Christmas Mate

by M. L. Briers

  “I think he’s a little cuckoo,” Luke offered the beta.

  “I’m not a cuckoo — I’m a fairy,” George grumbled.

  “Told you,” Luke offered to Jett.

  “The Christmas fairy,” George said with annoyance.

  “The Christmas — what now?” Jett twisted his head to one side and narrowed his eyes at the man.

  “Tell them!” George demanded of the witch.

  “I think he’s a little cuckoo too,” Angelique offered to the alpha. “Now, get off me.”

  “I haven’t scented you properly, yet,” Luke offered back.

  “Well here, let me get closer.” Angelique punched him on the end of his nose with her little fist and cursed that it hurt so much while she revelled in the fact that it felt so damn good.

  The alpha grunted in surprise.

  “I’d say watch her, she’s a mean one,” George offered, and the alpha growled in annoyance.

  “Watch how the hell you’re talking about my mate,” Luke growled at the fairy.

  “Watch who you’re calling a mate,” Angelique grumbled at the alpha, spitting fire from her eyes.

  “Congratulations!” Jett chuckled at the thought of the alpha with a witch mate. That was going to take some getting used to.

  “I really don’t think this is a cause for celebration,” Angelique snapped at the beta.

  “Thanks,” the alpha growled.

  He wasn’t best pleased either to find out that his mate was a witch — but still…he had his pride.

  “Did she hurt your feelings?” George chuckled. He stopped chuckling the moment that the alpha snapped his head in his direction and growled a long and hard warning at him.

  “Why are you still here?” Luke growled.

  “That’s a very good question,” George raised his index finger and pointed towards the sky. “Why am I still here?” He tossed a look at Jessica over his shoulder.

  ‘You have to make sure that they mate.’

  “Apparently, I have to make sure that you mate,” George shrugged his shoulders.

  “Because you’re alien overlords demand it?” Jett asked with a shrug of his shoulders.

  “Because the fairy godmother and fate demand it,” George offered back with a small sneer.

  He guessed that was right. It wasn’t like there was a manual or anything.

  “Are you really the Christmas fairy?” Jett asked.

  “Well, I’m not going to sit on your Christmas tree or anything,” George tossed back.

  “We don’t have a Christmas tree,” Jett offered with a small sneer.

  “No Christmas tree?” Angelique rolled her eyes in mock horror at the thought. “That’s a deal breaker.”

  Luke grunted in annoyance. Then a low growl started in his chest as he snapped his attention back to the beta.

  “Get me a damn tree and all the trimmings,” Luke demanded.

  “For little old me?” Angelique offered him a sweet smile.

  “For my mate, yes,” Luke puffed out his chest with pride.

  Whatever his mate wanted he was going to provide it. It was his duty to take care of her.

  “No sniffing until that tree is up and decorated,” Angelique said.

  By that time she should have come up with a plan — or kill the alpha — either way, she might have bought herself some time.

  Mine…

  Luke’s beast didn’t like that idea one little bit. Neither did Luke.

  “Sure, that’ll work for me,” Luke growled.

  A moment later he dipped his head and brushed his cheek against hers as he went in for the scent.

  “Hey!” Angelique put her palms on his broad shoulders and tried to push him up. She would have had more luck pushing away a mountain.

  The deep, hungry growl that rolled through Luke’s chest and got wedged in his throat told Angelique that the Christmas fairy hadn’t been telling her a lie. She was the alpha’s mate.

  “Mine…” Luke growled as he pulled back and stared down into his mate eyes.

  “That was so not cool that I can’t even begin to describe the ways that I want to hurt you,” Angelique grumbled.

  She was expecting an apology, an excuse, but all she got was a slow to boil wide smile that, when it was finally done, practically stretched from ear to ear. His dark eyes were alive with amusement — and hunger — and she didn’t appreciate either.

  “Sweetheart, I’m an alpha,” Luke growled.

  “Well, alpha me this,” Angelique bit out, and with a blast of her magic; the alpha was torn away from her and deposited on his backside not more than ten feet away.

  “Okay, now I see your point about them mating,” George said to Jessica as she chuckled heartily at the alpha’s expense.

  “Oh, there’ll be mating,” Luke growled his assurances to the Christmas fairy, and he pushed up on his elbows and eyed his mate.

  “Please hold your breath,” Angelique said as she pushed up onto her elbows and offered her mate the death glare.

  “Let the fun begin,” Jett chuckled, but he bit it off when Luke’s dark glare snapped towards him. “I’m just saying.” He held his hands up to his chest in surrender.

  “Don’t,” the alpha said as he pulled himself up to his full height and started toward his mate.

  “I’m warning you…” Angelique bit out. Whatever he was about to do she was prepared to counter it with her magic.

  “Good for you,” Luke growled.

  Then he stunned Angelique as he held out his hand to her to help her up — she’d been expecting something more alpha-ish.

  Angelique ignored his offering and pulled herself up. She took a minute to brush the dirt from her backside as best she could, and in that time the alpha took one long step toward, bent at the waist, and tossed her over one of his broad shoulders.

  Angelique squealed in surprise. She should have known that the alpha was up to something, and as she looked down at the appealing view of his backside, she bit out a lot of dark words.

  “Look on the bright side,” George’s face appeared in view. “At least you won’t have to walk anymore.” He snapped with a smug grin, and Angelique zapped him.

  “I will get you for this,” Angelique grumbled.

  CHAPTER NINE

  ~

  “Oh no, you’re not coming in.” Jett turned in place and barred the doorway with his large body.

  George stopped in place and rolled his eyes up to gaze at the winter sky as he took a moment to consider it.

  “That’s not very friendly…” He started, but Jett’s hearty laughter cut him off.

  “Who told you that shifters were friendly?” Jett asked.

  “Well, considering I bought the alpha’s mate to him…”

  “Is the reason that you’re still alive,” Jett lied.

  Contrary to what people might have thought, shifters didn’t go around killing for the fun of it, but he decided that the fairy didn’t need to know that.

  “Harsh,” George eyed the man with disdain.

  “If you’d prefer we wipe the slate clean?” Jett took one long step toward George, and the man scoffed at the idea.

  “If you’d prefer I took the alpha’s mate away?” George offered back.

  ‘Did nobody ever tell you that it isn’t a good idea to try to blackmail someone twice the size of you?’ Jessica warned him.’ Now, cut out this — mine is bigger than your crud — and concentrate on the job at hand. Men!’ She added a thoughtful huff.

  “Leave, while you still can,” Jett growled his intention to rip the man’s arm off and beat it over his head until he got the general idea.

  “I can have the entire fairy nation here with a click of my fingers,” George lied.

  ‘I’d like to see that.’

  “We didn’t order a takeaway — but, okay.” Jett folded his large arms across his impossibly large chest and glared at George.

  ‘Oh, give it up already. He got you there. Just back off before he eats yo
u like an entree,’ Jessica grumbled.

  She hated the whole male on male-dominant — whip it out and shake it all about, thing.

  Still — boys would be boys — and so she used her magic to zap the pair of them.

  “Hey!” Jett growled as he dropped his arms to his sides and fisted his hands.

  “That wasn’t me,” George grumbled back, and he was about to turn accusing eyes on Jessica when Jett swung his large fist and connected with George’s jaw.

  ‘And who said a fairy couldn’t fly without their wings?’ Jessica chuckled as George flew backward through the air. But she did have the good grace to grimace when he hit the hard ground with an even harder thud.

  “Thanks a lot,” George grumbled as he reached up and stroked over his aching jaw.

  Jessica chuckled again — she wasn’t about to apologize or, heaven forbid, back down.

  ‘You’re welcome, George,’ Jessica’s tone was sweet, too sweet. It reminded George of the sickly icing on top of the cheap cake. Oh, how he would love to splat that cake right in her face.

  ~

  ~

  ~

  “You’re going to regret this.” Angelique tried as hard as she could to make that sound like a promise.

  “The way I see it is; you’re my mate, and I have to take the rough with the smooth.” Luke chuckled to himself at the sound of her spitting out muttered curse words like they were sweeties being delivered to the eager hands of pups.

  “Rough with the smooth, my aunt Sally,” Angelique grumbled as she used her magic once more to zap his backside.

  She’d been zapping him like that since he tossed her over one shoulder — it didn’t seem to do much except make him jump instep. Talk about cutting off your nose to spite your face, every time he jumped; she was bounced on his shoulder. But still…

  “One more zap and I might just drop you on your head,” Luke warned her.

  He had no intention of dropping his mate. That would go against his very DNA. Not to mention the fact that his beast would be hell to live with until he made it right.

  Witch or not — zap-happy or not — she was still his, and he was sworn to protect her with his life. However tempting dropping her on her head might sound, it just went against the grain.

  “Put me down,” Angelique bit out.

  She’d had enough of the fun and games that the man thought he was playing. Showing his damn dominance, indeed!

  “I fully intend to do just that very thing,” Luke said, and he was as good as his word.

  Angelique didn’t much appreciate the fact that he slid her body down against the length of his. Well, it wasn’t that she didn’t appreciate it — who wouldn’t? It was the fact that every inch of her body tingled in a way that was entirely inappropriate for the dastardly plan that she had to kill him.

  She had to admit, even if only to herself, that she’d rather enjoyed the sensation of tingles that spread across her skin from knowing her mate. It had felt rather good.

  What she didn’t appreciate was the blood draining back down from her head and making her lightheaded. She had little choice but to cling onto him, and that stuck in her craw.

  “Well now, look at you,” Luke grinned from ear to ear. “Holding onto me like you can’t get enough of your mate.”

  “Do you have any redeemable qualities, because right now I’m getting overwhelmed by a sense of nausea?” Angelique offered back.

  That made the alpha’s smile fade. There was even a little twitch of his upper lip that warned her.

  “I’m loyal,” Luke growled.

  “Good for you,” Angelique tossed back.

  She finally managed to find her equilibrium and let go of his shoulders. She took a small step back, and his eyes narrowed at her in suspicion. He was ready for her devious ways.

  “I’m an alpha,” Luke informed her.

  “And that you choose to put in the list of pros?” Angelique tossed her hands onto her hips and assumed the position with a death glare. She challenged him.

  “I’m the leader of my pack,” Luke protested.

  “Like in the song?” Angelique offered him a sweet smile, but her eyes were still tossing daggers at him.

  “Are you trying to be as annoying as possible?” Luke’s dark eyebrows came downward in a scowl.

  “Yes, is it working?” She didn’t need to deny it. That was the way of things. She needed to keep the alpha on full tilt until she had come up with a devious plan to be free of him.

  “It sure is,” Luke offered back.

  “Does being an alpha and the leader of your people, or being my mate, mean that I can have a drink?” Angelique asked.

  She noted the way that he snapped to attention. His wide shoulders pulled back, and his neck seemed to elongate as he stared at her.

  “You can have anything you want…”

  “I’m thinking a long walk off a short pier, for you?” She snapped a bright and breezy smile upon her face.

  The alpha growled.

  “I can swim,” he didn’t sound impressed.

  “Can you fly? There must be a mountain around here somewhere,” Angelique tossed back. “We can shoot you right off.”

  Luke stared at her in disbelief for a few moments. He couldn’t quite make up his mind about her, and he knew that she was playing games with him, but he just didn’t know where those games would lead her.

  “Do you actually want a drink?” Luke asked.

  “I’m a girl that can never say no to alcohol.” she snapped that smile wider.

  “I could use a bottle of Scotch myself,” Luke growled. He went to turn away and then hesitated as he shot her a look of suspicion. “I’m not letting you out of my sight.”

  “Oh, lucky me,” Angelique rolled her eyes in protest. “What if I need to pee?”

  Luke opened his mouth to speak and then thought better of it.

  “Speaking of which…” Angelique gave a shrug and a sympathetic, if not apologetic look to her mate.

  Luke pressed his lips together and let the growl that rumbled up to his throat die away. The woman was testing his patience, and he didn’t trust her as far as he could throw her — not that he would ever throw her.

  He had a feeling that it was going to be a very long night.

  CHAPTER TEN

  ~

  It wasn’t that Luke didn’t trust his mate — but, he didn’t trust his mate’s unthinking need to put a little distance between them. She was probably in shock; he knew he was, finding a mate like that — that Christmas fairy had a lot to answer for.

  He supposed he should be grateful to the man, and yet, he still felt the urge to rip his head off and hand it back to him for kidnapping his mate. He was caught between a rock and a hard place. If the Christmas fairy had not of done what he’d done, then he wouldn’t have his mate.

  But, what the hell was the fairy godmother thinking making someone like George the Christmas fairy in the first place? Luke shook his head in dismay at that one.

  He stood with his feet planted firmly on the ground. His eyes were locked and loaded on the bathroom window, and he was waiting for his mate’s appearance.

  On the other hand, if he was wrong about her, then he would hear the internal lock of the bathroom door turn, and he could make it back inside in no time at all.

  There, in the window, was the silhouette of his mate. She raised her hand, lifted the handle, and pushed the window all the way open.

  She might have been in darkness, with the internal light behind her giving her a halo, but the alpha could still see her face perfectly well, and his mate was no Saint. He’d been right – she’d planned to run.

  Her eyes locked on him and widened in surprise. Her lips parted, and she wheezed a little breath out like a deflating balloon.

  “Just felt the need to get some air?” Luke asked. His deep voice snapped Angelique to attention.

  “Yep,” she bit out, and her top lip twitched in annoyance.

  Then she slam
med the window closed again, and the alpha grumbled and growled ay her deviousness.

  He’d been right about her. She was planning an escape, but it didn’t make him want to pat himself on the back for being right. Now, he was going to have to watch out like a hawk. Not that he hadn’t planned on doing it anyway.

  She was a witch. They were sneaky. Enough said.

  ~

  ~

  ~

  “Just out for a stroll?” George’s mocking tones and wide grin annoyed the alpha.

  “Thought I’d come out to kick your butt,” Luke growled and was rewarded when George’s smile dropped like a stone.

  “Does nobody have a sense of humor anymore?” George grumbled.

  ‘Every time I look at your face, I crack up,’ Jessica said.

  “Well, you’re just a little ray of sunshine, aren’t you?” George offered what was obviously a fake smile.

  ‘Oh, does nobody have a sense of humor anymore?’ Jessica mimicked him.

  Luke booted open the front door and stalked inside, slamming it behind him, and rattling the windows in the frames. He eyed Angelique as she stepped out from the hallway into the living room, and he noted a small grimace that shot across her face before it was gone. He had hope that she’d learned her lesson.

  Then she lifted her chin in defiance and crushed that hope into the dirt. Witches!

  “Really?” The low rumble of a growl within his chest told Angelique everything that she needed to know. The man was expecting her to say something – maybe even sorry.

  She raised her chin a little higher. He’d be waiting a while.

  “It’s so stuffy in here.” She gave a small shrug of her shoulders and challenged him to call her out.

  “Isn’t escaping out of the bathroom window just a little beneath you?” Luke asked as he crossed his arms and tipped his head to one side to offer her a look that was mixed with disbelief. He had no problem with playing her game.

  “I have no idea what you mean,” she lied.

  “Sure — you don’t.” Luke wasn’t buying it, and they both knew it.

  “Well, you can’t expect me to be over the moon, happy-happy, my life is complete, what joy, at the situation. Now can you?” Angelique mirrored his stance.