by M. L. Briers
“Suited?”
“Call it fate-“ Anna put in, lifting the chopping board and turning towards Vicky who looked more than a little confused.
“Fate?- Anna, I think you’re getting ahead of yourself, it was just-“
Anna cut her off with a small chuckle, her eyes twinkling with amusement, “wasn’t it though.” She gave Vicky a knowing look before palming the vegetables into the pan and turning back on her heels to chop some more.
“Well it was amaz-“ Vicky caught herself before she went too far, this was Cade’s sister for god sake.
“Would it be so bad- you and Cade?” Anna asked over her shoulder, the only sound for a long minute was the constant tapping of the knife against the board as Vicky let that question play in her mind.
“Well no-“ Vicky quickly caught herself again with a shake of her head she stammered, “I- I mean- theoretically- I don’t even know your brother-“
“You don’t believe in Kismet?”
“No I live in the real world-“ Vicky couldn’t help the air of sarcasm she put into her words. This conversation was surreal and needed to be nipped in the bud.
“Not as much as you would think.” Anna offered without any explanation for her words.
“Well I don’t believe in Fate or destiny or Kismet or even love at first sight, so don’t go naming our first born any time soon Anna.” Vicky reached for another pan as a small scoff escaped Anna’s lips.
“Whatever you say Vicky.” Anna couldn’t help the smug grin that rode across her face.
“This snow will make it pretty easy to track anyone coming onto our land Cade, let’s hope it keeps up and it won’t just be relying on scent to see if those dogs make good on their threats.” Marcus leaned back against the soft leather of his chair and eyed Whit, who made a long slow exhale sound like the winter wind.
“Problem Whit?” Cade asked narrowing his eyes at his brother and wondering what had chased away his usual jovial mood.
“Just worried about the pack. Going head to head with Devanaux’s been coming for a while- I just don’t want to be counting any losses on our side is all.” Whit visibly shrunk down in his chair, his tall frame seemed to expand sideways as he folded up on himself, already feeling the loss of his own people.
“Maybe it won’t come to that- Devanaux would be an idiot to start a war over land, but then Werewolves aren’t the sharpest tools in the shed.” Cade felt the trepidation inside him. He could feel Whit’s unease rolling off him in waves and could empathise with just how he felt.
“His best play would be to go after Vicky and try to turn her-“ Marcus’s comment had Cade’s head snapping towards him on his muscled neck, the burning anger in his eyes matched with the thunderous growl from deep within his chest that had Whit sitting to attention in an instant.
“Easy brother- I said it was his best option, not that we were going to allow it to happen- your mate is safe here with us.” Marcus soothed his Alpha, not that it worked. Cade was already wound up tighter than a child’s spinning top at the thought of someone threatening his mate.
“Maybe we should pre-empt any attempt by Devanaux to come after Vicky?” Whit offered, his words drawing Cade’s eyes towards him and it wasn’t a comfortable place to be, under Cade’s glare right now.
“No. I won’t go to war over threats that might come to nothing. But it might be a good idea to increase our patrols to take in Vicky’s land- as far out as a few miles past her house towards Devanaux land, that way we’ll get a sense if they are scouting her property.” Even in human form they would leave a Were’s scent behind and as they had no business being on Vicky’s land, unless they were intending to take her-
“And if we find them on either property?” Marcus narrowed his gaze at his Alpha, just as Cade turned dark eyes back to his brother.
“Kill them.” Cade issued the order without trepidation and Marcus nodded with a small smile of knowing.
“Be a pleasure brother.”
Cade was the last to enter the kitchen, coming to a stop beside the doorway, he watched the scene in front of him- Marcus and Whit were already seated at the long dining table, chatting and teasing as Anna and Vicky moved back and forth across the room carrying bowls of food to the table.
When Marcus reached out to snag a fresh cooked roll from the basket as Vicky leaned past him to place it, she slapped out at his hand and he pulled it back with a frown, gazing down at it as though he couldn’t believe that had just happened, as all conversation ceased and all eyes were on Marcus.
Cade went to take a step into the room when Marcus turned his head up to look at Vicky, who had placed the basket on the table and was about to turn away. Cade’s heart was racing within his chest as he waited for Marcus to react to Vicky’s reprimand.
“You slapped me?” It was a question hidden in exasperated disbelief and Cade watched as Vicky raised one perfect brow at his brother.
“I think you were brought up, not dragged up- was I wrong Marcus?” The exact tone of her voice reminded him of his mother and Cade watched as recognition also rang within his brother’s. Whit immediately pulled his elbows from the table top and then shook his head as if wondering why he did that, while Marcus’s dark brows knitted just above his nose.
“No Mam, sorry.” Marcus mumbled on a half arsed attempt at remorse as Anna snorted a chuckle from the far side of the counter and Cade scratched his head, wondering just how his mean spirited Beta had been suddenly transformed into a pup under Vicky’s gaze.
When Vicky flashed him an absolute drop dead gorgeous smile that nearly brought Cade to his knees, he watched his brother’s mood immediately brighten before she turned back to the counter- Anna high fiving her as she walked past, while Whit was remorselessly pointing and chuckling at his older sibling. Marcus didn’t spare any of that good humour on Whit as his eyes darkened- he was seriously close to flying over the table and having it out right there and then in the kitchen.
Cade cleared his throat as he took a couple of steps into the room, which caused Marcus to pull his gaze from Whit and meet his Alpha’s eyes.
‘Don’t even think about it.’ Cade growled a warning at his sibling and an almost silent growl rumbled from Marcus’s chest towards Whit.
“Dinner smells good.” Cade lightly brushed his hand over Vicky’s hip as he passed her- the briefest touch was all he could risk right now- anything more and he would be lost- especially after watching her assert herself with Marcus- his blood was hotter than the flames of hell and he wanted her even more than he had earlier.
“Personally I can’t wait to sink my teeth into one of those fresh baked rolls- how ‘bout you Marcus?” Whit teased and Marcus growled again on the long breath he blew out of his nose- just as the last bowl of food was placed and Anna slipped onto her chair next to Whit, the amusement she felt for her brother’s teasing twinkling in her eyes.
Cade pulled Vicky’s chair out for her and waited while she seated herself before he sat next to her, Marcus on the other side of her, flashing her a quick sideways glance.
“Well this has to be the first time in a very long time that Marcus and Whit haven’t snagged all the best bits for themselves already-“ Anna chuckled to herself ,while giving Vicky an appreciative look across the table.
Vicky noticed all eyes on her, the crimson rushing to her cheeks as she shrugged her shoulders.
“What?- It was just habit- my family were kind of anal about that stuff.”
“Well it’s nice to see some manners for a change- but if those two don’t start eating soon they’ll probably combust- so eat up.” Anna sniggered as both Marcus and Whit each reached for a bowl- their eyes met across the way and Whit grinned as he offered the bowl to his sister, who looked gobsmacked by the gesture.
“Sister?” Whit crowed and Marcus chewed on his jaw for a long moment, shooting his brother a dark glare before he offered the bowl to Vicky.
“Vicky?” He didn’t take his eyes from Whit as she watched th
e animosity between the two of them.
“Thank you Marcus.” She took the bowl before leaning in towards Cade and whispered, “Did I cause this?”
“No- these two knuckleheads are always like this.” Cade offered dismissing that there was any real problem, before growling at his Beta’s.
‘Behave or take it outside.’
Both men instantly relaxed their stance as bowls were passed around the table, much to Anna’s continued amusement and Cade’s appreciation for his mate’s ability to bring his brother into line.
The last person who had managed that with Marcus was his own mate and in truth- since losing her to the hunter’s bullet, he had been angry at the world- Cade could understand it- now knowing exactly what Marcus had lost that night.
Since Devanaux had issued the treat against Vicky he had been haunted by the thought of losing her- so quickly he had dismissed her presence here, even willing to send her away knowing she was his mate- now the thought of losing her just terrified him. He certainly had no intention of sending her away now that they were mated- he would rather die himself- but how the hell did he break it to a human that she was the mate of an Alpha Lycan?
Vicky eyed Marcus beside her, she had reacted out of pure instinct and then her heart almost froze within her- it certainly wasn’t her place to instill manners or etiquette around a table that wasn’t even hers and for a long moment back there, she thought she might just have a problem with him and then he had apologised and she almost choked on his words for him.
Where Whit seemed to be the brother that had managed to get the easy going- easily amused gene- Marcus seemed to have been given a large dose of pure menace that seemed to rumble along just barely under the surface ready to ignite at anytime, as it so nearly had when Whit had started to tease him- and then there was Cade- all three brother’s had an element of pure testosterone that was evident, she imagined that all three were rough and tumble kids that probably had their mother run ragged as kids.
But she felt totally safe and secure with all of them, even Marcus with his edgy darkness made her feel protected in some way, like the three musketeers from stories of old and times gone by- or knights of the round table, there was something noble and comforting about having their presence around her.
From the moment she had met him, the well timed flying tackle on her land that had saved her from the trap she had felt it- a protectiveness that seemed to run through his DNA, he had been the same with Devanaux and then again with Whit. She had never felt safer in her life than she did when she was with Cade and sitting here at the dinner table with all three brothers, she highly doubted there could be anything on this planet that could manage to get past all three of them and cause her any harm- it was both comforting and puzzling at the same time.
Maybe it was a country thing, she certainly never got this vibe from the guy’s she knew in the city and living with her Aunt for so long, the only form of testosterone in the house had been the cat.
“So Vicky are we still on for our TV date tonight?” Anna threw out there and she very nearly missed it, she was so caught up in the whole Marcus thing and the fact that her body was almost to boiling point from having Cade sitting so close to her- that she had been that close to tuning out completely.
“Wouldn’t miss it.” She didn’t need to put any enthusiasm behind her words, she liked Anna- she was as easy going as Whit and yet ballsy in her own right, but then growing up with these three as brother’s, it was little wonder that she needed to be able to hold her own.
“Sounds like it’s a girl’s night in brother- that means you can come with us and make sure the snow isn’t causing any problems for anyone.” Marcus bit out, the look of pure enjoyment on his lips- before his eyes flicked down to Vicky and he caught her looking at him- a small smile for her at the corner’s of his lips told her that he bared her no ill will from earlier- either that or he was a good actor, but she doubted it, she thought it more than likely that what you saw was what you got with Marcus.
‘Better eat a few more rolls if you’re going on a Were hunt later brother.’ Whit snorted to himself as Marcus shot him a glare across the table.
‘Let’s just say- I’ll give you a two minute head start out of the door when we’re done with dinner- before I chase your butt down and show you what fangs are for- brother.’ Marcus shot back as Anna and Vicky chatted about the TV show and Cade found himself relaxing for the first time in a long time as he enjoyed the family atmosphere around the dinner table that reminded him of the old days.
Cade’s nose turned up at the scent of the Werewolf that had obviously been prowling the property around Victoria’s house- it was still strong and clung to the bushes that ran the side of the drive and down along the edge of the house- Marcus and Whit had picked up the scent and were following it back across the land- in human form- the Were wouldn’t be able to cover as much ground as quickly as Marcus and Whit could under their beasts paws and if he hadn’t reached Devanaux land already, they would take him out without much danger to themselves.
It was one lone Werewolf against two Lycan’s, but they weren’t stupid- if he carried any weapons with which to defend himself against the pack, they would take him down before he got a chance to use them.
Cade padded down the side of the house and followed the scent towards the back of the property- the Werewolf had obviously taken up a vantage point within the foliage with which to watch- not only the house for any signs of Vicky- but also the property line to his pack’s land- he would have seen them coming the moment they exited the woods and made his getaway across the small strip of land back to Devanaux- it was just a matter of how fast Whit and Marcus could hunt him down and if they met any other resistance along the way.
‘Found him yet?’ Cade felt the fire of anger burning brighter within him than he could have ever imagined- Vicky’s protection meant more to him than the blood coursing through his veins and he wanted this intruder that had threatened her safety dealt with. He cursed himself for allowing his brother’s to go on the hunt for the Were without him- it should have been him who hunted the threat down and kept his woman safe.
‘We’re coming up on Devanaux’s land now brother- he’s damned close to the boundary-‘ Whit’s voice hit his mind and he could almost taste the chase in his words.
The irritation gnawed at him- how he would relish his brother’s tearing that monster limb from limb- but he couldn’t allow it.
‘Do not cross the boundary line.’ Those words gutted him, but he wouldn’t start the war with the Were’s- but that didn’t mean if it came to it that he wouldn’t relish wiping every last one of them off this land.
‘Damn it to hell-‘ Marcus spat out on a growl of an unsatisfactory hunt- his bitterness causing a fresh flood of anger to sweep through Cade.
‘We lost him by a whisker-‘ Marcus growled deep with frustration- he would have liked to had one of those damn Were’s in his jaws for what they did to his mate- bringing the human hunter’s onto Lycan land, with the prize dangling in their alcohol fuelled faces of the largest wolf seen in the area- his mate.
‘Run the line of the boundary Marcus- work off some of that tension- see if you boys can find any other scents out there.’ Cade knew his brother and how badly this would sit with him- when his mate had been killed- he had taken his revenge and rightly so- but that brief gratification would never be enough to satiate his desire to wipe the Were’s off the map.
‘I’m going back to the house- spell Blue from patrolling the perimeter- we need to keep up a constant presence until after this full moon- once the deal is done, they will have no use for Vicky.’ Cade sprung from the porch and started off towards pack land. His head was in turmoil thinking of all of the ways the Were’s could come for Vicky- but if he kept her in the house- kept the patrol’s out- she should be safe.
Cade made the conscious decision to not leave her side from now on- to get to her they would have to go through him and that would never happen-
not while he had breath in his body to fight and fight he would- she was his mate and he would die protecting her.
Victoria walked to the window and looked out on the night. Inside she was restless, but there was no reason to be- at least, that’s what she kept trying to tell herself, all the way through the last two hours she had spent watching the television with Anna- not that she hadn’t enjoyed the distraction of the young girls company- Anna was great, she just had this itch within her that she couldn’t quite put her finger on.
It might have something to do with Cade, she rationalised, considering her mind kept wandering to the man she had made love with that afternoon- and boy had he made love to her- she had never been so completely touched by a man in her life- body mind and soul, he seemed to possess her and it wasn’t just the sex- although, with a large grin that spread across her face- she had to admit it was damned great sex.
There wasn’t a time in her life before when she had ever been so caught up in something as to be totally spontaneous- especially where her romantic liaisons had been concerned- she would never have let that happen back home in the city- would never have given into temptation to be so reckless- that was all him- the man himself seemed to have swept into her life and captured her so completely, that she had only fleetingly wondered if making love with him was the right thing to do.
Vicky felt that itch raise its ugly head again- it was like a fire within her blood that she couldn’t quash- she wanted him here, beside her, in front of her- oh hell in bed with her- she felt the need to have him within her- his arms about her- his touch upon her- to taste him- to smell his masculinity- to feel him again- all of him- everything about him.
What the heck was wrong with her? She was like a love sick teenager daydreaming about her first love- eager for his presence- this was crazy- stupid and way too indulgent for her senses- she was a rational profession woman who didn’t do crushes- didn’t do relationships and Cade was-