~

 

“I like this cookout thing…” Lily said as she folded her body inside Jacob’s strong arms as she sat between his legs, and closed her eyes for one brief moment as he nuzzled between her shoulder and her neck.

The man was insatiable. Not that she wasn’t where he was concerned, and she was loving every new moment of being a mate to that very sexy shifter wolf.

“You like it now…” Dexter snorted a chuckle, “Wait until it’s minus twenty and Isobel comes banging on your door to eat stake and drink beer by the flames.”

“I’ll keep you warm in winter,” Jacob whispered against her ear and she giggled like a schoolgirl at the feel of his hot breath…

“Get a room…” Connor rolled his eyes and held them skywards when his mate elbowed him in the ribs.

It was just a quick jab, and in truth; he hardly felt it, and yet he groaned accordingly to make her feel better, and so that she wouldn’t zap him hard to try to get a rise out of him.

He’d made that mistake before - too many times of laughing at her lack of strength and the damage that she couldn’t do to his body – now he knew better than to tempt the witch within her to retaliate.

“Where’s George?” Lily asked; she still felt a pang of guilt about the man and what he’d been through at her expense.

“Hunting his wayward brother, no doubt. That wolf has too many damn lives…” Dexter said.

“Which one, George or his brother?” Connor asked.

The sound of the meaty engine tooling up the mountain road that led to the cabins took everyone’s attention, and when the truck finally came to rest in front of them, and the engine was cut, the other two pack males, Shawn and Brody exited from the front and immediately held the back doors open for their mates.

Eden chuckled at the sight of the fire and the pack gathered around it…

“Shocker, it’s a cookout…” She grinned at Isobel…

“Thank God, I’m starving…” Brody, her mate growled.

“Name a time when you aren’t hungry for something…” Eden shot back and the man growled at the wording…

“I’m always hungry for you, sweetheart…” he grinned, playing up to his mate as he rushed to grab her up into his arms and walk her towards the fire…

Shawn’s mate, Eva, took a slow walk around the truck and did a double take at the sight of the newest witch…

“Did we miss something?” She grinned, as she elbowed her mate in the ribs and nodded towards the witch snuggled in Jacob’s arms…

“Seriously?” Connor said with a snort of disbelief. “Go to another room to fart and so as not upset your mate’s sensibilities, and you miss something around here.”

“Such a potty mouth…” Vicky shot him the evil eye…

“Me fart, not you fart,” Connor offered back. “You just let rip right there in bed…” he said, and that time she did zap him – hard.

“I do not fart…” Vicky bit out to sniggers from the rest of the pack as Isobel started to toss out stakes onto plates for the newcomers.

“Big ball of wind then…” Connor bit out through the pain that his mate had conveniently forgotten that she was delivering to him…

“Take that back…” She hissed, and only remembered that she was still zapping him when she went to do it again…

“Will not…” he ground out.

“How long does it take for a vampire to grow new fangs?” Vicky gave him an insanely demonic look that worried him just a little…

“Not sure…” he grumbled.

“Want to find out…?” She hissed.

“Taken back…” Connor bit out, and he felt the relief of her magic leaving his body as he grumbled and groaned under his breath…

“Thought you might see it my way,” Vicky crowed…

“Wait til later…” Connor grumbled.

He had a mind to tempt, tease, and do debauched things to his mate until she begged for mercy – over and over – and she’d enjoy every damn minute, but then – so would he.

“So,” Eva said, eyeing Lily. “What’s the story?”

“You snooze, you lose – you’ll get a recap when we’re good and ready,” Jacob offered back with a teasing grin…

“Oh look!” Eden lifted her hand and pointed to the man. “He smiles…” she teased.

“So those teeth aren’t just for snarling at people…” Brody chuckled.

He’d been the same way that Jacob had when he’d first arrived, and if it wasn’t for his mate – he knew that he’d probably already be dead. He guessed another mate had saved another member of his pack.

“I hope you have control over those fangs now…” Shawn chuckled and Jacob growled…

“Still need to work on his manners,” Connor said.

“Well, I like his fangs, and I think he should show them off more often…” Lily grinned up at her mate as he looked down at her…

“No!” A few of the others chimed together.

“I’m sorry, ok?” Jacob growled back.

He knew that he hadn’t been around that long, but his problems with his wolf had meant he’d had a few close calls with the others over his fangs appearing at inappropriate moments and winding up the other wolves in the pack…

“Bless…” Connor sniggered.

“It’s not funny, vampire…” Jacob growled.

“Hey, some of us have to learn to control our fangs – it’s just that shifter’s usually do it in … puberty.” Connor grinned and Jacob growled some more.

“Stop teasing…” Lily chuckled.

“Teasing is mandatory. Don’t worry – they are going easy on you because you’re new.” Connor grinned…

“And you’re old, very old…” Vicky offered back. She still hadn’t forgiven him for the farting comment.

“Old enough to be considered for euthanasia…” Dexter grinned.

“I tried that but he just keeps popping up again, and again, and again, like a bad smell…” Vicky lied.

“Like one of your farts…” Connor muttered, but she caught it anyway and zapped him a good one.

“You think at your age, you’d learn to shut up,” Dexter chuckled.

“And wouldn’t that make life boring?” Connor said, pushing up to his feet and reaching back down to sweep his mate up into his arms.

She didn’t protest.

“Well, I have to go home to my castle…”

“My … castle,” Vicky corrected him…

“To punish my mate in the worst and very best possible ways,” he showed a little fang and every male growled… “Testy … very testy or should that be tasty?”

A heartbeat later and his mate was hanging down his back as he stalked away from the pack…

“You’re going to pay for this, Connor…” Vicky bit out, zapping him over and over and groaning as he jumped and she was joggled on his shoulder, but he never stopped walking.

“I hope so…” Connor grinned.

The End.