Strange Days (His Mate Series Book One) Read online

  Courtney waited for the moment when he took his eye off the ball to roll them at her. Then she shoved him as hard as she could, and he practically flew into the water. Boy, did that feel good?

  When he came up spouting water out of his mouth like a fountain, he found her giggling at his expense. “That move right there, that’ll be the one that gets you payback,” he warned her, wagging a finger at her, and grinning like an idiot.

  “Maybe, but for now, I got you good,” Courtney said, chuckling hard.

  ~

  “A little bat told me you’re his mate,” Kirsty said, sweeping into the kitchen and up to the counter beside her friend who was tucking into a slice of buttered toast.

  Erin barely looked up. “Go ahead, mock me,” she replied.

  Kirsty rushed to sit on the stool beside her. She rested her elbow on the counter and placed her chin in the upturned palm of her hand, and Erin did a double-take. “Oh, free reign to mock – where shall I start?”

  “You could be supportive; I offered you a fast car getaway,” Erin scolded her.

  “Yeah, but this way I get to keep you around,” Kirsty said, grinning.

  “And I get a vampire mate…”

  “That would be a hybrid, thank you,” Nathaniel said, strolling into the kitchen and heading to the refrigerator for a bottle of juice.

  “And I don’t have to worry about his drinking habits,” Kirsty said, wiggling her eyebrows as Erin screwed up her face and glared at her.

  “You were worried?” he asked and placed a hand on his chest. “About little old me?”

  “Meh,” she said, and then shrugged. “Actually, yeah. I was kind of waiting for you to go vamp-bat-poop crazy,” Kirsty added.

  “You never told me that,” Erin said. “You told me he was safe.”

  “Well, you know?” Kirsty said, looking sheepish as she reached over and snatched a cut half-slice of buttered toast. “How safe is safe when you’re dealing with a vampire?”

  “Gee, Kirsty, you tell me?” Erin shot back.

  “Witchy-witches, be silent, be calm…”

  “Like a duck,” Kirsty muttered, and Erin snorted a chuckle.

  “Serene on the surface, paddling like crazy under the waterline,” Erin said when Nathaniel offered her a curious look.

  “I have full control; I found my mate…”

  “Not saying his mate isn’t going to run away screaming,” Erin bit out the corner of her mouth. Nathaniel raised both eyebrows at her. “But, I’m going to stick around – for now,” she added, and when Kirsty made a slurping sound, Erin elbowed her in the ribs.

  Kirsty folded like a bad hand in high stakes poker game. “Pointy bloody elbows,” she said to Nathaniel.

  “I’ll keep that in mind,” he replied, grinning. “And I’ll leave you ladies to your breakfast while I take a nap…”

  “Swinging upside down from the rafters, or in a bed?” Kirsty asked, and Erin went to nudge her again, but she pulled away from the contact.

  “Oh, I have a nice big bed,” he said and looked directly as Erin who paused, toast in hand and almost to her mouth as she eyed him back.

  “Enjoy the space,” she said. “Although I think your ego might take up a lot of room.”

  Nathaniel headed for the door. “That’s hurtful,” he tossed back over his shoulder.

  “I’m sure you’ve got over it by now,” Erin called and got a return elbow in the ribs from Kirsty. “What? Why?” she hissed.

  “He seems a lot better now than when I first met him. I’d say he’s full of life, but that would be ironic,” Kirsty said.

  “Nothing wrong with a little irony,” Erin said and bit into the toast.

  “So, you’re staying, right?” she asked as Erin chewed. “I mean, you wouldn’t walk out on your mate, right? It’s not right, right?” Erin kept chewing. “I mean, I’d miss you if you left, so you’re staying, right?”

  Erin swallowed and turned to her friend. “How many wrongs make a right?”

  “What?”

  “How many rights did you just throw my way?”

  “Oh, right,” Kirsty said and frowned. “Don’t evade my question.”

  “Don’t ask stupid questions,” Erin tossed back.

  Kirsty took a moment to think about it. “That still didn’t answer my question,” she said.

  Erin grinned and wiggled her eyebrows. “I know, right?”

  Kirsty opened her mouth and then closed it again. She wasn’t going to get a straight answer from her friend, but she was sure that Erin would stick around. After all, the only thing they had to go home for was each other, and they were together.

  In what scenario wouldn’t you want to find the man of your dreams, and everyone had their quirks. In every other way Nathaniel was perfect for Erin, and Erin knew it.

  What Kirsty knew was that it would probably only take a little nudge in the right direction and hey presto! They would all be one big crazy happy family-pack, and she was just the witch to do it.

  The End.

  Thanks for reading.

  I hope you enjoyed this standalone novel in the His Mate series.

  Love and Blessings

  ML