the earth.
“I’m not going to say that it’s good to see you-you understand,” Tonya offered with a small grimace of pain.
“Right back at you,” Deanna tipped her head back and stared up at the small shaft of light that was playing against the walls from a torch that the Christmas fairy was holding.
The vampire had assumed that it would just be a case of drop, grab, and push back up. The adage of never assume came to mind, and she dismissed it.
Deanna was going to have to jump as far up the wall as she could, and then jump again to get the witch out. She just hoped that the walls didn’t come down upon them in the meantime. She also hoped that she didn’t manage to bring the walls down as she did the maneuver.
“Is there a reason that you look so worried?” Tonya asked.
“Me? Worried? Never!” Deanna tossed back.
“Oh good, because for a moment there I thought we were screwed,” Tonya grumbled.
“Screwed? Us? Maybe you — just kidding,” Deanna tossed back. But she wasn’t really.
If the walls came down upon them, then she could at least survive as she clawed her way out. She didn’t think the witch would have the same kind of luxury of the time it would take to get out.
There was only one thing for it, and she didn’t think the witch was going to like it. She knew the alpha certainly wasn’t going to like it when he came to and found out, but needs must, and she didn’t really care anyway what anybody thought.
Deanna took a step toward the witch, allowed her fangs to elongate, lifted her wrist to her lips, and then bit down into her flesh.
“Oh, no you don’t…” Tonya started, but the feel of a hand gripping the back of the head, and the fact that the vampire forced her wrist against her mouth, left Tonya with no other option.
“Yum,” Deanna’s eyes widened in amusement as the witch’s eyes became very expressive. If only the witch could talk, the air would be blue, and she was sure that it would be very unladylike.
~
~
~
“Let me up,” Greg growled.
“Keep him down,” George almost begged.
“Let me up,” Greg growled again.
“Keep him down,” George tossed back at the three shifters sitting on the alpha.
“Let me up — let me up — let me up!” The alpha growled and batted his fists against the earth.
With a squeal from the witch, Deanna appeared above ground. She immediately let go of Tonya, and the witch dropped to the snowy earth.
“Now if you two have done that to the tune of Bohemian Rhapsody…” Deanna offered toward the fairy and the alpha. Then she snapped out a beaming smile.
“Now let me up,” Greg growled.
“Nah, keep him there,” Tonya chuckled back.
“Where do you have pain?” George asked. Both he and Jessica were more than capable of healing small ailments, and he didn’t think the fairy godmother would object to them using their powers.
“I don’t,” Tonya shot a disgusted look at the vampire. “She fed me her blood.” She lifted her hand and pointed a finger of accusation at the vampire as she snorted in disgust.
“She what?” Greg growled long and hard.
“I think the alpha is about to explode,” Mick, one of his pack, and one of the betas that were sitting on his back informed the other two.
“Guess we’d better get out of here then,” Jack, an enforcer, offered back.
Before the third man could offer an opinion, the other two had disappeared and left him on his own.
Rick went flying through the air as the alpha used every bit of strength that he could muster to toss him from his body, and the beta landed with a hard thud face down in the snow.
The alpha grumbled a warning growl at the whole group as he pushed up and started for his mate.
“Don’t look at me like I kicked your puppy,” Tonya grumbled. “It’s your land that decided to swallow me whole — your vampire that decided to feed me blood — and your pack that had to keep you down.”
“I’m just a little upset right now,” Greg downplayed it.
He was more than upset — he wanted to rip everyone’s head off and hand it back to them. Everyone, that was, except for his mate.
The stalked toward Tonya, and without another word, he reached down, swept her up into his arms, and held her close.
“Okay,” Tonya wasn’t exactly sure how to react to that.
When he dipped his head, brushed his warm cheek against hers, and took her scent at source — she felt the hard flop of her stomach within her, and the rush of excitement go through her body.
“Mine…” Greg growled against her skin.
That only set off a rush of heady tingles that chased over her body.
“How like an alpha to not ask first,” Tonya grumbled. “Did your mother never teach you any manners?”
“Can I kiss you?” The alpha growled, and that sound was hungry and made every fine hair on her body stand to attention.
“Well…” She started, but her mate went ahead and brought his lips down on hers anyway.
“Well, I guess he did ask first,” Deanna chuckled.
Tonya was well aware that they had a group of people around them. She was aware for about all of five seconds before Greg deepened the kiss, and her brain farted.
The man kissed like a sex-starved mindless beast intent on devouring her — she didn’t have a problem with that — no, her problem was more to do with the fact that she liked it.
Damn fate.
Damn the mating pull.
Damn the earth for opening up and cutting off her escape plan before she’d even hatched it.
Damn him for kissing her until her toes curled.
And damn her toes for curling when he kissed her.
There was something that she knew for sure. The alpha might have been a great big, musclebound, growly, mountain man, and a shifter wolf to boot – but he was definitely her mate.
Whichever way she wanted to look at it. There was no escaping that.
When the alpha pulled back to look at her, he had something of a contented, hungry, smug smile on his face. Tonya was torn between zapping him and wiping it away and going back for more of his kisses.
“Didn’t I tell you to ask first?” She snapped.
“I did,” Greg growled.
Even with the growl that rumbled through his chest, his lips were still pulled back with a smug smile.
“I think you have to spell it out to these people — draw a map,” George offered, but he shut up the moment that all four shifters offered him a low warning growl in unison.
“Just saying,” George shrugged, as he started taking sideways steps away from the group. “Shifters — no sense of humor,” he muttered.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
~
“And you let her fall into the earth?” Rachel didn’t look best pleased when she finally heard the story in full. All she’d managed to get up until that point was second-hand information from the pack who were using the mental link to speak to each other.
“One moment she was there, and the next she was gone,” Greg growled.
What was he supposed to do?
“It’s not his fault.” Tonya shrugged and brought Rachel’s attention toward her.
There was a long moment of silence as the she-wolf eyed the witch in contemplation. Then she grunted, turned on her heels, and stalked back into the kitchen.
“How did you do that?” Greg growled, and his eyebrows pinched together over his nose.
“Do what?” Tonya was confused.
“Silence my mother,” Greg offered back on something of a whisper.
“I don’t…” Tonya tossed up her hands and shrugged her shoulders. She had no idea what he was talking about or what she’d done.
“She defended her position,” Rachel called from inside the kitchen. “Better than that — she defended her mate.” There was a low chuckle that rumbled through the air toward them.
Tonya frowned as she considered the she-wolf’s words. She’d only said what needed to be said. She hadn’t exactly gone out of her way to defend him, but she could have stayed silent, she guessed.
“And?” Tonya asked. She wasn’t sure that she wanted to know the answer.
“And you know the mating pull has got you when you go around defending your mate,” Rachel chuckled again.
Tonya groaned inwardly, and she flicked a look at the alpha. The man straightened, stuck out his chest with pride, and grinned from ear to ear.
Apparently, he was on the same wavelength as his mother. Now that she’d pointed it out to him.
“That mating feeling is gonna get ya,” George offered from the doorway of the cabin.
“Bite me,” Tonya said as she flicked her magic toward the door and slammed it shut in his face.
There was a low, deep, hungry growl that rolled through the alpha’s chest. Tonya flicked her eyes toward him, and then she frowned.
“Not you,” she grumbled.
“Well, sweetheart — it won’t be the fairy that bites you,” Greg chuckled.
~
~
~
“Supper’s ready, you’d better invite our guests in,” Rachel announced from the kitchen doorway, and Greg groaned inwardly at his mother’s intrusion.
He’d been getting to know his mate. Decorating the stupid Christmas tree did have its uses after all.
“Guests?”
“Deanna and the fairy boy,” Rachel waved an absent hand to where George had his face pressed against the window looking in.
“Him?” Greg growled at the sight of the man, spying on him like that, and George snapped his head back and ducked for cover.
“The fairy and the vampire saved your mate, or did you forget that while you were playing snow angels beneath Mick and the others?”
“Snow angels?” Greg rolled his eyes and his shoulders at his mother’s words.
“I hardly think he was playing snow angels,” Tonya said.
“Thank you,” Greg nodded and eyed his mother with contempt.
“It was more a happy coincidence that he was making snow angels while taking a rest,” Tonya chuckled when his mouth opened but nothing came out, and he offered her a questioning look.
“Well, the fact remains; if he wants to play in the snow, then he should do it with the pack’s pups, and not at times of life and death.” Rachel tossed her hands onto her hips and offered him a scathing look.
“There are no words,” Greg growled.
“Makes a change,” Rachel tossed back. “Now, go and invite them in.”
“The fairy?” Greg growled again.
“If I can forgive him for kidnapping me and bringing me to you, you should be over the moon with him.” Tonya had a scathing look of her own that matched his mother’s.
“Not helping,” he growled.
“I mean, he did bring you your mate — he did save your mate’s life…”
“Fine. I’ll invite him in for food,” Greg grumbled as he started toward the front door. “But don’t blame me if I end up putting him on the menu.” He tossed back over his shoulder to the sound of sniggers from his mate and his mother.
He was surrounded by strong women, and now those women were ganging up on him. He was the alpha; he’d need to put his foot firmly down and remind them who was the boss, and who wore the trousers.
“What took you so long?” Deanna said the moment that he pulled the door open, and there she was standing in the doorway.
Greg grumbled another growl. He supposed that it was a good thing that this year’s Christmas fairy was male — at least there would be two of them at the table.
“My mother’s slow at cooking,” Greg growled back and heard the low, warning growl that came from his mother’s direction. He smiled inwardly.
“But, a good one, I hope. It’s been a while since I had a home-cooked meal,” Deanna offered back.
“You prefer the snatch and grab takeaway method,” Greg growled.
“If you know anywhere around here that I can grab a quick bite…”
“Right behind you,” Greg said as he turned on his heels and walked away.
Deanna tossed a gleeful smile over her shoulder to George, and the Christmas fairy swallowed hard.
“I’m AB positive…” He lied.
“A positive is always better than a negative,” Deanna chuckled to herself as she tested the threshold of the doorway and found it blocked to her. She cleared her throat and brought Greg’s attention back toward her.
“Fine,” he grumbled. “Deanna come in.”
“Once it’s done it can’t be undone,” Deanna offered in a melodic voice that annoyed the alpha.
“Says you,” Tonya offered from her place beside the Christmas tree.
“Witchy wards and magical charms,” Deanna shrugged. “Those things only last as long as the witch does.”
“Those things are only needed as long as the vampire’s alive,” Tonya offered back with a gleeful smile.
“There’s nothing like a catfight at Christmas,” George chuckled. Then he slapped his hands together and rubbed them as if
he was staving off the cold. “Where’s dinner, I’m starving.”
“Me too,” Deanna whispered against his ear as he walked by.
George double stepped sideways to avoid the vampire as he carried on across the room toward the kitchen.
“Don’t you just love how we can all get on?” Rachel chuckled before she turned on her heels and disappeared back into the kitchen.
“Love it,” Tonya chuckled.
“Yum,” Deanna said as she strolled past the Christmas fairy.
“Okay, can you stop doing that?” George grumbled.
“Keeping you on your twinkle toes?” Deanna chuckled back, she considered it for a long moment, and then she shrugged. “No.”
“Supper is going to be interesting,” Greg grumbled.
“My life just got a whole lot more interesting,” Tonya muttered.
Greg liked her words. To him, it sounded as if she was planning on sticking around. That was good news.
He just wondered if she’d realized it herself yet.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
~
“Well, that’s me done, I’m off home,” Rachel announced as she stalked across the kitchen toward the back door.
“Wait, you mean you don’t live here?” Tonya sat up a little straighter in her chair at the kitchen table at the thought of being left alone with the alpha.
“With him…?” Rachel pointed a finger at the alpha and chuckled. “No, I have my own cabin.”
“But the Christmas tree?” Tonya didn’t understand.
“Oh, that’s my version of a very special torture for all the years that he was a little demon growing up. Enjoy.”
Rachel turned and yanked open the back door. The blast of freezing air that rushed into the room sobered Tonya up.
She lifted her hand and opened her mouth to speak, but the door was firmly slammed shut behind the she-wolf.
“And then there were three,” Greg growled as he turned his glare on the vampire and the Christmas fairy.
Both chairs skidded backward across the floor as they stood up in unison, and headed straight for the back door.