~

 

Nathan stalked towards the van and yanked open the side door. In truth, he guessed he should be thanking Samuel, because now he had a reason to stick around a little longer and get to know the witch.

He reached inside and took out a tool belt, wrapping it around his hips as he eyed Sarah up on the porch. There was a jolt within him every time that his eyes met hers, and even if the woman had narrowed her eyes and looked at him as though he were about to steal the family valuables, in his book – she could look at him anyway she darn well pleased … just so long as she looked at him…

“I’ll take a look at that shower, but it sounds like the problem is with the pipes leading into the property. Sometimes up here, after a storm, the silt tends to get into the feed…” he offered up to her.

Not that she needed to know the ins and outs of the plumbing world, or how it all worked, and yet – telling her that had kept her eyes on his, and that was gravy…

“You should check all of the bedrooms, especially Sarah’s…” Dorothy said, and Sarah snapped her eyes towards the woman…

“There’s nothing wrong in my bedroom…” Sarah said, frowning at the elder witch, and questioning if the woman had lost her mind.

“Are you sure, because I’d say you could so with a service…?” Dorothy offered back with a wickedly smug little grin, her eyes flashing with mischief and amusement, and watched she watched as Sarah’s cheeks coloured to a fire red hue and the younger woman’s lower jaw slid downwards towards her breasts that were rising and falling with how much oxygen she was trying to gasp in…

“That’s not … I don’t … how to…” Sarah was lost for the words and the knowhow to make up a full sentence. She was trying, and failing … badly, and she had the witch to thank for putting her on the spot like that.

“Oh, don’t worry, dear. It’s like riding a bike, it’ll come back to you,” Dorothy grinned with a chuckle that sounded like a tease of the very wickedest kind.

Sarah floundered in a sea of disbelief and mortified embarrassment … There was the sound of wheezing that came from her as her words and breath got stuck within her throat, a throat that felt as if it was closing up fast, but the sound of the alpha’s deep chuckle practically slapped her upside the head, and her eyes snapped right back towards him again…

“You might want to close your mouth, Sarah … you’re catching flies and I’m sure you’re not a frog,” Angela offered dryly, and she did just that … snapping her jaws together with the clunk of her teeth.

Lark couldn’t hold onto the needs of his wolf for a moment longer. He’d learned a long time ago not to scent the air around witches or humans – it made his wolf anxious, and an anxious wolf was never a good thing.

Now the beast seemed to want to go the other way and take a nice big whiff of the women that was making his heart skip a beat – one that he might be ill afforded to lose, and something was definitely fluttering inside of him … either he was having some kind of episode that he’d never had before, or…

He took in the scent in the air – easily pulling out the remains of the beta’s scent that was disappearing fast, and then the alpha’s, before he zoned in on each individual witch’s scent … and there she was … a scent so pure, so tempting to both him and his wolf that it overwhelmed him for a long moment…

His wolf signalled in on that essence, and the man groaned inwardly, savouring the moment, realising why, and, after so many long years in the wilderness, finding that one true feeling of pure joy and certainty…

Mine… His beast growled the claim and his heart thumped his ribs…

Mine… so long … almost too damn long to wait for her…

Mine … my mate, my love … finally…

Oh, how I wished it had been forty years ago…

All that lost time to make up for…

All those dreams we’ll never share to fruition together…

And yet she’s here now … finally found her…

Too long … too damn long to wait for my one true mate … for my one true love…

Lark took a long step forwards towards the elder witch. His eyes took her in…

“Can I help you with something or are you lost?” Angela eyed the elder as if he’d just farted, a deep frown brought her greying eyebrows downwards.

“Mine…” Lark growled.

His beast would have been doing somersaults within him if it could have…

“W-ha…?” Angela choked out as Dorothy clapped her hands together and roared with laughter.

Angela’s head snapped around on her neck, and she regretted it the moment that the pain shot through the back of her head like an ice pick against her skull…

“Fu-r Goddess sake…” She bit out, at the pain, at the elder’s words, at her friend’s sheer delighted humour in her woes…

“What do you say sweet cheeks?” Lark gave her a suggestive wiggle of his eyebrows before he offered a wink to back it up…

“I think you just had a senior moment!” Angela bit out. Then she motioned towards Dorothy… “What about her?”

“I’m not his mate … enjoy!” Dorothy beamed her a smile, and offered her a wink, just as the elder had.

Angela felt as if someone had just tried to kick her legs out from under her. She bit down on a myriad of hex’s that she wanted to spout, and a whole bag full of curse words that were suddenly queuing up within her mind but to unleashed…

“This isn’t good conversation…” Angela bit out with a small shake of her head in denial, which she also regretted as that pain pinched once more.

“I agree – who needs conversation when we could be…” Lark stopped in a heartbeat when she raised her hand, palm towards him, and gave him an evil death glare of the worst, and very best kind.

“Finish that sentence and I guarantee you’ll be very sorry – shifty,” Angela bit out dryly, and Dorothy chuckled harder.

“Well, isn’t this a turn up for the books…” Dorothy announced with a grin that stretched wide and lit her eyes with laughter…

“Horror meets the damn apocalypse…” Angela bit out, twisting her head on her neck away from Lark and offering Dorothy a dark stare in the hope that she could silence the woman.

She should have known in her heart of hearts that was never going to happen.

“Oh, come on – it’s the time to kick up your heels, before you’re boots down in the ground. Get on the love bus, baby…” Dorothy teased with glee, and Angela had to let out the groan that needed an escape or she just might have exploded.

“So…” Nathan gave a small shake of his head like he was trying to shake away his utter surprise at what had just happened.

It seemed that he had a new member of his pack … the best thing about that would be his brother’s reaction to it. Samuel was going to be overjoyed at the prospect of having that witch around, day after day, after day…

He almost couldn’t wait to tell him, and yet, he wanted to do it to his face just so that he could witness the man’s reaction when he first heard the good news…

He turned his attention back towards Sarah, who seemed unable to tear her eyes away from the newfound mates…

“The bedrooms are …” Sarah lifted her hand and pointed lamely back over her shoulder at the Inn. “In there.”

“I had a feeling they might be,” Nathan said, and at the sound of his voice she flicked her eyes in his direction, doing a double take when she saw the grin that he was offering that she was certain Mother Nature had designed just to drop panties.

Boy did hers almost fall around her ankles before she caught herself, and gave a small, panicked little whimper…

“Dorothy will show you…” Sarah said, turning and taking off in the other direction from the house; towards the back gardens, and the guarantee of blissful isolation away from everyone and everything…

Life had just got too weird…

“Oh goodie,” Dorothy called out after her as she eyed the alpha, arching just one eyebrow at the man. “Don’t get any ideas – you’re not my type.” She offered dryly, and the alpha chuckled harder…

“Got it. I’ll be on my best behaviour,” he offered back on a furrowed brow and eyebrows that danced to their own tune.

“Although, fifty years ago I might have given you a run for your money…” she grumbled at the thought of her lost youth…

“I wouldn’t bet against you…” Nathan assured her and she snorted a chuckle. Nathan held out his arm for her to take, and she looked suitably impressed.

“Don’t mind if I do. It’s so hard to find a real gentleman nowadays.” Dorothy said as they started away from the mates…

“Hey!” Angela bit out. “I’m coming with you…”

“You can show me your bedroom…” Lark said, staring to follow on her heels when she pulled up abruptly and shot the evil eye back over her shoulder at him…

“You … stay!” She bit out…

“Not a dog…” Lark bit back on a frown.

“Don’t even get me started…” Angela bit out. Turning away from him once more and following Dorothy towards the house.