by M. L. Briers
“What just happened?” Andy asked, looking between all three men for answers.
Either that guy was fast, or she was losing her mind.
“I moved…” Nash offered, and got a scowl back for his trouble.
“He’s a vampire…” Nathan offered and Andy’s eyebrows shot back up towards her hairline again.
“Okay, you can both stay the hell away from me…” she grumbled before turning on her heels and heading towards the front of the shop. “This damn town, full of … come to the mountain, he said, take a break from the norm, he said…” the next few words that she muttered made Nash grin wide.
“Okay … nice mate.” He offered towards Elijah and the man gave a low groan…
“She’s …” he considered it for a long moment. “Feisty.” He decided to be nice about it.
“And then some…” Nash chuckled. Then he pushed away from the wrack with his shoulder, dropped his arms, and started towards the back door. “Let’s hope she’s not getting away from you…” he whispered to Elijah and saw the man’s whole body snap to attention.
Elijah started off on fast feet. His shoulder slammed against Nash’s as he rushed by him, and he growled in annoyance…
“Let the wooing begin!” Nash announced from the back door, but when he turned to look at Nathan, the old man looked worried.
“Tell me she’ll be safe with him…” Nathan almost begged, and Nash’s eyes narrowed on the man as he considered it. “We all know Jethro’s temperament, Nash…”
“I’ll make it my personal mission in life to look out for her over the next … well, however long it takes for that big bear to woo her…”
Nathan nodded in appreciation, and Nash nodded back. Then the man turned once again and started back through the store towards the female and her mate. There was no time like the present to start.
CHAPTER SEVEN
~
Jethro could feel the fur just under his skin. His bear was definitely full of the joys of spring, and that wouldn’t normally be a bad thing … there were always tourists and shifter groupies hanging around at that time of year for him to get his fair share of time with the ladies, but this time it was ratcheted up to almost maximum because he’d found his mate.
That was a good thing!
He needed to keep reminding himself of that and try to push the fact that the woman was a pickpocket and had stolen the vampire’s wallet right out from under his nose … because that was a bad thing, and not just in the criminal sense either … what did he know about her?
He could wake up in the morning to find out that he was missing a kidney … or worse … but he knew nothing, and here she was sitting beside him in his truck. Such a damn big presence in his life, now and in the future if he managed to woo her…
Woo her!
She was human and there was a difference between the women that normally came to the mountain looking for a man like him, and her.
How the hell was he supposed to woo his mate?
It wasn’t as if he had experience with that…
Jethro could feel her eyes on him. Not just snatching a look here and there, but staring at him as if she was trying to see if she could make him burst into flames with just a look…
He shot a look in her direction and she didn’t look away … not exactly backwards in coming forwards … he told himself.
“Can I help you with something?” Jethro asked, turning his attention back to the road ahead.
“I’ve never met a shifter before. I was looking to see if I could see any fur growing anywhere…” she gave a small shrug…
“The fur is inside me. The bear is inside me…” He said, wondering why all humans wouldn’t look this stuff up on the internet.
Shifters had come out into the world a while ago, and he would have thought that everyone would want to read about them. There were websites that dealt with all things shifter and vampire, although, some sites did get a lot of it wrong…
“I thought you guys could get like fangs and claws…”
“We can…”
“Not inside you then.” Alana shot back.
“Well, not … the bear is still…” he shot her a look and she lifted her eyebrows in expectation, but there was amusement within her eyes. “Never mind.” He grumbled a small growl.
“And what’s with all the growling?”
“I don’t … it’s a bear thing…” he shot her another look. Either she was playing him or she was a few slices short of a loaf…
“I get it’s a bear thing, but you do it a lot.”
“Bears growl,” he offered back.
“But you’re not a bear…”
“I’m … not right now…”
“Then why growl now?”
“It’s … an expression.”
“But your people didn’t always go around growling or you guys secret would have been out a long time ago…” she reasoned.
“So, you think we should hide what we are?”
“Hide? No, just stop growling so much.” She shrugged.
“Why do you wear makeup?” Jethro shot back.
“I like it…”
“There you go then, me too…”
“You like wearing makeup?” she scoffed and he shot her another look. The light of amusement that he felt was mirrored within her eyes.
“You’re going to bust my chops, aren’t you?” Jethro grinned.
“Pretty much.” Alana gave a small shrug.
“Why did you take Nash’s wallet?” Jethro shot back and saw her fidget in her seat. He guessed he hit a sore spot.
“I already told you,” she muttered.
“You said you were hungry.”
“I was hungry,” she frowned back at him, and her stomach backed up her story once more, giving a little mini growl. His beast growled back. The need to provide for her was the bear’s concern now.
“Where do you live?”
“Not here…” she eyed the vast open space of countryside outside the window. It looked wild and untamed, and she wondered if that’s what drew the shifter there in the first place. “Why do you live here?”
“Always have. My family owns most of this mountain…”
He had to wonder if by family he’d mean his brother soon enough. That wouldn’t be good.
He’d have a mate of his own and cubs, and no home on the mountain to raise them in.
“So, you’re rich?”
“Nope,” he offered back the truth. That brought her pick-pocketing ways back to his mind again. “I don’t have a lot for you to steal.”
“One little mistake and you’re gonna hold that against me?” She shot back, but inside she was trying to hold onto the smile that threatened her lips.
“Everyone deserves a second chance.”
“Sounds good, so can we take past and future offences into account?” She grinned this time, and he had to give her a double take as her eyes shone with mischief, and her teasing tone made him want to head-butt the steering wheel.
“You really are…”
“One of a kind.” She offered back on a smirk. With the sound of another low growl that rumbled in his throat, she sighed. “You’re doing it again…”
“Hard not to considering the company I’m keeping.” Jethro had to wonder if fate was on the up and up with this mated pairing, or if it had lost its mind.
She wasn’t exactly mate material… but then who was he to talk?
~
~
~
“You can’t run from me…!” Elijah bit out, a low growl rumbled through his chest as he put himself in her way.
He’d followed her through the shop and out of the door, and she was double timing it down the street. She’d had to pull up short the moment that he’d blocked her route or run right into him, and now she was staring up at him with disbelief in her eyes and anger boiling just under the surface…
“I didn’t realise that bears were so slow…” she sniped up at him.
“Slow?”
“If this is running then you must be tortoise speed.” She folded her arms just under her breasts and his eyes flicked down, only briefly, but she’d caught that movement.
“Let me rephrase; you can’t just take off without me knowing where you are going…” he started to explain it to her, but the anger within her was pecking at her nerves…
“Possessive or what?” She snapped back.
“It’s not like that…” he growled in annoyance.
“Due south.”
“You’re leaving the mountain?” He growled in earnest that time.
How the hell am I supposed to stop her from leaving?
I can’t exactly just sling her over my shoulder and carry her off…
I’d probably get stabbed from her poisonous barbed tongue for starters…
Why’d I get the venomous mate?
I only hope that my brother is having the say problems that I am…
Ha! I hope he got a witch … no, a vampire mate … no witch!
“To the bakers…” she bit out and watched as he snapped his head back on his neck as if she’d just reached out and slapped him. “Now don’t you feel silly?”
“I …” Elijah bit down on that comment. “It’s not every day you meet your mate and…”
“Would you stop with that whole mate thing?” She eyed the area around her as she lowered her voice.
“If only I could…” he rolled his eyes to the sky and tried to take a moment to find some sort of inner peace within him.
She’s not leaving … I should concentrate on that.
Wait … am I happy about that or…?
“So you don’t want to be a mate either… great, then let’s say we leave it here…” She went to sidestep him, but his eyes snapped back down to her and he swayed in place, still blocking her way…
“It’s not that easy…”
“Easy for me…” she tossed up a hand…
“I have to try to woo you…”
“Didn’t work, so move on…” she lifted a hand and motioned for him to walk on by.
He didn’t move an inch.
“That’s…” Elijah growled. Frustration clawed inside of him.
He knew it was irrational to expect a human mate to understand, and yet, he wished that she did. What were the odds?
He wasn’t a patient man. When something needed to be done he did it himself because he didn’t like to wait for others to procrastinate about doing it for him…
Females were different.
Wooing was different.
Every damn thing was different now…
“While I get that you have this whole brick wall thing going on, it’s kind of annoying when someone is trying to get around you.”
Andy offered up with a whole lot of malice and annoyance in her voice that he took heed of.
Elijah took a long moment to think about it. He didn’t want to miff off his mate … more than he had done already, and she seemed pretty highly strung, as most females were.
Then she huffed out a breath, and he took one step to the side to allow her to go by. He needed to get on her good side if he was going to stand any chance of wooing her.
Andy tossed him the evil eye for good measure and started off for the baker’s once more … with him right on her heels.
CHAPTER EIGHT
~
Alana knew one thing about being a mate to a shifter – they bit you. In truth, she didn’t much like that idea, not if he was going to get all fangy.
There she was … a mate … riding in his truck to God only knew where … alone with him …
Have I lost my fricking mind?
Obviously. Stupid question.
What was I thinking?
He says that he’s my mate and I get in the damn truck with him?
And then there’s the vampire … damn … that didn’t work out as planned either. If the woman had told me the guy was a vampire I would have told her where to get off…
I could have been sucked to death … fed on … murdered where I stood – I guess it was lucky that the guy was a pussy cat.
She shot a look back over at the shifter in the driver’s seat and sighed inwardly. The man was certainly a catch … but so not her type that she couldn’t understand why he thought they were supposed to be together…
Forever mate … yeah!
Like if forever was one night … maybe two … okey-dokey. Maybe even a week of Mr sexy, growly guy, but a lifetime? With one man? That was…
Why do we think a life commitment to anyone is a good idea?
Back in the day you chose the biggest – meanest – best dinosaur killer around so you survived … kind of would do the same today if the Zombie apocalypse happened … but life with one man … geez, people lived into their nineties now, longer… they don’t even give you that long if you murder someone … maybe a whole bunch of someone’s…
Him and me? She shot him another look. He is like Hollywood hunk gorgeous, but … life?
I have a whole list of people I wouldn’t mind killing … maybe that would be easier…
This guy … he is good looking and he knows it, but mate material …?
I highly doubt that … even if I knew exactly what it meant to be a damn mate to a shifter…
I need the internet!
I need to look this stuff up.
“Wanna tell me what you’re thinking?” Jethro asked and she snorted her contempt for that question.
“Trust me when I say that you really don’t want to know.” She folded her arms in a defensive stance and he noted it. “You … can’t read my mind too, right?”
“I…” he toyed with the idea of telling her that he could.
It would certainly cut down on any lies that she thought about tossing his way … but that would be starting their relationship … his wooing of her … on a lie, and he didn’t think that she’d be all that forgiving when she found out the truth of it…
“Seriously?” She balked and tried to picture her mind as a blank screen.
Then she started to hum to herself…
“What are you doing?”
“Humming so you can’t hear what I’m not thinking…”
“If you’re not thinking anything then how could I hear it?” He tossed back, and she snatched another look at him…
“True…” she offered back.
“But, in truth…”
“Just stop, okay? Stop the car … stop reading my mind …. Stop listening to my thoughts … stop…!” Alana bit out as a little bit of panic rushed right through her.
How am I not supposed to damn well think?
“I can’t read your mind…” he admitted.
Jethro was ready to stop the truck if that was what she really wanted, but it would be easier just to put her fears to rest now. He berated himself for not doing it before.
“You … can’t?” she eyed him with a whole heap of suspicion.
“No.”
“Sure?” She scowled at him and he turned to look at her, a big beaming smile on his lips.
“I was just messing with you.” He admitted and she huffed.
“And that’s your idea of funny?” She demanded.
“Not anymore…” he offered back with as much sincerity as he could put into his voice.
“Hmm…” she settled back in the seat and frowned out of the windscreen ahead of her. “Because, it’s not funny.” She bit out.
“I get that … now…”
“You couldn’t have figured it out earlier?” She sneered.
“Obviously not or I wouldn’t have said it,” he shot back.
The woman was hard work. He’d had a run in or two with shifters that were easier to deal with than she was.
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~
Andy pushed through the door at the bakers shop and back heeled it closed behind her with a loud thud in Elijah’s face that brought May’s attention up towards her.
The old woman tipped her head to look at the bad mood bear grumbling and growling on the other side of the door.
It was rare to see Elijah at her shop anymore and the woman was more than curious, but one look at the expression on Andy’s face, mixed with the sudden change in the whole aura of the shop that came from the young woman’s mood, and May had a good idea of what was going on.
Elijah rolled his eyes back in his head and took a step back from the door. He didn’t much like witches, and tried to stay as far away from them as he could get.
He brought his eyes back down and got snagged in May’s knowing gaze. He didn’t like that either, everyone knowing his business.
Elijah folded his big arms across his chest and took one more step back as he stood there, as if guarding the doorway.
“I’m guessing he’s with you…” Aunt May gave a sideways nod to the shifter as Andy made a beeline for the triple chocolate muffins.
“He’s not with me. The man’s following me like a lost puppy,” Andy snorted her contempt for the shifter outside the door.
She snatched a quick look at him over her right shoulder and groaned inwardly as he stared back at her from outside. The man was one giant thorn in her side.
“I’m guessing he found his mate…”
“You guess a lot,” Andy offered back.
She didn’t really want to acknowledge what May knew to be true, because if she did then she’d have to deal with it, and right then and there the only thing that she wanted to deal with was a large chocolate muffin.
“You know, you can’t run from your mate?” May warned her.
Andy’s eyes snapped up to lock with the old woman’s, a frown creased her brow as the wheels turned within her mind.
“Funny, he said the same thing, but you know what …?”
“You’re a strong, independent woman who doesn’t take any crap from men!” May offered back with so much conviction that she had Andy believing it for a moment.
“I’d like to think so, but history says differently.” Andy scowled. “But him…” she tossed a thumb back over her shoulder at Elijah…