by M. L. Briers
“Mine…” Sam growled.
His eyes locked with hers and he saw that one moment when her eyes snapped wide, her jaw dropped with disbelief, and her mind whirled …
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
~
“Oh the hell I am!” Jasmine took three quick steps back from him. “Gran! Do something!” Jasmine yelled and both shifters winced at the shrillness of her voice.
Caroline placed her cup down on the counter top in front of her and lifted her hands … you could have heard a pin drop in the deafening silence of the room as all eyes turned towards the matriarch.
Then she slowly started to clap…
“Gran?” Jasmine asked in disbelief.
“Congratulations honey, it’s a wolf.” Caroline offered back dryly, causing her granddaughter to roll her eyes within her head.
Jasmine stalked back across the kitchen and out of the room. Muttered curses were splattered out from her lips with every step that she took.
“Do you practice the dark arts?” Jared asked his mate as he craned his head forward on his neck and scowled at her.
“I do now.” Caroline offered back as her eyes took in the beta as he followed on his mate’s heels.
“Suits your nature…” Jared grumbled.
~
~
~
“You know I said I’ve got another fist…?” Meredith bit out as she tried to fight the excitement that raged through her body.
If just being in his arms and being sniffed by the man could cause such a meltdown within her, she didn’t want to think what would happen if he decided to try to take it further than that.
“Yep,” Wade offered back against her ear. His hot breath made a shiver race her spine and she fought it … and lost.
“Well I’ve got two knees…” she tried to bring one knee up into his groin, but the man was faster than she was. In a heartbeat; he’d tipped her backwards, one hand against the small of her back, his lower body pressed against hers, and the rest of him curled over her…
“I’m great on the dance floor,” he lied, but he had dipped like he’d seen couples do in the movies.
“Let me up or you’ll be doing it with a limp…” Meredith scowled at him.
“You tried to maim me already…” he gave a low, gentle growl that rumbled through his chest and felt awkwardly good against her hard nipples, much to her annoyance…
“I plan on succeeding the next time,” Meredith assured him.
“But this time it didn’t work out so well…” he teased, and it was right there within his eyes as he stared at her, as if he was trying to read her very soul.
“I can zap you…” Meredith warned him.
“Cut your nose off to spit your face?” Wade asked.
He made a point of flicking his eyes to the ground and back to hers. She did the same, and then he could see the cogs turning there – deciding how far down she would actually drop if he let her go, and if it was worth the pain to do it…
“I live with my mother … I think I’ve already lost my damn nose.” She offered back to him. Her tone was dripping with sarcasm.
Wade’s lips started to spread in the slowest, sexiest smile yet. Those dark eyes continued to stare back at her, but they were filled with amusement and she couldn’t quite find it within her to look away.
“Not anymore,” he offered and watched her blink. One big blink that said his words had registered within her brain and rung some alarm bells for her that she hadn’t got around to thinking about…
“Oh, no…” She bit out, somewhat exasperated by the thought of it. “I’m not moving in with…”
She stopped talking the moment that his eyebrows started to slowly lift towards his hairline.
If I’ve finally gotten rid of my mother to her mate there is no way in hell that I’m replacing one insanity for another one!
When do I get my alone time?
My peace … my quiet … my Sunday in pyjamas reading a good book on the sofa … my TV remote control …
Damn it, fate! You can not do this to me!
“I think fate has other ideas for you, Meredith…” Wade had watched her face and the emotions that flashed up different expressions. He couldn’t track them all, but he thought he’d gotten the gist of it.
“Well, fate can kiss my backside, and so can you for that matter.” She bit out.
“I’d like nothing better…” he gave her a wolfish grin, and without thinking – she let him have it – zapped him good and hard…
Wade tried his damndest to hold his body in place as every one of his muscles locked up tightly from head to toe and burned like hell…
He was fighting a losing battle. His body was already tipped forwards and halfway to the ground, because he still had her dipped, and adding the extra weight in his arms that already skewed his balance, and he was going down … the trouble was, he was taking her with him…
~
~
~
“Now don’t go getting all sour-puss on me…” Sam said as he followed his mate back through the house towards the front door.
“I’m not sticking around here a moment longer just to watch my Gran and that geriatric lothario going at it. Not to mention you claiming to be my mate…”
Jasmine stalked towards the front door and again, a moment before she got the chance to wrap her hand around the handle – so he was there in front of her; his back to the door and his eyes locked on hers.
“I hardly think Jared is a lothario, and I’m not claiming to be your mate … I am your mate!” Sam assured her.
Jasmine folded her arms across her chest and tapped her foot against the wooden floorboards as she chewed an imaginary wasp and thought that one through.
“It’s not …” she dropped her arms and scowled back at him, before she stopped and bit down once more. Then she tossed up a frustrated hand. “I’m not even supposed to be here!”
“Fate says differently,” Sam shrugged.
“Oh, that’s the best you’ve got?” She asked. Her eyebrows travelling upwards.
“Pretty much,” he said calmly as he eyed her for a long moment.
“You don’t think this is a little bit too convenient?” She tipped her head to one side and questioned him with an expectant look.
“I don’t get your meaning…”
“First my Gran and then me?”
“I’m guessing that the third witch is…?” he dipped his chin and raised his eyebrows…
“My … mother … where is she…?” Jasmine suddenly rushed to the realisation that she hadn’t seen her mother in a while…
“She’s … err … with Wade.”
“The alpha?” Jasmine frowned.
“Her … mate…”
“Mate!” Jasmine choked out…
“Are you…?”
“Quite frankly … I do not want to talk to you right now…” Jasmine turned on her heels and stalked back towards the kitchen.
She heard her Grandmother’s subtle chuckle and knew that woman was up to her evil deeds once more, and turned away, almost running into the beta’s chest.
“Will you stop following me?” Jasmine bit out.
“Kind of … nope,” Sam offered back. “You seem a little … irate…”
“Irate?” Jasmine snorted. “This isn’t irate…”
“Irrational … it’s definitely irrationality that…”
“Big word,” Jasmine tossed her hands onto her hips. “Someone get you word toilet paper?”
“That’s a little harsh,” Sam offered with a shrug off his shoulders. “Just because I’m a shifter you assume…”
“Brawn over brains … yeah!” She snapped back on a nod, a small flicker of amusement in her eyes.
“And should I assume that you live in a gingerbread house in the woods?” he offered back.
Jasmine gasped and then her lower jaw dropped open in disbelief. She couldn’t believe that the man claiming to be her mate had just said
that.
Jerk!
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
~
“Hey! I didn’t say you went around biting the heads off small children, did I?” Jasmine hissed back.
“You just did,” Sam offered and watched in amusement as she snapped her head back on her neck and shot him a very convincing version of the evil eye.
“Maybe rabbits and Bambi…” she shrugged as she turned away, chatting to herself and starting for the front door again.
“While I never like to intrude in someone’s personal conversations … especially when someone’s having it with themselves…” he started and she spun back towards him on a scowl. “But where are you going – or is this just some agoraphobic attempt at an exercise regime?”
“Oh! Another big word and he made a funny!” She exclaimed, her eyes widening to saucers as she glared up at him.
“I’m actually pretty serious…” he shrugged.
“Me too. Here…” she offered him the middle finger before she started for the front door with the beta was still on her heels…
“I usually don’t partake … but if you want to stick that finger…”
“You are starting to bug me…” She spun back at him again. “Can’t you go sit somewhere and lick your balls or something?”
“Ouch!” Sam bit out. “I’m really not that bendy.”
“I …” she started and then stopped.
She needed to find her mother and sort this whole mess out. Surely, the beta was wrong about her being a mate to an alpha…
Three mates in one family?
And it wasn’t even April Fools Day!
Just damn spring…
What was this some kind of spring fever that had infected everyone?
“Look it you tell me where you’re going…”
“I want my mother!” Jasmine shot back and Sam twisted his head on his neck and frowned.
“Are you going to cry, because your mum already made the alpha cry…”
“She what?” That piqued her interest.
“Yeah, she punched him or … something…”
“He cried?” Jasmine gave him a sideways look as she questioned his sanity.
“Real tears and everything.” He shrugged.
“Wow … way to go mum. Perhaps in need to take a leaf out of her book.”
Jasmine took a long moment to consider what that had looked like. She had a grin on her face and Sam got the distinct impression that maybe he shouldn’t have shared that with her… she seemed a little too gleeful.
“Don’t get any ideas.” Sam scowled and watched as she folded her arms and lifted her chin in defiance. Mischief played in her eyes…
“Scared?” She asked.
“I wouldn’t say scared…” he offered back.
“Nervous?”
“Of a witch?” He gave a slow nod. “As I said; this isn’t just a pretty face.”
~
~
~
“While I’d love to spend more time scenting you – night’s falling and we need to get back.” Wade offered down to Meredith.
He wasn’t lying. He’d taken her scent to show her that he could and because his beast was clawing within him to do it, but for right now the fun and games were over.
“You cry at a punch and now you’re scared of the dark, alpha?” Meredith asked with a smirk of amusement.
“It’s a full moon on the mountain tonight.” Wade offered back.
“It’s a full moon everywhere tonight…” she offered back.
Wade twisted his head on his neck and narrowed his eyes on her.
“You don’t know, do you?” Wade said.
“That you get stronger on a full moon…? Sure…”
“That there are werewolves around these parts.” Wade said in disbelief.
“I’m going to kill my mother!” Meredith grumbled.
“You came to the mountains without checking out what’s up here?” Wade said with a lot of disbelief in his tone, and berated her with just a look…
“I wasn’t supposed to be coming to the mountains at all!” She grumbled back. “This trip was all my mother…”
“Still…” Wade turned towards home and kept an arm around her waist as he kept his step slow enough for her to keep up with him.
“Werewolves and Lycans … wonderful. What next…?” She grumbled…
“Wade…” The vampire stepped out into the open space of the track from inside the cover of the trees and Meredith balked at the sight of him … lifting her hands to blast him with her magic, before the alpha knocked her arms down…
“I had to ask.”
“He’s with us.” The alpha assured her…
“Define us,” She hissed back, eyeing the nightwalker with contempt.
“Me. This pack. Ergo; you too.” Wade said, not slowing in his step as he swept her by the vampire and she twisted her head around on her neck to eye the bloodsucker as they carried on down the path.
“Oh, he’s not with me…” she scoffed at the thought of joining forces with a damn vampire.
It was never going to happen in her life time.
“Trust me, you’ll be glad that he’s on our side. The mutts in these parts have been growing in numbers over the last year…” Wade said and she whipped her head back around to stare up at him…
“They’re turning people?” She couldn’t believe that.
“Lots of…” The vampire, Travis, offered as he followed behind them at a reasonable distance so as not to make the alpha’s wolf too antsy about his presence.
“Travis and I have been tracking the alpha…” Wade said and she frowned.
“Who’s Travis?”
“Guilty.” The vampire offered.
“You’re name’s Travis? What the hell kind of name is that for a vampire?” she snorted.
“We can’t all be called Dracula and I hear Edward was taken.” He offered back dryly.
“But … Travis?”
“It’s vampire for Dracula, there, make you feel better?” He gave a dramatic sigh.
“No, not really.” She offered back, deadpan, as she flicked her eyes back towards him. “So, you’re trying to kill the alpha?” She turned her attention back towards Wade.
“Legend has it that you can free a werewolf from his curse if you kill the alpha.” Travis offered.
“That’s not…” she shook her head.
“Not what?” Wade asked.
“That’s vampire, not a werewolf.” She offered back in disbelief.
“That doesn’t work for a vampire … it’s a myth. Like crosses, garlic, Holy water, mirrors…” Travis offered back.
“Neither for a werewolf.” She shot him glare.
“So, we’ve been wasting our time?” Wade growled.
“It’s not a waste of time if he’s preoccupied with us instead of making new werewolves.” Travis argued.
“That’s true,” Meredith offered.
“Meh,” Wade shrugged. “I could have been killing the mutts off every full moon rather than worrying about just one of them.”
“The question has to be why is he making new werewolves when that could bring a lot of attention this way?” Meredith offered.
“That’s the easy part. He wants our land. He’s trying to drive us out by bringing attention, hoping we’ll cave and leave before we’re discovered.” Wade offered back.
“Risky…” she shrugged.
“Getting riskier considering spring is here and the tourists will be coming back to the mountain real soon,” Wade said.
“Tourists or tasty snacks…” Travis offered and Meredith’s head spun around and she glared at him. “Too soon in our burgeoning relationship?”
“Relationship?” Meredith almost choked on that thought. “You know my mother is going to freak when she sees him, right?” Meredith whispered to the alpha.
“Your … mother?” Wade grimaced.
“Why are you whispering?” Travis asked. “Didn’t want
to hurt my feelings?” He hissed out a loud whisper.
“You have feelings?” Meredith tossed him another glare.
“Not so as you’d notice, no.” Travis offered back.
“Sure he does. He’s a sweetheart, aren’t you, Travis?” Wade grinned and the vampire grunted.
“Just because I prefer to kill mutts and not you…” Travis offered back.
“Yeah, he’s a real sweetheart. My mother’s going to fall over herself to like him.” Meredith bit out on a grimace.
~
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~
Jasmine finally wrapped her hand around the handle of the front door and yanked it open. Her eyes widened and she let out a shriek of surprise that a banshee would have been proud of as she came face to chest with Travis…
She slammed the door shut in his face as Sam’s hands came down on her upper arms from behind and she screeched out again in surprise.
“Blood sucking zombie monster!” Jasmine exclaimed. “Don’t open it!” She tried to sidestep the front door, but Sam held her firmly in front of him…
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
~
“It’s fine…” Sam leaned down and whispered against her ear, even as she still tried to pull away…
“It’s just Travis!” Meredith called from outside.
Jasmine gasped at the thought of her mother out there with a vampire on the loose and wrenched the door back open with her magic … the vampire was standing at the threshold with a peculiar look upon his face…
“Your mother looks good for her age,” Travis offered with a blank expression as the younger witch glared at him with equal amounts of suspicion and the evil eye.
“He’s not coming in!” Jasmine shook her head.
“Oh, but I think I am…” Travis’s eyes lit up with glee at the sight of the witch in a tizzy.
“Vampire’s are supposed to stay out of the house,” Jasmine bit out, shooing him back from the threshold – while Sam growled at the scent of fear in the air that was coming from his mate.