~

 

“How are you feeling?” Nathan asked.

He’d found Sarah sitting at the kitchen counter, an open bottle of beer in front of her as she leaned her elbows on the polished surface and her head against the counter top. She looked up, snapping her back into place as she stared back at him.

She looked tired; as if the weight of the world was upon her shoulders, and he knew how that could feel.

“In need of a hangover tomorrow,” she answered, trying not to raise her eyes to him.

The man was eye candy of the best kind and she didn’t need the added rush of adrenaline and excitement that just looking at him caused. She’d had enough of that for the night, and her day had sucked.

“Want me to get you the Scotch?” His deep tone pulled on her psyche, and other places, and she really had to fight the urge to look at him.

“No … I think I need to keep a head on my shoulders thanks to my vampire aunt,” she took a moment to consider her words. “That’s never going to sound right … Aunt Vamp, Auntie bloodsucker…” she waved it away and reached for the beer.

“I knew that they were mates, but she’d always been adamant that she didn’t want to turn,” Nathan stalked to refrigerator and helped himself to a beer. Then he returned to the stool beside hers and sat down.

“I guess she looked death in the face and changed her mind.” Sarah shrugged.

“It happens,” Nathan used his thumb to flick the top from the bottle and caught the cap in his other hand.

“Nice party trick, and it doesn’t happen in my family. I don’t even think there are any ghosts of my ancestors rattling around, let alone vampires, until now…” She grumbled the last part.

“Chloe just needs to get a handle on her bloodlust…”

“And then she’ll be back to her normal self?” Sarah snorted contempt for that. “I think not.”

“No, but she’ll be a lot safer to be around, and Monty will keep her in line.”

“You sure about that?” Sarah asked, snatching a look at him and getting snagged by his eyes…

Damn it … don’t look … it’s that easy … kind of hard – easy… but just don’t look at him … it’s not brain surgery.

“Monty’s a good guy … most of the time,” Nathan shrugged.

“It’s that word most that worries me.”

“I’ll protect you from the threat…”

“About that…” Sarah said on a frown. “Can you not keep jumping in front of me? Granted, you have a great back, nice buns, but I kind of need to see what I’m aiming my magic at.”

“No,” he offered back simply and with a smaller shrug off his shoulders. “But I like that you like my backside, even if you do only see me as a sex object. I can live with that … for now.”

“No?” She raised her eyebrows towards her hairline and demanded with that one look that he elaborate.

She wasn’t even going to touch on the teasing part of his reply.

“No.”

“Be…cause?”

“It’s in my nature to protect you. You’re my mate – what am I going to do just sit on the sidelines?”

“Sure … yeah, that works for me,” she smiled, and the sun came out as he stared back at her.

The woman was mesmerising, and he hadn’t been able to take his eyes off of her since she turned to look at him.

He had to wonder if she had any idea of the absolute power that she held over him…

“Tough.”

“You like those one word answers, don’t ya?” She teased.

The smile was still in her eyes, and he liked that. He could only wish that she looked at him like that every day.

He didn’t need hearts and flowers and for her to be following his every word like he was her Lord and Master. He didn’t need for them to never have a bad word to say to each other, or never have an argument – he’d take the rough with the smooth – that was life and that was love in his book…

But what he did need was to make her that happy – that bright and shiny – at least once every day. Then and only then would he have done the right thing by her. Then and only then would he be a true mate to her.

Love, honour, and cherish … the humans got something right when they thought that one up.

He’d add protect to that list.

“Yep,” he teased back and heard the gentle sound of her chuckle.

He made a mental note to add getting that sound from her lips every day as well.

“I could zap you if you annoy me…” she was being playful now, and he liked that side of her.

“And I could say ouch,” he offered back.

“You think I can’t hurt you if I wanted? The big, bad alpha.” She raised those perfectly plucked eyebrows at him once more, and he gave her a drop dead sexy grin to end all grins…

She felt her womb kick her heart into gear…

“I think you can – but do you really want to?” He dropped his chin down towards his chest and regarded her from just beneath his dark eyebrows.

Darker, yes. Sexier, definitely – especially with that day old stubble that was wrapped around his square jaw and reaching for the hairline in front of his ears…

Too sexy for his own good … too sexy for my own good…

“Well, not right this minute, but I’m sure it’ll come up again…” Sarah offered him a wicked smile and he couldn’t help the growl that got caught in his throat.

His wolf was antsy. With every moment that ticked by the beast just wanted to claim her as its mate.

Nathan got that. He was feeling the tug of the mating pull on his psyche and it was getting stronger.

He knew that she would be feeling it to some degree as well. He just didn’t know how fast it worked on the Fae.

“Speaking of thing coming up…” his eyes flicked down to the bulge in his jeans and hers followed – then they snapped right back up again as the colour in her cheeks deepened. “Where were we earlier?” That growl was rolling beneath his words and teasing her mind and body…

“We were chasing after a runaway old lady…”

“Not then…”

“Drinking Scotch…”

“Not that either.” He leaned towards her on the stool, and lifted his hand to her cheek. He held her eyes with his. “Let me remind you…”

“Oh… beer!” Chloe announced from the other side of the back door, and Nathan growled long and hard, as Sarah grunted in annoyance…

“I know she’s kin, but can’t I just stake her anyway?” Sarah bit out and Nathan chuckled as he pulled back away from her…

“That would be rude,” Chloe offered back.

“But – oh – so satisfying!” Sarah announced as she turned on the stool towards her. “Thought you went home.”

“I did, but I’m back…” she grinned as she expanded her arms just as a rather exasperated Monty came into view behind her…

“She’s fast…” the vampire assured them by way of an apology.

“And annoying…” Sarah sighed.

“Tell me about it,” Monty sighed, but when his mate snapped her head around and offered him a dark glare, he held his hands up to his chest in surrender… “Beautiful, sexy, funny as hell…”

“Stop backpedalling,” Chloe hissed and Monty took in a deep breath and sighed it back out.

“Good, because I’d run out of platitudes…”

“Excuse me?” Chloe scowled.

“Well, you have become somewhat …” Monty searched for the right word…

“Of an annoying bitch, hell bent of rubbing us all up the wrong way?” Sarah offered and Monty chuckled, until his mate’s hands went to her hips, and he looked suitably chastised…