CHAPTER NINE

 

 

~

 

Joel grumbled another growl the witch’s lack of driving skills, and she would have rolled her eyes in her head has she not been watching the road. The car in front had got a head start — but that didn’t stop Bree from catching up to it.

“Be careful!” Joel growled.

“I’ve been driving for a long time and I’m more than capable of…”

“Putting a Lamborghini in a ditch?” Joel tossed back.

“Oh, I see the vampire has been flapping his lips about that one,” Bree snapped back.

“He’s miffed — and with good reason — that car’s expensive…”

“But we’re not talking about the car really, are we?”

“Come again?” Joel kept his attention on the car ahead. They’d caught up to her, and he wasn’t about to lose her now.

“You’re still miffed at me because of my spell on you,” Bree offered back. “And I get that — I do…”

“No, I don’t think you get that,” Joel tossed back.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Bree snapped.

“You’re a devious, uncaring, meddlesome, wicked witch who…”

“Uncaring!” Bree stomped on the brake.

If Joel hadn’t of put his arms out in front of him, palms slapped against the dashboard and wedged himself in, then he might have head-butted the windscreen. They screeched to a halt, and his wolf rose within him as his mate’s car pulled away from them once more.

“What in hellfire are you doing?” Joel growled

Bree twisted her head to one side, lifted one eyebrow at him, and bit down on the need to zap him. “Uncaring?”

“Maybe not uncaring,” Joel backtracked.

He had three choices — put Bree out of the car and drive himself, and that came with its own set of problems considering the fact that she was a witch and more than zap-happy, and who had time for that? Get out of the car and chase his mate like a lunatic on foot — or, try and persuade Bree to follow his mate once more.

“I’m very caring,” Bree snapped back.

“Fine,” Joel lifted a hand and motioned to the car in the distance. He opened his mouth to speak, but Bree got there first.

“Don’t take that act of revenge for being uncaring — you sniffed — a lot,” she hissed out.

“Fine — fine.” He motioned toward his mate’s car, but Bree hadn’t finished.

“Don’t take thoughtlessness for being uncaring — that first spell wasn’t meant to hurt anybody — it was a call to mates — if you think about it, that’s a nice thing to do,” Bree offered back.

“Fine — fine – fine — can we just…?”

“And as for your little rainbow fur problem — I wasn’t uncaring about it — I did try to find you again that day, but couldn’t because you’d sulked off like a little girl — how was that my fault?” Bree demanded.

“Not your fault — not your fault at all — can we…?”

“And as for today’s little splat-fest — that was unintentional…”

“I get it — I do,” Joel practically begged for mercy, for Bree to stop talking long enough for him to spit out what he needed to say.

“Why are we chasing the car in the first place?” Bree said, suddenly confused by what could be so important that he’d actually climbed in a car with her in the first place if he hated her so much.

“That’s my mate!” Joel growled as he thrust out his hand and pointed — his finger hit the windscreen, and he groaned in pain.

“Oh,” Bree was more than surprised — then she groaned and physically crumpled in her seat. “Another one?”

“Not for me it’s not,” Joel reminded her.

Bree snapped to attention. “Oh my Goddess,” she said as she turned her attention back to the steering wheel and grasped it in a death grip with both hands. “Hold onto your panties — we’re going to get that mate!”

Then she stomped on the accelerator and tossed them both back in their seats. Joel would have groaned inwardly once more, but he was too grateful that Bree was finally putting the pedal to the metal and chasing his mate once more.

“Alive – alive would be preferable to dead!”

Bree shot him a chuckle. “Silly wolf.”

 

 

 

~

 

 

 

Martha would have fanned her hot cheeks with anything to hand if she wasn’t so darn determined not to let her mate know just how much his red-hot kisses had affected her. In fact, she was a little miffed that he’d kissed her in the first place.

“We had an agreement,” Martha bit out.

“We did…”

“You’re no gentleman…”

“That’s a good thing – right?” He offered her a lazy, but cocky grin, and she wanted so much to agree with him, but she wasn’t about to lose face.

Martha slapped his hands down from her body as she twisted in place and eyed him like he was almost toast. “Let me tell you…”

“Am I interrupting?” Jai asked.

Of course, he knew he was – he’d seen everything. He’d just been about to back away like he’d never been there at all, but then things started to get … interesting.

“Oh good, another of Satan’s little minions to darken my day,” Martha grumbled. Then she offered her mate one last glare before she turned on her heels and stalked away.

“You’re entirely welcome,” Jai announced, and Thorn dragged his eyes from watching his mate’s retreat, and eyeballed the vampire instead.

“For what?”

“Well, for her for one thing,” Jai tossed back and got a hard growl of warning in return. “Too soon?”

“I’ll not ask twice,” Thorn growled.

“You just did – but…” He held up his hand to silence the old alpha of the pack before he started to froth at the mouth again. “For saving your bacon, that’s what.”

“And what makes you think my bacon needed saving?” Thorn had plausible deniability.

“I saw … everything.”

Or maybe he didn’t have plausible deniability, but the fact remained, he was doing just fine without the vampire. “Well, sink your fangs into someone else’s business cos I’m doing just fine.” Thorn rumbled another growl.

“Well, at least you’ve managed to get to the touchy-feely part – finally,” Jai offered with a teasing grin, but Thorn wasn’t impressed.

“Don’t you have your own mate to annoy?”

“Alas, I’ve been temporarily banished from the house…”

“Needs a break from you already? Got it,” Thorn felt better.

“I’m distracting…”

“Disgusting?” Thorn said nodding. “Well, she’s not wrong there.”

“Don’t make me hurt you old man…”

“Old, Pah! Says the five hundred-year-old relic from a bygone era.” Thorn snorted a chuckle.

“But, I still look good.”

“It’s a shame you’re mouldy on the inside.” Thorn dismissed him with a wave of his hand and started to stalk up the path after his mate.

“I’d give her a moment or three to think about it…”

“About what?”

“The kiss.” Thorn liked that idea, but he certainly wasn’t going to tell the vampire that. He didn’t need too, Jai was already reading his thoughts. “Let her stew on it.”

“That’s just what I was…” Thorn shot a glare back over his shoulder. “Stop reading my damn mind. That’s private!”

“Sorry, there’s no sign. Now, if you’d like to get it tattooed on your forehead.” Jai shrugged. 

“How about I get it printed on your backside with my boot?” Thorn grumbled as he stalked off with a shake of his head and muttering dark curses under his breath.

“Still welcome,” Jai called and got the middle finger back for his trouble. He chuckled to himself as he watched the elder go. “Yep, stupid is as stupid does.”