CHAPTER FIFTEEN

 

 

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Emily lowered her chin toward her chest and eyed the vampire from under her lashes as she wagged a finger in his direction. “I know what you’re thinking…”

“Well, if you drop your witchy shields, I’ll know what you’re thinking,” Jai tossed back. He offered her his best, winning smile — and she snorted her contempt at him. You couldn’t win them all.

“Pah!”

“He is your mate,” Bree offered with an unusual sense of clarity considering how many margaritas she’d had.

“That I am,” Jai said, and he wiggled his eyebrows at his mate.

“Don’t try to reel me in with those eyebrows of yours,” Emily said, and Bree looked confused.

“I’m sorry my eyebrows offend you,” Jai offered a small, helpless shrug of his shoulders and an innocent look that she wasn’t buying.

“He can shave them off,” Bree tossed out.

“Whose side are you on?” Emily demanded.

“The jury is out on that one,” Bree said. In truth, she felt sorry for the both of them, and there was a little woodpecker of guilt tapping at the back of her mind.

“I could shave them off.” Jai shrugged. “Of course, they’d grow back in about three minutes.”

“Now that I’d like to see,” Emily said, distracted by the thought of what that would look like.

“Let’s go; I have a razor at home.” Jai motioned toward the back door that was still wide open from where the elders had left.

He was in two minds about whether to go all guns blazing — gung-ho — with his mate in the same way that the old alpha had done. Jai knew that he could force the issue, sling her over his shoulder and carry her to his car, but was that really the way to go?

He was more about subtle persuasion, definitely wooing her over to his way of thinking, charm, poise, and if none of that worked — sure, he’d sling her over his shoulder and carry her away into the night like any good self-respecting vampire would.

“You think I’m going home with you?”

“I think on the one to ten scale, it’s pretty much a twelve … possible thirteen…”

“My lucky number, but not yours – I’m staying right here,” she folded her arms and gave an emphatic nod of her head.

“Here?” Bree looked innocent but intrigued.

“You drove me here, deal with it,” Emily said and tossed her a scowl.

“Maybe I should be the one to leave,” she muttered.

“No need,” Jai said. “There are twenty-two bedrooms at my house for my mate to choose from, and one big, master suite with a bed the size off…”

“Do you ever stop bragging?” Emily huffed. “I have twenty-two bedrooms…” she mimicked him. “Shame you don’t have an indoor pool and hot tub, then I might have been interested.” She sneered.

“Actually,” Jai smirked, and she scowled at him.

“A swimming pool?”

“Games room, ballroom, two dining rooms, informal and formal, a cinema…”

“Cinema?”

“Tennis court, and … did I mention the extensive grounds?”

“You did,” she muttered.

“With deer…”

“Bet Bambi doesn’t last long around these parts,” she grumbled.

“You’d be surprised…”

“I’d be bloody shocked.” She huffed.

“I have to agree with her on that one,” Bree said, raising her hand and looking bored.

“I think we’ve overstayed our welcome,” Jai said.

“What welcome?” Bree asked. “You weren’t invited.”

“In?” he grinned. “I think you’ll find I was.”

“Mistake…”

“Of epic proportions.” Emily shot her a glare.

“And one that can’t be undone,” Jai reminded her. “Too bad looks like you have a friend for life. Get over it.”

“Not here you don’t,” Emily scowled at her. “How could you recklessly call mates like that?”

“Talk about get over it,” Bree said, as she looked anywhere but at the witch.

“So, away to the Batmobile?” Jai grinned, and Emily turned that scowl on him. “Did I mention I have gargoyles that have that exact same look on their faces – you might be related.”

Emily zapped him. “I really don’t like you.” She lied, she liked funny, and he was funny, sexy too, but he didn’t need to know that, and she wasn’t telling.

Jai bit down on the sting of her magic, but it went as fast as it came. “I really wouldn’t rush to judgment on that one, because fate says differently, and between you and me, I never mess with fate.”

Emily opened her mouth to blast him with her words, but Bree got there first. “Go ahead, take the vampire for a test run – what have you got to lose?”

“Blood,” Emily tossed back, and Bree grimaced.

“Aside from that,” Bree waved her protest away.

“My life…”

“I think he’s pretty much housetrained on the whole – bleed them dry thing,” Bree assured her.

“It’s true,” Jai offered her a teasing smile, and her heart kicked her ribs. It kept doing that and was fast becoming annoying, to say the least.

Emily didn’t need her body reminding her that the man was a sexy as hell, but a lot of supernatural men were. That didn’t mean that she was going to dive right in – take the plunge – in his arms or his pool.

“Trust ye not,” Emily tossed back.

“I’m wounded to the very core,” Jai looked downcast for all of a few seconds, then he snapped on a bright grin. “But, aren’t you a witch?”

“Der…”

“Don’t you have magical powers that can protect you from the likes of a little old vampire hell-bent on nefarious ways?”

“Der…”

“Wonderful vocabulary,” he teased. “Then doesn’t it follow that this poor, defenseless vampire wouldn’t stand a chance against a wicked witch like you?”

“Well…”

“Don’t think on it too much,” Jai offered back. “So, ergo, where would be the harm in leaving this dark and dingy place…”

“Hey!” Bree bit out and looked around her at the bright and cheerful décor.

“And going for a drive with me in my Aston Martin?”

“Aston – Martin?” Emily chewed that thought over. Jai immediately picked up on how her interest had been piqued.

“To visit my garage that houses a wonderful assortment of cars such as a Porche, two Ferrari’s, a very nice Lamborghini, Shelby…”

“Okay stop! Do you think I can be bought?”

“I was hopeful…”

“What?” Emily snapped.