~

 

Nathaniel could scent the blood of the Fae witch in the air. He tackled Lochlin from behind, bringing the man down with his superior strength, and buried the shifter’s face in the mud with glee as he did it.

“Jessica!” Morgana yelled into the darkness of the night as the witch ran out of sight ahead of her.

With one eye on Nathaniel and the miffed off bear shifter whose head the vampire was holding down into the earth with one hand, while he sat on top of his back; she took off after her…

“Don’t get too far ahead of me!” Nathaniel yelled.

The vampire was torn between protecting Morgana from any unseen danger and keeping the bear shifter right where he needed him to be. With a roll of his eyes in annoyance that Morgana wasn’t paying a blind bit of attention to what he’d told her – he fisted Lochlin’s hair, wrenched his head up, and planted his fist squarely in the man’s face…

Then he dropped his face back in the mud and took off after Morgana. He caught up with her at the same time that she caught up with Jessica. The witch had fallen over a downed tree stump and was cursing like a sailor on shore leave as Morgana pulled up, puffing and panting in the air like she’d been truly winded.

“I told you not to get too far…” Nathaniel bit out at the witch that never seemed to listen to a damn word that he said.

“Stupid … kept … running…” Morgana said, with a glare for Jessica as the witch brought her head up and glared back at Morgana…

“Did you … not see … what was … chasing me?” Jessica panted back…

“No … der!” Morgana tossed back.

She bent forwards with another curse and braced her hands on her knees as she tried to still her heart back to something of a normal beat, and catch the breath that she so desperately needed inside of her lungs.

She hated running. She hated anything that could possibly be classed as a sport if she had to participate in it.

She wanted to heave the sandwich that she’d eaten at some point in the day up all over Jessica, just because the witch had made her run further than she’d needed to…

“I need to get back to the bear before he wakes…” Nathaniel hooked a thumb back over his shoulder…

“That shifter’s nuts…” Jessica hissed out…

“Lover’s spat?” Nathaniel asked and she snorted her contempt for that scenario…

“Only his mother could love him…” she tossed back.

“Why was he chasing you…?” Morgana asked.

“Because of you…” Jessica tossed back.

“Come again?” Morgana tipped her head to one side and regarded her with a curious look…

“Now that sounds like something I’d like to hear you…” Nathaniel bit down on the next words the moment when Morgana aimed a pointy elbow in his stomach and it connected…

“Said we were training newbie werewolves together…” Jessica bit out with disgust. “Like I’d have anything to do with a mutt.” She could have spat at the thought of it and it wouldn’t have been out of place.

“Glad you feel that way, we’ve got a little favour to ask…” Nathaniel said with a grin, and Morgana groaned.

“One way to talk the witch around, I suppose…” Morgana berated him.

“I don’t want anything to do with your scheme’s…” Jessica said with a small shake of her head.

“Fine, we’ll leave you too it then,” Nathaniel said, wrapping an arm around Morgana’s waist and starting to lead her away from the downed witch. “Lochlin should be awake in a few minutes. Enjoy…” he called back over his shoulder…

“Wait!” Jessica bit out. “Morgana!” She protested.

“You are horrible, do you know that?” Morgana offered up to the vampire and he gave her a devilish grin in return.

“Yes, and yes.” He shrugged before turning back to the sight of Jessica limping towards them, the bounce of her boobs attracting his attention downwards from her face… “I see why she’s Rabbit…” He whispered against Morgana’s ear and got another elbow for his trouble.

 

~

~

~

 

“Tell me who told you that Morgana was spelling werewolves…”

Nathaniel demanded from the bear shifter as he held the man pinned against the tree trunk with just one hand wrapped around his throat.

Lochlin bit down on the urge to let his bear burst free of his human body – if he shifted then the vampire would certainly of had a reason to kill him – right then; it just felt like the vampire wanted to torment him into telling him what he knew.

“Word of mouth. It’s all over the streets in shifter circles…” Lochlin bit back on a growl of annoyance.

It had taken the vampire a few rounds of knocking the man’s head against the nearest tree to get him to talk. Now the shifter was done fighting and ready for answers…

“And you have no idea where it came from?” Nathaniel looked deep into the man’s eyes, reading his answers, reading his very soul…

“I swear…” Lochin growled back.

Nathaniel let him go and took a couple of steps back from him. The shifter stumbled forwards and then dropped back against the tree trunk for support as he took all the oxygen that he needed…

Jessica took a few big steps towards Lochlin and kicked the man as hard as she could right in the crown jewels. Nathaniel winced – knowing that pain and sympathising with it – if not with the shifter that had taken the blow to his manhood.

Lochlin crumpled forwards onto his knees. His eyes were wide with surprise and they looked like they might just pop out of the sockets.

His face was etched with so much pain that it looked as if he’d been run through with a sword, and his hands gripped his most prized possessions as all of the air wheezed out of his lungs once more…

“It’s the least you deserve,” Jessica hissed down at the man, feeling no response for him at all. “Next time you come for me; I will flay your skin from your body while you’re still alive…”

“My … there’s a pretty picture.” Nathaniel offered to Morgana and the witch grinned back.

“She’s old school…” Morgana offered and the vampire took in a long breath and let it out slowly.

“Car, both of you. Now…” he said.

“I’m not going with you…” Jessica turned her nose up at the thought of travelling anywhere with a vampire.

“Fine… as I said before. Stay here with him … but, oh! Didn’t you just kick him in the nuts?” Nathaniel offered back with a devilish grin, and the woman’s nose twitched in annoyance.

“Fine, but I go under protest.” She snorted her contempt for him. Then she half turned and looked back over her shoulder at the shifter. “And my door had better be fixed by the damn time I get back or else.”

Lochlin gasped for a breath, but there was none to be had. The pain in his balls and in his stomach had snatched it away and it didn’t feel like he was going to get it back anytime soon.