by M. L. Briers
‘Got it, Alpha.’
Sam didn’t like the sound of that. While he wanted nothing more than to be out there fighting – he didn’t want the fight to come to him, because that meant that pack wolves would have fallen, and the females and pups would be in danger, and that wasn’t how he wanted to get into the fighting.
CHAPTER TWENTY THREE
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“Jasmine…” Sam caught her arm and spun her back around towards him as she headed for the kitchen…
“Hey!” She snapped out, ready to pull her arm out of his grip, but one look at his face told her that now wasn’t the time to be snotty. “What’s going on?”
“How good are the wards around this place?” Sam asked in hushed tones as he led her off to one side where the pups couldn’t overhear him.
“I’m guessing you’re not asking just to miff me off that you don’t trust our magic?”
“No. Its fine, I’m just…”
“Sam…” Jasmine gave him the kind of look that made him reconsider the lie that he’d just told her.
“There might be a few mutts that could – possibly slip through the net, and maybe even head this way…” he shrugged his shoulders as if it was nothing to worry about.
“That’s a lot of might’s, could be’s, and maybe’s going on there, beta.” She folded her arms and tipped her head to one side.
“I might have phrased things…”
“Wrong?”
“Sure.”
“Ha! Nice try.” She snorted her contempt for his answer and for him; as she eyed him with a huge dose of suspicion. “So – they’re coming?”
“Now I didn’t say…” He started to backpedal…
“Kind of did.”
“Did not…” he scowled down at her.
“Oh, no really – you sort of did…” she offered up to him with a small knowing smile.
“Just … don’t do that…”
“Do what?” She gave him an innocent look, and Sam sighed.
“That female thing where you try to confuse me and worm the information out of me without me realising it…”
“Happens to you a lot, right?” She nodded in understanding…
“Well, some…” He bit down on his annoyance. “No. Now can we just get back to the matter at hand?”
“The wards to protect the pups from the mutts that are coming?” She offered back.
“Yes…”
“See. Told you. Now, why couldn’t you just say that in the first place?”
“There are no words…” Sam said; shaking his head in annoyance.
“Oh, I think there are a few rattling around in that space between your ears…” she snorted a chuckle.
“So, the wards?” Sam grumbled.
“Are fine and should withhold an attack.”
“Should…?”
“It’s a lot better than your; maybe, might, could answer to me.”
She could tell that he didn’t like her answer by the way that he ground his jaw.
“What you really need is a kickass witch on the outside…”
“No!” He snapped back. He hadn’t even given her the chance to get it all out there.
“Fine.” She said, folding her arms across her chest and eyeing him with disdain. “Be male. Do it yourself … oh wait, I forgot, you don’t have magic, silly me … or is that silly you?”
“I have a killing machine…”
“Automatic weapon?” She eyed him as his frown turned into a scowl.
“No…”
“RPG?”
“No…”
“Tank?”
“Seriously?” He ground out.
“Oh, you mean; your little wolf?” She gave him a smug grin.
“Not so little…”
“Why do men always say that and it inevitably turns out not to be true?” She waved an absent hand.
“I don’t have time for this…” Sam growled and his wolf joined in. Neither man nor beast appreciated her humour right then.
“Ask me nicely and I’ll go out there with you…” she teased.
“No.”
“Ok, ask me not so nicely and…”
“What part aren’t you getting?” He grumbled as she followed along behind him.
“Truthfully? How fate could think we were compatible.” She shrugged when he shot a dark look at her back over his shoulder. “But that’s a gripe for another day, right now, we have mutts to kick in the goolies…”
“You’re not going outside and that’s the end of it.” Sam sped up away from her and she ground to a halt. Her eyes narrowed into slits, and she chewed her inner cheek as she considered his words…
Just you watch me … or better that you don’t so I can sneak outside … either way – I certainly don’t take orders from you…
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“Sam…” Jared called after the beta as he made his way to the back door, making the man pause in his stride and turn back towards him. “I’ll come with you.”
At that exact moment in time Sam felt the need to walk up to the nearest wall and head-butt it. It was bad enough that his mate had wanted to go outside, now it seemed that the elder wanted to get in on the act to.
“It’ll be best if you stay inside as the last line of defence…”
“That’s not how this is going down. I may be an elder but I can still fight.” Jared bit out.
The man knew that he was no spring chicken, but while he still had his claws and fangs and he would defend the pack to his last breath.
“Jared, I really don’t want to get into this with you,” Sam started, but the old man cut him short.
“Then don’t!” He growled.
Caroline watched from the doorway as the two men squared off against each other. Her heart went out to Jared, because she knew just how easy it was to be dismissed by the younger generation, overlooked, and to be thought of as incapable.
“Let the man go with you – if nothing else he can act as bait,” she said, trying to make light of the situation that her mate found himself in.
“You’d like that, wouldn’t you?” Jared offered back, but the small smile that touched his lips told her that he understood.
“Let’s just say; it would solve a multitude of problems.”
“What is it with you witches?” Sam grumbled, turning his feet back toward the door and motioning for Jared to follow him.
“Do I get a kiss goodbye?” Jared took a moment to eye his mate and the look that she gave him back told him that he’d probably just grown a second head. “Well, it was worth a try.”
“Just make sure that you come back to try again.”
By the time that Jared had turned back to look at her; she had already left the room. One side of his mouth quirked upwards and there was a decided glint in his eyes.
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“Where is Jasmine?” Caroline demanded; making Meredith jump in place at the unexpected boom of her mother’s voice just over her left shoulder. She rolled her eyes and considered it payback, before she turned towards the matriarch with an exasperated look upon her face.
“I have no idea, mother, but thanks so much for the mini heart attack – I’ll be sure to return the favour as soon as possible.”
“I’m sure you will, but right now, we have a lot more important things to deal with than your need to see me buried six feet down.” Caroline offered back.
“What could be more important than that?” Meredith asked; her tone dripping with sarcasm.
“I think the werewolves coming, and I think we need to make sure our wards are up to the challenge.”
Meredith gave a solemn nod of her head. For once she agreed with her mother, but when she looked around, Jasmine was nowhere to be seen.
CHAPTER TWENTY FOUR
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Wade felt as if his wolf was playing tag with the vampire. He knew that the man was following the scent of the alpha of the werewolves, but that damn m
utt was leading them on a merry dance.
The beast was running them in circles, covering his tracks, and trying to mix his sent in with that of the other beasts. Luckily, the vampire had a more sensitive nose than a wolf, even an alpha like Wade, and could pick that scent out and track him without much difficulty.
It’s still annoyed Wade that they were having too chase around pack land after the mutt. But needs must, and Wade had a need to taste that mutt on his fangs.
He could scent the newly bitten, but not yet turned, human female that Travis was looking to find. The witches had been right, and the alpha was keeping her close.
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The instant that Sam stepped outside; he immediately picked up the scent of his mate in the air and his wolf howled within him. The beast clawed and pushed forward; trying desperately to burst free of the man so that it could protect Jasmine from the danger posed by the werewolves.
Sam spun in place at the sound of the back door opening, and he met Meredith’s anxious gaze as she stepped out into the darkness followed by the matriarch.
“No, no, no, no - you two cannot be out here!” Jared explained as he started towards the witches, but Caroline wasn’t about to be put off when her granddaughter could be in danger.
“Jasmine is missing!” Caroline announced, and the sound of the quiver in her voice alerted Jared to the fears of his mate.
“We’ll find her,” Jared assured the women, but neither Caroline nor Meredith were happy to just turn around and leave without Jasmine.
There was no time to debate the issue as the sound of fast paws against the earth caught Sam’s attention…
“The werewolves are here.”
Caroline slammed the door behind her with her magic, locking the pups in behind the wards, and turning her attention towards finding her granddaughter.
Sam and Jared were already in mid-shift into their beasts as the wolves burst from within them, ripping off their clothes, and announcing themselves with snarls of warning for the mutts that they wanted between their jaws.
“I found her…” Meredith said. Her words were almost as an afterthought as she started away from the back door and towards the side of the house.
‘Alpha … They’ve reached the house,’ Sam announced into the pack’s link.
‘Fall back to the house … Protect the females,’ Wade ordered his pack.
The need to be right there with them was almost overwhelming.
Did I make the wrong decision? Wade had to wonder…
Should I focus the packs attention around the house … Around the pups?
Wade knew that second-guessing himself now was useless. All that he could do was to take off and run like the wind, and hope to the spirits that he got there in time.
The moment that he turned on his paws to head back home; the mutt’s scent hit him hard, and he snarled in eager anticipation of the fight that was to come.
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So many things batted Jasmine’s senses at once that it felt like a magical overload. Alarm bells rang at the feel of the supernatural against her Shields, and there was a warm tingling sensation from the feel of her kin’s magic as they reached out to locate her.
Jasmine turned at the first sound of a snarl. By chance; she caught sight of the first mutt as she was searching for the second.
It was one of those moments where she immediately regretted her decision not to listen to someone’s advice. She hated to think that Sam had been right, especially as she might not be around to tell him.
The magic was coiled inside of her, ready to be called upon at a moment’s notice, luckily so, as both mutts attacked at once. With a broad stroke of her hands; she unleashed her magic and sent the mutts flying.
There was no time to pat herself on the back as the third, unseen beast, launched upwards on its back paws. It sailed through the air towards her. Its razor sharp claws were reaching out for her, and as the sound it made drew her attention towards it; she knew that there was no time left to do anything about it.
Jasmine’s world slowed down around her and she waited for what felt like an eternity - for what felt like a missed opportunity to strike first.
Her hands were still travelling upwards in an attempt to defend herself; because she didn’t intend to go down without a fight…
She was grasping in a breath – her eyes were widening in shock and surprise – and a second before the beast’s claws ripped into her body … a wolf came out of nowhere; crashing into it, using the bulk of its weight and knocking it sideways through the air, and away from her…
Jasmine wasn’t sure if her brain kicked her backside into gear or if her backside kicked her brain into gear, but one way or the other; she finished taking that grasp of breath, blinked, and the world around her went back to normal.
“Are you crazy!?” Meredith screamed at her.
“What were you thinking …?” Her grandmother yelled. The second woman was just as irate as the first and more so than she’d ever seen either of them before… “Of course you weren’t thinking; you’re your mother’s daughter…”
Jasmine was barely paying attention: her eyes were too busy taking in the bloody battle between the wolf and the mutt, and her mind was torn between knowing just how close she had come to death, and the threat that remained from the other two mutts that were nearby.
Jared’s Wolf snarled its intention as it took off towards one mutt; just as Jasmine twisted at the waist and aimed her magic at the second.
This time she wasn’t taking any chances, and she reached out with her magic and snapped the beast’s neck before it could take another step.
“Her mother’s daughter?” Meredith gave her mother a questioning look. “I think she’s more like you then you realise.”
There was no time for the matriarch to say any of the words that came to mind; as all hell broke loose around them.
CHAPTER TWENTY FIVE
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Wade had absolutely no idea where Travis was. He’d lost the vampire’s scent the moment that he’d picked up on the stronger, closer scent of the alpha werewolf and the changling human.
Not that it mattered much to him or his wolf. Both were more than eager to put an end to the mutt’s rampage.
One thing I know about werewolves … Kill the alpha and the others will chase their tails…
That’s what Wade was intending to do. Right there and right then; he would end the danger to his pack and the human population around the area.
“Sorry, Wade, this one is mine.” Travis announced his entrance as he dropped onto his feet from the branches above. His fangs were already down, his claws were already out, and he was itching for the fight.
The alpha mutt roared. It was a call to arms for his pack to help defend him.
The trouble was; his pack was otherwise engaged.
“I think you made a boo-boo…” Travis said with glee. “Wade, go fight with the pack.”
A part of Wade wanted to stay and witness the demise of his nemesis, but there was a stronger pull on him to get back into the fight, and that fight was now raging back home.
Don’t screw up vampire…
Wade turned on fast paws and was gone before the vampire could utter another word.
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“Witches unite!” Caroline announced as all hell was breaking loose around them.
“What a time to have a senior moment…” Meredith bit out as she stared at her mother in disbelief.
“Not now, Meredith. I need you both to join your magic with mine…” Caroline called over the noise of the individual battles that were raging around them.
“Well, why didn’t you say that…?” Meredith muttered as she reached out and grabbed her mother’s hand, before reaching for Jasmine’s.
With her free hand, Jasmine was using her magic to bat away a mutt that was trying to blindside one of the pack wolves. O
nce the mutt was flying through the air; she slapped her palm against her grandmother’s and concentrated on the spell that would join their magic as one.
The matriarch initiated the chant. She knew just the spell that she wanted to unleash, and with just a little tinkering; she could make it fit the moment.
Meredith and Jasmine picked up on the chant. The three witches spoke in unison, joining their powers, and creating a vibrant, orange orb in the air above them that pulsated to the rhythm of their words.
Their joined hands lifted upwards towards the orb, and a heartbeat later it exploded outwards. The individual pieces danced like fireflies towards their intended targets, latching onto the mutts, and in they went; through the skin, and a heartbeat later they incinerated the beasts to nothing more than ash where they stood.
“Holy smoke…” Meredith exclaimed. “No pun intended. Way to go, mum!”
“Wow, Gran, remind me never to miff you off.” Jasmine chuckled.
“What the hell was that?” Sam growled with his beast still firmly in his voice from the sudden shift into his human form.
The fact that he was naked didn’t pass Jasmine by … Her eyes took a slow, somewhat detailed, journey over his hard, muscled body, as her eyebrows slowly rose towards her hairline, as her jaw slowly slackened.
“Whoa, Jasmine, look at your mate!” Meredith chuckled.
“She’s way ahead of you on that one.” Caroline said, and Meredith turned to look at her daughter.
“Is she drooling? Because, it looks to me like she’s drooling…” Meredith said.
“Oh, like you wouldn’t?” Caroline shot back.
“I think I’m a little old to drool,” Meredith said, as she folded her arms, tipped her head to one side, and regarded her mother with a look of pure disbelief.
“Seen it all before?” Caroline asked.
“Something like that…” Meredith offered back with a small nod of her head.
“How about something like that?” Caroline asked. She lifted her hand and pointed towards Wade as he stalked towards her in his human form, every bit as naked as nature intended, and all of his powerful muscles ebbing and flowing under his skin.