~

 

“Don’t upset the beast, sweetheart – they can be so unpredictable when they get antsy.”

Jamie warned her as he slammed the cage shut on his wolf, and she snorted her contempt for him.

“Much like men,” Fallon offered back.

“I’m not just any man – I’m your mate.”

“Did you have to say that?”

“No.” He grinned, so damn sure of himself that she wanted to hit him over the head with a club or anything heavy that came to hand.

The trouble was – there was nothing to hand.

Fallon didn’t much like being reminded of the fact that she was a mate. His mate.

Not that she really needed reminding when her body was jumping and jiving with a tingly good sensation that she knew wouldn’t go away, at least, not until he did.

But did she want him to go away?

Fate said no.

Her body said no.

Her mind was undecided and so was her pride.

He was so damn full of himself that she wanted to slap him just for being so presumptuous.

Fallon knew that she still had so many problems to deal with that his presence was just going to stack them all right up there until she couldn’t see the damn top of the pile.

She wasn’t even sure what it was that she was feeling, not deep down within her soul where it truly mattered.

A mate.

Home.

A family of her own … that was scary stuff, but it warmed her inside – took away some of the frost that sat there taunting her.

 “You can get off me now,” Fallon’s no nonsense attitude should have given him more pause for thought, but he chose to ignore it.

“But you’re just so damn comfy…”

Jamie felt the knee to his balls and lost all will to even try to move, to breathe.

The pain screamed through his body, deep into his guts, like one of his juvenile brothers had delivered a sucker punch.

Nausea rolled through him like he’d been bobbing up and down on a stormy ocean, and then she was tossing him off of her – with a little help from her magic…

Jamie’s back thumped against the ground. His head bounced off the hard earth.

He found that he could do little more than reach for his balls, and his eyes were just a teary mess, as if he was a female watching a chick flick…

“There now,” Fallon said as she pushed up to her feet and brushed off the grass from her body in an attempt to show him just who was boss at that moment in time.

He groaned.

His wolf whimpered for his pain.

“Geez,” Chloe said. She placed her hands on her hips and eyed the downed shifter, resisting the urge to throw back her head and laugh. “And I thought I was the queen bitch around these parts. I hand you my crown – take it with you when you climb on your broomstick and head off back to hell.”

“Speaking of hell,” Fallon tossed back, more than ready with her magic to take the vampire down if she needed to. “I’m sure you’re missed.”

“Now – now, claws in.” Monty appeared between the two women before anything resembling a catfight could ensue.

It wasn’t that he was opposed to watching two hot females screaming and trying to pull each other’s hair out … he knew that in this instance, neither female would draw the line at some hair tugging…

“I think he’s speaking to you as you’re the only dog around here,” Fallon sneered at Chloe, and the vampire narrowed her eyes, and took a quick, deep breath in that she didn’t need…

“Oh, I’m going to…” Chloe started towards the witch, but Monty turned to face her … and she pulled up short as he blocked her way…

“We had this conversation about witches – remember, you used to be one, and you were truly a very big pain in the …”

“Finish that sentence and I swear, Monty, I will …” Chloe warned him.

“Calm down a little?” Monty asked with a small smug grin.

“No, I just figure I’ll kill you first, and then her,” Chloe offered back to the sound of a growl that rumbled through Jamie’s chest.

“I take it by that your balls are feeling better,” Chloe offered down to the beta. “Growl at me again and I’ll kick them so hard you’ll be wearing them as ear muffs.”

“That’s…” Monty considered it for a long moment. “Not an image I wanted in my head.”

“You take a step near him and you’ll be flying without wings,” Fallon hissed her warning.

She felt the magic spark at her fingertips. She was more than happy to deliver on her promise.

“Can we just all try to get along?” Monty asked…

“Not likely,” Chloe sneered.

“That you’ll try, or succeed?” Monty scowled back at her, and she snatched her glare away from the witch and towards her mate.

“What?”

“I asked if you’ll try to get along…” Monty shrugged.

“No.” She snapped back.

“No?”

“Why should I play nice when she’s a bitch?” Chloe tossed up a hand in Fallon’s direction…

“Someone’s been looking in the mirror,” Fallon shot back.

“See. My point exactly,” Chloe shrugged.

“Could you all just give it a damn rest?” Jamie growled.

Then he rolled over onto his stomach and braced himself for the excruciating pain that he knew he was going to feel as he tried to push himself upwards.

He grunted, and managed to get to his hands and knees before he gasped in a breath, and then groaned it out again at the pain…

“That’s gotta hurt…” Monty winced for him…

The one thing that you can always rely on with men was their solidarity when it came to one of them getting kicked in the balls.

“Oh, ya think, Monty?” Jamie growled out.

He flicked a glare towards his mate, and she made a point of looking everywhere but at his bright red face and those accusing black, puppy dog eyes…

“My kind of a witch,” Chloe grinned.

“Do not equate me with anything that you’d do…” Fallon bit out.

“Ah, truth hurt, sweetie?” Chloe tossed back.

Fallon snorted her contempt for the woman. A vampire, was a vampire, was a vampire in her book. It didn’t matter what shape, size, or sex they were – she disliked them all equally.

“Bite me,” the witch hissed out. 

Chloe felt the rush of desire to taste the witch’s blood upon her tongue at that invite, and she took a long first step towards her that was blocked by her mate as he wagged his finger at her…

“She invited me,” Chloe bit out in disbelief.

“If she invited you to run at something sharp and pointy, would you?” Monty grumbled.

“Different,” Chloe said with a song in her voice.

“Not by much,” Monty sang back. “Either one will lead to your untimely end.”

“Says you,” Chloe snorted.

“Seconded.” Jamie bit out.

“Says a whole pack of wolves if you feed on one of their own,” Monty reminded her.

“I’m not…” Fallon scowled, and stopped at the sound of another loud rumble that came from Jamie… “Oh, I see your point and I’ll raise you a sharp and pointy for your mate.” She offered Monty.

“Uncalled for,” Monty offered back.

He flicked a quick look back over his shoulder to offer the witch a scathing look, but it didn’t matter how fleeting the look was, by the time that he’d turned his eyes back to where Chloe had been – the newbie vampire was no longer there.

“Crap!” Monty bit out.

“She went left,” Fallon offered, and even pointed the way in case the man had no sense of direction.

“Tell-tale-tit!” Chloe called out from somewhere unseen, and Monty dropped his head forward on his neck for a brief moment…

“I’m suddenly feeling my years,” Monty said.

“Brutal for someone who was around Vlad the damn Impaler.” Jamie growled…

“You’re lucky you’re already down,” Monty grunted in annoyance, and then he was gone, leaving her alone with one ticked off shifter.

Jamie turned his eyes up to his mate, and in turn, she scowled down at him.

“Don’t get up on my account.” Fallon shrugged, and the beta groaned once more.

“You really are…” He ground out the words, but he managed to stop himself before he finished that sentence and said something that they might both regret.

“So I’m told,” Fallon offered back with something of a teasing grin. There might have been a small pang of guilt inside of her, but the witch found that easy to dismiss.