by M. L. Briers
“What?” Faith snapped back. “Jeannie wouldn’t have just run off, so it’s got to be something he did.” She was already pointing an accusing finger at the beta when the man rallied towards her.
“I didn’t do anything,” Jason growled.
“She probably just got a look at the man drooling in his sleep and decided she needed some alone time,” Mick grumbled. He wanted to nip the hostility in the bud. “We can all point fingers, but what we need to be doing is finding her.”
“Well said,” Leslie nodded. “I’m going to shift and run the land.”
“Now hold a minute…” Ryan growled. He didn’t like that idea one little bit.
“Why does she get to go?” Vanessa demanded.
“She doesn’t,” Ryan assured his mate.
“Ryan,” Leslie growled out in annoyance. “I’m not five.”
“No, but you are my little sister, and you’re always going to be my little sister. So guard the damn mates and don’t let any more of them run off.” He growled back.
“Jeannie didn’t run off,” Vanessa hissed in annoyance.
“Says you,” Ryan tossed back.
“Can you zap him, like now?” Leslie growled.
“With pleasure,” Vanessa bit back, lifting her hands to do just that, but Ryan took a long step to the side, using Mick as a human shield, and the beta took the jolt for him.
“God damn it to hell,” Mick bit out as Vanessa grimaced, snatching her magic back and looking anywhere but at the miffed off beta.
“That’s taking one for the team, brother,” Ryan said as he patted his brother on the back and got a hearty growl for his trouble. “Leslie, watch the witches,” Ryan said on his parting shot as he took off on fast feet with Jason right on his heels.
“You and me, we’re not done,” Mick growled as he pointed a thick finger at Vanessa and she grimaced again.
“Whoops,” she offered to the sight of his back as he followed his brothers towards the woods.
Faith wasn’t done either and she turned back towards Leslie with mischief in her eyes.
“Now, technically, watch the witches doesn’t mean don’t leave the house,” Faith said with a small, innocent and somewhat mischievous shrug of her shoulders.
~
~
~
“I wouldn’t take one more step,” Jeannie hissed out the warning into the darkness of the shadows that covered her assailant.
She could hear the sound of his footsteps against the dirt as they gained on her, but she couldn’t yet see the man, and she wasn’t entirely sure that she wanted to. She had magic, but then so did he, and she hated to think it, but his magic had felt stronger than she knew hers to be.
“You’re not me then,” he bit out, slowly moving forward into the light that came from the hole in the stone walls that had once held a window.
“You have got to be kidding me,” Jeannie bit out, as mad as hell, and ready to rip someone’s head off. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?”
“There’s an obvious answer to that damn question, don’t you think?” he twisted up his face and shot her a look of contempt.
“Does Faith know you’re here?” Jeannie let her magic slide back away from her and tossed her hands onto her hips. She was about ready to zap the man again, but only because he’d scared the hell out her, and she wanted her coffee.
“Not yet,” Devlin wiped the dirt from his hands down the front of his jeans and eyed the witch with annoyance. “Thanks for the zap.”
“Thanks for scaring the crap out of me,” Jeannie tossed back.
“Shouldn’t that be; thanks for rescuing me?” Devlin scowled back at her. “Ungrateful.”
“From what? My coffee.”
“Clara said…”
“Clara!” Jeannie almost shrieked the vampire’s name. “Are you kidding me? You’re listening to that crazy ass vampire now?”
“She said…”
“I don’t care what she said, she’s nuttier than a Christmas hamper,” Jeannie tossed back and watched Devlin eye her as if she was new to the planet. “Nuts, you have nuts in a… oh, never bloody mind.” She tossed up a hand in frustration and dropped onto her backside on the ground with a thud to her pride and a sigh from her lips.
“Clara said all three of you had been kidnapped,” Devlin offered back and watched Jeannie give a small shake of her head.
“By our…”
“Hold that damn thought,” Devlin said over his shoulder as he took off for the doorway at the sound of something outside.
“Devlin…” Jeannie hissed out, but the man was already gone. “Oh, for the love of everything… Faith.” She grumbled, summoning the energy to push back up to her feet again.
CHAPTER TWENTY ONE
~
The pack had closed in on the barn that sat almost at the end of their property, and Leslie had followed her nose and her brothers trail. She wasn’t about to sit this one out, not when Jeannie could be in trouble.
Jeannie was pack. Jeannie was her new sister, and she liked the witch.
Faith and Vanessa were walking along beside her, both witches more than ready for trouble should it pop up, and in whatever shape or form it might take. The three of them together should have been able to kill anything that got in their way.
When one of the pack wolves shot by them like he’d intercepted a cannonball to the gut, all three women ground to a halt and watched in disbelief as the beast tore by them.
“Ok, that’s not normal,” Leslie said.
“It’s fine,” Faith said with a nod of her head, pausing only for a moment more when the wolf crashed back down to earth. “That had to hurt.”
“That’s magic,” Vanessa offered Leslie on a whisper. “You need to stay behind us.”
“I’m the one with the fangs and claws,” Leslie snorted.
“Magic versus magic,” Vanessa offered back, and Faith shot the she-wolf a sympathetic look back over her shoulder.
“Unless you want to end up like that guy?” Faith chuckled as she hooked a thumb behind her.
“Rodney?” Leslie snorted again. “Not one of his best days.”
There was a loud yelp from in front of them and another wolf shot across them and to their right.
“We’re definitely in the crossfire here,” Vanessa whispered.
“Beware low flying cannonball wolves,” Faith chuckled, she couldn’t help herself.
“They’re your pack you’re laughing at,” Leslie reminded her.
“No, they’re your pack, I’m still in camp undecided,” Faith hissed back.
“Well, whichever camp we’re in, can we do the kick-ass witch thing and zap this magic like it’s party time?” Vanessa offered, and both women turned to look at her.
“Someone overdid the coffee this morning,” Faith offered. Her head snapped around when Rodney’s wolf shot by them, this time on all four paws, and launched himself into the fight once more.
“Ok, that’s more than e-bloody-nough,” Jeannie’s voice shrieked out from somewhere ahead of them, and Faith snorted a chuckle.
“Miffed off witch, this way be,” Faith grinned, feeling a big dollop of relief that their friend was safe.
“Jeannie,” Jason’s deep voice led them right into the heart of the action.
Faith’s eyes took it all in as she groaned inwardly. Wolves were all over the area, and some of them were still standing.
Jason was naked and stalking towards Jeannie, and she seemed momentarily stunned as she gawked at his hard body, and there – in the center of it all – stood Devlin.
“I’m not taking the blame for this one,” Faith bit out, scowling at the man like he’d just done a poop in her favorite shoe. Devlin eyed her back with a hard glare.
“Faith?” Mick was looking for clarity. He’d shifted back into his human form, and his wolf was still in his voice and that sound, gravel on more gravel, got her attention.
Faith snatched a look at her naked ma
te, and her eyes drank him in. A small, wicked smile lifted the corner of her lips – then Vanessa elbowed her in the ribs, and she was thrust back into the reality of the situation.
“What the hell is going on?” Ryan growled.
The alpha was as naked as the day is long and Faith elbowed Vanessa right back as the witch hummed a little tune under her breath at the sight of him.
“What?” Vanessa hissed at her friend.
“You did it to me while I was enjoying the view,” Faith tossed back.
“Can someone please enlighten me as to what the hell is…” Ryan got no further.
“Faith’s brother, Devlin,” Vanessa said, with a smile on her lips that had nothing to do with the situation at hand and more to do with the sight of her mate naked once more.
“Faith’s…” Ryan bit down on a good choice of curse words that rushed to mind.
“Not my fault,” Faith said, holding up her hands near her breasts, and turning a hard glare back on her brother.
“Fault?” Devlin bit out. “Does someone wanna tell me what’s going on here?”
“Mates,” Vanessa piped up and watched the information register on the man’s face.
“Mates…” he looked confused. “Who?” He demanded, looking for clarity from his sister, but Faith was back to eyeing her naked mate once more.
“All of them,” Mick growled.
“All three?” Devlin spat out. “What was it three for one at the local take out?”
“Ok, now…” Faith started, wrenching her gaze form Mick and back towards her brother, but he cut her off.
“Clara said…” Devlin shot back, looking to his sister for clarity.
“Oh, look, it is Faith’s fault after all, shocker,” Vanessa announced and Faith twisted her body in place to offer the witch a death glare.
“Stop throwing me under the bus,” Faith shot back.
“Can we…?” Ryan started.
“No!” All three witches, Leslie, and Devlin said as one.
“This,” Faith held out arms and motioned towards her brother. “Is not my fault.”
“You called the bat-shit crazy vampire, ergo, your fault,” Vanessa tossed back.
Leslie took a step forward and eyed Faith’s brother.
“He’s a witch?” She asked.
“Wizard,” Faith tossed back, ready to get into an argument again with Vanessa over blame.
“Warlock,” Devlin said, sounding aggrieved.
“Warlock,” Faith snorted a chuckle. “Please.”
“So, that’s what a male witch looks like,” Rodney snorted a chuckle, and Devlin turned his hard stare onto the man.
“I tossed your furry backside a good hundred feet, didn’t I?” Devlin sneered.
“Wanna try it now?” Rodney went to take a step forward, but Leslie growled long and hard at the shifter. “What’s your problem?”
“He is…” Leslie said with a wince.
“Oh, hell no,” Ryan growled.
“Oh, hell yes,” Leslie tossed back.
“Ooh, what?” Faith asked, eyeing the siblings. Leslie dragged her eyes away from Devlin and grimaced at the witch.
“Mine…” she said, helplessly.
“W-hat?” Devlin almost sounded like a girl.
“Mine,” Leslie said again with a small shrug.
“A male witch?” Jason snorted a chuckle.
“Warlock,” Devlin grumbled.
“Another witch,” Ryan grumbled.
“Still a damn Warlock,” Devlin would have growled if he could have.
“What the hell is that supposed to mean?” Vanessa snapped. “Another witch?”
“This is not my fault,” Ryan motioned towards the new mates.
“Like it’s mine?” Vanessa shot back.
“Well, it’s not mine,” Jason said with a snort of amusement.
“Don’t look at me,” Mick chuckled.
Faith’s hand slapped in front of her mouth as she tried to bite down on the amusement within her, but she couldn’t stop it. The look of horror – the look of pure disbelief on her brother’s face practically forced the chuckles to come from her lips.
When Devlin turned something of a confused look towards his sister and found her in the midst of a giggling fit, that confusion turned to disbelief.
“This is all your damn fault,” he spat out.
“That’s what sisters are for,” Faith chuckled, but she couldn’t hold the laughter in a moment longer, she tossed her head back on her neck and cracked up.
“I hate family,” Devlin grumbled.
CHAPTER TWENTY TWO
~
Faith leaned over the table and rested her chin in her upturned hand as she eyed the cup of coffee that was fisted in the other hand.
“Anyone notice how crazy shit happens around shifters?” She winced at the thought.
“That crazy shit started happening when you got on the phone to crazy Clara,” Jeannie sighed.
“This weekend has been…” Vanessa didn’t bother to finish that sentence; there was no point, what’s done was done and they couldn’t turn back the clock or change the present, and there was no use harping on about it.
Althought, she still wanted to kill Faith that much hadn’t changed.
“Five mates,” Jeannie offered, as she too, leaned in and cupped her chin in her hand with a long sigh.
“Thanks a lot, Faith,” Devlin bit out, eyeing his sister from across the table top, and when her gaze flicked to his, a small grin turned the corners of her lips upwards.
“My brother, the hero, rushing in to rescue me,” she snorted a chuckle. “You got more than you bargained for.” She grinned.
“I’m a warlock…”
“You’re a wizard,” Faith tossed back.
“What’s the difference?” Leslie asked as she sat in one of the straight back chairs at the furthest end of the table away from her mate. She wasn’t sure she wanted a male witch as a mate.
“Power,” Faith’s grin widened.
“I’m powerful enough to toss half of this pack…” Devlin grumbled, but the deep, warning growl from the alpha silenced him.
“We could always go round two, you and me,” Mick offered. “Brother.”
Devlin opened his mouth to say something, but he closed it just as fast.
“Wolf got your tongue?” Faith grinned.
“I can’t be a mate to a she-wolf,” Devlin’s eyes snapped towards Leslie when a hearty growl rumbled within her chest. “No offense.”
“Taken,” she bit back.
“It’s not you, it’s…” He rushed to his defense.
“He’s a butthead, ignore him,” Faith lifted her head, waved her dismissive hand towards her brother and then slapped it against her face once more.
“Wish I could,” Leslie bit back.
“Be nice to my sister, or I’ll reach into your mouth, yank out your tongue and strangle you with it,” Mick growled, and Devlin shot him a look back over his shoulder. “Brother.” Mick grinned, but his eyes said he wasn’t playing.
“I’m gay,” Devlin shrugged.
“No you’re not,” Faith tossed back.
“It just happened,” Devlin offered.
“What, like you woke up this morning and discovered you were gay?” Faith snorted a chuckle.
“A couple of days ago, actually,” he lied, lifting his chin in defiance.
“You're born gay, you don’t adopt the lifestyle because you like pastel colors,” Jason growled.
“I know,” Devlin shrugged; offering the beta a scowl.
“So, the women you’ve dated were…?” Faith raised her eyebrows at him.
“A mistake,” Devlin nodded slowly. “I was… testing a theory.”
“Oh, God…” Vanessa groaned.
“When you hit the coffin, just stop digging,” Jeannie chuckled back.
“Fine, I’m not gay,” he tossed up his hands.
“But you’d rather be than be my mate,” Leslie s
aid, pushing up, giving him the stink eye and stalking out of the room.
Devlin grimaced as he watched her go. He winced and bit down on the pain when every witch at that table zapped him.
“Hey, back off,” he grumbled.
“Better us than them,” Faith said, motioning to the four pack wolves that stood behind his chair.
Leslie’s brothers stood side by side with Rodney on the end. Their arms were folded across their broad chests, biceps on display, and all of them had death glares aimed solely at Devlin.
“I’ll go apologize,” Devlin bit out fast, swallowing hard as he pushed up from the chair, and he had to sidestep the pack brothers on his way out the door.
“Ha!” Faith snorted a chuckle. “Warlock my grandmother.”
~
~
~
“I want a word with you,” Ryan caught Vanessa by surprise as she turned the corner of the hallway and almost ran into his chest. She yanked her head back in surprise and offered him a scowl.
“Go ahead, give me a heart attack, at least then I won’t have to be here anymore,” she hissed back and watched the alpha lift just his left eyebrow back at her.
“You left the house,” Ryan growled, just a little, just enough to let her know exactly how he felt about that.
“You never said don’t leave,” she rushed back.
“You knew what I meant,” Ryan tossed back.
“But, that’s not what you said,” she offered.
“I said you weren’t going with us,” Ryan grumbled out another growl.
“And we didn’t, we went with Leslie,” she offered back with a small victory grin.
“That’s not how this works,” Ryan offered back, motioning the small distance between them with one hand.
“This?” she did the same.
“Yes.”
“This isn’t a this, it’s a maybe, and I don’t take orders from the alpha because, and here’s the thing, and it’s a big thing, I’m not pack,” Vanessa informed him.
“Yes, you are,” he growled.
He’d been annoyed with her before about disobeying his orders, but now it was a different kind of annoyance as his beast raised its ugly head and growled hard within him. She denied them, and that didn’t go unnoticed by man or wolf.