~

 

“You made my wolf very happy,” Griffin informed his mate the moment that he shifted back into his human form.

“Cool wolf – what’s not to love?” Keri’s eyes took in every inch of the alpha’s body that she possibly could.

His wounds were already clearly healing – the superficial ones had already turned into angry red welts – the bruises that dotted his body and face were already turning a dull green-yellow, and there didn’t look to be any broken bones as he moved towards her.

Naked, the man was naked and with those hard muscles of his moving under his tanned skin.

Griffin’s wolf practically purred at her words. The daft beast was already head over heels in love with their mate, and he would have rolled over onto his back and let her rub his tummy if she’d asked.

Griffin hadn’t fared much better. His heart was full of her, and yet, there was still room for more.

“You on the other hand,” she frowned at him.

Griffin stopped in place and eyed her. He was unsure of what she was going to berate him for next, but he was ready to listen.

She was his mate, and he would always take her gripes and grievances seriously.

“Go on,” he urged, drawing in a long, deep breath of expectation as his chest expanded, and her eyes roamed down to it once more.

“Are a mess,” Keri said, placing only one hand on one hip, and he let out that breath slowly – it was filled with relief.

“It couldn’t be helped,” Griffin offered back.

One side of his mouth reached upwards in a lopsided grin that filled his jet black eyes with light and humor, and she was glad to see it.

“Boys will be boys, I guess,” she said, tossing up her shoulders as his grin was mirrored on her face.

“About what you said earlier.” Griffin narrowed his eyes just a little, but it was the movement of his hard length as it twitched that made her snap her eyes down and then flick them back up to his face.

He caught that quick look and growled.

“Earlier?” Keri looking a little distracted.

“Before the fight…”

“The fight,” Keri mused.

“When you were talking to the vampire.”

“I have a name!” Percival announced. The man was stalking back towards them. “Why does everyone have to refer to me as the vampire? I don’t go around calling you the alpha, the Wolfman, the minion of Satan that howls at the moon, now, do it?”

“Do you mind, Percy?” Keri tossed over her shoulder and heard the man groan.

“Fine… call me the vampire,” he tossed up a hand. “Crisis averted. Gerald is dead.”

“Penny!” Keri kicked herself for not giving her friend the thought and worry that she deserved.

“Safe. Her mate is whisking her up to their bedroom as we speak.” Percival announced.

“That sounds like a plan of action for what comes next,” Griffin growled and snatched Keri’s attention back towards him.

“Oh, for what comes next. Someone’s confident,” Keri frowned again as both of her hands found her hips.

“I’m just repeating what you told me,” Griffin gave her a very wolfish grin.

“I told you?”

“Did you not?”

“Not what?”

“Here we go with the twenty questions again.” Percival sighed. “Yes, you did – no, I didn’t … yadda – yadda – yadda – blah – blah – blah. I know I don’t age, but sometimes it feels like I do.”

“Oh, poor baby,” Keri offered in a bored tone.

“Slacking, Alpha. Now your mate is calling me baby…” Percival teased, but the warning growl that came back from the shifter made the vampire take a long step back, and he held his hands up to his chest in mock surrender. “Too soon?”

“Eternity would be too soon,” Griffin growled.

“Got it,” Percival looked suitably chastised.

“So, back to what you said,” Griffin turned his attention back towards Keri.

“I said a lot of things … before the fight – which… before… are we talking about?”

She knew, and Griffin knew that she knew.

She was doing that sidestepping thing that women were fond of to waste time and confuse matters, to confuse him, but he wasn’t about to let things drop.

Oh, no. She’d said it alright – and he was going to enjoy handing her back her words.

“I think it went something like; Well, Griffin had better win the fight then, because the moment that he does – I’m going to bond with him,” The alpha stated.

There was an underlying growl that ran with every word. She liked that sound a lot.

“You think?” Keri asked as innocently as she could. “That’s not going to hold up in a court of law…”

“It’s lucky then that I don’t need a court of law.” Griffin closed the distance between them, and surprisingly; his mate held her ground.

“Just like that?” Keri said with a breathless giggle at the thought of what came next.

“Just like that,” Griffin assured her.

Then he reached for her, snatched her up against him, and she wrapped her legs around his naked hips and felt the full press of his hard length against her sex.

She already hated that she was still wearing clothes.

There were a few manly cheers that went up around them. A few excited giggles sounded out, and a lot of happy mutterings from the pack that was still gathered behind them.

“Get a room,” Percival groaned as he rolled his eyes in his head.

“My thoughts exactly,” Keri grinned, and Griffin wasted no time in starting off towards the house.

“Come on, Percy,” Maria said. “We’ve got cake…”

“And Whiskey?”

“Lots of whiskey,” Maria assured him.

“You know the way to my heart.” Percival grinned.

“You have a heart?” Maria teased, and the vampire frowned.

“Only when absolutely necessary.”

“Commiserations.”

“Thank you. See, you understand me.” Percival grinned, and the elder snorted a chuckle.

“I’m not your type,” Maria offered back.

“Blood type or type-type?” Percival asked as he strolled at the side of the elder, and she reached out and slapped him around the back of his head. “Both. Got it.”

 

~

~

~

 

“Where’d everyone go?” Isla frowned as she eyed her mate with suspicion.

“Let’s get you some coffee,” Lucas said.

Neal had swept his mate off her feet and carried her away right in front of his eyes.

He’d heard Griffin practically do the same with his mate.

While Isla was as drunk as sin, and he knew that the wooing would have to wait until the little witch sobered up.

He sighed inside. His beast clawed to be set free to claim their mate, and he had to slam shut that steel cage around his needs, his wants, and his desires until his mate was back within her rational mind – wherever and if ever that was the case.

He really didn’t want to wait.

But, he could wait.

He could wait just as long as it took for her to agree to bond with him, because she wasn’t going anywhere.

Isla was his and he was hers, and in the grand scheme of things – he felt more settled and content inside than he’d ever felt in his life before.