~

“It’s just Raff being Raff,” Parker grumbled as he cut a dark glare at the vampire.

“Yes, unfortunately, I can’t help being me,” Raff tossed back with a small chuckle.

“Nearly done?” Kat asked.

She might have changed the subject to the crib that Parker was building for their pup — about five months early — but he was excited so she’d let that one go, but she wasn’t holding her breath that whatever was going on between the two of them wouldn’t come to a head with fisticuffs sooner rather than later.

“Nearly done,” Parker said, but he couldn’t pull his gaze from the vampire.

“Let’s talk about something else,” Raff announced with glee.

“Let’s not,” Parker snapped back.

“Oh,” Mel announced as she stalked into the room and spotted Raff. “Who left the door open and allowed the trash to blow in?”

“Are you two ever going to bury the hatchet?” Grayson said as he followed his mate into the kitchen and nodded at the vampire.

“It’s never a good idea to give Mel mental images like that,” Paige chuckled as she waddled into the kitchen and parked her backside down on the nearest chair as she puffed out a breath. “If this pup doesn’t come out soon I’m surely going to explode.”

“Now there’s a mental image I didn’t want,” Mel chuckled.

“I’m willing to bury the hatchet if Mel is…” Raff offered.

“In your head, you perv,” Mel bit back.

“Normal people don’t parade naked in front of a window, and if they don’t want to be seen then they close the curtains,” Raff protested for the hundredth times.

“Broken record,” Mel snapped back.

“But it’s an oldie and a goodie,” Raff tossed back.

“Jog on,” Mel hissed.

“Fine,” Raff shrugged. “Then let’s talk about the alpha’s tattoo…” Raff announced, and everyone, but Kat, started to talk at once.

“What the hell happened now?” Dusty growled as he stalked in through the open doorway carrying a big bag of groceries and his mate’s face lit up.

“Ice cream – now!” she practically growled the order at him.

“Raff said that Parker has a tattoo,” Grayson snorted in disbelief.

“Impossible, they don’t stick,” Dusty dismissed it with a wave of his free hand as he grabbed the litre of caramel surprise ice cream from the top of the open bag and launched it at Grayson. The surprise would be if it lasted a full ten minutes in his mate’s hands.

The beta caught it, ripped off the top and held it out to Paige who snatched it to her chest as her other hand reached for the spoon that Mel was holding out, and she groaned as she ravished that first bite.

“Sooo, good,” Paige said going in for another bite.

“They do if a witch…” Mel’s eyebrows shot up on her forehead as she turned a look of glee on Kat. “You didn’t?”

“Well…” Kat gave a small shrug.

“About bloody time,” Paige bit out and dived back into the tub.

“Someone wanna enlighten me?” Grayson asked.

“Kat doesn’t like fangs,” Mel chuckled, “so there was a bargain – of sorts.”

“Go on,” Dusty said, eager to know what the hell was going on.

“Fangs for a tat,” Paige said with her mouth half-full.

“You didn’t?” Grayson chuckled as he eyed the alpha.

“Look…” Parker growled as he raised his index finger in warning to the beta.

“He surely did,” Kat grinned from ear to ear.

“Oh, but that’s not the best part,” Raff said, snorting a chuckle.

“None of your damn business,” Parker growled.

“Don’t you like what I chose for you, honey?” Kat asked with a teasing smile.

“It’s…” Parker grunted.

“Let’s just say that Kat definitely put her mark on her mate,” Raff chuckled harder as the alpha grunted in annoyance again.

“We’re gonna see it at one point or another,” Grayson reasoned.

“Get your damn shirt off, alpha,” Paige snapped out. “Unless it’s on your backside, ‘cos I’m eating, and nothing is allowed to come between me and this ice cream.”

“Oh, it’s on his chest, right over his heart,” Raff assured her.

“Not happening,” Parker growled.

“Pretty please for all the pregnant mates,” Paige said, offering him a sad face and pleading eyes, and he grunted again. But when Mel and Kat joined in with the pleading looks, he caved.

“Fine,” Parker growled, hating the fact that three little witches could rap him around their collective little fingers, but he yanked off his shirt and exposed his chest to eager eyes anyway.

“Whoa!” Grayson bit out as he spluttered a chuckle and his eyebrows shot up towards his hairline.

“Oh, yeah, she got you good,” Dusty said, folding his arms and covering his smirk with his hand.

“Kat is such a witch!” Paige said snorting ice cream up her nose and almost choked on it. Dusty rushed to her rescue, patting her on the back a little too hard as he stared at the tattoo on his brother’s chest. “Spine, Dusty! I want it in one piece. I’m a witch, not the bloody Hulk,” Paige hissed.

“Okay, Kat, you win. Out of the two of us, you are definitely the biggest witch, and that’s with a B,” Mel chuckled as she narrowed her eyes on the whimsical witch that was riding a broomstick with a black cat sitting behind her.

“It’s my mark,” she grinned with so much mischief in her eyes that Parker groaned inwardly. “Wait until you see the one I’m going to make him get on his backside.”

“No!” Parker growled out.

“Are you a man or an alpha?” Kat scowled.

“No more tattoo’s,” Parker snapped back.

“But,” Kat looked downcast. “It’s for the pup,” she said as she cradled the small bump of her swollen belly and looked close to tears. Parker baulked – her hormones were already haywire, and he’d had to deal with her tears and mood swings already.

“Fine,” he rushed out. “Whatever you want – just – don’t cry,” Parker said as he held out a hand in front of him and tried to soothe her as his wolf berated him with a growl.

“Promise?” Kat said, lifting her hand and wiping at her eye and invisible tears.

“Promise,” Parker nodded like a fake dog in the back of a car over a pothole filled back road.

“Sucker!” Kat chuckled, and Parker snapped to attention. “But, you promised, and I have witnesses.” She snapped on a bright smile.

Parker groaned.

“I did tell you that it would be a lot more lively and fun around here with witch mates,” Raff leaned in and whispered to the alpha. “I like it.”

“You would,” Parker growled back.

“I think Grayson should get a tattoo of a wolf in a pink tutu,” Mel announced, and her mate almost swallowed his tongue.

“Damn, that’s a great idea,” Parker said, grinning from ear to ear as all the blood drained from his sibling’s face. “What about Dusty?”

Paige yanked her attention from her ice cream to her mate and found that he had something of a pleading look on his face. He was having little involuntary shakes of his head as his brain was kissing his backside goodbye.

“Honey,” Dusty pleaded and swallowed hard.

“Picturing the canvass now,” Paige said as she half closed her eyes and a sweet smile came onto her lips.

“Let’s not forget I love you, Paige,” Dusty offered.

“Suck up,” Grayson grumbled.

“Let’s not forget who put this eating machine in my belly and gave me cravings, swellings, bloating and gas, heartburn, and the need to pee every five minutes, while it plays bongos and football with my internal organs,” Paige said, snapping a glare at her mate, and Dusty groaned.

“I’m sorry-not-sorry, ‘cos that’s our pup,” Dusty grumbled.

“You know what, Dusty. I’m going to wait until after I give birth to decide,” Paige said, and Dusty grumbled. “Maybe sooner – maybe in the midst of giving birth when I’m trying to crush your hand, rip off your testicles, and using my fingernails to claw your still beating heart out through your chest.” She offered him the sweetest smile.

“Yeah, I think you got off lightly, alpha,” Raff chuckled.

“I love my little witch,” Parker beamed a smile at his mate before he turned his attention towards Dusty. “It sucks to be you, brother.”

 

The End.