by M. L. Briers
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Darby spotted Elizabeth at one of the side tables in the bar and made her way across the room. She practically tossed herself down in the chair opposite her before the woman could deny her the seat in her usual abrasive manner.
With a huff and a quick blow of her hair from her eyes; Darby leant her elbows on the table top and eyed the glass of wine that Elizabeth held at her lips…
“Did you want something?” Elizabeth raised her perfectly tamed eyebrows at her expectantly.
“I’m looking for your sister.” Darby offered back. Not really wanting to be that close to the acid tongued witch with the bad attitude and yet knowing that it couldn’t be avoided.
“Did you check under the table?” Elizabeth shot back and watched Darby’s eyebrows try to meet over the bridge of her nose.
“You know, there’s funny sarcastic, there’s mean sarcastic, and then there’s you.” Darby offered.
“You know, there’s personal space, and you’re in mine.” Elizabeth didn’t need to try to look unimpressed, it seemed like a nature state of being for her whenever she was around her sister’s weird and whacky friends.
She didn’t go in for all of the witchy – touchy feely – all cast spells together type of thing that her sister did, and with good reason. A coven was not the place for her or her magic, but her sister had joined one, and she had learned early on that Belle would only dig her heels in harder if she tried to dissuade her from anything.
She didn’t even have a clue as to why she’d come with her sister on this little witchy mountain fun weekender that her sister had begged her to come on, except that Belle had done that little lost puppy look that pinged the very last cell of guilt that she had left in her body, and there she was, drinking reasonable wine in a reasonable pub, instead of great wine in a great restaurant back in civilisation.
“I need to find Belle and Melody-” Darby started on a sigh of annoyance, but Elizabeth opened her mouth and gasped in a breath.
“You mean… you lost two witches?” Elizabeth mocked her and she sighed again.
“Can you not be you for just two minutes?” Darby wasn’t overly fond of Belle’s sister. The woman had no business being around the coven when she didn’t even practice magic and had a constant sneer for people who did.
“If I wasn’t me then I’d be you and that would be really depressing. I might even want to kill myself.” Elizabeth offered her the kind of smile that wasn’t disguised as anything by contempt.
“Can I get you a length of rope? Some pills, perhaps?” Darby shot back and Elizabeth gasped in mock surprise.
“Why yes, thank you, and then I can spike your drink, put the noose around your neck and push you off the nearest gallows…” Elizabeth offered her words as a mix between sweet as pie and as acidic as hell, she wasn’t out to impress anyone and she didn’t want to spend her time around coven witches.
“Why did you come here when you don’t even practice the craft?” Darby shot back with a glare.
“The craft? You make it sound so benign, like pottery, or mosaic, when you know that messing with the forces of nature can unleash the kind of hell on earth that none of you are powerful enough to control.” Elizabeth tilted her head to one side and regarded the women.
“Our magic is-”
“Dangerous.” Elizabeth said. That was all there was to it in her book.
She’d seen how magic could be used to call the forces that should never have been given a channel back to humanity. She’d lived the nightmare, somewhere deep within her she still was, and she’s vowed there and then to have nothing to do with it ever again.
“Look, I’m not about to have a philosophical debate with a woman who can’t practice-”
“Doesn’t practice. Not can’t.” Elizabeth corrected her. She could feel the power of Darby’s magic and it was nothing to write home about.
“I just want to find your sister.” Darby said. There was something that always unnerved her about the woman, and staring into her eyes now, she was sure that she felt a sweep of Elizabeth’s magic against her own shields.
“Sorry. I’m not her keeper.” Elizabeth dismissed her.
“Fine. Thanks for nothing.” Darby pushed up and stalked away.
Darby felt something unseen as it caught around her ankles and it almost tripped her, but she managed to right herself before she pitched head first onto the floor. When she tossed a look back over her shoulder, she found Elizabeth’s eyes locked onto her, a smile on the abrasive woman’s lips.
“You’re entirely welcome.” Elizabeth said, and Darby heard her as clear as day, even if she didn’t see her damn lips move.
Elizabeth watched the women hurry for the door with another, slightly nervous, backwards glance, before she finally turned her attention back to her wine. She knew that Belle had gone off up the mountain to look at the stars, but as she raised her glass to her lips once more, she reached out with her magic just to tap on Belle’s shields…
Her heart froze inside of her chest at what she found… her sister had no signs of protection up against her magic – her shields were dormant as was the magic inside of her… It felt as if she was asleep, but not in a good way…
She pushed deeper into her sister’s psyche… not sleep… unconscious… deeper still and she found her memories…
A man… the car… witch- napped…?
He had a need for her… no… his brother…
Brothers… wolves… Lycans…
Elizabeth felt her sister’s pain go through her body and her hand tightened around the glass. A heartbeat later and it smashed under the cast iron grip that she’d locked around it…
She jumped in place. Snapped off her magic, pulled back from her sister and looked down at her hand… As she opened to look at her palm; one sharp shard of glass was embedded in the flesh… she reached for it and yanked it free…
“Are you okay…?” Her head snapped up to the sight of the barman coming towards her with a towel in his hand.
Elizabeth dropped the shard on the table and nodded. Sweeping one hand over the other, she sealed her wound, and held up her palms.
“No harm, no foul.” She pushed up to her feet as his eyes took in her hands and he nodded. “Sorry about the mess, this should cover it.” She said reaching into her bag and dropping a bill on the table before she pushed off towards the door.
The man watched her go with a small shake of his head. When he turned back towards the table to start to clear up the broken glass his eyes took in the blood and he frowned… turning back to look for her across the crowded room; he found that she was already gone.
CHAPTER FIVE
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“Two witches, two mates, and a spectre lurking about.” Mitchell grinned at Jake as the alpha groaned. “Aren’t you going to have a fun weekend of it?”
“Do you have to gloat?” Jake growled in annoyance and watched as the vampire shrugged his shoulders.
“Yes. It’s one of the things that I do best. That and saving mates, apparently.” Mitchell offered back and Jake’s eyebrows drew down over his eyes.
“It’s a crying shame that vampires can’t syphon themselves a different personality when they take blood.” He grumbled.
“There are reasons for that – I could end up with yours, heaven forbid I became that depressing.” Mitchell tossed back to a grunt of annoyance from the alpha.
“I’d say screw you but-”
“You’re not my type.” Mitchell cut him off to the sound of another grunt and a muttered curse or two. “Oh, enjoy the ride and be thankful that one of those witches isn’t your mate.”
“Is that meant to cheer me up or just piss me off more?” Jake growled back.
“Look, I know you have this whole… cult of Eeyore worship thing going on here…” Mitchell heard Jake growl once more and chose to ignore it. “But it’s depressing… it’s just not a healthy attitude to have towards life. Shake yourself
out of it, man, before you fall so far down that pit that there’s not coming back from it.”
Jake eyed the vampire and he snapped on a wide smirk of a smile that annoyed the alpha even more. He had a need within him to plant his fist in someone’s face just to relieve that knot of tension that sat like a heavy weight inside of him – maybe two fists, relieve it a little more… but the vampire really wasn’t the source of his troubles… his idiot brothers were.
“Get over yourself vampire.” Jake bit out.
“That’s it, that’s all I’m saying, Jake. You need to get over yourself and realise that you might be the alpha of this pack, but you can’t control everything for everyone.” He took a playful swipe at the alpha’s shoulder. “You have to realise that even an alpha has his limitations.”
Jake’s fist came out in a flash, too fast for Mitchell to do much more than to see it coming and try to duck it… Jake anticipated the movement of the man’s head and aimed lower and a little to the right – it was the same way that he always ducked, and his prediction paid off as he caught him on the chin, snapping his head back on his neck when the big fist connected with the solidity of the man’s iron jaw…
“Feel better?” Mitchell asked as he raised his hand and rubbed his jaw. The pain was fleeting, his blood took care of any damage within moments.
“Not much, but yeah. Some.” Jake growled back.
“Glad my jaw could help your fist.” Mitchell bit out.
“Me too.” Jake said, eyeing the headlights from a car in the distance as Mitchell noted them too.
“Expecting someone?”
“Nope.”
“Maybe it’s your mate come calling.” Mitchell chuckled at the glare from the alpha’s eyes as he turned to stare at him.
“Bite your damn tongue.” Jake growled out, not even remotely impressed with that idea.
“Wouldn’t that just mess up your whole Eeyore happiness persona.” Mitchell grinned and wiggled his eyebrows at the man, baiting him. Jake’s fist shot out again, but this time the vampire was ready for it and was on Jake’s other side in a heartbeat.
“Hit me once shame on you – hit me twice, shame on me.” The vampire whispered as Jake spun his head around to take him in.
“Damn ghoul.” He growled out. Then he turned his attention back towards the car.
‘Heads up, Pack – we’ve got an uninvited visitor…’ The alpha warned, using the psychic link between his pack. ‘Act… normal.’ Jake hated using that word – what was normal for the outside world was somewhat trying at best for his pack, especially his brothers, and now they had two witches in their midst…
What could possibly go wrong?
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“Wake up, Melody…” Belle whispered against her ear as she lay on the sofa.
They were finally alone, both of the men that she’d sensed with her magic as she lay on the other sofa, had now gone. It was time to make their escape – she could only hope that Melody was up to it.
She didn’t have a clue what had happened to her friend, but if was anything close to what she’d been through with the brute that had abducted her then Melody might not be in any fit state to run.
Belle thought that she felt surprisingly good for someone who had been in a car crash, but she was grateful for it and wasn’t about to second guess it until she saw the blood on Melody’s lip and reached up to touch her own. When she pulled her fingers back she looked down in horror at the smudge of blood on her fingertips and recoiled at the thought…
“Yuck… damn vampire…” She screwed her face up at the thought of what she knew flowed in her own veins. “Wake up now!” She flicked her magic at the witch, just a little shock to the system, but enough to send Melody upwards like a vampire rising out of his coffin… because that wasn’t creepy much… considering.
“What?” Melody rushed to take in the area… expecting to find a pack of wolves, and snapping her head back on her neck in shock when she saw Belle… “Where?”
“No time, let’s go!” Belle hissed, grabbing a handful of Melody’s shirt and wrenching her upwards as she pushed to her feet.
Belle turned towards the window and Melody started for the door…
“What are you doing?” Belle hissed and Melody frowned.
“Leaving.” Melody hissed back.
“By the door?” Belle gave her a look of disbelief and a frustrated shrug off her shoulders as Melody grimaced… before she started to creep towards Melody with exaggerated steps…
“Now what are you doing?”
“Being quiet.” Melody shrugged.
Belle gave a small shake of her head and turned towards the window, lifting the handle and pushing it outwards with a loud creak of the hinges, she froze in place, and grimaced at the sound as Melody hushed her. Belle turned on a frown…
“Not my fault…” Belle hissed back over her shoulder.
“Use your magic…” Melody berated her.
A moment later and the window silently, effortlessly pushed wide open from an unseen helping hand as her magic eased the way. Belle tossed a leg outside, straddling the windowsill as she used her hands to hoist her whole body up and out, feeling the soft earthy ground under her feet on the other side.
“Come on…” she whispered… Melody reached for the frame just as Belle spotted Richie strolling in through the doorway. The Lycan froze, his eyes going wide at the attempted escape… “Oh, poop!”
Belle grabbed Melody’s shirt and wrenched her upper body towards the opening. There was no time to do this nicely… as Melody let out a squeak of surprise, Belle wrenched her out through the window as Richie’s long legs eat up the short distance between them…
Half in and half out, Melody squealed at the feel of two hot hands grabbing her ankles as she slid, head first, towards freedom… then she was being pulled backwards and she squealed again in surprise…
“Let go!” Belle hissed out at Richie… her eyes meeting his over the tug of war they had going on over the witch…
“She’s mine…” Richie growled out and Belle’s mouth opened in disbelief…
“You people can’t just steal witches for your own damn amusement.” She bit down on the anger within her, but did snap off a zap that made his hands tighten around Melody’s ankles as his body locked in place, a hard rumbled growl going through his chest…
“Vice grip…” Melody bit out. “Vice grip… vice grip on my damn ankles!” She hissed at Belle and the witch reluctantly pulled back on her magic.
‘Ed… a little damn help here with your mate…’ Richie growled through the link… his hands loosening around his mate’s ankles at her words as his muscles unlocked…
He didn’t want to hurt his mate – that was the last thing he would ever do, but he couldn’t let her run either… That would be very bad and his beast wouldn’t stand for a runaway mate.
“Let her go, you pervert!” Belle hissed out.
The sudden release of his hands on Melody’s ankles just as Belle was giving a hard yank sent her flying backwards into the night with Melody coming down on top of her in a heap of arms, legs, gasps, and squeals…
“Pervert!” Richie growled shoving the top half of his body out of the window and intending for the rest of his frame to follow, but Belle had other ideas…
She had not time to be delicate about thing and she elbowed Melody off of her, the woman landing face down in the dirt with a huff and a grumble, as she reached out her hands, palms facing him, and blasted him backwards with her magic…
Ed rushed into the room, taking in the empty sofas and Richie with his upper body half way out of the window… He sped towards his brother just as Richie came shooting backwards through the room at him like he was a human cannonball…
CHAPTER SIX
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Richie felt the impact of the witch’s magic as it hit him full force in his chest. His body caved at the waist as his arms and legs came out in front of him as h
e hurtled backwards. Then the impact with his brother as he collided in mid-flight, taking the other beta backwards with him.
Ed’s back slammed into the wall, leaving a Lycan sized impression in the plaster board behind him as both men collapsed into a pile on the floor…
Ed growled long and hard. Bracing his arms against Richie’s back and unceremoniously shoving him off, hard enough that Richie landed face down on the carpet, a groan of pain coming from his lips. Ed shook off the unexpected impact…
“Don’t just damn well lay around…” Ed admonished his brother, pushing up to his feet as his eyes caught sight of the witches making off across the grass on fast feet. “They’re getting away!” He growled, eyes fixed on the fleeing women, and as he pushed off after them; he stepped on his brother’s hand to the sound of a loud yelp of pain.
“What the hell!” Richie growled, pushing upwards onto his knees with the hand that wasn’t throbbing with the pain of having his brother’s whole weight crushing down on it…
“They’re headed for the barn.” Ed called back over his shoulder a moment before he ran for the window, pushing his whole, large frame through the opening as Richie followed in his brother’s footsteps…
“Running is a bad thing…” Richie warned himself more than anyone else…
His beast was already clawing inside of him for his mate. The wolf wanted nothing more than to shift and hunt her down…
“You don’t damn well say…” Ed bit out over his shoulder, trying to hold onto the beast within him that wanted to burst out and take matters into his own claws at the sight of his mate running away on fast feet…
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“Do you think she’s a witch?” Mitchell asked as he leaned in behind the alpha and eyed the car as it came up the long driveway.
Jake turned to look at the vampire, and finding his face right there, he snatched his head back on his neck and growled a long, hard warning at the bloodsucker.