CHAPTER FIVE

 

 

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Bree hit the brake and tooled her car onto the little driveway of her cottage. When she flicked a look at the witch beside her; she noted that Emily had a white-knuckle grip on the handle above the door and the other hand was gripping the side of her seat.

“Problem?” Bree asked.

“I’ll let you know when my brain catches up to us – I think you left it back there somewhere,” Emily said with a scowl that she’d been wearing since the helpful witch had stomped on the accelerator back in town and the G-force had slammed her back into her seat.

“Come on – I have wine,” Bree said and watched the witch perk up a little with interest.

“If it’s one of those boxes with the little tap, I’ll just lie down, and you can turn it on…”

“Like waterboarding…”

“I guarantee I’ll swallow every drop. Especially, after the journey from hell…”

“Do not slate my driving…”

“That was driving? It felt more like pot luck if we’d make it or not. Especially that last corner…”

“I like to call that dead man’s bend…”

“I can see why you would.”

Bree snorted a chuckle as she popped the door open and climbed out. Emily followed her move and eyed the little house for a long moment.

“Let’s get you that wine, scaredy cat,” Bree chuckle as she slammed the door and started across the path.

“Scaredy cat? Yeah, after that journey I think I’m down to three lives,” Emily mumbled, but loud enough for Bree to catch.

“Well, I guess I could have left you back there with the vampire…”

“I thought he was a friend of yours; you seemed – chummy…”

“An acquaintance. Not a friend, but you certainly brought out the vamp in him.”

Emily stopped at the threshold of the door as Bree let herself in. “The wine’s in the kitchen, it won’t walk out here,” Bree tossed back over her shoulder.

“If he knows you – then he knows where you live, right?”

“Ah, but, he’s never been invited in…”

“But, he’s a vampire. He could lay siege to the house.” Emily was thinking on her feet, and she scowled at the thought.

Bree turned at the kitchen door and offered the new witch a teasing smile. “I think we’ll manage to wait him out. I have a lot of wine.”

“Oh,” Emily shrugged. Then she weighed up her options, of which she had only a few and no car to go with it, and took the first step into the witch’s lair.

 

 

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Bree had just poured the wine when she heard the screech of tires from outside the front of the house. Emily heard it too, and she stiffened as she perched on the edge of the comfy chair and craned her head on her neck to look out of the window.

“Sounds like the fangster has arrived,” Bree said before taking a sip of her wine as if it what was happening was a normal event.

“What gave it away?” Emily said, rather absently as she stared out of the window and her heart kicked her in the ribs the moment that he climbed out of his car and stared at the cottage. She snapped her head back on her neck and scowled as if he was looking right at her.

“Be nice – I can always put you outside like an unwanted cat…”

“I’m thinking this wasn’t such a good idea,” Emily said as she pushed up to her feet and kept her eyes on the vampire outside. He started toward the house, and she grimaced. “If only I had my car…”

“I have a broomstick,” Bree offered back, and the witch snorted.

“Great, I can shove it up his backside…”

“I don’t want it back after that,” Bree chuckled.

“He’s coming to the door,” Emily said in a hissed whisper, and she scrunched up her face and grimaced at the prospect of dealing with him again.

“That’s not a good look for you,” Bree informed her and got just the briefest of a glare back before Emily turned her attention back to the window again.

When she lost sight of him, she edged towards the window.

Emily was almost at the window when Jai appeared and slapped his palms against the glass as he peered in. Emily jumped in place and bit down on her annoyance. She had the urge to zap him, just for the poops and giggles of it.

“Skittish much?” Bree chuckled.

“That’s not normal,” Emily hissed out.

Bree waved a dismissive hand towards the vampire. “Relax, he does that a lot. I like to think of it as his Garfield impression…”

“Garfield?”

“The little sucker pawed toys in car windows,” Bree said.

“Come out, come out wherever you are,” Jai said, but that close to the curtains, he could see her just fine.

“I dare you to try getting in,” Bree called, mocking him.

“Don’t bait him,” Emily hissed.

“Where’s your sense of adventure?” Bree’s eyes fired up with delight and mischief, and Emily snorted her contempt for the witch’s teasing words.

“I guess I left it back at the curb with my uterus,” Emily scowled at the vampire as the man stared right at her. If the net curtain hadn’t been in the way, then she might have thought he could truly see her.

“You’re welcome to go back and get it,” Bree shrugged.

She’d rescued the witch, and that was where her duty to the woman ended. She didn’t know why the vampire had gone all black-eyed fang-meister, but she didn’t much care. She’d seen a witch in need and had stepped in, and that’s where her work ended.

“Can I take your car?”

“No…”

“Then I guess I’m going to take you up on that offer of drinking all your wine.” Emily scowled at the sight of the pickup truck that pulled in behind the vampire’s car. “Too late, we’ve got company, and they just blocked your car in.”

Bree’s interest was piqued, and she pushed up to her feet and joined Emily at the window. She heard the vampire groan, and he hadn’t even turned his head to look at who had driven up.

Bree knew who it was. She angled her chin down and pursed her lips. “Oh good, it’s the cavalry,” she grumbled as at the sight of the alpha as the big shifter climbed out of the truck.

“Who’s that?”

“That’s the alpha of the shifter you maimed,” Bree informed her and noted the grimace on the witch’s face.