~

 

“Noted,” Connor tossed back to his mate. He could see that she was only just getting started.

He’d found that letting her have her rant and burning herself out was better than trying to extinguish the flames of her wrath.

“Miffed is hearing you tell people that this is your castle – when you know you’re just a hop, skip, and a jump from being tied to a stake and burned alive, by yours truly…”

“Noted,” Connor offered.

“Miffed is not being able to go on a mass spending spree on the internet today because you’ve hidden all of the credit cards…” Vicky turned her whole body towards him and Connor winced…

“Hidden isn’t exactly the word I would choose,” Connor offered back…

“Is it not?”

“No.”

“Go ahead, pitch me a word, you tight fisted, ancient, bloodsucking, leech…”

“My, but you have so many of your own.”

“I’ve been googling them, as I had nothing better to do on the internet,” Vicky bit back.

“Look, if you bought something useful, like a new personality…” Connor heard her gargle something in the back of her throat, and he had to take a second to wonder if his backside was going to be toast then and there, or if she’d save it for later … Sort of like personal torture…

“You’ll pay for that,” Vicky bit out, and he had his answer. Private torture, the very best kind.

“You’re still not getting another castle.” Connor muttered on a grin.

“You!” Vicky said, turning her attention towards Liam and watching the man eye her back, a little more sheepishly this time – she liked that – the man learned fast. “I put you in the bedroom next to your mate.”

“Please don’t say that word…” Agatha muttered.

“You’ll get used to it. I did,” Vicky offered her a warm smile. Then she turned a cold glare onto Connor. “And look who I got for a damn mate!”

“Love you too, Baby,” Connor offered back to a huff.

“Are you hungry?” Vicky turned her attention back towards Liam.

“I know I am,” Connor grinned, and his mate ignored him.

“No…” Liam started to reply, but she cut him off.

“Thirsty?” She demanded.

“Not that I know of…”

“Good, then my job here is done,” Vicky said, expanding her hands, and turning away.

“You’re leaving…” Agatha said in a rush, “now?” She added, slowly as she flicked her eyes to Liam and back again.

“You’re a witch, you have the power to zap. He’s your mate – it’s not like he’s going to hurt you,” Vicky shrugged.

“I would never hurt her…” Liam growled…

“Keep up, Flash. I just said that,” Vicky looked to Connor. “I said that, right?”

“Sorry,” Connor offered back, “Your jaws start flapping and my brain naturally turns off my hearing.”

“That’s strike two, keep it up and you’ll be swinging from your bat feet in the barn tonight…”

“We don’t have a barn,” Connor offered back.

“I don’t care whose barn,” Vicky shrugged, and Agatha couldn’t help but chuckle.

“Being a mate is so much fun,” Connor offered, dryly.

“You should be grateful that I invited you into my castle in the first place,” Vicky gave him a smug smile, and he narrowed his eyes on her.

“Not that again,” he groaned.

“Truth hurts, Baby,” she offered back, thumbing her nose at him and stalking towards the door.

“I see what you mean now,” Liam offered to Connor and the vampire winced as his mate turned back towards him.

“Oh, third strike, Connor,” Vicky said, placing her hands on her hips. “Badly played.”

Connor groaned and reminded himself to trip the shifter down a flight of hard stone stairs at his earliest convenience.

“You don’t know what I said…”

“I don’t have to know what you said only that you said something.”

“True…” Connor offered back.

“Busted.”

“But you love me anyway…” Connor offered smugly.

“Ever heard the saying; you always hurt the ones you love?”

“Oh,” Connor considered it for a long moment, and then a wicked smile spread across his lips. “Yes please.”

 

~

~

~

 

Agatha stood at the window in her room and looked down on the darkness of the grounds. It was at times like those that she wouldn’t have minded being able to see what the shifters and the vampire saw with their supernatural vision.

She had a feeling that Marco and Kent were out there somewhere in the night, and she knew that they could very well be looking right back at her in that moment – only they would ever know.

A mate – shifter – wolf – what the heck am I supposed to do with that?

Why now?

Why, when I have the clan after me for Zane?

It’s not right.

I shouldn’t be dragging other people into my battles.

I have magic. I can take Marco on in a fair fight…

It’s Kent that I’m not so sure about.

Zane always said he was alpha material, and he is…

That’s not really the point though, be honest with yourself … you just don’t want to fight Kent because you kind of like the guy.

He never did me any harm. Never sneered because I was a witch and not a shifter. Never looked at me the wrong way…

I hate this.

I hate the uncertainty.

I hate that I have a mate and if the clan attack then he’s in the firing line…

And what about Liam?

Geez, the man is as sexy as hell…

I’ve never drooled over muscles, but his look good on him…

Those eyes…

Two loud thuds on the door sent her spinning around in surprise. Her body flushed with shock and excitement at the thought of her mate … and she felt the irrational sense of guilt at her thoughts – as if he was right there ad could read her mind…

“Speak of the Devil,” she muttered.

“I heard that,” Liam said. The depth of his voice carried through the thick wood, but the sound didn’t come from the bedroom door, but from the adjoining door right next to her.

“Well, nobody told you to eavesdrop,” Agatha grimaced and rolled her eyes to the ceiling.

Busted twice – she didn’t want to go for a third time.

“You have to open the door on your side…” Liam said, and her eyes snapped back down from the ceiling to the door on a frown…

“Now, how would you know that unless you already tried it?”

“I gave it a little twist…” he admitted.

“What you do in the privacy of your bathroom is no concern to me,” Agatha scoffed, and heard a low grumbled from the other side.

“Open the door. We should talk.”

“We are talking, and the door is closed. If it ain’t broke…”

“It’s always better face to face,” Liam reasoned…

His wolf was lonesome for the sight of her. She’d only been in her room for about half an hour and already the beast missed having her around.

Liam wasn’t sure how he felt about it.

Finding his mate had been overwhelming. It wasn’t that he didn’t want it – he did. It wasn’t that his beast didn’t need it – it did. He just wasn’t sure that he could be the mate to her that he should be.

He had a need to protect females. His mate was certainly giving him that opportunity with the clan around…

But would that be enough?