by M. L. Briers
Everyone was staring at the elder as she happily tucked into her breakfast, either oblivious to the looks that she was getting, or just plain ignoring them.
Kit’s eyes flicked to his mother, and she swallowed down hard as she stared back at him. A small, helpless, almost guilty look twitched onto her face, but she didn’t say a word.
“Witches,” Kit growled.
CHAPTER THREE
~
“I hate to do it, but we could kill Zoe,” Turner grumbled and grimaced at the thought of disposing of the elder.
“Zoe!” The alpha growled long and hard at his brother.
“Shame on you,” Finley looked at his brother as if he’d just grown another head.
“Kill the elder. Kill the spell,” Turner shrugged his shoulders.
“That’s not going to work, you idiot. The spell is only broken if you kill the witches,” Finley rolled his eyes at his brother’s stupidity.
“Okay, we’ll do that. But first, we need to find the witches lair,” Turner shrugged again.
He was fine with dispatching a few witches to the afterlife. Needs must, and he didn’t need a mate. He was sure his siblings felt the same way that he did.
“It might already be too late.” Kit growled at the thought of magic being at work within his life.
He wasn’t fond of witches, but he was downright antsy at the thought of some spell being done with his name on it. Just imagining it made the hairs on his body stand to attention.
“Do they need to be close to be able to perform the spell?” Turner asked with a curious look at the beta.
“Don’t ask me. I’m not a witch expert,” Finley shrugged.
“Funny that – you were a moment ago,” Turner grumbled back.
“Can you two stop bickering like schoolgirls? It’s not helpful — we have a problem. Let’s just figure out how to deal with it without all the mini-dramas.” The alpha growled.
He’d somehow managed to resist the urge that festered within him to bang their heads together, but now he was second guessing that choice. It might have relieved some stress, even if they’d still be just as stupid on the other side of it all.
“Well, we could just sit around here and wait for our mates to arrive,” Turner growled at the thought. He didn’t like that idea one little bit.
“That doesn’t work me,” Kit growled.
“Which is why I said we should go witch hunting,” Turner expanded his hands on another shrug. He didn’t see a downside to that argument.
“It might be a good idea,” Kit said as he mulled it over.
He wasn’t sure. He didn’t want anything to do with witches, but he also didn’t want them to perform a spell that would bring his mate to him – not yet anyway.
Someday, he wanted a mate and pups, but he wanted that day to be when he had more time to devote to being a proper mate to his woman, and a really good father to his pups.
“Someone needs to go and ask Zoe where the witches can be found,” Finley said, and both siblings offered an expectant look toward the alpha.
He didn’t want to be in the same room as Zoe for fear that he wouldn’t be able to bite his tongue. Chewing on an elder was only done when absolutely necessary.
“Your idea — you do it,” Kit tossed back.
Sometimes, it was good to be the alpha.
~
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~
“Well, that’s done,” Jodie said as she dusted hands of her magic and placed them on her hips.
“Yeah, I’m still not sure about it,” Casey said as she nervously nibbled her lower lip.
“Daddy’s girl!” Jodie grinned at her, and in true sibling fashion, her sister poked out her tongue and sneered back at her.
“And what do you think he will do when he realizes that we’re off the leash?” Casey berated her sister.
“We’ll cross that bridge when it comes to it.” Jodie offered back.
“There’s a big old troll called dad that lives under there,” Casey warned, but Jodie shrugged it off.
“Now what?” Steph asked.
They had a whole weekend in a cottage in the middle of nowhere, doing not much of anything, but conversing with sheep to look forward to. One little spell wasn’t going to take up all of their time. She could feel the boredom settling in already.
“Now, we go and get the personal trinkets that we need to perform the spell from the elder, and then the day is ours,” Jodie said.
“To do what?” Casey asked.
“I have no idea,” Jodie admitted. It wasn’t like they could go shopping or anything. They’d driven through the village on the way to the cottage, and if she’d sneezed, then she might have missed it. It wouldn’t have been a great loss. “But I’m sure we can find something to do before the witching hour when we need to perform the spell.”
“Optimist,” Steph snorted.
“Perhaps we can do a pre-emptive, bending over and kissing our backsides goodbye ritual, in preparation for when our father discovers the blocking spell on his magic?” Casey offered her sister a small smirk.
“Sounds good — you should get right on that,” Steph agreed.
~
~
~
“You didn’t really call in witches, did you?” Suzie asked the elder. She placed the cup of tea down on the table top in front of her and eased down into her chair.
“Of course I did,” Zoe offered back as if what she’d done was an everyday occurrence.
“Oh dear,” Suzie grimaced.
“Well, it wasn’t as if those boys were going to get off their collective backsides and go looking for mates themselves,” Zoe said as her eyebrows reached up for her silvery grey hairline.
“I know, but — witches?” Suzie groaned inwardly as she lifted the steaming cup to her lips and wondered at the consequences of the elder’s actions.
“It’ll be fine,” the elder assured her as she raised the cup towards her lips, and then she hesitated. “And if it’s not, I’m sure we can find somewhere to dispose of the bodies on our land.”
Suzie choked on the sip of tea that she’d taken. She shot the elder a look of disbelief, and Zoe offered her a smug grin in return.
“I’m just pulling your leg.” Zoe grinned and then looked away. “I already know where to bury them.” She muttered.
~
~
~
“So, do we have a plan?” Finley growled as he eyed the area.
“We do,” the alpha growled back. “I’m going to the bank. Turner, you can pick up the groceries on the list. And, Finley, you’re in the butchers.”
It was Saturday morning, and all three brothers hated to go to town when there was an increase in humans around. But needs must, and they’d stupidly put off doing what they needed to do, and now they were faced with — humans.
It wasn’t that humans were bad, but having so many of them in one place usually led to trouble. Each brother needed to keep themselves in check and remember to keep their beast’s caged, and the growling to an absolute minimum.
“Groceries?” Turner grumbled. “Every human goes to the grocery store on a Saturday.”
“And the elders are the meanest,” Finley chuckled. “You’d think bread had been rationed by the way they elbow you out of the way.”
“Why can’t I go to the butchers?” Turner groaned.
“You know why ” Kit growled.
“Once — it happened once!” Turner grumbled.
“You growled at the butcher’s assistant,” Finley shrugged. “You can’t be trusted.”
“It wasn’t my fault. The woman is annoying, and the scent of so much blood in the air had my beast a little rattled.”
“See, you can’t be trusted.” Finley chuckled.
“Let’s just get it done and be gone,” Kit grumbled. His brothers were starting to jump all over his last nerve, and they still needed to deal with the witches.
“Easy for you to say, you’re just going to the cash machin
e,” Finley growled.
“There may be a queue,” the alpha grumbled back.
All three brothers sighed at the prospect of not being able to be themselves for a while, and they steeled themselves for what was to come.
~
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~
“I’m just going to get some money from the bank, and I’ll meet you in the store,” Steph said.
She started to fish inside the large bag that was slung over her shoulder that contained everything but the kitchen sink. Sure, it made it hard to find her purse at times, but she looked at it as a treasure hunt. There were things in her bag that she hadn’t seen in quite a while and was, almost, always pleasantly surprised to find.
“You knew you were coming away for the weekend – why didn’t you get money out before now?” Jodie asked with a whole heap of suspicion thrown in.
“Don’t be silly — that would mean planning ahead. We’re talking about Steph here. When have you ever known our sister to plan ahead? ” Casey chuckle as she berated her older sister with just look.
“And it couldn’t be the fact that she hates the grocery store?” Jodie offered back, turning a knowing look onto her sister.
“Well, of course, there is that,” Casey agreed.
“Why don’t you two shut your yapping and just get on with shopping?” Steph sneered. “After all, it is what you do best.”
“Not for food, it isn’t,” Jodie sneered.
“I’ll be five minutes — where’s the harm?” Steph offered back.
“How many times in one day do you want to tempt fate?” Jodie grumbled.
“As a witch — you suck,” Casey hissed.
“Yadda – yadda – yadda. I hear your lips flapping, but there’s not much shopping going on,” Steph berated them before she turned way and clip-clopped off to find the cash machine.
Of course, she didn’t want to go grocery shopping — that territorial thing with the shopping carts was just too much temptation for her not to use her magic.
“You know, I think she finds some morbid satisfaction in tempting fate’s evil wicked ways,” Jodie scowled after her sister.
“If she wants to tempt fate — I don’t want to be anywhere near her,” Casey was scowling too.
“I hear you, sister.” Jodie nodded in agreement, and they turned and started away as if they were joined at the hip.
“Stupid is as stupid does,” Casey grumbled.
“And boy is she stupid.”
“Oh, she’s stupid,” Casey agreed.
“It was a rhetorical question.”
CHAPTER FOUR
~
“Well, I don’t think much of their meat,” Casey said as she eyed the display.
Her attention was drawn to the sound of her sister sniggering. She shot her a frown.
“Their meat,” Jodie chuckled again.
“Take your mind out of the gutter,” Casey groaned.
“Oh come on, where’s your sense of humor?”
“It’s food, not some guy standing there naked. Would you just get over it already?” Casey berated her. “Sometimes I think you were born the wrong sex.”
“Well, if their meat offends you, go to the butchers next door,” Jodie said.
“Fine, I will.”
“Fine, go ahead…”
“And that leaves you to shop for — everything else,” Casey grinned as she walked away.
“Damn, why did meat have to be so funny?” Jodie muttered to herself as she padded down the aisle, pushing the little shopping cart in front of her, and willing some idiot man to get in the way.
She felt a tingle against her shields that warned her the supernatural was about, and the moment that she turned the corner of the next aisle; she saw him. They could be no doubt that he was the one that her magic was reacting to.
He stood; six foot odd of pure beefcake with muscles upon muscles stuffed inside a well-fitted shirt. His attention wasn’t on her, yet, but he did look rather confused as he scowled at the display of baking goods in front of him.
Her heart leaped into her throat, and she was having a hard time trying to swallow it back down. Chocolate cake be damned, right then and there, she could that she could eat him all up.
“Holy moly, and he cooks too. Yum!” Jodie suddenly realized that she was talking to herself and snapped out of it.
She eyed the area to see if anybody had heard her and feeling pretty stupid about it. She was happy that nobody was around, but when she turned her eyes back towards Mr. Muscles — he was staring right at her.
“Oh Poop!” She muttered as she yanked her cart backward around the corner of the aisle, beating a retreat, and berating herself for not being on her guard or her game.
Jodie grimaced. She bit down on a multitude of curse words that went through her mind, and both of her sister’s names were mentioned more than once.
She was hiding. Mainly from her shame at being busted with drool on her chin and her damn tongue hanging out, but also from him.
Jodie had the urge to abandon her cart in the middle of the shop and run for the hills. But she’d seen inside the cupboards of the rental cottage, and unless they wanted to eat air for dinner, then she needed to man up and get their food. After all, he was only one shifter.
She cursed Casey for leaving her, but she guessed that she could handle one little shifter by herself he wasn’t that big — much. He had to be a shifter, he couldn’t be anything else, not with the build of the man, and she was sure that she could wrap him around her little finger if she needed to – or throw him as far as her magic would allow if she had no other choice.
Jodie noted that she was getting some rather strange looks from the young guy that was stocking the shelves. It wasn’t like she was acting suspiciously or anything. Who didn’t cower at the end of an aisle?
She groaned inwardly, twisted her head on her neck, and offered him a death glare. That did the trick; he looked away rather rapidly.
“Good choice,” she muttered to herself. She would have hated to use her magic to bring a rack of biscuits down on the man’s head, or maybe not.
A moment later and she jumped in place as the shifter’s head poked around the corner and his dark eyes narrowed on her. He was even more sexy up close and personal.
“Looking for me?” Turner’s deep tones rattled her bone-deep and stomped all over her nerves.
“Nope,” she bit out fast and moved her feet faster as she sidestepped him and bypassed the aisle that he was standing in as she raced away.
Turner watched her go. The little witch with the nice curves, who bounced on her feet as she walked. She was swinging her hips and making a growl form inside of his broad chest.
That was a woman that he’d like to get to know — if only for a little while — it was a crying shame that they were going to have to kill her.
~
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~
Steph yanked out a wad of cash from the machine and was about to stuff it into her purse when she felt the first tingle of a warning that played against her shields. She hesitated, pulled her magic tighter around her, and slowly turned in place.
There he was. The man was big, beefy, sexy as hell, and staring right at her. Her heart hit her ribs and pounded to be set free, and she eyed him back with a big dose of suspicion, and she hoped, a look that said; don’t mess with me.
She knew there were shifters in the area. After all, that was why they were there, but she didn’t expect to come face to face with the alpha.
Steph had agreed with the elder to take the job just as long as she didn’t need to run into any shifters or step foot on pack land. Witches and shifters — it was never a good combination — and there he was; Mr bossy pants himself.
Boy, had she screwed up?
Kit had already eyed the back of her from head to toe, and now he did the same to the front. She was a curvy little bundle of deviousness all rolled up in a pair of brown eyes that held him mesmerized.
&nbs
p; Kill her? He had something much more fun in mind, and he thought she’d appreciate it much more than being dead.
“Do you…” Kit started, but the look that she gave him had him wondering if he’d just drooled down his own chin.
“If you say; come here often — I think I’m going to pee my panties,” she offered back.
Purse in hand, she slapped her hands onto her hips and tipped her head to one side as she gave him a no-nonsense look of pure disbelief.
“I was not going to say that!” Kit looked horrified — busted — he was going to say that because for some reason it felt brain-dead.
It might have been that his little brain had taken over, he couldn’t be sure. The little witch with the big attitude had something about her that he liked.
“Because as chat up lines go — that one just flew back to the seventies.” She snorted a small chuckle at his expense.
“I think if I was going to chat you up — which I wasn’t — because, speaking of which, you are one — then I could manage to find something a little better than that, don’t you think?” Kit held onto the growl that wanted to grumble around in his chest.
“I don’t know, can you?” She challenged him. She hadn’t really meant to, but it just slipped out.
Was a girl to do? Take it back.
Kit felt that challenge deep within his soul. His beast grumbled a growl at the audacity of the witch, but that didn’t stop the wolf from urging him to scent the air.
“Of course I can!”
Steph was sure that his voice had got deeper. It sounded good — too good. It rubbed over her skin and made the fine hairs on her body stand to attention.
That was never a good sign.
“Go on then — have that it,” she challenged him again. Then she folded her arms and pushed her ample bust upwards, and his eyes flicked down as he chewed on his tongue for a long moment. “Oh, my… You are so staring at my boobs!”
“Yep.” Kit grinned.
He could have denied it, but why bother? He was busted, and they both knew it.