~

 

“Is this one causing you trouble?” Quinn asked as he walked up behind Valerie and the woman turned sharply towards him. She eyed him from head to toe and backed up again, and then she gave an over-exaggerated huff.

“Oh look, it’s the letch,” Valerie hissed.

“Oh look, it’s the Ice Queen,” Quinn shot back. He was damned if he’d be outdone.

“Why don’t you go sniff someone else’s petticoat?” Valerie’s hands were on her hips in no time at all, but Quinn didn’t take that as a warning.

“I haven’t sniffed anybody. Least of all you,” Quinn grumbled a low, deep growl in his chest as he eyed the elder with annoyance.“I’ll bet!” She huffed.

“Then pay up, sister, I’m selective in who I scent, and it certainly wouldn’t be a frosty old…” Quinn didn’t manage to get the last word out because Valerie unleashed her magic upon him and zapped him a good one.

“Men!” Dorothy rolled her eyes and tossed up her hands. “Aren’t you old enough to know better, Quinn?”

“How is this my fault?” Quinn growled back in annoyance as he shook off the last of Valerie’s magic.

“You’re male,” one of the elders in the gathering offered on a chuckle.

“He’s downright rude, is what he is!” Another witch chimed in.

“Oh sure, let’s all pick on the man in the room,” Quinn growled.

“Define man.” Another elder said.

“Well, he didn’t get slapped, but he got zapped — pay up,” Hank chuckled as he and Lark walked toward their friend.

“That wasn’t the bet,” Lark offered back.

“Welch on the bet, why don’t you?” Hank grumbled.

“Would you two stop acting like schoolboys?” Dorothy berated them. “If you can’t say anything useful then don’t say anything at all.”

“That would be a life of silence in his case,” Lark chuckled.

“How about we bounce Quinn out of here on his backside for you?” Hank offered his mate.

“That sounds like a good idea,” Lark agreed.

“For the memory challenged among you, I’ll say again — how is this my fault?” Quinn growled. “This woman is as nutty as a squirrel’s lunch.” He lifted one large hand and pointed his stubby index finger and Valerie.

“I’m guessing you’re going to regret that remark,” Hank chuckled to himself. But he was right, a moment later Quinn’s face was a picture of twisted pain as Valerie zapped him again. “Yep, that’s got to hurt. Hurts, right?” He grinned at Quinn.

“He definitely deserved that one,” Lark chuckled. “I said; you deserved that one.” Lark offered Quinn on a raised voice.

“I got zapped, I’m not deaf,” Quinn grumbled at his friends. “If I get zapped just once more…” Quinn growled out. But his words were like a red rag to a bull — and Valerie was the bull, only she didn’t have horns, at least, not ones that could be seen.

She zapped him again.

“Witch!” Quinn growled. He could feel the prickle of his wolf just beneath his skin as the beast reacted.

He took a good long breath up his nose to try to even out his breathing and settle the beast within him. Bad move.

The sweet feminine scent on the air made every muscle in his body tense almost as hard as when the witch had zapped him.

He knew who — he knew what — but that still didn’t stop the hard grip of disbelief that clenched his stomach and made his head spin.

A mate.

His mate.

“Oh — no!” He grumbled a growl and shook his head from side to side as he tried to collect his thoughts.

Mine…

Lark nudged Hank in the ribs, and Hank nudged Dorothy. His mate huffed in annoyance as she turned curious eyes upon him.

“You’d better have a good reason for doing that, or you’re in the doghouse,” Dorothy grumbled at her mate.

“Go ahead, Quinn — say it!” Hank urged.

His reasoning was twofold — firstly, he knew what being in the doghouse meant, and he certainly didn’t want to go there again. He also wanted to hear Quinn say the word.

“No!” Quinn shook his head again as he glared at Hank in annoyance.

“Say what?” Angela asked as she strolled towards the group. You could have heard a pin drop in the room as everyone’s attention was turned on Quinn.

“Doesn’t matter — it’s not important,” Quinn grumbled.

Mine…

Quinn’s wolf growled inside of him. The beast had waited a long time to find their mate, and he wasn’t about to give up now.

“Go on, Quinn. You know you want to,” Lark chuckled.

“Nope.” Quinn shrugged his shoulders and looked anywhere but at the group.

“What’s going on?” Valerie demanded. She’d had more than enough fun and games for one day. She was going to find Elizabeth and go home — at least, that was the plan.

“Yeah, Quinn — tell the lady what’s going on,” Hank chuckled.

That sound annoyed Quinn to his very core. He felt the need to punch the man on the nose — at least that would relieve some of the coiled up tension within him.

“Lady,” Quinn snorted his contempt for that word.

“I’m warning you, you old fart,” Valerie hissed out in hushed tones that were only meant for him.

“She isn’t?” Angela chuckled as she caught on to what was happening.

“Oh, she is,” Lark grinned.

“It’s what?” Valerie demanded once more, and she would have stomped her foot in frustration, but she didn’t want to appear childish, or risk toppling off balance.

“I don’t want to spoil the surprise,” Angela chuckled.

“Will somebody just tell me what is going on?!” Valerie’s voice was becoming shrill again, and all three shifters grimaced at the sound.

“Quinn,” Hank prodded the man again.

“No!” Quinn grumbled.

“Oh just man up,” Valerie demanded, and Quinn’s beast rose up within him. There was something about his mate challenging him like that which touched a nerve.

“Mine!” Quinn growled out as he turned towards his mate and saw the shocked expression hit her like a freight train out of nowhere.