His Mate - Seniors Read online

“Of course not. I like to be useful…”

  “It’s been a while…” Dorothy muttered and Angela ignored her.

  “And you did take us in…” Angela reminded Dorothy; while berating her with her eyes.

  “Yes, you did…” Dorothy smiled…

  “I told you last night – I like having you here…” Sarah meant every word.

  She actually hated the thought that they might decide to up and leave. Or maybe someone from the care home might track them down…

  “And we like being here,” Dorothy assured her.

  “More than you can imagine,” Angela agreed.

  “Good. Settled then. You’re staying … right?” Sarah eyed one and then the other. Both witches had satisfied little grins on their lips and their eyes sparkled with happiness.

  “Right!” Angela said first.

  “Definitely!” Dorothy agreed.

  ~

  ~

  ~

  “Do you see what I see?” Dorothy asked as she craned her neck to get a better look at the young man that had turned up to fix the shower.

  Both woman sat in the shade of the large rowan tree, not that it offered a lot of shade, but they didn’t want to be out in the glaring sunshine and get even more wrinkles from squinting too much and for too long…

  “I still have my eyesight … thank the Goddess…” Angela shot back as she too craned her head on her neck, moving it this way and that as she tried to take the whole of him in…

  He was one big muscle man. Good looking too and both ladies enjoyed what they saw.

  With his broad shoulders and arms the size of Popeye, well, not quite Popeye, he was something to behold. It had been a while since either of them had seen such a perfect specimen of mankind…

  “He’s … perfect…” Dorothy said grinning.

  “You’re drooling …!” Angela berated her. “And he could be your grandson…”

  “I think I’d remember giving birth to a child…” Dorothy tossed back, and Angela twisted her head on her neck and looked at the woman as if she’d just popped out a set of false teeth and dropped them in her lemon water… “For Sarah, you old lush … have you been on the booze again?”

  “No, I leave that to you,” Angela shot back, and turned to watch the sexy plumber man climb the steps towards the front porch of the Inn…

  “Oh, yummy – back in my day I could have covered him in melted chocolate and licked him from head to toe…” Dorothy offered and Angela put her hand to her chest and groaned.

  “I think I vomited a little in my mouth…” She pulled a disgusted face. “Can you not say things like that, because it makes my mind shiver and want to shrivel into senility, just so that I never have to think about it again?”

  “Party pooper,” Dorothy hissed.

  “Tramp,” Angela offered back.

  Both women stood as one when the man walked out of sight towards the front door.

  “Race you around the bush to get a better view…” Dorothy said with a teasing smile.

  “My hip says bite me…” Angela tossed back.

  “You’re too old to say bite me…” Dorothy berated her.

  “You’re never too old for anything much, and if you think you are then you’ve already lost your zeal for life.” Angela said, quick to move off to a better location.

  “True…” Dorothy said, before she realised that the witch had gone without her…

  CHAPTER THREE

  ~

  Sarah pulled open the front door to the excessive knocking and gave an exasperated huff to Mr Tall, Dark, and exceedingly handsome that was standing there…

  “Can I help you or did you just want to beat the door up?” Sarah asked and watched as the man opened his mouth to speak and had to take a moment to think on that one…

  “Plumbing services…” he offered back, with a rise of just one dark eyebrow that actually made him look even sexier.

  Sarah wasn’t interested. Well, in truth, she was always interested in ogling a sexy, muscle bound male, but anything more and she was sure to run the other way at brake neck speed … besides, the Tall Dark and very Sexy male in front of her had set her magically alarm bells ringing inside of her mind and against her shields as she picked up the supernatural in the air…

  Shifter.

  What kind she didn’t know … yet … but from the look of him; she thought that he was probably a wolf … not a werewolf, but a Lycan – able to shift without the help of the full moon.

  Whatever kind he was – he represented trouble with a really big T.

  “Oh…” Sarah offered back.

  Her mind was on other things – like how not to get mixed up with a lone wolf or a wolf pack if they were in the area…

  “Angela called us, is that you?” Samuel asked and she frowned.

  “Nope, she’d not here right now.”

  Sarah was in two minds about whether to let him in or not. It wasn’t like he was a vampire or anything – he didn’t need to be invited in – heck, if she miffed the man off and he wanted in then he could just bust through the door with the muscles that he had.

  His beast wouldn’t have any trouble in entering the property through a window … that sent her thoughts spiralling; it wasn’t like she wasn’t going to have to spend her evening putting up really big wards around a really big Inn or anything … much…

  “Look, witch…”

  That raised her temperature by a few degrees, and she suddenly had sympathy with anyone going through menopause. She didn’t know whether to zap him, kick him where it would do most good, or just slam the door in his face … she chose the latter…

  “Seriously?” He growled and she rolled her eyes in her head and sighed…

  He was right … she should have kicked him in the goolies instead.

  ~

  ~

  ~

  “That’s not good…” Angela said.

  “Not promising.” Dorothy agreed. “How’s she going to get to last base with him if she slams the door shut in his face?”

  “I …” Angela frowned down at her friend. “There are no words, sometimes…”

  “Then make some up,” Dorothy shot back, but Angela was already walking out from behind the bushes towards the man.

  She put a big old smile on her face in greeting.

  “Hello…” she called, just as Samuel was about to turn away.

  The shifter stopped and turned back, and she picked up on the same thing that Sarah had. It stopped her in her tracks, and she eyed him for a long moment…

  “Are you, Angela?” He demanded with a little grumble of a growl in his chest. He knew what these women were and he wasn’t impressed.

  “Who’s asking…?”

  “I am,” Samuel frowned.

  He’d had enough of witch games, and he couldn’t say that he was happy to be sent to the witches’ Inn. He’d thought that when Aunt Chloe had died that the place might be sold off to … normal people…

  “You don’t know your own name?” Angela shot back…

  “Samuel…” he offered, and his frown turned into a scowl … “Look, lady, don’t bust my chops…”

  “I have no intention…”

  “You’re nutty friend at the door…” he hooked a thumb towards the house and Angela scowled back at him.

  “I see manners aren’t included in your service,” Dorothy offered, cutting him off from saying more as she walked up and stood next to Angela…

  “When people call me out here and then slam the door in my face…” he growled, just a little, just enough to rub both women up the wrong way.

  “Use your words, puppy!” Angela snapped at him.

  “Oh, lady…” He shook his head in annoyance.

  “Don’t bark at her,” Dorothy added with a tone that could cut glass as she folded her arms and used a glare that would send the right message to even the dumbest of mutts.

  “You witches…” he said on the shake of his head, lifting his larg
e hand and wagging a finger of rebuke at them.

  “You should leave…” Angela warned him.

  “And never darken our door again…” Dorothy added.

  “Or what?” Samuel said, pulling his body up to his full height as his wolf took offence to the insults and the threats.

  New witches on his territory annoyed him so, and the alpha probably wouldn’t have been best pleased to know that there was an Inn full of them either.

  “Dorothy…” Angela said, straightening as much as she could as her friend followed suit – he eyed them with suspicion… “Doesn’t it feel like hot dog season to you?”

  There was more than just a glint of mischief within the old woman’s eyes, there was something approaching glee, and that made him nervous…

  His wolf wasn’t happy with the woman’s word either.

  “Now…” He held up just one finger in warning and in the hope that it would stop them from doing something stupid that would aggravate his beast further…

  “I have one of those…” Angela said, holding up her own index finger and pointing it at him.

  Samuel’s head twisted on his neck and his eyes narrowed as he waited for the punchline that might just hurt a little or maybe a lot…

  “Run, run, run – just as fast as you can. You won’t catch fire, but you might need a fan…” Dorothy offered with a sing-song tone that freaked him out just a little…

  “I’m out of here. You people are nuts…” Samuel said, turning on his heels and stalking back towards his van; when the first zap hit his backside and made him jump involuntarily… “Hey!” He growled back over his shoulder, but he had the good sense to keep walking…

  Angela zapped him too. It had been so long since she’d given someone a good zap, mainly because the other residents at the care home who annoyed her all had pacemakers … but she found that she enjoyed it.

  “Enjoy your brown water…” he said, and yanked open the door to his van.

  The door was wrenched from his hand and slammed back shut, yanking him forwards and bouncing his forehead off the metal panels…

  “A little manners go a long way, young man…” Angela warned him, but he didn’t learn his lesson the first time and growled again.

  So she zapped him once more…

  “I’m warning you…” Samuel growled, with a quick look over his shoulder to see just where the two women were.

  His wolf was so miffed that it was as close to bursting free from inside of him as he wanted it to get. He knew just how badly that could end up for all concerned.

  How could he allow his beast to eat elders … evil, wicked witch of the west type elders, but, still elders…?

  Females to boot. He’d never once unleashed his wolf on a female, but there was always a first time, and the animal might just make an exception for the senile twins…

  Hell, he might feel guilty for the rest of his life, but at least he’d get some satisfaction in the right then and there…

  CHAPTER FOUR

  ~

  ‘Lark … I swear … if you don’t get the hell up here now and sort these witches out, my wolf is going to be feasting tonight!’

  Samuel used the psychic link that connected the whole of his pack as one to call on the services of one of the elders that he knew was close by. He’d dropped the man off not more than five minutes before he’d gotten to the Inn, and for an elder that man was sprightly when he needed to be.

  ‘Oh, stop your yapping – can’t you handle a simple witch on a simple call out…?’

  ‘Sure, but I don’t think you want me to do that – not if you value pack relations with the old…’

  ‘Old? I heard it was Chloe’s niece that had taken over the Inn…’

  ‘Oh, yeah – that witch is here as well!’

  ‘Stop your farting around and just get the damn job done then. What? You need me to hold you darn hand?’ Lark mocked the beta.

  The man was good at keeping the pack in line, and he was a damn fine plumber, but people relations, especially humans, wasn’t exactly a skill the man had learned.

  Samuel bit down on his annoyance. Maybe he should have gone straight to the top and called the alpha, but he’d figured that Lark was just as batty as the old witches, and if the elder killed one of them … well…

  ‘Are you quaking in your fur, brother?’ Jamie chuckled, and that sound grated on his last nerve.

  ‘Let’s see how funny you’d find being zapped…’ Samuel growled back at his sibling.

  The beta annoyed him so at times, and he’d kind of like it if the man made an appearance so that he could put his fist right in the guy’s face … it certainly would have been helpful to relieve some of the tension that he was feeling, faced with two shrews and a lock in.

  ‘You need Lark to come and rescue you from a couple of elders … I’m rethinking the pecking order of the pack as we speak, beta.’ His brother, Nathan, the alpha of the pack, went and put his two pennies into the pot, and Samuel felt the need to curl up and die…

  ‘Fine. I’ll handle them, but don’t blame me when one of them gets broken…’ Samuel growled, but he didn’t mean it.

  One look at the two old ladies and his wolf growled back at him. The beast might have taken exception to the woman, but even his wold side was soft when it came to females.

  “Now, what in the name of …” Lark grumbled and growled as he strolled up the hill towards them.

  His weathered face was turned towards Dorothy and Angela, and his washed out pale green eyes took them in, and one grey eyebrow slowly climbed up towards his salt and pepper hairline. He felt a little spring in his step at the sight of them…

  “Well, hello, young ladies…” The man practically drooled as he drawled…

  “Oh God…” Samuel grumbled as he rolled his eyes skywards and prayed that something big, heavy, and fast moving, like an asteroid, or meteor would drop down and wipe him out – flatten him to a pulp – just so that he didn’t have to witness Lark getting his groove on…

  “Don’t you use that tone of voice with us,” Angela bit out on a scowl that looked decidedly deadly in comparison to the bright and sunny look that Dorothy was offering the man…

  “What tone would that be?” Lark grinned like the wolf that got the bunny.

  “Or that smile, buster!” Angela berated him. She kind of the liked the interest that the elder was showing, but she’d stick by her friend through thick and thin.

  “It’s just a smile … sweetie pie…” Lark offered back.

  Samuel thought that he might just throw up his breakfast – if he did – he was aiming it right down the front of Lark’s jeans, because he hated to waste good food, and the man was making him queasy.

  “Do I look like a cartoon bird to you?” Angela’s hands went to her shapely hips, and even Samuel’s wolf sounded the retreat at the sight of her…

  “Wait …” Samuel looked confused. “Isn’t that Tweetie Pie?”

  When Angela turned her fiery gaze onto Samuel, he held up his hands at his broad chest in surrender.

  “But, sweetie pie sounds good too,” he offered back and she sneered at him, long and hard, and somehow; it just felt oh so intimidating and from an old woman to boot.

  “Does your wolf have a big yellow streak down his back too?” Angela asked, and the young man growled in anger … he didn’t like that one little bit and neither did his wolf.

  Lark growled back.

  “Show some respect for your elders…” Lark growled.

  “They’re not my elders…” Samuel scowled back.

  “Then you look good for your age,” Dorothy offered with a small giggle at her own funny, and another one for when Lark brought his eyes to hers…

  “Don’t look at her like that…” Angela demanded, and Lark rolled his eyes back in his head, before he turned them back towards Angela.

  “Don’t talk with a tone. Don’t smile. Don’t look … can I breathe?” Lark shot back, slightly irritated with the w
itch. He was getting to understand where the young beta was coming from

  “At your age that’s an optional extra,” Angela sneered, and her words sent both of Lark’s eyebrows shooting up his forehead.

  “You’re right – she’s a mean one!” Lark grumbled towards the beta, and Samuel jumped in place as Angela’s accusing eyes turned towards him and offered him a death glare; practically daring him to say just one bad word…

  “I didn’t say that…” he shrugged.

  “She’s right there as well, chicken liver…” Lark growled at the beta and the man growled back.

  “What’s going on out here?” Sarah demanded as she stalked out onto the porch and eyed all four of them…

  If the shifters were challenging the witches, then she was going to be front and centre in defending Dorothy and Angela.

  “Well, I’m about to ask these lovely ladies to have dinner with me…” Lark said; as he grinned at Dorothy and the woman blushed like a schoolgirl. “And he’s got all four paws in his mouth from being a moron.”

  “Dinner sounds…”

  “Like hell on wheels, a date with Satan personified…” Angela hissed out…

  “Lucky I was asking one of Satan’s minions then, hmm?” Lark shot her a frown.

  “How quickly he shows his true colours…” Angela shot back.

  “Maybe you should both just leave…” Sarah said, but her tone of voice told the beta that it wasn’t a suggestion or a request.

  “Fine, fix your own damn plumbing…” Samuel called back over his shoulder at her. “Good luck finding another plumber out here…”

  “Wait, what?” Dorothy looked more than a little anxious at his words. “But, I have brown water coming from my shower…”

  “Well, we can’t have that, now, can we?” Lark offered with a soothing tone that seemed to do the job just fine.

  “You going to service my pipes?” Dorothy said; with something of a purr in her tone, and Lark’s eyes lit up, while all three of the others groaned at the image that kicked up.

  “Please say no…” Sarah bit out…

  “I don’t want that image in my head…” Samuel turned away…