by M. L. Briers
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Harper watched them go. Three trucks raced down the long, dirt track toward the outside world, and Kent’s wolf was in hot pursuit. She noted her friend as she came up beside her to watch the unusual spectacle.
“I guess Darby really wanted to leave,” Joy chuckled.
“The witch,” Harper said, and she folded her arms and sighed at the duplicity of the woman.
“Problem?” Joy asked. It wasn’t as if Darby leaving had come as a surprise to her.
“She set us up — keep the alpha and other beta busy while she rid herself of her own mate and took off on her own.” Harper carried on talking, but they were muttered words and none that were repeatable.
“I don’t suppose you can expect loyalty from somebody you just met,” Joy said with a shrug of her shoulders.
“Still, what’s good for the goose,” Harper said with a smug grin. “While they’re chasing her…” She left it there, although she did turn on her heels and start away from the house in the opposite direction.
“We’re leaving?” Joy said following on behind her.
“A missed opportunity is a regret — I don’t plan to regret any of my life,” Harper said. “Let’s hope she can lead them on a good chase. Bless their little wolfy hearts.
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Darby couldn’t believe what she was seeing when she flicked her gaze to the rearview mirror. She thought she had a plan, and she thought the plan would work.
Now, she was being chased by two trucks and one Hound of the Baskervilles.
Those two witches were nowhere to be seen. Darby hoped that her sacrifice hadn’t been in vain and that they would get away.
That wasn’t to say that she was giving up without a fight, hell, she could lead them all the way to — the red light flashed on the dashboard warning her that the tank was low — maybe she couldn’t get as far as she’d hoped, but she was still going to try.
That was when she flicked her eyes to the mirror and saw Kent’s wolf coming up fast. He sped by the last truck in the convoy. Then he was running alongside the alpha’s truck, to which the alpha looked pretty surprised, and she knew it wouldn’t be long until he caught her up.
It wasn’t as if she could speed up. The road was terrible, and she was already bouncing along inside the cab with each pothole as it was.
Darby felt the need to look out if the window beside her and Kent’s wolf was there, running right along beside her. She glared out of the window at the beast as they made eye to eye contact.
Darby turned her attention back toward the road and ignored the wolf. She tightened her grip on the steering wheel with both hands and grumbled a few curse words.
Then the wolf started to pull away from her, and she had to wonder how that wolf had the speed it did. But the biggest surprise of all was when he got in front of her and kept going.
“Where the heck is he going?” Darby bit out, frowning at the beast and trying to figure out its game, as she was the one who was now playing catch-up with it.
When the wolf stopped abruptly and turned toward her, holding his place in the middle of the road, Darby had to wonder if the man, or his beast, had lost its mind.
“You’re going to play chicken with a truck?” Darby exclaimed in disbelief. “Is he serious?” She bit out. “Are you serious?” She shouted at the wolf.
It didn’t move a muscle.
“Well, okay — it’s your funeral,” Darby said, but inside she was grimacing, her hands had tightened against the steering wheel so much that she thought she might have to peel them away from the leather.
“Move,” She bit out quietly, half begging the animal to see sense. He still didn’t move a muscle, and her truck was bearing down on him. “Move — stupid,” she said, louder now that she was gaining on him.
Darby flicked a look at the road and noted that there was a drop on either side of the makeshift roadway, and she didn’t really relish the thought of having to swerve at the last moment and ending up with the truck nose down in a ditch.
She also didn’t want to hit her brakes and let him win the battle of wills, just because he was the most stupid person out of the two of them.
But Darby also didn’t want to hit the wolf. Maybe if Kent had been standing there in his human form, it might have been different, but that wolf — how could she hit such a beautiful creature?
Then the beast pushed off on fast paws and started running at her, and she squealed in disbelief. Her heart jumped into her throat, her fingers clamped around the steering wheel, and her foot shifted to the brake, but it was already too late — the wolf pushed up from the ground and was in mid-flight heading for her truck.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
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“Tell me that you’re not planning for us to be running all the way home,” Joy said, somewhat out of breath, but still following on Harper’s heels as they raced in the opposite direction from everybody else.
“We just need to find a way back to civilization, and then we can borrow a car, hitch a lift, do whatever we have to do to get the hell out of here.” Harper was determined.
The alpha had lied to her when he’d said that he would drive her home. That was a pretty good reason in her book to be as sneaky and devious as she needed to be and to take off at the drop of a hat.
It would not only serve the man right, but it would give her a great sense of satisfaction to boot.
“And where do we find civilization out here?”
“If I knew that then I’d be heading in that direction instead of running around like a headless chicken, don’t you think?” Harper shot back.
“What’s that?”
“What?” Harper scanned the area but came up short.
“It looks like a golf cart type thingy, by the lake,” Joy pointed as she closed the distance between her and Harper and her friend turned to see the little white buggy with the distinct lack of doors.
“Why the hell is that out here?”
“Who cares, it’s better than running,” Joy offered back with the kind of pleading in her voice that Harper couldn’t ignore. That and the fact that Joy was already headed in that direction, made Harper follow her lead.
“Broomstick for two?” The vampire’s words came out of nowhere and caused Harper and Joy to pull up short.
They scanned the tree line for signs of the owner of that melodic voice, but couldn’t find him. Both of them tightened their hold on the magic within them.
“Scum sucking leech alert,” Joy bit out.
“Well, hello to you,” Karl said as he dropped down from the tree like a gymnast dismounting the parallel bars.
“What’s he want?” Joy whispered.
“A better question would be; what’s he doing all the way out here,” Harper bit out. It felt like a set up to her.
“Your alpha asked me to keep an eye on you,” Karl grinned, confirming Harper’s suspicions.
“So you’re psychic now, or are you telling us that you have a mental connection to the pack?” Harper asked. “Because excuse me if I don’t believe you.”
“I guess being mistrustful goes along with being a witch, does it not?” He asked.
“And lying is just par for the course for a vampire, is it not?” Harper tossed back.
“Nice touch with the golf buggy,” Joy bit out. She wasn’t impressed; she was miffed that she’d fallen for it.
“Well, it was easier for me to lure you in rather than face you head on,” Karl offered back.
“And yet, I fear that the end result is going to be the same — for you,” Harper said.
She’d already drawn on her magic, all she needed to do was lift her hands and blast him with it. She did.
Joy couldn’t help but bite out a chuckle at the sight of a vampire spinning head over heels toward the lake. It was a nice touch in her book.
“Grab the cart, we’re getting out of here,” Harper said.
&n
bsp; She couldn’t help but wait for the splash of the vampire hitting the water. It seemed rude somehow not to witness it.
“Let’s go — let’s go — let’s go,” Joy bit out, as she started the golf cart up, just as she noted Virginia was racing towards them from the opposite direction.
“That’s my mate!” The she-wolf growled, looking none too friendly, and none too happy.
“I’m not gonna stop you from going and fishing him out,” Harper called as she headed to the golf cart.
“Go get them, Ginnie!” The vampire called from the water.
Virginia turned her attention back to the witches who were taking off in her mate’s golf cart. They weren’t exactly in danger of breaking any speeding laws or getting away.
Virginia rolled her eyes in her head and started off after the witches. She didn’t even need to break a sweat as she caught up with them, jumped into the air and planted her backside on the back panel.
Harper shot a look back over her shoulder at the she-wolf and groaned inwardly. Joy’s lack of driving skills left a lot to be desired as they hit every pothole and clump of grass on their merry way, bouncing and cursing as they went.
Harper noted the way that the she-wolf was sitting there quite happily inspecting her nails.
“I do love a magical mystery tour in the early evening light,” Virginia said.
“You know we can bounce you right off there with our magic, right?” Harper shot back. She didn’t like the tone of the she-wolf one little bit.
It was true that they were never going to make a fast getaway in a golf cart, but she also didn’t like having her nose rubbed in it.
“And if you weren’t my brothers’ mates then I would tell you exactly what I could do to you — but you are my brothers’ mates, and I’d rather like it if the idiots didn’t go, rogue,” Virginia offered back.
“That would be bad,” Joy said over her shoulder, and Harper had to wonder whose side the witch was on, and why she was hunched forward as if she was trying to make the cart go faster.
“Which is why you are going to turn this cart around and head back to the house,” Virginia said.
“And if we don’t?” Harper stood her ground, just because it felt right to do it. She knew that even if she got rid of the she-wolf, the woman and the vampire would just keep coming back, over and over.
“Then I guess you’ll be walking back,” Virginia offered with a fangy smile that held absolutely no friendship or amusement whatsoever.
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Darby couldn’t believe her eyes. She’d already hit the brakes, but she had a werewolf clinging to the bonnet of the truck, his eyes were locked on hers, and she wasn’t exactly well versed in werewolf etiquette, but he didn’t look happy.
Darby wasn’t quite sure what a happy werewolf should look like — but that just wasn’t it. There was also the tell-tale signs of unhappiness with the louder, deep, rumbling sound of a heady growl that rattled everything inside the cab, including her.
“Go away — shoo,” she hissed out at the beast as she grimaced inwardly, and tried to unpeel her hands from the steering well. Her fingers said ouch.
Kent’s beast pulled back its lips and growled. The sight of the razor-sharp fangs was enough to make her want to unleash her magic on the wolf to show him who was boss.
“Easy there, brother,” Alf said from beside the truck, and she shot him a look that was bordering on disbelief.
‘I’m not going to eat her — maybe.’ Kent offered his brother a small token of assurance.
His beast had run like hell to catch up with her, and he didn’t think the wolf had any more in it, but the beast had proved him wrong. They’d got ahead of her truck, and caused her to stop.
That should have been good enough for man and beast. But somehow, he still needed to rein his wolf in.
Right then and there, that wasn’t happening.
“Make him back off,” Darby said.
“What do you think I’m trying to do? You’re the one that got him all hyper in the first place,” Alf grumbled.
The alpha tried to hold onto the growl that needed an outlet because he didn’t want to upset Kent’s beast — the wolf was crazy enough as it was without hearing the alpha growl at his mate.
“Sure, you can blame me for your brother’s failings…” Darby stopped talking when Kent’s wolf growled again.
“I don’t think he likes your attitude,” Alf said.
“I don’t really like his either,” Darby tossed back.
“Now, you can take this with a grain of salt, but — get used to it,” Alf said.
“Don’t tell me what to do,” Darby shot back with a frown for the alpha, and her mate grumbled another growl.
“I’d advise you not to wind that beast up any more than you already have,” Alf said, turning to her, and giving her his full and undivided attention.
The witch was trouble.
“Well, I’ll take your advice and shove it up your…”
The beast growled long and hard and caused Darby to turn her attention back to it.
Kent’s wolf slammed its paw down against the bonnet of the car and dragged it downward. The sound of its razor-sharp claws eating up the paintwork sound a thousand times worse than nails down a chalkboard and set Darby’s teeth on edge.
“No — no — no.” Alf waved his arms to try to gain the beast’s attention. “Do not scratch up in my damn truck.”
“Oh, this is your truck,” Darby’s voice had taken on a rather amused tone that set alarm bells ringing in the alpha’s mind. When Alf turned to look at her, his eyes narrowed in mistrust at the smirk on her face and mischief in her eyes. He felt his stomach sink.
CHAPTER TWENTY
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“Do not wind that beast up,” Alf warned her.
“How could I possibly do that?” Darby asked.
She released her grip on the steering wheel and hit the horn. It had the desired effect as the beast reared up onto its back paws before dropping down with all its might on its front paws once more with a roar of annoyance, and putting two dents in the hood.
“Kent, I’m warning you if you kill my truck I will kill you,” Alf growled. The beast growled back at him.
“Is now a really good time to wind up Kent’s wolf?” Clark asked, walking to stand beside his brother. He folded his arms, tipped his head to the side like a curious beast, and watched the spectacle.
“I’m not the one winding up the beast, she is,” Alf grumbled as he pointed to Darby and Kent growled another warning at his brother. “Stop damn well growling at me; I’m still your alpha if you want to challenge me get the hell off my truck and let’s get to it.”
Darby noted the way that the alpha seemed to pump up the muscles of his upper body and grew in every way possible. She didn’t like the look of that. She might have wanted to get away, but there were many reasons behind that — one of which was the vampire on her trail.
What she didn’t want to do was cause a problem between brothers. The alpha wasn’t just the alpha for the fun of having the title. Kent was a beta, and while he might have been able to beat the alpha in a challenge — she wasn’t happy to be the cause of him trying.
“Okay, hold it,” Darby said. She wasn’t going anywhere fast, and she wanted to put an end to the insane challenge.
Kent snarled at the alpha. Right then and there the beast saw Alf as someone standing in the way of him and his mate.
If the alpha wanted a challenge, then he would rather get it out of the way than have it hanging over him while he was trying to claim his mate.
“Hey!” Darby snapped at the beast.
His gaze shot toward her but it was only momentary before he turned his attention back toward the alpha. Darby knew that she needed something that would garner his attention for long to enough to quieten down the hyped up wolf.
“Look, play toy,” Darby said as she turned on the wipers and the beast’s attentio
n snapped in her direction once more.
The wolf’s eyes moved from side to side following the blades. When Darby increased the speed of the wipers, the wolf’s head moved from side to side with each stroke. By the time that she’d put them on top speed, she couldn’t help but chuckle at the way that his head was snapping from side to side, even his front paws were lifting from the bonnet as he followed that rhythmic motion.
“Little things please little minds,” Clark chuckled.
“This is not going to end well for my truck,” Alf growled.
Sure enough, Kent lifted a paw and slammed it down on top of a blade. The mechanism tried it’s best to keep going, but the beast held it in place. As the blade tried to move under the wolf’s paw, so the beast growled at it with annoyance. There was a painful sound to the mechanism of the wiper motor.
“Yep, you’re pretty much going to need…” Clark stopped talking the moment that the wolf settled its jaws around one blade and shook its head, ripping the wiper from the truck and spitting it down at Alf’s feet.
Alf couldn’t contain the growl that rumbled through his chest, although it did get lodged in his throat when the beast turned its attention to the second wiper and did the exact same thing.
Then, as if content, the wolf settled down on its belly on the bonnet of the car and stared in at his mate who was chuckling like a schoolgirl on prom night.
“Butthole,” Alf grumbled, Kent’s beast shot him a sideways glance, then grunted.
“See, all better,” Darby said with a shrug. Alf turned a look of disbelief onto the mate. “Just like a child in a tantrum, you only need to get something shiny to distract them.”
“I’m so glad you used my truck to distract my idiot brother from his tantrum,” Alf grumbled. “Perhaps when anything really dodgy happens you can just burn down my house.”
“That’s a good idea,” Darby said, and when the sound of the alpha’s growl reached her ears once more, she couldn’t help but chuckle.
Crisis averted, but she still needed to find a way off pack land.