~

“I can’t believe you let me run all that way until you slowed down enough to let me jump in the back of the damn truck,” Dusty grumbled a growl at Grayson as he jumped down from the back of the pickup, and eyed his mate’s car as if he wanted to pick it up and toss it back down the mountain.

“It was for your own good — you looked like you needed the exercise,” Grayson chuckled, that laughter had a hint of the cartoon character Mutley behind it, and Dusty didn’t appreciate it.

“Don’t worry, brother, I’ll be sure to do the same for you should the situation arise, and judging by your mate’s actions — it very well might,” Dusty growled out as he stalked off towards his mate.

Grayson took a moment to evaluate the look on his mate’s face — it was somewhere between Medusa and wicked intentions. He had the feeling that his brother was right.

“We’re similar, you and I,” Mel informed him, and he cocked his head to the left and questioned her with just a look. “Remember what I was saying about evil and mean?”

Grayson grumbled a growl and swallowed hard. But her veiled warning didn’t stop him starting around the back of the truck toward her.

Mel didn’t wait for her mate to catch her up; she headed right for the group and her sisters. She could hear her mate grumbling something under his breath, and that only made her lips twitched a little as she tried to deny a smile.

“We need to see the elders,” Mel announced, and Dusty grunted as he looked anywhere but at her. The witch had tossed him into a damn hedge, after all.

“Should we really be letting that one near an elder?” Dusty muttered and earned a growl of warning from Grayson in return.

“I saw your gymnastics back on the road,” the alpha chuckled. “But firstly, how did your mate get you out of the car in the first place?”

“That’s not the point,” Dusty grumbled.

“I thought it was bears that had a sore head,” Mel offered, amused by his ability to hold onto a grudge.

“You threw me into a bush…” Dusty growled.

“It was a hedge,” Grayson chuckled.

“Which is a lot of bushes together,” Dusty growled back, a dark scowl on his forehead, and his top lip curled in annoyance.

“Isn’t this so much fun?” Raff said, clapping his hands together and rubbing them with a hell of a lot of glee. “Don’t you think that mates just liven up the place?”

“You can bait me all you want with that one,” the alpha growled. “I’m not stupid enough to answer.”

“Reading between the lines — you just did,” Kat sneered.

“See what you did?” The alpha growled at the vampire.

“I always find it better when two people communicate — it cuts down on the misunderstandings,” Raff grinned.

“Oh sure, because there’s no misunderstanding now, is there?” The alpha grumbled back.

“Then I suggest you use your words properly,” Raff teased as he stirred the pot between the mates.

“And they say witches are meddling, devious…” Dusty growled at the vampire.

“They do?” Paige’s eyebrows took off for her hairline as she glared, wide-eyed with a piercing stare at her mate.

“Who does?” Mel demanded, slapping her hands on her hips and offering him the same look as her sister.

“You know, sometimes using your words means choosing wisely,” Kat said, and the beta grumbled under his breath, as he kicked out at a loose stone on the ground, thrust his hands into his front pockets, and looked anywhere but at the witches.

The three sisters stood side-by-side with varying degrees of questioning disbelief and contempt on their faces for the beta. Dusty could feel their glares even though he wasn’t looking at them.

“Fine!” He bit out, yanking his hands pack out of his pockets and tossing his hands up in the air in frustration. “He says.” He pointed an accusing finger at the vampire.

As if pulled by one connected string, all three sisters slowly turned their dark gazes towards Raff. The vampire thrust his chin forward, pursed his lips, and rolled his eyes toward the sky.

“Persecuted because I’m different — it’s the way of the world,” Raff said, trying to play the victim.

“Different? No. A mix-y, stir-y, underhanded and sneaky, bloodsucking leech – yes,” Mel said.

“Fried or grilled?” Kat tossed out.

“Now, let’s not be hasty, ladies.” Raff lifted his hands and held them in front of his chest, but the looks that he was getting told him it was time to leave.

A heartbeat later and he was no longer anywhere to be seen.

“Well, that gets rid of him,” Mel said, folding her arms and glaring at each brother in turn. “Anybody else?”

“I’m good,” Dusty said with a shrug.

“Me too,” Grayson looked at Parker, but the alpha didn’t answer. He folded his muscled arms over his broad chest and just cocked an eyebrow at Mel. She didn’t push her luck.

“Cool, let’s keep it that way, and nobody needs to get zapped.”

 

~

~

 

“Sugar?” Mel asked as Grayson watched over her while she made the coffee for the group. Did he not trust her to make coffee?

Did he expect her to make a bid to escape after she’d gone voluntarily to pack land? The man was an idiot if either thing was true – hell, he was an idiot anyway.

“Yes, sweetheart?” Grayson offered her a devilish grin back.

“Yeah — nooo,” Mel sneered at him over the countertop, but that smile on his handsome face didn’t fade one bit. If anything it just sparked amusement in his eyes — it wasn’t like that didn’t jump up and down on her very last nerve.

“Six here,” Dusty said pointing to his chest.

“I wasn’t asking your age,” Mel snapped back, grateful for the distraction that the beta had offered, as she was having a problem tearing her gaze from her mate’s.

“Funny,” Dusty sneered. “Six sugars, please.”

“Six?” Paige turned a look of disbelief on him.

“A man after your own heart,” Kat sniggered.

“I do not have six sugars in my coffee,” Paige bit back, resentful that her sister had lied, and matched them together like that.

There were times when Paige had caught the beta practically drooling down his chin when he looked at her – encouraging that behaviour wasn’t in anyway helpful.

“No, three, but as there’s two of you to one of him — I’d say that it works out about right in the math department,” Kat chuckled back.

“Alpha!” Paige snapped out a little too loud and a little too fast as she decided that it was better to change the damn subject completely. “When are we going to meet the elders?”

“Deflecting because you know it’s true,” Mel chuckled.

“Oh, don’t make me do something you might regret,” Paige snapped back.

“Like what?” Mel raised her eyebrows and gave her sister a nice bright sweetheart grin that was sure to bait her sibling into not thinking clearly.

“Maybe I’ll glamour you the look of a cow, so your mate’s wolf takes a nice big bite — that animal would be fitting, no?” Paige shot back.

“My wolf isn’t…” Grayson started, but his mate talked right over the top of him.

“I’m the cow?” Mel shot her sister a look of disbelief. “Between the two of us which one more resembles a heifer?”

“Heifer?” Paige snapped.

“Hey — remember I’m a twin!” Kat grumbled and heard the alpha chuckle. She flicked a dark gaze in his direction, and he bit that sound off. He was learning.

“That reminds me,” the alpha muttered as he pushed up to his feet and strolled across the kitchen.

“Imagine how big Mel would be if there was only one of her then,” Paige said, but even she had to think about that one.

“All I said was six sugars,” Dusty muttered as he shook his head in disbelief. “Are you three always like this?” He bought his mate’s attention to him.

“Like what?” Paige growled.

“Bickering — sniping?” Dusty offered back.

“Yes,” Kat said sweetly. “But we do it with such love.”

Kat was momentarily distracted by the sight of her mate walking back toward her. There was no denying it in her mind that he was sex on a stick. Of course, that was unhelpful when she was trying to ward off any effects of the mating pull.

“Kat,” the alpha’s deep, gravelly tone held her spellbound for a moment as he leaned in toward her. Then his large hand wrapped around her wrist, and she frowned as he drew it up towards him. A heartbeat later and he’d drawn a large X on her hand.

“Hey!” Kat bit out, yanking her hand free, and rubbing at the mark.

“Now, even if you pull a magical switch, I can tell you apart,” Parker grinned in triumph.

“Why don’t you just write property of dumbass on my forehead?” Kat bit back. She scrubbed at the mark, but it wouldn’t come off.

“There’s an idea,” the alpha’s wolfish grin annoyed her so.

“Oh, I have an idea,” Kat bit out, as she raised her hand, flicked it on her wrist, and took the alpha’s legs clean out from under him. His pride hit the floor, and he grunted in annoyance. “Sit!” she snapped on a wide, victorious grin.

“Cute,” Parker growled.

“Yes, I am,” Kat said, as she tipped her head to the side, and batted her eyelids at him.