~

 

“Stop following me around like a stray that needs to be taken to the shelter and neutered,” Aggie grumbled back over her shoulder as Nestor followed her journey through the woods.

“I’ll ignore the neutered part…” Nestor grumbled.

“Why? That’s the most important part, and it’s the part that I like the best.”

“I’m following you, so you don’t get into any trouble. Not that I don’t think that you can make enough trouble of your own when you set your mind to it.”

“You bet your furry little backside I can,” Aggie chuckled.

“Well, there you go then. I’m just doing my mate duties,” Nestor said and caught another barely there frosty glance that Aggie tossed back over her shoulder at him.

“Well, I don’t need you following me around. Slowing me down…”

“Slowing you down?” Nestor chuckled. His laughter was deep, gravelly, and more than caught her attention. That annoyed the elder witch even more than his presence.

“You’re not exactly tap dancing your way through the woods,” Aggie offered back.

“I can trip the light fantastic with the best of them. When you’re done here, I’ll prove it to you.”

“Is that a threat or a promise?”

“A little of both,” Nestor chuckled.

“Do you seriously think I’m going to put myself in a position where I have your paws on me?” Aggie might have snorted her contempt at the prospect, but somewhere deep inside of her the excitement at the thought of it was blossoming.

“Yes.”

“Then you’re dumber than you look.”

“Quite probably.”

“I’m glad we both agree on something,” Aggie was pleased that she’d won that point. Even if it had been an easy win.

“Can we agree on the fact that we’re mates?”

“Sure.”

“Can we agree that we're going to bond?”

“Don’t push your luck.” Aggie shot back.

She was too far down life’s track and to set in her ways to even consider what he was proposing. At his time of life, it would have been unlikely that losing his mate would have made him turn rogue. Aggie was grateful that she didn’t have the added pressure of considering that prospect.

The three other witches didn’t have that same luxury. If they didn’t mate then the alpha and betas would more than likely have to be taken out by their own pack. She was hoping it wouldn’t come to that.

As for Nestor — well, that man needed to go on the backburner for a while. She had a spell to perform for the alpha, and she was as good as her word. Even if it was a damn stupid spell.

“You might as well come out you bottom dweller. I know you’re there.” Aggie called into the trees.

“Who?” Nestor growled with anticipation.

His mate had sensed something that he hadn’t picked up on and that annoyed him. He was distracted, and that distraction could put them both in danger.

“Me?” Koren appeared not five foot away from them as if by magic. “A bottom dweller?”

“Want me to kill him?” Nestor grumbled another growl. His annoyance was more the fact that he’d missed the vampire’s presence rather than for the vampire himself.

“I’m quaking in my boots,” Koren offered back, but considering the man was a mate, he didn’t want to disrespect him too much in front of his woman. Even if that woman was Aggie.

“Now, that’s one I’d rather do myself,” Aggie sneered over at the vampire.

“I’m touched,” Koren placed his hand on his chest and rolled his eyes in his head.

“Yeah, you’re touched in the head.” Aggie shot back.

“Touched by my boot up your backside if you don’t get out of here,” Nestor grumbled.

“Two to one, whatever is a lowly vampire to do?”

“Hell, do the world a favor and crawl back into your grave and stay there for a millennium or two.” Aggie eyed him with disdain.

“Oh, I think you’re closer to the grave than I am.”

“Don’t count on it.” Aggie and Nestor said together.

“Oh look, isn’t that cute. It isn’t even like you’re finishing each other’s sentences for them. There’s more of a connection than that. Truly symbiotic,” Koren was enjoying the look on Aggie’s face — the woman was chewing an imaginary wasp. “I guess fate knew what it was doing when it put you two together.” He couldn’t help himself.

“I will hurt you,” Aggie hissed.

“And yet, here I stand…” Koren had to bite down on the pain that racked his body as the witch sent her magic through him.

The sound of Nestor’s deep, warm chuckles rolled like thunder towards her. Aggie felt her anger seeping away, and it annoyed her more than he could ever know because she couldn’t even keep up torturing the vampire upon hearing her mate’s soothing tones.

How wrong was that?

“What are you laughing at?” Aggie pulled her magic back from the vampire and offered a small zap toward her mate.

“What was that for?” Nestor grumbled. “How senile are you?”

“That was a definite senior moment,” Aggie lied.

Then she abruptly turned on her heels and walked away from the pair of them, muttering something under her breath that neither man, even with their super hearing, could understand. Nestor had the feeling that he didn’t want to know.

His mate was a hellion, and he kind of liked it.

“And she’s all yours!” The vampire announced with glee.

“Don’t push your luck. I just might have a senior moment of my own and forget that you’re a friend to the pack,” Nestor growled before he started off after his mate.

“Really, after all these years?” Koren chuckled to himself. Especially, when the elder shot him the stink eye back over his shoulder. “You choose a woman over your friend.”

“Too many damn years,” Nestor grumbled as he walked away.

“And yet, winding the man up never gets old.” The vampire muttered to himself.

 

~

~

~

 

“You do remember that you almost blew up in a car on the driveway, right?” Jake asked as he followed his mate down the hallway towards the bathroom door.

“That old chestnut again?” Debbie tossed back at him with a small giggle.

“Strange how near death experiences seem to do that — crop up. Stranger still that they tend to clarify the mind to focus on what’s really important.”

“What’s really important is me getting to the bathroom before there’s a puddle on the floor,” she said. “I don’t know about you, but I’m not in the habit of peeing anywhere but in the toilet.”

“Well, where I stand on that particular dilemma is an answer for another time…”

“Oh boy, tell me you’re house trained.”

“I’ll take your slur — and ignore it.” Jake offered back as she reached the bathroom door and went to grab the handle. His hand got their first, and he tossed the door open for her.

“Well, where’s the fun in that?” Debbie said as she stepped inside and turned to close the door behind her.

Jake was grinning from ear to ear. She’d obviously said something to set the man off again, but for the life of her, she didn’t know what it was.

“So you like a little conflict with your wooing?” He asked wiggling his eyebrows at her.

“As far as wooing is concerned,” she took a moment to think about it. She didn’t need that moment, but she’d decided to make him wait for it. “I guess I’d say that you have to take the rough with the smooth.”

The look on her face was downright wicked. Coupled with her words his hard length twitched within his jeans and a decidedly hungry growl rumbled through his broad chest.

Jake lifted his hand, pointed his index finger at her, and opened his mouth to speak. It was then that she tossed the door closed in his face with her magic, and he heard the lock click on.

The sound of an equally wicked chuckle echoed on the other side of the door, baiting him, and Jake had the sudden urge to use his body as a battering ram to get into that room.