~

 

“Well, I’m taking Jenny into town,” Bailey announced. “Ma’s is having a barbecue tonight, and for a moment there I thought that she was going to stampede over the top of me to get to the front door.”

“Hey!” Jenny called out as she yanked the front door open. “If the barbecue is as good as their cakes, I’m going to be in hog heaven.”

“She is a bit of a pig…” Bonnie offered dryly.

“I heard that,” Jenny called out.

“Can’t deny it though, right?” Bonnie called back, and she heard the sound of muttering, but there was no rush to denial.

“Do you want to go?” Karl asked Bonnie.

“A double date.” Bailey teased.

“Strength in numbers,” Jenny called. “We can muscle everyone out of the way.”

Bonnie chuckled. She could eat, and she thought that she could always eat Ma’s cakes, and it sounded as if Jenny might need some hand holding and maybe not from the vampire.

“Sure,” Bonnie swivelled her head on her neck, not committing herself fully.

“I’ll drive…” Bailey offered.

“I’m not squeezing myself into your clown car,” Karl grumbled.

“It’s a sports car, and expensive sports car,” Bailey offered back.

“That was designed for women,” Karl said, pushing up to his feet and absently offering his hand down towards Bonnie to help her from the kitchen chair.

Bonnie frowned at it … she wasn’t sure if someone had turned the clock back a century, or if he thought she was that old that she needed a hand up, but either way…

“It was styled for quality, unlike that box of a truck on wheels that you drive that was meant for …” Bailey waved a finger at the shifter.

“How long will it take for that finger to heal if I break it?” Karl growled.

“Faster than your arm if I…”

“Seriously?” Bonnie said, pushing up to her feet and eyeing the two of them with disbelief. “Is everything a contest with you two?”

“Yes…” Bailey said after a few seconds thought as Karl shook his head.

“No.” Her mate answered at the same time.

“Men,” she huffed. Walking towards the kitchen door and out into the living room. “I’m taking my car.” She tossed back over her shoulder.

“Now see what you did,” Karl growled.

“Woo her into yours then, Yogi,” Bailey shot back.

“I’m going in Bonnie’s car,” Jenny announced as the two men appeared from the kitchen…

“Ha!” Karl spat out at Bailey, but the vampire bit down on his need to tell the shifter where he could park his head.

“Fine, we’ll all go in Bonnie’s car,” Bailey announced.

“Seriously?” Karl growled. “Have you seen it?”

“What’s wrong with my car?” Bonnie said, miffed.

“Nothing – if you’re a city living girl.” Bailey shrugged. “See, I can take one for the team.” He whispered towards Karl.

“Shut up,” Karl grumbled back.

“I think the words you were looking for were thank you,” Baily shrugged.

 

~

~

~

 

Karl had spent most of the journey into town with his knees practically up around his chest in the small confines of Bonnie’s car. Although, on the plus side it had amused his mate. Every time that she shot a look in his direction; her eyes sparkled with amusement, and she giggled mercilessly.

It took him a moment or two to unpeel himself from inside the front passenger seat when they’d reached town, and he actually groaned in thanks as he stretched out his body.

“Maybe we should have taken your truck,” Bonnie chuckled, feeling a flash of guilt for his uncomfortable journey, even if it had touched her funny bone more than once.

“But torturing your mate is all part of the wooing experience,” Bailey offered as he wrapped a hand around Jenny’s waist, wrenched her towards him – hip to hip – and started off for the crowd that had gathered in the small market square around the aromatic stalls that were already busy…

“That smells so good…” Jenny’s sights were fully focused on the food…

“Yes, you do,” Bailey grinned and she snorted a chuckle.

“Food first and then maybe we can see about other stuff…” She teased back, and Bonnie grimaced at the thought of being fed on by a vampire – she was glad that she wasn’t in that positon…

Luckily shifters only bit once – or so the internet said. Wolf shifters bit down, but bear shifters dragged their fangs through the skin, scratching a bonding mark into their mate’s skin.

None of that really sounded like fun time was had by all to her, but if she had to choose, which she didn’t because she had a bear for a mate, then she guessed that his mark sounded a lot better than the alternatives.

Bonnie couldn’t believe that any such thoughts were going through her mind. Was she really contemplating mating with Karl?

She’d only known the man for a few days, and had only really spent one day with him over that time, and yet … she couldn’t explain the pull that she seemed to feel towards him.

The internet said that there was supposed to be a thing called the mating pull that affected both mates, but she wasn’t sure if that really was a thing. She guessed that there was always love at first sight, but she didn’t think what she was feeling applied to that one. After all, when she’d first seen the man she’d wanted to run in the other direction.

Although, there was an element of attraction for him, both then and every damn time she laid eyes on him.

“Food?” Karl offered her his arm, and for one long moment she just stared at it as if he’d offered her a dead rabbit or something. “I promise not to bite.”

Bonnie’s eyes snapped up to his face and he offered her a drop dead gorgeous, teasing grin, complete with dimpled cheeks. Her mouth opened to form a word, but she closed it again on a small chuckle.

“Fine,” she said, linking her arm with his, and she felt that skin on skin tingle once more…

“We’re really going to have to work on getting that word out of your vocabulary.” He teased.

“Fine. No more fine.” She offered back, then sniggered.

 

~

~

~

 

Jenny looked over the picnic tables to where Bonnie was sitting with her mate. The woman seemed to have found a new lease on life since she’d met Karl. She was laughing and grinning from ear to ear as the two of them leaned in towards each other to chat over the noise that came from the chattering all around them.

Jenny was glad that Karl had made her forget her troubles. She hadn’t seen Bonnie opening up to anyone like that in a very long time.

A heartbeat later and someone must have thrown a switch as thousands of little twinkling fairy lights that had been strung around the area came to life against the backdrop of nightfall, and everyone cheered, including Bonnie, who loved Christmas light with a vengeance.

Jenny gave the area a once over before she turned her attention back towards Bonnie and noted that she was pushing up from her seat. Karl stood up like the perfect gentleman from an old black and white movie, and Jenny couldn’t help but smile…

“Hey, big ears,” Jenny nudged bailey in the ribs and the vampire leaned in…

“She said; I don’t need an escort to go to the bathroom…” he told her without prompting.

“I like this…” Jenny motioned between them. “You get me.”

“Yes I do, sometime soon…” he wiggled his eyebrows suggestively at her and Jenny chuckled.

“Well, right now I’m going to the bathroom, and I don’t need an escort either.” She teased as she pushed up and started away from the table in Bonnie’s direction.

She might just have wiggled her hips a little more than necessary as she walked away from her mate – giving the man something to think about as he watched her go, but what else was a girl to do?

 

~

~

~

 

Jenny noted the sign for the bathroom that hung from a pole, and the arrow pointing in the direction that Bonnie had disappeared, and she rounded the corner to follow her friend. Her eyes took in the scene in front of her and her heart jumped into her throat.

Bonnie eyes were wide with fear.

His strong arms were wrapped around her in a death grip, and he had a hand locked over Bonnie’s mouth, and she was struggling to try to break free from him.

The moment that Bonnie saw Jenny, she shook her head against his hold, and with muffled words against his hand – she urged Jenny to run.