~

 

Caged in by Luke’s hard body as he lifted his weight from her, all that Angelique could see were those damn puppy dog eyes staring right into her very soul. She felt a sudden and somewhat overwhelming need to kick a puppy, not a real one, just him.

“I told you not to run from me,” Luke growled.

“Did you not notice that I’d stopped?” She managed to breathe out the words before she gasped in a hard, wheezing breath.

“There was intention in your eyes,” Luke growled.

“There was madness in yours — am I complaining?” Angelique snapped back.

“Well now.” George clapped his hands together and rubbed them with glee. “This looks like my work here is done.”

He mentally patted himself on the back and puffed out his chest. He could now return to the easy life where alpha’s and witches weren’t threatening to kill him.

‘Not yet, it’s not.’ Jessica said from somewhere over his left shoulder, and it felt like a kick to the balls.

“Why not?” George demanded as he deflated right there in front of the woman.

“Who’s he talking to?” Jett asked as he grumbled and growled, and clicked his bones back into place while trying to pull his bruised body up from the ground.

“I think he’s a little cuckoo,” Luke offered the beta.

“I’m not a cuckoo — I’m a fairy,” George grumbled.

“Told you,” Luke offered to Jett.

“The Christmas fairy,” George said with annoyance.

“The Christmas — what now?” Jett twisted his head to one side and narrowed his eyes at the man.

“Tell them!” George demanded of the witch.

“I think he’s a little cuckoo too,” Angelique offered to the alpha. “Now, get off me.”

“I haven’t scented you properly, yet,” Luke offered back.

“Well here, let me get closer.” Angelique punched him on the end of his nose with her little fist and cursed that it hurt so much while she revelled in the fact that it felt so damn good.

The alpha grunted in surprise.

“I’d say watch her, she’s a mean one,” George offered, and the alpha growled in annoyance.

“Watch how the hell you’re talking about my mate,” Luke growled at the fairy.

“Watch who you’re calling a mate,” Angelique grumbled at the alpha, spitting fire from her eyes.

“Congratulations!” Jett chuckled at the thought of the alpha with a witch mate. That was going to take some getting used to.

“I really don’t think this is a cause for celebration,” Angelique snapped at the beta.

“Thanks,” the alpha growled.

He wasn’t best pleased either to find out that his mate was a witch — but still…he had his pride.

“Did she hurt your feelings?” George chuckled. He stopped chuckling the moment that the alpha snapped his head in his direction and growled a long and hard warning at him.

“Why are you still here?” Luke growled.

“That’s a very good question,” George raised his index finger and pointed towards the sky. “Why am I still here?” He tossed a look at Jessica over his shoulder.

‘You have to make sure that they mate.’

“Apparently, I have to make sure that you mate,” George shrugged his shoulders.

“Because you’re alien overlords demand it?” Jett asked with a shrug of his shoulders.

“Because the fairy godmother and fate demand it,” George offered back with a small sneer.

He guessed that was right. It wasn’t like there was a manual or anything.

“Are you really the Christmas fairy?” Jett asked.

“Well, I’m not going to sit on your Christmas tree or anything,” George tossed back.

“We don’t have a Christmas tree,” Jett offered with a small sneer.

“No Christmas tree?” Angelique rolled her eyes in mock horror at the thought. “That’s a deal breaker.”

Luke grunted in annoyance. Then a low growl started in his chest as he snapped his attention back to the beta.

“Get me a damn tree and all the trimmings,” Luke demanded.

“For little old me?” Angelique offered him a sweet smile.

“For my mate, yes,” Luke puffed out his chest with pride.

Whatever his mate wanted he was going to provide it. It was his duty to take care of her.

“No sniffing until that tree is up and decorated,” Angelique said.

By that time she should have come up with a plan — or kill the alpha — either way, she might have bought herself some time.

Mine…

Luke’s beast didn’t like that idea one little bit. Neither did Luke.

“Sure, that’ll work for me,” Luke growled.

A moment later he dipped his head and brushed his cheek against hers as he went in for the scent.

“Hey!” Angelique put her palms on his broad shoulders and tried to push him up. She would have had more luck pushing away a mountain.

The deep, hungry growl that rolled through Luke’s chest and got wedged in his throat told Angelique that the Christmas fairy hadn’t been telling her a lie. She was the alpha’s mate.

“Mine…” Luke growled as he pulled back and stared down into his mate eyes.

“That was so not cool that I can’t even begin to describe the ways that I want to hurt you,” Angelique grumbled.

She was expecting an apology, an excuse, but all she got was a slow to boil wide smile that, when it was finally done, practically stretched from ear to ear. His dark eyes were alive with amusement — and hunger — and she didn’t appreciate either.

“Sweetheart, I’m an alpha,” Luke growled.

“Well, alpha me this,” Angelique bit out, and with a blast of her magic; the alpha was torn away from her and deposited on his backside not more than ten feet away.

“Okay, now I see your point about them mating,” George said to Jessica as she chuckled heartily at the alpha’s expense.

“Oh, there’ll be mating,” Luke growled his assurances to the Christmas fairy, and he pushed up on his elbows and eyed his mate.

“Please hold your breath,” Angelique said as she pushed up onto her elbows and offered her mate the death glare.

“Let the fun begin,” Jett chuckled, but he bit it off when Luke’s dark glare snapped towards him. “I’m just saying.” He held his hands up to his chest in surrender.

“Don’t,” the alpha said as he pulled himself up to his full height and started toward his mate.

“I’m warning you…” Angelique bit out. Whatever he was about to do she was prepared to counter it with her magic.

“Good for you,” Luke growled.

Then he stunned Angelique as he held out his hand to her to help her up — she’d been expecting something more alpha-ish.

Angelique ignored his offering and pulled herself up. She took a minute to brush the dirt from her backside as best she could, and in that time the alpha took one long step toward, bent at the waist, and tossed her over one of his broad shoulders.

Angelique squealed in surprise. She should have known that the alpha was up to something, and as she looked down at the appealing view of his backside, she bit out a lot of dark words.

“Look on the bright side,” George’s face appeared in view. “At least you won’t have to walk anymore.” He snapped with a smug grin, and Angelique zapped him.

“I will get you for this,” Angelique grumbled.