CHAPTER TWELVE
~
“Bree’s spell,” Martha announced and everyone turned their attention to her.
“Which one?” The alpha growled.
“The one that brought Maxi her mate,” Martha said, and the alpha growled again.
“I thought you said that would die out naturally?” Mason didn’t like the sound of it.
“Depends,” Martha shrugged.
Mason grumbled a few choice words under his breath. “Depends? Explain…”
“Then stop being so growly and mumbling words and let someone get a word in edgeways — and by someone – I mean me,” Martha hissed back. “Are you done?” she grumbled at the alpha.
Mason craned his head forward on his neck and eyed the elder witch. “Now who’s being grumpy?”
“Just thought — when in Rome,” she shrugged her shoulders. “You big grouch.”
Mason tossed his hands up and absently waved them in the air. He was done — witches were crazy — Martha was crazy — and he had a witch mate — could life get any better?
“So, the spell,” Martha started again.” She eyed the alpha for a long moment looking to see if he was going to jump in when he shrugged his shoulders once more, she continued. “Well, it looks like your pack is still spellbound.” The alpha opened his mouth to speak, so she held up a hand, palm outward, to stop him. “It means when they see a potential mate they have the urge to sniff — that’s not such a bad thing…”
“It is if it’s a witch…” Mason said without thinking and then bit it off. “It opens them up to a world of hurt — how many witches like been sniffed?” He rushed out.
“Nice catch,” the vampire said.
“Thank you,” Mason said without thinking and winced again. He tossed the vampire a dark glare.
“I’m going to let that one slide,” Martha grumbled back. “And it’s not because I like you. I don’t.”
“Well, I’m not,” Kelly said, and she twisted her body around, lifted her hands, and zapped him.
The man might be an alpha — might be her mate – but that was not the point. She was sticking up for herself, and for witches everywhere. And she thought that she’d made her point quite nicely.
“Remind you of someone?” Bree leaned in toward Maxi on the sofa and offered her a smirk filled grin.
“No,” Maxi tossed back with a dry, warning tone for her friend.
“I’m sure it reminds your mate of someone,” Bree chuckled.
“You know,” Martha bit out. “I’m not getting any younger.”
“Go ahead,” the alpha said as he bit down on the pain of the hard sting of his mate’s magic. “I assume there’s more.”
“Well, that would depend on Mother Nature,” Martha gave a small shrug.
“Would you like me to beg you to spit it out?” The alpha tossed back.
“I was taking a breath — pausing for thought – females have those – thoughts,” Martha snapped back.
“Maybe even pausing for effect?” The vampire asked.
Martha snorted a chuckle. “Now, that would make me a tease, and I’m too old for that.” She had a wicked grin on her lips, and the vampire couldn’t help but chuckle.
“Could you two get a room, after you finish telling us about Mother Nature?” Mason growled back. That was when he felt the hard sting of the elder witch’s magic — he guessed he deserved that one.
“If you don’t know about Mother Nature then there’s no hope for you,” Martha hissed back.
It had got to the point where the alpha was annoying now. She didn’t need to be there — she was doing it as a favor — the least he could do was show some respect and shut the hell up.
“I know what Mother Nature is…”
“Do you know what the birds and the bees are?” Martha tossed back. “Do you need me to give you the down low on that as well?”
“Oh, witch slapped,” Bree chuckled.
“Can we just get on with it; I have a mate to woo?” Mason grumbled.
“Ha!” Kelly bit out on a snort of contempt for his words.
“Yes, and she seems thrilled by the prospect,” Martha tossed back.
“Face it, alpha,” the vampire said. “She’s just not that into you.”
“I’m running a book on who the alpha was going to kill next,” Bree announced and brought all eyes back to her. “What?”
Maxi leaned in toward her friend. “I’m betting it’s you — depending on the spell.”
Bree didn’t look too happy at the prospect. “Fine, the spell was a simple spell to mess with the witch’s wards.” She shrugged. “I just wanted to see if the spell was still active.”
“Why would you do that?” Kelly bit out.
“Yes, why would you do that?” Mason growled, but when Kelly shot him a glare, he stopped talking and growling.
“I could see you’re as happy about us being mates as I am,” Kelly bit out with a tone that could cut glass.
“I never…” Mason was cut off in a timely fashion by Martha, and he made a mental note to thank the elder for it later.
“So,” Martha announced like she was Miss Marple in a mystery novel. “The first spell that Bree performed must have carried on the wind and brought the new witch here. The second spell dropped her shields and enabled the alpha to scent his mate more easily — end of the mystery.”
“It wasn’t a mystery to me,” Bree shrugged.
“Well,” Kelly turned a hard glare down on Bree. “Here is me wishing you the same in return.”
Bree gasped in a breath, and her lower jaw slid down toward her chest. “I can’t believe you said that.”
“You mean you fear getting what you deserve?” Kelly tossed back.
“Take it back!” Bree hissed out as she pushed up to her feet.
“Will not!” Kelly tossed her little fists onto her hips, craned her neck towards Bree, and grunted in annoyance. “I wish for you to find your mate!”
“Witch!” Bree hissed out as she zapped the witch.
Kelly zapped her back.
“Oh, not again!” Mason growled and rolled his eyes.
His beast rose up within him. It wanted to defend its mate, but neither man nor beast wanted to get in between two witches when they were zapping each other. He might have been male, but he wasn’t stupid.
“Ooooo,” the vampire looked on with glee. “Witch fight!”
Mason shot the vampire a hard glare of annoyance. “Can you not encourage them?”
“Hey, doesn’t look like they need any encouragement from me,” the vampire shrugged. “But, I could make a suggestion — how about taking it outside and adding some mud.”
Mason couldn’t help where his mind went next — X-rated thoughts – well, he was only male.