~

 

“What are you doing here?” Faith hissed at the trees, feeling just a little bit stupid to be talking to the vegetation.

“You called – I came.”

“I called to tell you where I was, not to come mount some kind of dumbass rescue mission,” Faith bit off her words the moment that Clara dropped down right in front of her. “Don’t do that vampire stuff with me!” she hissed.

“Vampire stuff?” Clara snorted a chuckle. “Drinking blood is vampire stuff, dropping down from the trees is just a common courtesy so we can talk eye to eye, or as close to it as your short-ass will allow.”

“Funny!” Faith hissed back, craning her head on her neck and sneering.

“Oh, Faith. What have you gotten yourself into?” Clara tossed her hands on her hips and tipped her head to one side as she offered her friend a sympathetic look.

“I’m a mate,” Faith muttered into her generous breasts as her head went down and she wallowed in self-pity.

“Yes you are,” Clara said with another chuckle. “I tried to rescue Vanessa…”

“She’s ethical. She thinks about the poor mate going rogue without his one true love,” Faith huffed.

“And you?” Clara demanded.

“Yeah, I’m thinking.” Faith sighed.

“Don’t think too hard because that mating pull is going to make you do stupid things,” Clara shot back.

“And that would be bad, because…?” Clive’s deeper melodic tones rang out from above. Both Faith and Clara groaned.

“Damn stealthy vampires,” Faith bit out and watched Clara’s eyebrows reach for her hairline. “Not you.”

“Hmm, what are the odds?” She bit back, and Faith offered her an apologetic wince. “I’ve already bettered you once vampire.”

“Not true. I just don’t like to hurt a woman,” Clive offered from his place up high.

“I’m older, faster, stronger, and oh, so much wiser. Go away,” Clara offered back with a roll of her eyes for her friend as she flicked out her claws.

“Clara…” Faith started, but when Clive dropped down beside her, and Clara’s head tilted to listen for what was coming her way. She stopped talking and started hoping that Clara wouldn’t take things too far.

“Strength in numbers, Vampire?” Clara offered him the kind of glare that Faith only wished she had in her arsenal.

“I didn’t invite them,” Clive offered back on a low whisper.

“Scared to face me one on one?” Clara’s good mood had gone.

“I am facing you one on one,” Clive offered back.

Faith didn’t notice immediately when Clara’s hand came up, it was only when she felt her fingers wrap around her arm that she turned her head to look down, but Clive was doing the same thing on the other side of her, and she found herself locked between them.

“Ok, do not…” Faith started to protest, but it was already too late, both vampires started to yank her in their own direction. “No breaking the witch!” she bit out, and felt that tension ease, but it didn’t stop Clara from wrenching her towards her, only for Clive to wrench her back the other way.

“I’m not bloody stretchy!” Faith bit out, trying to yank both of her arms from their vice like grips.

“She’s staying with the pack,” Clive bit out.

“She’s coming with me,” Clara hissed over the top of her head, and Faith grumbled and muttered to herself as the vampires bickered and the wolves closed in.

“Let me go, damn it!” Faith bit out.

Just at that moment a wolf broke through the foliage and headed towards her on fast paws. Faith’s eyes went wide at the sight of him heading right at her and not looking as if it was going to stop.

“Let go! Let go!” She squealed out, but by the time that they realized what was happening and did let her go – Faith was on her back on the ground with one big wolf standing over the top of her – one large paw on her chest holding her in place as he glared down into her face, panting.

“Geez, go chew on a peppermint plant and get that stinky breath out of my damn face,” Faith hissed.

The wolf growled long and hard, and Faith glared into its eyes.

“See what you did?” Clara bit out at Clive.

“That’s her mate,” Clive shot back.

“Well, my mate has damn stinky breath, and if he doesn’t get his paws off me, I’m going to magically neuter him,” Faith hissed out, right back in the beast’s face, and she wasn’t messing with him.

She’d had a shitty night and neutering the damn wolf might just make her feel better.

There was a long moment of glaring. A long moment when both witch and wolf were deciding what would be the best course of action. And then there was one long moment when Mick’s beast pulled back its lips and showed his impressive fangs.

“Really?” Faith bit out, unimpressed by the wolf’s show of dominance. “How about I shoot your furry little butt up into the trees where you can cool off hanging around a branch for a while?”

“She’s really… mean,” Clive said with a small shake of his head.

“That’s why she’s my witch,” Clara said with pride as she lifted her chin and gave the vampire a wicked smirk.

Mine…

Mick’s wolf didn’t like the vampire’s claim on his mate. He turned his head and showed her his fangs as he snarled.

“Relax, puppy,” Clara bit back. “I never said I wanted to mate her.”

“You might not want to anger the wolf, especially as his mate just ran out on him,” Clive informed her.

Mick’s beast turned his head back towards his mate and his eyes locked with hers. He growled long and hard at the memory.

“Gee, Vamp, thanks for reminding him,” Faith grumbled.

“You’re entirely welcome,” Clive grinned back.

“And I did not run out on him…”

“Did so,” Clive’s sing-song tone annoyed her.

“No, I didn’t. He wasn’t there. He was off chasing the bad, evil Vampire that had abducted Vanessa for her own wicked ways,” Faith said, and Clara shot her a sneer as Mick’s wolf turned to growl up at Clara once more.

“Gee, Faith, thanks for throwing me under the bus,” Clara bit out in disbelief.

“You’re welcome,” Faith said with a big beaming smile that vanished when the wolf turned back to glare down at her. “Now, get off me before I turn you into dog food.”

Mick’s beast twisted its head on his neck and gave her a curious stare, but he didn’t move a muscle.

“I think the puppy likes you,” Clara teased.

“The puppy can go pee up a tree,” Faith bit out, annoyed that her mate hadn’t done as she’d asked.

Faith lifted her hands and drew on her magic. She was planning on hitting him right where it hurt the most. In his pride.