The Coven- Complete Series- Books one to Six.

by M L Briers

  He heard Wendy mumbled what he assumed was an unlocking spell under her breath, and he lifted his hand up and told her to stay put. She did what he wanted. She wasn’t about to be the reason that Caleb got injured again, especially as she’d already proved to herself the last time that she couldn’t bear the thought of him not being around.

  “Never, ever trust a rogue…” Caleb offered back to her. He would stay put outside her house for the rest of the night. Whether she liked it or not, he had a duty to protect her.

  Jethro looked to his mate as he listened to Wendy’s disembodied voice down the mobile phone. She’d called his mate to warn the pack of the rogue’s presence and Jethro immediately linked to his pack and relayed that warning. Tossing back the covers of the bed; he slipped out, naked and still hard for his mate and the fun that she’d promised him that had just gotten started.

  “I’ll be back…” He tossed up a helpless shoulder towards his mate and she nodded happily. She knew that there would be nights like this. Night when she’d wanted him by her side, in their bed, making love, and yet he was the alpha and had a duty to put his pack first when he was needed elsewhere.

  She gave him an honest smile; it was mixed with longing, understanding and a big dollop of desire for what her eyes could claim but her body couldn’t. He growled with regret as he turned on fast heels and took off from the room. No clothes necessary as he sped from the house on fast feet, it wasn’t as if he’d be hunting the rogue as a human.

  Deborah sighed into the phone and felt the irritation rising up inside her. She had to share her mate with the rest of the pack and now she was sharing him with a damn rogue. There had to be another way…

  “I think we should get together and track the damn beast down ourselves.” Deborah hissed into the phone and heard the soft laughter from the other end.

  “I guess the rogue interrupted something…” Wendy seemed to always know everything and that’s what Deborah liked about her…

  “I still think it would make life easier if we did a locator spell and pinned his arse to the tree that he’s peeing up.” She groaned out.

  “Somehow I don’t think you ladies will be allowed off pack land… But if I could slip away from Caleb…” Wendy offered as quietly as she could so that her vampire mate didn’t overhear her.

  “We could all meet up here and find that mother…less, bad guy.” She added with less glee than she started with. She just couldn’t find it within herself to swear in front of the older witch, not unless she was really mad, for some insane reason it felt like cursing in front of her mother.

  “Get the girls and I’ll see what I can do.” Wendy offered.

  “Going somewhere?” Caleb whispered against her ear as she turned in place to close the door behind her. She thought he was still around the other side of the house, when she’d checked that’s where she had left him. She flicked her eyes up towards his as he turned alongside her and saw the look of guilt that swept over her face. “Oh, that look right there, it tells me everything that I need to know.”

  “Not everything…” Wendy offered as she straightened up and tried to put that serene smile upon her lips that she always wore. It was benign and she needed benign right then with the guilt rushing through her and colouring her cheeks.

  “Let me see… It says you were about to try to sneak away from me, the person who’s trying to protect you, to go over to pack land, where a big old rogue wolf is looking for supper, and gather the girls for a big old spell-fest.” She rolled her eyes and bit down on the need to smile through her guilt. “Am I right? Did I win the prize? Do I get a cookie?” He was relentless and she tossed her hands up in frustration and groaned.

  “Fine. You’re right; does that make you happy, Caleb?”

  “That I’m right? No, because that would mean you were actually putting yourself in harm’s way, and I didn’t think you were that reckless.” Caleb eyed her until she caved on a sigh.

  “I…I’m… Yes…” She snapped out finally. There was a need for her to run and hide from this man, her mate, because she just couldn’t keep that damn pretence of peacefulness about her when he was around.

  “Y-e-s?” He dragged the word out as he questioned her with his eyes.

  “Yes, I’m reckless. Yes, you’re right. Yes, I was going to go to pack land. Yes, yes, yes.” She tossed up her hands again and looked away from him.

  “No.” He lifted his hand and cupped her cheek bringing her eyes back to his. “If you want to put yourself in harm’s way, Wendy, you make damn sure that I’m the buffer in front of you.” Caleb berated her.

  “I understand.” She acknowledged his need to protect her.

  “You do?”

  “Yes…” She bit out, still flustered by him. “Now can we go?” She knew he was going to allow it. He’d said as much with his words and talk of him standing in the way of danger. Caleb took a long breath and feigned thinking it over. Then he turned and crocked his arm as he offered her his elbow.

  “Allow me.” He grinned with the devilment in his eyes that she couldn’t get enough of.

  “I thought you were supposed to be in front of me?” She teased back and watched his grin widen.

  “And I will be at the first sign of trouble.” Caleb assured her.

  Samantha felt the pull and tug on every muscle in her body as she walked across the open plan living room towards the kitchen sink and a much needed gallon of water to replenish what she’d lost by mating with a hot Lycan, and not just his body temperature. Every time her mate reached for her so her body responded in ways that she couldn’t have controlled even if she’d wanted too, and of course she didn’t want too. But now she was discovering that she had muscles that she’d never noticed before.

  She even liked the feel against her body of his oversized tee that came down to her knees and hung from her shoulders as if she was six again and playing dress-up in adults clothing. She certainly liked having his scent wrapped around her naked body, and as she reached up on tip toes with her hands outstretched above her for a glass that was positioned for his height and not hers, she loved the feel of the hem of the shirt running up and over her thighs. It was as if he was standing right there behind her, reaching out and touching her skin, and not still lying asleep in their bed…

  The sound of smashing glass threw her mind for a long moment… Even though the sound came from all around her, she questioned in her mind whether she’d nudged and broken the glasses that still stood in a row above her head as she yanked back her outstretched hands and shook off the sudden impact that sound had on her mind and body. She was just whirling around in place at the realisation that it wasn’t her doing when the beast’s paws hit the cabin floor and his red rimmed eyes locked onto hers.

  There was only time for a handful of expletive’s to go through the swirling, haze of her mind until clarity slapped her upside the head like a bolt of lightning. The rogue’s lips pulled back into a snarl at the same instance that she drew her magic inside her. She’d been caught off guard by her mate’s attentions and had allowed herself to become complacent within Dexter’s arms, letting the magic slip away inside her to just background noise, and now that she needed it most, she knew that she would have to bide her time until she had gathered enough of it inside her body to do any real damage.

  Dexter had woken at the first sound of breaking glass. His hand instinctively reached out for his mate and finding the bed empty beside him, he panicked. With a roar of alarm at not knowing where she was; he wrenched his body from the bed and scented the strange wolf within their midst.

  His beast went insane inside him. Pushing forward with such force that Dexter could never have stopped the transition into his wolf even if he’d wanted too. Man and beast were in hunting mode, and somewhere in the cabin was his mate, alone with the rogue and unprotected.

  ‘Rogue inside my cabin.’ Dexter bit out into the link between the Lycans. That was the only information that he needed to deliver and it was do
ne even as his beast charged into the living room and found his mate with only a breakfast counter between her and the rogue that was determined to kill her. Without a thought in his mind he charged at the beast, knocking into him with every ounce of strength that he possessed and taking them both down and rolling together across the wooden floor of the cabin, scattering furniture as they went…

  The sound of glass shattering in the dead of night alerted everyone within a reasonable distance of Dexter’s cabin that something was amiss. The witches had been gathered together in the kitchen of the main cabin and were awaiting Wendy in quiet contemplation as they gathered their magic within them, when the sound cut through into the room and sent them up on their feet. Each one looked to the other for assurance that they were doing the right thing before they set off in unison for the back door.

  Samantha’s arrival had set in motion something that they had already known to be true. She was one of theirs, a part of their coven, and at some stage her magic would be joined within their circle. Now was as good a time as any if she was under threat from the rogue.

  With conviction in each step they started down the path into the woods that would lead them to her. Reaching out from deep within themselves and joining their magic as one, the witches felt Wendy’s close presence as her magic joined the circle and bolstered the potency of what they could offer their newest member, and they pushed their magic out as one, looking for a home in Samantha. They only hoped that it wasn’t too late.

  They could sense the pack wolves that were descending upon the cabin and felt a certain comfort in the fact that help was on its way. But the sound of wolves already fighting alerted them to the fact that Dexter was fighting the beast. But without a sense of Samantha’s magic the question still remained was she alive.

  Samantha watched in horror at the sight of her mate engaged in battle with the rogue. Her rogue, the one who had tracked her to this place, to her mate, and she felt the pull and tug of the guilt that played in her mind and rendered her body uselessly frozen under the torment that she felt for her mate’s suffering, and he was suffering under the claws of the rogue wolf. Her magic was gathering within her, like a kettle that was boiling water, she needed to wait until she had it at boiling point before she could unleash it at the beast.

  Dexter’s wolf spun fast and came up behind the rogue, embedding his claws into the flesh of the beast and opening his jaws wide to bite down on the back of his neck. The beast reared up and shook his body, shaking Dexter’s hold on him and seemingly uncaring at the feel of his flesh being opened up down both sides from the razor sharp claws that were trying to find purchase to keep them locked together. Dexter was tossed aside, hitting the ground and the cabin wall heavily as he tried to shake off the pain that tore through him.

  Samantha felt the hard push of magic against her aura. Even with her shields down she had to want to accept it inside of her and allow it to join with her own. Right then, as her mate tried to push up onto his paws through the haze of the blow he had taken, and with the rogue closing in on Dexter, she didn’t see it as a choice but a necessity.

  She opened her mind and her body to the rush of magic that swept inside her and filled her with a power that she had never known before. The four witches could have been standing right beside her as she reached out her hands and felt the magic stretch with her. She felt the anger rise within her for the pain that her mate was going through and she directed that anger and that power at the rogue, tearing him from the floor and sending him back through the jagged opening from which he had come.

  Samantha wasted no time in crossing the room to where Dexter was. The wolf was still trying to shake off the after effects of the rogue’s attack, and when she reached out and placed a hand against his shoulder, allowing her magic to flow into his body, she felt his strength and clarity returning as her touch sped his own natural healing ability into overdrive. A moment later and she was on her feet again and pushing towards the front door…

  Jethro and Dale made it to the clearing around Dexter’s cabin a moment before the rogue came crashing back out through the window. His eyes had already taken in the sight of the four witches and one vampire that stood stock still around the clearing as if they were waiting for this very moment, and he’d reminded himself to have a long talk with the new mates about staying where they were left after this fight was through. As the alpha of the pack, the strongest among them, it was his duty to take on a rogue, and he was only too happy to perform that duty. His beast took just one step forwards when the door to the cabin was ripped back on its hinges and Samantha stepped out into the night through the doorway.

  He didn’t move a muscle as her arms came up from her sides and her hands turned palms upwards to the night sky. He could see that her eyes were fixed only on the rogue as her lips moved without audible words, and he felt the foreboding inside him of what she would do, what she could do, having born witness to the power of the four witches before her when they joined like this in vengeance…

  The sound of the wind gathering around them made his wolf apprehensive to take another step and claim the kill that was rightfully his. His eyes flicked up at the treetops as they succumbed to nature’s fury, and fury it was. Branches swayed and creaked, and leaves were ripped away like confetti showering the clearing and its occupants, and it was only gaining with intensity. When he looked towards the other witches, their heads were tipped back on their necks and they stared up into the night sky as if waiting for more…

  CHAPTER NINE

  Jethro’s eyes snapped to the sight of his friend and enforcer, as Dexter came out of the cabin behind his mate and his beast took in the sight… A moment later a swirling mass of wind gathered above their heads, like a deep, dark twister, and moved towards the rogue that was now pushing up onto his paws… Every member of the gathered pack felt the need to put the mutt down, but nobody moved a muscle as the beast snarled and started forward towards Samantha on shaky paws…

  The twister descended. Snatching the rogue from the floor and tossing him about in the swirling winds that had talons like razor blades. The sound of his yelps filled the air as his body was ripped asunder. Jethro had no love for rogues and yet his beast almost sympathised with the fast, but painful end that the witch had dealt out.

  “Remind me never to get on her bad side.” Caleb offered to nobody in particular as the winds started to die down and the twister seemed to dissipate into the night around them.

  Jethro snorted his agreement. They now had five witches within the coven that was forming before their very eyes. If there wasn’t some kind of divine destiny involved here then he couldn’t figure out what it was. Fate was kind in bringing the packs mates to them, and yet the looming shadow of the coven wasn’t something that he could dismiss so easily, especially as there had been talk amongst his pack already.

  So far the witches had only used their magic in defence of themselves and the pack, and his pack understood that, and yet he felt that goodwill and understanding could all be turned on its head with one wrong move on the coven’s part. He needed to be mindful of his packs attitude towards the mates. He also needed his mated brothers to do the same of the witches. But wouldn’t this be the same as the pack turning on itself?

  Caleb waited patiently for Jethro to run the perimeter. The border ran close enough to Wendy’s land should she need him and yet not far enough away from her that he couldn’t hear her scream. When the alpha’s wolf padded up along the line and scented the Vampire it growled, snarled and rolled it’s head on its neck accordingly.

  Jethro thought for a moment about strolling on by and yet he knew that the Vampire wouldn’t leave his mate without a reason. The man had been skulking around Wendy’s property ever since he’d tasted her blood on his tongue. Personally he wasn’t sure what the two of them were waiting for to mate, and yet in his mind it was their business alone and he wouldn’t intrude unless it posed a danger to the pack.

  “Not just out for a stroll…�
� Jethro shook off his wolf and didn’t bother underplaying the beast within his tone.

  “You know me so well.” Caleb grinned at his friend.

  “Predictable.” Jethro offered blandly as he looked out on his land and kept one eye on the bloodsucker.

  “Not so much lately.” Jethro touched on the vampire’s predicament and left the door open for Caleb to walk through it. The vampire smiled knowingly.

  “Speaking of predictable. Do you really think the Coven will be a problem to the pack or the pack to the witches?” Caleb saw Jethro’s eyes narrow for just a moment as he took a long breath and held it while he thought that through.

  “Their power could be misconstrued by some…” Jethro offered and left it open.

  “That would end badly…” Caleb offered back. “For the pack.” He noted the way that Jethro flinched. The alpha had one foot in each camp. His pack should have commanded his total loyalty, and yet his mate was a part of the Coven.

  “Perhaps for everyone.” Jethro offered and Caleb nodded.

  “But especially for the pack.” He wanted to make certain that Jethro knew which side that he would be on should things deteriorate in the way that the alpha was worried about.

  “I hear you, Caleb.” Jethro didn’t like it, but he understood it.

  “Do you see it coming, Jethro?”

  “You’re old enough to know that sometimes you just get blindsided.” Jethro looked to Caleb and the Vampire gave a thoughtful nod.