by M. L. Briers
It wasn’t my fault. It was like the moment when someone screams don’t look now – how can you not look? Hello, red rag – bull. And just to make matters ten gazillion times worse; it happened in what felt a lot like slow motion as well.
My eyes travelled down his body, there was a bulge, my eyebrows started up on my forehead as my brain shot to a picture show that was definitely X-rated, and then the sound of his chuckle hit my ears — a wicked chuckle — and that sound slapped an invisible hand around the back of my head and jolted me out of it. My gaze shot back up to his, my cheeks burned, and I wanted to dig a really big hole and bury myself in it.
“You looked,” Malachi said with another chuckle, and he was enjoying every second of my embarrassment.
“Such a gentleman,” I hissed back like a coiled rattlesnake ready to strike out at him.
“Oh, you wanted me to be a gentleman?”
I took a moment to consider it. “It’s probably too much of an effort for you.” That’s right; I could still turn this back on him.
“Some things are worth the effort,” Malachi said, and he took one step toward me.
“Back off.”
“A man can’t take a step?”
“Newsflash — you’re not a man, you’re the walking dead, and no — I like a little distance between us.”
Malachi took another step toward me. “You did say a little distance between us.” He shrugged.
Call me a witch for my evil ways, but I really did want to zap him. Now I felt as if I’d used my zapping card too early.
“Let’s get back to the main problem at hand,” I was deflecting again, and with good reason.
“Your attraction to me.”
I groaned, I sighed, and groaned again. “Well, if you’re not going to take this seriously.”
“Ouch.”
“Can we get back to the fact that muscles and seven of his friends are here to play?”
“Those odds should be fine.” He dismissed my concerns.
“Meh, maybe at another time of the month?”
“Oh, it’s that time of the month. Then eight of them is fine. They don’t know what they’re in for.”
I rolled my eyes to the ceiling and bit down on a groan of annoyance. “The time of the month when the full moon is in the sky making them twice as strong as normal. Heard about that?”
“Oh, that time of the month, I thought you meant…”
“Don’t even go there.” I snapped. The thought of talking about that time of the month with a vampire freaked me out.
“Your secret is safe with me.” He smirked, and I had the very real urge to punch him on the nose — I didn’t — but mainly because I didn’t want to break my hand.
“Maybe I should be talking to bat-boy about this; he’s a grown-up.”
“Triple ouch.”
“Away from the door.” I flicked my hand at him and motioned for him to get out of the way. Of course, he didn’t move. He looked like he had something to say, and depending on which way the wind was blowing, I wasn’t sure I wanted to hear it.
“There’s no need to leave; we can work this out.”
“We can?” I tried to sound as bored as possible, because breathless wasn’t going to work for me, and the room was starting to feel very small with him in it.
“Yes.”
“Fine.”
“Our love was meant to be…”
“That’s it! I swear…”
“Well, if I have to be a gentleman then you’re not allowed to swear.” He tossed back with glee. Teasing was fine, just not when I had conflicting emotions.
“Then I suggest you don’t come within a thousand feet of me,” I grumbled back at him.
“Is this one of those, treat them mean, keep them keen moments?”
I’m not sure if I squealed a little out loud, or if it was just in my mind, but he really was getting to me — or, maybe the fact that I couldn’t zap him was getting to me. Either way, I was in danger of going nuclear.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
~
“Step away from the crazy witch.” Moira’s voice came through the closed door, and I could have kissed her, not actually kissed, because, yuck, but she did have perfect timing once more.
“There’s always a big black cloud to rain on my Parade,” Malachi said, as he sidestepped from in front of the door, and I reached out and yanked it open. I’d never been so happy to see my sister.
“Early day, let’s go home,” I said as I grabbed Moira by the arm and dragged her down the corridor with me.
“Something he said?” Moira chuckled. I leaned into her.
“Was I doing that singing thing in my head again?” I asked.
“Kind of — yeah — you were.” She was chuckling. I don’t remember doing a singing thing in my head, but it explained her being there.
“What was I singing?”
“Rescue me.” Enough said, but obviously not for her. “Don’t worry, when you’re singing Crazy in Love, I’ll stay away.”
Sometimes, I really hated her.
~
It was just another dinner at our house. Everybody was talking over the top of everyone else around the table, arguments ensued, mother sighed multiple times, and I sort of sat back and watched it happening. I guess I saw what my mother saw, only rather than be exasperated by it; I felt both heartened and dismayed.
Ross was arguing from the point that the eight werewolves were his problem, Eileen was siding with Moira, Bat-boy was trying to keep the peace, Dad was being pragmatic, Gran was sniping at the things she didn’t agree with, and Malachi was interlacing teasing my sisters with his sarcastic remarks toward Gran and Ross.
All in all, it was a mishmash of emotions and ideas with no real plan of action at the end of it.
I noted that my mother was watching me with a certain amount of curiosity on both sides. “What?” I asked, and got a small shrug of her shoulders in return.
“You’re muted tonight,” she offered back as the others talked around and over the top of us.
“I can sense it coming,” I admitted, and the babbling around the table slowly died out as everyone turned their attention toward me. “Course, I don’t know what it is.”
“I can feel it too,” Eileen said.
“It’s like seeing the storm clouds in the distance, and you’re waiting for them to roll in above you,” Moira added.
So it wasn’t just me. That was good to know in some strange way that I couldn’t identify.
“It feels like it did the night we were waiting for news from the hospital about gramps,” Eileen said, flicking a look at Gran.
“A witch can always feel death approaching, but sometimes she doesn’t recognise that feeling,” Gran informed us, and that set a shiver to run through me.
“This is a lively conversation,” Malachi said, but even he was somewhat muted.
“Says the dead guy,” Moira offered back, flicking a quick look up at him from her plate and returning her gaze once more.
“That settles it then,” Ross said, pushing up to his feet, and I saw the set determination on his face once more. That was never a good sign. I didn’t need to read his mind to know what he was thinking, not that I could, and even if I could I probably wouldn’t want to — it’s Ross.
“Sit down, and don’t even think about it,” I said.
“It makes sense,” Ross reasoned, but it didn’t make sense to me, and it certainly wouldn’t make sense to Moira.
“The good of the many?” I tossed back at him with a flick of a look at Moira who was just catching on.
“Definitely,” Ross said.
“Not going to happen,” Malachi said, and when I tossed a look in his direction, he was staring right back at me.
My heart jumped against my ribs, and I realised just how grateful for Malachi I’d been lately. Now that was a scary thought.
“Ross,” Moira bit out. “Don’t make me use my magic to knock you the heck out.”
“Yes, you might wake up tied to the bedpost, and all that entails,” Malachi chuckled. I also didn’t realise just how much his humour really did lighten the darkest moment.
“I’m sitting right here,” Dad grumbled.
“We could change seats if that helps?” Malachi tossed back, and a muted ripple of chuckles went around the table.
“I’m good, thanks,” Dad’s dry tone even made my mother laugh.
“Sit down, Ross,” Gran said, and she had that same element of determination in her voice that matched Ross’.
With a sigh of resignation, Ross sat back down. He didn’t look happy, even shook his head from side to side for a moment, but it was for the best. Ross throwing himself on his sword wasn’t going to happen.
We were a family. We’d even adopted Nena, who was sitting quietly at the far end of the table opposite Gran. In everything but name, we were Ross’ pack, and we would act accordingly.
The eejit wasn’t going to get rid of us that easily.
~
“Can’t anybody in this family do as they’re told?” Malachi demanded as he walked across the uneven ground toward me.
No matter what had been decided around the dinner table, I still felt uneasy. The house felt cluttered, claustrophobic, and I suppose I could have escaped to my bedroom, but I preferred being outside.
I couldn’t say with my hand on my heart that I enjoyed watching the red sun setting over the ridge and the blaze across the sky that mixed with the varying shades of pink, purple, green, and blue as much as I used to, but it was a hell of a lot better than looking at four walls.
“You do know that you’re dealing with witches, right?” I chuckled when he gave me something of a frustrated look.
“I do now, thanks for the heads up, I thought I was just dealing with females,” he offered back as he came to stand beside me, and while I turned my attention back towards the sunset, he kept his eyes firmly on me. I could actually feel his gaze.
“Ah, yes, us females…”
“A species apart that are both intriguing and as frustrating as hell,” he offered, and that brought a smile to my lips.
“Being a man you wouldn’t understand us. Perhaps if we grunted more instead of using words?”
“That would be helpful, but in this instance, I would just settle for you doing as you are told.”
I turned my attention back to him and narrowed my eyes as I tried to read his expression, but of course, he was Mr Blank. So unhelpful.
“You’re debating zapping me, aren’t you?”
“I wasn’t, but thanks for the helpful suggestion.”
“Forget I said anything,” he grinned, and what a grin it was — as sexy as hell, and it made my heart skip a beat. Also unhelpful.
“Too late, you already put it out there now, how am I supposed to think of anything else?”
I liked this verbal sparring that we did, now that was helpful. Not only did it take my mind off the bad stuff and eased the tension within me, but it did truly lighten the moment.
“If you need something to take your mind off it.” He took a step toward me, and I held my ground. I didn’t feel the need to take a step back or tell him to back off, and surprisingly, it didn’t set my mind on spin cycle by asking too many questions.
I wasn’t accepting, but I didn't deny anything either.
Another small step forward had him turn to toe with me. My heart took off like a racehorse going for the win, stupid butterflies were making themselves known in my stomach, and a part of me wanted to run for the hills, while another part, a bigger part, wanted him to kiss me.
It didn’t feel like I had that with Jack. I’d felt like a schoolgirl with a crush when he got near me, but with Malachi, I felt emboldened. I might not have felt a hundred percent sure that kissing him would be the right thing to do, but it did spark a huge sense of control within me.
I know I’d been an adult for a good few years now, but I never really felt like I’d left my teenage years behind me. Maybe because I was still living under my parent's roof and rules, maybe because I didn’t want to let that carefree part of me go, and my sisters and I were always doing stupid childish things, but whatever it was Malachi touched that part of me.
He reached out one hand and palmed my cheek. The touch of his skin was surprisingly prominent within my mind; it was as if I only wanted to concentrate on that feeling. When he stroked his thumb against my skin, there was a rollercoaster dip in my stomach that coincided with a rush of excitement.
He leaned in toward me slightly, and I panicked.
“Wait,” I rushed out. I needed to think.
The man was a vampire. I had to remember that, didn’t I?
“Not this time,” he said, and he said it so quietly that my ears listened hard to pick up his words, sneaky because his lips brushed mine before my brain kicked into gear.
He was right again; waiting was overrated and entirely inappropriate in the circumstances.
My mind and body were overwhelmed with a rush of excitement, emotion, more excitement, need, want, passion, and boy did it feel good. Maybe too good.
He was so close to me that I didn’t need to take a step to get closer, but I felt like I wanted to. It felt like I couldn’t get close enough.
My brain wouldn’t shut up; it swirled with stupid girlie sentiment. Touch and sensation from all parts of my body that mattered rushed at me, and I don’t think it would have been silenced no matter what I did.
And when I leaned into that kiss; Malachi deepened it.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
~
Now I’ve been kissed, and there are good kisses, bad kisses, and kisses that you want to keep going and explore some more, but I’d never had a kiss that curled my toes before.
Go figure — a toe-curling kiss that was interrupted, not by my sister rescuing me, but by the sound of a meaty engine roaring up the dirt track drive in front of our house.
Now that’s bad timing.
Malachi and I pulled away from each other as one. It was sort of like being caught red-handed with your fingers in the cookie jar.
For one long moment, it felt strange between us, strained, awkward, and I pondered that response as we stared at each other.
“Well, that happened,” I said, for want of something else to say.
“You like me,” Malachi teased with a big beaming, smug smile that cut through the awkwardness between us and made me chuckle.
“Don’t count your chickens…” I tossed back.
“No, that would be wrong with Ross’ wolf around,” he grinned back, his dark eyes flashing with humour.
“Let’s go kill some werewolves,” I said, with an overly big dollop of pretend glee.
“Gee, that sounds like the most fun someone can have with their clothes on,” Malachi matched my mood.
But as I turned on my heels, chuckling, my mood shifted from good to awkward once more, as Jack walked up the drive toward us. I felt Malachi’s cheek against mine as he leaned in and whispered in my ear.
“Okay, tell me I can kill him now.”
“Behave,” I chuckled, but I was still shivering inside from the brush of his cheek against mine and his breath against my ear.
“I was in the area,” Jack said.
“Sightseeing?” Malachi offered in a bored tone.
“Dead sheep,” Jack tossed back.
“I was close,” Malachi said, and I chuckled again.
“We didn’t do it,” I offered back, trying to get my feet back on solid ground, and Jack smiled.
“I gathered that, but I thought I’d tell you in case it was relevant to your special situation,” he said. That was nice of him, but in truth, we already knew they were there.
“Coffee?” I asked, and heard Malachi groan.
“Thanks,” Jack nodded. I wasn’t sure if I really wanted him to accept or not, but not offering would have been rude.
I turned back toward the front door, and Malachi was standing right
there in front of me. I berated him with just a look, and he held his hands up to his chest, grunted, and moved aside.
I led them into the house and almost ran straight into Nena who was coming out of the kitchen.
“Jack, have you met Nena?” I asked.
“Yes,” they both said together. That surprised the heck out of me; it also piqued my interest.
“Nena was out sightseeing on her motorbike yesterday when we ran into each other up at the Point,” Jack said.
That raised a few more questions, like, why was Jack looking at her like she was something edible? Oh yeah, she had breasts.
“The Point?” I asked because I’d thought that threat to Jack was in the past. I could still remember my vision clearly, and it still made me shiver to my very soul.
“Dead sheep,” Jack said, and I wanted to groan. Our poor sheep were taking quite a hit lately, and not just from the tourists.
“You really like dead sheep, don’t you?” Malachi tossed out.
“You can come and help me with the coffee,” I said, grabbing Malachi by the upper arm and yanking him to toward the kitchen with me. “Jack and Nena can keep each other company in the living room.”
“Something I said?” Malachi chuckled.
“Usually,” I berated him.
More and more dead sheep bothered me so. It was like everything was pointing in one direction, and that direction was bad.
~
“About those sheep,” Jack said, tilting his head to the side and offering me a poignant look while keeping his face hidden from Nena.
“Oh, she probably knows more than you do,” I said with a wave of my hand and dismissing his worries about giving the game away in front of a stranger.
“Please tell me that she’s a witch and not a…” His gaze flicked toward Malachi.
“Well, that’s just insulting,” Nena said. “And we’d been getting on so well.”
“Oh, I didn’t mean to…” Jack turned in his seat toward her, and she snapped on a bright, teasing smile. “Oh yes, definitely a witch.”