~

“Get used to the fact that you are not the alpha of this pack.” I couldn’t back down now. “Even if you shift into your wolf — I’m going to kick your backside with my magic.” I knew that one to be true. If his beast made an appearance, then I wouldn’t have much choice but to put the damn thing down and keep it down until Ross regained control of his anger again. “Do you really want to be kicked up and down your own stupid bloody mountain by a girl?”

“Not so much, no,” Ross growled out, biting down on his anger.

I could see by the colour of his eyes returning to normal that he was getting a grip on his wolf. He’d been off practising… stuff, with Duncan, and I was glad that control seemed to be a part of that.

“Think of us as a family, a pack. What hurts one of us hurts us all. And it might seem like a good idea for you to put yourself in harm’s way for us, but imagine the boot was on the other foot, and it was one of us putting ourselves in harm’s way for you…”

“That’s what you’re trying to do…”

“No, we’re not. A pack works as a collective, one unit all fighting for the good of the whole. It’s risking defeat for all of us when someone goes off brain-farting and solo, and in case you didn’t get it, stupid head, that someone is you.”

“That’s not how I see it…” Ross growled.

“Then wake up and smell the kibble…”

“Maggie,” Ross shook his head in annoyance, but he was thinking — it was easy to tell with Ross because Malachi was right, the man definitely had a constipated look on his face.

“Or, let me put it this way, do you want Malachi protecting Moira instead of you?”

“Hell, no,” he growled.

Ross pushed up to his full height, and for a moment I wasn’t sure if one of his giant fists was going to be swung my way — while that would be out of character for the man with his beast messing around with his mind, you never could tell.

“Oh, and boy, do you have some grovelling to do with Moira,” I chuckled, folding my arms and giving him a look of pure glee.

Ross raised a hand and dragged it through his hair. His broad chest rose and fell on a grumble. “How much grovelling — exactly?” He winced.

“Oh, we’re talking down on your knees, begging for forgiveness, hearts and flowers, and getting zapped for your trouble…” He groaned. “And every time she zaps you, you’re going to thank her and beg her forgiveness once more.”

“I only did it because…”

“Nope — doesn’t matter why — it only matters how well you grovel.” I grinned so hard I could have been a pod person of the Cheshire cat.

For the moment, life was good, Ross was in trouble with Moira, and I was going to enjoy it while I could. “Get your stuff, you’re coming home with us,” I pointed toward his house just so that there would be no mistake.

“But…”

“We tried it your way, and this is what happened, now we’re going to try it mine.”

Ross grumbled and grunted his way home.

“Interesting.” Malachi appeared at my side and scared the bejesus out of me. I bit down on my need to zap the heck out of him, but that didn’t stop me turning a glare on the man.

“Do you really have to do that?”

“Yes,” he grinned, and I was having a really hard time hammering that need to zap him. “And now I know exactly what it takes to get on your good side after miffing you off.”

“Ross is my oldest and dearest friend — short of killing one of my kin, he can pretty much do anything, and I’ll forgive him. You on the other hand…” I left it there. It wasn’t hard to tell that my words had sunk in because he got a sour look on his face.

“Point taken,” he said.

“To the heart with something wooden and spiky if you miff me off enough,” I offered back.

“I think we understand each other.”

 

~

 

“Ross, I want some of your blood,” Gran announced as she walked into the living room like that statement was an everyday occurrence, and you could have heard a pin drop. Ross flicked his gaze around at all of us before turning it toward Gran when nobody said a word.

“O-kay,” Ross said, and you had to hand it to the man, even when my Gran was out for his blood, he didn’t protest or question her.

“Now if I’d said that…” Malachi piped up, and let his words die away.

“Yours too,” Gran offered him the evil eye, and I watched with amusement as Malachi’s face did the talking. He raised his eyebrows, his eyes roamed the ceiling as if he was looking for answers, and he winced just a little.

“Do I get some in return?” Silly vampire. The man was perched on the edge of the sofa arm, but one flick of Gran’s hand on her wrist, and he was on his backside on the floor. “I’ll take that as a no, shall I?”

I couldn’t help but chuckle. He did take some of the sting out of everything that we’d been going through lately, at least, for me he did.

“And Duncan’s,” Gran said.

“No problem,” Duncan said pushing up to his feet from where he’d been sitting beside Eileen.

I knew what Gran was doing, putting up wards and making our home into a fortress. She would need the blood of the vampires and Ross to allow them to cross those wards.

The house was already a fortress compared to what it used to be. I could feel the magic everywhere. When my shields were up, which was usually when Malachi was around, that magic tested and teased them, and I was okay with that because whatever kept the bad guys on the outside was good.

“I’m a little squeamish around blood,” Malachi said, making me chuckle again. “Make light of my weaknesses, why don’t you?” He teased me with just a look, and I knew he was playing to the crowd of one — me. It didn’t stop me enjoying the moment.

“Come on, before I zap you for the fun of it,” Gran said, turning on her heels and leading the three of them toward the greenhouse.

“What did you say to Ross?” Moira demanded.

“Are you asking because you think him being here means I did something wrong, or are you asking so that you have the upper hand next time there’s an argument between you?” I shot back. I always liked to know which page my sister was on before I gave her an answer.

“I’m asking because I want to know how you got him to change his mind,” Moira said with a small shrug.

“That would be the second one then,” I chuckled back.

“You know how stubborn Ross can be. I just want to know how you got him to agree to come back with you,” Moira said, and if I didn’t know my sister better then I would have taken that at face value, but I did know my sister and she could be a scheming little shrew when she wanted to be.

“Ross is your boyfriend, you figure him out,” I shrugged.

He was my friend, and she was my sister — I was not getting in between that. Besides, it was always nice to have the upper hand with Ross, and if she used my wicked ways for her own nefarious reasons every time she wanted her own way, then those ways weren’t going to work forever, and Ross did need saving from himself sometimes.

“So helpful — thank you,” she shot back.

I pushed up to my feet, offered her a small smug grin, and started toward the kitchen for the back door. I needed some air.

Before I could escape out of the back door, my father was on his way in. “The wind is picking up out there, and storm clouds are gathering, take your coat.” I snatched up Moira’s coat from the rack beside the door and shrugged into it.

This was Skye, and storms gathered around us all the time. If we never ventured out in bad weather, we would seldom venture out at all.

I started down the path toward the barn at the back of the house. The old stone of the brickwork that was built a few hundred years ago always made me feel more connected to the land, the past, and it generally settled my nerves.

Life on Skye had been going on for generations, and that thought was comforting because no matter what life threw at people the world still turned and tomorrow was just another day.

By the time that I reached the tree line, I was lost in thought. I couldn’t say with my hand on my heart that Malachi wasn’t occupying most of those thoughts because he was.

The man was an enigma. He made me feel … what? Something. He made me feel something that seemed to be bubbling up just under the surface like something in Gran’s cauldron.

I couldn’t say if that was a good thing or a bad thing, but it was definitely a thing.

I knew that Malachi was not Prince Charming — but then he didn’t appear to be the Devil incarnate either. I think I’d developed a soft spot for him, and I didn’t know what to do with that.

Right then, as the fine hairs stood up all over my body and was accompanied by something that felt like a wave had washed over every inch of my skin, tested my shields, and taunted my magic; I had the feeling that Malachi was the least of my worries.