by M. L. Briers
She reached for the bottle in front of her and his hand shot out, taking her by surprise. His fingers curled around her wrist in a firm, but not painful lock. When his eyes came up to hers it certainly wasn’t anger that she saw burning there, but passion. His touch warmed her skin like the sun kissing it on a hot July day, and she didn’t much care for the feeling.
Sending out a jolt of energy through her arm and into his hand, she felt his grip tighten slightly against her skin and put it down to one of two things; either his muscles had contracted under the pain of her magic, or he was considering ripping her arm off and beating her with it. But then he released her completely.
“Be careful, Neve. Being my mate will only get you so far if you push me.”His gentle growl was as deep as she’d heard it so far, and the deeper it went the more it affected her body. Her damn nipples might have poked his eyes out if he’d got a little closer. But then if he got a little closer she just might rub those cast iron nipples against his broad chest.
Neve mentally slapped herself for even considering it. Well, not considering it exactly, more imagining it, and while imagining it neither of them was wearing any damn clothes in her mind’s eye…
“Mating you would be like a human mating a damn Klingon.”When she was younger she had wondered if the creator of Star Trek had known about, and based the Klingon race on Lycans. Apart from the whole wolf thing, the similarities were quite good.
The amusement in his eyes told her that he liked that comparison somewhat. “Thank you…”He offered back, not bothering to rise to the defence of his nature with her.
“It wasn’t a compliment.”She bit out and saw him shrug just one extra large shoulder. Broad shoulders that blotted out a great deal of the view around the pub as he sat opposite her, shoulders that she could imagine bereft of clothing and glistening with sweat, muscles and sinews moving under the smooth skin as he held himself over her body, taking her deeply… Neve bit down on the urge to moan as she squeezed her inner thighs together. Hoping to hell he couldn’t scent her arousal, but knowing fate wasn’t that kind…
“And yet I took it as one…”He answered dryly, wanting to sit back in his chair, but painfully aware that it would put more distance between them, and distance was the last thing his body was calling for. Especially when he could scent his mates needs, see the flush on her cheeks and the pulse throbbing hard in her neck, just up from where he would place his mark in her tender skin. He salivated at the thought of how her blood would taste to him, how her body would feel pressed against his, and the slow slide that would take him deep inside her…
“Which says more about you than you know.”Neve fell silent as the barmaid brought their food, placing down a normal size plate in front of her and a platter in front of him. When the woman turned on her heels and left, Neve eyed his feast. She assumed that they were used to his feeding habits around here, especially when the woman didn’t bat an eyelid at one man eating for a small village.
“Should have just asked for a trough.”Neve bit out and heard the low growl of warning that escaped his lips.
“Is it your plan to insult me until you find something that rushes me to anger?”He growled out between them and Neve felt the tell-tale signs of guilt rush through her.
“Maybe.” She didn’t cast her eyes up from her plate as she lifted her cutlery and started to cut into the first thing she came across, just for the excuse of not having to look at him.
“Your attitude doesn’t impress me.”Nero informed her on a low growl of annoyance. He just couldn’t seem to pull his beast back enough not to growl at her. She couldn’t help but snort her contempt.
“And yours doesn’t bring me a warm feeling of joy either…”She rested her wrists on the table top and angled her cutlery away from her plate as she brought her eyes up to meet his. “So what say we concentrate on the Werewolves and the Warlock that want to wipe out your pack, and kick this mating thing between us into the long grass of sometime never?”She hissed back at him and saw the slow smile spread across his face, and then it turned into a smirk, and she contemplated depositing his lunch in his lap.
“It will be sooner rather than later, sweetheart…”He assured her and she couldn’t help but feel that jolt of excitement within her.
“Say’s you.”She snorted before dropping her attention back towards her plate. She didn’t need reminding what she already knew. Mates mated, that’s what they did and that’s what they would do. It was just a matter of time, and that might have fed her excitement, but it did nothing for her sense of foreboding. This was her life now, he was her life now, but knowing it and coming to terms with it were two different things.
“Say’s Fate.”Nero growled back and she all but rolled her eyes to the ceiling as her cutlery hovered over her food. She bit down on the curses that trailed through her mind, one after the other, as if they were playing kiss chase, which wasn’t what she wanted to be spending her time doing here. But he was right. It would be sooner rather than later.
“Fate can kiss my arse.”She informed him, bringing her eyes up to his and seeing the rush to amusement there again, and that annoyed her even more.
“That’s what I’m for, is it not?”That image of them naked was back in her mind in a heartbeat. Only the positions they were in had changed, and she couldn’t help the spark that tore through her body and ignited her womb with a longing she hadn’t felt in quite a while. Damn him.
“I thought your uses were limited to mouse catcher and furniture mover.”She didn’t like to be on the losing end of any verbal fencing match with anyone, and she was damned sure she wasn’t going to lose to him. “My bad.” She gave him an innocent look that didn’t quite reach her eyes. But Nero wasn’t done yet himself and he watched her pick up her beer and waited for her to bring it to her lips.
“I can scent your arousal for me, Neve.”He offered and saw the bottle hesitate at her lips. Her lashes fluttered and her cheeks coloured slightly, and she made sure she looked casually around the room instead of directly at him. How could she look in his eyes after that?
“Wow, you really are a pig, or perhaps that should be dog? But I just didn’t want to insult man’s best friend with the comparison.”It was the best she could do under the circumstances. He’d managed to fluster her, and it had been a while since anybody had done that. She knew that the comparison would irk him on some level, but she never took a look at him to confirm her suspicions.
“We can’t all be Prince Charming.”He offered dryly and Neve snorted at the comparison. She’d never cared much for those sorts of fairy tales, usually preferring the darker side to the bright, shiny, happy side. But then she’d seen her fair share of the darkness and was weary of it now.
“But you make Shrek look good.”She could have let it slide, but there was just something so irritating in his presence. Perhaps it was because she knew that her time had run out, and here she was facing her Fated forever mate, and although that might have ignited a little spark of excitement within her, it also felt like a black raincloud had just swung in over her head, settling in for the duration, and was about to unleash a torrent of misery. Mating with a Lycan, how she hadn’t expected that in her future.
“Life isn’t a fairy tale…”He growled back. He wasn’t best pleased that she wouldn’t meet his eyes. The woman had her shields up and he couldn’t get a reading on her emotions. From the look of her, he would think they were doing battle on some playing field that he couldn’t quite imagine.
“Depends on what fairy tales you read. But most people aren’t looking for a real life fairy tale, they just want someone to have their back as they navigate through life’s little minefield of surprises…”Neve turned those captivating eyes towards him and his heart lurched within his chest. Even when she tried to make them expressionless, he could see the depths of her emotions behind the façade. He couldn’t help but wonder what she’d look like beneath his body as he took her over the edge to her bliss, how the emotions w
ould rage within her eyes then.
“Then you have nothing to worry about. I will always be there for you…”Nero assured her, but it wasn’t assurances she wanted in that moment. The notion of mating with him, of her single life being effectively over and a new chapter of her life beginning was a little too raw within her. Not that she had a roaring wild single life, but at least she wasn’t shackled to a man that Fate had picked out for her. She liked to make mistakes, to grow and learn from them, and she knew that Fate wouldn’t allow him to be one of those.
“Can we change the subject…?”Neve bit out. Not eager to settle into that next chapter of her life just yet.
“It’s not like it’s going to go away. If you need to take it slow…”
“Take it slow? I know a Lycans idea of slow and to go back to my Star Trek analogy, its warp speed ahead.” Neve had to mentally push herself backwards in her seat. It wasn’t just a physical act of moving back away from him. Perhaps her time of being glued against his body on the back of the motorbike had kick started her bodies utter defencelessness where he was concerned, or perhaps she was just attracted to Neanderthals. But he had a pull about him that was like a black hole, making her the little bit of space dust that just couldn’t escape him.
“Fairy tales and science fiction, welcome to reality…” He teased her. Hoping that the spark of amusement within her eyes would return, but it didn’t.
“A Grimm tale if ever I read one. Or maybe we just jumped a whole genre and ended up in the horror section.” Neve’s eyes had flicked to the doorway and the unmistakeable sight of a vampire strolling into the pub, as bold as you like, considering he was a walking corpse.
Nero scented the air and located what he needed to tell him why his mate had become a little unsettled within herself.
“Relax, he’s with us…”Nero offered her a soothing tone that just bounced straight back off her shields as she fidgeted on the hard wooden seat.
“Define, us…”She ground out between clenched teeth. She didn’t work with or for vampires. She’d like to say she didn’t trust them as far as she could throw them, but with her magic, that was a moot point. She could pretty much throw that sucker anywhere she wanted, and boy did she want too…
“Obviously you’re part of my pack now…”Nero started and her eyes flicked back to him and away from the advancing dead guy that was coming straight for their table.
“Go ahead, make me feel even worse…”She locked her eyes with his for the longest moment in time and found amusement there, an amusement that she just couldn’t share. Not when her sense of humour had run away screaming at the sight of the vampire, not to mention the fact of having a Lycan mate.
“Do I scent animal attraction?” He made his presence known with one snarky comment that put both mates on edge, waiting for the others reaction.
“Sit down and behave or I’ll order the garlic mushrooms and force feed them too you.” Nero growled impatiently.
Neve saw the smirk as it spread over the vampire’s handsome face and she watched as he slid onto the chair at the end of the table, so graceful for a lump of dead flesh…
“If only it was that simple…”He offered back and turned his full gaze onto Neve. She in turn tested her shields to make sure the slimy little toad couldn’t worm his way into her subconscious. “So, introductions.”
“Fae, Vampire, Vampire, Fae.”Nero speared his food with his fork and started to tuck in, and for a long moment Neve’s eyes watched as her mate made short work of the whole chewing and swallowing thing. But her magic was centred towards the vampire as she kept track of what he was doing.
“Helpful. Nero. And you might want to take a breath in between mouthfuls.”The vampire held out his hand toward Neve and her eyes immediately flicked towards him. Her posture had changed in a heartbeat and her magic was ready and willing to be used… “Distrustful little thing, aren’t you?”He added with another smirk. Perhaps he was more satisfied with her reaction than he was willing to share as he dropped his hand.
“Cautious.”Neve offered.
“Overly so.”
“You can never be overly cautious with a Vampire…”It was out of her mouth before she had time to evaluate her words, and she wanted to wince with the knowledge that she’d just given him all the information he required as to her dislike of his kind.
“Meaning we all go around stabbing people in the back…”
“Why stab when you can just rip someone’s throat out?” In for a penny came to mind, Neve thought. If he wanted to know her feelings on the subject of all things Vampiric, who was she to hold back?
“Why waste all of that good blood, when I could just drain you dry?”The sound of Nero’s hard growl of warning rumbled around the table like thunder from the black cloud hanging over Neve’s head. It might have appeared to an untrained eye that the Vampire was unaware of it, but the subtle nod of his head towards the Alpha said otherwise. Noted and understood. “Are you going to eat that?”He changed the subject and put a little light into the darkness of his tone.
Neve pushed her plate towards him with a little more vigour than she would normally have used. It was either that or toss him out of his chair and onto his backside across the room. Her instincts were torn…
“Please feel free to choke on it.”
“I second that emotion.”Nero growled between forkfuls of food. His eyes flicked towards his friend in a warning.
“So much animosity, and for little old me.”Colt rolled his eyes and reached for the plate. Neve reached for her beer. She needed something to do with her hands. Vampires always irked her, even more so than Lycans, and to be sitting at a table with one of each didn’t fill her with the warm fuzzy feeling of happiness. In fact it was the icing on the cake of how badly her day was going, and she was certain it could only get worse.
“Colt has been helping us track and kill the Were’s…”Nero offered and Neve’s eyes flicked towards him. Colt, she’d heard of him. She just wasn’t able to reconcile the name with the corpse in front of her just yet…
“So many Were’s, so little time…”Colt mused, trying to look all misty eyed and thoughtful. Neve snorted her dislike of him, knowing that he was probably more than gleeful to have something to do to satisfy his bloodlust.
“And a Warlock, apparently.” Nero motioned towards his mate with his fork to let Colt know where that little snippet of information had come from and Colt considered it.
“A Warlock. I did wonder if there was a Fae behind this, especially as the Werewolves were pretty sentient…”Colt eyed Neve with interest. The Alpha’s mate and a witch to boot, that would prove interesting to say the least, especially as this one seemed more hostile than docile.
“Two more nights…”Nero offered, giving them a timeframe that they needed to work with.
“Or maybe not. If the Warlock can harness the power of the full moon then theoretically he can keep the Were’s shifting for as long as he likes, but obviously only at night…” Neve wondered just what this Warlock was capable of. Her sister was in the firing line here. She’d seen it in her mind’s eye and she wasn’t about to let anything happen to her. Locating the Warlock would be her number one priority.
“So we need to cut the head off the beast…”Colt offered and Neve swung her eyes around to him. It had been exactly what she had been thinking, and she tested her shields to make sure the damn Vampire wasn’t somehow getting behind them… “So to speak.”Colt offered with a quick grin of reassurance to the witch.
“No, cutting off the Warlocks head is fine by me. It’ll serve the purpose were hoping to achieve…” Neve reassured him. There were times when a Vampire’s bloodlust could be useful, and this was one of those times. If he was on their side then he should be used accordingly.
“Blood thirsty little thing aren’t you?”Colt grinned in appreciation, or at least she thought that’s what it might be. You could never quite tell what a Vampire was thinking unless his fangs were down and he was star
ing at your jugular; then you pretty much knew you were either in for a wild night of sex, lust and blood taking, or your number was up. Neither scenario filled her with happiness.
“Say’s the Vampire.”She shot back dryly and watched as he raised his brows and held her gaze for a long moment. She wasn’t about to look away first, and it struck her that it was like a game of ‘don’t blink’ that she’d played in the school playground once. Only this wasn’t an eight year old boy with more holes in his socks than socks themselves. This was a supernatural being that could reach out any second and finish her life with one quick snap of his wrist.
“I like her, she has spirit…”Colt offered towards Nero, but still his eyes were latched into hers. Nero grunted and gave some sort of silent laugh that he kept to himself, although his broad shoulders lifted and dropped. “Fate chose well for you my friend, if only I were as lucky to find a mate.”
That statement made Neve blink more times than she cared to think about, and her blinking brought a smile to Colt’s deep red lips. Damn it, she’d let him get inside her head, not with his magical abilities, but with his keen mind, and now she’d lost the stare off. She wanted to hang her head in shame, and yet her chin stayed up and proud.
It was just the thought of being mated to a damn Vampire. She guessed in the grand scheme of things she should be grateful that her mate was a caveman in the shape of a Lycan instead of a blood leeching dead guy…
“I doubt your mate would feel exactly blessed…”Neve sniped back as Nero’s shoulders rose and fell again.
“Would you like me to get you a saucer of milk, Miss Kitty?”Colt bit out dryly. He’d been waiting a damn long time for his mate, and he’d make sure the love of his life would feel blessed in every way.