These Arms Of Mine

by M. L. Briers

  There was another long growl and she couldn’t help but grin. If the wolf wanted forgiveness then he’d have to get used to having his leash pulled a little first.

  “How does that work – do you have like Scooby snacks at your place for when he’s a good boy?”

  She liked that the supernatural world had really good hearing, and the next long growl of annoyance lifted her spirits a little more.

  “Morgana…” Maxi sighed.

  “He deserved it, and it’s not really my fault that your Mr Sensitive has big old wolf ears.”

  “True.”

  “Do you know where the witch hangs out?” Morgana asked, flipping the subject again.

  “Just with the not so old Professor dude.”

  “Ok. Thanks … and Maxi, give the wolfman a kick in the balls from me.”

  “I’ll cause pain, just not there … that would be like cutting off my nose to spite my face, don’t you think?”

  “I’m trying really hard not to think.” Morgana cut the line just as Nathaniel strolled into the apartment with a giant smirk on his face and a cat that got the cream attitude.

  Morgana groaned inwardly, as she rolled her eyes away from him and followed through with her body. She really didn’t need to hear about his latest conquests in dating.

  Stalking over to the sofa; she turned and flopped down into the soft cushions… that sofa certainly wasn’t bargain basement like he’d accused her bed of being – which it was – but then she hadn’t had a century to make and stash money like he had.

  “So, Maxi is begging for forgiveness for the alpha,” Nathaniel said as he strolled across to the sofa and sat down with a lot more grace than she had shown.

  “Talk about big ears…” Morgana grumbled.

  “Comes with my bat persona…”

  “I thought bats were deaf, or is that blind …? Don’t answer that because I don’t really care.”

  “You’re hungry,” Nathaniel reached for his mobile and she shot a frown at hm. “I can hear your stomach rumbling – big ears, remember?” He grinned again.

  “I’ll see your big ears and raise you some sweet and sour chicken with special rice and some of those bean sprout-y things, and a side order of prawn toast, and dear God get me the pancake – spring roll-y things…” Morgana sighed at the thought of tucking into every mouthful…

  “You sure can eat a lot for such a short person…” Nathaniel chuckled.

  “Fast metabolism – and greed … greed is good.” Morgana nodded to herself as she tipped her head back against the cushion and closed her eyes for just a second or two. “I don’t hear you ordering…”

  Nathaniel snapped out of it. He’d been caught in the moment of watching her. She looked … tasty, and he wasn’t thinking about her blood for once.

  “Greed … is … good,” he agreed. Knowing that if he ever got to taste morgana’s blood on his tongue that one little bite would never be enough for him to satisfy his thirst.

  ~

  ~

  ~

  “Ask and you shall receive…” Julian said, and Nathaniel sighed inwardly as he eyed the vampire at his door and thought about Morgana napping on his sofa behind him. “Fee fi fo fum, I smell the blood of the witchy one.”

  Julian raised his eyebrows on his forehead and gave Nathaniel a knowing grin. Nathaniel rolled his eyes and sighed before he reached out and snatched the bags of takeaway food from Julian’s hands.

  “Did you mug the delivery boy?” Nathaniel groaned.

  “I even gave him a very large tip to hand them over,” Julian protested.

  “Well, wasted trip – there’s not enough for you to share…”

  “I understand completely. She’s a very small witch…” Julian offered back and for one very long moment he watched the anger fly across Nathaniel’s face… “But Fae blood isn’t why I’m here…”

  “Good. Go away,” Nathaniel bit out as he started to slam the door in the man’s face, but Julian wedged his foot in the gap and stopped that from happening.

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  ~

  “I come barring food and news of the witch.” Julian announced.

  “Which witch?” Nathaniel said and then gave a small shake of his head. It didn’t matter how many times he’d said that over the years it still never sounded right.

  “Try saying that fast twenty times when you’re drunk…”

  “I haven’t been drunk in over one hundred years…”

  Julian grunted in acknowledgment of that fact. Vampires couldn’t get drunk – not unless they somehow managed to ingest a vat of Scotch in one gulp, and even then, their blood would have worked on sobering them up almost immediately.

  “I asked a friend about Daniella…” Julian offered.

  “You have a friend?” Nathaniel shot back and got a glare back from the man that warmed his heart.

  “You asked me – I asked a friend – that’s the way it works, right?”

  “And?” Nathaniel was fast losing his patience.

  “That food smells … tasty,” Julian said leaning in and taking a big whiff.

  “Fine…” Nathaniel sighed and took a step to the side to allow the man to enter.

  “Sleeping beauty?” Julian teased as he eyed Morgana as he took a slow walk towards her.

  “Let’s hope this one wakes up…” Nathaniel bit out as he placed the bags down on the coffee table and veered off to get the plates and cutlery.

  “Morgana…” Julian’s melodic tones teased the witch from her sleep.

  Her eyelids slowly fluttered open – and a moment later they were wide in surprise and she was snapping upwards from the sofa…

  Nathaniel had the plates down on the coffee table and his body as a wedge between Julian and Morgana a moment later. He watched her whole body start to climb back down…

  “Let’s not make a bloody mess on my very expensive rug,” Nathaniel said as she scowled back at him.

  “Thanks for the heads up,” Morgana bit out, miffed that he’d allowed her to sleep with Julian in the apartment.

  It was a strange thought that she didn’t feel the same way about Nathaniel. If anything, she’d felt safe enough to fall asleep in the vampire’s company…

  “Foods here – perhaps that will make you less bitchy,” Julian offered and Nathaniel groaned inwardly.

  “It’ll be hard for you to chew without any teeth…” Morgana shot back, trying to sidestep Nathaniel, but the man only moved with her, blocking her path and any hope that she had of zapping the man head on.

  “She is feisty – I’ll give her that,” Julian offered back.

  “He is a butthead – I’ll give him that,” Morgana offered to Nathaniel and he rolled his eyes within his head.

  “Can we just eat?” Nathaniel almost begged for it to stop.

  “Offer up a vein then, witch,” Julian shot back and Morgana tried to practically climb up and over Nathaniel to get to the vampire … not that she got very far.

  “Be the bigger … person,” Nathaniel whispered in her ear.

  “I will once I’ve dropped the building on him and squished him like a bug,” Morgana shot back.

  “Foods getting cold,” Julian announced. “Let’s call a truce.”

  “Morgana?” Nathaniel’s voice held that sing-song quality to it that made her want to zap him just for the fun of it.

  “Fine…” she ground out.

  “For now…” Julian offered.

  Nathaniel sat between the warring pair of flesh and blood bookends on the sofa and ignored the last comment – he was hopeful that Morgana would do the same.

  “So what about the witch?” Nathaniel asked, not wanting world war three to start again before he had his answers.

  “Well, she’s annoying, but as she’s a friend of yours…” Julian offered back.

  “Morgana might have called a truce, but I can still toss you out of the window without a second thought – enjoy sleeping off that drop,” he warned the
vampire.

  “She’s not just working with the professor – she’s something of his pet project…”

  “What does that mean?” Morgana asked, more interested in hearing about the witch than the food that Nathaniel was taking out of the bags and opening, filling the air around her with the most wonderful aromas that made her stomach growl in anticipation.

  “It means – the professor doesn’t just study the voodoo that you do…”

  “I do not do voodoo,” Morgana snapped back.

  “Tell me the man isn’t a warlock…” Nathaniel begged.

  “He isn’t a warlock – but he apparently has an archive of spells, amulets, and all things witchery, and he tinkers with spells…”

  “Tinkers how?” Morgana accepted the plate that Nathaniel offered her.

  “Splicing and dicing and creating new – hybrid ones…” Julian offered back.

  “Who doesn’t?” Morgana said; tossing up a shoulder. “But if he has no magic himself…”

  “He gets Daniella to do it for him.” Julian announced.

  “A witchy show and tell. I wonder if he grades her on her success.” Nathaniel said.

  “I wonder what else he’s getting her to do.” Julian tossed back.

  “Meaning?” Morgana leant forward and glared at the man.

  “Perhaps she is the witch that you’re looking for in more ways than one.”

  “You think the Professor is Jack the Ripper – serial killer – dude?” Morgana snorted with amusement.

  “Does someone have a crush on the old man?” Julian teased.

  “Not so old…” Morgana informed him, and Nathaniel turned to eye her. “What?”

  “Do you?” Nathaniel asked and Morgana scowled back at him.

  “Do I what?”

  “Have a crush on the Professor?” Nathaniel asked.

  “Mr Stuffy? No.” She shook her head. “Why, do you?”

  “I’ll forgo answering that stupid,” Nathaniel bit out.

  “Please don’t – I do so enjoy a lovers tiff,” Julian delighted in announcing, even if Morgana almost choked on her tongue.

  Nathaniel turned his attention towards her and shook his head – warning her not to take the bait.

  “Do you think this witch will get in touch or will we need to go hunting her down?” Nathaniel asked.

  “Oh, I think she’ll get in touch.” Morgana looked like the cat that got the cream.

  “And how can you be so sure?” He asked.

  “Because I didn’t just write our names and numbers down. I told her I had an amulet that I think she just might be interested in.”

  “Do you?” Nathaniel asked.

  “Loose lips sink ships,” Morgana answered.

  For one moment there, Nathaniel forgot that trying to read her thoughts was akin to breaking into a high security vault – her magic zapped him – not his body – but right inside his brain, and it took him a moment or two to be able to shake it off.

  “That was all you,” Morgana had no sympathy for the vampire when he tried to do stuff like that…

  “Yes it was.” Nathaniel knew better, at least, he just remembered that he did with that electric shock therapy that she’d offered him.

  “You know I can’t control it…” Morgana rolled her shoulders. In truth, she couldn’t. It was the amulet that she wore around her neck. “Not that I’d want to anyway. You shouldn’t have been prying.”

  “Tell me something I don’t know,” Nathaniel bit out, annoyed with himself for even trying to see her thoughts.

  “Julian has a secret crush on you,” she said, shrugging just the one shoulder.

  “Excuse me?” Julian almost choked on a chicken ball…

  “I knew that…” Nathaniel said, playing along and making it all about the other guy.

  “He sits on the roof opposite and guards your house,” Julian bit back, and Nathaniel turned a glare towards the man.

  He wasn’t sure how he wanted to kill him – he only knew that he wanted to make it as painful as possible.

  CHAPTER EIGHTTEEN

  ~

  “Only when necessary and never a stalky thing…” Nathaniel bit out the words, but his eyes were still glaring at the vampire for blurting that out. He had a feeling that Morgana was going to be miffed.

  “Ah, that’s kind of sweet…” Morgana said, and Nathaniel’s head snapped around on his neck to get a better read on her.

  “It is?” He asked, somewhat surprised by her reaction.

  “No, cut it out.” She snapped back on a scowl.

  “Julian, I think it’s time you left,” Nathaniel turned back towards the other man. “Choose your window carefully.”

  “Sore loser,” Julian offered as he pulled up to his feet.

  “I didn’t lose, you bought dinner and now you’re leaving. That sounds like a win-win to me.” Nathaniel announced.

  ~

  ~

  ~

  “Put my phone down, Nathaniel…” Morgana scolded him as she walked from the bathroom near the front door, and not the one he’d first offered that was off his bedroom, and caught him eyeing the handset.

  “I wanted to know if you had a ringtone for me,” He said, tossing it to her when she strolled towards where he was sitting on the sofa.

  “I have a ringtone for everyone,” she offered back with a mischievous smile that told him she wasn’t playing with him.

  “What is it?”

  “Curiosity killed the cat…”

  “Wasn’t that a band in the eighties?” He mused.

  “Before my time,” Morgana said, flopping down on the sofa next to him. She’d eaten too much and was more than tired. She could have fallen asleep in the bathroom moments earlier.

  A heartbeat later and the mobile in her hand sprung to life. She didn’t need to look at it as the ringtone rung out in the air between them…

  “Seriously. That’s my ring tone?” Nathaniel asked, and she rolled the back of her head on the couch and was obliging enough to offer him a small wince…

  “Well … I like to fit the person to the song…”

  “Monster Mash?” Nathaniel grumbled back.

  “Like I said, fitting…”

  “That’s how you see me?” He raised his eyebrows before dropping them in a scowl when she gave another small shrug. “I’ll try not to be too offended.” He snorted his contempt.

  “I’m sure you’ve had worse…”

  “Not so much…”

  “But you do this dance through life…”

  “Please, no more. I can’t take the sarcasm or the hurt and pain…” he ground out to the sound of her muted giggles.

  Then he shot a look at her and she tried to bite down on her grin, but it wasn’t happening for either of them…

  “Hurt and pain – laying it on a bit thick, don’t you think?”

  “No,” he pouted. “You take the bed…”

  “Oh, great. I need one of those – I’ll need to get a van to get it to my place, but some guy said only yesterday that my bed was bargain basement…”

  “I … might have mentioned something about it being comfy too…”

  “Considering it was bargain basement…”

  “Hell, I’ll buy you a damn bed…”

  “Good, because I hate to think about the things that have happened in that one,” she shot back, berating him with a look.

  “Jealous?” He said with a teasing quality to his voice.

  “Not this century. Catch me in the next life and you never know…”

  “Fine. Take the bed and I’ll take the couch…”

  “No, I’ll take the couch, as I said, I hate to think of what’s been happening in that bed.” Morgana tossed him another stink eye.

  “You don’t think it’s happened on the couch?” He tossed back and watched her frown. “You’re very … what’s the word they use? Vanilla.” He offered, pleased with himself for remembering it.

  “Vanilla?” She snorted a littl
e chuckle – not so much as to overplay it, but enough to make him curious.

  “Are you trying to tell me that there’s more to you than meets the eye?” He asked.

  “I think we both know there is.”

  “Would you like to play truth or dare?”

  “No.” Morgana held all the cards.

  Of course, there were many things that she wanted to know about the man – he’d lived longer than any human that she could have met, and he’d done a lot of bad things over the years. She still wasn’t entirely sure that the man wasn’t still up to no good at times.

  But she’d cut her nose off to spite her face if she had to answer his questions or do a dare – and she had the distinct impression that she’d get off easier doing a deal with the Devil himself.

  “And still you don’t trust me.”

  “I don’t trust anybody, as you well know.” Morgana tossed back.

  “Fine. Take the couch…” He grumbled.

  “Nah, I might as well take the bed after what I heard about the damn couch. Do you have clean sheets or should I just hose myself down in the morning?”

  ~

  ~

  ~

  When the mobile rang out a shrill tone in the dead of night; Morgana shot upright in the bed, and even in the first moments of waking she still noted that she wasn’t home. It slammed into mind like a brick wall – her first instinct was to kill the phone with a zap – her second instinct was to kill the dark blob that was coming her way surrounded by the full body glowing halo from the light from another room…

  “Be nice – don’t zap…” Nathaniel’s voice shook her brain back to the present and her heart kicked her ribs, but then it finally started to pound a decent rhythm inside of her chest.

  She turned to reach for the phone that she’d placed on the nightstand, but Nathaniel got there first…

  “Morgana’s phone…” He offered into the handset and Morgana rolled her eyes and dropped her head back against the pillow. She wasn’t a morning person, so being a middle of the night – woken from a deep sleep – type person was out of the question.

  In fact, she still wanted to zap something – probably the vampire…