"Hmm. Too busy on the computer, I guess."
Christopher stopped on the way to his suitcase. "She was probably just checking her email."
"And asking about Cole."
"Shit." Christopher ran his fingers through his hair. He'd been hoping she'd wait for him to deal with his old nemesis. He should have known better. "What did you tell her?" Because he already knew that she'd take whatever little bone his brother had thrown her and build an entire skeleton out of it.
His brother shot him an annoyed look. "To ask you."
Christopher nodded, relieved. "Thanks."
"Don't mention it." Gareth grinned. "Grats, by the way. Alannah's a cutie."
Christopher growled and grabbed his suitcase, heading into the bathroom in the hallway. He flipped open the suitcase and pulled out the nice dark wash jeans. "Thank you. I think."
"Seriously. If you two weren't mated, I'd make a play for her. She's feisty."
Christopher pulled out the golden yellow microfiber shirt, wondering if Lana would like the soft feel of the fabric. He started to get undressed, tossing his dirty clothes back in the suitcase. "Yes, she is. Almost too feisty."
"Hey, if she's too much for you to handle, bro, toss her my way. I could use a little cute and hot."
Christopher could feel his wolf protesting Gareth's laughing comment. "Drop it, Gareth." The rumbling quality of his voice startled him. The wolf was closer to the surface than he'd thought.
The silence on the other side of the door was deafening. Christopher got dressed and stepped back into the bedroom, ready to face his brother.
Instead he saw Lana sitting on the bed, Gareth staring out the window behind her. "Who's Cole?"
He finished buttoning his jeans, gratified at the way her gaze drifted to his hands. "Cole is a member of the Godwin family."
"The Godwins are rivals of the Becketts. They've hated us ever since great great great great grand-dad ate great great great great grandma."
Christopher just shook his head at Gareth. "That's one reason, but not all."
Lana frowned. "The great grandma who got eaten was a Godwin?"
"Yes, she was, and she was the reason our ancestor jilted the witch."
"And they still hold a grudge?"
Christopher shrugged. "Wizard memories are long."
"Do not meddle in the affairs of wizards, huh?"
"For you are crunchy and good with ketchup," Gareth snickered.
Christopher rolled his eyes. "That's dragons, nitwit."
Lana was looking at him with wide-eyed innocence. "Dragons are good with ketchup?"
He rolled his eyes. "Yes. Yes, they are. They are especially good on wheat buns."
"Sorry." But she didn't look all that repentant. He had the strongest urge to reach over and kiss the smile flirting at the edges of her mouth.
"Cole, for some bizarre reason, felt the need to poke at Christopher all through school." Gareth moved away from the window and sprawled in the chair next to the bed.
Christopher almost growled. Gareth's knee was touching Lana's. He reached out and moved her leg.
"And I, for one, didn't really see why I shouldn't poke back."
"This great rivalry sprung up between them."
He sat next to Lana, placing one hand on her knee, knowing how possessive the move looked and not really caring. He was possessive where she was concerned, so everyone would just have to get used to it. "Things got more and more heated. Competing for the same grades, the same classes-"
"The same girls." Christopher snarled at Gareth, who just grinned. "Seriously, bro, my favorite was when you marked Cole's backpack in college."
"Marked? You mean … ?"
Gareth nodded. "Yup. And it was open at the time."
Christopher flushed. He tried to forget that one, but Gareth still, after all these years, found it hilar-iously funny.
"Ugh." Lana shuddered, looking disgusted. He'd have to explain to her later exactly how drunk he'd been when he'd done that. "But why did Cole threaten to kill me? So far it sounds more like jealousy than anything else. What drove it over the edge of pissy testosterone games into death threats?"
"He threatened to kill you?" Gareth stood, his hair practically standing on end, and glared at Chris.
"When were you going to tell me Cole threatened your mate?"
"I would have last night, but you were too busy laughing your ass off over the fact that I'd mated a witch."
Gareth zipped his lips. "Ixnay on the aughinglay."
"Oronmay."
Lana's comeback startled a laugh out of Gareth. "I like her."
The hand on Lana's knee tightened. "Just don't like her too much."
Gareth waved his hand. "Maybe I'll mate a witch. They're a lot more fun than some of those prissy wizard women."
"Uh-huh." Lana stood and brushed by Gareth. "Okay, so Cole wants to get back at Christopher for peeing on his life, right?"
"Something like that." Christopher found himself not surprised at all when she started pacing. It looked to be a habit of hers when she was thinking or upset.
"More than that, actually." Christopher glared at Gareth, but Gareth kept going. "Christopher stole Cole's fiancée."
"Oh." Lana was glaring at him. "How could you steal another man's fiancée?"
"First, she didn't tell me she was engaged."
"People say you could hear the sounds of her having a really good time on the entire dorm floor."
Gareth sighed.
Christopher tried to ignore his brother, focusing instead on Lana. "Second, you can't steal another human being."
Gareth grinned wickedly. "I understand she was a screamer."
Christopher gritted his teeth against the urge to strangle his brother. "Third, when I found out she was engaged to Cole I went to him and apologized."
"I heard one guy actually came out of his room and started waving a ruler like he was conducting a symphony." Gareth, glancing sideways at Christopher, waved his hands to an imaginary beat.
Too much more and Gareth would find himself flung out the window head first. "Cole decided to fight me. He was humiliated when I won."
"Then there was this other girl who-"
"Gareth. Don't make me kill you. Mom would get pissed."
Lana was wiping at her mouth, but she couldn't hide her grin. "Ookay. So Cole wants to hurt me in order to hurt you. I get that. He must not have thought I could take him."
"You can't." Gareth's face paled, the humor replaced by horror.
Hell, so did Christopher's. The speculation in her eyes scared the crap out of him. "He's a wizard, sweetheart. He'll be prepared to face another wizard."
She cocked her hip and frowned. "So?"
"Mom always explained to us that witches were very powerful, but only if strong emotion was behind what they did."
She nodded. "Like the witch who cursed your family."
"Yes. And wizards are more like chess players, planning every move way in advance, prepared for every eventuality."
She smirked. "Other than being cursed into werewolves."
Chris blinked. "Well, yes. Although I understand it's become standard practice to guard against that sort of thing now."
She rolled her eyes. "Can't imagine why."
Christopher cleared his throat. "A wizard's strength is less fluid, but requires less power at the end since we've already got the spells in place. They just require a trigger. A witch might hold a wizard off for a little while, but I believe the wizard would ultimately win because of that."
"I think you believe that because you've never faced a pissed off witch before."
He took her hands in his. "You don't understand."
"Then show me. I mean, didn't I break the sickness spell? I think I can take a wizard."
He blinked. She couldn't seriously be asking … "No."
"Why not?"
He squeezed her hands, horrified at the very idea. "No way in hell will I duel you!"
She sniffed. "You're just afraid I'll win."
"Uh, guys?"
Christopher was outraged. "I do not think you'll win! I would kick your ass."
"You so would not, Scooby."
"Guys?"
"Oh, I think I would!" He huffed. Scooby? He owed her for that one.
"Please. All I'd have to do is wave a Milk Bone around and you'd be toast."
Gareth got between them, holding up both hands. "Don't you two think it's a bit more important to figure out why Cole wants you dead?"
"Good question." Christopher still wasn't certain what had pushed Cole over the edge. He hadn't been near the man in two years, and that last time had been at worst civil but cold.