~

 

One moment; Lucas had his mate within his arms, enjoying the feel of her there, drinking in her scent, and the next; she’d stomped backward on his toes, elbowed him in the ribs, and brought the back of her fist up into his nose with a hefty thud.

All with a little-added magic in every blow.

He’d let go of her – of course, he had.

One damn fine reason was that he feared that she’d make good on her offer to cut off his balls.

The moment that he let her go he knew it had been a damn mistake to release her from his arms. He berated himself as he flew backward through the air, out of the opening of the truck, and landed with a heavy thud on his backside on the ground.

Isla stomped towards the opening in the long paneled side of the truck and tossed a large sack down at him. For the second time in under fifteen minutes – he caught it with his face.

His already tender nose didn’t thank him for missing that one, and he groaned inwardly.

When he snatched the sack downwards and his eyes locked with hers – she placed her hands on her hips and regarded him with both mischief and amusement.

“You were warned,” she offered to the sound of a deep growl that rumbled through the air.

“Oh no!” Edna exclaimed, and Lucas twisted his head on his neck towards the old woman, berating himself for allowing his growl to be heard by a human, but Edna was looking towards the sky.

“Hear that thunder? I hope the rain holds off…” the woman said; frowning at the sky as if berating it for even thinking about sending rain clouds their way when they had a summer fair to put on. “But storm clouds are gathering somewhere.”

“They most certainly are,” Isla agreed, but they weren’t the kind that Edna was thinking about.

She intended to rain all over the beta’s parade.

Mate with him indeed!

I’d rather face the Witchfinder General.

I’d rather boil my own foot in a bubbling caldron.

I’d rather kill him than mate with him!

Big eejit!

 

~

~

~

 

“Tell me something I don’t know,” Griffin grumbled as he offered his mate a look that oozed with sex appeal.

“Water’s wet, and you should use soap,” Keri tossed back and noted out of the corner of her eye; the subtle movement of the man’s head on his neck as he sniffed at his body.

“It’s called the scent of hard work.” Griffin admitted that a shower might not go amiss, but it certainly wasn’t that bad.

“Don’t change a thing on my account. You already repulse me.” She offered a sweet smile of victory in return.

“Lies come so easily to your lips,” Griffin offered back, part berating her and part teasing her, and with a smile that annoyed her so because it said the same as his words.

“And BS comes so easily to yours,” Keri said back over her shoulder as she finished setting up the last of the stall, and in good time too. Cars were already arriving early for the start of the fair – eager children obviously harassing their parents into leaving before they’d wanted to.

Griffin was about to answer her when a child ran towards the stall and slapped her hands down on the counter top, snatching their attention towards the girl as her excited eyes took in the rows of toys, and her fidgety nature said that she was eager for a win.

“Mummy! Mummy! This one! This one!” She screeched out, and Griffin’s face twisted with the sounds of her voice.

“Sorry… she’s eager to get started,” the already exasperated woman sighed as she stalked up behind her offspring with the intention of coaxing her away.

“Hi, Griffin!” The child craned her head back on her neck and looked up the expanse of the man’s body.

He’d recognized her from the village. He’d made it his job to know every local; it gave him an immediate heads up on a stranger and a possible threat to his pack from outside.

“Well, hi there yourself, short stack,” he said, bending at the waist and lifting the child, that was no more than five or six years old, up and placing her feet on the counter top, her body facing the toys.

The child’s giggling annoyed Keri on a level that she’d never experienced before. She knew what it was alright, her stupid head and her stupid heart were more than impressed with the alpha’s softer side that showed towards the child.

Damn him and damn fate – that’s not fair!

Using a child to worm his way in – despicable.

Why not just have an armful of kittens and puppies?

Turn the knife – why don’t ya?

“Are you going to play?” The child’s eyes lit up.

“He’s going to be part of the game…” Keri announced, and the alpha flicked his eyes in her direction, questioning her sanity.

Then Griffin flicked his eyes towards the cut out that stood there taunting him for all he was worth. A large painted wooden board with the cutout section for someone’s face to push through, just like one of those seaside photo opportunities, only not as benign.

“That’s…”

Griffin knew what was coming. He knew exactly what she meant, and as her eyes flashed with mischief and so much enjoyment over his situation, so Father Ted popped up beside him.

“You’re our first volunteer in the window…” he slapped a hand on Griffin’s back, and the alpha had the urge to growl.

“Am I now?” His eyes were locked and loaded on his mate.

“He said he couldn’t wait,” Keri offered the priest the lie, and crossed her fingers behind her back in the hope that it wasn’t too much of a sin.

She preferred to hedge her bets, considering she was facing her forever mate, and what could go wrong for her, probably would if she miffed off someone’s God.

“Did he?” Father Ted looked impressed – and amused.

The man wasn’t blind or stupid – and, even if he did feel somewhat sorry for Griffin for being put on the spot like that – he wasn’t about to look a gift horse in the mouth, especially as it was all in a good cause.

“Did I?” Griffin raised just the one eyebrow at his mate.

“Do I get to throw wet stuff at you?” The little girl asked, all wide eyed and excitable.

“Looks like it,” Griffin offered back. “Be gentle with me.”

Griffin started around the back of the boarding and eyed the cut out where he needed to put his face. He heard the little girl giggling, and he heard his mate whisper.

“Don’t be gentle. Throw it as hard as you can so you win. He’s a big guy, right?”

“Right!” She agreed.

“So, he can take it. Get him right in the kisser as hard as you can,” Keri grinned and the little girl giggled with glee.

The moment that Griffin shoved his head in the hole, so a whole lot of sponges came his way. One after the other; they slapped him in the face like a wet kipper. The only sponge that missed was the one that was thrown by the child.

“Hey … what gives?” Griffin grumbled.

The alpha snatched his head back from the opening and wiped his large hands down his face, clearing the water. He poked his face back through the hole just a little, and there they were; both of his brothers, all three witches, and two of the church ladies all standing there looking back at him with amusement and a lot of glee.

He stowed the growl that wanted to rumble through his chest.

“I didn’t hit him.” The child said almost mournfully, breaking the tension of the moment.

“How could you tell with all of those hits?” Neal asked, giving her a little nudge. “I think my sponge hit your sponge and they got mixed up in the air. I think you got him good, but here…” The beta reached over for another dripping wet sponge with one hand and slapped another coin down on the counter with the other. “Give it another go.”

Griffin offered his brother a glare that said the beta had better run, but the man wasn’t going anywhere until he helped the child hit her target right in the face.

Griffin stuck his head back through the hole once more.

‘There’s going to be chewing later, you get that, right?’ Griffin growled through the link.

‘Take one for the church!’ Neal shot back.

‘Yeah, at least you’re impressing your mate,’ Lucas offered, and Griffin snapped his eyes towards Keri; a heartbeat before the sponge smacked him in the face once more.

“Shot!” Neal chuckled, high fiving the giggling child as Keri turned towards the toys.

“Winner!” She called, and the child squealed…

“What can I have?” She almost begged.

“You can have my win,” Neal nudged her again.

“And mine,” Lucas said.

“Mine too,” both witches said together.

“Add ours to that,” the church ladies agreed.

“Me too,” Father Ted said.

“Father?” Griffin grumbled on a frown. “You threw a sponge at me?”

“All in the name of…” Father Ted frowned.

“The church roof fund,” Edna offered.

“That too,” Father Ted nodded.

Griffin grunted.

“I want a puppy,” the child announced, pointing a finger at the biggest toy on the whole stall…

“That might take a few more wins…” Neal announced with glee.

“Maybe you should have the big rabbit to go with it. They look like they’re friends. We’ll have to help you win that too.” Lucas announced.

‘Oh, there’s gonna be chewing.’ The alpha growled.

“I’m a good shot ,” Percival announced as he arrived at the scene of the crime and gave the alpha a toothy grin, but he had the good graces to keep his fangs hidden.

‘Lots of chewing.’