by M. L. Briers
She could only hope that Zoe didn’t get Chloe drunk and then run into Jackson.
Kristy pushed the bar on the back door and felt the frosty air hit her face and then her lungs as she pulled in a deep breath… Boy, did she need that wake up call to her sense?
One too many nips of Scotch wasn’t exactly conducive to being able to think rationally, or walk straight, and she needed that now – to think, to walk, and not to bury her feelings in a drink fuelled fog…
She’d told Jackson’s friend Nick that she had cold feet – damn – that was a mistake. What was she supposed to say if he told him? She couldn’t very well deny it… not when it was true.
She’d very nearly not come to the mountain at all. She’d very nearly dumped her bags in her car and took off in the other direction. If it hadn’t of been for Zoe and Chloe turning up to get her…
Maybe she should have gone with her first instinct?
Maybe she still could…
She bit down on all kinds of reasons why she shouldn’t, but her mind wasn’t totally clear, and she didn’t much care anyway. Getting some space between her and the resort, from Jackson’s arrival, might just have been the way to go…
With a nod of her head; she put one foot in front of the other and started to walk.
CHAPTER EIGHT
~
Mine…
Dolph’s beast was adamant. It didn’t matter how many times he tried to deny it to the bear, the damn animal just kept repeating the claim over and over again.
“Personally, I’d listen to the bear…” Zav offered on a whisper right by his ear, making Dolph jump in surprise and try to swat the vampire with his hand, but Zav had already taken a step away from him.
“I got this.” He growled in annoyance. Offering the vampire a promise of death should he annoy him one more time.
Then he turned his attention back towards the little human who was giving him something of a sideways glance, as if she wanted to snatch her eyes away, but she just couldn’t stop watching the accident that she thought about to happen.
“What’s going on?” Chloe whispered out of the corner of her mouth to Zoe.
“I’d say we have encountered a little problem, and by we, I mean you.” Zoe whispered back, knowing full well that the supernatural among them could hear her loud and clear.
“Oh.” Chloe said before the words registered within her brain. Then she jumped in place, shot a look at Zoe who was giving her something of a sympathetic look back, and then snapped her head round to glare, wide eyed at the beta…
Dolph took one step forward and Chloe took three back. She reached out and wrapped her hand around the sleeve of Zoe’s jacket, yanking her backwards in the snow with her.
“What’s he doing?” Chloe bit out in a rush. The worry in her voice was more than evident as she eyed the shifter…
“I think he wants to scent you, up close and personal like.” Zoe couldn’t help but grin.
“Me? Why?” Chloe rushed out, taking another couple of steps back to every one step that Dolph took towards her.
“You know when I said you have a problem?” Zoe shot a look back at her friend over her shoulder and found panic in her eyes.
“Yep,” Chloe bit out…
“Well…” Zoe said…
“Mine.” Dolph growled, and Chloe froze in place, not moving, not breathing. Her lower jaw took a slow slide downwards as she gawped at him…
“M – M – Meeee?” Chloe breathed out all of the oxygen left in her lungs and then gasped it back in again – her eyes widening like her lungs were expanding…
“Yep.” Zoe said – taking a quick step to the side when Dolph sped up towards his mate…
“I think I might vomit in my mouth.” Zav said and Zoe shot him a frown.
“Beat you to it.” She offered back and was rewarded with a drop dead gorgeous smile from the dead guy.
“I like your style.” Zav offered and she snorted.
“Not interested in being a blood donor. Jog on.” She dismissed him with a glare as she turned her attention back to Chloe.
“Wait until you’re asked.” Zav breathed against her ear, but when she snapped her head around he was back where he’d been standing across the way…
“Creepy little…” She curled her top lip in disdain.
“Not so little, which you might or might not find out.” Zav offered back.
“Zooooeee!” Chloe shrieked out before Zoe could formulate a comeback line to offer the bloodsucker.
“He just wants to sniff you.” Zoe offered with a wave of her hand as if it was nothing, an everyday occurrence. Chloe screwed up her face and her neck practically disappeared down into her shoulders as she raised them upwards.
Dolph stood in front of his mate and twisted his head to one side, regarding her with amused eyes.
“What’s she doing?” Dolph’s chuckle was deep and gentle as it drifted towards Chloe, wrapped around her, and she relaxed just a little…
“Warding you off…” Zoe giggled.
“Well, that’s not going to work.” Dolph shrugged. “I don’t bite.” He offered towards Chloe and saw her relax a little more. She was trying to get her shoulders to unclench…
“I thought…” She started.
“Much.” Zav offered and her eyes flicked towards him. “He bites.” He mouthed and Chloe gasped and rushed two steps backwards.
The only trouble was that her damn feet got caught under her stiff body and she squealed as she started to fall…
“Gotcha!” Dolph grinned as he moved fast, reached out and scooped her towards him…
“Not cool.” Zoe waggled her index finger at Zav and shot him a good blast of her magic that made his upper body convulse in on itself as he bit down on a dark curse or two…
“Zoe!” Chloe bit out. “You can’t do that.” She rushed out, always protective of her witch friend and fearfully reminding her to hide her powers around others.
Instinct had kicked in and she’d thought of Zoe over her own predicament now…
“Relax, they aren’t exactly new to magic.” Zoe said, and then motioned towards Dolph. “Looks like you’ve got your hands full.” She grinned and Chloe’s eyes snapped back up to the man that she was half pressed against – she swallowed down again.
“Could you let me go before I have a total and complete mental breakdown of a very epic kind?” Chloe bit out, her voice alternating between shrew and mouse…
Dolph’s hands dropped to his sides and he clenched his fists, locking his arms in place on the urge to reach for her again… But he didn’t think his mate going insane would be good thing, either before or after he’d wooed her, but definitely not before.
“Can I scent you?” He twisted his head a little and stared down at her.
“Do you have to?” She shot back.
“Yes.” He nodded.
Chloe shot a quick look at Zoe and the witch nodded back, reassuring her with just a look that everything was going to be fine… for now.
“O –k – a –y.” Chloe winced as if something was about to hurt…
Dolph grinned, the kind of grin that normally made human females lose their panties, and his mate did stop wincing and turned her head to give him her full and undivided attention.
His beast had settled at her permission. He knew there would be growling once he did what he needed to do and scent her at source, but he hoped to hell that she didn’t run… or worse… scream. He hated the sound of females screaming…
He reached out and wrapped one solid arm around her waist, and her eyes snapped down…
“You said sniff!” She protested.
“Trust me.” Dolph grinned again, making it a damn good one, and her eyes snapped down to two perfect rows of white teeth – he was sure that she sighed with relief at not seeing his fangs…
“I don’t think that’s happening anytime soon…” Chloe said, but he was already dipping his head, and with a brush of his cheek against hers
, warm skin against cold, he heard her exhale.
Then he nuzzled between her puffy snow jacket and her soft, slightly chilled skin, every inch of him hardened – his cock twitched – and he finally took her scent…
“Mine…” He didn’t want to growl so damn possessively, but that wasn’t within the realm of things that he could control.
CHAPTER NINE
~
Dwight stretched out his body and took a big old sniff of the frozen air as he stepped out of the car, and regretted it instantly. He coughed like a twenty a day smoker in old age.
“What the hell?” He scowled in disbelief. “Too damn clean…” He grumbled and Jackson chuckled good-naturedly.
“A day or two here and your lungs will feel a decade younger, unlike your looks – there’s no hope for that.” Jackson’s grin was wide as he stared at his friend. Too many late nights partying had left him with a slight paunch, bags under his eyes, and an attitude problem.
“Don’t see why we had to drag our backsides to frozen land when all you’re doing is destroying any chance of future happiness and self-respect you might have managed to keep hold on by… oh, let me think – living without a ball and chain around your damn ankle.” Dwight shrugged at his own reflection in Jackson’s wraparound sunglasses.
“Don’t mind me, man – just say how you really feel.” Jackson raised just one eyebrow above the top of those glasses.
“Well, ok. Good to hear. I have a list that we should get to before you play Russian Roulette with your happiness.” Dwight dug his hands into the pockets of his ski jacket and shrugged again.
“Shut up.” Jackson bit back the need to tell his friend a few home truths about his own life.
“Never gonna happen, my friend. Your subconscious told you to pick me as your best man because you secretly wanted me to talk some sense into you before it’s too late.”
“No. I picked you because you’re my only friend.” Jackson assured him and Dwight frowned.
“Lack of choices. That’s good too.” He turned in place to get a better look at the lodge. He snorted his contempt for it, and turned his attention right back to Jackson. “I’m still gonna share what I know in my heart to be true and do my duty to save you from yourself.”
“Welcome to Mountain view…” Lola beamed them a smile as she stalked out of the building and headed right for them. It wasn’t normally her job to greet the guests, but it seemed that everyone else was playing hooky.
“Mountain view – Gee, I wonder where they came up with such an unusual and thought provoking name?” Dwight beamed his friend as satisfied smirk before he turned to see the she-bear coming his way. “Ok, so that’s the view I want to wake up to.”
“Oh, God.” Jackson groaned.
“What? I’m just saying.” Dwight shrugged again.
“What your friend means is I can hear you just fine.” Lola offered to Dwight. The smile that was on her lips wasn’t as friendly now.
“Apologise.” Jackson bit out the side of his mouth.
“For what? Because she has big ears?” Dwight shrugged once more and Jackson groaned.
“Because if you don’t I just might unsheathe my fangs and rip into your throat for a tasty snack.” Zav appeared behind Dwight even as Jackson was staring in that direction.
Dwight’s eyes rolled around in his head, followed quickly by his body, as he sidestepped, and turned to see what was behind him…
“Zav…” Jackson offered a smile in greeting.
“Zav? As in…?” Dwight took a couple of steps backwards away from the vampire and eyed him with a lot of fear and a little contempt.
“I think the word you’re looking for is Vampire.” Lola offered from behind him and he spun on fast feet and backed up a step or three until he could see them both at once…
“Yeah, that.” Dwight motioned towards Zav with his head and then turned his eyes back on Lola. “I apologise – wholeheartedly and without reservation.”
Lola snorted her contempt for the human, but then he held up his hand and his index finger pointed skywards.
“But…” he offered, raising his eyebrows in anticipation of someone butting in, when nobody did he was happy to carry on. “I still stand by what I said. The view of you is worth a million more than a mountain with some snow on it.” He’d gone into full blown charm mode and Jackson pressed his lips together until they were white so as not to laugh aloud.
“God, human males are just so…” Zav lifted his hand and dropped it again.
“Kind of sweet.” Lola grinned.
“And very breakable.” Zav reminded her and her smile dropped.
“True.” Lola shrugged…
“I don’t mind a broken bone or two.” Dwight smiled and Lola chuckled. “Few broken ribs wouldn’t hurt too much if I was looking at you, sweetheart.” Dwight offered her a wolfish grin.
“He does know that she’s mated to the big bad alpha bear, right?” Zav offered the lie and Lola shot him a look…
“What?” Dwight almost jumped out his skin. “I didn’t know. I take it back.” He held his hands up to his chest. “I heard about mates and mating, and possessiveness to the point of murder… that’s not… I have no will at all to fight a challenge to the death or find myself dead down the mountain…” he was rambling, and Jackson couldn’t help but chuckle this time.
“Relax, he’s just pulling your leg.” Jackson said and Dwight looked visibly relieved.
“That’s pulling his leg … off, right?” Zav offered towards Jackson and Dwight took another step backwards.
“Let’s not be hasty.” He waved his hands at his chest in surrender, but Jackson’s laughter, and then Lola’s made him grimace. “You guys were kidding, right?”
“Sure. Let’s play pretend.” Zav offered and stalked off on fast feet as Lola moved towards the back of the car.
“He’s just playing. I’m not mated and the alpha certainly isn’t my mate.” Lola grinned at the thought – mated to the alpha certainly wouldn’t be her first choice. She kind of liked Nick, but he was the alpha, and that came with responsibilities, and she’d only just joined this clan – she wouldn’t want to be tied down just yet.
“Let me help you…” Dwight rushed to help her get the two large suitcases out of the back of the car. “Don’t they have men around here to do that for you?”
“Why?” Lola shot him a frown as she reached for the heavy cases and yanked them both from the boot at once… Dwight took another step back in surprise…
“That’s… err, impressive that you can… like wow.” Dwight motioned towards Jackson. “Both cases!” He grinned and then chuckled in disbelief.
“Shifter females are stronger than…”
“The average bear?” Dwight chuckled at his own funny, but when Lola tossed him a scowl, he bit down on that laughter and cleared his throat. “Yeah, I can see how that’s not funny to you.” He looked suitably chastised.
“The alpha said to show you to your cabin…” Lola offered to Jackson as she continued to scowl at Dwight, and she watched a slight twitch start under the man’s right eye.
“Look, I’m…” Dwight shrugged again.
“An asshole?” Lola offered as brightly as she could and Dwight scowled for a long moment.
“Pretty much, yeah.” He nodded.
“I got it. I’m used to those – you’ll fit right in.” She said and turned with the cases, stalking off as Dwight tipped his head to one side and watched her go, her curvy hips swaying all the way…
“I think she likes me.” He offered to Jackson.
“I’d say don’t hold your breath.” Jackson offered back.
“Meh.” Dwight shrugged.
CHAPTER TEN
~
Nick watched Jackson enter the lodge and bit down on the deep growl of annoyance that ran through him. If only he didn’t owe the man a life then things would be so much easier. Every man for himself, and he’d woo his mate’s damn socks off, along with the r
est of her clothes…
He’d never dreamed that he would finally find his mate only for her to be human and taken by another man – there were plenty of damn scenarios that he had played out in his mind over the years, but that one took the damn biscuit. Fate had been cruel.
He pressed his hands into the front pockets of his jeans, hunched his shoulders against the frost in the air, and put one foot in front of the other. He was determined to take himself off and out of the damn wedding. He’d make his excuses as to why he couldn’t attend and leave for a while.
Not seeing Kristy again would be the best solution to everyone’s problems. Besides, if his bear was going to lose it then the further that he was away from the resort the better off they’d all be.
Nick skirted the edge of the maintenance lodge and started for his own cabin. Making it to the side of the bar before anybody noticed him was another tick in his box. Now all he needed to do was get the hell home, get his stuff, and go camp out in the woods for a few days.
What the hell could go wrong with that idea?
~
~
~
“Let me get you a drink.” Dolph was in full charm mode. He needed to be. His mate was human and as nervous as prey scenting his beast nearby.
He knew that he could cure that with just ten minutes alone in his cabin with her – wooing her the way a man should. The trouble was – she was stuck like glue to Zoe, the wicked witch of the west, and before he could woo her into his arms – he needed to unglue her from her friend.
“I think I need my senses about me right now.” Chloe chortled.
“Tell me, Chloe – what worries you about me?” Dolph needed to know to be able to tone it down or put her fears to rest, only then would she start to relax around him.
Chloe’s eyes narrowed as she considered his question. Her mouth puckered, as she considered her answer, and he had an urge to take her lips with the kind of kiss that would leave her breathless…