by M. L. Briers
Still, she had to try.
CHAPTER TEN
~
Mason glared back at his mate. She was panting like she’d never broken a sweat before. She was offering him the evil eye like she wanted to reach out with her magic and snap his neck, and she truly looked like she meant it.
He could live with that.
What he couldn’t live with was his beast bursting free from within him and hunting their mate down to claim her before she could take off again. That wasn’t going to happen — he’d make damn sure of it.
What he couldn’t be sure of was his mate. The woman had already run away once, how could he trust that she wouldn’t do it again?
He had a choice to make — woo her — or — hell, woo her.
It was a new plan of action. He needed to woo a witch, but not just any witch — his witch.
Mason knew from his beta’s experience that wooing a witch wasn’t as easy as you might think. Especially, when Bree was around — he needed to get rid of Bree, and the vampire, and maybe everyone else within a fifty-mile radius.
No, just Bree.
That wasn’t going to be easy — and that witch was like glue, and she was sticking to her friend. But, if he was to woo his witch, then he needed an even playing field. He very much doubted that Maxi would get in the way, or the others — that just left Bree.
He could sense that his mate was skittish — her gaze was dancing around the woods as if she was looking for the path by which she could escape. She wasn’t Alice, and this wasn’t Wonderland. There would be no escaping him; he couldn’t allow that to happen — not with his beast on guard and acting the way it was.
He couldn’t take that chance.
Mason supposed that he should break the silence between them and offer her some sort of reassurance. “I will hunt you to the end of the earth if you try to escape me again.”
Mason heard his own words and groaned inwardly. It might have been reassuring to him and his wolf, but now she looked like a deer caught in the headlights of a fast moving truck. That wasn’t good.
Perhaps he should try again?
“I will kill you where you stand if you take one step further towards me,” Kelly offered back in a tone that impressed even her.
Yes, she’d just stolen that line from Mr. Worf in Star Trek — but, he hadn’t taken a step toward her, and that was the main thing.
Yea for the Klingons!
Mason was thinking her words over carefully. While she did offer something of a challenge to him and his beast — neither he nor his wolf wanted to test her resolve.
Thanks to Bree and Maxi, he knew exactly what a witch could do in the pain department, and he didn’t need a repeat performance with his mate that could have put him out of action and allowed her to escape.
“You’re my mate…” Mason growled out as if that explained everything.
“And a witch…”
“But my mate…”
“Stop saying that or I’ll kill you,” Kelly bit back.
“There really is no other way to say it…”
“Have you never heard the saying that if you can’t say nothing nice then say nothing at all?” she tossed back in frustration and annoyance. She even rolled her eyes to the darkening sky above the treetops and used valuable energy to shrug her shoulders.
Mason narrowed his eyes at her. “Of course…”
“I rest my case.”
“Huh?” Mason knew that females talked in riddles, it was how they managed to elude being figured out by men, and she certainly had him on that one.
“Do you really need to keep saying that I’m your mate?” she grumbled back.
“But you are my…”
“No!” She bit out, and she even raised her hand and wagged a finger at him as if he was a bad dog that had just disobeyed her command. That got his wolf’s back up.
“Yes,” Mason growled back.
He even sniffed the air again to take in her scent — there it was, the sweetest thing he’d ever sniffed — his beast rallied once more within him. How quickly it rushed to forgive her.
Mine! Proof positive!
Mason opened his mouth to speak, and she stomped her foot.
“No, no,” she wagged that annoying finger again. “Stop bloody well saying it!”
“Well, what do you want me to call you?”
“A cab!” she shouted back.
That was when the vampire appeared, and the alpha groaned inwardly at the sight of him. “Oh good, nobody died — yet.”
“Does he have to be here?” Kelly bit out. She still had the need to kill the man.
“No,” Mason growled. “Leave.”
“How about you to stay and I’ll leave,” Kelly tossed back.
There was a low rumble of a warning growl, and Kelly offered him a death glare back. “It’s not like I can help it,” Mason winced.
“Try,” she snapped back. “Really hard.”
“Yes, be a good puppy,” Jai chuckled.
“I know he’s your friend, but can I kill him now?” Kelly hissed out, not really at the alpha at all, but at the vampire like it was a warning shot across his bow.
“Damn, that’s tempting,” Mason growled back.
“When did this become all about me?” The vampire asked with a small shrug of his shoulders. “The beta’s here too.” He tossed up a hand and pointed toward Jon as the man stepped out from the bushes where he’d been hiding — observing the proceedings.
The beta hadn’t planned to get involved unless the alpha’s beast became unruly. Now the vampire had dropped him in it.
“Oh good,” Kelly bit out. “It’s the Addams family party.”
“I guess that makes Bree Morticia,” Maxi said as she panted into the clearing before her friend, bent at the waist, and braced her hands against her knees, begging for breath for her burning lungs.
“I…” Bree sucked in as much oxygen as she could claim. “Don’t — appreciate…” She waved a hand and left it there. Talking was just too much effort.
“So, that’s how we get Bree to shut up,” the vampire chuckled. “Every time she visits we should make her go for a run with one of our wolves.”
“Our wolves?” Mason growled.
“Oh, stop being territorial — next you’ll be peeing up a tree,” the vampire’s voice dripped with sarcasm, but the alpha didn’t appreciate it.
“Can — I — just — say…” Bree bit out as she sucked in gulps of air.
“It doesn’t sound like it,” Maxi tossed back, and when her friend turned a glare upon her, she shrugged. “Say it ain’t so — oh, that’s right — you can’t.”
Bree groaned. “I don’t – always – like you.”
“It takes two to tango,” Maxi shrugged.
“Unless, like the vampire, you’re all alone,” Jon tossed back with a big smirk.
“I’d like to take — the credit — for bringing the mates together,” Bree said.
Mason and Kelly snapped a look of disbelief in her direction. Bree winced.
“Good luck with that,” Maxi chuckled and took a step to one side, Bree noticed and scowled at her. “I’m not getting the fallout.”
CHAPTER ELEVEN
~
Kelly tossed her fisted hands onto her hips and eyed the witch in disbelief. “What did you do?” She bit out as if she had a sour taste on her tongue.
“Me?” Bree offered her a look of wide-eyed innocence; nobody was buying it.
“Tell them about the spell,” Maxi said as she elbowed her friend in the ribs and Bree groaned.
“Spell?” Mason growled.
“No, no spell,” Bree tossed back, looking anywhere but at him.
“Spell?” Kelly demanded an answer before she killed the witch.
“Well,” Bree said, and then paused for thought and to buy some time to think of a way to get herself out of the hole that she’d dug. Thanks to maxi there really wasn’t any way out, and she needed to fess up. “Your c
ar was broken,” she said turning her attention to Kelly. “The alpha was being — the alpha,” she twisted her face and poked her tongue out the side of her mouth. “I just thought…”
“She never thinks,” Maxi put in.
“Thank you…” Bree snapped back.
“You’re welcome.” Maxi chuckled.
“You thought — not thought?” Kelly demanded as she folded her arms, thrust out a hip, and tapped her pointed toed boot against the ground.
“Wouldn’t it be nice if we could all get along,” Bree said.
Maxi lifted her hand and coughed a word into it. That word was unrepeatable. Bree shot daggers at her from her fiery glare.
“What spell?” Mason growled.
Bree folded her arms, tipped her chin up as if she was about to sniff breakfast, and looked anywhere but at the alpha. She wasn’t talking.
“Fine,” the alpha growled. “We’ll sort this out back at the house.”
“Oh no,” Kelly lifted her hand and wagged a finger at the alpha. “I’m not going home with you.”
“Somebody get the witch a tent,” Jai offered with the big dollop of sarcasm in his voice.
“You’re still on my hit list,” Kelly hissed, and the vampire frowned.
“I’ll consider myself told off.”
~
“Okay, I’m here,” Martha grumbled as she strolled into the living room and looked at the players. They all looked as if they’d been up to no good, especially Bree, who was trying for wide-eyed innocence and that was a red flag to a bull. “Wanna tell me why I’m here? Make it quick — some of us have a life and don’t just encroach on others.”
The alpha was standing by the window with his shoulder propping up the wall. His solid arms were folded across his broad chest, and he eyed the elder witch with a whole big dollop of suspicion. After all, it had been her spell that had started the whole ball rolling in the first place.
Admittedly, it had been Bree that had used it, but that wasn’t the point. The point was Martha had created that spell in the first place. Who did that? Witches!
“Your friend’s been up to her old tricks again,” Mason growled.
“I have not!” Bree rushed to denial, but nobody was going to believe a word that she said. Maxi had already dropped her in it.
Martha looked unimpressed as she turned her steely gaze toward Bree. “Should have known it would be you,” Martha offered in a dry tone that rubbed Bree up the wrong way. “Spill it, witch. Whose spell did you steal this time?”
“I didn’t need to steal a spell…” Bree shot back, and she could have bitten her tongue off when the alpha grunted from just behind her.
“So, you admit it,” the alpha growled.
“I have no idea what you’re talking about.” Bree was the picture of innocence once more.
“Just tell him,” Maxi grumbled. She had better things to do with her time than sit around while Bree was interrogated. She had a new mate — and mates were prone to do what mates were prone to do — and she wanted to do what mates were prone to do — it was like an itch under her skin every time she thought about it, or him, or them together.
Bree opened her mouth to tell her friend to shut up, and that was when Nathaniel walked in, and everyone’s attention turned to him. “What’s she doing here?” Nathanial growled as he lifted his hand and pointed an accusing finger at Kelly. “I didn’t appreciate having to change my tire.”
“Well, you shouldn’t have tried to sniff me,” Kelly shot back.
Mason growled. He dropped his arms to his sides, fists clenched as he pushed away from the wall and turned toward Nathanial. “You sniffed my mate?”
“Your what?” Nathanial’s jaw hung down as he stared back at the alpha with surprise. The alpha took one long step toward him, and Nathanial tossed his hands up at his chest in surrender. “I didn’t know she was your mate — and I never sniffed.”
“Why would you sniff a witch?” The alpha growled.
“Why would you sniff a witch?” Nathanial tossed back.
“Because she’s my mate!”
“Well my nose twitched, my beast urged to me on, and it felt like an itch that needed scratching.” Nathanial shrugged.
“I have one of those,” Jon grinned at his mate.
“Interesting,” Martha said with a glint of glee in her eye that the alpha didn’t appreciate.
“No really, but go ahead, leave me hanging,” the alpha growled.
“Okay,” Kelly said as she pushed up from the couch and took one step toward the door. Mason growled again, this time in warning.
“I think we both know what happens when you run,” Mason said.
“How about if I walk — really fast?” Kelly tossed back over her shoulder, and she too had a glint in her eye that the alpha didn’t like.
Witches!
“Mate witch, sit down,” the alpha growled. Kelly huffed, but she remained standing. “Old witch, spill the beans.”
“Old witch?” Martha turned a steely gaze onto the alpha.
“Oh, he didn’t go there,” Bree said like the voice of doom, but there was no hiding the smirk on her lips.
“Oh, he went there,” Maxi offered back, and she tossed a look at the alpha that was part smirk, and part sympathy for his plight.
“Someone get the alpha a shovel, he might want to bury himself in the hole he just dug.” Bree chuckled.
“I meant old-er,” Mason offered on a wince of apology toward the elder. Martha snorted her contempt for his lame excuse. “Can we get back to interesting?”
“I don’t know,” Bree said with a song in her voice. “Just seems like things got really interesting to me.”
“Do you have to make everything into a catastrophe — World War Three — total annihilation…” The alpha didn’t get to finish because somebody zapped him. “Let’s not start that again,” he growled.
“That was me,” Martha said, holding up a hand. She wanted him to know that she’d done it. It served him right. Old indeed!
Mason grumbled a growl. “Noted — now can we move on?”
“I’m taking bets on the next witch that’s going to zap the alpha — any takers?” The vampire said.
Mason sighed. There were times, especially lately, when he could kill that man.
CHAPTER TWELVE
~
“Bree’s spell,” Martha announced and everyone turned their attention to her.
“Which one?” The alpha growled.
“The one that brought Maxi her mate,” Martha said, and the alpha growled again.
“I thought you said that would die out naturally?” Mason didn’t like the sound of it.
“Depends,” Martha shrugged.
Mason grumbled a few choice words under his breath. “Depends? Explain…”
“Then stop being so growly and mumbling words and let someone get a word in edgeways — and by someone – I mean me,” Martha hissed back. “Are you done?” she grumbled at the alpha.
Mason craned his head forward on his neck and eyed the elder witch. “Now who’s being grumpy?”
“Just thought — when in Rome,” she shrugged her shoulders. “You big grouch.”
Mason tossed his hands up and absently waved them in the air. He was done — witches were crazy — Martha was crazy — and he had a witch mate — could life get any better?
“So, the spell,” Martha started again.” She eyed the alpha for a long moment looking to see if he was going to jump in when he shrugged his shoulders once more, she continued. “Well, it looks like your pack is still spellbound.” The alpha opened his mouth to speak, so she held up a hand, palm outward, to stop him. “It means when they see a potential mate they have the urge to sniff — that’s not such a bad thing…”
“It is if it’s a witch…” Mason said without thinking and then bit it off. “It opens them up to a world of hurt — how many witches like been sniffed?” He rushed out.
“Nice catch,” the vampire said.
/>
“Thank you,” Mason said without thinking and winced again. He tossed the vampire a dark glare.
“I’m going to let that one slide,” Martha grumbled back. “And it’s not because I like you. I don’t.”
“Well, I’m not,” Kelly said, and she twisted her body around, lifted her hands, and zapped him.
The man might be an alpha — might be her mate – but that was not the point. She was sticking up for herself, and for witches everywhere. And she thought that she’d made her point quite nicely.
“Remind you of someone?” Bree leaned in toward Maxi on the sofa and offered her a smirk filled grin.
“No,” Maxi tossed back with a dry, warning tone for her friend.
“I’m sure it reminds your mate of someone,” Bree chuckled.
“You know,” Martha bit out. “I’m not getting any younger.”
“Go ahead,” the alpha said as he bit down on the pain of the hard sting of his mate’s magic. “I assume there’s more.”
“Well, that would depend on Mother Nature,” Martha gave a small shrug.
“Would you like me to beg you to spit it out?” The alpha tossed back.
“I was taking a breath — pausing for thought – females have those – thoughts,” Martha snapped back.
“Maybe even pausing for effect?” The vampire asked.
Martha snorted a chuckle. “Now, that would make me a tease, and I’m too old for that.” She had a wicked grin on her lips, and the vampire couldn’t help but chuckle.
“Could you two get a room, after you finish telling us about Mother Nature?” Mason growled back. That was when he felt the hard sting of the elder witch’s magic — he guessed he deserved that one.
“If you don’t know about Mother Nature then there’s no hope for you,” Martha hissed back.
It had got to the point where the alpha was annoying now. She didn’t need to be there — she was doing it as a favor — the least he could do was show some respect and shut the hell up.