~

“That’s gonna end well,” Paige said, torn between watching the fight between the shifters, even swinging a fake punch in the air, and her sisters bickering once more.

“Not for him — it’s not,” Mel bit out.

“Which one is your mate? Maybe you’ll get lucky, and the other one will kill him!” Paige said, swinging another air punch, and grimacing when the alpha landed a real one on Grayson’s jaw. “Oooo, good one!”

“And I’ll kill Kat,” Mel bit out.

“What did I do?” Kat demanded.

“Made me answer the door because you were too chicken!”

“Hey, you sent me to that meeting in the first place — it’s karma…”

“Chicken karma,” Paige sniggered.

“Shut up!” Mel and Kat snapped out together.

“Fine, so curry isn’t in favour today,” Paige sniggered.

“Why are they fighting?” Kat demanded.

“They’re shifters,” Mel sneered. “Do they need a bloody reason?”

“Okay, I’ll give you that one,” Kat shrugged.

“Although, they did both claim to be my mate at one point…” Mel said. “That could have something to do with it.”

“Wait — what?” Paige asked.

“First the alpha — then the other one…” Mel explained, waving an accusing finger towards them, but Paige had already hit on an answer.

“Oh — my — goddess,” Paige bit out.

“What?” Mel asked.

“Well, the alpha met Kat first…” Paige got no further as Kat let out a shriek that was so piercing that both of the shifters stopped fighting and slapped their hands over their ears.

Kat turned on her heels, headed into the house, slammed the door behind her with her magic, and her siblings heard the locks click on.

“That’s — selfish,” Mel said, waving an absent hand towards the door and snorting in contempt.

“No — that’s self-preservation,” Kat called from inside.

“You see what I have to put up with?” Mel said as she lifted her hands to the heavens and dropped them back to her knees again. Then she blew her hair from her forehead and grunted in annoyance.

“Yeah, try walking in my shoes, sister,” Paige snorted.

 

~

~

 

“What do you mean she’s your damn mate?” Grayson demanded as he pushed his brother off him, and they both drew up from the ground to their full height, eyeing each other as if round two was imminent. “You said she wasn’t.”

“Not her — her!” Parker flicked a quick look toward the house and did a double take; there was only one twin standing there. He reached up and scratched at the stubble on his chin, confused.

“Her?” Grayson pointed at Paige.

“What are you nuts? You can take that finger and shove it where the sun don’t shine, Mr,” Paige snapped back with a scowl for the shifter. “I’m no mate!”

“Not her,” the alpha shook his head. “The other one.”

“The other one is my mate!” Grayson growled back.

“Not that one!” Parker growled in annoyance. “She’s a twin, a damn twin!”

“I don’t know brother, they don’t look the same to me,” Grayson offered back.

“Not that one!” Parker growled. He fisted his hands at his sides and resisted the urge to start punching Grayson in the face once more.

“Other one?” Mel said. “Paige, did you see another one?”

“Another one?” Paige shrugged. “I think he’s had one too many punches to the face.”

“That’s what I was thinking,” Grayson growled.

Parker roared with frustration and annoyance. He damn well knew that there was another one — a twin, and he stalked toward the house determined to find her.

“Hey! Where do you think you’re going?” Grayson growled as he started after his brother.

“To find the other one,” Parker growled back over his shoulder.

“Is he drunk?” Mel demanded.

“I’m not damn drunk…” The alpha growled.

“Then are you stupid?” Paige offered.

“I’ll remember you said that.”

The sound of the alpha’s warning growl made Grayson’s beast prick up its ears. The alpha was headed toward his mate, and he sped up to get in front of him.

“That’s my mate,” Grayson warned him.

“And you’re welcome to her,” Parker growled back.

Mel didn’t like the fact that the shifters were headed her way. She turned towards the door, lifted her small fists, and pounded like her life depended on it.

“Let me in!”

“There is not a bloody chance in hell that I’m opening this door!” Kat snapped back.

“You’d leave your sister out here alone, defenceless, with shifters?” Mel called back.

“I told you there was another one!” Parker growled at his brother. Grayson tossed up his hands, shook his head, and dropped his hands to his sides again.

“Fine — my bad — go find your mate,” Grayson growled.

“And when I find her…” Parker grumbled another growl.

“It’s really not a good idea to kill your mate, brother,” Grayson warned him.

“Good idea? Ha! Are you sure about that, brother?” Parker growled.

“Pretty sure,” Grayson offered back.

Parker only grunted in reply.

“Let me in! Let me in!” Mel was battering on the door for all she was worth.

“Oh, poop,” Kat bit out, a second later the locks click off and the door was yanked open. “I still hate you — double!”

“I don’t need to be liked, just let me the hell in,” Mel snapped back, and Kat reached out, fisted her sweater, and yanked her sibling over the threshold.

“Wait for me!” Paige shrieked, but it was already too late, the alpha rushed up the last few steps, wrapped a hand around Paige’s waist, and yanked her back toward him.

“Well, look what I’ve got here, a bargaining chip,” he growled.

“Oh, geez, Paige, really?” Mel huffed, as she dropped her head forward on her neck and sighed.

“Not my fault!” Paige bit out in annoyance. “Handy Andy here was just too fast for me.”

“The name’s Parker,” he growled.

“What do you want, a medal or something?” Paige snapped back.

“I…” Parker didn’t see a reason to answer the sarcasm, but he did groan in annoyance. “I want my damn mate.”