~

 

“The witches’ Rede … you know it by heart…” Sarah said, reminding her of who she once was.

Perhaps the witch didn’t want to be reminded of her human past, but that was too bad as well, because Sarah didn’t want to give up on her just yet … not until all hope was lost.

“I have no heart…” Chloe bit out.

“You love Monty … there’s a heart still in there somewhere.” Sarah taunted her with the facts as she saw them. The vampire might have lost her soul, but she never lost her love for her mate…

“I’ll borrow yours when I get up from here,” Chloe bit out, but if Sarah was a betting woman then she would have wagered a fair chunk on the fact that the vampire had lost some of her fighting spirit…

“Temper – temper, love…” Monty said as he appeared next to Sarah and eyed his mate on the ground. “You know, that’s a good look on you. It reminds me of the first time we met…”

Chloe calmed a little more.

“I should have staked you…” Chloe offered back, and Monty took a moment to think on it…

Even with the deep roar of the elder as Nathan let him go and the man rushed to his injured mate’s side, Monty kept his full attention on his own mate.

“You did…” He reminded her.

“I should have finished the job,” Chloe bit out.

“No time like the present. Stake me. Like alone and mate-less for the rest of eternity,” he shrugged.

“Tempting…”

“Trust me, boring…” Monty shot back.

“When you two have finished…” Nathan growled, stalking towards them, and eyeing Chloe and her predicament with a twist of his head.

“What are you looking at Mutley?” Chloe bit out.

“Rude,” Sarah said. “Very rude, and they say the younger generation have no manners…”

“I am young,” Chloe hissed back.

“Now … in vampire years only. Surely you can remember when you were like Angela,” Sarah said, nodding back over her shoulder to the mate’s.

Lark was stroking Angela’s hair from her face, before he took her into his arms and held her close.

“Don’t remind me. Old. Fragile…” Chloe bit out with a sneer.

She’d hated it. Hated her own body, and as she aged Monty had not…

“Struck a chord?” Monty asked and his mate sneered up at him.

“I’m hungry,” Chloe said, looking anywhere but at Monty.

“Let’s go home and get something to eat then,” he offered and she snorted her contempt for that…

“It’s not Fae blood…” Chloe huffed out, seeming to give way a little more in her stance.

“That’s because us witches’ are a special breed,” Sarah offered back, and Chloe finally met her eyes once more.

“I don’t miss it … the magic…” Chloe lied.

“You had to work at being a witch, and know you have to work at being a vampire. Same poop, different species.” Sarah said and Chloe sighed.

“Fine,” she muttered.

“Sure?” Monty asked and she huffed in response then.

“Bloody certain,” she gave him a wicked grin and he nodded.

“Don’t make me regret this,” Monty wagged his index finger at her. “You can let her go now.”

“Sure?” Sarah asked, looking at him like he’d just puked on her shoes.

“Certain,” Monty said as he reached down and held his hand out to his mate in anticipation of Sarah pulling back on her magic.

“I will hurt you,” Sarah warned her aunt.

“I have no doubt,” Chloe looked away from the young witch.

The moment that Sarah pulled back on her magic; Chloe sprung up to her feet. Nathan was in front of Sarah in a heartbeat…

“Again with the view of your back…” Sarah said on a sigh.

“Annoying, isn’t it?” Chloe said. “The way they feel they have to protect you…” she shot a dark look at Monty.

“What I did, I did for love,” Monty said with a small nod of his head…

“Soft,” Chloe bit back. Then she turned on her heels and started away in the opposite direction. “I’m going home.” She announced over her shoulder, and Monty grinned.

“My home, not yours…” He informed Sarah.

“I’m kind of hoping it’s in Transylvania…” Sarah offered with a smile for the vampire.

“No such luck. About half a mile due south,” he replied.

“I’ll be back,” Chloe called out and Sarah bit down on her need to groan…

“Hopefully she’ll be in a better mood, but you know females and blood, even the humans get all claws and fangs at certain times of the month…” Monty grinned.

“Wow…” Sarah shook her head.

“Just a little vampire humour,” Monty said, starting off after his mate with a backwards wave of his hand.

“Don’t worry,” Nathan said. “My kin are a walk in the park to deal with compared to yours.”

“I…” Sarah closed her eyes for a brief moment and shook her head.

She wasn’t even going to grace that one with a reply.

 

~

~

~

 

“Well, now you have vampire blood in your system,” Dorothy berated her friend. “I hope you’re happy!”

“Oh, bloody ecstatic,” Angela muttered, and Lark chuckled behind his hand as he sat at Angela’s beside and watched Dorothy fuss around her.

For some reason, he couldn’t seem to work up a head of steam about the elder witch looking after his mate. It would have been like kicking a puppy, and he’d never do that.

“Do you have to fuss?” Angela sighed.

“Yes!” Dorothy snapped back. “Giving us all a scare like that, and you at your age.”

“I’m younger than you!” Angela protested.

“Still old enough to know better!” Dorothy scowled.

“I guess so…” Angela said, tossing up a hand and letting gravity take it back down to the bed…

“Don’t you even think about having a heart attack and coming back as a vampire – we’ve got enough with the other one, and I’d never forgive you.” Dorothy scowled harder at the thought. “I’d stake you myself…”

“On the bright side, I’d have one hell of a younger woman on my arm.” Lark wiggled his eyebrows at his mate and watched her eyes light up with humour and mischief.

“Well, sorry to disappoint you, but you’re stuck with an old witch,” Angela grinned.

“I can live with that,” Lark chuckled.

“Let’s hope she lasts the night then,” Dorothy hissed, before she turned on her heels and started for the bedroom door. “Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do,” she called back over her shoulder.

“Doesn’t leave a lot,” Angela muttered.

“I heard that,” Dorothy grumbled, but she had a wicked smile on her lips as she slammed the door shut behind her.

“I can think of a few things…” Lark wiggled his eyebrows at his mate and the woman snorted another chuckle.

“You really are an old dog, aren’t you?”