Strange Days (His Mate Series Book One) Read online

  Joe knew that move; his brother was playing with him, trying to rile him to anger before he made his first attack.

  Blake turned fast and launched his body through the air, claws ready, jaws open, in an attempt to take his shot should it arise. Nathaniel was ready for him; he rose onto his hind legs and met the wolf in battle.

  The sound of snarls filled the air as jaws snapped, trying to connect with flesh, and their claws tore into each other. Fast and furious, Nathaniel wasn’t toying anymore, he was all in, and Joe didn’t expect this to last long.

  Out of the corner of his eye, Joe noted the witches beside him, both had their fists clenched, swiping them through the air, and he knew which side they were on from the muttered encouragement of their curses as they watched the fight ensue.

  “Get him, bite, ooo, nope – yep, have at him,” Erin bit out, and Kirsty leant into her friend.

  “Nathaniel’s got this,” she whispered.

  Erin grimaced when Nathaniel took a smack to the head as Blake’s beast headbutted him, knocking him sideways and snapping his jaws at the wolf’s throat. “Missed!” she announced with glee. “Kick him in his wolf balls!”

  “Wolf balls?” Kirsty said and shrugged. “I suppose that’s a good a tactic as ripping his damn throat out.”

  “I know it’s a bad wolf, but it’s still a wolf, and I can’t bring myself to want to see it dead,” Erin admitted. When Nathaniel’s beast roared in pain, Erin stomped her foot and tightened her fists. “Changed my damn mind – get him, Nathaniel!” she shouted.

  Joe couldn’t help but chuckle, even with the seriousness of the situation. “And there was I worried you two would be shocked and disgusted by the challenge,” he said.

  “Maybe if we didn’t know the people those wolves owned…”

  “Owned?” Joe said, shocked, but his beast did like that idea.

  “Well, if a cat can adopt a human, a wolf sharing a body can own one,” she said, and tried to take her eyes from the fight, but she could not quite managing it. “And you are at the mercy of your wolf side.”

  “Fifty-fifty,” he offered back, to appease his mate and his beast.

  “Meh, we’ll see,” she said, swinging her fist through the air when Nathaniel’s beast rammed Blake’s and took him down to the ground. “Ooo, got him good.”

  Kirsty wasn’t wrong; Nathaniel had managed to pin Blake to the ground. The wolf was battered and bleeding, and Nathaniel’s beast stood over him, jaws snapping near the wolf’s throat – but then Blake shifted back into his human form, and Nathaniel held in place, snarling.

  “Do it, finish it,” Blake demanded.

  For one long moment, the crowd held a collective breath, but Nathaniel’s beast backed away, and nobody was sure why.

  “What’s happening?” Kirsty asked.

  “Not sure,” Joe said.

  Could his brother be about to show mercy?

  CHAPTER TWENTY SIX

  ~

  Nathaniel’s beast stood its ground, eye to eye with Blake, and then Nathaniel shifted back into his human form. “I have to live with what you did to me for the rest of eternity; it’s only right I don’t give you the easy way out of your crimes.”

  Nathaniel turned to Joe. “He’s all yours, alpha,” he said, bowing to his brother’s superiority in the pack.

  “Banishment,” Joe said. “Take your family and leave. You will never be welcome here, and no member of this pack will help you again. You are an outcast, a wolf without a pack, and always will be.”

  Courtney looked to Tom, and his head was down. His eyes were focused on the ground in front of him as he took on the shame of his family.

  Catherine elbowed her in the ribs, and she turned to find the elder urging her to say something. Courtney took a long breath in and rolled her eyes. She had no idea why she was doing it, maybe pity, maybe something more, but she stepped forward. “Alpha?”

  Joe would know that voice anywhere, but he was surprised to hear her call him by his title without a big dollop of sarcasm in her tone. He turned to look at her, keeping his attention split between his sister and Blake, just in case the man was stupid enough to make a move. “Courtney?”

  Courtney shot a sideways look at Tom and found he was looking right back at her. That was unnerving. “All of his family?” she asked, returning her attention to her brother.

  Joe looked at Tom, and the young shifter stared back at him. There wasn’t a hopeful expression in his eyes; it was almost as if he was already resigned to his father’s fate and the shame that Blake had brought to their family. “No son should…”

  Courtney coughed, and Joe shot a look at her. She cocked an eyebrow back at him.

  “Daughter,” Kirsty coughed the word into her hand, and some in the crowd chuckled.

  Joe shrugged. “No son or daughter should be held accountable for the sins of their father – or – mother,” he said, shooting a smirk at Kirsty. “Tom’s old enough to choose to stay with the pack if he wants.” There was a deep grumble from Blake. “And I’ll take on any challenger who says otherwise,” he added.

  Blake looked to his son and knew that the choice had already been made. He turned and pushed through the crowd, nursing his wounds, but keeping his head held high as he started for his cabin, his father not far behind him.

  Tom leant into Courtney. “I guess I should thank you,” he whispered.

  “If you ever throw me into the river again…”

  “I won’t,” he said and offered her an easy smile.

  Catherine leant in on the other side of Courtney. “Of course he will, but at least now you have the gumption to kick him right in the balls,” she whispered, and Courtney spat out a chuckle.

  Tom leant forward and looked around Courtney to eye the elder. “Whose side are you on?”

  Catherine raised a clenched fist in front of her and swiped the air. “Woman power,” she said with glee, and then chuckled like she’d been tickled.

  Courtney turned to Tom. “Do you want to stay here and watch your father and grandfather leave, or do you want to come to Nathaniel’s with us?”

  “Tom?” Conrad called as he started to follow on after his son.

  Tom knew it was the hardest decision he’d ever have to make in his life, but it was also the easiest. His kin was one and the same, and he couldn’t be like them, nor did he want to be. “You shamed our family name,” Tom said, and he felt the touch of Courtney’s hand against his and found the strength within that touch to do what he needed to do. “I’m staying with my pack – my family,” he said.

  Conrad’s face twisted in disgust. “You never were worthy of our name,” he spat out, turning his back on him, and pushed on through the crowd.

  “Nathaniel’s it is,” Courtney said.

  They might not be mates or even best friends, but Courtney had a newfound respect for Tom that a couple of days ago she never would have dreamed she’d have.

  “Why are you going to Nathaniel’s?” Tom asked.

  Courtney shrugged in response, but deep down she knew why; she wanted to spend a little time with her brother, and she had some fences to mend. Now seemed like a good time to do it, and she was sure that Tom didn’t need to be around to watch his father and grandfather pack up their belongings and leave the pack in disgrace. Some things were best left unseen.

  ~

  Erin couldn’t take her eyes off the vampire. The man was naked and packed with muscles, and he hadn’t been lying when he’d bragged that he had more to offer a woman than his brother.

  “Hey!” Kirsty snapped beside her ear, making her jump in place, and she issued a groan of annoyance as Nathaniel turned to look and caught her staring right at him. “Whatcha looking at?” she teased, knowing full well what had snagged her friend’s attention.

  Erin dragged her gaze away from offering Nathaniel a stern glare to stop that smirk on his face in its tracks before she turned that look on her best friend. “Really?”

  “Well, it’s onl
y fair,” Kirsty said with a shrug.

  “And what did I do to you that you’d throw me under the bus like that?”Erin asked.

  Kirsty snorted a chuckle of disbelief. “Seriously?” She raised her eyebrows and waited.

  “Fine, but still…”

  “Payback’s a witch,” Kirsty said, gloating.

  “Yes, you are, and more,” Erin grumbled.

  Kirsty chuckled at her friend’s expense. “We’re going to the cabin…”

  “Sounds cosy, I wouldn’t want to intrude and play matchmaker,” Erin said, folding her arms and giving her friend as good as she got.

  “That’s…”

  “Not happening?” Erin asked, and it was her turn to snort with disbelief. “Oh, please, what’s more likely, you mating with hunky boy, or a swimming pool having a peeing section?” she added.

  Kirsty refused to answer on the grounds that everyone around her was a wolf, and wolves had big ears. “And where are you going, I wonder?”

  “Home, to my fluffy pillowed bed, and I might even allow myself to be adopted by a cat along the way,” she said.

  “Not tonight you’re not,” Catherine said. “You’re going to Nathaniel’s with me.”

  “Why would I? And why are you going – it wasn’t your cabin that burned down?” Erin asked.

  Catherine raised her eyebrows and took a long slow breath in. “Because Courtney is going.”

  “That still doesn’t make sense,” Erin said.

  “Wait Courtney is staying at Nathaniel’s tonight?” Kirsty asked.

  “That means you’ll have the place to yourselves,” Erin said and winked.

  Kirsty pulled on her magic and zapped her friend, and was happy when Erin jumped in place and groaned. “Stop it!” she hissed.

  “The witch doth protest too bloody much,” Erin whispered back with a glare to back it up. Then she turned back to Catherine. “You still don’t trust Nathaniel after watching him not kill that jerk that I would have killed in a heartbeat if he’d caused me to become a vampire.”

  Catherine shook her head. “That’s not it,” she said and hooked a thumb back over her shoulder to where Courtney was chatting with Tom. “She’s invited, Tom.”

  “Ooo, for a sleepover and makeup party?” Erin said, amused.

  “We’re chaperoning the event,” Catherine said, motioning between them, and giving the witch a pointed look.

  “Why me?” Erin said.

  “She’s gonna be busy,” Catherine said, motioning to Kirsty.

  “Now, wait a minute,” Kirsty said.

  “But I want to go home,” Erin said, but that wasn’t really true – she’d kind of enjoyed the excitement of the day.

  “Do you?” Catherine asked narrowing her eyes on Erin until the witch blinked twice. “Really?”

  Erin opened her mouth, but she couldn’t seem to back that action up with actual words. Catherine jumped on it. “See, so, you’re coming to Nathaniel’s with me.” Catherine strolled off before Erin could protest.

  “Methinks the witch doth not protest enough,” Kirsty said and eyed her friend with glee.

  Erin’s mouth opened and closed like a fish out of water. Then she snuck a look at Nathaniel and that damn vampire with smirking back at her. She did manage to push out a long groan.

  “He wants to drink your blood,” Kirsty said with what had to be the worst Transylvanian accent that Erin had ever heard, not that she’d heard a real one up close and personal, just the mimicked ones in movies, and it wasn’t as good as the worst of those.

  Erin turned to her friend with a smirk and Kirsty didn’t know what was coming, but she knew it was going to be a bullseye. She could almost see the victory behind her eyes.

  “Well, even if that’s true, at least I won’t need to shave my furry bits, and make sure I have my sexiest panties on,” she said, and Kirsty snapped her head back and she frowned. Erin could see the wheels turning in her friend’s mind and she knew she was onto a winner. “Ooo, you did pack a razor and your best panties, right?”

  Kirsty was trying to think. In all honestly, she wasn’t sure, and that sent her mind into a panic.

  Pack light they said – Pah!

  CHAPTER TWENTY SEVEN

  ~

  “I hear you want to spend the night at my place,” Nathaniel said, sidling up to Erin as she walked back to her car.

  Erin kept her gaze locked right ahead. Nathaniel was still naked, and she didn’t need another dose of gawping at him, especially when he couldn’t help but notice her noticing him. “No, I’d rather not be this close to you, but Catherine needs me and so…” She left it hanging.

  “You keep telling yourself that, but we both know…”

  “Would you not?” Erin said, stopping in her tracks and catching him off guard, he turned back to face her, and her stupid eyes decided to take him in – all of him – every big bit.

  “Not what?” Nathaniel asked, and he folded his arms, drawing her attention downwards when she’d only just managed to drag her gaze back to his face.

  “Not be you,” Erin said, turning her head to try to force her eyes to look away. Finally, she managed it, and she wasn’t going to be tricked into looking once more.

  “Well, I’ve been a wolf, and now I’m a vampire – I think I’m out of options of who to be next,” he said, and Erin spluttered laughter as she brought her gaze to his once more.

  Don’t look down – don’t look down – do not bloody well look down, she repeated on a loop.

  “No, now you’re a hybrid,” she said with a small shrug. “And did we get any thanks for…”

  “Thank you,” Nathaniel said, taking a step towards her. “With all my heart, thank you.”

  Erin considered that for one long moment, and then she shrugged again. “I’d have to question if you have a heart,” she said, looking away from him once more.

  “Ouch.”

  “Below the belt?” she asked, feigning innocence.

  “Right to the balls,” Nathaniel said, and he looked like he meant it.

  Erin couldn’t help but chuckle again. “So, you may have a heart, but you’re male, so the brain is…”

  “Always optional and split into two levels,” he conceded.

  “You said it,” Erin chuckled.

  “It’s just how we are, and you can’t fault us for it. We have a little brain and a big one, and every eleven seconds or so the little brain goes – hello!” he admitted. “Like during that explanation, I thought about your breasts and seeing you naked at least once … maybe twice, and wait – I just did it again.”

  “You’re strange,” Erin said, but she was still chuckling.

  Nathaniel nodded in agreement. “I’ve heard that before – whoops, breasts, naked, and entirely not my fault,” he said and offered her a drop-dead gorgeous smile.

  “Yeah, I’m rethinking this whole staying at your place thing tonight,” Erin lied. She certainly wasn’t going to be shacking up with Kirsty and Joe that was for sure.

  Nathaniel leant in towards her and Erin didn’t move a muscle, or breathe, but her heart did miss a beat. “You are safe with me.”

  “I hear that’s what the scorpion told the frog before he stung him,” Erin said, folding her arms and looking for a cast-iron guarantee.

  “You don’t trust yourself around me; I get that.”

  “Huh?” Erin’s mind was trying to keep two steps ahead of him, but she had to admit, she hadn’t seen that one coming.

  “I’m not saying I’m irresistible, but you know, it can’t be fear or even worry on your part because you are a kickass witch…”

  “You’ve got that right.”

  “Then you must just be drawn to me, and I get that…”

  “Watch out folks the ego has landed,” Erin said, lifting her chin in defiance and turning on her heels to walk away from him, but there he was, walking right beside her.

  “It’s only ego if it’s not true,” Nathaniel whispered and made her concentrate
harder on what he was saying.

  Erin shot him a curious look. “Is this the vampire side or the wolf side of you?”

  “Both, I’m a hybrid, remember?”

  “So, not so much split personality, more double jeopardy?”

  Nathaniel couldn’t help but laugh. “Something like that, but you’ll get used to it.”

  “I’m not going to be around long enough to worry myself over it,” Erin assured him. Although, with Kirsty being a mate, and she was undoubtedly going to be living on pack land, she guessed she’d be visiting quite a lot.

  “Ah, that’s where you’re wrong,” Nathaniel informed her.

  “Oh, really?”

  “Yes.”

  “Would you care to explain that reasoning to me?” Erin asked, reaching for the handle on her car.

  “Allow me,” he said and covered her hand with his.

  There it was; no explanation necessary, as the tingles rushed over her hand, up her arm and across her body. Erin looked straight ahead and kept on looking as her brain froze, and her body followed.

  Nathaniel leant in and whispered against her ear. “When my wolf burst free, I found you,” he said and heard the slight wheeze that was humming around the back of her throat. “So you see, I do thank you with all my heart,” he said, and that wheeze grew louder. “If you hadn’t given my wolf back to me, I might never have known you’re my mate.”

  Erin felt as if her head weighed far too much for her body, and she rested her forehead against the cold metal of the roof of the car. Then she lifted it and dropped it down again, over and over until Nathaniel slid his hand between the small space.

  Erin felt the tingles against her forehead and snapped straight. “There are no words for what I’m feeling right now,” she said.

  “I’m sure they’ll come to you, and you’ll throw them at me like knives,” he said, and she shot a sideways glare at him.