by M. L. Briers
He didn’t like witches at the best of times, and this wasn’t the best of times — for him. Witches were devious, they were mean, and they talked too damn much.
He thought that she-wolves could chatter and bicker, but witches had a whole different level that went way above the females in his pack. And what noble and lofty things they were discussing while he was laying there trying to heal in peace?
Christmas!
I didn’t even know that witches did Christmas.
My pack only do Christmas because the females like the twinkling lights.
Of course, no self-respecting male would turn down the banquet of food, and the guilt-free booze-fest.
But that’s not the point.
Why would witches do Christmas?
Wasn’t it like — a religious thing?
Guess twinkling lights outweighs religion.
And there they are talking about the vampire getting them a new tree. I should have known that damn vampire had something to do with it — bringing witches on to pack land!
I’m going to have to have a word with that bloodsucker.
Now, do I lay here and finish healing, or do I go eat witches?
Decisions — decisions.
~
~
~
“Can we go?” Natalie demanded.
“Yes…” Saffy turned back toward the windscreen and grimaced. “Oh!”
“Is it that damn wolf again?” Natalie grumbled as she turned to see the thick flurries of snow that had come down like a veil around the car.
“I don’t think the wolf problem is our biggest problem anymore,” Saffy grimaced again.
“It’s just snow. Put your foot down and let’s go.”
“Its snow,” Saffy offered back, lifting her hand and motioning all around them.
“I said that. I’m sure I said that.”
“Yes, yes you did. It doesn’t change the fact that it’s snow,” Saffy offered back.
“Well, why don’t you think of it as really pretty rain, and let’s get going?”
“Really pretty, slick, scary, icy, can’t see a bloody thing, death-inducing snow. What part of that don’t you get? Because I can explain it again.” Saffy offered back with a lot of sarcasm and a whole bunch of attitude.
“No — no, I’m good with your explanation. What part of a really miffed of wolf don’t you get?”
“Hmm, wolf – snow,” Saffy lifted her hands and weighed the options.
“I’ll take the snow – I trust your driving,” Natalie offered back.
“I’ll take the wolf — I don’t trust my driving,” Saffy shrugged her shoulders.
“You’re such a — defeatist.”
“I think you mean — realist.”
There was another loud thud against the car bonnet. But this time when they snapped their heads around to peer outside, it wasn’t a wolf, but the naked man that the beast had shifted back into.
CHAPTER THREE
~
“At least he’s not a wolf anymore,” Saffy muttered.
“Your point?”
“Don’t really have one,” Saffy muttered again. “Just don’t zap this one.” She whispered.
“It’s the same one.”
“You know what I mean,” Saffy snapped back.
Natalie didn’t have a chance to argue her friend’s logic when Doug’s fists came down on the bonnet again and snapped them both to attention.
In his mind; it was bad enough what the witches had already done to him. Now, he was standing in a snowstorm, naked, and having to listen to them bickering.
Doug couldn’t see how life could get any worse.
“When you’re finished!” He growled.
“Give us a minute!” Natalie snapped back.
Doug couldn’t believe his ears. The audacity of the witch that had tried her best to deafen him and had tossed him into the night air was astounding.
He thought that she deserved to be eaten just for that.
“Are you serious?” Doug growled out.
“Did I stutter?” Natalie tossed back. The sound of his hearty growl met her ears, and she sneered back at him. “Don’t you know it’s rude to interrupt people when they’re talking?”
“I don’t see people — I see witches.” He growled back.
“Sounds like somebody is begging to get tossed on their backside again.” Natalie raised her left eyebrow and questioned his sanity with just a look.
“Don’t threaten me, witch,” Doug growled back.
“Look,” Saffy started with a sigh. “It’s almost Christmas…”
“I’m sure the big, bad wolf doesn’t care a howl about Christmas,” Natalie grumbled.
“Maybe he does.”
“I don’t think so somehow.”
“You don’t know…” Saffy stopped when another thud echoed through the car.
“Can you two stop arguing for more than a minute before my beast gets so crazy that he decides to eat you? And here’s a heads up — I am inclined to let him.” Doug growled.
“Well, that’s not very Christmassy,” Natalie said, and then she turned towards Saffy. “See, point proved. The big bad wolf doesn’t do Christmas.”
“Fine. Point taken.” Saffy shrugged.
“What is it with you two?” Doug couldn’t quite believe his ears. He screwed up his face in disbelief. “You’re like — insane people.”
“Speak for yourself.” Natalie snapped back.
“Define insane,” Saffy said, and Natalie turned to look at her again.
“Why would you ask him to define insane?” Natalie demanded. “He’s naked. Where do you think he’s going to find a dictionary?”
“Why would he need a dictionary?”
“So I can open it up and show you a picture of yourselves,” he growled.
“See. He’s a shifter — he needs a Pictionary.” Natalie looked pleased with herself as Mr. Wolf walked right into her trap.
“That’s a little harsh,” Saffy berated her.
“You two really take the biscuit,” Doug growled.
“Only ever with a nice cup of tea,” Natalie grinned.
“Stop poking the — Wolf,” Saffy berated her again.
“But, we’re stuck in the snow — what else is there to do for entertainment?” Natalie asked. She folded her arms and offered her friend a questioning look.
“Oh, I get it. This is all my fault. You’re punishing me,” Saffy said.
“I’m not pointing any fingers — but it was you that wanted a Christmas tree,” Natalie shrugged.
“Yes, yes I did. So shoot me…”
“How about my wolf eats you?” Doug growled.
He had a mind just to walk away and leave them. But, he’d also heard what the witch had said about being stuck in the snow.
No matter who they were — no matter what they’d done — he had to wonder if he could really turn around and walk away from two females in trouble.
It wasn’t as if he was going to open his doors to them and take them back to pack land. Oh no. That wasn’t happening.
That didn’t mean that he couldn’t take them back to the vampire’s lair. It would also kill two birds with one stone — as he had a few choice words for the vampire for bringing the damn witches to the area.
Doug’s life as an alpha could be testing enough without having two screwy witches on his land. Luckily, the females in the pack were getting ready for the Christmas feast, a deal made was a deal honored – they could have Christmas, but they did all the cooking. That meant their attention would be elsewhere.
So, he reasoned that if he was going to get rid of the witches — one way or another — then Christmas Eve would be the perfect time.
“That doesn’t work for me,” Natalie said before turning towards Saffy. “Does that work for you?”
“That does not work for me.”
“That’s it!” Doug growled as he slammed his fist down on the bonnet again. “Get out of t
he car!”
“What part of doesn’t work for me don’t you understand?” Natalie asked.
“Poking the wolf again,” Saffy muttered in her singsong voice that annoyed Natalie.
“Perhaps the wolf shouldn’t be so temperamental.” Natalie bit back.
With a hearty growl of annoyance, Doug pushed back from the car. Both witches turned to eye the alpha as he stalked around to Saffy’s side.
“Now see what you’ve done,” Saffy grumbled.
“Of course — this was my fault.” Natalie offered back.
“Glad you agree,” Saffy chuckled at the thought of the point that she’d won.
Through the falling snow, Saffy got her first real look at the alpha, and what a look it was. The man was tall and built like a brick outhouse.
She couldn’t take her eyes away from the way the hard muscles moved beneath his skin as he walked, at least, that was what she told herself because ogling was wrong.
“I think you have a little bit of drool on your chin,” Natalie said, and her words snapped Saffy out of her bewitched state.
“Bite me,” Saffy hissed back.
“Me — or him?” Natalie chuckled.
“I will hurt you,” Saffy grumbled.
“Well, would you look at that?” Natalie said with a chuckle and an outstretched finger.
Saffy snapped her head back around to see what the alpha was up to. A small wheeze of breath caught in the back of her throat when she came eye to eye with the man’s impressive manhood.
“That’s…” Saffy’s brain was elsewhere.
“Christmas come early?” Natalie chuckled.
“Will you stop?” Saffy hissed in disbelief.
“I don’t know — it looks like the gift that keeps on giving,” Natalie chuckled harder.
Doug’s face appeared at the window, and Natalie groaned.
“Well, that ruined a perfectly good view,” she hissed.
Saffy turned to see what her friend was reacting to now — and pulled her head back as she found herself staring into the alpha’s dark and menacing eyes.
“I’ll say this slowly because you’re female — get — out — of — the — car,” Doug growled.
“I’ll say this fast — so I can get to the fun part of zapping you — not bloody likely!” Natalie offered back.
“Don’t say I didn’t give you a chance to do this the nice way,” Doug growled.
“Wait — wait, the nice way?” Saffy asked, but it was already too late.
Doug pulled back to his full height, flicked out his claws, and embedded them in the seal of the door. Saffy squeaked out a sound that sounded like a deflating balloon a moment before the alpha started to peel the door away from the frame.
The frosty wind howled in through the opening that he was creating. Saffy squeaked in shocked disbelief again — as Natalie reached for the lock on her seatbelt and snapped it off.
“That’s it!” Natalie bit out in anger.
“That’s my car!” Saffy shrieked.
“I warned you!” The alpha growled as he ripped the door from the frame and actually moved the car against the icy road, and that only made Saffy squeal louder.
“You butthole!” Saffy ground out between clenched teeth.
Then she lifted her hands, drew on her magic, and blasted the man, and the car door that he was holding in his hands, into the snow-filled darkness of the night.
“I thought you weren’t using your magic for a while,” Natalie said in a superior tone of voice that grated on Saffy’s last nerve.
“Time’s up — that Muppet’s going down.”
CHAPTER FOUR
~
Doug was lying on his back again. That time it was as a naked human, and that time he was clutching a damn car door.
It took him a moment or two to shake off the witch’s magic and the shock of what has happened. It would have been an understatement to say that he hadn’t expected it, especially, from the quieter of the two witches.
A low, deep rumble started within his chest and slowly rose up to his throat as anger replaced the shock. He sat up like a vampire rising from a coffin in some bad B-movie, and tossed away the car door.
Then he was up on his feet and stalking back towards the car like a man with a really big score to settle.
They’re on pack land. I’m well within my rights to kill them.
But they’re witches — females — damn!
I have a conscience — but if I kill them and don’t think about it again then where’s the harm?
Maybe if I took up drinking like it was a hobby — that’s not going to work. How many barrels a day would I have to get through to be able to block it out?
Too damn many, and on a constant loop.
Maybe I could just chew them a little bit?
But chewing leads to eating and I’m back to square one again.
Doug slammed his hands against the roof of the car and lowered his upper body down to glare inside — that was when he noticed that the witches were missing.
His beast roared at the injustice — he growled like a man possessed — and that was when he made the biggest mistake of his life to date…
He sniffed the air inside the car.
~
~
~
“Deck the halls… my backside!” Natalie grumbled as she trudged through the snow that had already started to cover the ground. It was deeper in some places than others as she found to her utter disgust when she lost a foot every so often, buried in the white stuff.
The snow was coming down thick and fast around them as if they were inside their own personal snow globe, making it hard to see where they were going. Natalie wasn’t happy.
“Be quiet!” Saffy hissed back at her friend as she almost fell over whatever snow-covered obstacle nature had put in her path. “And the song definitely doesn’t go like that.”
“Why? Because of Mr. Oh-what-big-ears-you’ve-got?” She snorted her contempt for that. “Because, he doesn’t have a big nose to go with it that can scent us from a mile away — literally.”
“Let’s not give him any help.”
“Fine. How about this?” Natalie drew on her magic. “With a bit of this and a bit of that — let him smell only bacon fat.” She tossed her magic out into the night as she envisioned her target.
“Oh, I like your style,” Saffy chuckled. “How about…? Let the wind whip up and take his nose until he’s wearing some decent clothes.”
“Good one!” Natalie offered back. “Oh, I have one. While a sense of humor he does lack – keep the fur from off his back.” She pushed it out there with the other spell.
“We should so do that!” Saffy chuckled again.
“You didn’t?”
“You did?” Saffy chuckled in disbelief. But the sound died on her lips the moment that she hit the big, naked, wall of the man that had appeared, as if by magic, in front of her. Her gloved hands had the urge to test those muscles.
Saffy squealed and jumped back into Natalie’s path. Her heel crunched down on Natalie’s toes, and the witch yelled in pain.
Natalie thrust out her hands and pushed her friend forward to get some relief for her poor pulsing toes, and started the list of curse words all over again, and again as she hopped on the spot, gripping her foot.
Saffy hit the alpha’s chest head on — literally. The man didn’t move an inch.
His hands came up and encircled the tops of her jacket clad arms, and he growled hard at the witch.
“Get off me!” Saffy squealed, and without thinking, she blasted him with her magic.
The only problem with that was; he was still holding onto her at the time.
“Saffy?” Natalie bit out in shock as she looked for her friend in the veil of swirling snow.
One moment; she was there right in front of her, and the next she was gone.
Natalie heard a heady shrill of a scream that was closely followed by a hard, dull thump that made her jum
p at the sound and grimaced. She followed the direction of that sound.
“You really are a Muppet!” Saffy’s words were music to Natalie’s ears as she followed them right to her friend.
There on the ground in the snow was the naked alpha, lying on his back with Saffy sprawled over the top of him. The witch was scrambling to get up, to get off him, and yet, his hands were still firmly locked around her arms, and she couldn’t break his hold.
“What the hell?” Natalie bit out.
“A magical mishap!” Saffy grumbled back as she pulled and tugged, tugged and pulled against the gentle iron grip of the man that was growling up at her like a demented dog on steroids.
“Maybe somebody shouldn’t be using their magic.” Natalie berated her. “Have you been on the eggnog already?”
“No, I have not!” Saffy grumbled as she tugged and pulled, pulled and tugged some more, but he just wouldn’t let go.
“Sure?” Natalie chuckled.
“Bloody positive!” Saffy bit out between clenched teeth.
She placed her small fists against the granite of his chest and tried to wrench herself backward from his hold. Her knee slipped against the wet snow, it shot forward and caught him right in the balls.
Natalie grimaced at the look on the alpha’s face. His handsome features were twisted in agony as he sucked in a breath that sounded like it could be a death rattle.
“Whoops!” Saffy grimaced. His hands released her arms before they dropped to the floor and fisted the earth. “Okay!” Saffy shimmied off the man and pushed up to her knees. “My bad! But bonus — I’m free.”
“I’m sure he’s not looking for the silver lining,” Natalie berated her.
“Silver lining — I just gave him his balls as earmuffs.” She shrugged.
“So, at least while he’s lying in the snow his ears won’t get cold. Considerate of you.” Natalie looked impressed.
“Let’s get out of here before he heals.”
The witches turned as one to walk away. The gargled sounds that caught in the alpha’s throat made them turned back. The man was curled into a ball on the ground, rocking from side to side, and Saffy grimaced again.
