~
“He’s got a point, Marco…” Kent took a long step towards his clan brother.
“You’re siding with them?” Marco growled out – anger flashing in his eyes as his hands clenched and released at his sides, and his claws embedded within his own flesh.
The pain only reminded him of what he needed to do…
“Don’t be a damn idiot,” Kent growled out. “This isn’t about them and us, and you know it. Zane needed to be put down and they did what needed to be done…”
“She all but killed him,” Marco lifted a hand and pointed an accusing finger at Agatha.
“You have no idea what you’re talking about,” Agatha snapped back.
“Zane trusted you,” Marco growled … he was disgusted that the woman the alpha had put his faith in had all but stabbed him in the back herself.
“Zane was too far gone to even bother with trust,” she hissed back. “The man didn’t know right from wrong and he went too far.”
“Let’s go, Marco,” Kent growled.
He knew that even if Marco picked up the fight again – right then and there, they were outnumbered, and with the vampire protecting Agatha – they wouldn’t get anywhere near her.
Not that he wanted that. He was dreading that damn order coming down from Raul.
“I’d listen to your friend.” Connor put out the warning, and he was kind of rooting for the shifter to take heed, because the other guy seemed reasonable, and he didn’t want to mess up his new shirt with shifter blood…
“And if you come at her again, prepare to take your last breath,” Liam growled, and he meant every word.
“Not helping with the diplomacy thing, wolf,” Connor would have rolled his eyes in his head, but he was keeping them firmly fixed on Marco.
Kent eyed Liam for a long moment. He had the feeling that something was definitely off with the guy, and he couldn’t be sure, but he thought that he knew exactly what it was.
“We’re leaving,” Kent assured them.
“You don’t speak for me,” Marco sneered.
He flashed a glare at his clan brother, but he took a long step back away from group.
Kent nodded towards Connor. In his mind things could have gone a lot worse.
They were walking away with their lives and that seemed like the best outcome for what Marco had done, what had been started, and he was almost certain that Liam had the right to be pissed off – especially if Agatha was his mate…
~
~
~
Agatha took a long breath in and blew it back out again on a hum of annoyance.
She got it that the vampire seemed to think that he needed to protect her – but she didn’t have to like it.
She had no idea what was with the wolf shifter fighting Marco like that? Let alone issuing that last threat…
“So, that happened,” Connor offered into the relative silence of the group once the bears had withdrawn, and Landon chuckled.
That sound was deep and gravelly, and it reminded Agatha once more of Zane in better times. In turn that only served to remind her that she’d done what she’d been accused of, and she’d all but stabbed her friend in the back.
Rightly or wrongly, she’d betrayed his trust.
It didn’t matter that the man was a crazy bear.
It didn’t matter that the witch that he’d attacked was an innocent.
It still felt wrong.
“I need to leave,” Agatha announced…
“That would be bad timing, don’t you think?” Connor offered back, but it was the low, deep growl that was coming from the new wolf to Dexter’s pack that held Connor’s interest…
“You say potato…” Agatha tossed back with a small shrug.
“I didn’t say potato, but I think that he has something of interest to say,” Connor pointed at Liam, and everyone turned their heads to look at the battered and bloodied shifter as the man stood there with his chin practically down on his broad, muscled chest, and his jet black, brooding gaze locked onto Agatha…
“Oh…” Dexter groaned.
Landon let out a snatch of laughter that he managed to catch behind one large hand as he bit down on it …
Justice scowled… “Someone wanna let me in on…?” He never got to finish…
“Mine…” Liam growled…
“Ha!” Agatha spluttered shocked laughter that didn’t resonate within her eyes.
Liam certainly wasn’t smiling – he wasn’t doing much of anything but standing there and staring at her with so much intensity in his gaze that she snapped off that laugh if disbelief and eyed him for a long moment…
“I don’t think that he sees the funny side of finding his mate,” Connor offered on muted tones, “I could be wrong…” he shrugged.
“He’s kidding, right?” Agatha scowled. She dragged her eyes away from the man and towards Connor… “Right?” She demanded a little more forcefully…
“Sorry, no,” Connor offered back with a little too much glee in his eyes, and in his tone for her liking…
“Noooo…” She shook her head and made her mouth turn down at the corners as she considered the poop that she’d just landed herself in.
A mate?
A shifter!
A shifter mate!
That’s so not happening to me…
How many damn shifters have I been around?
Not one of those was my mate, and now this…
A wolf shifter…
Not even a bear…
I know bears. Wolves … not so much.
What the heck am I supposed to do now?
Oh, I know what I’m supposed to do. What fate wants me to do…
Allow myself to be wooed…
Wooed. Ha!
Chased.
Tempted.
Mercilessly hounded by the mating pull until I’m his and he’s mine…
A wolf…?
Come on!
“I’m standing right here, please, tell me how you feel, don’t sugar coat it,” Liam said, but it wasn’t what she’d said, it was more what was written all over her face…
“Witches,” Connor shrugged, “so judgemental.”
“I’m not …” Agatha scowled at the vampire and he raised his eyebrows back at her, making her think twice.
She swallowed, pressed her lips together, and then hummed for a second or two…
“Ok, maybe just a little judgemental … at times, but this is not one of those times…” she rushed out.
“Isn’t it?” Connor tipped his head to one side and his eyes flashed with amusement, shortly before a slow to boil, annoyingly teasing smile appeared on his lips…
“Bite me…” Agatha bit out.
The deep, hard growl that rolled from Liam, through the air towards the group, had all the males take one long step away from Agatha, and she looked around and scowled…
“Did I fart or something?” She bit out, annoyed with the big, strong, claws and fangs brigade for bailing on her when one of their own grumbled a little warning growl…
“That would be preferable to having his wolf burst out uncontrollably in the middle of town,” Connor chuckled.
“Big, fecking shifter alphas…” she grumbled, “and you, a vampire and all. All he did was growl…”
“Well, this vampire likes his backside without fangs buried in it,” he said, eyeing her for a long moment when she cut him a look that said she wasn’t impressed. “Just saying.”
“Says the cowardly lion…” she muttered.
The moment that Liam moved; her head snapped around on her neck and she swallowed hard at the sight of the man stalking towards her.
The males all took another step backwards…
“You’re on your own…” Landon teased her from somewhere a few steps behind, and she bit down on a string of curses, rolling her eyes in her head for a second, before she decided on a course of action…
She tossed up her hand in front of her. Her palm was held outwards towards Liam…
“That’s close enough,” she warned, but the man wasn’t showing any signs of stopping.
That wasn’t good in anyone’s book, and Agatha snapped her head back on her neck and tried to weigh up her options. Not that she appeared to have that many, but still, she needed to come up with a solution before the man got any closer…
He was already too close for comfort.