by M. L. Briers
“Whatever gave it away,” Sydney chuckled.
“Family resemblance, and not in the physical sense,” Amos grumbled, reaching down between his legs to rub his sore spot once more…
The sound of Cane’s warning growl made everyone in the corridor jump as he appeared over Lucy’s shoulder and glared down at Amos…
“What are you doing?” His top lip curled and showed partial fangs. Amos jumped back…
“Saying hello!” Amos declared, holding up his hands at chest height.
“By rubbing yourself in front of my mate…” Cane growled like a hungry beast.
“Oh, geez, another witch, another mate,” he rolled his eyes and took two big- for him- steps back away from Lucy. “She tried to rip my balls off, good luck with that!” Amos muttered.
“You touched him?” Cane turned his nose up at the thought of it.
“Yeah,” Lucy turned to give him a deadpan look, “it thrilled me so.” She said dryly. Cane growled again and Amos shot behind me…
“Seriously?” I turned to glare down at him. “Using the pregnant woman as a shield?”
“I…” Amos had nothing so he shrugged his shoulders and tried to look, both, apologetic and helpless.
“He was lurking in the toilet,” Sydney offered…
“I wasn’t lurking, exactly,” Amos looked uncomfortable.
“Noooo?” Sydney shot back with disbelief.
“I have the craps…” Amos rushed to a lie and I snorted my contempt for him.
“Go be gone,” I shooed him away from me, just in case he was infectious.
“Don’t you mean you’re full of crap?” Scott asked as he stopped short of the group of us and propped up the wall with his shoulder, folding his arms across his chest and looking all vampire-y- just without the fangs.
“I resent that,” Amos said, tipping up his chin and trying to look all regal like. It didn’t work.
“Resent away,” Scott grinned.
“Why are you here, Amos?” I demanded and the man looked as if he was relieved that I was asking him a question instead of accusing him of something.
“I heard about the ghost,” he announced.
“And you thought you’d find it here?” Sydney snorted.
“I thought I’d find answers here,” Amos corrected her.
“And why would you need answers?” Scott put in.
“If you remember rightly it was my king that got murdered by the Banshee the last time there was trouble brewing in this town, and now I’m the king…” he had a point, I guess.
“Oh, it’s so not good to be you right now,” Scott teased him and I’m almost certain that I heard Amos whimper… I almost peed myself a little…
“Is it bad?” Amos asked, almost clenched up tightly enough to poop out a diamond.
“To be you? Yes.” Scott shot back, and that was it- I couldn’t not snigger.
“Very funny, Vampire,” Amos sneered back on a pout and a huff.
“Come on, Amos, where’s your sense of humour?” I giggled.
“Probably the same place you kicked my balls,” he grumbled back and that did it. I couldn’t hold it in a moment longer as the laughter rolled out of me like a tidal wave. “Sure, sure, it’s all funny. Kick the little guy when he’s down.” He grumbled some more.
“Tempting,” Lucifer announced and Cane chuckled as I dissolved into hysterics.
“Well, I’m glad my suffering could bring a tear to your eye, Joss,” Amos pouted.
“It’s only fair, she brought tears to yours,” Sydney shot back, and oh my side was aching with laughter.
“Well, we’ll see who has the last laugh when the ghost strikes again,” Amos announced, and that did it, Scott had him by the throat up against the wall with his legs dangling, before I could properly catch my breath…
“Is that a threat?” Scott showed his fangs as Cane growled, and then there was Hawk, all male, all manly like, and all growly too… Geez, all we needed was Doug and we’d have a full hand…
I shouldn’t have thought it!
“What the hell is going on here then?” Doug growled out, taking it all in. “What’s that little shit been up to now?” He added another growl for the fun of it.
CHAPTER EIGHT
~
“Oh good,” Scott turned to look at Doug, “the carebear’s arrived.”
“Ohhhh,” I groaned as Doug blustered, red cheeks and all…
“I’ve just about had enough of you ghoul,” Doug growled.
“Wanna take it outside, carebear? Or do you need your mother’s permission?” Scott tossed back, and Doug took a step, just the one before I zapped him…
“Jesussssss, Josssss,” he growled out until I snapped my magic back away from him. He lifted an accusing finger as he bit down on the remnants of pain still flowing through him, “he started it!” he bit out in disbelief.
“And I’m finishing it,” I assured them all. “Playtime is over because nobody can seem to manage to play nicely with each other.”
“Alpha men will be alpha men… unfortunately,” my mother had to add her two pence worth. I hadn’t even known she was here, how unlike mother to be that quiet… she must have been devouring a small child somewhere.
“Look,” I started as people started to growl again, “we’re all here for answers. Can we just play nicely until we find them, or do we want to wait until the body count goes up?” I made my voice as high pitched as I could for the benefit of all of those with sensitive ears.
Silence reigned supreme. Yea!
“Good!” I brightened my tone and dropped it a few decibels now that everyone had fallen in line.
“Does anyone have any idea what we’re looking for?” Doug asked, with much less of a growl in his voice.
“Not you,” Scott shot back, and mother zapped him before I could- stealing my thunder and making me bite down on the urge to zap the next person that dared to utter a sarcastic word.
“Thanks, mum,” Scott offered her a smirk and she groaned.
“I’m old, but I’m not that old,” she snapped back.
“Not that well preserved either,” Lucifer ground out, and I so wanted to zap her, but I just couldn’t bring myself to do it- I so hated baby brain, now my sister was stealing my thunder too.
“Can I get down now?” Amos breathed past the hand at his throat. Scott turned to look at him, as if he’d forgotten he was there.
“Not just yet,” Scott said, and I could see that he was trying to remember exactly why he had a death grip on the Goblin.
“You were threatening people,” I helped Scott out and saw him frown slightly, as if he didn’t want to acknowledge that he hadn’t a clue.
“I was not!” Amos protested. “I was stating a fact.”
“No, you were gloating, so spit it out and tells us what you know,” Scott seemed to have caught up again- bless him, he was old.
“I know nothing!” Amos declared.
“You really think he has the brains to know anything?” Doug growled.
“What he said…” Amos pointed towards the big man, and Scott let go, literally, dropping Amos to his feet.
“Probably not.” Scott dusted off his hands.
“But if I could, I’d send the ghost after him,” Amos pointed at Doug and the big man growled again, this time it sounded a lot angrier and a lot hungrier.
“Oh behave yourself,” Mother snapped at Doug before I could.
“What’d I do?” He asked in his usual red faced, innocent, angry way and mother snorted at him.
“I’ve only been in this town five minutes, but I could come up with a shopping list of things,” she shut him down in a heartbeat.
“So where’d the ghost come from- one of Marmaduke’s artefacts?” Amos asked and we all stayed silent. “Oh come on, I have a right to know.”
“And when we figure it out I’m sure we’ll share, eventually,” Scott offered back.
“Maybe the ghost is this Marmaduke, getting
his revenge,” mother offered.
“That’s not totally out of the box,” Scott shrugged a shoulder.
“What revenge? The one who killed him is dead already,” Doug snorted.
“Yes, but did he like you, Doug?” I couldn’t help it- it was always good to see a grown alpha male turn a whiter shade of scared. He swallowed hard.
“He didn’t not like me,” Doug shrugged a shoulder.
“That’d be a no then,” Lucifer put in.
“But why would he go after one of King’s pride when he had Doug to kill?” I heard the big man’s neck snap as he tossed his head around on his neck to glare at me.
“Could we all stop talking about me as if I was a dead man walking?” Doug growled.
“Dead bear,” Lucifer offered.
“That too,” he sneered.
“No,” she sighed, “You could very well be the next victim.”
“Oh for the love of…” Doug started and I headed him off at the pass. I for one didn’t want to hear another rant from the man. Anymore of it and my pup’s first word would probably be of the not-very-nice variety.
“Look, nobody said the ghost was going to strike again, and nobody said it was Marmaduke, or from his artefacts. At this point, it’s all conjecture.” I assured everyone present- except Doug who snorted.
“What are the bloody odds?” He muttered.
“Not in your favour, apparently,” Scott tossed at him, and Doug eyed the ceiling as he tried to rein in his temper.
“I have better things to do than stand here and listen to this,” Doug started for the corridor.
“Be careful Marmaduke isn’t roaming around,” Sydney offered and the big man pulled up short. He turned to look at me on a deep frown of uncertainly.
“Oh my Goddess,” I exclaimed and saw him grimace, “do you want me to escort you to the damn door?”
“No!” Doug spat out. Pulling himself to his full height and puffing out like a damn peacock in a show of his manliness, but his feet didn’t move. “Actually…” he started and Lucifer roared with laughter.
“Gotta love an alpha bear!” she chuckled.
“Fine!” Doug growled; finally putting one foot in front of the other and starting off down the corridor…
“Watch the turn at the bottom…” Sydney called and Doug growled long and hard, but he did sort of poke his head around the corner before disappearing.
“Hoolllyy!” Doug’s startled cry was closely followed by the sound of his feet running back in our direction. His face had definitely turned white- just like a… “Ghost!” Doug bit out.
CHAPTER NINE
~
There he was- Marmaduke, all deathly white and drawn, and coming up the corridor in a slow walk behind Doug.
“Shouldn’t it be floating?” Scott leaned in and asked me.
“I have no idea,” I admitted.
“I’ve been called a lot of things,” the old man croaked out, “but never that.”
“You- you’re dead,” Doug bit out as he came to stand behind Sydney, practically nudging her forward with his elbow.
“Guess I didn’t get the missive,” he grunted.
“Don’t push,” she hissed back at him.
“You’re the witch, do witchy stuff and make him disappear,” Doug growled.
“That’ll work,” the old man bit out with a smile that drew on his sagging skin and his eyes locked onto mine. “And you must be- Joss.”
“Not a ghost then,” I offered back, knowing the difference between Marmaduke and his twin brother, even though I’d never met him before. It was all in the eyes- this man had brown eyes, Marmaduke didn’t.
“Of course he’s a bloody ghost!” Doug growled, lifting his hand and pointing at the man, “unless he’s done a Jesus Ch-”
My mother helpfully elbowed him in the ribs and he clamped down on his words as the pain bit through him.
“Man up, Winnie the Pooh,” mother scolded him.
“And you must be Reginald,” I offered back, feeling the sense of loss that I’d felt at Marmaduke’s passing all over again. This man might have looked like a carbon copy, except for the eye colour, but he wasn’t my friend.
“Reginald!” Doug exclaimed and the old man turned his eyes on him.
“Yes?” he gave him an innocent, expectant look.
“I wasn’t…” Doug shook his head.
“Oh,” the old man did his best to look disappointed, but he had that twinkle in his eye that Marmaduke used to get when he was pulling a fast one. I just might like this man.
“Timing is everything,” I offered to Reginald and the man turned those eyes on me.
“Isn’t it though,” he offered as if he had a secret to share, and I kind of wished that he’d get to it.
“And?” Sydney was done waiting too.
“And what?” Reginald asked, but I felt as if he was pulling a Marmaduke again- I think this man was as sharp as a tack when he wanted to be.
“And why are you here?” Hawk asked- patience wasn’t anyone’s strong suit.
“Oh yes, why indeed,” Reginald was playing it for all he was worth. “Well, you see. I felt my brother’s passing, being his twin and all, and I’d meant to come sooner, but I was in the middle of concocting a spell of my own that was very delicate- you understand?” he looked to me and I shrugged happily.
“Sure,” I nodded and his eyes flashed with a glint of amusement again.
“Then I felt my brother once more…” Reginald started and Doug growled.
“So the old bastard is back,” he exclaimed and my mother elbowed him so hard that he doubled over on himself in pain.
“Don’t speak ill of the dead,” she hissed.
“Indeed,” Reginald agreed, “even if he did deserve it at times.” He snorted a chuckle.
“And?” Sydney was waiting for the punchline.
“I suppose I thought I’d come and see what business he had that was unfinished,” Reginald informed her.
“Sounds…” Lucifer went to put her two pence in.
“Plausible,” I snapped and she tossed me a frosty stare.
“That too,” she turned on her pointy heels and stalked away. Good. One down, and a handful to go.
“And of course, there’s the little matter of the book,” Reginald got to the nitty-gritty of the matter.
“Of course- the book,” Scott bit out; tossing me a look.
“It’s gone,” I informed him as I dragged my shields closely around my body, feeling the touch of his magic reaching out to me.
“Gone, you say?” he asked and I nodded.
“I have no idea where it is,” and that was the truth and I was glad of it, because this old man seemed wily to say the least, and his magic felt strong. He snapped it back.
“Oh well, I’m sure it will turn up,” he sighed.
“We can only hope,” I offered back.
“Well, I’ve had a long journey,” Reginald declared and nobody moved a muscle.
Nobody, including myself, knew exactly what to do about it. Were we just supposed to abandon ship and leave Reginald with all of Marmaduke’s things? He was his brother- so technically, I guessed they were his things now.
“What about the ghost?” Amos asked, and to tell the truth, I’d practically forgotten the damn thing. I’m so not loving baby brain.
“I’m sure Marmaduke will come to me at some point or another,” Reginald said and Doug cleared his throat.
“Right then, I’ll let you get on with it,” he stepped around Sydney and started back down the corridor, sidestepping Reginald as the old wizard moved aside for him to pass.
“And he’s off,” Scott declared.
“Again,” Sydney added, and I’m not sure which one was the biggest influence on the other.
“I have a shop to run,” Doug growled back over his shoulder.
“Or a funeral to get to.” Scott chuckled.
“You’d know all about that,” Doug growled back before disap
pearing around the corner again.
“Well, we should allow you some time alone,” I announced and everyone looked disappointed. All except for Amos who was itching to follow Doug, and he did, practically scooting down the corridor after him.
“Nice to err, yes!” Amos tossed behind him.
“Maybe you’ll stop by for a cup of tea, Joss,” Reginald threw out the invite and I opened my mouth to answer him but Hawk was by my side in a heartbeat.
“She’s busy,” he declared, and I frowned.
“Doing what?” I bit out.
“I need your help,” he lied and everyone knew it. I rolled my eyes back to Reginald.
“Love too,” I informed him to a low, deep growl from my mate.
“And your mate is welcome too,” Reginald chuckled, and in that moment he did remind me of his brother.
“See,” I slapped my palm against Hawk’s chest, “take a chill pill.” I hissed and he grunted. The man was just too protective by half.
~
~
~
“On the bright side, I guess we don’t need to go through Marmaduke’s stuff and box it up anymore.” Scott leaned back in his chair at my kitchen table and looked a lot more relaxed about the turn of events than I felt.
“That still doesn’t help us with the ghost problem,” Sydney shrugged.
“Perhaps Reginald can solve that problem for us, it is his brother,” Lucifer’s eyes snapped towards Cane as he edged a step closer to her. She scowled at him; making him hold in place.
“What?” Cane tried to look as innocent as possible, but it wasn’t working for him.
What was working for me was finishing up all of the leftovers that my greedy family hadn’t eaten. I wasn’t quite sure why everyone kept ending up at my house- Scott’s place was so much bigger, but here they all were, crowded into the kitchen…
“Back… away,” Lucy narrowed her eyes on her mate, but Cane only grinned back at her.
“I’m an alpha baby. I never run away from a fight,” he informed her.
“Wait til you see her without makeup in the morning,” Sydney muttered for all to hear, and I wished I’d gotten there first. Lucy’s head practically snapped around like a viper ready to attack.