I'll Be There, page 8
part #19 of His Mate - Brother Series
“Go back and eat,” Nash tossed back over his shoulder.
Lorna snorted a chuckle. “If you think I’m missing this then you’re crazy stupid.”
Flint stalked by the bathroom with one ear cocked listening to see if he could hear anything from behind the closed door. He never faltered in step, knowing deep down that she wasn’t going to be in there anyway.
When he reached the front door, he noted that it had been left ajar and he grunted, growled, and yanked it open as he stepped outside into the night and scanned the area.
Nothing! But he knew that she hadn’t just got on her broomstick and flown away if witches even did that. She had to be somewhere close, and he was going to find her.
His wolf wasn’t happy. The beast had risen up within him and was clawing and scratching to be set free.
That wouldn’t be good. Flint didn’t want to lose control of his wolf and have the animal hunt down their mate.
Coleen might have run from him, but sending his wolf after her wasn’t going to win him any brownie points in the name of wooing. “Damn it,” he growled, just as he caught sight of her ducking down in the front seat of Nash’s truck, and he growled long and hard at that sight of her.
Not only was his mate a wicked witch liable to running off at the drop of a hat, but a car thief to boot. The question was, was she planning on hotwiring the engine or using her magic to get the engine started.
None of that mattered much to him when the roar of the engine kicked his backside into gear, and he set off on fast feet towards the truck.
“Sucker!” Coleen chuckled, as she stomped on the gas pedal just as her mate yanked open the passenger door.
With a quick flick of her wrist and a little magic behind it, she yanked the door back shut and heard the roar of annoyance through the open window. Whatever else he was, Flint was fast-footed as he ran alongside the truck while she headed down the road, sure in one thing – that if she went fast enough, even the wolfman couldn’t keep up with her.
With a hard grunt, he launched his upper body in through the open window and almost came nose-to-nose with her when he braced his hands against the passenger seat and locked his elbows to hold his upper body away from the seat with his legs sticking out the window in a perfect push up.
“What the fricking chicken do you think you’re doing?” she shrieked, and that sound hurt his ears as it echoed inside the confines of the cab.
“Where you go – I go,” Flint growled, trying to pull his legs inside the cab one at a time, but it was hard to do unless he wanted to end up buried face down in her lap.
That idea didn’t fill him dread. The thought of a nice soft landing and where that landing would be was kind of appealing – but, the witch would probably zap him six ways from Sunday and then some for luck.
“I don’t think so,” she said in a singsong voice, and that rang the bells and whistles of worry inside of him.
She had a plan and he didn’t think he was going to like it.
“Now, hold on there, missy,” he bit out, but it was too late, the door he was wedged in was thrust open, and he was yanked back with it.
Riding back down the road, stuck in the opening of the damn window of the truck, and acting like superman while trying to keep something close to perfect balance with his legs and torso up, wasn’t the easiest task he’d ever accomplished, but accomplish it he did.
“Go, be free,” Coleen called, and Flint would have kissed his backside goodbye if he’d been able to reach around and do it.
A heartbeat later and she’d hit the brakes while using her magic to shoot him off like an arrow. Once he’d left the confines of the window, the door to the truck slammed shut, and she hit the gas once more.
Flint rode through the night air like a bullet, a bullet that had a constant yelp, wide eyes and a sense of his own mortality, but he was thankful that the only target he was likely to hit was the ground. He figured that was less by the witch’s design and more the fact that the road was empty.
With a jarring thud of his shoulder and hip hitting the ground, and a tuck and roll, he was back on his feet in no time, a little dizzy, but a lot grateful it hadn’t been worse.
When he spun to see where the truck was, he pulled his lips back and snarled at the sight of it in the near distance – she was going like a rocket to get away from him, but that wasn’t going to happen.
Then as he set off after it on fast feet, he made up his mind to wring her damn neck when he caught up to her – because the sound of his brother roaring with laughter somewhere behind him was just too much of a hit to his pride not to kill her.
~
“Did you know she was going to do that?” Nash asked, following his mate through the hallway and into the kitchen where the scent of the pizza in the air even made him hungry, and he’d already eaten.
The show was over, and he could have followed his brother, but out of sight, out of mind, and he had a mate to woo. A little alone time was just what he needed, and he was going to take advantage of it.
Besides, while he was busy off chasing down one mate, his could have gone missing. He wondered why she hadn’t gone with her friend.
“Yep,” she said back over her shoulder as she eyed the delicious looking homemade pizza and her stomach rumbled again. “But in my defence, I never thought she’d make it that far. Your brother was asleep at the wheel on that one.”
Nash was pleasantly surprised that she hadn’t lied to him. He knew she’d known about the witch’s escape plan, her guilt had been written all over her face, but she could have denied it.
He walked to the counter and yanked open the drawer, retrieving the pizza cutter and setting about slicing the deep dish into sections. “So why didn’t you go with her?” he asked, trying to keep it casual as if it didn’t matter much to him.
It was only then that he noted the way she became cagey as she sat down on one of the stools facing him, planted her elbows on the counter and her chin in her upturned hands, and looked at the pizza rather than at him.
“As I said, I didn’t think she’d get that far,” she said, lying through her teeth, not about Coleen miraculous great escape, but about the reason she hadn’t left with her.
“So now she’s off to a flying head start, do you wish you’d gone too?” he asked, keeping a close eye on her as he cut the slices.
“Can I reserve judgement on that until after I’ve tasted the pizza?” she asked and brought her gaze to his.
Nash felt his heart hit his ribs in an effort to break free of his chest and reach her across the countertop. One look from her and he was toast, but the worst thing was – he liked it.
Being a shifter was a delicate walk between control and losing it, but he didn’t feel like he had much control over where his mind was leading him or how his body reacted to her. And that was ok – that he could live with because he guessed he was going to have to get used to it.
Nash didn’t realise that he hadn’t moved, hadn’t pulled in a breath, or said a word since she’d looked up and caught his eye. But when she pressed her lips together, gave a little roll of her eyes, and then looked down at the pizza – he realised he needed to breathe.
A few seconds later and he’d plated a slice and was practically shoving that plate right under her nose. “Pizza?”
“Eat it, not wear it,” she said on a chuckle as she reached up and took the plate from him, even if for one long moment he seemed reluctant to let go as she met his gaze once more.
Yep, he was a total and complete idiot, but he didn’t care because she was smiling at him.
“Do I get the pizza or do you have an emotional attachment to it?” she asked, and he cursed inwardly as he released the plate.
Nash knew one thing – he needed to work on behaving like an idiot.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
~
“Can we talk like rational human beings?” Santino asked.
Merry snorted at him. “Well, I can, but for you, it’s doubtful,” she offered back, narrowing her eyes on him like she wanted to do him harm – again.
“Are you planning on hitting me again?”
“No,” she said with a shrug, but somehow he didn’t believe her, and he questioned her with his arched eyebrows. “But then I didn’t plan on hitting you any other time tonight either.”
“A likely story…”
“But true, it must be your face.”
“This face?” he asked and snorted.
“It has punch me written all over it,” she informed him.
“Does it?”
“Well, not yet, but I’m sure if I can find a way to knock you out for long enough, I can get someone to tattoo it on your forehead.”
“Well, aren’t you sweet and thoughtful?”
“I consider it a public service warning, better to be forewarned and armed.”
“Okay, enough,” Santino said, wrapping his hand around her forearm and yanking her with him as he headed for the table and chairs on her back porch. “Sit,” he said, and she growled.
“Seriously?”
“Not like that,” he said, slightly flustered, forgetting who he was speaking to and her beast inside. “But sit.”
“Still not a dog,” Merry said, shaking her head.
“You leave me no choice,” he said and yanked her towards him. A moment later and he’d swept her up into his arms, before parking his backside down in a chair. “There, sitting.”
Merry drew her elbow forward before planting it in his ribs. A heartbeat later, and her pride was hitting the ground with a hard thud.
“Also sitting,” Santino said, grinning from ear to ear like the Cheshire cat and The Joker had a love child.
“That’s…” Merry bit down on the rise of her beast and her need to plant her fist in his face once more.
“I’m sensing anger issues,” he said teasingly.
“Really? I’m sensing you have a death wish,” she bit back, pulling herself up to her feet and brushing down her backside.
“No, but people do seem to like killing me,” he informed her.
“I’ll just join the queue then,” she growled.
“Sit first; it’s a long queue.”
“Now that I do believe,” Merry said, but she stalked the few footsteps to the chair next to the one he occupied and plonked her backside down it in. Maybe that hadn’t been the best idea, and she grumbled as the pain from her fast healing bruises smacked her all over again. “Son of a…”
“Be nice.”
“Impossible.”
“Never used to be…”
“I was naïve.”
“Well, if you stop hitting me for long enough, we might just find that sweet person inside of you again,” he informed her.
“Don’t bloody count on it,” she snapped back.
“Angry at me or angry at the world?” he asked, and she shot him a glare, but she stayed silent. “Personally, I’d be angry too if I had to live near Greg.”
“Just stop,” Merry said, holding up her hand, palm towards him. “At least he stayed around.”
“He didn’t have much of a choice, he’s pack,” Santino said, mocking the man. “Whoops, bubble burst.”
“Why did you drag me out of the window?”
“Because you wouldn’t come out of the door,” he shot back and offered her a wide grin.
“Jerk,” she muttered.
“But, I was your favourite jerk once upon a time.”
“I grew up…”
“I noticed,” he tossed back to the hard scowl she was throwing him.
Merry pushed up to her feet, and he wrapped his hand around her arm and yanked her back down again. “This is a game to you…?”
“No, but winning back, your trust is fun…”
“So, a game,” she said, snatching her arm from his grip.
“Do you want me to apologise again because I’m a big enough man to do it all night?”
“How about you just slip off into the shadows never to be seen or heard from again and we can call it quits?” Merry said, folding her arms and trying not to laugh at his teasing, or rise to his baiting in any way.
That was a feat that she might not be able to achieve, but she was damn well going to try.
“You know, you have to forgive me one day,” he tossed back, noting the rumble of an engine in the distance.
Merry snorted her contempt for him. “And what makes you come to that conclusion?”
“Because I’m not going anywhere until you do. I’ll be your shadow, morning, noon, and night. So, I’ll either drive you insane or – dot-dot-dotty-the-dot.” He said with glee and cocked his head to one side as he listened to that truck getting closer. He hoped it wasn’t Greg again.
Merry sighed inwardly. She knew Santino, and she knew he’d give it his best shot in driving her around the bend. But just as she opened her mouth to speak the alpha’s truck shot by.
Coleen did a double-take at Santino, poked her head out of the open window, and let loose with a string of curses that made Merry chuckle. “She’s got your number,” she said.
“Hold that thought,” Santino said, pushing up to his feet just as Flint raced by, panting like his beast had run a marathon, growling like he wanted to kill the witch, and skewering the vampire with a hard glare as he chased after the truck. “It’s not the postman, stand down, heel!” he called after the beta, only to receive a string of curses from him as well.
“Well, aren’t you Mr Popular tonight,” Merry chuckled.
“What the hell did I do?” Santino grumbled, stretching his hands out to the sides and shrugging as he debated going after them.
“Really wanna know?” Merry asked, and he spun on his heels to face her, just one look urging her on. “Promise to go away, and I’ll tell you.”
Santino rolled his eyes, then his head on his neck as he feigned contemplating it, and then he sighed. “Fine.”
“Promise.”
“I promise, shall I cross my heart and hope to die?”
“Don’t tempt me,” Merry said, and he twisted his head and raised his eyebrows expectantly. She tapped her temple. “Word has it that those witches are pack mates.”
Santino drew his head back on his neck and thought about that for a long moment. “Too, who?” He now knew it was likely that he was going to die anyway – when the witches got hold of him.
“Well, der, Flint,” Merry said, motioning in the direction that beta was chasing down the truck.
“And tell me the other one belongs to the alpha,” he said, a slow smirk growing on his face at the thought of it.
Merry nodded, and he grinned from ear to ear. “Now do what you promised and leave.”
Santino sighed and looked downcast. “You’re not really going to hold me to that, are you?”
Merry offered him a mocking wave. “Bye-bye.”
With a heavy sigh, he nodded. “Fine,” he grumbled, and in the blink of an eye, he was gone.
Merry breathed out a long, calming breath. Peace and quiet, she thought and sighed inwardly. She’d had a lot of that since losing her mate.
She slapped her palms against the arms of the chair and started to push up when Santino appeared in front of her once more. Her jaw dropped open as he offered her a smirk and she wasn’t sure if she was going to stand or sit, so she hovered over the seat instead.
Santino thrust his hands out to the sides and grinned like he’d won a victory. “I’m back!” he announced, and she snapped her jaws together on a groan and dropped back into the chair. “Next time you make a deal like that, remember to specify the word – never,” he said, wiggling his eyebrows when she growled in annoyance.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
~
Coleen looked in the rearview mirror and couldn’t believe that Flint was still chasing the truck like a man on a mission. His arms were pumping as his fists punched the air in front of him, and those thick muscled legs with their wide stride were eating up the dirt road.
“What, do I smell like bloody kibble or something?” Coleen muttered, alternating looking between the road and the rearview mirror to see what her mate was doing.
As the road grew bumpier, she was hesitant to slow down to keep from bouncing in the seat, but when it got to the point where she almost hit the roof, she did drop her speed just a little.
Even with the headlights on full beam, she couldn’t see that far ahead to get a sense of what was coming up or pick out the really big potholes to try to avoid them. There was just darkness ahead, blackness, like she’d reached the end of the world and things, had just ceased to exist in the void.
At least in her part of town, there were lights. Who liked living in complete darkness? Shifters with perfect night vision – another thing to add to the list of things that annoyed her.
She wondered if there was a spell she could use to see in the dark apart from lighting flames everywhere as she went. That didn’t feel like a good option in the countryside.
A moment later she almost jumped out of her seat when there was a hard and heavy thud in the back of the truck, and she squealed as she turned a look over her shoulder only to discover that Flint was there on the flatbed at the very back of the truck.
“And that’s what happens when you slow the hell down,” she grumbled, turning back to the road just in time to notice the car coming at her with no lights. “Holy freck!” she shouted and yanked the steering wheel a hard right as she stomped on the brakes.
Flint made the weirdest sound as he travelled through the air, over the top of the cab, and she spotted him doing his Superman impression through the glass and tracked his flight until he landed with a hard thud on the ground.
Coleen winced. “Impressive, but … not my fault,” she said, unfastening her seatbelt and popping the door open.
“Nice shot,” Betty said, hooking her arm out the window and inspecting the beta on the ground. “I’ll give you an A for effort, but a C for the landing,” she added, and cackled to herself.
