~

 

“I need …” George knew what he needed, he just wasn’t sure how the hell he was supposed to say it. “A word.”

“Off,” Zana bit back, and she saw the confusion sweep over her mates face.

“What?”

“You said a word, so off. If you’d said two the other would have been a four letter word rhymes with duck…” she offered back to sniggers from the other alphas. Even Roloko cracked a grin…

“We need to…”

“Do not finish that sentence,” Zana offered back. “I will zap you up and down the damn mountain just for the poops and giggles of it all.” She warned, and from the look in her eyes – George thought that she meant it.

“I wasn’t going to say…”

“Good.” Zana snapped back, heading him off before he spit those damn words out. Words that excited her, and filled her with doom as well.

While doing what she did didn’t give her much time to sample life. It was still a whirlwind of activity that she wasn’t certain she wanted to give up just that moment in time.

George was her mate – and none if what had happened so far with the dragon should have stood for a whole hill of beans if she walked away from the man…

A true alpha or not – she feared that his fate would still be sealed the way any shifters would if they lost their mate.

To save George and Roloko only to have the alpha turn rogue would have been a tragedy that she couldn’t be a part of … but, jumping into bonding with the man before she had truly settled the matter within her mind wasn’t an option either.

“We just need…” George started again.

There was a wave of frustration within him that kept pulling back only to hit the shore once more. She wasn’t helping…

“Need – there’s a word. I need to watch the dragon…” Zana said.

“She’s deflecting…” Connor called from the other side of the group. He’d taken up a position between the dragon shifter and the castle.

“No, I’m not…” Zana bit out, twisting up her face and scowling across at the vampire.

“Sure you are, and you’re not very good at it,” Connor tossed back. “Trust me, I’ve made deflecting into an art form, I’d know.”

“I don’t trust you as far as I can throw you…” Zana bit back.

“Touchy, and still … deflecting…” Connor shot back.

“You people are insane…” Zana bit out.

“I hear that…” Roloko shrugged his broad shoulders.

“Thank you…” Zana motioned towards the man.

“Still deflecting…” Connor offered.

“Deflect this…” Zana said, and a heartbeat later she’d tossed one of her daggers through the air in the vampire’s direction.

Roloko’s hand shot out and he snatched it up…

“How about I catch it instead?” The shifter grinned.

Zana snorted her contempt for him. George stifled a chuckle, and Connor sighed…

“Still deflecting …” he said. “But doing it in style.”

“I’d give her ten out of ten for effort,” Landon shrugged.

“Nine and a half,” Justice dropped in.

“She’s feisty, I’ll give her that…” Dexter grumbled.

He wasn’t entirely sure how things stood between him and George. The man was a true alpha – he needed his own pack, and Dexter knew that his beast wasn’t about to step aside and let that happen…

“Anyone else hungry?” Landon grumbled.

“Maybe if you go hunt and kill something in the woods, Rolo could cook it for you…” Connor offered, and the dragon shifter turned a glare onto him. “Too soon?”

The man just grunted back. It was deep and filled with malice for the vampire.

“And we’re going to all live happily ever after…” Connor chuckled to himself. “As soon as the dragon grows a sense of humour.”

“Nobody has your sense of humour, Connor,” Dexter offered.

“Vicky…” Justice said.

“I kind of find him funny – on occasion…” Landon shrugged.

“He has his moments…” Justice said.

“Few of them,” Brody offered.

“Very few,” Liam grumbled.

“Ok, let’s stop talking about me as if I’m not here, and get back to George’s wooing problem, and Zana’s inability to deflect properly.” Connor said.

“Now who’s deflecting…?” Zana bit out.

“Not…” Connor grunted in annoyance. “How about a moments silence then?”

“You all started this…” Zana shot back.

“And I’m putting a stop to it…” George growled as he dipped at the waist and hoisted her over his shoulder…

“Hey!” She bit out.

“Just talk…” George growled as he stalked towards the corner of the castle with the sound of sniggering coming from behind him and ringing in his ears…