What A Witch Claims

Chapter 9

Several days later at Finds, Designs, and Blooms

With Fee on her heels, Ticia walked into the store. She stopped dead in her tracks when she realized Clio, Sheila, and Raisa were staring at her and smiling.

The cat twined between Ticia's legs. Of course, they're looking at you, dummy. They know what you've been doing with our troll. Fee twined between Ticia's legs.

For the last three days, she'd either been making love with Ferdie or eating and sleeping to have the energy to make love. She hadn't really understood what Ferdie had meant by "heat." Now she did and it had been glorious. Despite the fact her three friends had to have gone through the same thing in their Goddess-blessed matches, she blushed. They should show some sympathy for her aches and tender tissues, not smirk.

Maybe her mating was different since she was having wall-banging sex with a troll with unlimited stamina. Her mate was one of a kind.

It was amazing she could still walk. And if she wasn't pregnant, she would be soon. Already she felt her need for sex rising.

Oh, I can guarantee that.

Ticia looked down at her smug familiar. Do you know something I am not aware of yet?

Nope. But Ferdie and you both smell extremely fertile. So, I'm taking odds on soon. Uh-oh. Incoming witch.

Ticia turned to see Sheila approaching.

"Hey, Ticia. Are you okay? You look, well, the nice way to put it is shell-shocked."

"Call it rode hard and put away wet, and you'd be spot on." Ticia attempted a smile. "I had to get out of the house and walk. Get some fresh air. Do normal everyday things for a bit."

Raisa laughed. "So, you're sore."

"Oh, hell yeah." Ticia moved to the most comfortable-looking sofa in Raisa's portion of the store and sank onto the feather-stuffed cushions. "Ah, that feels good. I may have to get one of these love seats for our bedroom."

Fee leapt up next to her and began making biscuits on the cushion, purring her approval. "So soft. Great for sore bums and cat naps."

"Did you have to mention my sore bottom?" Ticia asked.

"I'm not thinking it's news to them." Fee turned in a circle, settled in, and promptly closed her eyes.

Clio sat on Ticia's other side. "Not to be pushy but can't Ferdie help with the soreness." She blushed. "Some of our mates have the ability to soothe the tender bits between bouts of sex."

Red-faced, because she wasn't used to speaking about sex. Did that make her a prude?

Yes. Get over it , Fee said.

I thought you were asleep.

Trying.

Ticia turned toward Clio. "Um, he did. But the act of easing my discomfort led straight to more of what caused it to begin with."

Her friends giggled and Ticia's face heated even more. "I'd heard about how intense mating could be, but figured the stories were exaggerated. Nothing could've prepared me for Ferdie."

"Ticia, does Ferdie know you went for a small stroll?" Sheila asked.

Ticia caught the other witches looking at each other knowingly. "Not really."

"You left while he was sleeping, didn't you?" Sheila said.

Ticia nodded.

"Are you still in heat?" Raisa asked.

"Yes. Why?"

"I'm asking because Bran and I recently mate-bonded, but we went at it tooth-and-nail for three days. The heat had mostly dissipated by the end of the third day."

"Three days? Dissipation?" Ticia sighed. "I wish."

Moving to accommodate her sore muscles, she winced. The same fragility that had led to her sneaking out of her home and traipse down the mountain to the store had her fighting back tears. "It's been three days … so far. I have no sense that we are anywhere near done. I woke up and left before I jumped his sleeping bones again. Ferdie was so exhausted he didn't even rouse when I showered, ate, and left."

She shrugged. "I needed a break. Some female companionship, and maybe some healing tips and advice from women who've gone through this. Please … please tell me the frequency and intensity cool down once the heat wears off. I love Ferdie to pieces, and he gives me such pleasure, but … I don't think I could handle this craziness every day for the rest of our very long lives."

"I can't promise you won't have sex every day, because Bucky and I do," Sheila said. When Ticia moaned, she hurriedly added, "But it's definitely not at the strength of those first couple of days." She touched her abdomen. "Now that I am pregnant, the pace is slower."

Clio raised her hand. "Same here. How about you, Raisa?"

"Bran and I definitely have sex every day, sometimes twice a day." Raisa smiled and hummed with obvious delight. "The intensity of heat sex has worn off quite a bit. In fact, leisurely lovemaking is quite lovely. And I am not pregnant … yet."

"Okay, thanks … I think." Ticia lay her head back on the cushions. "I'm not sure there is enough ibuprofen for this."

"Alcohol," Raisa suggested. "Being slightly tipsy, I found dulled the nerve endings a bit." She grinned. "It also lowered my inhibitions and I got to take over the sexual activity for a bit." Sighing, she added, "Being on top was lots of fun."

Sheila nodded. "Love all the on top positions, because you can control depth and pace. Alcohol is out since I am drinking for the babies, too, so try soaking in a tub with epsom salts. What do you think, cuz?"

"I'm with She-She" Clio replied. "I soaked until my skin wrinkled. Before I was pregnant, though, a glass of wine helped a bunch. Oh, and arnica. Rub it on the sore muscles and any bruises. Paul has very strong hands."

"Thanks, gals. It's helped a lot just being here with you." Ticia gave them all a smile. "Wake up, Fee. We'd better get back before our troll wakes up and finds us both gone. He'll be so upset."

She pushed up off the sofa. "Oh, before I go. Sheila, Ferdie said something about forgetting to bring me the plants he ordered for me." She laughed. "He thought of it in the midst of bringing me to a screaming orgasm. He said my much-loved sexy bits reminded him of the passion flower's purple blossoms. Trust me, laughing and orgasming at the same time is a unique experience."

Ticia laughed and the others smiled and nodded knowingly. It was nice to have friends to share aches, pains, and amusing stories with. The day Baba Yaga invited her to live in the valley had turned out to be one of the best days of her life. Another was the day she met Ferdie. For the first time in a long time, she was happy. Well, sore and happy.

Grinning, Sheila said, "Don't worry about the plants. I'll deliver them to the greenhouse and babysit them until the two of you finish your mating honeymoon as we like to call it. However long that turns out to be."

"Thanks." Ticia walked to the store's massive glass double-doors, then stopped. "Um, gals? Didn't Baba Yaga extend the protective bubble over the store?"

"No," Clio said. "She said the same reasons she hadn't extended it before still existed. Our business comes mostly from humans, well, human tourists. Not a lot of our Appalachia neighbors go in for unique finds and interior decorating. Why?"

The dark-haired witch moved to stand next to Ticia, then gasped. "Holy Hecate's hangnails. Thugs. Human thugs by the looks of their auras. With guns. And is that a flamethrower?"

Ticia shuddered. Fire was a witch's biggest fear. It was the only element that could kill or scar a witch.

Raisa came to Clio's side. "Holy moly, that's not a flamethrower. It's an RPG. Still not good."

Clio muttered a spell. The store's front and back doors slammed shut and locked. Metal shutters slid down over all the windows and the glass in the doors.

Ticia felt the other three witches combine their energies to cast a protective spell over the building itself. She added her power to theirs.

"I telepathed Bucky," Sheila said. "Besides having a fit, he told us to hang tight. Kerr is contacting some of the more powerful local witches and warlocks and all of the predator Shifters."

"I let Bran know, too," Raisa said. "I've never heard him swear like that before. My head is still ringing."

"Ferdie is shouting." Ticia held her head as her mate's volume threatened to turn her brain to mush. Fee mewed pitifully.

Then blessed silence. Ferdie's silence was more ominous than his rage.

Do not leave that building , he ordered in a calmer tone, but she could sense his worry—and his rage—at her being in danger. Let us men handle it.

Okay. We, females, do have a bit of power. The humans won't get to us through the spell cast around the store.

No answer.

"Ferdie just ordered all of us to let the men handle the invading horde of humans." Ticia turned to the other three. "What did your mates say?"

"The same," Clio said as the other two nodded. "Since my mate is older than all of us, I just chalk it up to the time period in which he was raised."

"Bran knows better." Raisa pulled up the external security feed on the store's computer. "He can't help himself, but I do love that he wants to protect me. The humans are preparing to attack. Should we add a repelling spell to the store's protection?"

"They can't get in. Let them waste ammunition." Sheila shrugged. "My man's animal side is riled. The men want to handle the humans, I say we let them."

"Are bossiness and over-protectiveness all a part of the mating shtick?" Ticia asked.

"Yep," Raisa said. "Bran knows I can fight. He doesn't want me to. Our males like going all macho-protective."

"Besides," Sheila said, "If our men need backup—not that they will since Kerr is getting the stronger witches and warlocks involved—we can always shoot some magical assistance their way."

"Wouldn't that piss them off?" Ticia asked.

"Yes," Clio smiled, "but I've found my pooka gets very inventive in bed when his dominant-male card has been challenged."

"Blessed Goddess, I'm not sure I can handle an angry, aroused Ferdie," Ticia said.

The sound of bullets pinging off the magical shields echoed throughout the high-ceilinged showroom. The assault had begun.

"Noisy, isn't it?" Fee had hopped onto the counter and peered at the computer monitor. "I wonder when the humans will figure out the bullets aren't getting them anywhere. Anyone want to bet they'll run out of ammo first?"

Her familiar had no takers. After all, it was a sucker bet.

****

Minutes earlier

Ferdie woke and missed Ticia's warmth. He reached over to pull her closer and his hands only found cool sheets. She was gone. Reaching for her mentally, he found the door to her mind that had been wide open was closed. He surged to his feet. Naked, he quickly checked the house and then outside. Ticia and Fee were both gone.

"Wake up, fool," he muttered as he went back inside. In his anxiety he had forgotten that he could locate her through their newly consummated physical bond.

Tapping into the glowing connection, he breathed a sigh of relief. She'd gone down the mountain to Finds, Designs, and Blooms . He'd told her about the passion flower plants. She must've decided to go pick them up while he was asleep.

He could also sense her simmering arousal, a mirror of his own. There wasn't anything he could do about it from this distance. He was just about to ask her what in Herne's horns she thought she was doing leaving in the midst of their mating heat when her mental door opened, and he caught her thoughts.

"Aww, feck me." He plopped onto the couch and stared sightlessly out the French doors. "She was sore. More than she's admitting to the other gals. I'm a rutting beast."

No, son. You are not. She's not built like a sturdy troll. Your father finally figured that fact out on our third day of mating heat when I dumped ice on his crotch.

"Mom?"

Yes, who else would dare tell you a story like that? Not your father. The Goddess knows, he blushes every time I share the story with one of the satyrs hanging around this place.

"Why have you been so quiet since I met Ticia?"

I wanted to enjoy my son falling in love and lust with his beautiful witch without being a buttinsky. I'm so happy for you. Uh-oh.

"What's wrong?" But then he knew. Ticia, and the other witches with her, were in danger. Damn her sweet little ass.

"Herne's fecking titanium balls, son-of-a-fecking-demon's slimy hide!" he raged.

After a pithy mental exchange with his mate—who was safe behind what even he could tell was an impenetrable magic wall, thank, Herne—he threw on a pair of shorts and some boots, grabbed a sledgehammer, and ran down the mountain. It was hammering time!

The smell of gunpowder and the human's shouts of rage and frustration as he approached the back of the store filled the air. Despite knowing his mate was safe, Ferdie's anger shot up another level and he began to run toward the noise to engage the enemy.

If Paul and Kerr hadn't grabbed him and held him back, he would've run into a barrage of bullets that were even now bouncing off the protective bubble the witches inside had placed around the building.

The two men pulled him behind a rock outcropping at the bottom of the mountain path which led to the store. Fifteen warlocks and Shifters gathered around him. He recognized them as some of the better fighters in the valley, not just in a magical, but also in a physical sense. The tightness in his chest eased. The humans didn't stand a chance.

"Why haven't you already taken those fuckwads down?" Ferdie asked.

"Because they're wasting ammunition on a spell they'll never break through with bullets," Bucky explained. "There's no reason to risk any of us getting hit by ricochets, so we decided to let them shoot." He shrugged. "I'm not sure but doubt even the warheads the RPG carries could break through the barrier around the building."

"The RPG is as useless as their AR-15s. That's Clio's spell. It's one I taught her," Paul said, pride in his voice. "The other three are providing more power than Clio could alone. Let the human pissants waste time."

Ferdie understood the reasoning, but— "Guys, my mate is inside that building. She needs me sooner, rather than later." He glared at the crowd surrounding him. "Do we have a plan before I go berserker on that cretin who's trying to take her from me?" He pounded his sledgehammer onto the rocky ground to emphasize his point.

Kerr walked over to Ferdie, leaned in, and inhaled. "Well, hell, buddy. You're still in major mating heat. Let us handle Alastair. In your state, I can't trust you not to kill the son of a bitch."

Several other Shifters sniffed the air and nodded.

"Didn't know trolls had such intense mating heat," commented one of the wolf Shifters.

"Could we stop talking and do something?" Ferdie gritted out. "I have yet to hear a plan. And why can't I kill him?"

"He has noble connections," Bran pointed out. "He could possibly be traced to here, ya know, cell phones, rental cars, hiring local thugs. There's a trail."

Ferdie had to admit Bran was correct. "At least tell me I can beat the crap out of him."

"Sounds good to me," Bran said and cast a grin at Kerr who grumbled "no" under his breath.

Paul cleared his throat. "The plan was, and still is since we voted on it, is to handle the wankers once they've shot their wad, so to speak."

The sound of automatic rounds still echoed off the sides of the mountains sheltering Assjacket Valley. Where in the feck had they gotten all that ammo? And hadn't they figured out yet they weren't getting inside the store that way? How stupid were these humans?

No one would take my bet , Fee groused in his head. Between you and me,

I vote for twisting Alastair's pecker off and stuffing it in his mouth. Just a thought.

Ferdie's lips twitched. A good one.

Paul said, "You will note the cockwomble who hired them isn't out there, but I bet he's here. Somewhere. Once we take his hired hands down, it should be easier to find and eliminate him."

To hell with what Kerr wanted. Ferdie planned on being the one to take down Alastair. It'd be nice if the others got off the dime and nullified the humans shooting at the store.

"Ah, hear that?" Paul said.

The shooting had stopped.

"What happened?" Ferdie asked.

"They ran out of bullets," offered one of the wolf Shifters. "But they still have the RPG."

"No warheads," Loki piped up. "Me and my sisters took them all. They're heavier than they look." He looked up at Bucky who chuckled. "We put them in our safe place, boss."

"Good work, team," Bucky said. "Go back to the office and hold the fort until Kerr and I are done here."

"Yes, sir," three little voices squeaked and they ran toward town.

"Okay, finally. How are we going to handle the humans?" Ferdie asked.

Kerr grinned. "We physically take them down. No killing, but some damage is okay. Let's get rid of this." He took Ferdie's sledgehammer and tossed it behind a rock.

Ferdie growled and started to retrieve it."

Kerr stopped him. The bobcat Shifter was a lot stronger than he looked. "Use your fists, man. Baba Yaga will arrive soon, and she plans to take these humans' memories of being hired. Then we're dumping them and their weapons in downtown Cincinnati."

A good beatdown suited him just fine. He really needed to burn off some of his extra testosterone and pounding on men who would hire out to kidnap a woman would work just fine.

"Go get them, men," Kerr waved everyone on.

Ferdie didn't have to wait long to pound on someone. A human with tattoos all over his face and arms charged him. Sadly, one punch took the guy down. But there were more targets and off he went, punching, kicking, and screaming Gaelic war cries. Just like the good old days.

Seeing a human sneaking up on Kerr who was engaged with another thug, Ferdie tackled the knife-wielding wanker. Two punches did the trick.

"Thanks." Kerr turned over the man he'd taken down and put flex-ties on him. "Here," he tossed Ferdie a set of cuffs. "Secure your man."

Ferdie caught the cuffs. "Why Cincinnati, Kerr?" he asked as hobbled the knife-wielder, hand and foot. The locals had the other thugs under control, so he and Kerr stayed out of the way. No reason to spoil their friends' fun.

Besides, Ferdie wanted to save his excess energy and simmering rage for Alastair.

"Because it's far enough from here and in another state. These are human scum and should be a human police department's problem. The possession of the automatic weapons and the RPG alone should get them all arrested. I'm also damn sure they all must have criminal records."

Ferdie would've agreed with Kerr's assumption but was distracted by a human who'd somehow had gotten away from the other defenders. The man was twice as tall as him and must've weighed over three hundred pounds. "I'm gonna carve your heart out," the human goliath said, "and eat it, Shorty."

"Livers are much tastier," retorted Ferdie and took the larger man down with two punches and made sure he stayed down by accidentally on purpose dislocating both the guy's knees.

Soon, the area around the store was littered with twenty-five unconscious humans. Ferdie had enjoyed punching, kicking, and yelling war cries; in fact, it had reminded him of his days with Herne on the Wild Hunt. Good times. But he'd much rather be in bed with his mate.

"Alastair's mine when we finally find him." Ferdie had retrieved his sledgehammer. "I insist."

"Um, Kerr," Bucky piped up. "I wouldn't piss Ferdie off. Did you see him take down that huge human? He needs to aim his rage at Alastair and not us. Just sayin'."

Kerr frowned, then shrugged. "Okay, I'm not sure how he hurt Ticia, but after reading the Interpol files on him, I can make an educated guess. You have a mate's right to avenge your woman."

"Damn straight." Ferdie nodded.

"But," Kerr said, "you can't kill him. Think about Ticia. She wouldn't want that on your soul."

Ferdie growled. But Kerr was right. "Fine. Let's find the bastard."

"I can sense him." Paul turned and pointed. "He's hiding among the trees on the other side of the river. Want me to bring him to you?"

"No. I got this." Ferdie had one foot on the bridge when Paul placed a hand on his shoulder, halting him. "What now?"

"Sledgehammer." Paul gestured with his fingers. "Hand it over, mate."

"Grr." Ferdie handed the tool to the pooka. "Don't need that anyway. I have these." He held up his fists bruised from the recent fighting.

"That you do, boyo. Now, go. Rearrange his aristocratic nose. It'll make you feel better," Paul encouraged.

Yeah, it would.

Reaching the other side of the river, he entered the thick stand of trees and spotted Alastair in a small clearing.

"You!" Alastair turned white and stumbled backward. His mouth moved, but no sounds came out.

Huh? What was the human's game now? Was he in shock after seeing the beat-down of the men he'd hired?

"You … you're dead. I shot you."

"Three times. Twice in the back and once in the head. But who's counting? And you're correct, I'm not dead." Stalking forward, Ferdie gave him his best version of an ugly smile.

"But how—" Alastair took another step back. "How did my men's bullets bounce off the building?"

"The building is bulletproof." Yeah, it was a stupid thing to say.

"Bollocks." Alastair snorted then pulled a gun from his pocket and pointed it at Ferdie's torso. His hand shook, but a shot at center mass would hurt like hell. "Well, I'll just have to shoot you again."

Not again.

No, never again , Ticia's voice whispered through his mind.

The caw-caws of a murder of crows echoed among the trees. Several swooped at Alastair, claws digging into his scalp and his shoulders.

Shooting blindly, the human swatted at the large birds with his hand.

One of the larger birds streaked toward Alastair like a kamikaze pilot and snatched the gun from his hand then flew away with it.

The rest of the crows drove Alastair to the ground. He curled into a ball. His screams blended with the calls of the crows as they continued to claw and peck.

While Ferdie enjoyed seeing the man who'd raped and branded his mate receiving the karma due him, he recalled Alastair would be more trouble dead, then alive. Call them off, luv.

The crows flew off and took up sentry duty in the trees along the river.

"Yes, we'll let Baba Yaga handle him." Ticia slid her arms around him from behind and rested her chin on his shoulder. "I love you."

Before he could respond, Fate popped into the clearing.

"No one needs to handle it." She stood, her hands fisted on her camo-covered hips, and looked down at a bloody Alastair, his clothes in tatters from the birds' attack. "Sometimes you need to leave things to the hand of Fate and her trusty Wheel. This"— she gestured with long, sharp, nails that oddly had Hello Kitty images on them— "was his destiny. His next step on the path has already been written."

Flicking back her long, rainbow-colored tresses, she smiled at Ferdie. "Do you want to challenge the Wheel's destiny for this piece of shit?"

Ferdie hoped he'd never see that smile aimed his way again since it held the coldness of death. "No."

"Good answer." Fate nodded, then smiled at Ticia who had come around to stand next to him. "Ah, the blushing new mate. The crows were a good move. He'll wear his scars like a brand."

"How much of this was written?" Ticia asked. "Were my crows and I a part of Alastair's fate all along?"

"That would be telling things you don't really need to know." Fate winked. "His mind is gone. He'll never hurt another woman again. The Wheel and I do try to maintain balance as much as we can."

The man who'd harmed Ticia was babbling nonsense to himself interspersed with maniacal laughter. It was chilling. But Ferdie couldn't feel sorry for the rat bastard. Kerr had shared the Interpol files with him. The human had done similar and worse acts to other women.

"What now?" Ferdie asked as Kerr and the others came to stand behind him and Ticia.

"Take him and dump him on his family's estate. The Wheel and I are through with this man until it's time to address his future in conjunction with his family." Fate checked her Barbie pink watch. "Gotta scoot. Got front row seats at a Grateful Dead concert with a hot warlock. Woo-hoo. I'm so gonna get lucky tonight!" She vanished.

"So, who's up for transporting him to the family manse in England?" Kerr asked.

In an explosion of pink and purple smoke and lots of glitter, Alastair's body disappeared. "I do get tired of cleaning up Fate's messes," Baba Yaga's voice echoed around the copse. "Tootles all. Back to your regularly scheduled programming and more hot troll sex for Ticia."

Ferdie laughed. Ticia joined him, and soon the area resounded with the shouts of laughter from the assembled locals and the caw-cawing of crows sitting in the trees.