by M. L. Briers
“Tell me more.” I leaned down and whispered my words, giving him the kind of view down my top that he never normally had with his vantage point. Hawk growled louder behind me, but for once I didn’t care that the goblin was staring where other men had feared to… tread.
I wasn’t opposed to using my… assets when it suited me. It didn’t make me any less of a feminist, not that I was one, I kind of liked it when a guy held the door and pulled out my chair, as long as I wasn’t trying to sit on it at the time… No, if anything, using what nature gave me was a given…
“Well…” Amos’s eyes dropped downwards for a split second and his cheeks coloured a rosy red before they snapped back up to mine and stayed there. Good for Amos, he was learning. “The Duke as we like to call him, was working for a number of people in this town…” He made a show of considering it, he even raised his hand and tapped his finger against his cheek… I leaned forward again and Bob’s your Uncle, his memory got clearer as his eyes flicked down then back up…
“Oh yes, Scott the vampire. Although, I’m not sure what that man was doing. Us. Doug…”
“Doug?” I couldn’t hold my tongue. What the hell did Doug want with Marmaduke?
“Something about magical antiquities…” Amos shrugged his shoulders and I leaned forward again. His eyes feasted. “Thanks for that one, but I really don’t know, it’s kind of hard to overhear everything from the caves.” Amos slapped his hand over his mouth and drew back in horror.
“Cave’s, Amos?” I asked pushing back up to my full height and taking away Amos’s view of my girls. The goblin rolled his eyes.
“You know about the old days with the smugglers and the pirates in the cove…?” I nodded, not wanting to mess with his chain of thought or give him reason to stop telling us what he knew. “Well, what a lot of people don’t know is that there’s a whole network of cave’s under this town and down to the beach itself, all along the cove.” He looked pleased with himself. It was as if he’d wanted to share that bit of information with someone for a very long time.
“And you could hear him from the cave, how?” I wanted to move this along a bit. I wanted to be down there on that beach and hunting those caves for… something… I didn’t know what, but it sounded like a perfect mystery come treasure hunt thing to do.
“Because some of those caves come out in the old houses.” Amos smirked harder.
“The oldest houses in town…” I was thinking three steps ahead now. Of course they did. Smugglers would have the perfect opportunity to never be seen outside on the night of shipwrecks and when they were doing their dastardly deeds, because the caves right into their homes would provide the perfect cover for their mischief. Love it!
“And the Duke’s house was once owned by the cove’s very own pirate king… a shifter named Tiberius.” Amos announced and Hawk groaned. I shot him a look over my shoulder and he shrugged his. Hmm… “So come on, Joss, what was taken?” Amos wiggled his eyebrows.
“A wand.” The moment I said it I saw the light of clarity in the man’s eyes.
“I knew it, I knew it. You came to us about the wand and not the mushrooms.” Amos clapped his hands together in glee and then his face fell just as suddenly as his excitement had grown. “Damn, Joss. You need to get that thing back, do you know what it can do?”
“I heard…”
“You don’t wanna let someone unleash the Siren’s song or release the contents of that book…”
“Book?” I knew the book alright. But how did Amos?
“Sure. When the Siren is called and she sings her song, everything gets unlocked, including the damn things trapped in that book. That’s why only a goblin, a witch or a warlock can unlock it, because it holds the worst of us.” Amos offered the bits that Marmaduke had left out. I wasn’t sure why he’d leave those bits out, but the old buzzard had.
“That narrows the list of suspects down.” Hawk offered from behind me and just his tone sent my pulse into freefall. For that one moment in time I didn’t care about long dead sailors arising from the deed, not one little bit. There wasn’t a thing in that book I cared about either, because in that one moment my skin hummed with the mating call…
Damn it to hell, I need something to turn that off. There should be a damn off switch for times of emergency, and this was one of those times. I tried to give my full attention back to Amos.
“Do you know the spell to unlock the siren’s song?” I saw his face fall. He kicked at an invisible stone on my porch.
“Nah. Only the elders are entrusted with that kind of thing.” He grumbled and I nodded. It made sense. But what about the eldest of them all…?
~
“I’m not sure that this is wise, you being here.” Hawk didn’t seem to like me playing tag along when there was an element of danger involved.
How quickly they revert to their true male selves. Life with Mr-Shifter might not be all toe curling and mating, but a patriarchal system where I was supposed to be subservient to him… Never gonna happen…
“I know this guy, you don’t…” I offered with my chin held high and my irk gene already fired up.
“True, but still, it’s a risk…”
“Worth taking.” I smiled back sweetly as I finished that sentence to my advantage.
I followed the shadowy shape of the tall figure around the back of the town with my mate hot on my heels or maybe that was my hot mate on my heels. I think we both knew where he was heading, and I think we both knew that he knew we were on his tail, so to speak…
I knew I should have waited a moment to take the corner of the house, just a wee bit longer, but the adrenalin was pumping through my veins and I was excited to be following our number one suspect. That was until the hand around my throat pushed me up against the brick wall and held me there with menace. I saw the fangs, then I heard my mate’s roar as he took in the scene… Oh-oh…
~
There was no pain; it was just a little hard to breathe. Scott wasn’t trying to kill me. I could see that by the amusement in his eyes and the fact that I wasn’t already dead or drained, or both.
“Who’s your friend…?” Scott’s eyes flashed with glee as Hawk’s fangs and claws came out, and he was ready to go a few rounds with the vampire over little old me.
I slapped Scott’s hand away and punched him in the stomach for the fun of it, and not because I knew it would hurt him… If anything I got the worst of it as the pain shot through my hand and wrist.
“Her mate.” Hawk growled out, still posturing like only a male can. I might just get his mate with an arrow tattooed on my damn forehead.
“Do I have to send you two to either side of the damn street like naughty schoolboys? Behave.” I was in no mood to play piggy in the middle or rescue the maiden with these two, mainly because I wasn’t one, and I was more inclined to play treasure hunter than damsel in distress.
“You have been told.” Scott announced with more glee towards my mate, and I had to give him a little zap just for the sheer fact that I didn’t want these two trying to kill each other on the damn street. “Thank you, may I have another?” Scott’s teasing smile made me want to laugh, but that wouldn’t have solved my mate problem.
“Right up the backside.” I offered back as sweet as arsenic.
“I might enjoy that.” Scott whispered towards me and again Hank growled out a warning.
“So, you found a mate, true love, well done you.” Scott announced and I had to groan as my eyes rolled up in my head.
“Can you not?” I didn’t want to play this game with him or anyone else, although, I figured most of the supernatural element in town would be the damn same.
“No. I’m afraid it goes against my very nature not to rub salt into the wounds of despair.” Scott announced to yet more growling.
“Why are you going to Marmaduke’s house?” I changed the subject before my face was hotter than the damn sun.
“Who said I was?” Scott leaned in again, just to pi
ss Hawk off and of course it worked.
“I did.” I eyed the vampire and dared him to lie.
“I never said I wasn’t either.” Scott admitted. I gave him my best unimpressed look and it was his turn to roll his eyes. “For what we have meant to each other over the years, Joss…” He rubbed that in a really big wound. Hank almost shifter there and then until I did the only thing I could do and belted Scott around the face with my open hand.
“Don’t mess with my mate.” I growled out with everything that I had. Damn my hand stung like a bitch!
Both Scott and Hawk looked stunned for a long moment. Then Scott’s eyes sparkled with amusement and Hawk seemed to settle that beast down within him… for now. Job done and no fractures…
“I meant our friendship.” Scott lied and I sighed.
“Are you playing for time to come up with a story to tell me?” I called his bluff and he folded like a man holding a pair of threes. Mainly because I wasn’t playing his game anymore and he couldn’t wind me up.
“Marmaduke was doing some little jobs for me and he still has some of my…” He inclined his head and looked to the night sky. “Stuff.” He finished cagily.
“And the wand?” I asked and saw a brief look of surprise cross his face.
“Which wand?” There was more than one?
“The Goblin wand.” I shot back hoping that he hadn’t had enough time to think of an answer.
“Haven’t seen it.” The man shrugged his shoulders and folded his arms across his chest, defensively. I liked this new game, playing detective was more fun than writing my not-a-book.
“Recently or ever?” I demanded. Scott took a moment to consider that one.
“Recently.” He gave me a small contented smile.
“But you do know the one I’m talking about…”
“Oh, yes, little witch, and if that wand is missing, then someone needs to find it. I kind of like being the only dead guy in town and ye olde sailors raising from the sea won’t do anything to bring the tourist snacks in for me.” He rhymed and I groaned. “It gives a whole new meaning to the song, what do we do with the drunken sailor, don’t you think?” I groaned again.
“Quit while you’re ahead.” Hawk growled out.
“While I have my head?” Scott shot back and Hawk scowled back at him.
“That too.” Hawk challenged and Scott grinned.
Here we go again. I didn’t need this. Not now, they were bringing down my buzz of being a detective.
“Why don’t you both just whip them out here in the street so we can compare penis sizes right here and now and get it over with.” I suggested as they eyed each other.
“Put up or shut up.” It was my turn to growl. When neither of them moved a muscle I turned on my heels and started off towards Marmaduke’s house. I for one wanted to see the caves and what treasure might lay inside them, not watch Frick and Frack eyeballing each other over the top of my head.
“The lady has a point.” Scott announced.
“If you get your cock out I’ll snap it off and feed it to you.” Hawk growled out as he stalked off after me. I could feel him coming up fast. My newfound mate senses that weren’t unlike spidey senses were tingling where he was concerned.
I couldn’t help but grin. I was used to the whole male posturing thing around here, but it was so much more deadly when one was your mate and you hadn’t bonded with him yet. I needed to keep an eye on that.
“Not about that.” Scott sighed. “Lycans, only ever thinking of one damn thing, still I suppose if you haven’t mated yet…”
I heard the snarl and turned to find the two of them at loggerheads. This was how my damn day was going… Hawk and Scott beating the crap out of each other right there on the town’s quiet little back street. I had the distinct urge to turn back the day and stay in bed. I had to wonder if Marmaduke had a damn wand and a spell to achieve that one…
I didn’t want to have to do it… Ok, that was a damned lie. I did want to do it because everything had pushed me right up to this point and I lifted my hands and blasted them with a wave of energy that tossed the pair of them head over heels onto their backsides… Oh, yeah, there was great satisfaction in that damned moment as I glared down at them.
CHAPTER EIGHT
“Can we focus?” I demanded as they both shook off the force of my energy blast… Damn, I loved being a witch, I just needed to remember that my powers were for good, not satisfaction, but if a little satisfying moment came out of it all then who was I to look a gift horse in the mouth?
“You might be able to focus, but right now my head is playing church bells…” Scott groaned as he tried to shake it off… Whoops, maybe a little too much satisfaction in that one. Well, you couldn’t blame me after the day I’ve had…
“Suck it up vampire, after all that’s what you’re good at.” Hawk growled and I sighed and turned away from them. They were still acting like schoolboys and I really didn’t have time for this. I had cave’s to find and a siren to stop, and I’d do it alone if I needed to.
“Oh look…” Scott exclaimed and had me turning back on my heels again to see what had him so animated. He was pointing off into the distance and both Hawk and I turned to look. “A bunny rabbit. Do you feel the need to chase it?” The vampire’s sarcasm was dripping for his words and it annoyed me as much as it amused me.
“Screw the pair of you. I’m going to Marmaduke’s.” I tried to push away the joint smile at his funny that clashed with the frown of rebuke for my mate’s sake as I turned away from the pair of them and set off down the street. I would not be distracted…
I saw the bear from the corner of my eye as it bounded towards me. Hundreds of pounds of furball coming at you wasn’t something you could exactly ignore or dismiss… Neither was your mate’s back when he jumped in front of you protectively and you had to strain to look around him…
“What the hell are you doing, Hawk?” I tried to elbow my way around the man mountain and yet he countered my move at every turn.
“Be still, woman!” He growled out. I have to say the muscles in my face got a workout as my eyebrows reached for my hairline at the same time as my irk gene shot through me like a thunderbolt. Speaking of thunderbolts I had the damn urge to shoot one right up his…
“Joss…” Doug’s bear was full on in his voice as he shifted into a naked Doug. Not something I particularly wanted to see just then and was quite happy that Hawk’s frame was in the way. “Did you do anything about those little shitheads yet?” Doug demanded and I had to roll my eyes and stifle the groan that demanded to be heard.
“Kind of.” I offered to Hawk’s back.
“We have other things to deal with Bear.” Scott announced from beside me and at that moment I was in the land of the giants, but I didn’t feel like a helpless little woman, in fact I felt like zapping the bloody lot of them.
“I’m out of here. Seriously. You guys do your male bonding thing and I’ll go and save the cove.” I used my pointy little elbows to nudge my way through the two in front of me and came face to chest with the very hairy bear shifter. I lifted my hand and shooed him backwards, adding an expectant look, and Doug took a long deep breath in before he sighed and stepped backwards.
Job done. I was off and heading for Marmaduke’s house once again, and this time the only damn thing that could distract me would be the bloody ships creaking and protesting as they rose from their watery grave… Thankfully, that didn’t happen.
~
“The man wasn’t exactly a neat freak.” Hawk’s eyes took in the state of the room and I wanted to chuckle. I was sure that if I walked into his home unannounced it wouldn’t be much better than this.
“How… judgemental of you.” Scott seemed to want to get his digs in where he could and I had to elbow him in the ribs as I nudged my way towards Marmaduke’s bookcase and the tome that I was looking for. It gave me another little buzz of satisfaction when I heard him groan, and even though I knew my elbow would have
a nice bruise on it soon enough, it was still worth the effort.
“Being friends will only get you so far, little witch.” Scott’s voice held the warning that made me smile.
This vampire wasn’t the bloodlust kind. He was Mr Smooth and assured and I doubted he’d gotten those damn fangs out in anger in a very long time, including when he was going at it with Hawk outside or when he had me up against the wall. Hawk growled again and I heard that echo through the hallways.
“You’re fangless where I’m concerned, Scott, so stop posing and trying to get the wolf all worked up…” I had half a mind on berating him and half a mind on that damn echo… It might have echoed through the house, but it also echoed through the bookcase.
I found the book that I was looking for and wasn’t gentle about offering it to Scott to hold as I slammed it against his chest. I had other fish to fry right now and the bookcase was one of them. Scott groaned once more, but that didn’t fill me with satisfaction… I gathered my magic and pushed out a simple unlocking spell that made the lock on the bookcase click open and the damn thing moved…
Now that did fill me with satisfaction.
“Smooth move, witch.” Scott offered as he tossed the book that he was holding towards Hawk and the man caught it without hesitation. He reached for the gap between the wood and the wall and yanked the damn thing open with a heavy breath and a squeak from the worn hinges.
“Buried treasure.” I mumbled. It was an absent thought that had Scott frowning down at me.
“You’ve read too many pirate books.” He chuckled as he poked his head into the cave and listened. “I can hear the sea, but that’s probably due to my exceptional hearing.”
“Let’s go!” I didn’t want to wait another damn moment. I wanted to search and explore, but Hank’s hand on my upper arm put paid to that idea.
“Not so fast.” He growled. “The person who killed Marmaduke could have come this way.”
“Well there not still going to be in there are they?” I rolled my eyes and wanted to headbutt the nearest wall. Not so much brains and brawn for my mate… Scott sniggered.