~
“Do you think it’s Clara?” Vanessa looked to Faith for answers.
“I don’t know,” Faith admitted as they both made for the back door, stalking out of the kitchen, and into the sunshine.
Ryan stepped up to block their path out of the house. Vanessa eyed the man for one long moment, raising just one eyebrow.
“I don’t think you’ll like where this is going,” Vanessa informed her mate.
She’d be damned if she was going to sit by and do nothing while Jeannie was in trouble.
“You already said that you couldn’t feel her magic,” Ryan offered back, knowing that he had to upper hand this time.
“Not the point,” Vanessa scowled back at him as she rallied every argument that she could think of against the Neanderthal.
“It was the last time,” Ryan tossed back.
“Trucks are all there, and the rest of the pack is out scouting the land,” Mick announced as he stalked towards his brother, one eye on his mate and Vanessa.
“How long has she been missing?” Leslie asked, coming up behind the witches, and eyeing her brother for information.
“We don’t know; sleepy head didn’t hear her get up.”
Ryan heard the low, deep, and angry growl that came from Jason. The man and his beast were desperate to be on the hunt.
“And you don’t have a scent?” Leslie didn’t know how that was even possible.
“It’s being hidden by magic,” Jason growled, eyeing the remaining witches with contempt.
“Hey! Don’t look at us, sleeping beauty,” Faith bit back, anger filling her tone of voice. “If you’d been looking after your mate as you were supposed to…”
“Faith,” Mick growled, shaking his head to warn her off.
“What?” Faith snapped back. “Jeannie wouldn’t have just run off, so it’s got to be something he did.” She was already pointing an accusing finger at the beta when the man rallied towards her.
“I didn’t do anything,” Jason growled.
“She probably just got a look at the man drooling in his sleep and decided she needed some alone time,” Mick grumbled. He wanted to nip the hostility in the bud. “We can all point fingers, but what we need to be doing is finding her.”
“Well said,” Leslie nodded. “I’m going to shift and run the land.”
“Now hold a minute…” Ryan growled. He didn’t like that idea one little bit.
“Why does she get to go?” Vanessa demanded.
“She doesn’t,” Ryan assured his mate.
“Ryan,” Leslie growled out in annoyance. “I’m not five.”
“No, but you are my little sister, and you’re always going to be my little sister. So guard the damn mates and don’t let any more of them run off.” He growled back.
“Jeannie didn’t run off,” Vanessa hissed in annoyance.
“Says you,” Ryan tossed back.
“Can you zap him, like now?” Leslie growled.
“With pleasure,” Vanessa bit back, lifting her hands to do just that, but Ryan took a long step to the side, using Mick as a human shield, and the beta took the jolt for him.
“God damn it to hell,” Mick bit out as Vanessa grimaced, snatching her magic back and looking anywhere but at the miffed off beta.
“That’s taking one for the team, brother,” Ryan said as he patted his brother on the back and got a hearty growl for his trouble. “Leslie, watch the witches,” Ryan said on his parting shot as he took off on fast feet with Jason right on his heels.
“You and me, we’re not done,” Mick growled as he pointed a thick finger at Vanessa and she grimaced again.
“Whoops,” she offered to the sight of his back as he followed his brothers towards the woods.
Faith wasn’t done either and she turned back towards Leslie with mischief in her eyes.
“Now, technically, watch the witches doesn’t mean don’t leave the house,” Faith said with a small, innocent and somewhat mischievous shrug of her shoulders.
~
~
~
“I wouldn’t take one more step,” Jeannie hissed out the warning into the darkness of the shadows that covered her assailant.
She could hear the sound of his footsteps against the dirt as they gained on her, but she couldn’t yet see the man, and she wasn’t entirely sure that she wanted to. She had magic, but then so did he, and she hated to think it, but his magic had felt stronger than she knew hers to be.
“You’re not me then,” he bit out, slowly moving forward into the light that came from the hole in the stone walls that had once held a window.
“You have got to be kidding me,” Jeannie bit out, as mad as hell, and ready to rip someone’s head off. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?”
“There’s an obvious answer to that damn question, don’t you think?” he twisted up his face and shot her a look of contempt.
“Does Faith know you’re here?” Jeannie let her magic slide back away from her and tossed her hands onto her hips. She was about ready to zap the man again, but only because he’d scared the hell out her, and she wanted her coffee.
“Not yet,” Devlin wiped the dirt from his hands down the front of his jeans and eyed the witch with annoyance. “Thanks for the zap.”
“Thanks for scaring the crap out of me,” Jeannie tossed back.
“Shouldn’t that be; thanks for rescuing me?” Devlin scowled back at her. “Ungrateful.”
“From what? My coffee.”
“Clara said…”
“Clara!” Jeannie almost shrieked the vampire’s name. “Are you kidding me? You’re listening to that crazy ass vampire now?”
“She said…”
“I don’t care what she said, she’s nuttier than a Christmas hamper,” Jeannie tossed back and watched Devlin eye her as if she was new to the planet. “Nuts, you have nuts in a… oh, never bloody mind.” She tossed up a hand in frustration and dropped onto her backside on the ground with a thud to her pride and a sigh from her lips.
“Clara said all three of you had been kidnapped,” Devlin offered back and watched Jeannie give a small shake of her head.
“By our…”
“Hold that damn thought,” Devlin said over his shoulder as he took off for the doorway at the sound of something outside.
“Devlin…” Jeannie hissed out, but the man was already gone. “Oh, for the love of everything… Faith.” She grumbled, summoning the energy to push back up to her feet again.