by M. L. Briers
He felt the need to roar at the injustice that life and fate had handed him. He wanted to throw his head back on his neck and roar until he didn’t have a voice anymore…
“Nick…” Dolph grunted the absent greeting as he strolled on by the lodge and ducked down the side, just at the last moment; he flicked a look at his brother and did a double take…
Damn, but it looked like the alpha’s head was about to explode on his neck. He almost tripped over his own feet back stepping to get a better look at the man…
“What the hell has got you all riled up?” Dolph snorted. If there was trouble coming then he’d prefer a heads up about it. “Damn, brother, you just turned a shade of green I’ve never seen before.”
“I…” Nick growled long and hard, but he couldn’t find the words. Didn’t want to for them within his mind.
“Yep, very expressive, maybe a few more words might help matters, but who am I to judge?” Dolph shrugged.
“Tell me he didn’t eat Abi’s cooking again.” Zav strolled on long legs towards the brothers.
“You can’t be here, vampire.” Nick bit out, raising his hand and pointing his finger at the man’s chest just in case he was in any doubt who he was talking to.
“And yet, here I am.” Zav expanded his arms and grinned.
“We’ve got humans here this weekend.” Nick grumbled a growl.
The thought of his mate walking into a vampire… She’d probably never met one before in her life – they didn’t go out of their way to advertise what they were to the human population, even if the humans did know they existed now.
She’d probably be frightened. He didn’t want to think of her scared, and he didn’t want Zav around her- just in case…
“What’s wrong with you? You usually tell him to behave, pat him on the head, and send him on his way.” Dolph bit out.
“I’m not a dog. I’m a…”
“Bat, yeah, we know.” Dolph offered back with a chuckle and watched as Zav slowly turned his head on his neck and straightened to his full height.
“Do not make me angry, cub.” Zav shot him a dark look.
“You’ll turn green like him?” Dolph chuckled and Zav took in the slight greenness of the alpha’s skin.
“Not exactly the hulk, but close.” Zav snorted a chuckle. “So what is wrong with you?”
“My mate…” Nick might as well share. They’d know soon enough when he turned all crazy bear and started to try to eat people.
“Mate!” They exclaimed together as if he’d just told them the Martians had landed on the damn mountain.
“Yeah. In there.” He tossed a backwards thumb up over his shoulder as both men craned their necks to try to see inside.
“That’s…” His brother grinned like a Wildman.
“Then if she’s in there why are you out here?” Zav demanded.
“She’s getting married.” Nick’s shrugged his shoulders. Or rather it was more a case of lifting them, holding for a second or two and then just letting gravity take its toll.
CHAPTER SIX
~
“She’s the bride?” Zav’s jaw slacked and his eyes practically shot out of his head on stalks.
“Jackson’s… bride?” Dolph demanded and Nick slowly nodded his head.
“Crap!” Zav bit out.
“Poor Jackson. Sucks to be him on New Year’s Eve.” Dolph shook his head.
“No.” Nick growled.
“No, no what?” His brother demanded.
“I can’t do that to Jackson. I owe him a life, and this is my chance to repay….”
That was right. It was just. Jackson had saved the cub and now he could repay him by not taking his damn bride away. Wooing her for his own. It was how it was meant to be.
“Nobel gesture, alpha.” Zav bit out, not sounding as if he meant a word of it. “But she’s your mate.”
“It doesn’t matter.” Nick shook his head.
“Maybe not to you, but think how miserable she’ll be with Jackson for the rest of her life, if the marriage makes it past the first year.” Zav tossed up a hand and Nick was back to being confused.
“What the hell are you talking about?” The alpha demanded.
“Wake up and smell the crap in the air, alpha.” The vampire scowled back at him, mirroring his own look. “You’re mate was meant for you and no other. Her relationships are doomed to fail, to be unhappy unions, until she finds you. You. And where will you be? Dead. Dead because I’ll have killed you for going fruit loopy.”
“That’s…” He hadn’t thought about it that way.
He’d thought that he was doing the right thing…
For her.
For Jackson.
But if she was going to be unhappy. If Jackson was going to be unhappy…
“She’s your mate, brother. You have to tell Jackson and you have to woo her.” Dolph didn’t see it as anything other than black and white.
Sure, he liked Jackson and the clan owed him a big one, but not to woo your one true mate? No – not in his book.
“I have to stay away from her.” Nick took that very first step away from the building, away from his mate, and his bear protested.
He had an ache in his chest and he felt uneasy – as if something dark was stalking him, as if it was death himself.
“That’s not going to help and you know it.” Zav bit out.
“What the hell am I supposed to do? She’s getting married in less than two days.” Nick growled.
He didn’t want to hear it. He knew what he needed to do. Knew exactly what he should be doing – but he couldn’t see further than what he’d be doing to Jackson.
“Get wooing.” Dolph scowled back at him.
The thought of losing his brother to the madness of his lonesome bear didn’t sit well inside of him. As the alpha to a large clan there were always dangers, usually from outside, but he had no qualms that his brother would fight to the death honourably should the need arise.
This felt as if the man was just curling up into a ball and not even trying.
That was unacceptable.
“It’s not going to happen, brother, so I suggest…” Nick’s attention was dragged away by the two females that stalked through the snow towards them.
“Is everyone on this mountain tall dark and as sexy as hell?” Chloe whispered towards Zoe and the witch rolled her eyes.
“Yes, and with big ears that can hear what you’re saying too.” Zoe shot back, meeting the alpha’s eyes – a knowing smile upon her lips, but her attention waivered towards the vampire – now him she was wary of.
“Oh good, a witch.” Zav bit out. “That just made my day.” His dry tone amused her.
“Stop scenting the guests.” Nick berated him. “And don’t even think about winding the Fae woman up.” He growled.
“You mean they’re…?” Chloe became a little more muted, she angled her head away from them – like they could read lips or something, and frowned hard, “Shifters?” She barely whispered.
“Two are, but one of these is not like the other.” Zoe eyed the vampire again. “One’s a bloodsucking leech.”
Chloe almost fell face first into the snow as she stumbled over her own feet when they suddenly felt like lead. She’s pretty much ground to a halt like a statue. Her eyes were wide and wildly flicking from one man to the other when Zoe stopped and turned back towards her.
“That’s like walking into the lions den.” Chloe looked as if she wanted to about face and run as fast as her legs could carry her in the other direction – that or dive into the nearest snowbank and bury herself there until they went away.
“Come on. I think if they were eating the tourists we’d know about it by now.” Zoe’s grin was epic, but Chloe didn’t share her sentiment, and she couldn’t seem to make her feet work… She certainly wasn’t bouncing with excitement now.
“I think that your friend is somewhat stuck, does she need a hand?” Zav couldn’t help himself, some humans we
re just too easy to mess with.
“Let her be.” Dolph growled.
He didn’t like the look of fear in the woman’s eyes. He’d been stared at a lot by humans since shifters came out into the world, but nobody had come to the mountain in a very long time showing that amount of fear that resided in her eyes.
He knew that shifters made some people uneasy, but those folk tended to stay away. That look in her eyes unnerved him – made his beast feel somewhat protective of her.
“I know it’s wrong to play with my food.” Zav grinned and watched Chloe’s eyes snap down to see if his fangs were showing. He liked to tease, but he wasn’t that cruel – she might have had an attack of the vapours right there and then, and of course, shrieking hurt his ears.
Dolph took one large step and placed his body between that of the vampire and the frightened female. His beast roared within him, and he had the urge to plant his fist in Zav’s face, but he bit down on it. She looked terrified enough, he guessed the last thing that she needed was him and the vampire going a few rounds in the snow.
“Knock it off, Zav, before I do it for you.” Dolph held back most of the deep growl that threatened to scare her even more.
“Well, look at Mr Protective.” Zoe grinned at Chloe. “Looks like you have a champion.” She whispered for Chloe’s benefit.
“He’s harmless.” Dolph assured her, but she still didn’t look too happy about it.
“I wouldn’t say that, exactly.” Zav snorted his contempt for the beta’s stance.
“Don’t screw with the guests.” Nick growled.
He didn’t have his brother’s need to hold back the sound of the beast within. Even though he tried not to growl around the human outsiders.
“He won’t hurt you and I wouldn’t let him.” Dolph was trying hard to ignore the vampire and hoped that she could do the same.
With his instincts telling him put the man down, and his sense of reason screaming that it would make things a thousand times worse – it felt like someone was playing pull and tug with his brain.
She just looked so damn helpless that it felt as if an itch was burning under his skin that he couldn’t scratch, couldn’t reach – and he wanted to scratch that itch – wanted to make her feel protected.
“Like you could stop me.” Zav blew out a chortle, but when Dolph turned towards him – the vampire saw the depth of anger within his eyes… “Hmm, someone is feeling protective.”
“Don’t you have a coffin to get back too?” Dolph growled low enough for his friend to hear, but not loud enough for the woman to pick up on.
“I’ll climb right back inside it.” Zav grinned. His lips stretched wide with amusement and there was a teasing look in his eyes.
“He sleeps in a coffin?” Chloe bit out towards Zoe and the witch couldn’t help but chuckle.
“I think they use beds nowadays.” Zoe whispered back, but the amusement inside of her couldn’t be contained.
Chloe was an innocent. Yes, she knew about magic and shifters, and people like Zav, but she’d never been in those kinds of circles before, and with good reason. The woman was just too damn good to rub shoulders with that crowd – whereas Zoe… well, that was a different matter. He gift drew people like Zav towards her, and she was more than wary of what it was exactly that they wanted from her.
“What the hell are you smirking at?” Dolph demanded, but Zav just used his fingers to pretend to zip up his lips and threw the imaginary key over his shoulder like a child.
“Oh look, he has a sense of humour.” Chloe said, nudging Zoe in the ribs, and the witch was grateful for the padding that Chloe’s big, pink snowsuit provided, although she was nudged sideways in the snow. “Don’t leave me!” Chloe hissed out – taking a few steps to match her friend and bringing them virtually hip to hip.
“Perish the thought.” Zoe shot back, giving her something of a death glare.
“What’s his problem?” Dolph bit out at Nick, but Nick just shook his head in disbelief at his brother’s stupidity.
“I’m sure you’ll figure it out, brother. If you need a clue, try damn well sniffing.” Nick growled out.
He hated to admit it to himself, but right there and then he resented the hell out of his brother. He resented anyone at that moment that had what he didn’t – a future.
Nick set off on fast feet. He needed to think. To consider.
He might have built the mountain resort into a gold mine with tourists battering down the doors to be able to stay – they even had a preferred client list and kept some cabins for returning wealthy clients. The clan were settled, on the whole happy, and they had money in the bank.
But what he didn’t have was his mate.
He couldn’t see why he ever would. She was going to marry Jackson in two days. Two damn days. And what the hell could he do about it? Stand around and watch.
Nick felt his bear’s disapproval. The beast within was in denial. That damn claim just kept being repeated inside of his soul until he thought he might just go crazy in a matter of hours if it didn’t stop…
Silence – like a sudden deafness came from his bear. While he was grateful, he wasn’t stupid. The animal needed him to get to their mate – a crazy assed shifter wasn’t going to be able to woo anyone, least of all a bride to be away from the man that she thought she loved…
Or did she?
Kristy had said that she had cold feet – did that mean that there was hope?
Maybe he shouldn’t be so quick to rush to judgement on what looked like the end of his life.
What if she severed the cord herself, without his help? That wouldn’t be dishonourable towards Jackson, would it?
Nick needed to keep a close eye on her. More than that – he needed to be right there in the thick of things – maybe that was cheating. The mating pull would get stronger for her with every moment that they were close…
Nick rounded one of the maintenance cabins, turned toward it, and put his fist right through the side wall… That hurt like hell, more so when he wrenched his fist back out through the broken wood – but he felt better for it, and it wasn’t as if it wasn’t going to heal…
CHAPTER SEVEN
~
“What’s his problem?” Dolph turned to look at Zav and the vampire still wore that same smirk.
“Like he said, sniff.” Zav offered back and Dolph shook his head on a frown.
“I make it a rule never to sniff around the guests…” Dolph’s easy smile slowly turned downwards and his brow started to ride low over his eyes as his brain clicked into gear… “You think?” He demanded of the vampire and all he got in return was a shrug off the man’s shoulders.
“Damn it, Zav. You’re Mr Damn Chatty when I’m not asking for your opinion.” He grumbled a growl and heard Chloe suck in a quick breath.
His eyes snapped towards her and he caught the flare of her green eyes, but it was the fact that she swallowed down hard that made him berate his beast…
Scared her again. Damn it.
“I’m not…” He tried to ease her fears.
“Just one big scent of the air should do it.” Zav was beside his left shoulder like the Devil himself was perched there, practically challenging him to do it with that teasing tone, and Dolph bit down on his need to keep a level head… “Unless, you’re afraid of something.”
“Oh the hell…” Dolph bit out. He didn’t Zav’s mocking now. He took a long, deep breath in, scenting the air and finding her there as he picked out all of the others… “There, happy…?” He stopped talking the moment that her scent hit him hard…
Every muscle in his body clenched in anticipation of one thing… His beast’s declaration…
Mine…
Dolph took a long step backwards and almost fell over Zav’s foot doing it. He righted himself almost instantly – shot a glare at the vampire, and tried to keep his growl as low as possible…
“What just happened?” Chloe whispered to Zoe, but she was eyeing the shifte
r with concern.
There was one thing that Zoe knew for sure… if it was true… it wasn’t her that was the damn mate to that man. He definitely wasn’t her type, not one little bit, and she felt no instant attraction towards him.
Poor Chloe.
~
~
~
Kristy heard her friends outside and groaned inwardly. She already felt like crap for too many reasons, she really didn’t need to dissect everything with them, especially when she didn’t know her own mind.
“Hey, Lola…?” Kristy leaned over the bar top and waved the woman towards her.
“What can I get you?” Lola didn’t have to force a smile onto her lips with this human – she quite liked the woman – other guests, not so much.
Humans tended to stare and point, talked behind their hands just because she was a shifter. She’d had the urge to plant a few of them torso down in a snow pile and leave them there for a few hours, but apparently, that would be wrong…
“A back door?” Kristy grimaced a little as Lola shot a look towards the front door and the two woman that were talking to Zav and Dolph…
“Friends of yours?” She raised just the one eyebrow.
“Not ones that I want to see right now.” Kristy’s eyes pleaded and Lola nodded towards the doorway where Nick had appeared earlier.
“Through there, turn right, back exit.” Lola tapped the counter top. “I saw nothing.” She grinned.
“Thank you so much.” Kristy said as she took off on fast, if not a little unsteady, feet towards her escape route that gave her an out to explaining herself and dissecting her damn feelings.
She’d kind of like to get those feelings dissected and analysed within her own mind before she went blabbing them with anyone else, especially Chloe – she loved her to death but the woman could not keep a secret to save her life – if it was inside her head it was sure to shoot out of her mouth at some point…