~

“Yours!” Parker wasn’t just surprised; he was shocked to his very core.

He had scented the witch back at Raff’s place — and both he and his beast were certain — without a doubt, certain — but now, taking her scent again — he wasn’t so sure.

“Mine!” His brother took one long step toward him and growled another warning. “Put my damn mate down.”

“Mate!” Mel shrieked in surprise.

“Wait — what?” Parker was confused, but Grayson was already stepping in front of him, arms outstretched, as he clamped his hands around the witch’s hips and tugged.

Parker didn’t immediately let go. His brain was all over the place, thinking, considering, denying, accepting, and yet, he held on for dear life. This was supposed to be his mate.

“I’m not a bloody Christmas cracker!” Mel shrieked again.

“Unless you’re going for half of a mate each — one of you needs to let go,” Raff warned them.

“Mine…” Grayson growled.

“I…” Parker was still stunned.

“Stop bloody pulling,” Mel shrieked.

She had no choice — she’d already pulled her magic into action within her. She forced the magic out like an electric eel, zapping both of them, and unfortunately, locking Parker’s muscles up so tightly that he had no sense of self, and he started to fall back like a tin soldier.

Mel became the hot dog in the bun between the two shifters. It wasn’t one of her best plans, and she groaned at the squish from the two hard bodies pressed against her soft one.

“I’m thinking that could have gone better,” Raff chuckled.

“Two mates one witch?” Dusty reached up and scratched his head. “That’s not going to end well.”

 

~

~

 

Mel wriggled, squirmed, pushed up, pushed over, pushed off the top shifter and heard him groan as he flopped onto his back on the grass. She was free.

“She’s getting away,” Grayson bit out between clenched teeth as he willed his muscles to shake off the witch’s magic faster.

Mel was crawling away on her hands and knees on the grass when Parker’s hand clamped around her ankle like a vice, and she almost face planted the grass. She kicked out her leg to try to break free, but he wouldn’t let go.

“Like a damn dog with a damn bone,” Mel bit out.

“Mine,” Grayson growled at his brother.

“Yours,” Parker growled back.

“Bloody well mine,” Mel bit out, as she unleashed her magic on Parker and got him with a real zinger. He yelped, let go, and she scampered away on her hands and knees before pushing to her feet.

“And she’s off,” Raff chuckled.

“Mine,” Grayson growled again, summoning every bit of strength that he had within him to push up to his feet.

“And you’re welcome to her,” Parker grumbled a growl.

“I’m confused…” Dusty said, but Raff jumped in with both feet.

“That’s not a new thing for you,” the vampire chuckled.

“Funny. I thought she was Parker’s mate?” Dusty reached up and scratched his head once more.

“So did I,” Parker admitted as he pulled his body up from the ground, dusted himself down, and shook off the last of the witch’s magic.

“How could you make that kind of a mistake?” Dusty asked.

Just at that moment, as Grayson was chasing his mate across the grass toward the house, Kat and Paige appeared at the doorway.

“Oh,” Raff said, lifted his hand, and pointed at Mel’s twin. “Double trouble.”

Parker turned to see the doppelgänger of Grayson’s mate. His eyebrows reach for his hairline, his beast rose up within him, and he could have head-butted the nearest tree.

He’d carried off the wrong sister.

“Twins,” Dusty chuckled as if the answers of the universe were finally at his fingertips.

Parker groaned. Then his beast kicked his backside into gear. That one was his mate.

“Fire at will!” Mel screeched as she ran toward her siblings. “Fire at will!” She screeched again when her sisters did nothing to help.

“Who is will?” Paige asked, confused, but she guessed that it was the one chasing her sister. So, she zapped him, and he yelped and fell face first to the grass, but he was quick to push up again.

“Have you never seen Star Trek?” Kat turned a look of disbelief on her sister.

“Is now really the time?” Paige snapped back.

“Mine,” Parker growled as he pushed off like an Olympic runner from the blocks, and headed towards the house.

“What the hell…?” Grayson growled, shooting a look back over his shoulder to see his brother running in his direction. “You said she wasn’t!”

“She’s is!” Parker growled back. But Grayson had already changed direction and was heading for his alpha. “What are you doing?” Parker demanded, but it was already too late — Grayson hit him head on like a freight train.

The brothers ended up on the ground, swinging punches at each other, and growling as if their beasts were already in the fight.

Puffing and panting for all she was worth, Mel practically collapsed in on herself as she finally reached her siblings, turned, braced her hands against her knees, and her backside against the wall. Gasping for breath, she lifted her hand and lamely waved a hand in the direction of the fighting shifters.

“Those — guys — are nuts,” she squealed out and gasped in.

“You’re telling me,” Paige said.

“Ha! Told you!” Kat offered with a victory grin.

“M-Maatee — my — backside!” Mel ground out.

“A what!?” Kat shrieked back.

“Geez, Kat, the dogs in the next town could hear you,” Paige berated her.

“I’m more worried about the dogs in our garden,” Kat snapped. Then she turned her attention toward Mel. “You’re a mate?”