by M. L. Briers
“Okay, maybe not a vegetarian — but I loved the movie Bambi — cried when Bambi’s mother died,” Nancy rushed out. She folded her arms across her chest and offered Drake a damning look.
“Well, don’t look at me, I didn’t eat her,” Drake growled.
“Nobody eat her, stupid,” Amy sighed. “It’s a cartoon.”
“So, why did I get the evil eye?” Drake growled.
“So, you never hunted a deer?” Nancy narrowed her eyes at the man, and Drake felt immediately felt guilty without truly knowing why.
“Well…” he started as he searched for something to say.
“Ah-ha!” Nancy shrieked. Drake and his sisters grimaced at the sound that hit their ears. “You see!” She pointed an accusing finger at him.
“I have a wolf!” he growled.
“Exactly.” Nancy tossed her hands up in the air and let them fall to her sides, as she rolled her eyes, and followed through with her head so that she could turn her attention toward Ashley.
“You’re not helping,” Ashley’s singsong tone annoyed her.
“I don’t want to help,” she offered the singsong voice right back to her friend.
“One of us is still a mate,” Eliza’s tone-deaf voice sung out and the shifters grimaced once more.
“Fingernails down a chalkboard,” Amy muttered to Jackie.
“Tell me about it. If she is the mate then I’m out of the house when she has a shower,” Jackie chuckled back.
“Can we all just take a minute?” Ashley begged.
There was only one person in the group who could confirm who the mate was, and that was Drake. She gave him an expectant look.
“It’s not you,” Drake informed her.
“Oh, thank the Goddess,” Ashley almost deflated on the spot and collapsed to the ground with relief. “No offense.”
Drake grunted in reply.
“One witch down – two to go,” Amy sniggered.
“Which witch will it be,” Jackie sniggered back.
“Spill your guts, brother, or we’re putting a call out to the pack and announcing…” Amy got no further.
“No!” Drake growled at the thought.
Not his brothers!
Anything, even death was preferable to his brothers finding out.
Drake stared at his sisters. Both of them had their arms folded, their heads tipped to one side, and gleeful looks in their eyes.
They meant it.
“Payback.” Jackie grinned from ear to ear.
“Of the very best kind.” Amy joined her with a smug grin.
They had him there, and they knew it. He knew that there wasn’t anything that he could do to change their minds.
They were enjoying it. And he suddenly regretted every mean, horrible, taunting and teasing thing that he’d ever done to them when they were growing up.
“Fine!” Drake growled long and hard at his devious little siblings blackmailing him.
“Come on then. Let’s have it, which one?” Amy demanded.
“Spit it out, brother,” Jackie was practically frothing at the mouth in anticipation.
Drake bit down on a growl, and then he bit the bullet. He slowly raised his arm and snapped out his index finger that would point to his mate.
He swallowed down hard. The moment that he identified his mate then his beast was going to go ballistic.
Mine…
“That one,” Drake growled as he pointed to his mate.
Nancy sucked in a hard breath as she glared at Drake.
“Oh — crap!” Eliza bit out as her legs gave way beneath her and she dropped to her backside on the snow.
“Well,” Nancy blew out the breath that she’d been holding. “Congratulations. And all I can say is… thank God it wasn’t me.”
Drake forced his legs to move. He stalked three long steps forward and looked down at his mate.
“Get up. You’re sitting in the snow — you’re going to catch a cold,” Drake growled out.
“Where? In my ass?” Eliza grumbled.
‘Drake found his mate!’ Amy announced to the whole pack.
“You didn’t!” Drake spun around and glared at his sister. That smile of glee had not left her face.
“I didn’t say that I wouldn’t announce it after you told us who it was.” She grinned from ear to ear.
“That’s…” he growled in anger. “What did I ever do to you?” he demanded.
“He’s kidding, right?” Amy asked as she leaned in toward her sister.
“I think they call it convenient amnesia,” Jackie offered back.
“That’s how most men go through life,” Nancy said on a nod of agreement.
“Can I get some if that?” Eliza asked.
“What?” Nancy looked confused.
“Bloody amnesia,” Eliza grumbled.
CHAPTER EIGHT
~
‘Drake — you what?’ The alpha growled through the pack's link, and Drake groaned. ‘Wait! Aren’t you with the…’
‘Don’t say it…’ Drake groaned.
‘Yes, he is!’ Jackie announced with a chuckle.
‘A witch! Are you insane?’ The alpha growled again.
‘Not yet, but, trust me, I’m bound to be heading that way soon,’ Drake grumbled.
‘Don’t move — I’m coming…’
‘I can’t be helped, brother,’ Drake grumbled back.
‘Who said anything about help? I’m coming to laugh my ass off at you,’ the alpha offered back.
“Don’t you love it when people have conversations that you’re not privy to?” Nancy offered as she walked over and stood beside Ashley, giving the beta a cold hard stare.
“It’s quite rude,” Ashley offered back.
“Hello?” Eliza gave them an expectant look.
“You want us to kill him?” Nancy asked, and Drake snapped a look in her direction.
“Huh?” Drake thought he might have heard her wrong. But when his sister's uncontrollable sniggers reached his ears, well then, he thought he’d heard just right.
“Not right now,” Eliza grumbled, and Drake shot her a look. “But hold that thought because I might just change my mind real soon.”
“I like these witches!” Amy chuckled at her sister.
“Welcome to the pack!” Jackie grinned.
“Not us…” Nancy shook her head in denial. She offered a subtle nod in Eliza’s direction, and her friend caught it and huffed.
“Well, you never know — because we do have two other brothers.” Amy giggled.
Eliza shot a smug look up at Nancy — Nancy turned to look at Ashley — Ashley grimaced and offered a helpless shrug of her shoulders, but then gave a small shake of her head.
“This is not a good day to be a witch,” Ashley sighed. One snowstorm had landed them all in deep trouble.
“I need a drink,” Eliza grumbled.
“Me too,” Nancy said with a scowl at the thought of more shifter men around and fate’s deviousness.
“Me three,” Ashley agreed.
Jackie and Amy shared a look before they turned their attention back to the witches.
“Count us in.” They offered in unison.
“I need someone to shoot me,” Drake growled, knowing that his brothers weren’t going to give him an easy ride about finding his mate, definitely not when she was a witch.
“Thanks a lot,” Eliza bit out and brought his attention right back down to her.
She offered him her version of the evil eye, and he balked as he realized just how that must have sounded. He rushed to apologize, but Nancy got there first.
“Quick, someone arm Bambi. Now that would be poetic justice.” She snorted in contempt for him.
“Now hold on one damn minute,” he growled out as he reached down and yanked his mate to her feet, “I didn’t…”
“She’s a catch, unlike you,” Nancy berated him with her acidic tone and offered him a death glare to boot. She wondered if she should put a littl
e magic behind it.
“That’s…” he started to explain once more, but it was Ashley’s turn to cut him off.
“Eliza is the nicest, most caring, giving person that I’ve ever met, and you certainly don’t deserve her.”
“I was…” Drake tried again. He even planted his feet and leaned in a little in the hopes of being heard out, but it wasn’t to be.
“That’s just wrong,” Jackie said, shaking her head in dismay at her brother.
“But…” he growled.
“She’s your mate!” Amy growled.
“Let’s go, girls!” Nancy pointed toward the cabin, and all five females set off at once.
Drake lifted his hands in frustration as he watched them go. He opened his mouth to protest his innocence, or at least try once more, and his damn beast growled at him.
Mine…
Drake guessed that even his wolf would walk away from him at that point if it could. He had the desire to headbutt the nearest tree trunk.
Idiot… he growled. Talk about a way to make a first impression. He’d done everything wrong.
How the hell was he going to woo his mate now?
~
~
~
“Where are they?”
Kiel slammed the door of his truck and stalked towards Drake. The alpha’s face was a picture of glee, and Drake’s worst fears were confirmed. His brother was definitely planning on enjoying his misery as much as damn well possible.
“They’re in the cabin with our sisters,” Drake grumbled.
“How’d that happen? And why the hell did you let Amy and Jackie in the cabin with them?”
The alpha growled at the thought of the kind of influence witches would have on their female siblings. The two females had already got to the stage where they weren’t cute girlie-girls anymore, and they were fast becoming she-demons that could wind the male members of the pack around their little fingers.
They didn’t need any more pointers.
“Gee, Kiel. I guess I had a few other things on my damn mind,” Drake growled back.
“Hey! Witch mate!” Jeff announced from the open window of his truck as he sped up the track towards the cabin with a big smug grin on his face and laughter in his eyes.
“Ah, crap,” Drake’s head hung low, and his shoulders went down.
Now that he had both brothers to contend with life had just got a heck of a lot harder.
“That’s not his name, but close,” Kiel chuckled.
“You know, Jeff, there are two more witches in there, maybe one of them is your mate. Be a waste of a good witch if not, don’t you think?”Drake called back.
Jeff’s truck came to a skidding stop, and the beta’s face was a picture of confusion that had crashed head-first into horror. Then he tossed the gearbox into reverse.
“Enjoy your mate. I’m outta here,” Jeff announced.
“Hold it,” Kiel growled, and Jeff groaned. He already wanted to be long gone, anywhere but there. “You can take our sisters home.”
“They’re grown women, surely…” he started to plead his case, but the alpha wasn’t listening.
“Chicken,” Drake chuckled.
“Smart,” Jeff tossed back. “It’s called being smart.” He grinned back.
Then Jeff lifted his hand and made a point of showing the beta that he was rolling up his window as he jabbed at the button. He wasn’t about to risk picking up a stray scent.
“How smart can he be, he’s here isn’t he?” Drake muttered and was greeted by the sound of the alpha’s annoyed growl.
“I’m here,” Kiel reminded him.
“No comment on the grounds that I like my head on my shoulders. But, hey, if you want to put two and two together,” he grinned.
“Amy! Jackie! Out here now,” the alpha called, tossing his brother a glare, but ignoring his words.
The door to the cabin opened, and Kiel tried to get a look inside. He was curious to see his brother’s mate and the newest member of his pack, but his sisters blocked his line of sight.
“They are so cool,” Amy gushed.
“Can we keep them?” Jackie asked with an excited chuckle that matched her sister’s reaction.
“You can have one to share,” Kiel said as if they were five. “But, only if your brother can manage to woo his mate.”
“Better had,” Amy snapped out as she turned a dark stare on Drake, and the man’s eyebrows pinched together in a deep scowl.
“He knows what he did,” Jackie growled.
“And what did you do, brother?” Kiel looked amused.
The alpha guessed that his brother’s attempts at wooing hadn’t got off to a good start. No surprise there.
“Misunderstanding,” Drake grumbled, but he didn’t look at any of them as he said it. Instead, he kicked out at the snow underfoot.
“Jeff’s truck, now,” Kiel ordered his sisters, and he hooked a thumb over his shoulder.
The woman looked a little disappointed, but they dutifully made haste across the snow-covered ground.
“So…?” Kiel started, but Drake cut him off.
“I don’t wanna talk about it,” the beta grumbled.
“You have a mate now, Drake. You’d better get in touch with your touchy-feely side.” He splattered laughter, right up to the point when Jeff’s truck door opened and a rush of curses spewed from the beta’s lips as he stalked back towards his brothers.
The beta looked fit to kill.
“Go away,” Drake growled.
“Damn well love to,” Jeff growled back. “But, guess what? The air in my damn truck is filled with toxic witch fumes…”
“Oh, don’t tell me…” the alpha chuckled.
“This is your damn fault,” Jeff growled, stabbing a finger in the air at Drake.
Then he swung a punch at Drake’s jaw, and all hell broke loose.
CHAPTER NINE
~
“What’s going on?” Eliza demanded from her comfortable seat in front of the nice roaring fire that Amy and Jackie had set for them, a much needed and totally appreciated, glass of wine in her hand.
Nancy flicked the curtain back at the window and grinned with glee at the sight of the two men knocking the stuffing out of each other. She grimaced as a big guy, the same type of build as Eliza’s mate, took Drake down to the snow-covered ground on a flying tackle.
“Boys being boys,” Nancy tossed back over her shoulder.
She found that she couldn’t pull her gaze away from the sparring duo. It was just too much fun.
“You mean that they’re using each other like punchbags?” Ashley tossed back.
“Oh, it’s so much more than that. It’s like the wild west out there, just without the guns and the Stetsons, and the horses and… ” she said and snorted a chuckle.
“Shifters being shifters,” Ashley sighed.
“Lucky me,” Eliza grumbled. She was in full-on self-pity mode, and even the wine couldn’t cheer her up, and if wine couldn’t cheer her up, then things must have seemed very dark.
“Look on the bright side…” Nancy started, and Eliza snorted her contempt for her.
“Yeah, no. You got me with that one earlier,” she grumbled back. “Fool me once…”
“No, there is a bright side,” Nancy offered, and Eliza scowled.
“There is?” She couldn’t think of one.
“Sure, it’s…” Nancy took a long moment to consider it, “nope, you’re right. No bright side.” She chuckled.
“I hate you right now,” Eliza grumbled.
“Who’s winning?” Ashley asked as curiosity got the better of her once more.
“You don’t even know who’s playing,” Nancy chuckled back.
“True,” Ashley agreed as she pushed up from her place on the rug and started for the window.
“Curiosity killed the witch…” Nancy chuckled, but then she drew back from the window on a gasped breath as Kiel’s face appeared right in front of her, and he glared in.<
br />
She dropped the curtain.
“Here, let me see,” Ashley said as Nancy backed away.
“There’s a Grinch at the…” Nancy started, but Ashley was already yanking back the curtain.
“Holy hell and a horrifying Christmas!” Ashley bit out, as she reacted in shocked horror to the alpha’s presence.
“He’s not that bad looking,” Nancy sniggered.
“T’is the stuff of nightmares,” Ashley said, dropping the curtain back in place, just as Kiel lifted his hand and opened his mouth to speak.
~
~
~
“I’m not that damn bad,” Kiel grumbled as he scowled at the covered window and the look that he’d got from both witches.
His beast grumbled a growl within him at the presence of the witches, but Kiel didn’t think they looked too bad, especially the second one that had appeared. But it didn’t matter how damn good the woman looked, the truth of it was that she was a witch, and therefore off limits.
“How is it my fault that you’ve got a big nose?” Drake growled out as he swung a punch that connected with his brother’s granite jaw.
“You brought the damn witches here in the first place,” Jeff growled back as he swung his large fist, and took great satisfaction when the blow landed against Drake’s jaw.
The alpha groaned. His brothers were great betas, but as annoying as all hell.
“Aren’t you going to do anything about this?” Jackie stomped up beside the alpha on the porch, folded her arms, and offered him that look — the same look that his mother used to give him when she’d expected more from him, and he’d let her down.
He hated that look.
“You mean like jump in and smack their heads together until they see stars?” Kiel grumbled a happy growl at the thought of it. It sounded like a good idea to him.
“I mean like pull them apart, stop them fighting, and make them behave like regular people…”
“Regular people?” The alpha raised his brows up on his forehead and questioned her stance. Jackie squirmed a little under his gaze.
“Regular people,” she said again.