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  The little man held up his hands and took a step back. "I didn't know until ta first one come trough, honest!"

  "Why can't they go back?" I questioned him.

  He pointed at himself. "Because I brought tem here ta curse falls on them as well. Tey're stuck here until I'm free."

  I held up my coin and his hair. "I can't even take them back?"

  He shook his head. "You can try, but it'd probably do ya no good."

  I glanced at Latro. "You willing to try?"

  She nodded. "I am."

  The other women crowded close to us and grasped my arms. Their pleading words and faces pained me.

  "Please take me!"

  "And me!"

  "I want to go home!"

  I pursed my lips. "This might not be safe to try, so we'll just try Latro. If it works we'll come back for you." At the threat of danger they dropped their pleas. I glanced at O'Flanagan. "How do I go back?"

  He nodded at the hair and coin. "Hold 'em up and brush 'em togeter. If ta oter one wants ta go she's got ta hold onta you."

  I looked to Latro. "The water in the bathroom should still be running. Ready to go?"

  Latro grasped my arm and nodded. I raised the coin and hair into the air, and brushed them together. The familiar tug pulled at my hands, but there was also a tug from Latro's hand. Latro stood there as still as a board, but as heavy as a truck. The two competing directions strained my hands and arm. My muscles screamed at one of them to win.

  I pulled my hands down and gasped. My feet wavered under me and I would've fallen if Latro hadn't caught me.

  She helped me onto the grass and knelt beside me. "What's wrong? What happened?"

  O'Flanagan stepped up to us and shook his head. "She couldn't take you wit her, tat's what happened."

  I lifted my head and pursed my lips as I studied his little frame. "What if one of these women aren't your true love?"

  He sighed and shrugged. "Ten I got ta keep trying."

  I glanced around at the disappointed, frightened faces of the women, and Latro. "You guys got a choice. Either kiss him and hope he turns into a prince, or stay here forever."

  The women glanced at one another. Latro straightened and pursed her lips. "Fine. I'll go first."

  O'Flanagan's face brightened with a smile. He clapped his hands and did a little jig close beside Latro. "Now tat's what I'm talking about! Give a little kiss ta-" She grabbed his lips and held him still.

  "What guarantee do we have that any of these women will be your true love?" she questioned him.

  He pulled himself from her grasp and rubbed his lips. A scowl graced his face. "I can't take just anybody, you know. Tere's rules. Tey've got ta have some magic in tem ta get over here, and-" he winked, "-tey can't be too ugly for us."

  Latro curled her lips back in a snarl of disgust. "Don't get any ideas, munchkin."

  He frowned and crossed his arms. "Don't tink it is any good for me, either."

  Latro nodded her head at him. "Close your eyes."

  O'Flanagan narrowed them, but they didn't shut. "Why?"

  "Because I'm not having you do anything weird to me, now shut them," she ordered him.

  He pursed his lips, but shut his eyes. Latro grabbed him by the collar and pulled him into a kiss. The other women and I cringed. The kiss was blissfully short as Latro broke them apart and shoved him away. Her scowl was still in place, but there was a gleeful smile on his lips.

  He slapped his hand against his knee and let out a laugh. "You're not a bad kisser!" he complimented her.

  She stood and wiped her mouth with her sleeve. "And your breath smells like pipe smoke."

  He wagged his eyebrows. "Maybe we might try again and see what flavor I might be now."

  "Did it work or not?" one of the girls spoke up.

  Latro narrowed her eyes at O'Flanagan. "Well? Did it?"

  O'Flanagan's grin widened. He raised his hand and snapped his fingers. A brilliant white light surrounded us and I felt the familiar tug of the portal as we were all sucked into the stream. The trip landed all of us on the tiled floor of the women's bathroom at Knock-knees Nick's joint.

  We were back.

  11

  The girls looked around themselves in bewilderment, but Latro and I climbed to our feet. O'Flanagan sat on the counter and swung his legs over the edge.

  A wide grin still graced his lips as he gestured to our surroundings. "Was tat a good enough answer for you?"

  Any reply was interrupted by a crash as the door was torn off its hinges. The women screamed as David flew through the frame. He was still transformed and covered in blood. I couldn't tell if it was his or someone else's. His yellow eyes swept over us. The formerly-kidnapped women let out some high-falsetto screams that made me wince.

  O'Flanagan clapped one hand over his ear and glared at them. "Enough of tat, my dears!"

  The little man waved his other hand at them. A white mist floated from his wiggling fingers and fell over the tightly-packed group of terrified women. Their eyes rolled back in their heads and they slumped to the floor.

  The leprechaun grinned. "Tey'll sleep all night and won't remember a ting from our little adventure."

  Latro took a step back from David and glared at him. "This adventure isn't over yet."

  I stood and stepped between the hunter and the hunted. "I'll deal with him."

  Latro pursed her lips. "You'd better, or his blood-lust will kill us all."

  I turned my attention to David. His eyes fell on me and lit up. I approached him with my arms outstretched and my palms up. "Hey, David. You know me." His eyes narrowed and his lips curled back in a snarl. I swallowed hard but didn't stop my approach. "It's your mate, remember? You haven't forgotten me already, have you? You gave me your mother's necklace today. See?" I pulled out the necklace I'd kept hidden in my shirt all night.

  O'Flanagan jumped to his feet and his eyes bulged out of his head. "Well, I'll be a saint. . ."

  David blinked. The color of his eyes changed from yellow to their usual dark color. His height shrank and his clothes hung loose on his body. I rushed over and leapt into his arms just as he returned to normal.

  He wrapped his arms around me and smelled my hair. His soft words brushed against my ear and sent a thrilling tingle through me. "My beautiful, wonderful mate. You never cease to amaze me."

  I pulled us to arm's length and scowled at him. "And you never cease to scare me half to death." I nodded at the blood on his mangled shirt and pants. "Is that yours?"

  He chuckled and his eyes twinkled. "Let's just say I'm not very kosher right now, and the dear proprietor is going to need a few dozen stitches."

  "You promised me you weren't going to transform again," Latro spoke up. We turned to find her standing with her arms crossed and a scowl on her face. Close beside her stood O'Flanagan with his bulging eyes stuck on my necklace.

  David sheepishly smiled and shrugged. "The pig-man wasn't taking 'no' for an answer, so I had to show him 'no.'"

  Latro pursed her lips, but dropped her arms to her sides. "I'll let it slide this time, monster, but only because the women got back. When I leave this place we're going to be enemies again, got it?"

  O'Flanagan snatched her hand and leaned towards her with a sly smile on his lips. "Now where do you tink you're going?"

  She yanked her hand free and glared at him. "To my home for a long, hot shower."

  He chuckled and tapped the side of his nose. "Aren't you forgetting sometin'?"

  "And a long rest," she added.

  He opened his arms and smiled at her. "But my love, you're coming home wit me."

  Latro's eyes widened. She stepped back and sneered at him. "I'm not your love, and like hell I am."

  He wagged his finger at her. "Tere's no denying it, my lovely. You broke the spell, and ta home you're going wit me."

  "Latro," I called. She turned to me with a horrified look on her face. I tossed the coin and hair to her. "You might be needing these."

&nb
sp; She caught them just as O'Flanagan leapt at her. He pulled her hand down close to the sink and turned on the faucet. A burst of light spread over them. The last I saw of either of them was Latro's twisted expression of horror as she was sucked into the water by her one true love.

  David blinked at the faucet and glanced down at me. "Mind explaining what that was about?"

  I leaned my head against his chest and smiled at the running water. "Just true love, my mate. Just true love."

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  Island Vacation

  Alpha Mated, Book 2

  1

  The day started like any other. With a ring on the doorbell and a dead body at my feet.

  Okay, maybe it wasn't that normal, but that's how it started. The day after my short initiation into the paranormal world dawned. I woke up in my-er, our bed and stretched my arms over my head. Beside me was the most handsome-and unconscious-werewolf mate I'd ever seen. Not that I'd seen a lot. One was enough for me. David Dives was completely unconscious, and there was a stupid, adorable grin on his lips. The sheets didn't cover his upper half and showed that nothing else did, either. I myself was clothed in-well, sheets, and a pillow that somehow migrated to my feet.

  The bright rays of sunlight behind the thick curtains told me it was past ten in the morning. The clock on the nightstand confirmed it. There was a distinct chill in the air and the dead fireplace told me why.

  My stomach gurgled. Time for some munchies before I tried out a werewolf delicacy. I slipped out of bed and dressed myself in my few changes of clothes. I'd have to ask where the laundromat was around here before David rejoiced in my newest suit, my birthday one.

  I tiptoed out of the room and down the stairs. The large house was quiet, but the sunlight through the many windows gave it a cheery atmosphere. I'd just reached the bottom of the stairs when the bell rang. I grasped the banner and leaned forward to look left and right into the adjoining rooms. Puer was nowhere to be found.

  I shrugged and walked across the entrance hall to the front doors. There was no peephole, so I opened one of them.

  And in slumped a body. A man's body, to be precise. He was about forty-five with gray streaks in his temples and a complexion that made albinos look like lumps of charcoal. The guy wore an overcoat that covered most of his body, and a faint breath of steam rose from beneath the coat.

  I stooped and shook the man. "You okay?" His body was stiff.

  I grabbed his wrist where lay a gold watch and froze. The color in my face drained to the same complexion as him.

  There was no pulse.

  I yelped and dropped his wrist. His arm slapped onto the floor like a wet rag. Hurried footsteps caught my attention, and I turned to see Puer emerge from the left wing. He started and his eyes widened as they fell on the stiff man.

  The shock was only momentary, and he rushed forward and knelt beside me. "Help me get him into the great room," he pleaded.

  "I think it's a little late for that," I quipped.

  "Not quite, but if you would assist me," he insisted.

  I shrugged, and Puer and I both grabbed an arm. The man's stiff body slid easily across the smooth wood floor to the right-hand wing. The room was wide and stretched to the back of the house. An arrangement of couches and chairs sat at the front, and in the rear was a pool table and some bookcases. On the opposite wall from the double-door entrance and in the center was a mammoth fireplace.

  Puer helped me guide the man to the spot between the coffee table and one of the couches, and he dropped his arm. I was happy to follow his example and released the clammy skin. Steam continued to float from beneath the man's coat, and I noticed his face looked a little sunburned. I leaned down and squinted.

  My eyes widened when I saw it was more than just a rash. It was a flat-out burn on his cheeks. Lots of them. Tiny little pockets of burned flesh like chicken pox, but a little more permanent.

  Puer hurried from one window to the other closing the thick curtains. Soon the room was enveloped in shadow so dark I could hardly see my hand in front of my face. The guy spread out on the floor in front of me, however, stood out like a groupie at a Christian Revival meeting.

  He also opened his eyes.

  I yelped and scrambled backwards as the man, dead just moments before, sat up. His whitish eyes swept over the room, but didn't seem to take in anything around him. He rubbed his burned cheeks and winced when his hands stuck in the holes.

  His lips were chapped and his voice was hoarse. "W-where am I?"

  Puer knelt beside him and set his hands on the man's shoulders. The smoke from before no longer floated from his overcoat. "You're at the residence of Mr. Dives, Lord Basileus."

  The stranger dropped his hand and frowned. "I remember now. I must speak with your master, Puer." He tried to stand, but his shaky legs buckled beneath him. Puer caught him and leaned the man's body against his.

  Puer steered him onto the couch and stepped back. "Perhaps you should sit here while I go fetch him."

  Basileus leaned back and nodded. "Yes, that would be wise."

  Puer bowed to him. "I'll return in a moment." And away her hurried.

  The man's strange-colored eyes fell on me and he raised an eyebrow. "I don't believe I know your face."

  I gave him a nervous smile and took a step back. "N-no, I don't believe we've met." I would've remembered a face like his, burned holes or not.

  The man grasped the arm of the couch with one hand and stood. His ghoulish eyes never left me and his voice took on a stern quality. "Do you know who I am?"

  I shook my head. "No, and I'll be happy to forget the acquaintance if you want me to."

  He used the couch as a crutch as he slowly stalked towards me. Those pale eyes narrowed and I noticed two of his upper teeth peek out from his lip. "Who are you? What's your business here?"

  I held up my hands in front of me and backed up towards the open doors. "I'm nobody. Just a resident inmate-resident! I'm a resident of the house. Just hanging around until-" Until my back hit a hard surface.

  I yelped and spun around. I found myself eye-level with a clothed chest that belonged to David. He looked down at me and grinned.

  "You're jumpy this morning," he teased.

  I slipped around him and peeked around his body at the pale guest. The man stood at the end of the couch.

  His whitish eyes were still on me as he nodded in my direction. "Who is she?" he asked David.

  David chuckled and stepped aside before he gestured to me. "Miss Dakota Combes, allow me to introduce you to Mr. Blake Basileus. Blake, this is Miss Combes, my mate."

  The pale man straightened and raised an eyebrow. "Is she really?"

  David shrugged. "So it seems, but what's more important is what you're doing not only away from your home but out during the day. I see you've got some sun pains for the effort."

  Blake reached up and brushed his fingers against the scorch holes. "This is nothing compared to the trouble brewing on my island."

  David frowned. "What kind of trouble?"

  Blake lowered himself onto the couch and gestured to the couch opposite him. "If you would be seated I will tell you what I know."

  2

  David gently took my arm and guided me over to the couch where we took our seats.

  Blake leaned forward with his arms on his legs and cleared his throat. "As you know, I don't often leave my island."

  David nodded. "Yes. I don't remember hearing you ever leave it in my lifetime."

  Blake pursed his lips. "That's true. The last time I left the island was to escape a pack of particularly amorous and ugly witches. This time, however, the situation is more dire, and perhaps more ugly. I'm sure you heard about the murder that took place on the island a few months ago."

  David raised an eyebrow. "I had heard something about it, but I thought the mystery was solved."

  Blake clasped his hands together and stared down at his long fingernails. "It was, but there were a few unknown co
nsequences. One of those was that a spell was left partially cast, and I believe someone tried to finish the spell and bungled it horribly."

  David leaned back and shrugged. "I'm a werewolf, not a warlock. What can I do to help you with a spell?"

  Blake raised his eyes and they stared into David's. "The bungled spell was aimed at you."

  My mate frowned. "What kind of spell was it?"

  Blake sat back and shook his head. "The spell was so poorly cast that we haven't deciphered the purpose, though Madam Bentley is still trying to figure it out."

  David snorted. "You trust that hag to-" A warning glance from Blake silenced him.

  "She is unusual, but she is one of the most competent witches I have ever seen," Blake insisted.

  David held up his hand. "Okay, I get it, but you haven't answered my question. What can I do?"

  "Madam Bentley desires that you visit the island in the hopes that your presence will right the spell and we can identify its intent," Blake explained.

  David frowned. "So what you're telling me is you want me to go to your island and hex myself?"

  Blake smiled. "Something of the sort. Will you come?"

  David snorted. "Does anyone have a choice when the leader of the vampires calls them?"

  My eyes widened and I whipped my head to Blake. His sly smile widened and he shrugged. "There is always a choice, but the outcome will always be to my benefit."

  David sighed and turned to me. "What do you say? Are you up for a short vacation?"

  I looked to him and blinked. "I have no idea what's going on, and you want me to say 'yes?'"

  David patted my hand and returned his attention to Blake. "Could you give us a few minutes to catch up?"

  "And I would advise you to pack some change of clothes," Blake added. "Madam Bentley is competent, but not necessarily fast."

  David smiled. "The same old Madam Bentley." He pulled me to my feet and walked us over to the open doors. "Puer?" The manservant emerged from across the entrance hall and walked over to us. David jerked his head over his shoulder in the direction of the guest. "Could you get Lord Basileus a bottle of our best blood?"

  I whipped my head to David's face. "Blood?"

  Puer bowed his head. "As you wish."

  David directed me towards the stairs, but I grabbed his arm and pulled us to a stop. "Blood? Witches? What the hell is going on?"