by M. L. Briers
“I’m off to check out this ghost thing,” Hawk growled a little for Cane’s benefit, bless him.
“I’ll come with you,” Lucifer announced and I snapped my head around to question her, “a witch is always useful where ghosts are concerned.” She offered innocently, or as innocent as she could get being a she-demon.
“Then I’ll go,” I snapped back at her.
“You really shouldn’t,” my mother had to stick her two pence in.
“Nora’s right,” Hawk agreed with her and I felt my own growl of annoyance rattled within my chest.
My mother was right-hmm, those were words that should never be spoken.
“She really isn’t,” I offered him a stare that could freeze even the warmest of hearts, and I know he took it on board by the way that his shoulders tensed.
“Here,” mother snatched my attention away as she placed a cup down in front of Cane. My nose was already twitching with the smell of coffee, and I stood no chance in holding in the sneeze…
My magic escaped me. Things shook or jumped in place… Cane’s mug practically leapt of the table and into his lap, but he’d already pushed up and back with his knees, shooting the chair across the kitchen, and leaping out of the way of the coffee…
“Hmm,” my mother announced as I stared at my half eaten bowl of cornflakes still shooting across the table… “I’d say we need more ginger in that spell to stop that happening…”
I groaned at the sight of my bowl about to disappear over the edge, when mother caught it, and in one push, launched it back across the table at me. It was gratefully received, and spoon still in hand; I tucked back in.
“What was that?” Cane grumbled.
“Witch morning sickness,” my mother shot back without blinking an eye.
“Be careful what you witch for,” I grinned at him.
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~
The morning was uneventful. While mother, Hawk, Cane and Lucifer went off to do their thing, I went to see Scott.
“I know what you’re going to say before you say it,” my friendly neighbourhood vampire informed me, skulking out of the darkness, well, the bushes beside his house at any rate.
“Another bloody psychic in the family, whatever next?” I shot back as I tried to stop my heart from racing and letting him know that he’d managed to scare me once more.
He seemed to take great pleasure in it, so I tried my best to deny him his enjoyment-it didn’t work, not with his hearing, and as he sauntered on past me, a quick dip near my ear, he made that quite clear…
“Gotcha.”
“Asshole,” I grumbled back. He was family now, and however much I loathed him-which wasn’t much because the man grew on you like a fungus, I still didn’t believe in holding back.
“As we’re family,” he shot me a smirk, “that’s Mr Asshole to you.”
“Don’t read my bloody mind,” I scowled at him and snapped my shields around me. It wasn’t something that I appreciated having to do, but nosy neighbours and all that…
“But it’s so much fun to know what you’re truly thinking,” Scott offered; still keeping the smirk and tempting me into zapping him.
“I wouldn’t want to hurt your fragile feelings.”
“Hmm,” he played along with a pout and a frown, but then motioned towards the bench seat on the porch. “Take a load off.”
“You’re saying I’m getting hefty?” I shot back and he raised his eyes to the heavens before considering that in the most careful of terms.
“Wouldn’t dream of it, I like my scrotum attached to my body,” he gave me one of those disarming grins of his. I huffed back, unimpressed.
“Just stop pouting and sit, you’re pregnant-” he groaned.
“Pregnant, not afflicted,” I shot back. What was it with supernatural men and their ability to be overprotective on a grand scale?
“Well, that would depend on your definition,” he grinned again. It denoted his inability to keep his mouth shut.
“Have I told you lately that I don’t like you?”
“Regularly, but please, don’t let that stop you,” Scott perched his backside on the wooden railing and folded his arms across his chest as he waited patiently for another tongue lashing.
“Bite me!” I snapped out and one eyebrow shot up on his forehead.
“I wouldn’t let you hear Hawk giving me that come on,” Scott chuckled and I rolled my eyes. It used to be fun verbally sparring with Scott, but now that I had baby brain-it took all of the amusement out of it for me and left me somewhat frustrated that I couldn’t always keep up.
“Or me,” Sydney announced from somewhere inside the house.
“Oh shut up, the pair of you,” I huffed once more and turned in place, dropping my widening backside down on the bench.
“Ah, is someone feeling left out?” Scott smirked once more and I realised that I’d let my shields slip-bummer! Stupid baby brain-I had the attention span of a goldfish, maybe less.
“Actually, yes.”
“What’s mother done now?” Sydney asked as she sauntered out of the house in a shorter than short waistband that pretended to be a skirt, and I tried to suck in my extra pounds-because that was going to work! “Or is it Lucifer?” Sydney’s eyes flashed with amusement.
“Why are they both at my house first thing in the bloody morning when I wake up?” I demanded. “They’re staying with you, but Lucy stayed last night and mother arrived at the crack of dawn.”
“We make sure they know they’re not welcome,” Scott teased and I snorted.
“Mother says you need a good breakfast to set you up for the day… bless her,” Sydney chuckled.
“I eat cornflakes,” I snapped back.
“She lives in hope,” Sydney carried on chuckling.
“And Lucifer?” I shot back, “you know that she stayed with me last night?”
“And I’ll bet that Cane was on the prowl all night,” Sydney chuckled and I sighed.
“Bloody mates!” I ground out.
“Better not let Hawk hear you say that either,” Scott chuckled and I gave him the finger-mature? No, but it made me feel better. “Ouch!” He teased again.
“So, you came to escape?” Sydney asked.
“No, I came to talk to Scott,” I made it sound like an invitation for her to get lost, so she folded her arms across her chest and smiled sweetly back at me.
“About the book, no doubt.” Scott offered.
“I don’t think the ghost came from the book,” I shook my head.
“But you want to put it in there,” he raised both of his eyebrows this time.
“Might be an idea,” I shrugged.
“And where do we think the ghost came from?” Sydney asked… in truth, that I hadn’t really considered between passing out like I was in some sort of pregnancy coma and waking up to breakfast with the damn family.
“Well somebody conjured it up,” I offered back to her and saw her fidget in place.
“Why are you looking at me?” She got all defensive.
“I’m not looking at you,” I snapped back.
“Then you have a problem with your eyes,” she snorted.
“I’m looking at you,” I snapped back, “but not at you.” I pointed at her.
“And don’t point a finger at me when you can’t control your magic,” she scowled.
“Who says I can’t control my magic?” I shot back.
“Feeling sneezy much, dwarf?” she shot back and I bristled…
“Ladies, ladies,” Scott’s calming melodic tones brought our eyes towards him. “Squabbling, whilst funny, is unbecoming and beneath the both of you.”
“Bite me!” Sydney and I both said together.
“Hmm, sisters…” he mused and jumped when we both zapped him at the same time. “I was going to say I’ll pass.” He ground out.
“Sure you were,” Sydney snapped back.
“On my life,” Scott placed his hand over his hea
rt and I snorted contempt.
“You’re dead,” I reminded him and he gave me a wicked grin.
“Exactly,” he chuckled. Sydney aimed her index finger in his direction and sucked in a breath to give him a mouthful-I couldn’t wait that long.
“So, the ghost…” I shrugged. “Discuss.”
“We should burn Marmaduke’s house to ground,” Scott saw the horrified looks that Sydney and I gave him, and he expanded his hands. “How else would you suggest we stop things going… missing, and things we don’t even know exist because the place is like a treasure hunt, always something new to find, another cave to explore-”
“Exactly why we can’t burn it down,” I offered.
“Agreed,” Sydney shot back.
“Careful, ladies, you agreed on something.” Scott smirked.
“Your stupidity,” I snorted.
“Agreed,” Sydney offered with a smirk of her own.
“You know, if you’d spent more time helping me to box and catalogue everything…” I left that one open for interpretation.
“I know I never get old and I have a few millennium ahead of me, but I’d also like to have a life,” Scott answered dryly.
“Then don’t moan at me when little things crop up,” I shot back.
“A ghoul going around siphoning the life out of the townsfolk isn’t a little thing, now is it?” Scott made it sound as if I was five.
“We’ll we’ve put up with you all of these years, haven’t we?” I shot back with the same tone.
“That’s beneath you,” he folded his arms across his chest again and pouted. “You know I don’t partake in the locals.”
“Just the tourists,” I shot back.
“Not anymore,” Sydney grinned at him with a wicked smile that I wished I could replicate-damn her.
“No, now you have a live in blood bank,” I snorted and she glared-I liked it.
“Can we get to the ghost?” Scott asked.
“It’s what I’m here for,” I shrugged happily.
“I thought you were here to make my life a misery,” Sydney tossed back.
“That’s just a happy by-product.” I could do innocent and I flashed her that look.
“Wait til you’re not pregnant,” she muttered.
“So, again, the ghost,” Scott offered as his mate bristled and I preened my winning feathers.
“Did it have to come from Marmaduke’s house?” I sighed. Could we really blame everything on the poor old wizard?
“No,” Scott raised his eyes to the sky, “but what are the odds?” he hit me with that vampire stare of his.
“Then maybe that’s where we should start,” I shrugged.
“Are you supposed to be ghost hunting?” Sydney narrowed her eyes on me.
“Does it matter?” I shot back, not committing myself either way.
“Yes,” she raised her chin.
“Then no,” I tossed back, annoyed.
“Then let’s go,” she smiled happily-always ready and willing to get me in trouble. For once I was grateful for her mean streak.
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“And what are you doing here?” Hawk’s deep, berating tone made me grimace. Busted-caught red handed-I could just image Sydney’s delight.
“More of the same, cataloguing Marmaduke’s things and boxing them.” I lied and he growled-yep, busted.
“Liar, liar, your nose is on fire,” Scott offered on a whisper beside my ear as he swooped on past me. I grimaced again-knowing that big ears would pick that up… and he did, with another growl and then a sigh of disappointment in me.
“You shouldn’t be here,” Hawk berated me again.
“I shouldn’t be here-I shouldn’t be chasing ghosts,” I waved a hand of frustration in the air, “tell me, Hawk-where would you like me?” I left myself opened to that one as his growl turned decided hungry. I zapped his backside…
“Can you not?” he growled out.
“I could not, but I choose to.” I snapped back at him, and the pup kicked me in the bladder just as he opened his mouth. I raised my index finger and cut him off, “hold that thought-I gotta pee.” And I hightailed it out of the room, grateful for the intervention.
“We saw you come in,” Anna, one of the faerie sisters announced, almost scaring the pup out of my womb and into my diaphragm, and boy did I want to zap her a good one or two. She was back to the top of my hit-list.
“Thought we’d say hello,” Tracy announced as she sided up alongside her sister-I’m sure these two were supposed to be Siamese twins, because they sure were joined at the hip.
“Hello,” I snapped out-trying to sidestep them to get to where my bladder needed to be.
“You’re looking…” Anna started and left it hanging.
“Larger,” Tracy offered and I seethed a little more.
“Be nice-it’s not like she’s eating for three for the fun of it,” Anna scolded her and dug at my self-esteem in the process-oh, these two knew what they were doing alright… snidey little urchins.
“Well, at least I can get thin, you two are always going to be-”
“Bitches!” Sydney offered, coming to my rescue before I landed myself in the naughty corner. Sydney had no such worries.
CHAPTER SEVEN
~
“Oh look, it’s the lesser sister,” Anna managed through a sneer that made me want to grin my socks off.
“And yet, she’s still got more power in her little finger than a whole heap of faeries,” Lucifer appeared as if by magic-well, not really, but she had a nose for a catfight.
“Perhaps we should show them,” Sydney tossed at Lucifer and I could imagine the look on her face from the looks on theirs-wicked glee mixed with mischief and a certain amount of natural insanity to boot… they looked nervous.
“We didn’t come for trouble,” Anna rushed out nervously, then elbowed her sister in the ribs.
“And we didn’t mean any offence, Joss,” Tracy added and I heard Lucifer crow behind me.
“And yet,” was all that she said.
“And who might you be?” Tracy looked over my left shoulder at Lucy and I still dreaded hearing the words…
“I’m Joss’s sister, Lucy,” she crowed and I wanted to groan. Tell the world-why don’t ya!
“Another one?” Anna’s top lip curled in disdain.
“She’s the mean one,” Sydney relished those words as she leaned in and whispered them, as if it was a secret.
Both Faeries snapped their heads back on their necks in unison… we all knew that Sydney was a handful-now they knew that our Lucifer was worse… I kind of felt sorry for them.
“We just stopped by to say hello,” Anna reiterated, turning on her heels and practically pushing Tracy towards the front door. Score one for the witches!
“I gotta pee!” I exclaimed, finally able to get down the damn corridor.
“Wanna hand or something?” Lucifer snorted and I shot her a death glare over my shoulder as I yanked open the bathroom door and used my magic to flick on the lights… and then jumped about ten foot in the air like a startled cat…
“Are you fecking kidding me?” I growled… I seethed… I kicked him right in the balls…
Amos grabbed at his package with both hands and crumpled down onto his knees. He wasn’t a tall man to start off with, being a Goblin, but now he kind of looked like a small, red-faced, eyes bulging in pain, child, and I have to admit that a moment of guilt for what I had done flashed through me…
“J…o…s…s…” he gasped out his hello through the tears in his eyes and the lack of breath in his lungs… served him damn well right-scaring the bejesus out of me like that.
“Out!” I growled, needing the toilet now more than ever.
Amos sort of shuffled forwards on his knees, still grasping his bits and bobs between his legs, and groaning and hissing in and out a breath as he tried to move…
“Faster!” I growled some more and he speed up with more
groaning. Once he was clear of the doorway, I shot inside, and did what came naturally-with great relief.
~
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~
I was back to my very best. Fully refreshed from my toilet break and eyeing Amos with mistrust as he sat on the floor and wiped his tears away from his rounded cheeks.
“There was no need for that, Joss…” he grumbled, looking up at me like a scolded child.
“Serves you right for skulking in toilets like a pervert,” I sneered down at him.
“I was not, and I am not… much of a pervert,” he gave me a leer and I had to shiver. That look in his eyes as they glinted up at me, perhaps still teary, but definitely creepy, gave me the willies.
“What we’re you doing lurking in the loo?” Lucifer demanded as she placed her hands on her hips and did her best Medusa stare.
Amos brightened at the sight of her. He shuffled up onto his knees, groaned with pain, and then pushed up to his feet. He held out his hand as he sauntered towards her-his eyes locked onto her breasts… I groaned inwardly… this was Lucifer, this was not going to end well.
“Well, hello, another witchy one,” he licked his lips as he came face to face with Lucy’s breasts… she reached down and grabbed a handful of his goodies, hitching them upwards…
“Eyes up!” she snapped and he obliged with a whimper of pain…
“Ok, ok,” he rushed out, and she let go. He seemed to drop about an inch or two in height, “geez, you have to be a sister.” He ground out.
“Whatever gave it away,” Sydney chuckled.
“Family resemblance, and not in the physical sense,” Amos grumbled, reaching down between his legs to rub his sore spot once more…
The sound of Cane’s warning growl made everyone in the corridor jump as he appeared over Lucy’s shoulder and glared down at Amos…
“What are you doing?” His top lip curled and showed partial fangs. Amos jumped back…
“Saying hello!” Amos declared, holding up his hands at chest height.
“By rubbing yourself in front of my mate…” Cane growled like a hungry beast.
“Oh, geez, another witch, another mate,” he rolled his eyes and took two big-for him-steps back away from Lucy. “She tried to rip my balls off, good luck with that!” Amos muttered.