Heart Mates - 2nd Edition
Page 33
She managed a tiny laugh, tinkling bells to his ears, and her body relaxed slightly under his arms. “That was such a dad joke.”
He loved that she, of all the people he knew, actually laughed at his jokes. He smiled into her eyes like a besotted fool.
Of course, that was when the he-wolf prowled into view.
Gabriel wondered how far he could get with the wolf by protesting his intentions were honorable. Probably not far. The creature was only barely in human form.
The wolfman was medium height but had a face like a dented shovel and a body like a trash compactor, his muscles-on-muscles popping in a stringy T-shirt that barely qualified past no-shirt-no-shoes-no-service.
Worse, with the hair sprouting everywhere, nose elongating like a snout, and lengthening canines, this alpha was dangerously pissed.
Hard to reason with a pissed-off wolf. They tended to bite first then ask questions…never.
Yet instead of releasing Emma, Gabriel’s hand dropped from her clenched jaw to open protectively on her back.
“The fuck?” the wolfman snarled.
Something inside Gabriel snarled right back.
He throttled it. Whether his own masculine instincts or maybe he’d developed a wolf to complement Emma’s, down boy. Diplomacy first. “This isn’t what it seems—”
“I know.” The he-wolf tapped his snout. “Good thing too, or you’d already have my fist in your face. Let her go. Now.”
Briefly Gabriel clenched his eyes. The wolf didn’t smell it, but Gabriel really reeked of desire. He’d magicked up a way to hide the odor because of the Witches’ Council.
Witches tangling bed sheets with wolves was a huge taboo—punishable by anything up to and including the headsman’s axe. He’d have risked the ultra-close shave, but the Council Enforcers usually hit the female with the worst of the punishment.
He couldn’t stand the idea of one hair on Emma’s head being harmed.
Trying to deescalate the situation, Gabriel loosened his arms around her. But he couldn’t quite let her go. “Sorry, sir.” He forced a smile and managed a creditable professionalese. “Store’s closed. Private party.”
“In the middle of the fuckin’ day?”
“Yes, sir. A special recognition celebration.” He had a small one every month, but this month they’d had record sales, so he closed the store early, locked the doors, and put on a real shindig. He wondered momentarily how the he-wolf had gotten in. Maybe with the caterers. “You’ll have to leave.”
“Not without her.”
“Sir, what part of private eludes you?”
The wolf held up one ham hand and slowly curled his fingers. “What part of my fist eludes you? If I’m leaving, so is my cousin.”
Probably not by DNA. “Cousin” was a common cover story for pack members living together, caring for each other, getting naked together… Gabriel’s arms tightened around the pretty little shifter. The he-wolf growled in response. Gabriel would have to let go of her.
Soon.
At least the creature didn’t know Gabriel was a witch. No one would, unless he was working active magic. If the wolfman had known, he would’ve attacked immediately. The Witches’ Council’s taboo meant most wolves had no use for witches, and some actively hated them.
Let her go.
Problem was, if he stepped away now the alpha would see Gabriel’s intentions were no longer perfectly honorable.
Slouchy pants only covered so many inches of rock-hard hey-how-ya-doin’?
The wolf stalked nearer.
Let her go.
Not yet.
Hell and cornflakes, Gabriel had been constantly aroused, ever since Emma started working at his store two months ago. Her pretty face, pert body, and sparkling personality called to everything in him.
What nailed it was that she actually got his weird sense of humor.
The he-wolf prowled the edge of Gabriel’s kill zone. Getting steamed.
Gabriel really needed to let Emma go.
But none of it seemed to matter squat, not Witches’ Council headsman nor the hairy promise of death, not when his dreams had become reality at last, and he had her soft, curvy body in his arms.
“Dr. Light, it’s okay.” Emma’s sweet voice snared his attention. “I know this, um, man.”
She gazed up into his face so adoringly he fell into her big brown eyes, momentarily blotting the alpha shifter from his awareness.
Which was when the wolfman grabbed Emma’s delicate arm in one hairy ham hand and yanked her out of Gabriel’s embrace.
Yanked her so hard she stumbled.
Fury seized Gabriel. He grabbed the wolf’s slab of a shoulder and shoved him back, popping Emma loose. Stalking after, Gabriel tore off his glasses to glare down at the he-wolf. Bad idea to challenge an alpha, but this beast dared touch Emma.
The wolfman’s ears lengthened and definite fangs flashed. “What the fuck do you think you’re doing?”
Gabriel ripped out, “Nobody manhandles a woman, or any being, in my…in our store.” His jaw clenched against his slip of the tongue. At pains to blend in, he didn’t advertise the fact that he owned this Choice Buy. Hell, head Techie Titan was bad enough. He’d taken great care to stay under both mundane and magical radars, to the point of wearing glasses he didn’t need. Huffing a calming breath, he put said glasses back in place.
“That is my cousin, and I’m head of the family.” The he-wolf’s eyes narrowed, spitting fire. “You interferin’ in family business?”
While the wolfman spoke, his hairy hand dipped behind his back—where a concealed gun or knife would be.
Damn it. Gabriel played the wimpy nerd to humans and potion geek to witches to avoid exactly this.
Mentally, he called up a shield spell. Violence was about to erupt.
“Enough!” Emma wedged her tiny self between them, shoulders back, chin up, and chest puffed like an irate cat’s fur. “Bruiser—I mean Bruce. Leave Dr. Light alone.”
Gabriel found himself a little surprised and a lot impressed. She was standing up to a wolf twice her size and her alpha to boot.
This was a totally new side to her. In the couple months she’d worked here, she’d only ever been diffident. Eager to please.
Always saying “I’m fine”. He found himself even more intrigued with the pretty little wolf. And more anxious to defend her. He started to cut in.
She slashed him a glance, a clear “back off” in her eyes.
He hesitated. If this was a wolf thing, his interfering could harm her pack standing.
Fine, he’d back off—for now. He stepped to the side, a hand cocked near his waist. Not for a gun, but ready to plunge under the sweater vest for the row of charged magical talismans that studded his belt.
“I don’t like your attitude, missy. We’re going.” Bruiser grabbed Emma and hauled her toward the door.
She dug in her heels. “No.”
The wolfman slapped her face, so hard it left a red mark on her creamy cheek.
Gabriel forgot all his talismans, took one step, and planted a fist in the wolfman’s snout. Bam.
Bruiser rocked back on his heels. His hand sprang open, releasing Emma.
Shocked gasps from the employees gave way to a quiet cheer or two.
Mentally, Gabriel facepalmed. He was a crunchy-even-in-milk idiot. Yeah, that punch felt satisfying, but it as good as announced that he’d had a raging hard-on for sweet, soft Emma for two months. A freeze potion or calm amulet would’ve worked more subtly.
Bruiser straightened, rubbing his snout. “Why you…you fucker…”
Gabriel shifted his weight to the balls of his feet. This could get ugly.
“You heard Dr. Light.” Another male dressed in Choice Buy blue, equally tall with Gabriel, glided up to stand beside him. “Private party.”
Male, not man, his black hair and low, growling bass hinting at his panther heritage. This was Gabriel’s familiar, Pan, in his human form. If Gabriel had become a p
owerful battle mage, it was mainly due to Pan’s wisdom and teaching.
Which meant the panther was going to kick his butt later for being so obvious. But in private.
Casually, almost negligently, Pan slid a foot forward into a fighting stance. He pointed toward the exit. “Leave.”
One by one, the store employees cinched up behind Pan and Gabriel. Gabriel didn’t need to see their expressions to know they were glaring buckets at the wolfman, because the bully paled and fell back a step.
Blustering, “This isn’t over,” the he-wolf spun and marched out.
Pan rolled his golden eyes.
Gabriel jerked his chin at the wolfman, and Pan, reading him flawlessly, followed.
“Thank you, Dr. Light.” Emma appeared in front of Gabriel, her eyes shining up at him. “I could’ve probably handled him, but your solution was much more elegant.”
“It was nothing.” His cheeks heated. Elegant? He’d been fury-driven stupid and clumsy.
But at her words, something male inside him puffed its chest and yodeled.
She took a step closer, placing fingertips on his sweater vest. “You’re being modest.”
The chest-beater started fantasizing, picturing her throwing herself into his arms—and bed—in thanks. His cock rose in anticipation.
Before the fool penis and chest-beater could take over, his phone rang.
Two scoops of damn it.
He’d shunted the store phones to the answering service. Only a few people had his direct line. His thoughts arrowed to his pregnant sister, Sophia. “I need to take this. Excuse me?”
Emma stepped back with a nod and a sigh. His cock sighed and stepped back too.
He tapped the headset he always wore in the store. Most witches had trouble using advanced technology—their connection with the basic quantum uncertainty that was magic interfered with anything electrical—but he’d developed spells to prevent such interference.
After his parents died in a magically triggered plane crash, he’d made it his life’s work.
In case it wasn’t his sister, he spieled off, “Choice Buy, Techie Titan Gabriel Light speaking. How may I help you?”
“Gabriel, it’s Sophia.” His sister’s voice was low and stressed, almost breathless.
His own breath hitched. “What’s wrong? Is it the babies?”
Sophia had married alpha wolf shifter Noah Blackwood in semi-secrecy last month, the forbidden witch/shifter coupling in defiance of the Witches’ Council taboo.
At first Gabriel was happy for his sister. Noah was a fine male and loved Sophia to pieces. Then Gabriel’s familiar Pan had done a bit of research into the Council laws. Gabriel had already known intermagical cavorting was a felony. Life in prison for a witch caught doing the horizontal tango with a shifter.
But a witch princess having children with an alpha wolf? Death sentence.
Sophia said, “The babies are fine.”
He breathed in relief.
“But I’m not. Gabriel, a Council Enforcer is about to jail me, and you’re my one phone call. I’m accused of Coeuntia cum Lupo.”
Mating with a wolf. Gabriel’s worst fears had been realized.
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About Mary Hughes
I write wickedly fun romantic adventures and steamy paranormal romances, fast-paced reads with challenging heroes—and resilient heroines who aren't afraid of a challenge.
I'm a lover of stories that crackle with action and love. A mother, a flutist, and a computer geek, I'm a binge-TV-watcher of NCIS, The Flash, Elementary, and Agents of SHIELD.
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