~

 

“But, you look amazing doing it…” Monty offered, and she twisted her head on her neck and glared at him. “Did I mention, beautiful?”

“Whipped…” Nathan chuckled.

“He will be…” Chloe bit out, causing Monty to wince…

“I’m not sure that’s a good thing, but I’ll try anything once,” Monty offered, thinking about it every step of the way.

“Chloe, you don’t live here anymore…” Sarah sighed.

“I know, but I miss the old place,” she shrugged. “And getting to know you is…”

“Me or the taste of my blood?” Sarah shot back.

“Well, if you’re offering…”

“I wasn’t,” Sarah bit out dryly.

“Then don’t tease a newbie vampire,” Chloe shot back.

“Can’t you chain her to the bed or something?” Sarah looked to Monty, and the vampire considered it for a long moment – right up until his mate elbowed him in the ribs – hard. There was a dull crack…

“I’d say she didn’t like that idea…” Monty offered back, wincing in pain as his blood went to work healing him.

“Well, I don’t like the fact that she keeps appearing at the windows like one of those Garfield cats that people stick on their cars…” Sarah offered back, and her aunt grunted.

“Is it so wrong that I miss my house?” Chloe offered.

“Is it so hard to understand that until you get a handle on your bloodlust that I’m not going to invite you in?”

“I didn’t eat your friend, did I?” Chloe tossed back.

“But you wanted to,” Sarah said and watched as Chloe tossed that thought over within her mind.

“True, but not the point.”

“Exactly the point.”

“I don’t think it’s relevant…” Chloe’s melodic tones became a lot more sing-song.

“Couldn’t be more so…” Sarah sang back.

“Could too…”

“Not…”

“I hate you…” Chloe bit out.

“Right back at ya!” Sarah said with glee.

Chloe tossed up her hands and huffed in annoyance.

“Witches – so damn predictable,” Chloe said.

“Well, what did you expect – that she welcomed you with open arms and a vein?” Monty asked.

“That would have been the neighbourly thing to do,” Chloe shrugged.

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” Nathan growled.

“Well, I’d do anything for my family and I assume they’d do anything for me…” Chloe said.

“I’m your only family…” Sarah grumbled.

“There you go then – more reason to stick together…”

“Open a vein?”

“Yes…”

“No!”

“Bite me!” Chloe hissed back.

“Good idea,” Monty said. “Let’s go before the neighbours hate you more than they do already.” Chloe huffed back at him. “I’m seeing pitchforks, torches, and sharp pointy wooden things in our future…”

“She wouldn’t dare,” Chloe folded her arms and gave Sarah a withering stare. Sarah didn’t even blink… “Fine, maybe she would, but I just want to go in my Inn!”

“Then get a handle on your bloodlust, greedy guts!” Sarah snapped back.

Chloe lifted her chin and huffed before she turned on her heels, nudged her mate aside, and stormed away.

“Nice visit,” Monty offered with a small wave, before turning and following his mate into the night…

Sarah whimpered just a little as she turned back towards Nathan…

“This is not happening to me…” she said, dropping her head down on her neck and offering him a deep sigh.

Nathan reached out and wrapped his arm around her, bringing her forward where she rested her forehead against his chest. She wallowed in the feel of his strength, emotionally and physically, as it wrapped around her.

“Monty will make it work,” he promised her.

“If I don’t stake her first,” Sarah bit out with the fighting spirit once more.

“Always looking on the bright side, hmm?” he chuckled.

“It’s just so tempting a thought.”

 

~

~

~

 

“I can’t believe that you run the gauntlet of vampires to get away from me,” Lark grumbled.

“Have you met you?” Angela’s voice was dry and berating, but her eyes were smiling back at him.

She seemed brighter in herself now that she was settled into her bed with a nice warm toddy.

“I’ve had that pleasure, and for my age I think I’m quite a catch,” he offered back with much the same playful attitude as his mate. “I have all my own fangs.”

Angela bit down on the smile that tried to stretch her lips. Her mind seemed a little clearer – a little less jumbled than it had been before.

She didn’t know if it was the near death experience or the vampire’s blood that she was sure she could still taste, but things just seemed a little less foggy inside her mind.

“And there lies the problem…” she lied.

“You don’t like my wolf?”

“I don’t like you,” she shot back another lie.

She had to admit, just not to him, that the man was growing on her. It could just have been the mating pull, but she didn’t think it was.

Sure, he was growly and grumbly, but he gave as good as he got, and didn’t flounce off sulking, as some men were prone to do, when she unleashed her acid tongue – that was always a bonus. But it was something else, something deeper as they sat together in her room. She felt a sense of peaceful security – as if she’d found home.

“What say I crawl in there and keep you company?” He flipped the subject and her mind was as sharp as a tack in keeping up with him…

“What say I drop you on your backside?” She shot back with just enough of a scowl to make him think twice.

“What say you stop fighting this thing between us and accept that I’m not now, nor ever, going anywhere?” He raised those bushy eyebrows at her and she frowned harder.