CHAPTER SIX

 

 

~

 

 Jon did a double take at the alpha as Mason unfolded his large body from the pickup truck with a face like thunder and an attitude to match. He slammed the driver’s door behind him and stalked to the house with his fists balled at his sides. His chin was angled down, his eyes were dark and glaring back at the beta, and Jon was about to ask what was going on when Bree’s car came down the drive.

Enough said.

“Are you happy?” Mason growled as he drew closer to the beta.

“Happy?”

Mason grunted and grumbled. “Being mated — are you happy?”

Jon was unsure of the line of questioning — of course, he was happy, he’d found his mate — but what did that have to do with anything? “Like a Wolf at the sight of the full moon,” he shrugged.

“You don’t feel like killing anything?” Mason was almost at the front door.

“Well, not at this very minute…”

“Good — you can deal with them!” Mason growled long and hard as he stomped into the house and slammed the door behind him. The windows rattled in their frames, and Jon’s amusement level rose higher as he turned his attention toward Bree’s car.

He had to wonder what that meddlesome witch had been up to now, but whatever it was; it had riled up the alpha again. And Mason had so been looking forward to getting rid of Bree.

Now she was back, and she’d brought a friend. He could see why the alpha was miffed.

With two little honks on the horn, Bree drew the car up in front of the house, stuck her head out of the window, and hooked a thumb over her shoulder at the contents in the back of the vehicle. “Well, don’t just stand there, a lot of what’s in the back is your mate’s belongings.” She informed him as Maxi swept out of the house and down the porch steps — clapping with glee.

“My stuff!” Maxi headed toward the back of the car. With a sideways glance at Bree, and noted the woman at her side. She ground to a halt, took a couple of steps back, frowned, and bent at the waist a look in. “How quickly I’m replaced.”

Jon strolled up to his mate and bent to stare in at the new witch. “You brought home a stray.” He cocked an eyebrow at the new witch who was glaring back at him.

“Lunch for the vampire,” Bree teased with a small jab of her elbow into Kelly’s upper arm. The witch snorted in disgust.

“This is where the vampire lives?” Kelly asked.

“Not exactly — but he visits a lot,” Bree said with a smile of satisfaction that spread across her lips. Kelly grunted and looked past Bree to Maxi.

“Is that vampire here now?” she asked.

“I haven’t seen him — but then I’ve been occupied.” Maxi offered her mate a big, beaming smile.

“We can imagine — we don’t need the gory details,” Bree said, and leaned in toward Kelly a little as if sharing a secret. “New mates.”

Kelly grunted again. “Lucky him — poor her,” she offered back to Bree, but the beta snapped to attention, grunted, and stalked to the back of the car while he mumbled under his breath.

“So, are you just collecting stray witches, or is there a reason she’s here?” Maxi asked. She folded her arms, thrust out a hip, and offered the new witch and unimpressed look.

“Jai ran her off the road, and her car is…”

“Dead!” Kelly bit out in annoyance. “A bit like the vampire.”

“So, call her a tow, pat her on the head, and send her on her way,” Jon grumbled. “Or are you planning on starting a witchy coven?”

“Is there another kind of coven?” Bree tossed back as she climbed out of the car and started towards the beta. “Not that one!” she snapped as he reached for a box. “That’s Kelly’s.”

“Why would you have the witch’s things in the car?”

“Would you prefer I leave them on the side of the road where anyone could steal them?” Bree tossed back.

He took a long moment to think about that before he answered. “Well, no…”

“There you go then Scooby Doo,” Bree tossed back with a gleeful look in her eyes and a teasing smile that annoyed him.

“Can you not call me that?”

“Sorry,” Bree offered him a little shrug and a small grimace. “Do you prefer Mutley?”

Jon grumbled a groan as he reached in for a different box. “No.”

“Snoopy?” Bree leaned in and slapped his hand. “Not that one.”

“Well, why don’t you point out the boxes that are Maxi’s.”

Bree pulled her upper body away from him and offered him a look of surprise. “My goddess, you’ve only been mated a few days, and you’re already finding your feminine side.”

Jon screwed up his face and grumbled a growl within his broad chest. “What the hell is that supposed to mean?”

“Using logic — Mr. Spock would be impressed…”

“Star Trek?” Jon grunted. “Isn’t Mr. Spock male?”

“That’s why they call him Mr…”

“And therefore you just blew your whole argument out of the water…”

“How so?”

“He is male…”

“He’s also an alien,” Bree said with a scathing look up and down his body. “I suppose that applies to you.”

“Which boxes?” Jon growled.

“Exactly,” Bree shot back, and the beta turned toward her, twisted his head on his neck, and questioned her with a hard glare

“Huh?”

“Witch boxes…”

“That’s what I asked.”

“That’s what I said.”

Jon grunted a growl. “I’m not playing,” he grumbled.

“Grumble bunny,” Bree tossed back with a snort of amusement.

“Go and annoy someone else,” Jon grumbled.

“You’re no fun.” Bree lifted her hand and pointed out the boxes, and Jon reached for the first one. “Speaking of fun, where did the alpha go?” Bree chuckled.

“I like playing with Jon, not the alpha, so,” Maxi said with a wicked grin that made her mate offer a growl of a different kind.

“Ha! Look at that; Snoopy perked right up,” Bree chuckled.

“It’s no wonder the alpha took off,” Jon grumbled another growl at the witch as he tossed her a dark glare, snatched up a couple of boxes from the back of the car, and started off for the house with his mate in tow.

“While the alpha’s away,” Bree muttered to herself. “The witch will most definitely play.”