~
Penny heard the low, deep rumble of a growl that went through her mate’s chest, and most of the fine hairs on her body stood to attention. She quickly eyed the area around them for signs of humans, but the ones that were milling around seemed oblivious to that sound over the loudness of the rides and the squeals of the children.
“You need to back off, and you need to do it now,” Neal growled the warning, but as she poked her head around his upper shoulder and eyed Angus, she didn’t think that the shifter was in the kind of mood where he was going to listen.
The man’s face was a mask of anger and contempt for her, and when his jet black eyes locked on hers, she felt the need to pull her magic even closer to defend herself.
“Let’s put all that aggression to good use,” Percival announced, rounding the beta and his mate, and locking his hand around Angus’ upper arm. His fingers were biting down into the man’s muscles. “There’s a strongman booth – and you have muscles.” The vampire yanked Angus with him as he started off away from Neal and Penny.
Angus knew that he had two choices – fight the vampire – or bide his time and get the real prize. He knew that there were too many humans around to let his wolf burst free, unless he took them down as well.
“Don’t test my patience, vampire,” Angus growled, but his feet kept time with Percival’s out of a lack of options.
“Don’t test my ability to vanish you from this spot without anyone noticing and taking your throat out a heartbeat later. Thus ending my wolf problem,” Percival offered back, and all the time that he was offering his death threat, he had a smile on his lips for the humans around him.
“You’ve not gotta like the fact that they are witches,” Angus growled back.
“Your grammar is as bad as your attitude,” Percival tossed back.
“What? You’re the grammar police now?”
“The way people have killed the English language over time – I’d be a very busy man,” Percival sighed, but it was lost on Angus.
The man only saw in shades of red, and that was a problem that his alpha needed to deal with. Percival would only step in and take care of it himself if human life was in danger, or the actions of the man put the pack in danger of being discovered.
He considered himself the watchdog of the villagers, not the warden. But, if the trash needed to be taken out then he was more than willing to do it himself.
~
~
~
“What was that?” Penny said, lifting her hand and poking a finger into the hard muscles of the pent up Wolfman's back.
Neal turned towards his mate. His eyes were jet black, and his jaw was locked and loaded with anger for Angus, but he softened a little at the sight of her.
“Not your problem,” Neal assured her.
“Seriously?” Penny shot back with a small snort of laughter. “That guy is everyone’s problem.”
“I’ll deal with it,” Neal promised her.
“Deal?” She raised her eyebrows expectantly, hoping her mate would elaborate on that answer.
“It’s fine. You’re safe. I won’t let anyone harm you,” Neal assured her that he was in control once more, but she didn’t look assured. If anything, she looked amused.
“Because I can’t take care of myself?” Penny asked.
“You shouldn’t need to do that.”
“Because I have a big, strong male to do it for me?”
“Yes,” Neal’s chest puffed out even more than it already was.
“Pass.”
“Tough.”
“Excuse me?”
“You heard me,” Neal grumbled because he knew that he couldn’t very well growl and grumbling was the next best thing. “From the moment that I realized who you were, you became my top priority. I’ll defend you with my li…”
“Ok, stop right there, He-Man,” Penny lifted her hand and waved it in front of his face.
She watched him blink twice, but he stopped his yapping, and that was what she’d wanted.
“I’m not Snow White, and you’re not my Prince Charming. I’m a witch, and you’re a wolf, and I think that we both know just how well I can take care of myself,” Penny’s hands went to her hips, and she tipped her head to one side to regard him through narrowed eyes.
She’d already had to deal with one bad mood wolf, she didn’t need another one, but she needed to be thought of as the little, weak woman even less.
“Yes,” Neal admitted. She’d certainly put up a fight the night before in the mud. “But, the point is – you don’t have to.”
“What if I want to?”
“Doesn’t matter,” Neal shook his head.
He was uncertain of her point. He was her mate, in his mind, the point was moot.
“Matters to me,” Penny tossed back.
“Then I suggest you get over it or find a way to deal with the fact that I will die for you.”
“Ok, go throw yourself under a bus,” Penny challenged him, and his frown turned into a scowl.
“Excuse me?”
“Off a cliff… toss yourself into the ocean and don’t swim for shore… juggle chainsaws.”
“Are you an insane person?” Neal grumbled.
“Yes,” Penny nodded. “I suggest you run away while you still can.”
“Ha-ha,” Neal folded his big, muscled arms across his chest and eyed her for a long moment.
“I don’t need you to fight for me, or die for me, or growl and get all macho BS for me. I put you down, didn’t I?” Penny offered up to him.
“I wasn’t fighting you. You blindsided me,” Neal offered back. Both he and his wolf felt offended by her argument.
“You underestimated me, and you still are.”
“Oh no, I know what a devious witch you can be,” Neal tossed back, and the moment that his words were out of his mouth, he snatched his head back on his neck, regretting it, as he waited to feel the lash of her tongue or her magic.
“Well, good,” Penny said, dropping her hands from her hips back down to her sides.
“G-o-o-d?” Neal looked a little surprised by her attitude.
“Yep, as long as you know where I stand, where you stand, where… I’m loathed to say the word, but, where we stand.”
“Oh,” Neal dropped his arms and considered it for a long moment. “I know that.”
“Good,” Penny said, brighter in herself as she turned on her heels and started on her journey towards the food stands again.
“You stand right behind me when there’s trouble,” he muttered to himself, following on behind her and taking a moment to watch the sway of her curvy hips as she walked away.
~
~
~
“Ok, I saw nothing,” Father Ted announced as he spun on his heels inside the hall of mirrors and caught sight of himself looking like a black clad Leprechaun – short and dumpy, and that sight distracted him for a long moment.
Keri unwound herself from Griffin, and the alpha grumbled a growl of annoyance as he reluctantly let his mate get away from him.
In truth, things had gone a little out of control. He’d only meant to kiss her and taste her lips, but he guessed that the mating pull had reeled them both in.
“Father Ted,” Griffin announced as if the man had just entered the mirrored hall and they’d been awaiting his arrival.
The priest turned back towards them. His eyes flicked from Griffin to a slightly disheveled, and very flushed Keri, before flicking back to the alpha once more.
“Oh, these heady, hazy days of summer.” Father Ted gave the man a wry grin, and the alpha cleared his throat.
“Yes, warm,” Griffin offered back as he noted his mate’s hand go up and cover her mouth as she giggled behind it.
“Practically sizzling,” Father Ted offered back, and he wasn’t holding back on his grin that time.
“We were just…” Griffin knew that they’d been busted, anything that he could say was frosting over a badly made cake.
“Weren’t we all young once…” The priest announced and Griffin frowned.
“You were?” He asked, and Keri sniggered.
“No, I was born old,” Father Ted shot back.
“I just meant…”
“I know what you meant, and boys and men will be… boys and men,” the priest shrugged.
“Yes.” Griffin felt uneasy.
Not only had he been busted doing what mates do, but he’d insulted the priest to boot.
“But, there are children around, so… get a room,” the priest offered before he turned on his heels and chuckled as he strolled back outside, away from the lovebirds…
“A room,” Griffin echoed the man’s words He liked that thought, hell, he liked that thought a lot.
Mine…
Then his eyes slowly turned towards his mate as his mind rallied to thoughts of where they’d left off moments earlier. His beast growled in anticipation of making her theirs.
Keri was still sniggering into her hand when she snatched a look at the alpha and did a double take. Her hand dropped down from her mouth as her back snapped straight.