Protector (Book 1 of the Ames Sisters Series)

2

"Ms. Ames, hi, my name is Dean Harper an-"

"Not interested." I told him and tried to get around him.

"Oh, I am not trying to pick you up, my client... you see, he was wondering if he could meet up with you." He stopped me and I looked up at him.

"If your client wants another lawyer why doesn't he just come himself?" I asked crossing my arms and he gulped. "I have to be in court in 3 minutes." I told him and tried to move around him and something shifted when he touched my arm.

"You're a wolf... and a witch?" I looked at his hand before his face and saw his eyes glowing. "He was right." He whispered pulling his hand away and looking me up and down with a curious gaze.

"I don't know what you are talking about. I am human. I don't have fleas and I sure as hell don't like dogs." I told him and gave him my best 'you're crazy' look before rushing from his presence and into the courthouse before getting the last space in the elevator.

I closed my eyes and got on with my day. Worked through lunch, happy that it was Friday, and then when I was leaving I heard the familiar voice of that Dean guy earlier and went out the back way towards a bar.

I walked in and ordered one shot of tequila and threw it back before hearing someone clear their throat behind me. "One more please." I called to the bartender when he was about to pass.

"Ms. Ames?" I turned my head and looked up to the tall man with a notch in his eyebrow. "Nice to see you again."

"And you are?" Better to play stupid and be innocent than to smirk and make it worse.

"I'm Mark Jacobs... the man your client suddenly changed his mind about just yesterday morning." He said before grabbing ahold of my elbow and sending shivers along my body. He growled again and I started breathing harder as he pulled me along towards the back before pushing me into the women's bathroom that was thankfully empty.

"What do you want?" I asked leaning far away from him as he locked the door behind him. He came closer and looked over his face and just couldn't control my reaction to how hot he was. And the notch wasn't there for no reason, it was a scar, one that made me wonder what happened.

"How could you be mine, you smell of witch." He asked shoving my shoulder and I hardened my wondrous look into a glare.

"You're f*****g welcome asshole. If I hadn't used my powers to get you out of there you would have been serving 20 years at least." I seethed and turned to walk out the bathroom door he just pushed us both through.

"Take back your spell or whatever." He growled to me and I looked back at him.

"Why would I want you under my spell. You blew up my clients house and look at me like I am a piece of gum on your shoe. Just walk away and forget about me." I told him before pushing to door open and muttering a protection spell so he couldn't touch me.

"I don't even know your first name." He called and I looked back at him before going through the thick crowd of the bar and making it outside before running towards the bus that was at the right place at the right time.

I leaned back on the back door and waited the couple stops before getting off and going my house to change. I put on some jeans, a tight tank top and put my hair up in a top bun before walking out and getting in my car.

I drove to the store and was walking around with a small basket when I felt someone walk up behind me. I moved forward again and looked over my shoulder seeing Mark there.

"Ms. Ames."

"Do I have to call the cops? This is considered stalking, especially if that Dean guy works for you." I told him and kept walking down the aisle looking for the right chocolate.

"You don't know what we are do you?" He asked softly and I looked back at him and sighed.

"No, nor will I pretend to care. Apparently you know what I am and that makes you hate me or whatever and I don't like bigots. No matter who they are." I told him and he took a large step and stuck to my side.

"You're not just a witch are you?" He asked looking down at me and I blinked at him. "You're also a werewolf, which of your parents was the witch?"

"Neither. They were both full werewolf and mated by the time they had me... but me and my two sisters were born witches." I told him not knowing why I blurted things out to him and not to that other guy who basically called me on it already.

"What do you mean you were born a witch... to two werewolves." He said more than asked and I huffed.

"If you are about to rattle off the stupid myth please just don't."

"What myth?" He asked in a hard tone and I looked up at him.

"Don't worry about it, it's stupid anyways... what do you want?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean why do you keep tracking me down... if you want to thank me for yesterday there is no need." I told him finding the right chocolate and finally turning to him fully crossing my arms.

"When I said we earlier, I wasn't talking about me as a werewolf." He said and I blinked. "Your parents were true mates?" He asked and I shrugged. My parents just said that they knew they were it for each other with one look, and never parted after one touch. "Every wolf had a true mate." He said slowly and I waited. "You are mine." He said even slower and I just kept eye contact with him and blinked every now and then.

"No, no, nope, not possible... did that witch send you?" I asked advancing on him and poking his chest.

"What witch?" He asked taking hold of my hand sending the shivers through the touch and making me want to touch more, but I pulled away. "Ms. Ames- what is your first name?"

"Devin." I knew I couldn't deny him my name... because my ears wanted to hear it fall from his lips.

"Devin." He whispered and gave me a small smile before reaching back down and grabbing my hand. "You are my mate, and your shudder every time I touch you is proof of that. I knew when I looked into your eyes yesterday and I thought you did too." He told me and interlocked out fingers and I gulped.

"How can you be so sure? You were just disgusted with me at the bar." I whispered leaning back when his face got closer.

"You confuse disgust with confusion." He told me and wrapped one arm around my waist and ran his hand up and down my back.

"Still doesn't explain how you can be so sure." I told him with a small voice as his face got closer and closer.

"Because my inner wolf wants to whisk you away and claim you ask mine right now." He told me and I went wide eyed. "He won't hurt you Devin he-" He stopped talking and looked down as my phone started ringing.

"It's probably just my sister." I mumbled pulling my hand from him and fishing it out before hitting answer. "What's up Ivory?" I asked and turned my shoulder to Mark's looming body and felt like I could barely breath as he kept so close.

"Are you still at the store?" She asked right away and I huffed.

"Yes, what do you want me to get?" I asked and she gave a nervous laugh.

"Chips, ice cream, chocolate sauce, whipped cream, sprinkles, frosting-"

"Ivory that is too much sugar. What do you want to do with all of that?" I asked and laughed lightly just trying to imagine her eating it all.

"Well you remember that mom and dad used to use all those things in the Magic Sundae and I thought that since it's been so long-"

"I'll get everything." I told her and she squealed on the other line. "Okay, but you and A better bet things down so we will be ready to go tomorrow." I said and she started whining but I hung up and started walking towards the frosting.

"Where are you going?" I heard Mark ask obviously following me and eavesdropping.

"Me and my sisters are going to a lake we used to go to with our parents." I told him and grabbed the frosting and then seeing the sprinkles.

"You have a house up there?" He asked and I shook my head.

"No, we are in a huge tent that we used to use."

"In the woods?" He asked and I nodded before going towards the frozen section. "And it's just you three girls?" He asked and I nodded again grabbing our favorite flavor.

"Yeah, when we were little and my parents needed to shift they would leave us in the tent and stay out all night." I smiled at the memory of the first time I ever saw them in their wolf forms.

"You've lived in the city your whole life?" He asked and I paused and sighed.

"Look, I don't know what you are expecting... for me to just go home with you or take you with me everywhere but how about we do this like regular humans."

"And how is that?" He asked with narrowed eyes.

"You ask me on a date, I say yes, I give you my phone number and you and I make plans. Then after 6 dates you might be able to take me home." I said and looked into his eyes that seemed to flare up.

"How many men have gotten to the 6th date?" He asked growling a bit and I smirked this time.

"You'll find out on a date wont you." I said and he moved closer. "How about Sunday night, I'll meet you at the bar you saw me at earlier."

"Our first date won't be in a bar." He told me and I shrugged.

"I said I would meet you there. Not that we would have to eat there." I said and turned towards the self check out line.

"Devin, this isn't how we do this in my world." He told me and I stopped and turned towards him.

"I barely know anything of your world." I told him seriously and he walked closer to me. "It's this way so I feel comfortable. Or did you already forget that I am a witch." I said quietly and looked around before meeting his eyes.

"In my world I have claim on you, I come before anyone else, any plans you've made, and anything else is lost. You don't even have to work anymore." He said and I narrowed my eyes.

"I will not be some kept woman who is always pregnant if that is where you are going with this." I told him right away and turned on my heel to buy everything. I rang it all up myself and put the things into the plastic bags and felt Mark just behind me the whole way.

"I didn't mention anything about being a kept woman, or you being pregnant for that matter." He said as I put the bags in the back of my station wagon.

"What would I do if I didn't have a job then? Stay in your house? Garden? Plan extravagant parties?" I asked with sass in my tone as I moved around to my side of the car.

"Listen Devin... you are mine. I will never let you be hurt, or your sisters. I don't care that you think I am insulting you when I am not because I know I am not. I am an enforcer... that means I am highly paid by the werewolf community and you could be a target. That's why I wouldn't want you working. You'd be vulnerable while I was away."

"So you're basically in the Army for werewolves... great, and that would make me an army wife."

"I won't be gone 6 months out of a year. My longest mission was three weeks." He said and I scoffed.

"Do you have a chance of being killed?" I asked him and he kept his mouth shut. "Thought so. I don't want that kind of husband." I said and opened my car door.

"I am not some stupid husband or boyfriend that you can cast away when something you don't like appears. You are it for me... you can't just tell me no." He growled out and I set my glare.

"Watch me." I snapped my fingers and he was slammed into the SUV that was parked beside me frozen in place until I was 50 feet away from him and driving home.

I took deep breaths as I drove and rushed inside thankful my spell from last night was still in effect just in case and went inside. "You're back... you okay? You look a little angry." Aurora said seeing me first and I knew that Ivory would just freak out so I grabbed A's hand and brought her into the back room with me.

"You know how mom and dad were true mates?" I asked her and she gave me a 'duh' look and I licked my lips. "Apparently we will get them too. The man that thought you were me last night... I saw him at the courthouse earlier that day and then he followed me around today... he told me that I was his true mate." I told her and she let her mouth drop open.

"Mate, as in mate?" She asked and I rolled my eyes. "Well, where is he?"

"We talked a bit, he told me that he was basically in the Army of wolves and had to go on missions and I told him I didn't want a husband like that." I said and wrapped my arms around myself and suddenly felt so alone.

"How did he find you?"

"He was in court..." I said and she blinked. "He was going to be put in prison for accidently blowing up a house." I told her and she let her mouth fall open. "I didn't get all the details but knowing that he is a wolf sort of fills up some gaps, like how he had stuff to blow up a house." I nodded along with my thought process.

"He's a wolf, he said he's your soul mate, and you still ran from him?" Aurora asked like I was daft or something and I rolled my eyes.

"He said other stuff that made me want to walk away."

"You remember better than Ivory and I how happy mom and dad were. Don't you want that?" She asked taking my hands and I didn't even have to think about it. "I know you do, because I do and Ivory does."

"It's the way he said some other things too." I said and licked my lips and shrugged. "I just, I told him before things went down hill that I would meet him Sunday night at the bar near my job." I said and she smiled.

"You're still going." She said with a huge smile and crossed her arms. "No arguments. If not I will bring this up to Ivory." She challenged and I huffed. "I'll help you with your outfit and hair and makeup."

"I can do that all myself." I said and she just gave me a look. "But sure. You can do everything for me." I mumbled and she squealed before jumping on me.

We finished packing and set out early the next morning. I was wearing black shorts, a baby blue V-neck and my grey overcoat with my vans that matched my necklace.

Our necklaces were alike but different. We call had a crescent moon, but the gem hanging from the top was different. Mine was more of a cat eye with purple and blue surrounding the black 'pupil'. Aurora had a black galaxy gem and Ivory had a blue and black cloud like designs.

The next night was full of memories and laughs but when it came for us to go to sleep I swore I felt a protective guardian out in the woods. I had half a mind to go out and see if I was right, that Mark had followed us out here but my body was tired.