The Witch, The Wolf and The Vampire Series Boxed Set

by A. K. Michaels

  “We’ll try,” Peri said quietly, suddenly feeling so inadequate in the situation.

  Josef moved forward, held his hand out. “I’m Josef, hopefully we can get your child home safely.”

  Calvin stopped pacing long enough to shake Josef’s hand, his midnight-dark skin in sharp contrast to Josef’s pale hand.

  “Thank you,” Calvin managed to get out, and it was clear to them all that even those two words had been an effort for him.

  At that moment another agent appeared with a number of people trailing behind. There were several men and women, all looking either shocked, upset, tired, or nervous.

  “That’s fine, can you all please stand over there with a good few feet between you,” Josef directed and pointed to a large open space in front of one of the huge windows. Peri watched as the staff obeyed, glancing at him as if wondering who the heck he was.

  “Gabe,” Josef said quietly. Her Wolf walked towards the line of people, his body moving as if he were stalking them, his hard muscles rippling beneath his clothes. More than one shuffled in apprehension at his approach.

  Josef moved closer, too, concentration etched on his face. She guessed he was looking inside these folks’ minds, trying to find the one involved.

  There were a few that were obviously house staff, wearing grey dresses with white aprons over the front. One was obviously a chef, dressed immaculately in his whites. One looked to be a gardener, his muddy boots speaking of time spent in the flower beds they had seen around the outside of the house. A large man dressed in a dark suit appeared to be some kind of bodyguard, and he stared straight at Gabe as he came near...whether he was scared, or just assessing a possible threat, Peri wasn’t sure, but the man’s eyes never left Gabe, not even for a moment.

  There were others, too, dressed casually but smartly, giving Peri no hint of who they were or what positions they held. It was at one of these that Gabe paused, stepping closer, then snarling. The noise was loud in the quiet room, his body stiff and straight in front of the woman.

  She jumped back, startled and scared, as Calvin strode over. “What the hell are you doing to our nanny?”

  Gabe turned, ignoring Calvin, nodding at Josef who stepped forward. “Please calm yourself, Mr. Jones. The rest of you can leave, you madam, stay where you are.”

  The staff moved quickly, wanting to escape the large growling man, and the other one whose face was devoid of expression. They were soon all out of the room and Josef closed in on the nanny. His ice-blue eyes held hers, his face cold and hard.

  She trembled and shook, tears in her eyes. “What is it? What do you want?” she asked with fear clear in her voice.

  “Stay still,” Josef barked and stopped less than a foot from her.

  His eyes bored into hers and then he snapped out, “You evil woman, how could you?”

  “What? I’ve not done anything! Mr. Jones, you know I would never harm Devon!” Her voice was high and pleading as her eyes moved between the three men standing in front of her.

  Gabe’s words flew out at her quickly, harshly, “I can clearly scent the child on you, fresh scents, so you’ve been in contact with him recently. You have held that child today, this morning!”

  The nanny shook her head emphatically. “No, no, I wouldn’t do that, I wouldn’t!” she cried as she looked from Josef to her employer, who stood stiffly, a look of disbelief on his granite face.

  “She is lying,” said Josef. “She has the child, she has an accomplice and the baby is with them. I think his name is...Elijah...yes, that’s his name. He’s in an apartment not too far from here, I’m sure you can find out the address from her. However, if she’s not willing to give it up, I can get it out of her...though it may be painful for her.”

  A scream interrupted Josef, Eleanor was on her feet and moving towards the woman. “Jayne! How could you? How could you? Tell us now, right now...where is my son, or so help me I’ll kick the shit out of you!”

  Eleanor was now very close to the woman, and only her husband’s strong hands held her back. “I mean it! Tell us now or I’ll kill you with my bare hands!”

  Peri looked at Eleanor and didn’t doubt for a moment she meant what she said...every last word.

  Jayne obviously thought so, too, falling to the floor on her knees, sobbing. “I’m sorry, really sorry, he made me do it, I didn’t want to do it...he made me!”

  Josef stared at the nanny, his power invading her mind – only slightly – to get some more information. “Elijah is her, wait...brother...yes, that’s it, he is her brother and if I’m seeing correctly, he is recently released from prison. He appears to have talked her into this kidnap nonsense and he is with the child now.”

  The nanny’s sobs grew louder as she realized she was well and truly caught. No person present was moved by the sight of her tears as she continued to cry, her face red and blotchy.

  Josef turned away, as did Gabe. “Think our job is done,” Gabe said as he passed an open-mouthed FBI agent.

  Peri smiled, the child would be home and in his mother’s arms before too long. She was sure that Jayne and Elijah had a whole lot of hurt heading their way...as they should for what they had done.

  She felt no compassion for the nanny, no matter what she said about Elijah ‘making’ her do it. She knew, no matter what, she would never have done something so horrendous as to take a tiny baby from his mother’s arms.

  Kevin O’Roarke called out, “Wait, wait, how did you do that?”

  She turned to face him, smiling. “Magic,” she said to his shocked face.

  Gabe laughed and took her hand, leading her towards the door, Josef on her other side as they walked.

  “Come, I think we’ll go home.” Josef took her arm and they moved as one, leaving the sobbing woman on the floor with Eleanor still threatening to kill her for what she’d done.

  “We’ll stop and pick up our things, I’ll call Andrew to ready the jet and get us a departure slot.” Josef pulled his phone out and made the call, with Andrew saying he would text a time as soon as he could.

  “That was good, what you both did in there, that was real good.” Peri was once again between her two men in the rear of the limo, heading back to the hotel.

  “It was all you, babe, you were the one that forced us to come.” Gabe was smiling widely, he felt pretty damn good, too.

  “Forced? I forced you to come?” Peri nipped him in the side as she spoke, a mock frown on her face.

  Josef tried not to laugh at the look on her face, so adorable, so beautiful, trying hard to look outraged and failing miserably. “Well, forced may be too strong a word…convinced is what I would use.”

  “Hmm, okay. I’ll take convinced,” she smiled up at him and then Gabe.

  “Oh, wait, Josef, can I get some flowers and stop off to visit Daiki?” Peri’s face clouded as her thoughts turned to her friend.

  “Of course, I’m sure Adam will know where to get some.” Josef hoped the visit didn’t upset her too much as they continued on.

  Adam drove them to a local florist, where she picked a simple bunch of flowers before they returned to the limo. Adam knew where the cemetery was, although it took nearly an hour to get there.

  Once inside the enclosed cemetery, they parked very near to Daiki’s grave, Josef and Gabe getting out with Peri. “Stay here, I want to talk to him and I’ll feel a little silly if you two are standing listening.”

  Peri held the flowers as she turned and walked the few yards to the spot where Daiki had been laid to rest. Josef took the time to check the area out, making sure it was being looked after...as he had paid for. All seemed to be as it should and he even noticed a couple of small flower beds surrounding the grave. He remembered Peri saying how much Daiki liked his flowers and was glad the funeral director they had dealt with had taken note, too. It made the area seem not quite so grim.

  They watched as Peri placed the flowers
on the ground next to the headstone Josef had commissioned without her knowledge. She knelt down on the grass and stayed there for at least fifteen minutes. Josef and Gabe could both have heard, using their enhanced abilities, but they didn’t...giving their mate some privacy to speak to her friend.

  Josef was still curious as to why folks thought to do things like this, but he would respect her beliefs, and if it helped her in any way, then that was a good thing. He was relieved when she stood up and turned around. He could see she had been crying, but now had a small smile on her face as she came back to them.

  “You okay, baby?” Gabe asked, moving to meet her and placing an arm around her shoulders.

  “Yes, I told him about our baby and how good you two are treating me. I know he would’ve been worried ‘bout that. I know he’s looking down and watching me, I just know it.” Peri sniffled again before taking a deep breath in, smiling firstly at her Wolf then her Vampire.

  “Okay, we can get back to the hotel and pack.” Josef helped her in the rear of the vehicle as Gabe moved around to get in the other side.

  As he joined them in the rear, he took her hand and raised it to his lips, placing a gentle kiss on the inside of her wrist.

  “I can’t wait to be home,” he spoke quietly and saw her nodding her head.

  “So, home it is.” She hugged her stomach as she spoke, still amazed she had a home at all, plus two amazing mates. How her life had changed in such a short period of time. She had actually enjoyed telling Daiki all about it...strange but true.

  Josef watched as her face relaxed, a smile playing across her lips, as if she was thinking good thoughts. He would go to the ends of the earth to have that look on her face every day...yes, he would do a hell of a lot to make her happy and thinking good thoughts every day.

  His mind started to work on what to do for her birthday. He was absolutely going to make it a day to remember, one that would help to banish those awful memories from her mind.

  Now what would Peri like to do? What could he do to make her happy? He would discuss it with Gabe and they would work together on this, even if they only had a couple of days to sort it out. He was very rich and money could do just about anything.

  Chapter 13

  They were still on the short journey back to the hotel when Andrew sent a text, they could leave in a couple of hours, everything was organized for their take-off and landing. Josef let them know and Peri smiled widely, she wanted home, she wanted time with her men in her own bed.

  Josef’s hand landed on her thigh, slowly stroking it. She guessed he had, once again, read her thoughts. This time she didn’t mind at all, wanting him to know exactly what she was after when they got home.

  “You are being rather naughty, little Witch.” His voice was quiet, right at her ear, his breath tickling her skin.

  “Yes, I know,” she whispered back, as Gabe’s hand held hers and gave it a squeeze.

  “Hope you’re not too tired when we get home, babe. I’ve got some rather naughty thoughts of my own running around in here.” He tapped his head with his other hand and smiled down into her face.

  “I bet you do, Wolf,” she laughed and relished the thought of what he had in mind. Her Wolf was very adventurous in the bedroom department.

  “Hey, Jo, think we can get ‘the box’ out tonight?” Gabe chuckled, and she looked between her two men.

  “What box?” she asked, as Gabe laughed all the more.

  “That’s something we can discuss when we get home.” Josef spoke in a rather conspiratorial tone, not one she had heard him use before.

  She saw a twinkle in his eyes, and wondered what they had planned for her. Whatever it was, she was pretty sure she was going to like it...a lot.

  “So, I guess you’re not going to tell me? About this box?” She looked between the two, Gabe as eager as a puppy, and Josef looked...well, she wasn’t sure...excited would be the word she would choose. Yes, he looked excited.

  Jeez, if something could get her Vampire looking like that, then it must be good. Her body shivered in anticipation as she smiled at her men.

  “I can feel you quivering, little Witch.” Josef’s tone was the one he used in the bedroom, just between the three of them, sultry, sexy, downright hot!

  “Well, if you speak to me like that, what do you expect, Vampire?” Her breathing was coming quicker, her mind running riot at all the possibilities Josef’s tone brought into her thoughts.

  “We’ve got to get home first, baby, in our own room, just the three of us.” Gabe’s mouth was almost on her ear as it spoke, making her quiver again. His tongue snuck out, licking her earlobe as her sex tightened uncontrollably.

  “Stop, please,” she whimpered, her face turning red with embarrassment.

  “I’ll stop if you promise me something?” Gabe asked her, still with his tongue on her skin, now on the area just beneath her ear.

  “What?”

  “Tonight, trust us...completely.” Gabe moved his hand and turned her head slightly towards him, as soon as he could, his lips gently touched hers briefly before pulling away and staring into her eyes.

  “Always,” she managed to get out, even if it did sound breathless and full of want.

  “Good,” Josef said quietly, his hand once again caressing her thigh.

  “Dear lord, what have I let myself in for?” she giggled, her imagination now in overdrive.

  At that the door opened. They were already at the hotel, Adam having parked the limo, turned the engine off, and opened their door...she hadn’t even noticed.

  “Come, you naughty little Witch, we’ll pack and get on our way home.” Josef held out his hand and helped her out. She was still red-faced as they made their way to their room.

  They didn’t encounter Sommerville on the way and Peri was relieved, sure that the uptight, snooty man would see right through her and to what she was thinking. As none of them had truly unpacked, getting organized to leave was fairly quick, all four ready in less than half an hour.

  Donovan carried all the luggage out of the room and down to the waiting Adam, who placed the suitcases in the trunk. The large Vampire waited, scanning the surrounding area, making sure there were no threats. He stood outside the vehicle until they were safely seated inside, then he got in next to Adam.

  The return journey to the jet seemed to take forever, and she fidgeted in the seat, wishing they were home. On several occasions Gabe tried to suppress a laugh, failing terribly, and Josef held onto her hand the entire way.

  As they neared the private airstrip she let out a sigh. Thank goodness, she felt as if they were never going to get there. She saw Andrew doing his pre-flight checks and that meant it wouldn’t be too long until they took off: good.

  Donovan retrieved the luggage and carried it effortlessly onto the jet as Josef helped her out the back of the limo. Adam smiled, “Very nice to have looked after you on your trip.”

  She smiled back. “Thanks,” she said and saw Josef hand the man a rather large tip, which brought an even bigger smile to the man’s face.

  Josef didn’t say anything, only handed the tip over, then led her towards the jet with Gabe at her back, as usual. As they neared the stairs Andrew walked towards them. “That’s everything ready, we should get our clearance in about twenty minutes.”

  “Fine,” Josef replied as they continued on and up into the main cabin.

  “I’ll get some work done.” He released her arm and moved to the table, retrieving the laptop from the drawer.

  “What about a film?” Gabe asked as she sat down. She nodded, needing something to take her mind off of what was going to happen later, when they got home.

  Her imagination was running wild, and she desperately needed to think on something other than what her men had planned. Gabe moved to switch on the DVD/TV combo and picked an action film – one of his favorites. She watched it to start with then her eyes felt hea
vy. Closing them just for a moment, she once more fell over into sleep.

  Josef’s head raised from the screen, looked over and saw Peri asleep...again. It was looking like this pregnancy was going to possibly take more out of her than they had hoped. He noticed Gabe turning the volume down on his film, also aware that their mate was sleeping.

  Standing, Gabe retrieved a light cover from one of the bedrooms at the rear of the cabin, placing it gently over Peri before moving her into a more comfortable position. He then sat down and continued to watch his film.

  Andrew took that moment to board, close and secure the door, and enter the cockpit. Soon they were in the air and on their way home.

  Josef continued to work, rearranging tele-conferences and meetings. He would need to take on an assistant soon. He knew this, but was balking at the idea. He had always carried out most things himself. Now, well now he had Peri and a baby on the way, so he would need to cut down on his hours working and get someone to help carry the load. This wasn’t something he was looking forward to doing: interviews, background checks, everything that was required to be done before giving anyone access to his business dealings.

  He was almost finished when his phone vibrated in his pocket. Checking and seeing Ronan’s name, he answered immediately. “How are you, Ronan?”

  “I’m fine, sort of, but thought I should call. I’ve come across some information that’s, well, sort of weird, and I thought of your mate’s father and how powerful he was...”

  Josef frowned as he interrupted. “He is dead, Peri dealt with him. What information do you have, Ronan?”

  “Well, don’t laugh, okay? I know it sounds batshit crazy, but I’ve been told there’s a group of specialized hunters in the area and that they’re hunting...okay, this is where you don’t tell me how stupid this sounds...a Dragon.”

  Josef heard Ronan’s tone change to one of skepticism as he finished, obviously expecting his Sire to berate him for such nonsense. Josef exhaled loudly, and ran one of his hands through his hair, trying to form an answer.

  “Where did you get this information? How reliable is it?”