by M. L. Briers
She felt like the biggest idiot on the planet. She’d panicked, big time, and kicked her mate in the balls.
Who does that?
Who kicks their mate… no, not just their mate, but anyone, who kicks a man in the balls unless they are in mortal danger?
I’m a horrible person.
I have an evil streak that…
“Melody?” Richie’s voice reached into the room, and even though she hadn’t been talking out loud, she clamped her hands over her mouth to silence her non-existent words.
She screwed up her face and wrinkled her nose at the sound of his feet getting closer to the bathroom door. Her eyes regarded the ceiling and she searched for answers, finding only one spider’s web in the corner…
“I can hear your heartbeat.” He informed her and she cursed the damn thing for beating so loudly. “I scared you…” he said, remembering what Belle had told him, and she shook her head, but still said nothing. “I didn’t mean too.”
Now she felt even worse. Like the biggest bitch on the planet. She couldn’t believe that he was actually apologising to her for getting kicked in the balls.
Oh, heaven help me but I’m truly despicable… the worst mate ever!
The worst person ever.
I’m a wicked witch, and not in a good way, in the Wizard of Oz way…
Oh my! I’m literally the wicked witch of the west without being green… then I’d look more like Shrek, maybe Fiona when she turned into an ogre…
“If you come out, I promise that I’ll not try to kiss you again…” he growled a little at the thought of keeping his word on that one, and she tilted her head to one side.
Like… ever?
Geez, Goddess, I’ve scared the poor guy off for good…
Sorry fate… I’m just not mate material.
“Could you like… open the door a little so I can see you’re okay?” He asked and she grimaced…
Richie lifted his fingertips and ran them over the wood. He wasn’t good at this – speaking to females. He was fine with the laughing, joking, teasing and even the everyday chit-chat, but his mate…?
“Maybe just tell me you’re okay then.” He asked, hopeful.
What to do? What do I do?
Maybe if I ignore him he’ll go away…
“If you don’t answer me I’m going to assume that you’re not okay and break the door down.” His voice sounded deeper, a little gruffer, and she panicked again.
Guess bloody well not then!
“No – no, I’m fine, just…” She took a breath and whispered the last words. “Go away.”
“Can’t do that until I see you, until I know you’re okay.”
She rolled her eyes before closing them.
This isn’t good… none of this is good.
Why can’t I rewind time just a little? Just to the point before I bring my damn knee up and… ouch! Right in the balls…
Who does that!?
She berated herself again, feeling the need to crawl away into a corner and hide for the duration of… the rest of her adult life on earth.
You did it – you own it!
Get out there and apologise, face to face, instead of hiding away like a coward.
I’d rather face the wrath of a bloodthirsty vampire than my mate right now…
“Give me a minute.” She was playing for time.
Her eyes flicked to the bathroom window – small – too small to get her hips out even if she could learn to fly to get to the ground.
Maybe I could plead insanity… more like stupidity… oh why, oh why did I do that?
No, own it!
You’re a mean – ass – no-nonsense witch with attitude – you take no prisoners and will kick him again if he… no… not me. I’m not Belle… or even Elizabeth – that witch really is kickass… who knew?
Time to face facts. You did it. You can’t hide in the bathroom forever…
He doesn’t sound angry… if anything he sounds… sweet.
Ha! Sweet. A big six foot Lycan shifter with a wolf inside… sweet. You must need your bumps felt!
Oh, get the hell off the damn toilet seat and go apologise!
Witch up!
He did take liberties… but I liked it. A lot – more than a lot – I think my toes curled… well, no more toe curling for you if you don’t face him…
With an emphatic nod of her head she planted her hands on her knees and pushed up to her feet before moving the short distance to the door. Her hand trembled as she reached for the lock, and she hesitated long enough to berate herself once more, this time for being a cowardly lioness…
Before she could change her mind again; she wrenched open the door and came face to chest with her mate…
“You look okay.” Richie grinned, not an ounce of anger in those soulful eyes of his.
“You do too.” She grimaced a little.
“I’ve had a lot worse.” He assured her, because she looked like she needed it.
He got it. She was out of her depth and floundering in the sea of uncertainty. Belle was probably right; he’d scared her, and that made him the idiot.
“I had a brain fart.” She said quickly and then stopped as if questioning her own words, but the deep chuckle that rumbled out of him put her at ease a little more.
“The next time that happens… can you just zap me?” He teased and she nodded on another little grimace.
“Special fried critter or medium rare?”
“Well, self-preservation would lead me to say medium rare, but as opposed to a kick in the balls, special fried critter sounds good too.”
“Got it.” She nodded again, a smile twitching at the corners of her lips.
~
~
~
Elizabeth strummer her fingers against the table top and she scowled at the mug of coffee in front of her. Her sister had annoyed her so.
The woman was always more than willing to rush head first into anything different, anything new, and she didn’t like it. Belle embraced life like a smack in the face from a wet kipper, and she enjoyed doing it that way, even her obvious mistakes somehow never seemed to deter her from jumping into the next thing that presented itself.
She had to note that this probably wasn’t a mistake that she could live to regret. Ed was her mate, and fate had a plan – didn’t it always – but this plan was for them to live happily ever after, given the usual out clause for premature death by supernatural hand… So why did it feel like a bitter pill to swallow?
Maybe because Elizabeth herself hadn’t been able to embrace life since her teens when everything felt like an adventure and dark magic seemed like a game. It hadn’t been that way in reality – she’d messed with some pretty powerful magic and she’d had to fight her way back.
Now she only used her magic when necessary and she never showed her power to another witch. Life wasn’t something she lived so much as a journey that had to be endured until she slipped her mortal coil and ventured into the waiting collective of the next realm. Then at least, her magic would become part of the whole and not a burden for one woman to carry.
“I’d offer you a penny for them, but they look as if they would cost so much more.” Jake brought her out of her musings and she turned her eyes towards him, taking him in, and feeling that rush of excited energy rushing through her just at the sight of him.
“Just… thinking.” She gave a small shrug.
“This thinking goes beyond my brother wooing your sister.”
“Little wooing needed there.” She nudged her mug and worried her bottom lip with her teeth… the sound of a low rumble met her ears and she looked at Jake to find his eyes firmly lodged on her lips. “Chicken bone caught in your throat there, alpha?”
He pulled his eyes up to hers and saw the amusement within them.
“I’m wondering how much wooing it’s going to take for me to win you.” Jake’s voice was thick with his beast and the gravelly tone rolled over her skin like a velvet glo
ve.
“Win me, like I’m a raffle prize?”
“I get the feeling you’re not keen on the idea of being wooed.” Jake smiled, causing those little dimples to appear in his cheeks and his eyes to light up – she hated to admit to herself that the sight of him like that sent jolts of heat filled electricity straight to her womb.
“I haven’t had time to think about it.” She gave a half shrug as she lied, hoping that he’d be distracted enough not to pick up the slight edge in her voice.
“Liar.” He teased, and she told herself that she should have known better than to try to slip a lie by an alpha. The man was like a homing pigeon and lie detector all in one delectable package.
“What about you? How would having three witches in your pack suit you?”
“Now you’re just deflecting.” His smile widened and she couldn’t help but smile back – he’d called her out again. “But I’ll answer your question. Witches are mates, and mates are treasured.”
“It’s that simple for you?”
“It’s that simple for every Lycan. It’s akin to finding a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow and the Leprechaun has the taken the day off.”
“Good analogy.” She chuckled this time and his ears pricked up at the sound.
He liked it. He liked the way her eyes sparkled when she smiled, flashed brighter when she laughed, and he wanted to see her do more of that.
“Your sister seems…”
”Easy.” She offered and he bit off a laugh.
“I was going for something a little more subtle.”
“That’s okay. You’ll learn that Belle tends to jump into things with both feet.”
“And you?”
“I’m more cautious. Life, you know?” She shrugged again and he had to wonder what her story was. Everyone seemed to have one, unless they were gifted with so much luck that they coasted through life unscathed. He wanted to know hers, but like everything between them – that would come with time.
He had his own story. Being an alpha wasn’t all it was cracked up to be. The responsibility for his pack weighed heavily on his shoulders, and lately, with their income falling and outgoings rising – things had been a little strained.
It felt good to smile again. It felt better to see her smile.
“Say you’ll stay and I’ll give you all the time I can to get used to the idea before-”
“You’re wolf gets snap-happy.” For one long moment they just stared at each other – then he opened his mouth to speak, but the sudden sound of the mating howl went up – echoing through every wall, every corridor and internal space of the house, and making Elizabeth shoot upwards in her seat, shocked and stunned for a long moment as she pushed upwards to her feet and looked around for something to fight off with her magic…
“Easy there, woman… I don’t think that’s something you need worry about.” Jake’s grin was wide and his eyes were laughing, but she wasn’t. When the realisation of what that meant dawned on her, she sighed as her shoulders slumped – the fight going right back out of her again.
“You’re right – Belle’s your problem now…” She paused for effect – the light of mischief was dancing within her eyes again, and he had to wonder why the anticipation of the punchline that was sure to come didn’t fill him with a warm and fuzzy feeling. “Enjoy.”
“I get the feeling that you mean that right down to your bones.” He offered back, pushing slowly up to his feet…
“Oh I do.” That mischief in her eyes spread her lips in the same kind of a wicked smile, and he took a moment to savour that look upon her face…
Then a scream pierced the air – one to rival a Banshee in her natural habitat – there eyes locked in shock, a heartbeat before they both took off on fast feet through the house.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
~
Belle barely had the energy to breathe, but there was something about the sound of a haunting shrill scream that froze the blood and made that fight or flight feeling dump so much adrenaline into the body that you could have consumed a thousand energy drinks and not gotten the same reaction…
As Ed pushed up from the bed and exited it in one clean movement – Belle found that her legs were snagged by the messed up sheets, and she pitched face first from the end of the bed onto the floor. With her arms thrust out to save herself from a broken nose – she still landed with a thud and a curse, bringing Ed to a screeching halt at the doorway, and turning back to look at his mate in a very unflattering position…
Belle pushed up on her hands with a hard groan and spotted Ed frozen in place, unsure whether he should run towards the scream that had started all of this mayhem or back to his mate to help her with her predicament…
“Go!” Belle lifted a hand and waved him away.
With a grumbled growl; he was off and running once more, while she slid the rest of her body that was still up on the mattress unceremoniously to the floor with another dull thud as her hip hit the carpet and her legs became untangled…
Someone better be in deep doo-doo’s or I’m going to kill them myself…
Belle pushed up to her feet and fought against the way that her leg muscles groaned and quivered. Reaching for a sheet; she wound the material around her body and started out of the room – stopped in her tracks by the alpha shooting on by, and then Elizabeth, who eyed her like she was a she-demon…
“What the hell are you doing?” The sound of Ed’s voice, hard, demanding, and very growly came down the hallway to greet her as she followed the others into the bedroom…
There in the corner was Melody; her back pushed up against the wall, and her mate in front of her, his arms down and back as he protected her from…. Nothing.
“It was in here.” Richie growled and Melody’s eyes were wide as she locked them onto Belle and tilted her head to one side at the sight of her naked body only covered by a sheet…
“The spectre?” Jake growled – scenting the air for signs of something tangible that he could lock on to. There was nothing but a little cold air…
“Where’d it go?” Elizabeth asked, eyeing the room from ceiling to carpet and back again. Jake edged a little closer to her and she shot him a double take… “I got this, we’re good.” She frowned.
“Just…” Melody grimaced. “Poooof… gone as fast as it appeared.” She gave a small shrug, nervous tension rippling under her skin.
“You screamed like a damn banshee.” Belle scowled.
Now that the danger seemed to have vanished into thin air – she could feel that adrenaline rush leave her system, and she was back to wilting again. Her body protesting being upright.
“And your mate frightened the bejesus out of me when he howled at the bloody moon.” Melody scowled, feeling a little foolish now. “But do you hear me complaining?”
“Not exactly howling at the moon, Mel.” Belle wiggled her eyebrows and the younger witch groaned inwardly and then outwardly as the realisation of what her friend was telling her sunk in.
“What’s done is done and you can’t go back.” Elizabeth warned her sister and Belle turned a scowl upon her.
“I know.” She blustered at the way her sister eyed her with concern.
“Does he have to stand there like that?” Melody nodded towards Ed – naked as the day was long.
“It’s just a penis, Mel. You’re mate’s got one too, you know?” Belle teased and Melody groaned again.
“I know what it is, but why does he have to flaunt it?” Melody huffed.
“If it isn’t scarier than that ghost then you shouldn’t be worrying about it, if it is – then your mate has big problems.” Belle chuckled and Elizabeth zapped her into silence. “Hey!” she snapped as she felt the hard sting of her sister’s magic.
“Don’t tease her.” Elizabeth berated her.
“Well, I’m not staying here…” Melody tried to sidestep Richie but he was definitely blocking her way with his body and she couldn’t seem to find a way around him. He toss
ed her a frown over his shoulder.
“What do you mean by here?” He growled. Worried that his mate was going to try to leave pack land – leave him.
“This room. It’s… creepy, that thing just materialising like that out of nowhere.” She scowled at his profile.
“Are we still talking about the ghost or did your mate get randy-handy?” Belle teased.
“I did not get…” Richie started, but Elizabeth zapped her sister again and she jumped on the spot with a little squeak.
“Can you not?” Elizabeth scowled at her and Belle scowled right back.
“When did my free will die and make you the boss of me?” Belle shot back.
“Just because you raced to the finish line doesn’t mean Melody has too.” Elizabeth scolded her, and for one long moment the two of them locked scowls…
“Ah, family.” The vampire announced from the doorway, and all three witches turned their attention towards him. “If anyone’s interested; the ghost has just been spotted over by the barn again.” He offered, feeling each and every pair of eyes and frosty gazes on him.
Elizabeth didn’t say another word as she started for the door, but when Belle turned and started to move with her, she had to point out the obvious.
“What are you going to do, flash the ghost and send him screaming back into the other realm?” Elizabeth offered, motioning to Belle lack of suitable attire, and got a low hiss of annoyance back from her sister in return.
“If the ghost was that flighty one look at your face would have done the trick.” She sneered back.
“Don’t you love a good catfight in the evening?” Mitchell announced and the alpha growled a warning at him. “I was just stating an observation, don’t shoot the messenger.”
“Don’t tease me.” Elizabeth bit out as she walked by him and out of the room, followed by the alpha and the vampire, and leaving the others in her wake.
“You gonna handle this alone?” Belle called out.
“Same as I do everything.” Elizabeth shot back, and Jake scowled at his mate’s words. He was finally starting to understand her a little better.