by M. L. Briers
Christie forced herself to take that step outside into the winter wonderland, where the wind was whistling, the snow was falling, and Jack Frost was certainly out and about. She groaned inwardly, and then she used her magic to slam the door behind her in her mate’s face.
“Damn witches,” Rex growled. Then the man jumped in place as a zap of magic hit him right in the backside.
A rumble of an angry growl rolled through his chest as he turned his eyes toward Natalie. The witch pulled her head back on her neck and stared in surprise at the beta.
She was about to say something when Jonathan growled a warning in return. He’d defend his mate to the hilt — even if she was wrong to use her magic on his brother.
“That…” Natalie started again, but Rex cut her off.
“Somebody needs to teach somebody a lesson about something around here!” Rex growled out before he reached for the handle and yanked open the front door and got blasted by the wind. He slammed the door shut behind him.
Jonathan slowly twisted his head back around toward his mate. His dark eyes stared back into hers.
“Okay, now that wasn’t…” She started to protest again, but when Jonathan’s face twisted in pain, and he groaned out another growl, she stopped and drew on her magic.
“I really am warning you-you are jumping up and down on my very last nerve,” Jonathan growled.
“Shut up!” Natalie hissed.
“Excuse me?” Jonathan growled back.
“I’m trying to concentrate,” Natalie hissed at her mate. She pushed her magic out in search of another’s, and what she found surprised her.
“What so you can zap me again?” Jonathan grumbled.
“Faeries!” Natalie announced on a Eureka moment. “Damn faeries! I should have known it!” She said in triumph.
Jonathan pushed away from her. His head swiveled from one direction to the other as his eyes took in the room.
“Where?” He demanded as he looked this way and that trying to locate the devious little beasties.
“That — I don’t know yet, but I will find them,” Natalie assured him.
“Sniff them out!” Jonathan growled at the thought of faeries still being inside with them.
“Not a wolf!” Natalie offered back.
“Okay, Fae them out,” Jonathan grumbled back.
“What does that even mean?” Natalie demanded.
“I have no idea,” Jonathan grumbled with a small shake of his head.
“I think he means do your witchy stuff and find the bad, evil, small people,” Jake chuckled.
“Hey, you didn’t just get zapped,” Jonathan said as he turned to look at his mate. “That was them right?”
“A lot more than it was me,” Natalie felt kind of relieved to finally get that off her chest. “And if you’d listen to me instead of being a big growly bully then you would have found that out a lot sooner, wouldn’t you?” She berated him.
“Can we just find the faeries?” Jonathan grumbled.
Of course, she was right, and he was an idiot — he’d make that up to her, but later.
“Well, we would have found them sooner too if you hadn’t of been a big growly bully, wouldn’t we?”
Natalie’s question was rhetorical. She was already forcing out her magic, trying to locate the faeries and boy, did she have a bone to pick with them.
“Bitch slapped by the witch,” Jake chuckled and raised another growl from Jonathan.
“It’s not just witches that can pull that one off — trust me,” Tom grumbled.
“Oh, I know. But they’re just so good at it,” Jake chuckled again as he offered a smug look towards the beta. “I think they have it programmed into their DNA.”
“Can we please just find the faeries!” Jonathan growled.
“Well, if you’d all just shut up and let me concentrate…” Natalie sighed.
She knew that they were men, but did they have to be so male about it?
“There!” Jake exclaimed.
Jonathan’s head snapped around on his neck in all directions because the vampire hadn’t told him exactly where to look.
“Where?” Jonathan growled in expectation.
“I don’t know; I just wanted to see your head swivel around on your neck,” Jake chuckled.
“It’s not funny — they are damn faeries!” Jonathan growled at the vampire.
“Yes, not a plague of locusts,” Jake offered back in a dry tone that mocked the shifter. “Annoying — but relatively harmless.”
The vampire knew that he’d spoken too soon the moment that their magic hit him hard. His whole body felt as if someone had thrown him through a wood chipper, and he didn’t appreciate it. Especially, as he was sticking up for the faeries at the time.
“Bet someone just changed their tune,” Jonathan offered with a smug grin toward the vampire.
Natalie felt the pull of their magic and sidestepped her mate so that she could follow it. She was heading towards the Christmas tree — that damned Christmas tree again!
How she hated Christmas.
“That’s a Christmas tree, dear,” Tom chuckled.
“Do you see them?” Jonathan was right beside her, and she twisted her head to look at him, and then pulled it back on her neck as she curled her top lip in dismay.
“Not so close, wolfie,” she sneered.
“I’m trying to protect you,” Jonathan offered back.
“Ha! You’re going to protect me from fairy magic?” She chuckled.
“Do you see them?” Jonathan growled. His beast didn’t appreciate her sense of humor either.
“Yes, there’s one sitting on your shoulder,” she offered back, the sarcasm was dripping from her voice. That didn’t stop Jonathan reaching up and brushing both shoulders off just in case.
“He’s not really worried about faeries — he has dandruff issues,” Jake chuckled.
“I’m warning you vampire,” Jonathan growled.
“So, you’re picking a fight with the faeries, with me, and with the vampire?” Natalie rolled her eyes. “How like a beta.”
“How am I picking a fight with anyone?” Jonathan growled back.
“I don’t know. From what I can tell any one of us can knock you on your ass,” she grinned. He didn’t appreciate the grin or her words. His beast was challenged enough; it didn’t need another one.
“Bitch slapped again,” Tom chuckled.
“I have not been bitch slapped,” Jonathan growled.
Natalie couldn’t resist — she lifted her hand and slapped him around the back of the head. Jonathan yanked his head back on his neck and looked at her with complete shock on his face.
“Now you’ve been bitch slapped.” Natalie shrugged her shoulders.
“I don’t believe you did that!” Jonathan growled.
The sound of the vampire and the elder roaring with laughter made him grumble out a string of curse words. The slap hadn’t hurt, well, not anything but his pride.
“I could see that one coming from a mile off,” Tom chuckled with tears in his eyes.
“He certainly walked right into it,” Jake chuckled back.
“Can we just find the damn faeries?” Jonathan growled.
“They’re right there,” Natalie lifted both hands and motioned towards the Christmas tree.
Jonathan’s head snapped around on his neck, and his eyes glared at the tree. He couldn’t see the faeries — but he still wanted to rip someone’s head off.
“What the hell is going on down here?” Doug growled from the top of the stairs. Saffy walked up behind him and peered down into the room.
“Faeries!” Jonathan growled.
“Not again!” Doug grumbled.
He would much rather have been back in the bedroom with his mate wooing her than worrying about stupid, damn faeries.
“An alpha’s work is never done,” Saffy chuckled from over his shoulder, but Doug could find no amusement in the situation.
He started do
wn the stairs, grumbling and growling, and cursing with every loud thud that came from his feet against the wood. He had no time for faeries, and certainly no love for them.
“Where?” he demanded.
“The Christmas tree!” His brother offered back, pointing, and Doug guessed that was just in case he’s had some kind of brain fart and didn’t know what that was.
Doug stalked across the room, bent at the waist, reached in for the base of the tree, and yanked the whole thing — pot and all — up in the air.
“Don’t you dare!” Saffy’s voice rang out from the top of the staircase.
Doug’s head snapped around, and his eyes took her in as he froze in place. She looked kind of like a she-demon as she slapped her hands on her hips and glared down at him.
“Huh?”
“If you want to stand any chance in hell of mating with me then you had better unhand that damn Christmas tree!” Saffy’s words echoed from the rafters and slammed into his brain – where they ping-ponged around for a long moment.
CHAPTER TWENTY SIX
~
The alpha opened his grip and dropped the tree to the floor as if it had bitten him. His body snapped upright, and a hard, hungry growl rolled through his chest.
Saffy swallowed hard. She knew the moment that those words had come out of her mouth without her brain being in gear that she had just come a cropper.
“Oops!” Natalie said, and when Saffy snapped her gaze toward her, she offered her a look of pure disbelief.
“It’s down,” Doug growled.
“I see that,” Saffy grimaced snapping her full attention back to the alpha.
“That sounded promising,” Tom chuckled.
“I heard an – if – in there somewhere,” Jake offered back to the elder with a shrug.
“Yes, there was a definitely an – if – as I recall,” Tom chuckled back.
“Yes!” Saffy said as she lifted her hand, pointed her finger toward the vampire, and latched onto that lifeline. “There was a definite – if.”
“You two heard wrong. I didn’t hear the word – if,” the alpha growled a warning.
“Convenient deafness,” Natalie chuckled into her hand.
“Everybody who heard the word – if – please raise your hand,” Jake chuckled. The alpha turned to look at him with a death glare. “I’m just saying, in the interest of fairness…”
“Don’t!” Doug growled.
“Silence anyone whose voice isn’t yours — is that the way you see your alpha-ship?” Saffy asked her mate.
“I’m not silencing anybody,” Doug protested. “I may not have heard the word – if – but – if – there was an – if – then those that heard it should speak up now and forever be rested in peace,” Doug warned.
“Huh?” Saffy was confused, and nobody said a word.
Although, the vampire did take it upon himself to raise his hand.
“You have some last words for us?” Doug warned.
The vampire took a long moment to consider just how far he wanted to push the alpha. Especially when Doug’s top lipped twitched as if he couldn’t make up his mind about whether to release his fangs or not.
“Well…” Jake waved an absent hand.
“Go for it – I dare you,” Doug growled out.
“It’s just…” Jake pursed his lips and eyed the man.
“Yessss?” Doug growled. “Smells like vampire pire in here.” He whispered loud enough for only those with exceptionally good hearing to catch.
“My mistake,” Jake grinned, and he heard Saffy deflate like a balloon as she let out the breath that she’d been holding.
“What does it matter? The tree is down.” The alpha announced.
“And the faeries are still inside,” Jonathan offered.
“Right, damn faeries!” The alpha snapped his fingers and turned back toward the tree. “Out!” He growled at the Christmas tree.
“I don’t think the Christmas tree is going to walk out on its own,” Natalie chuckled.
“Faeries — out!” Doug repeated as he shot the sarcastic witch a quick glare of disbelief.
“Maybe you should ask them nicely,” Saffy said.
She had no love for faeries, and they could be mischievous, not to mention a right royal devious pain in the backside — but did they want to start the fairy wars all over again?
“Nicely?” Doug rolled his eyes in his head and groaned.
“I know, right?” Natalie grinned at the alpha with amusement. “An alpha being nice – what is the world coming to?”
“Fine,” Doug sighed deeply. Then he turned his attention back toward the Christmas tree and sighed once more. “Could you please leave — before I rip your wings off and shove them up your backside.” He turned back towards his mate and expanded his arms out at his sides with a small shrug.
“I’m guessing that’s the best you’ve got?” Saffy chuckled.
“Right at this moment, it is,” Doug grumbled.
‘We just wanted to play inside the pretty tree.’ One of the faeries informed them.
“You zapped me!” Jonathan growled.
‘That was just a happy coincidence — we couldn’t help ourselves.’
“Just leave,” Doug growled.
There was a moment of silence that seemed to stretch on forever. Doug was trying to figure out how to get the faeries out of the tree without killing the tree itself, and annoying his mate in the process.
‘Fine. Open the window, and we’ll leave.’
Doug didn’t trust the faeries as far as he could throw them, but he didn’t have a lot of choices. He was mindful that his mate was watching and he didn’t want to do anything to miff her off, not now that they seemed to be getting on much better.
“Jonathan, open the window,” Doug growled.
Jonathan didn’t like the idea of just allowing the faeries to leave. He didn’t trust them, and even as he stalked over to the window and opened it, he basically put his head between his legs and kissed his backside goodbye.
The beta had good cause to worry. The moment that the faeries broke cover they headed directly for him.
He took a large step back away from the window, but that didn’t help. A heartbeat later and they were buzzing around his head like annoying flies. He tried to swat them, but they were just too fast for him.
One zap after another hit his body. He felt as if he’d run headfirst into a beehive. While not one magical sting hurt to the point that he felt before, it did feel like death by a thousand cuts.
“Be gone!” Natalie shot her magic at the faeries.
It hit them head-on, tossing them towards the window, and splatting them both against the glass. They slid downwards into the night, and Jonathan was quick to reach out and yank the window closed behind them.
“Ah, protecting her mate,” Saffy chuckled. But she wasn’t chuckling when Natalie slowly turned and glared at her — following it up with a small zap of magic. “Point taken.”
“You know?” Natalie folded her arms, tipped her head to one side, and a small smirk stretched her lips. “I don’t think I heard the word – if.”
Saffy pulled her head back and gasped at her friend’s traitorous ways. She caught sight of movement out of the corner of her eye and turned to see the alpha’s eyes locked and loaded on her.
“There was an – if!” Saffy rushed out.
~
~
~
Rex had a damn serious need to growl on each step that he took in the snow after his mate.
It wasn’t just the fact that the woman was beyond reason and as annoying as hell to try and figure out, but the fact that he had no boots, jacket, or even a thick shirt to protect his body from the snowstorm that was blowing fiercely around them.
Normally it wouldn’t bother him. He’d just shift into his wolf and revel in the weather, maybe even chase snowflakes as they fell, but his beast wasn’t feeling playful at the moment, it was solely focused on their mate.
The woman was complicated — he got that — hell, life was complicated especially when you were a wolf shifter. Christie was a witch, and he got that witches could be awkward — annoying — unpredictable — trouble with a great big capital…
He sensed trouble. It brushed over his skin like someone running their hand over his wolf’s fur.
Rex took to giant strides to catch up with Christie. He reached out and wrapped his fingers around the padded jacket covering her arm, and she was spun behind the protection of his back within a heartbeat.
“Don’t move,” he growled out the warning over his shoulder as his eyes scanned the area through the veil of white.
“What is it?” Christie knew that the man wasn’t playing with her.
She’d wanted to leave, and she should have done it. Now she’d brought trouble to their door.
She berated herself for not telling them sooner, not telling them at all, and she drew on her magic to protect herself and Rex. The rush of guilt within her didn’t make things any easier, but it did fire her up to get the job done properly this time.
“I have no idea,” Rex growled.
He didn’t know what was coming. He scented the air, but it smelled… odd.
It scented like a shifter, but none that he’d ever come across before. Then he saw him, bigger than a bear shifter, wider too, naked as the day was long, and damn mean looking.
“Oh — crap!” Christie bit out into the howl of the wind.
CHAPTER TWENTY SEVEN
~
“I swear — you take one more step…” Saffy left the warning hanging in the air between them.
Her mate looked playful, but with something of a dastardly, hungry, sexy wide grin on his face that showed up two those of perfect white teeth, and made her remember that she hadn’t kept the dentist appointment that she’d made for last week.
“I didn’t hear an – if,” he chuckled.
Those dark eyes of his held her frozen within their gaze and it was kind of crazy how he managed to do that every single time.