~

Another day, another dollar, or euro, depending which tourists showed up in bulk. We were like the United Nations summit at times, and at other times; it was as if every German holidaymaker had all decided to invade our Island – maybe invade wasn’t a good word, considering … but, I liked the German’s, and contrary to popular belief – they had a good sense of humour, but they did sound as if they were angry and accusing you of something all the time.

The French were needy, the American’s thought everything was quaint, and the Australians all wanted to talk about their ancestors that came from Scotland – and the thing everyone had in common was that they all wanted to talk about the weather. It sometimes sounded like we were the only country on the planet that had enough rain for everybody in the world, and that we had stolen others share, or they wondered how it was that we could live without the constant blazing sunshine.

I liked people as much as the next lass, but sometimes I just needed to escape to the outside world and gaze at the flotilla of wee boats that went across the Loch. There was something calming in that scene, and it just felt like a soothing and peaceful escape from the world.

“I’d say a penny for them,” Malachi said, stealthily coming up behind me and whispering in my ear. I didn’t jump that time, even if he had broken the soothing peace of the moment.

“I’ll give you brownie points if you can read my thoughts,” I offered back, shooting a quick look at him as he narrowed those sexy eyes on me.

“That sounds like a trap.”

“Can’t do it, can you?” I grinned.

“I can if you let your magic…”

“Cheater…”

“Says the witch who’s using magic to keep me out.” He offered me a playful sneer.

“Sore loser.” I couldn’t help but chuckle. He sneered again. “I’ll give you brownie points if you truthfully answer my question.”

“I feel a kick to the balls coming on.” He groaned and made me chuckle again.

“I can neither confirm nor deny, but rest assured, the pain will be fleeting,” I offered back with what I hoped was a wicked grin.

“Says the witch that doesn’t have balls,” he grumbled back. Then he folded his arms across his broad chest and took a moment or two to think about it. “Hmm.”

“Okay, forget it — I didn’t realise that you’re such a chicken.”

“I think you’re getting me confused with the wolf — I don’t rise to the bait of a challenge…”

“Like I said, forget it — you don’t need brownie points…” I started to walk away.

“Okay, so maybe I do rise to the bait of a challenge.”

I stopped and turned back. The first thing that I noticed about him was the way that his eyes were practically flashing with amusement, maybe that should have been a red rag to a bull, but I so wanted to know the answer to my question.

“Okay, good. Now tell me why you and bat-boy rub each other up the wrong way?”

“That sounds wrong on so many levels.” He offered me a playful grimace.

“No brownie points for you — you’re deflecting,” I said with a shrug and started to turn away again.

“It’s not me; it’s all Duncan,” he said and captured my attention once more.

“That’s not answering my question — still deflecting.” I gave a small wave back over my shoulder as I carried on walking.

“You’ll hate me if I tell you.” His melodic tone became a song.

“Would it help if I said I hate you already?”

“I find that very hard to believe.”

“You are delusional. I hate you.” I shrugged.

“Now you tell me – you couldn’t have told me before I saved you several times over — and – if you hate me; then I don’t need brownie points,” Malachi said.

I knew his game. He wanted me to tell him that I didn’t hate him — pah! I don’t rise to the bait that easily.

“That would be exactly why you would need brownie points,” I shot back. That seemed reasonable to me.

“Fine. It was over a woman…”

“Oh, please don’t tell me it’s the cliche that you were both in love with her and it was a romantic triangle — vomit comet.”

“No, it was more the – I wanted to drink her dry and obviously kill her, and he didn’t like that idea type cliche —  unromantic triangle.”

“Oh, please don’t tell me that woman was Gran,” I chuckled.

“But, I thought you wanted a truthful answer?” He didn’t look as if he was joking. I felt the heat rise up my body like somebody had turned it on under my feet and the heat was a bloody furnace.

Maybe I was in hell? It would be only fitting that Malachi would be there to torment me for the rest of eternity.

“You’re serious?”

“Deadly,” he offered back. His face was blank of all expression, there was no teasing, there was no glint of wickedness in his eyes, and there was no grimace of guilt.

I hated vampires for being able to keep a blank expression even when they were faced with a witch, that would be me, who was considering how best to start the funeral pyre beneath their feet, and when I say their, I mean him.

“Well, thanks for being honest…” I said, turning back to the bistro and putting one foot in front of the other in a sort of semi-daze.

I hated that people kept putting my brain on spin cycle. Malachi was going to kill Gran — ha! There was a turn up for the books — or maybe not. I could see now why she was reluctant to embrace him as part of the family, and I’m surprised she didn’t get out something made of wood with a pointy tip the moment he showed up on our doorstep.

“That’s it?” He called from behind me.

“That’s it.”

“So, we’re good?”

Oh, silly, silly vampire. “Oh,” I said, a split second before I zapped him so hard that every muscle in his body tensed, clenched, and his face wasn’t a blank mask anymore. “I feel good, how you doing?”

The thing with being clenched so hard like a duck’s backside was that he couldn’t continue to walk beside me as I sped up, yanked open the back door to the bistro, and disappeared inside. I clicked my fingers and snapped the locks on with my magic.

For the win!

Sucky-sucker, going to kill my Gran back in the day, was he? Well, we’ll see how many ways a vampire could be tortured beyond reason or sanity, and I was just the girl to do it.

Wait until my sisters hear about that one. I have a sneaky suspicion that his un-dead life won’t be worth living.

 

~

 

I was finally headed home after a day of keeping up international relations with the rest of the world that couldn’t decide between muffins and cookies, coffee cake and cheesecake, or haggis and fish, and when they could decide they didn’t know how to order it except by playing finger darts and charades with the menu.

I took it as a bonus that Malachi seemed to be lying low, but someone who wasn’t lying low was Jack, and as I made my way to the car, he was headed towards me with a dark scowl that said he had a bone to pick with me. I sighed inwardly. Things would have been so much better for everyone if Jack had just stayed off the island.

“I thought you said the mutilations…” he stopped, shot a look around us to see if he’d been overheard, I’d certainly clenched at his words, and lowered his voice, “were over.”

Well, there went my brain on spin cycle again. Nope, a thought popped into my head – those two new werewolves. Could the poor stupid ninja sheep not catch a break? Wasn’t it enough that they were being mowed down by hapless tourists in camper vans? For the love of everything un-holy…

“Well, don’t look at me like I’m the one out there doing the slicing and dicing!” I shot back on a hiss, suddenly feeling a little more defensive than I probably should have done, but Jack did have a rather annoying habit of laying the blame for the world’s woes on my doorstep.

His face took on a sour look. “Did I accuse you…?”

“Actually, your tone was very accusing, and yes, you accused me of lying to you, when I didn’t – I thought it was over, less lying on my part and more not knowing the whole truth, or that it just started up again with our new visitors.” I took a big breath as he opened his mouth to speak. “So, don’t you feel like a numpty?”

“I…” he looked like his brain was on spin cycle, and I could have done a Highland Jig that it was his turn to experience the washing, rinsing, and spinning of thought.

“Hmm?” I demanded in a slightly superior tone. I was on a roll and felt like keeping the momentum going. When you have the upper hand, why be graceful about it?

“Apologise if I came off like…”

“A numpty?” I grinned. “Accepted, don’t let it happen again.” Fine, I’d had my fun for now. I let the noose around his neck loosen.

“But the fact remains…”

Oh, did he never learn?

“That you’re male so it will happen again, I know, but I can’t forgive all your stupid’s in advance, because, let’s face facts, men take liberties where being an idiot is concerned.” And that told him.

I didn’t think that he was going to let sleeping dogs lie, it really wasn’t his style.

“We do…”

“Thank you for recognising that fact…”

“I wasn’t.”

“It sometimes feels like you have a split personality.”

“How do you not drive everyone around you insane?” Jack asked, looking a little frustrated that he couldn’t get the upper hand as usual.

“Pot – kettle.” I shrugged.

“Let’s talk about those sheep, because the last time…”

“It didn’t end well for the sheep, I know…”

“It didn’t just end badly for the sheep.”

“The last time was different — I hope.” Obviously, with the appearance of the two werewolves from Lachlan’s pack I couldn’t put my hand on my heart and say that nothing bad was going to happen again.

“See, that doesn’t fill me with a sense of confidence.”

“Well, I’m sorry I can’t brighten your day, but I am a witch, not a psychic, Jack. I don’t know what’s going to happen any more than you do.” I hadn’t had a premonition since the one with Jack where he fell from the Point, and I didn’t want anymore either.

“I still have some questions about what your grandmother said about me last night.” Jack looked uncomfortable; he even shuffled his feet.

“About you being a faerie?” I couldn’t help but chuckle.

“I’m glad you find it funny. I can’t share your strange sense of humour about it,” Jack grumbled.

“Oh, come on, didn’t you always wonder about the wee people?” He shot me a look from under his eyebrows, and they were doing the caterpillar mating dance again, “your people.”

I couldn’t help saying it. Who wanted to miss an opportunity like that? It was an open goal, and I just scored, and I have to say that his eyebrows were doing a much better job of talking than his mouth.

“So what is happening with the two — werewolves,” he leaned in and whispered the last word. “The ones that were fighting with Ross and the vampire yesterday?” Jack lifted his hand and rubbed his fingers across his forehead, before trailing them down his cheek, and all while shaking his head — who said men couldn’t multitask? “That is such a stupidly surreal question to ask.”

“Do you really want to know the answer to that or were you just deflecting from you being a faerie?” If I’d been in his position I probably wouldn’t have asked it, and give him his due; he did take a moment to think about it before he nodded.

“We’re not quite sure, but we think they’re here to challenge Ross.”

They could say that they come in peace, but I didn’t believe them — especially after yesterday’s fight. If they respected Ross as the alpha, then why would they fight him?

“Ross?”

“The alpha.” Now he looked even more confused.

“Alpha?”

“Are you sure you want to know?” I asked again. He didn’t look like he wanted to know, but I guess that his nosy detective nature took over.