Page 4 of Charisma
Paxton, as well as Maverick who came inside shortly after Pax did, both glare at me. “Really? We’re trying to train, and you just had to piss off the vampire?”
“It wasn’t intentional. She was still acting weird, so I told her to get herself together.” I shrug my shoulders, acting casually, even though inside I’m a quivering ball of nerves.
The incredulous looks on their faces has me examining my surroundings. “What? What’s so wrong with that? She wasn’t acting like herself.” And I most certainly didn’t like seeing her appear to be in mortal danger. Or would that be immortal danger? Fuck, at this point, all I know is I’m in deep shit. “Fine, fine, I’ll go and apologize.”
“I’d let her cool off first,” Mav suggests.
“What if that cooling off involves a visit to Esmerelda?” I pose the question. “Not desirous of being gutted or becoming a prime component of a potion, man.” My statement has the two couples laughing and cackling, which makes me grumble in frustration. “Seriously? She managed to have her baby long before these two and if nothing else, that tells me her power is significant enough I could be a fucking rug and a thousand pounds of jerky before anyone could say ‘poof’!”
As they continue to laugh at my expense, I decide to leave their presence. Maybe a run in my bear form will settle my shaky nerves. Then, I’ll find Charisma and apologize. She has no clue what she is to me, which is why my reaction was so harsh.
It might be time to clue her in.
* * *
“I won’t turnyou into gator bait, but Iwillcause your dick to fall off if youevercause the strongest person I know to cry like that again,” Esmerelda singsongs, after finding me sunning on a rock by the stream that’s in the back forty of our communal property.
Since I’m still in my bear form, I huff and rumble at her while raising one paw in a ‘fuck you’ gesture which she must understand since she merely laughs. I refuse to shift back to my human form since she’s my brother's mate. I don’t want her seeing my dangly bits or bare ass and possibly zinging me with something that’ll cause irreparable damage.
“You better fix this, Baldwin. I know what she is to you, Beast clued me in.” I swear that I hear her add, and I have two eyes that see the neon string that ties y’all together. But I don’t get a chance to ask her what that means before she continues speaking. “I’m telling you right now, Pooh, if you don’t get with the program, I’ll step in, and you won’t like my methods.”
Did she just compare me to a yellow, honey-loving cartoon character? Usually, I’d dish some shit right back at her, but with her snappy temperament, I find myself once again burying my typical comeback.
Once again, I growl at her, making her laugh at my expense… again. “Good chat, Baldwin. Make sure you don’t take too long. Tick-tock, the clock’s a ticking.” With that, she circles her hand above her head and vanishes, only her laugh remaining. What does she mean by the clock’s ticking? Am I on a timeline to make amends, or mate the gorgeous vampiress?
ESMERELDA
“Bibbidy, Bobbidy, Boo,”I sing as I stroll back to my cottage. “The bear is a damn fool.” I continue chanting with an exaggerated skip in my step.
“What are you going on about?” My sugar bear glides out of the shadows with our daughter Clementine nestled in the crook of his arm.
“You know, for a giant, Beast, you sure are smooth on your feet,” I hiss, clutching my closed fists to my chest. Since when does anyone get the drop on me? I’m usually the one that has everyone jumping with my sudden impromptu appearance.
“You were preoccupied with your scolding, hissing, and grumbling, Esme. What’s all of your mumbling about, anyway?” Beast inquires.
“Your brother’s a schmuck,” I sass, placing my hands on my hip, cocking them to the side.
“Are you just now figuring out that he’s a putz? Seriously? You’ve known him long enough to have already come up with that conclusion,” Beast harrumphs, a frown sweeping across his face.
“Stop being a knucklehead, Beast. Help me figure out how to get your brother to pull his head out of his ass.”
“Esme, my sorceress, he’s trying to figure out how to get her to discover who he is to her on her own. He doesn’t want to push her too soon. He’s a firm believer that everything happens when it’s supposed to. Plus, we all know how Charisma reacts when push comes to shove, and she’s backed into a corner.”
“She can be a little melodramatic at times,” I concur, recalling all of the times Charisma lashed out at those around her when a situation has been taken out of her control. “But she’s also the strongest, most loyal person I’ve ever met. She deserves to find her happily ever after. So again, help me come up with a plan to get those two together.”
“No matchmaking, Esmerelda. I mean it. Baldwin is right on this one. Things happen when they’re supposed to. Those two don’t need your interference, my love.”
“Fine,” I huff, dismissing his decree. As if I’d let anyone tell me what I can or can’t do when it comes to my best friend. With determination running potent through my veins, I decide that I’ll placate my mate but stillencourageMother Nature to move things along. This cat and mouse game the two are playing is becoming tiresome.
“It’s Clementine’s nap time. I brought her out because she was cranky and doesn’t want to close her eyes. Maybe a kiss from her mama will help,” Beast suggests, leaning down so I can place a chaste kiss on my baby girl’s forehead. “And I wouldn’t be opposed to a little magical intervention to make that happen, Esme. Daddy has been tasked with our monthly check in with Colton. Can’t get that chore done with a screaming bundle of joy shrieking her woes in the background.”
“I thought that was Maverick and Paxton’s job?” I inquire. My mate has enough on his plate without those two laying their responsibility on Beast’s shoulders.
My mate inhales a deep breath before he reveals the issues our friends are dealing with. “Leigh’s having problems with her gift, it’s taken over her everyday life, so Mav’s helping her learn how to deal with it. One of the townsfolk asked Paxton to help her with her tiger cub, the lad’s had his first shift. According to the mother, he’s having issues adjusting and dealing with controlling his moods. His temper has gotten out of control. We know that’s to be expected with his newly awakened counterpart, but the family is in chaos trying to deal with it. From what I hear, his tantrums have been disastrous on the house’s interior. He’s decided that it needs to be renovated, and not a style of decor the kid’s mother is onboard with, if you know what I mean.”
“Tell Paxton to let me know which family it is and I’ll go over there and straighten out her house and put things back to rights,” I inform him, already formulating a plan to help the kiddo out if Pax is unsuccessful in doing things the old fashioned way. With a snap of my fingers, I could have the entity calm so he’ll be able to think long enough to talk his inner animal down.
Conjuring up a little sleeping spell, I whisper it in my daughter's ear and tap the tip of her nose with the pad of my finger. As swiftly as I touch her button nose, her eyes droop, close, and she begins to softly snore. Her little baby sounds have both Beast and I smiling. She’s both of our worlds, in the short amount of time she’s been in our lives, she’s tamed my man’s beast and settled my wandering lifestyle. She’s settled us, given us a reason to plant some hometown roots.