by M. L. Briers
“It’s a life of servitude, breeding, caring for your man…” Kit teased, and the look on her face was priceless.
“Huh?” Steph thought that someone might have just whipped the ground from beneath her feet. She tripped over nothing at all and felt the alpha’s large hands against her body as he saved her from faceplanting the ground. “I got it!” She tried to shrug him off.
“Coincidence. Me too,” Kit chuckled.
His mate had the appearance of a nervous, cornered squirrel, she even twitched a little, and he couldn’t help but think that was cute.
Mine… his beast made his feelings clear.
“I learned to walk at an early age,” Steph said as she finally shrugged his hands from her body.
“You just haven’t perfected it yet,” Kit said, and his words brought her attention back towards him.
He saw her face twitch again and groaned inwardly. Then a smile played at the corners of her lips until it finally broke free. He almost sighed with relief.
“I guess I asked for that,” she said.
“No comment on the grounds that I might get zapped.”
“How self-preservationist of you, alpha.”
“Wolves, smarter than the average bear.”
“Meaner too.”
“Would you rather face a wolf or a bear?” He asked.
“That’s like asking how high you should jump when a comet is hurtling towards you.”
The sound of his deep, velvety chuckles rolled over her skin. Each and every one of the fine hairs on her body stood to attention.
“I think we’re well matched.”
“Now, don’t get ahead of yourself, alpha,” she raised one eyebrow back at him and offered him a look that questioned his sanity.
“Too late.”
~
~
~
“Uh-uh, you can stay the hell right blooming away from me – you – you –stupid-headed, muppet of purely epic proportions.” Casey ground out each and every word as she stomped across the grass, headed toward – she didn’t know where, and with a rather amused Finley following on behind her.
“No – no, don’t be backward in coming forward and telling me exactly how you feel.” Finlay chuckled to himself. She certainly was full of fire.
“Oh!” She spun on her heels and eyed him from head to toe with a glare that could melt ice. “I will, boy, will I?”
She spun back away from him again and stalked off. He chuckled as he followed on behind her once more.
“Go ahead. I am not stopping you.”
“Like you could! Ha! Oh no, you couldn’t! And you know why?” She ground to a halt and spun back around at him again. Finley stopped and opened his mouth to speak, but he never got the chance. “Exactly! Because I am woman — hear me roar — Grrrr!” She even lifted her hand and clawed the air.
Mine…
“Trust me when I say — that’s not a good idea.” Finley gave a small shake of his head in disbelief as he fought to get his beast back in its cage.
“I’m a witch! I’m all powerful! I could do things to you that you wouldn’t believe,” she said.
“Are we talking about in the bedroom?” He grinned, and she snapped her head back and glared at him.
“Men! Shifters! All Grrr and no substance!”
The sound of her growling again made him shiver inside as his beast pushed hard toward the surface. He could feel the prickle of fur just beneath his skin. He was close to losing it.
“Trust me…”
“Not as far as I can throw you. Which sounds like a good idea. Mr. Grrr…” A heartbeat later and his wolf had burst from within him. Casey eyed the beast, and the beast eyed her right back.
“I’m guessing that whoops doesn’t apply here, either.” She grimaced.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
~
“I’m not sure why your mother thought that pairing us off witch-wolf, witch-wolf, witch-wolf was a good idea,” Jodie said.
“Shouldn’t that be boy–girl, boy–girl, boy–girl?” Turner offered back.
“Well, sure that works too.”
“Perhaps she thought it was a good idea for us to get to know each other.”
“I don’t like you.” she shrugged.
“You don’t know if you like me because you don’t know me,” Turner offered back.
“I know I won’t like you, so I don’t need to get to know you to know that I’m not going to like you.” Jodie frowned, she’d confused herself.
“That’s…” He closed his eyes briefly and shook his head.
“The circle of life.” Jodie shrugged.
“Not exactly…”
“It is for us.”
“You’re a — strange — person.”
“Thank you, I try.” She shrugged again.
“You shrug a lot,” Turner chuckled.
“And you can never be with a person that shrugs a lot, could you?”
“I…” He thought about that for a long moment. He wasn’t sure if she was insane or trying to drive him towards insanity. The conversation was surreal. “It’s — not really an issue I’ve ever thought about.”
“Well, you should,” she offered back, looking for all intents and purposes like she meant it.
“I’ll do that,” Turner frowned.
“You should get right on it,” she said as she lifted her hand and motioned for him to leave.
“Not — just — yet.”
“You can’t blame a girl for trying.” She offered him an innocent little smile as she shrugged her shoulders up near her ears again.
“Wow, you’re going to take some getting used to.”
“Why bother?” She asked. “No — really? Why bother?”
“Lifelong happiness and not going rogue springs to mind.”
“What are the odds?”
“Of which?”
“Both.”
“Right now, I have no idea.” Turner sighed. Having a mate was definitely hard work – on his brain.
“You wanna take a load off?” Jodie asked.
“You know, I think I might.”
“Good, you sit there, and I’ll just walk away.” Jodie grinned.
“Not in this lifetime,” Turner growled.
“Again, you can’t blame a girl for trying.”
“I’m getting to the point where I might.” He raised just one eyebrow at her, and she grinned back.
~
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~
“Okay, nice puppy,” Casey said as she eyed Finley’s wolf with a whole lot of suspicion, and a dollop of apprehension.
The beast dropped its head down on its neck and pawed at the ground. Its claws dug deep into the earth.
It wasn’t growling, so she guessed that was a good sign. But it was snorting and grunting, and she didn’t know what that meant because she’d never even had a dog as a child.
“Nice puppy.”
She eyed the area, and it was just her luck and that she was out in the middle of nowhere. Sure, she could see the house, but it wasn’t that close.
The wolf growled, and she snapped her attention right back to it.
“Now, there’s no need to get all snappy and grrr,” she scowled at the beast. The wolf growled back.
Mate or not – if she keeps growling at my beast something’s got to give. Finley thought.
I warned her to stop growling — just like a witch not to listen.
She looks like she doesn’t know if she wants to run or not — running would be bad — please, tell me she’s not going to run.
Maybe I should call my brother — just in case.
Oh crap! Too late!
Casey was off and running. She’d decided that his wolf was too close for comfort — but zapping the beast felt like overkill. It might have been a man-eating wolf, but it was still cute.
The witch tossed a look back over her shoulder. It was hard enough to run in high heels on the uneven grass, let alone running and looking ba
ck at the same time. Add to that the fact that multitasking wasn’t her thing — and she squealed, pitched this way and that, and all in between cursing out every bad word that she’d ever heard.
The house came into view. She could hear the growling of the beast behind her, and she had to wonder how it had already managed to catch her up.
The house was closer, and she could see her father. Casey almost sighed with relief. She doubted that her father would have any qualms about zapping the wolf, after all, it was dangerous and chasing his favorite daughter.
Casey lifted her hands and waved like a full moon had done its worst on her.
~
~
~
“Well, would you look at that,” Nicolas gave a low, deep chuckle as he eyed the witch trying to run in a pair of heels.
Vale shot a look back over his shoulder from where he sat and immediately pushed up to his feet. A deep scowled lodged on his forehead.
“What is she, crazy? You don’t run from your mate,” Zoe growled.
“Especially not in those heels,” Nicolas offered back. “Perhaps she’s just taking him for a walk.” He chuckled again.
“Casey!” Vale called. “Stop running!”
Even from that distance; he could see the look of surprise for his words on his daughter’s face.
“What are you nuts? I’m running because I’ve got a wolf chasing me,” Casey yelled back.
“You’ve got a wolf chasing you because you’re running!”
“Make him stop chasing me, and I’ll stop running!”
“Oh dear,” Zoe grumbled. “Somebody get her a picture board. Might help explain it if we can draw it out.”
“Harsh,” Nicolas chuckled.
“Hey, I call it as I see it,” Zoe shrugged.
“Will you just zap the wolf?” Casey hissed out.
“Don’t you dare!” Suzie and Zoe bit out together.
“I have no intention of zapping the wolf,” Vale offered back. “No!” He called.
“What kind of a father are you?” Nicolas asked. “Leaving your poor, helpless, defenseless daughter to the wolves.”
“Butt out,” Vale warned the vampire.
“Would you just…?” Casey called, but her words were cut off when the tip of her shoe snagged a divot. She pitched forward on a squeal, eyes wide, and landed face first on the ground.
“That could have been avoided if you’d just zapped the wolf,” Nicolas chuckled.
Vale rolled his eyes to the sky and groaned.
“On the bright side,” Zoe offered to Suzie. “You still have another two new daughters-in-law.”
Casey palmed the grass and pushed upwards. It was then that the wolf bowed its head and met her eye to eye.
“You really do not want to know what I’m thinking right now,” Casey hissed at the beast. “I’ll give you a clue — they’re between your back legs, and they’re detachable.”
The wolf’s eyes widened. Its ears pricked to attention and it twisted its head to the side as if it was curious. Then it made a small, squeaky sound that caught in its throat, before taking a step back away from her.
“Good — bloody — choice,” she ground out between clenched teeth as she pushed up to her hands and knees, and she had the urge to growl at him.
“Say hello to your mate,” Nicolas called with a grin that she would have loved to have wiped from his smug face.
“Bite me,” she hissed out. The beast growled, and she snapped her attention right back to him with a death glare. “Not you!”
“I’m thinking deck of cards all the aces missing,” Zoe muttered.
“I’m thinking life was so much easier this morning,” Suzie grumbled.
“Well, I’m thinking, somebody needs to get a leash, a really big chain, and a stake,” Casey grumbled.
“A little harsh,” Nicolas chuckled.
“The stake is for you,” she tossed back.
“Now there’s the first sensible thing she’s said,” Zoe shrugged.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
~
Steph thought that being a mate was sort of like entering into an arranged marriage. Only instead of your parents doing the dastardly deed — it was fate. Unlike parents, she hadn’t heard of fate ever getting it wrong. She guessed there was always a first time.
Not that she was saying that the alpha was wrong for her – she had no idea. She’d known the man all of five minutes, and normally in a dating situation that would have been good enough for her to turn tail and run, but she figured that fate deserved a little longer to prove its point.
Not that time was on her side — there was the mating pull – fate’s very own devious design that meant the longer that you spent with your mate, the more the mating pull worked on you, and the more attracted he became. Sort of fate and sod’s law colliding.
The alpha had stated his claim on her with one word – mine — if she rejected him then he would have to live with that or die with it, depending if the loss of his mate turned him, rogue. That was a scenario that she didn’t want to have to think about just yet.
A heartless beast with cold dead eyes didn’t jive well with the man that she was looking at. Kit had nice eyes, soulful eyes, and filled with teasing and good humor as he stared back at her.
“Okay, so tell me what I’m doing wrong,” Kit chuckled.
“There is no right and wrong, there’s only you — and you are trying too hard,” Steph offered back.
“I’m not trying at all,” Kit lied. He couldn’t help himself. She was his mate, and he wanted to impress her. Woo her.
“Liar.” She chuckled.
“Maybe a little white lie,” he grimaced, but then the big, beaming smile that took his lips wide and filled his eyes playfulness bowled her over once more.
“I thought it was the little piggies that were supposed to tell porkies?”
“See, there you go again, thinking of me as the big, bad wolf,” the alpha was still being playful.
“And how would you like me to think of you?”
“As your mate.”
“Not exactly a laid-back, take it slow kind of a guy, are you?” She chuckled.
“When I see something I want; I grab it with both hands,” he gave a small shrug, and she pulled her head back on her neck and frowned at him.
“Be careful you don’t pull back stumps, there alpha,” she warned, but it was playful, and probably for the first time since he’d met her, it didn’t feel like a challenge to him.
“That would be a very unfriendly thing to do.”
“So would having octopus hands.”
“I can promise you — I’m all wolf.”
“Not right now, you’re not.” She did the unthinkable and allowed her eyes to roam over his body. The deep rumble of a hungry growl lodged in his chest and snapped her attention right back to his eyes.
“Are you coming on to me?” His wolfish grin mesmerized her.
“If this were your dream then I probably would be, but no — don’t get any ideas,” she warned.
“Oh, I’ve got ideas…” He left it there.
“Well, tell yourself that they’re bad and move on.”
“Funny, they seem pretty good to me.”
“That’s because you’re male, and we all know which brain men think with.” She couldn’t help the smug little grin that lodged on her face.
“We do?”
“We do.”
“And which brain does a witch think with?” He asked.
“The one that decides whether to zap you or not if you step one paw out of line,” she offered back.
Then she folded her arms across her chest without thinking, and pushed her ample breasts up into his eye-line — his gaze dropped, and another hungry growl rolled through him.
“That’s teasing.”
“That was unintentional,” she said as she dropped her hands back to her sides.
“Sure it was.” His wolfish grin had her spellbound once again.<
br />
“It’s not my fault you looked,” she grumbled.
“Firstly, you’re my mate — I’m going to look. Secondly, I’m male — I’m going to look.” He gave a helpless shrug.
“You forgot thirdly. Thirdly, you’re not a gentleman — you’re going to look.” Her eyebrows tried to reach her hairline but failed.
“I can be a gentleman when the situation calls for it.” He frowned and shuffled his feet. She’d challenged his honor.
“And you don’t think the situation calls for it?”
“You’re my mate — I’m allowed to look,” he frowned harder.
“I’m your mate — does that not warrant some respect?” She asked.
“I…” He thought long and hard for a moment, but it was a moment too long, and she jumped in feet first.
“Wow, seriously?” She demanded.
“I’m thinking…” He protested.
“Don’t hurt yourself.” She turned on her heels and walked away.
Kit opened his mouth to speak, but his brain just wouldn’t provide the words. One moment they were laughing together and getting along and the next her female hormones must have kicked in, and she’d done an about face and was walking off in a huff.
“Okay, now, do you really think walking away solves anything?” The alpha grumbled.
“It saves me zapping you.” She tossed back over her shoulder without looking around at him.
“Good point.” Kit grumbled.
He didn’t want to chase after the woman, but she was his mate, and he’d somehow managed to miff her off. With a grumbled and a growl, he set off after her.
~
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~
Jodie was trying to be nice — well, sort of – the man was trying to steal her future, so how nice could she really be? Not that she’d planned for any particular future, but she’d still like to have that choice.
Being a mate took away her choices in life. That didn’t mean that she thought that she would be chained to the kitchen sink, naked and pregnant — she didn’t. Although, every time that she looked at him with that body, those big, muscled arms, and the cocky smile that was wedged on his lips, the naked part didn’t seem so bad.
