~
“It’s not a good idea…” Dorothy leaned in towards her friend and whispered, and Angela sighed.
“What are you so worried about? Don’t you think everybody deserves to be as happy as you?” Angela scowled back at her.
“Yes,” Dorothy shot back, and Angela raised her eyebrows, questioning her friend. “But, that’s not really the point, now is it?”
“Of course it is…”
“Not…”
“Is so the damned point.”
“I will slap you silly…” Dorothy grumbled on a low whisper that couldn’t be overheard by the others that were coming their way.
“You could try…” Angela warned her.
“Do not tempt me…” Dorothy grumbled. “Hi!” She offered a bright and breezy innocent look to Sarah and the others as they came towards their garden table bringing a mishmash of food for a late supper…
Angela repositioned herself in her chair and took on the air of normality and innocence.
Sarah didn’t buy it for a moment…
She’d seen the two of them with their heads together. Conspiring once more, and she didn’t like it.
She could smell trouble in the air, and that stench came from their direction…
“Ok, now, whatever the two of you are planning in those devious, elder, witchy brains of yours…” Sarah said, and both elder’s pulled their heads back on their necks in mock shock, and with an air of being somewhat insulted about them…
“Us…?” Angela said.
“Devious?” Dorothy added, and Hank grunted in amusement. “Excuse me?” She cranked up one eyebrow towards her hairline and aimed that look at her mate…
“Oh, not a word came from my lips…” Hank tried to look angelic and innocent, but Dorothy knew the man was anything but.
When Lark grunted a chuckle at the man’s expense, Angela turned her steely gaze on him…
“I said nothing,” Lark shrugged.
“Very devious,” Chloe put her two pennies in from the porch about the garden area, and Monty nudged her in the ribs…
“Not a good idea to miff of the natives when you want in the Inn…” he reminded her, and she snorted her contempt for him as she folded her arms and then huffed in annoyance.
“My Inn…” All the witches said together, just as Chloe opened her mouth to say that exact same thing.
“Oh, laugh now, but wait until I…”
Monty slapped his hand over her mouth and her eyes snapped sideways to eye the man…
“Play nice…” he reminded her in a sing-song tone that annoyed her beyond belief.
She had a good mind to snap off his hand and slap him with it.
“Fine…” she offered, but the word was muffled by his hand…
“Huh?” Sarah said, cupping her ear like an elder and making Chloe bite down hard into Monty’s hand with her blunt teeth.
The vampire yelped and shook out the pain … he looked down and eyed the witches that were starring back at him…
“Progress,” Monty offered back, holding up his hand, palm towards them. “No fangs…”
“So, what are you two delinquents planning now?” Sarah eyed the pair of elders, sitting side by side like bookends, and trying to look as if butter wouldn’t melt in their mouths.
“Nothing,” Dorothy rushed out.
“It’s not nothing, tell them,” Angela shrugged and Dorothy tossed her a look that said she thought that she’d lost her mind.
“Nooo…”
“I’ll tell them…” Angela announced and Dorothy turned within her seat to glare at her friend. “Your birthday, Sarah…”
“Huh…?” Dorothy bit out, it was subtle, but it was there…
“We were planning something … different,” Angela glared at Dorothy and the elder sunk lower in her chair. “Were we not?” Angela’s tone had a crisp edge to it.
“We … shouldn’t be telling her this…” Dorothy tossed back, when all she wanted to do was call Angela out on her lies…
“No, but then – she thought us morally bankrupt, deceitful, and devious…” Angela certainly laid it on thick, and Dorothy grunted once more as she rolled her eyes within her head and groaned inwardly…
“Well, to be fair,” Dorothy said, and Angela tossed her a glare… “We aren’t exactly trustworthy…”
“I never said…” Sarah started.
“You did!” Chloe called and Sarah had to bite down on a word or two that came to mind for her aunt…
“Well, I didn’t mean…” She started again.
“Of course you did,” Chloe tossed back. “And it must have hurt their feelings so much…” she said, stirring the pot.
“Don’t ask to come in for another month,” Sarah hissed at her aunt and Chloe’s bottom jaw fell downwards…
“I …” she huffed in annoyance.
“Told you…” Monty’s sing-song tone riled her last nerve and she brought her elbow up and back, and felt it connect with his nose. The snap was so satisfying… “Point made…” Monty grumbled as he stemmed the flow of blood and waited for it to heal…
“”I don’t think that you’re up to no good. I was just teasing,” Sarah lied, feeling that rush of guilt even though she damn well knew that she was onto something…
Dorothy tossed a glare at Angela and Angela offered her a smug grin back…
“Forgiven,” Angela said sweetly, and Dorothy grunted.
She felt guilty enough without Dorothy berating her with sounds that were more fitting to their mates…
“Always,” Dorothy assured Sarah.
“Then, let’s eat…” Nathan said, rubbing his hands together at the smell of the food that was making his stomach growl like his wolf.
“Who?” Chloe asked, and Monty opened his mouth to speak, but Chloe gave him a look that could have started a white hot fire…
“Me…” Dorothy said, and Hank gave an angry growl as his eyes snapped towards Chloe and the vampire’s eyes lit up.
“One move towards her and your mate will be pooing out his fangs a few days later…” Hank growled.
“Why me?” Monty looked flabbergasted at the elder’s words.
“Because I won’t hit a lady – even a vampire lady…” Hank grumbled.
“Oh, but an innocent by-standing-vampire is fine, is it?” Monty tossed back.
“Your mate – your cross to bear.” Hank growled back.
“Wait, so I’m your cross to bear?” Dorothy scowled at him, and he straightened within his chair.
“That’s not…” he started, but she huffed.
“He said so, didn’t he?” She shot a look at Angela and the woman grinned teasingly the elder…
“Yes, he did. I heard him,” Monty bit out venomously. “Get him, Dorothy…”
“Now listen here pot stirrer,” Dorothy turned a wagging finger on the vampire, and Monty drew back in disbelief.
“I’m on your side, why am I always the fall guy?” Monty scowled, and his mate brought her elbow backwards into his chest with all the force that she could muster and knocked him clean over the top of the railings…
“Fall guy?” Chloe shrugged, “guess so.”
“I think I’m having a very bad month,” Monty groaned from somewhere buried in the bushes.
“It could be worse,” Chloe offered down.
“Oh, could it…” Monty groaned as he pushed up to his full height and dusted himself down. “How so?”
“You could be human,” Chloe offered back, and Angela zapped her for the fun of it. She turned her head slowly towards them and scowled. “Who did that?”
“Me,” Dorothy said.
“Me,” Sarah shrugged it off.
“Me,” Angela smirked.
“Don’t damn well take that one out on me,” Monty grumbled, falling over a twig or two that had wrapped around his ankles…
“That was me…” Dorothy grinned at her favourite vampire as she held up a hand and a smile of apology.
“Sneaky…” Monty bit out. “You have to watch these elderly ones like a damn hawk.” He grumbled to his mate and she grunted in agreement…
“And then, just like a hawk, swoop in and…”
“Noooo!” Monty shook his head.
“Oh, right. I forgot.” Chloe lied with a big old smirk back towards the elders.
“It would have been easier to kill her at the start and end her suffering…” Hank growled.
“You mean our suffering, don’t you?” Dorothy offered back.
“So, what’s this thing you two were planning for Sarah’s birthday?” Nathan asked.
“That’s…” Dorothy shot a look at Angela and Angela scowled back at her…
“That wouldn’t be a surprise if we told you…” she said, running on empty in the lie department.
“End of discussion,” Dorothy said. “I think we’ll do something different.” She bit out and Angela sighed.
“Fine.” The elder groaned. “Have it your way.” She admitted defeat.
If she couldn’t even get Dorothy to agree with her then it was probably a very bad idea – after all, the woman was even more mischievous than she was…
The End.