~

“Paige,” Dusty was waiting at the door for his mate as she rushed back into the room with the earthenware bowl that they needed for the spell. He wrapped an arm around her waist and drew her off to one side.

“Not now, Dusty,” she giggled and offered him a suggestive wiggle of her eyebrows. Dusty’s little brain shot to the forefront, and he rumbled a hungry growl in his chest – then he shook it off.

“This spell isn’t dangerous, is it?” he asked.

“Not for us, but if that witch is close by then, we might just be able to inflict a little damage on her.”

“Isn’t that sweet,” Kat said, lifting a finger and pointing to the mates for the alpha’s benefit. “At least someone cares enough to ask.” She aimed a glare at her mate and watched the alpha straighten to his full height. 

“I’m sensing a little tension,” Mel chuckled as she leaned in toward Kat and whispered, even though she knew full well that the alpha could hear her.

“He knows what he did,” Kat tossed back, but she never took her gaze from her mate.

Parker’s mood soured even more.

“Witches,” the alpha grumbled.

“I’m sorry, what?” Kat said, cupping her ear.

“He said; witches,” Raff offered from the other side of the room and smirked when Parker turned dark eyes on him. “Karma’s a bitch,” he offered with glee.

“Someone is,” Parker growled.

“Oh, hell no,” Kat bit out. “That better not have been aimed at me – Scrappy Doo.”

“Scrappy…” Raff bit off his words, but he could do nothing about the laughter or the grin.

“I was talking to the vampire. Can I help it if you constantly feel the need to jump to conclusions?” Parker growled.

“Oh, that’s what that was – jumping to conclusions?” Kat tossed back at him. Her hands went to her hips, and she scowled.

“I guess you can’t help being impulsive…” Parker tossed back.

“Well, I’ll be sure to keep my impulses to myself from now on,” Kat sneered back.

“Does anyone else feel like we’ve missed a step somewhere?” Mel said, and Kat tore her gaze away from the alpha to shoot a glare at her sister.

“I think your sister kicked the alpha in the balls — again,” Grayson said as he leaned in toward his mate.

“She did not kick me in the balls,” Parker growled.

“Kat?” Mel turned a questioning look on her sister, but Mel just folded her arms, chewed on the inside of her cheek, and looked anywhere rather than directly at anyone.

“Let’s just get this spell done, find this witch, and then worry about the alpha’s balls,” Paige said.

“My balls are just fine, thank you,” Parker grumbled.

“Well, the alpha’s balls aside,” Bella said, “I’d like to get some payback on that witch.”

“Settled,” Raff said. “The alpha’s balls are off the table, and we’re on a witch hunt.”

 

~

~

 

Parker didn’t have to wonder how things had gone so badly wrong between him and Kat – it was his big mouth. He’d forgotten one important thing – he’d been talking to his mate and not one of his damn brothers.

He’d thought he was being sarcastically teasing – she’d thought he was a total jerk – and in hindsight, he was. He could still feel her soft and responsive in his arms, still taste her kisses on his tongue, and he mourned that loss.

The alpha had a plan – hunt and kill whatever witch had attacked his pack, woo his woman, and keep his big mouth shut. It was what he told himself as he drove his truck, Kat at his side, Grayson and Mel in the back, in the direction that the witches blood on the map had shown them.

He knew exactly where they were going because there was only one property out on the old North road. He cursed his stupidity for not thinking of it in the first place, and the witch for hiding in plain sight, but she’d been banished, and the last he’d heard; the witch was living out east.

Why hadn’t his mind immediately joined the dots when the mates had said that it was magic that had been attacking the elders? Why was he so quick to rush to believe that it was Evangeline?

He supposed that he’d been half right – the culprit was Evangeline’s bloodline.

Parker snatched a look at his mate, and she caught him as she flicked a look back at him.

“You two need to bury the hatchet,” Grayson offered from the back seat.

“And not in each other’s heads,” Mel chuckled.

“Stop backseat driving,” Parker grumbled.

“You might be a damn good alpha, brother, but you’re not so good where the females are concerned…”

“Females?” Kat scowled. She didn’t want to even think about him with someone else.

“Jealous, Kat?” Mel chuckled.

“I’m not a designation,” Kat snapped back.

“I don’t even know what that means,” Grayson admitted.

“It means that there’s more to her than her sex, idiot,” Parker snapped back.

“Exactly,” Kat said.

“Well, excuse me,” Grayson chuckled.

“Not,” Kat muttered.

“You’ll have to excuse his sexist ways…” Parker liked the fact that he could deflect his mate’s annoyance towards his brother. It was … helpful.

“Sexist?” Grayson grumbled. “Me? Nah.”

“You’re a shifter, aren’t you?” Kat tossed back over her shoulder, but she cut a look at the alpha, and Parker wanted to groan – maybe the deflection tactic wasn’t a bright idea after all. It was probably just better if he shut his mouth.

“Who tried to stop us from going into Evangeline’s?” Mel asked.

“He started it,” Grayson said, pointing to his brother and trying to backpedal away from his mate’s accusation.

“That’s protection…” Parker said, “that’s not being sexist.”

“Really?” Kat bit out.

“Why should a female die when a man is around to take the hit?” Parker tossed back.

“Well in your case I can’t argue with that bloody logic,” Kat muttered, folding her arms and pushing back in her seat.

“So, now you want me dead?” Parker grumbled. “Just because you begged me to kiss you?”

“What!?” Kat screeched, pushing up in her seat and turning a hard glare on him.

Yep, Parker should have kept his big mouth shut – he groaned inwardly.

“Kat, really? You little tart-at-heart,” Mel sniggered.

“I did not bloody beg for your sloppy kisses,” Kat bit out.

“Sloppy?” Parker grumbled.

“You’re not your wolf brother; you don’t need to lick her from chin to forehead…”

“I’m warning you…” Parker growled.

“Ha!” Kat exclaimed, as she thumbed her nose at the alpha and turned to look out into the darkness. She narrowed her eyes at a light in the distance, and like a beacon, it beckoned them on.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Parker said, and she waved an absent hand in his direction.

“Witch alert,” Kat said, pointing towards the flickering light. “Looks like someone is having a cookout.”

“Maybe she’s casting. Can you feel anything?” Mel said as she concentrated on her shields to see if that witch was aiming anything in their direction.

“Not yet,” Kat tossed back.

A heartbeat later and the car was skidding to a stop as Parker slammed on the brakes.

“What the flipping…?” Kat bit out.

“It’s Paige!” Parker growled.