by M. L. Briers
The closer that the shifter got to her; the bigger the man looked … everywhere.
Jacob lifted his arm and held his hand out towards her, and even that looked too big…
Mine… his beast was adamant.
Lily bit the bullet. Nobody was going to give her the keys to the truck and they certainly weren’t going to let her just walk away. She really didn’t see how she had a choice in the matter just then.
She reached out her hand and with the first brush of skin against skin; she felt the rush of tingles that chased over her hand and up her arm, spreading out over her body, and confirming that he truly was her mate.
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“So, Lulu just left you with the collateral damage…?” Chelsea felt the need to hit someone – hard, probably a lot more than once, and right in the damn face.
She’d never really liked Lulu that much. Not as much as she liked Lily, and she liked that witch even less now that she’d just dumped her sister into her mess and taken off.
“Man, stop growling…” Tyler, Chelsea’s bear shifter mate, stood by the front door to Dexter’s cabin, arms folded across the wide expanse of his chest, and gave Jacob a curious look…
“Bear…” Jacob turned his nose up at the man.
“A mated bear,” Tyler offered back. “Do you really think I’m going to attack your mate?”
Jacob knew that he was being irrational. He also knew that the bear shifters on the mountain hadn’t attacked his mate, and yet, just having one in the same room as Lily was making his wolf nervous, protective to the point of distraction.
His fangs kept trying to push down and his wolf wanted out so that it could protect their mate from anyone and everything. He couldn’t help it, but he was trying to control his urges.
“Not if you value your life…” Jacob growled back the warning and Tyler rolled his head on his neck.
CHAPTER SEVEN
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“I’m gonna give your wolf a pass on this one, because you just found your mate…” Tyler said. “But do not mistake my lack of rising to your challenge for weakness.”
“Could you two either take it outside, or play nice?” Chelsea snapped at both men.
“He started it,” Tyler grunted in annoyance.
“He started it…” Chelsea mimicked the deep tones of her mate.
She’d been practicing, and the man always seemed to give her a reason to, but this time she could sympathise with him. All he was doing was standing there, he wasn’t even that close to Lily.
“I was headed this way to see if you knew where Lulu was…” Lily informed her and brought her attention back towards the witch.
“I haven’t heard from Lulu in over a year,” Chelsea said. “And she knows better than to come to me when she’s stabbed you in the damn back.”
Chelsea definitely wanted to have a word or two with that witch.
“She messed up…” Lily said, but Chelsea wasn’t about to let Lily’s younger sister off the hook that easily.
“She does that … a lot.”
“Yeah, well … that’s what siblings are for…” Lily sighed.
“To make you wish you were an only child?” Chelsea shot back.
“Just point me in the direction of the bear so I can rip his head from his neck…” Jacob growled.
His wolf still wanted out. It didn’t trust Tyler and it certainly didn’t like Lily being around so many different people; including the vampire.
“There’s one – have at him…” Connor chirped up from across the room; where he’d taken to standing just to ease Jacob lost it where his wolf was concerned.
“Shut up, Vampire,” Tyler grumbled.
He liked Connor, and the man was solid gold in his book.
Heck, he’d do anything for him after what Connor had done for him and his mate – for Justice’s pack and Landon’s clan, but he did have a sense of humour that could rub him up the wrong way.
“Bite me,” Connor shot back, and Tyler grunted his contempt for him. “No, really – get those fangs out and take one for team Jacob!”
“I heard you already did that…” Tyler snorted a chuckle. “The wolf chasing you round and around…”
“Until I knocked his lights out,” Connor reminded the man.
“Yeah, blindsided me…” Jacob growled.
“See what you’ve done now?” Connor said to Tyler and the bear shifter scowled…
“Not really, no. What’d I do?” Tyler shot back, feeling more than a little defensive because his own mate was now glaring at him.
“You could have taken one for the team, but instead you set the wolf off again,” Connor berated him. “Have you no sense of shame?”
“Laying it on a little thick there, bat boy,” Chelsea berated Connor.
“Your point?” Connor grinned with glee.
“About this Zane…?” Chelsea turned her attention back towards Lily who seemed momentarily caught up by the banter of the others, but she snapped her attention right back towards Chelsea with a small shake of her head…
“You know that your friends are weird, right?” She had the urge to lean in and whisper to Chelsea, but she knew that with the company that she was keeping it wouldn’t do her any good.
“Pretty much,” Chelsea shrugged just the one shoulder.
“O-k-a-y then,” Lily offered back, expanding her hands and giving a small shake of her head.
“You’ll get used to them,” Chelsea assured her…
“I’m not going to be here that long…” Lily offered on a small scoff of disbelief…
The sound of another low growl of annoyance came from Jacob, and Chelsea noted the quick grimace that chase over her friend’s face…
“Look…” Lily said, as she turned towards Jacob and opened her mouth to speak, but the sight of the man looking just a little hurt by her words, sent a big old pang of guilt shooting through her, and she said nothing more…
“Let’s kill the bad guy and then you can worry about mating and wooing, and big hunky wolf guys…” Chelsea said, and it was her mate’s turn to growl in annoyance… “Seriously? How long have we been mated?”
“Nine months, three days, and fourteen hours…” Tyler shot back without even pausing for thought.
Chelsea’s lower jaw almost hit her chest. She stared back at him with a look of such disbelief that he started a slow to boil, drop dead gorgeous grin that didn’t stop until it stretched from one ear to the other…
“That actually sounds about right…” Connor said on a frown…
Chelsea snapped her jaws shut and swallowed hard.
“I can’t believe you know that,” she said on a frown.
“I can’t believe that you didn’t…” Connor offered, stirring the pot like any self respecting vampire that had decided to make it his life’s work to take care of his own would.
“You didn’t?” Tyler jumped on Connor’s bandwagon.
He knew his mate well, and he knew that there were only a few things that could ping her guilt button, and one of those was to do with being unromantic. The woman didn’t have a romantic bone in her whole kickass body…
“I knew that…” Chelsea lied, and everyone knew that she’d lied because her eyes were dancing around in her head like she was looking for the fastest way out of there.
“No you didn’t…” Connor berated her.
“Stop stirring…” Vicky elbowed him in the ribs and he groaned.
“Yes – yes, I did…” Chelsea’s eyes were dancing to their own tune again…
“You did?” Tyler brought her eyes to his with that deep, soulful tone that always made her squishy – then he drew his eyebrows together over his nose, and she was lost in remorse and guilt…
“No,” she reluctantly admitted on a sigh. “I’m sorry…” she bit out.
“Oh, baby…” Tyler said…
“Now who’s laying it on thick?” Connor offered out of the side of his mouth.
“I’ll make it up to you,” Chelsea offered, and her mate grinned harder … that was music to his ears.
“Score one for the bear…” Connor chuckled, and Chelsea shot the vampire a death glare a moment before she zapped him with her magic…
“Score one for the witch against the meddling vampire,” Vicky beamed her mate a smile.
“Aren’t you supposed to be on my side?” Connor asked, and his mate had to think about that one…
“Not as much as you’d think, no…” she offered back.
“I’m not buying you another castle…” Connor teased.
“It’s my money…” she whispered back.
“It’s our money…” Connor offered back, and she lifted her hand and patted him on the shoulder.
“You keep telling yourself that, babe,” she didn’t turn to look at him when he stared down at her. She couldn’t keep the mischief from her eyes and the laughter from her lips if she did.
“Gold digger,” Connor muttered.
“Dead guy,” Vicky shot back.
Lily couldn’t help it. The chuckle that had started deep inside of her at their antics made its way up and out of her mouth, and it felt good … almost sinfully good; considering the trouble that she was in, and the problems that she was bringing to their door…
Jacob’s attention was snatched by the sound of his mate’s laughter. Her eyes lit up with humour and she mesmerised him.
Mine… His wolf growled…
Maybe… Jacob told his beast … If you stop with the fangs and the claws and trying to push forwards every damn minute … then she might be ours…
CHAPTER EIGHT
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George’s wolf skirted the base rocks and turned to follow the scent in the air. His beast could practically taste his brother’s blood on his tongue, and he was gung-ho to get him this time.
He’d been played enough.
It had been months since he’d arrived at Dexter’s pack and his brother had been there every step of the way, taunting him. It was time that one of them didn’t walk away from the mountain, and he was damn sure it wasn’t going to be him.
He’d been tracking the wolf earlier, and he’d thought the new guy, Jacob, had done the job for him when he’d almost mowed his brother’s beast down with his truck – no such luck.
But he was determined not to lose the beast this time, and he’d run his wolf until the animal couldn’t run a moment longer…
George heard the sound off to his left and ignored it. He’d caught his brother’s scent up ahead and no damn rabbit was going to take his attention from that…
A heartbeat later and he was hit side on by something packing a lot more power than a rabbit.
The pain screamed through his body and his wolf let out a yelp as it was helplessly tossed through the air. George would have been easily mistaken to think that he’d been hit by a truck…
But the scent in the air signalled danger of the worst kind to his beast as he impacted the ground and rolled with more pain…
Bear.
His mind spun at that scent.
He wasn’t in bear territory. He knew his packs land and he wasn’t off of it yet.
He also knew the scent of the clan’s bears. He’d made a point of it after he’d had a few run-ins and misunderstandings with Landon’s Clan…
So, who the hell was the new bear on the mountain, and what problem did he have with Dexter’s pack?
George knew one thing as he pushed up to his paws – he needed to warn the others that there was a new bear in the area and it was none too friendly. He reached out with his mind and called to his pack brothers…
‘I’m down by the rocky outcrops – attacked by a bear…’
He didn’t get any further than that before Dexter’s voice came back inside of his head…
‘That’s a crazy bear stalking a new witch mate – get out of there – lead it back this way if you can – we’re on our way…’
Crazy bear, George thought … he’d have to agree with that as he turned and met the beast’s eyes head on…
That was one miffed off bear and he looked hungry to kill.
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“I’m coming with you…” Lily protested at being told to stay put in the cabin by her so called mate.
Well, she hadn’t mated yet, and she didn’t have to abide by pack rules or law, but one look at Jacob told her that the man wasn’t up for having a debate about it…
“It’s too dangerous…” Jacob growled as he started for the door to the cabin, along with Connor, Tyler, and Dexter.
“I’m going…” Chelsea was already up on her feet and moving towards the door.
“Would it be easier on everyone if I took the misogynistic view and said; no women allowed?” Connor offered back over his shoulder, as he turned at the door and warned Chelsea off.
Dexter and Tyler were already out of the door, and he knew he’d easily catch them up, but he had bigger fish to fry.
“Connor…” Chelsea kept moving, right up to the point where he stepped in front of her and blocked her way, making her pull up short.
“Set an example, be a leader,” Connor offered, but the look on her face told him that hadn’t worked. “If you set foot outside that door, I’m not training you anymore. Enjoy fighting you mate in hand to hand, I’m sure he’ll go easy on you.”
That did the trick. Chelsea stood down in a heartbeat.
“Blackmailer…” she ground out.
“You say the sweetest things,” Connor grinned, and then he was gone.
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It wasn’t the first time that George had stared death in the face, but it was the first time that he thought he saw death in the face of his attacker. His wolf had risen to the challenge of the bear, even with Dexter’s words to bring the beast to them still bouncing around his mind…
Leading a killing machine back towards his pack with females there wasn’t something that he would ever do – not to save his own worthless life, and not when that killer was one crazy bear that fought hard enough for two or more of them.
If he killed the beast then so much the better. If he died trying then he would have played his part, and at least he’d have held the bear up for a while as his pack rallied together.
From what he could tell as he turned and snapped his jaws at the monster – there wasn’t an inch of him that hadn’t sustained a wound. But while he was still able to fight, he would…
That thought was ended with one backhanded swipe of the bear’s large paw that blindsided him and hit him like a sledgehammer, knocking his wolf through the air, where he landed against a tree trunk with the kind of impact that would have killed a human…
The bear started a slow walk towards him and somewhere through the haze of his mind – he had to guess that his time was up.
He’d tried to push up to his paws the second after he’d impacted the tree, but he could barely raise his damn head…
No, he was done…
One moment George was staring death in the face, and the next … the beast was gone…
Connor’s face appeared in the murky haze of George’s vision and the man groaned inwardly…
“Look at you, stupid wolf…” Connor said as he yanked back his sleeve and offered his flesh to George to drink his blood…
George managed to rumble a gargled growl, but the wolf didn’t have the energy for much else…
“Sorry, not up for fussy eaters tonight…” Connor said, gripping the wolf’s head and forcing his arm into the beast’s mouth. Then he thumped him hard on the top of his head and the wolf’s jaws snapped shut… “Ouch!” Connor bit out with gusto and just a little flare.
George wanted to kill the vampire, and if he got the chance – he was definitely going to try… The man never could take no for a damn answer, and always insisted on feeding him his blood …
He had to wonder when the man w
ould take the hint that he didn’t really give a damn if he lived or died and didn’t want or need to be saved…
“Good puppy… now let go…” Connor said, but the wolf held on out of spite. Connor sighed.
“Let go…”
George growled, it sounded stronger that time…
“Let go, because I have a bear to catch before it attacks a female…”
George let go.
With a grunt, Connor was gone.
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Connor heard the others approaching and left George to them. He was off and hunting down the scent of that bear … but that scent had died on the air like a steel shutter had come down and sucked every smell away…
The vampire had no choice but to pull up. Every which way that he turned there was a vacuum – nothingness – and a stillness in the air that didn’t feel right.
“Witchery,” he muttered. The witch couldn’t take away the sound of a wolf’s paws coming up fast behind him, and he turned to see Dexter’s wolf come through the foliage – the beast pulled up short.
Dexter’s wolf twisted it’s head on its neck and scented all around it. He felt it too.
“Don’t bother … here be magic,” Connor bit out dryly. “The beast is gone and with it, it’s scent.”
Connor wanted to kick out at something in annoyance, but he felt giving Dexter’s wolf a kick up the backside might just have been going a little too far, and the alpha might not appreciate it.
He was determined to get that bear, but first, he might just need to find that witch.
CHAPTER NINE
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“I should leave,” Lily said, turning away from Jacob with the intention of heading out the front door.
Jacob’s long fingers closed around Lily’s wrist and he yanked her back around to face him. She stumbled over her footing, pitching sideways, but he reached out and stabilised her with his other hand against her hip…
It took Lily a moment to realise that she was back facing him again – that she wasn’t walking out of the door, because every part of her body was firing to life from that touch of his hand against her skin.