by M. L. Briers
“Funny – I thought that was dogs … or was it the wolf at the door?”
Both the beta and the alpha growled a long hard warning to him.
“Yep, I’m right – it’s dogs.” Travis corrected himself – still offering her the same amount of glee that he was showing before. “So, can I come in?” he teased.
“No!” Jasmine shrieked.
“He’s already been invited,” Sam whispered against her ear.
“Why would you do that?” Jasmine said, shaking the beta’s hands off her and stepping sideways away from the door…
“Nervous of little old me – I wonder why?” Travis teased as he lifted his foot and her eyes snapped downwards to watch him slowly push it over the threshold … she muttered something even he couldn’t hear… “Didn’t catch that.”
“Because you’re a blood sucking leech zombie,” Jasmine hissed back.
“I have more life in me than a zombie.”
“Still dead.” She batted back to him.
“Well, yes, you have me there.” He gave a small shrug off his shoulders as he stepped into the house, and Jasmine narrowed her eyes on him with suspicion.
“I don’t want ya!” She ground out as she continued to back up into the room. The closer the vampire got into the house the further that she backed away.
“Leave her alone,” Sam ground out as he stalked towards his mate and put his body between her and Travis.
“Oh, do I hear the sound of tiny paws in the near future?” Travis grinned and Jasmine hissed back at him like a coiled snake.
“That’s the sound of you walking back to your coffin in the cemetery where you belong,” Jasmine grumbled.
“Not a very friendly one, is she?” Travis said.
“Oh good – death arrived,” Jared said as he followed his mate out of the kitchen.
Caroline didn’t stop to ask questions. She raised her hands and shot the vampire backwards across the room with her magic … Meredith was yanked sideways out of the way by the alpha as Travis shot on by, like a human cannonball … he hit the wall with a loud thud.
“I take it back…” Travis rolled his eyes in his head. “She’s as friendly as hell compared to Grandma.” He bit out, pulling his body back up to his full height and straightened his clothes.
“Out or ill turn you to ash where you stand,” Caroline warned him.
“Trust me…” he started.
“Not as far as I can throw you,” Caroline bit back.
“You’ve got bigger problems than me out there,” Travis delivered the news that made the matriarch snap a look to Meredith.
“What’s he talking about?” Caroline demanded of her daughter.
“Werewolves,” Meredith muttered.
“What?” Caroline said, narrowing her eyes on Meredith’s lips and leaning her head forward to try to hear what she was saying.
“Werewolves!” Jasmine shrieked. “Are you freaking kidding me?” she turned to look at her Grandmother … “What were you thinking?”
“How was I supposed to know?” Caroline shot back with a helpless shrug.
“Well you did book the holiday!” Meredith was on her daughter’s side on this one.
“Yes, but it’s not like they say on the website, come see the glorious mountains, and if you don’t get sucked to a prune by the vampire then the werewolves might get you!” Caroline looked at Meredith as if she’d just grown another head.
“I feel unwanted.” Travis offered.
“You know where the door is, you just walked through it,” Jasmine snapped.
“How many of these mean spirited creatures do you have – exactly?” Travis turned his attention back to Wade.
“Three of them – two mates…”
“I count three mates.” Travis corrected him and Wade’s eyes snapped towards Jasmine and Sam…
“Three…” Wade grumbled.
One witch was bad enough, then he’d discovered his mate, and he’d resigned himself to two – now it was three – he hoped they didn’t have any more relatives that might pay a damn visit.
“Don’t sound too happy about it,” Meredith shot him a glare over her shoulder.
“It’s not you it’s me…” Wade offered back and she snorted.
“Don’t worry about me, I’m going home…” Jasmine grumbled until she heard the low growl from her mate. She tossed him the look of a she-demon and he scowled back. “Oh and you can cut that the heck out.” She berated him…
“You’re not leaving…” Sam growled.
“Nobody is. Darkness is coming and with it the full moon. Safest place to be is here.” Travis noted the looks that passed between the witches.
“What’s he talking about? Has he not seen the walls of windows?” Jasmine offered back.
“They try not to encroach too far onto our lands just yet…” Wade offered back. “But the more of them that there are the bolder they become.”
“Why don’t you just kill them?” Caroline offered back.
“Now why didn’t we think of that?” Travis offered the woman a smug smile and she offered him the evil eye.
“They think if they kill the alpha they’ll free the others from the bite,” Meredith shrugged.
“It doesn’t work like that,” Caroline frowned.
“That’s what I said,” Meredith agreed.
“What can cure them?” Wade asked.
“Once they’ve been through their first full moon to morning – nothing. He could turn them all into vampires, but that’s not really much better, now is it?” Caroline scowled at Travis.
“What about one who hasn’t been through the full moon phase yet?” Travis asked.
“His blood or kill the alpha,” Caroline nodded towards the vampire.
“So we can’t save everybody, but if we can catch her…” Wade offered to Travis.
“We won’t have to kill her.” Travis nodded – lost in thought.
“Her who?” Meredith asked.
“A friend’s daughter,” Travis offered back. “She was bitten on the last full moon and she’s been missing since.”
“The alpha would probably want to keep her close until she’s gone through the full transformation.” Caroline said.
“So, we’re back to hunting the alpha again.” Wade growled.
“But this time we can kill those that are protecting him.” Travis shrugged. “Rescue the girl, kill the mutts, save the day.” He nodded. “I like that idea.”
“I’m sure it’s the killing part you enjoy the most,” Jasmine scowled at him.
“Well yes, there’s that … does that make me a bad person?” He grinned.
“Yes,” Meredith offered with a quick look to Wade, and the alpha grinned, remembering their earlier talk.
“I can live with that.” Travis offered. “I’ll tell the bears to start killing, they’re hunting on the other side of the mountain tonight.”
“Bears?” Meredith said in disbelief.
“There’s are bears too? Geez, Gran – are we going to find a troll under the bridge?” Jasmine scowled.
“There’s a bridge?” Caroline asked, trying to pass it off as a senior moment.
She saw the look in Jared’s eyes as they narrowed on her and she quickly looked away.
She knew that she needed some new material because from the way that he looked at her; she wasn’t going to get a lot by that old buzzard.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
~
“Now I have all of your family in my pack…” Jared said, wiggling his eyebrows at Caroline and looking decidedly wolfish.
“Not yet you don’t,” Caroline craned her head forward and admonished him. “And what’s with the eyebrows – it looks like someone’s pulling your damn strings.”
“Come on, Caroline, at least tell me that you’re considering me as your mate…”
“Throw the dog a bone?” She raised her eyebrows back at him and watched as he cracked a smile.
Yes, there’s cert
ainly something about this damn man that makes my toes curl!
Oh to be twenty years younger … maybe thirty … if I’m thinking like that then go the whole hog and say I want to be twenty again.
“Woof,” he offered back and she couldn’t help the smile that touched her lips.
His eyes were sparkling with amusement – and she could insult him all she liked, but he didn’t seem so gruff anymore.
Oh, just tell him I’m thinking about it … what can it hurt?
Make the old buzzard’s day – or not – as the case might be.
I can’t just leave him hanging, not at his age, what if he dropped down dead?
“I’ll get back to you when I’ve scheduled the full frontal lobotomy…” Caroline sighed inwardly.
Well, Rome wasn’t built in a day. I just need to work on my people skills a little…
“Sounds good, and I’m a step away from old timers, so we’ll never have to do the awkward speaking thing again…” he grumbled as he stalked towards the rocking chair in the corner and dropped his backside down against the wood.
Wonderful, now I feel guilty. I never feel guilty. Guilty is for those around me, not me…
Old coot!
“Mum, can you not make the elder cry?” Meredith offered on a whisper as she stood beside her mother and folded her arms across her chest.
“I don’t know … can I?” Caroline tossed back.
“Like you made the alpha cry?” Sam offered and the low, deep warning growl came from the alpha and filled the room with a low level vibration. “Just saying…”
“You made the alpha cry?” Caroline craned her head back on her neck and scowled at her daughter…
“There were tears…” Meredith nodded.
“I was not…” Wade started, but Caroline tossed her head back on her neck and burst out laughing… “Ah, Geez…”
“I’m so happy for you…” Caroline offered on a hearty chuckle.
“Probably tears of joy at finding his mate.” Jared grumbled pulling a sour face.
“And I’m supposed to be happy to spend the rest of my life with you?” Caroline snorted her contempt for him. The guilt that she’d felt a few moments earlier flying on fast wings right out of the door.
“Is this how elder’s woo?” Travis asked Wade and the alpha shook his head in dismay.
“I have no idea,” he admitted.
“I think it’s kind of sweet,” Jasmine announced, and heads turned in her direction. “Well, everyone has their own way, their own personality, their own kind of…” She stopped when she noticed the beta grinning at her. She scowled back at him.
“Keep going…” Sam grinned.
“Not you though. You couldn’t woo if your life depended on it.” She crossed her arms and looked anywhere but at him.
“Challenge accepted.” Sam offered back with a long, deep growl as his beast agreed.
“Whoops…” The vampire chuckled and she cut him a dark glare.
“Did your parenting not include teaching your daughter how not to challenge a wolf?” Caroline offered her daughter and Meredith opened her mouth to reply when Jasmine piped up…
“I did not challenge you!” She snapped at her mate.
“Did too,” the vampire said.
“Did not!” She snapped back.
“Yep, you did,” Sam assured her and Jasmine let out a small squeal of annoyance, she looked to her mother…
“You kind of did…” Meredith said and Jasmine gasped in disbelief.
“My own mother!” She turned on her heels and stormed away, leaving the others to chuckle while her mate took off after her.
“That’ll end well,” Meredith grumbled.
“That’ll end in a mating…” Wade assured her and she frowned.
“They’re young…” Meredith shrugged just one shoulder…
“And what are we?” Wade asked.
“Well, she’s rushing headlong into menopause, and you’re an alpha – enough said there,” Caroline offered as she started towards the sofa to rest her legs a little…
“What she said – although, I would have left out the part about the menopause…” Meredith confessed.
“I’ll get there before you…” Caroline offered…
“From which direction?” Jared grumbled. “Didn’t know witches could turn back time…”
Caroline’s mouth opened in a silent gasp of disbelief, and then she zapped the old man a good one … Jared bit down on the pain of every muscle locking up, and when she pulled back on her magic; the man grunted in annoyance…
“That’s a waste of a perfectly good stiffy…” he offered back to his mate and her eyes widened in disbelief.
“You are just so…” she grumbled, but the sound of the vampire tossing his head back on his neck and cracking up with uncontrollable laughter left her glaring back at her mate instead.
“Maybe we should leave them too it…” Wade said, as he motioned for Meredith to go ahead of him out of the room, and she scowled back at her mother…
“I’ll chaperone!” Travis announced. “This is way too funny to miss…”
“Travis…” Wade growled.
“No, seriously – like can we not go hunting the mutts this full moon – take a cycle off? I wanna stay here with them.” He chuckled.
“Of for pity sake; someone stake him…” Caroline grumbled.
“That’s the first sensible thing you’ve said all day,” Jared grumbled.
“Well, what do you expect, I’ve been talking to you – if it looks like an idiot, talks like an idiot, acts like an idiot – speak idiot to it.” She shot back and Travis cracked up again.
“They are golden…” The vampire chuckled.
“Travis, just…” Meredith shook her head.
“I love your mother – can I keep her?” The vampire asked and Meredith opened her mouth to speak, but Jared got there first…
“Please – take her – she’s yours.” The elder grumbled.
“Certainly not yours.” Caroline shot back with a snort of contempt for the man.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
~
“And that’s where your journey ends…” Sam got in front of Jasmine again, just as she reached out for the handle of the back door.
“Oh for the love of…” Jasmine spun away from him and tossed her hands up in the air. “Can you stop doing that!” She snapped and hissed at the same time … multitasking at its very best where he was concerned.
“Nope!”
He looked pleased about saying it too. The light of amusement shone in his eyes and made her want to kick him right in the crown jewels…
“You are the most annoying …” she bit down on a curse or two…
“Have you met you?” He asked; tipping his chin downwards and giving her a teasingly smug smile.
“Ok, that’s it!”
Jasmine flicked her hand on her wrist and the broom that was propped up against the wall crashed down onto his foot. Booted or not – she’d put a little extra magic behind that wallop and he yelped and started to hop in place…
It was Jasmine’s turn to smile, because he wasn’t grinning like an idiot at her anymore…
“What the hell witch?” He growled out between clenched teeth against the pain of getting his toes wrapped…
“Witch?” She asked pulling her head back on her neck and regarding him with a medusa style death glare… “Let’s see what a witch can do to a wolf…” she offered, slamming the door of the bread bin down onto his hand as he palmed the counter top…
“For f…” He cursed, snatching his hand up and cradling it with the other against his broad chest. He was still hopping on one foot, and biting his bottom lip against more curses…
“Whoops! Clumsy…” she said with glee; before swinging open the cupboard door and smacking him in the centre of his forehead…
The dull thud made her grimace. The fact that he shot backwards against the back door made her think twice about
hitting him again…
“Jasmine…!” He growled out… “Enough…”
“Enough? Maybe, but at least you called me by my name this time, wolf!” She shot back with righteous indignation even if she was feeling just a little bit guilty now that the anger within her had been more than satisfied.
Jerk!
Thinks he’s Mr Cool – Mr Smooth – Mr big bad wolf!
I see your wolf and raise you one witch – sucker!
Challenge accepted … my backside…
Thinks he can tell me what to do … me … nobody puts baby in a corner!
He’s no Johnny Castle in Dirty Dancing that’s for sure!
Big bad wolf my … grandmother!
Like to see him try to take out Granny when he can’t even handle a little broom to the toes!
Moron!
“Are you done?” Sam growled out.
He wasn’t sure if he wanted to mate with her or kill her! The woman was a nightmare like her damn grandmother, and it wasn’t a family trait that he could applaud and get behind.
He watched as she took the time to consider his words, and that annoyed him all the more…
“You’re done!” He growled, not leaving any chance in hell for her to get the wrong idea…
“Well, I was going to hit you with a frying pan…” she looked around her, “but I don’t see one heavy enough.”
Jasmine folded her arms across her chest and tipped her head to one side, offering him an expect look. It was his move next…
“You know what? You wanna go out and get bitten by a werewolf – you go right ahead…” Sam growled, biting down on the need within him to curse once more.
He knew that if she took one step towards that damn door then he was going to do something that they both might regret … and it certainly didn’t involve letting her go outside on the night of a damn full moon with mutts in the area…
“You know what? I’ve changed my mind…” she sounded a little too gleeful for his liking. “If this is what wooing is like…” she shrugged happily, “I think I’ll stick around, because it’s a real kicker…”
Sam growled long and hard. He took one step forward and that cupboard door swung at him again. This time he ducked away from it, just in time for the broomstick that came flying up at him to catch him right across the bridge of his nose…