CHAPTER 10

Mark and Jaden stared at her when they heard John's shout, then looked towards the house as he came bursting out the back door, halting when he seen the three, his blue eyes taking in the girls and their skimpy bra and panties before narrowing in on Isis, who was grinning wickedly.

"Paybacks a bitch, ain't it boy?" She taunted.

He lunged for her.

Isis merely stepped to the side.

John halted, turning up sod in the process and spun around, trying again.

This time she ducked, letting him fly over her and landing in the wet grass flat on his back. Quickly she sat on him, utilizing her superior strength to hold him down. "Now, let's get one thing straight, no more dirty pictures, got it?"

He nodded, crossing his toes.

"Good." Isis lightly smacked his face for good measure before getting up. "He's all your Jaden."

Jaden grinned.

John was up in a flash, scooping Isis up in his arms and running towards the pool.

"Put me down!" Isis screamed.

Mark and Jaden followed, both grinning from ear to ear.

"As you wish." John laughed, dropping her in the pool.

Isis came up, spitting water. "That's sick…" She moaned.

John stood at the edge, hands on his hips. "Uh Mark?"

"Yeah." Mark stood besides him. "Nice look darlin'."

Isis looked down to find her bra was slipping down. "Thanks." She looked behind John and smirked.

Jaden grinned back, reaching out and ripped away his shorts.

Mark and Isis both turned their heads while John tried to cover himself.

"Jaden!"

Giggling, she shoved him in the pool. "That's for picking on the girls!"

Mark grabbed her up next. "Turnabout then."

Jaden shrieked as she was tossed into the water next to Isis. She came up sputtering too. "Those pricks!"

"You noticed that too huh?"

"You're damn straight." Jaden glared at the men, though she had to hide a smile at the sight of John hunched over, covering himself.

Isis shrugged, letting her bra float away before diving underwater, swimming at the bottom of the pool.

"That's just cruel." Mark murmured, his green eyes fastened on her.

Jaden was staring at John. "Come on baby, show us what ya got." She teased.

"Later." He replied, eyeballing what remained of his shorts.

"I could always loan you my panties…"

"Something tells me you look better in them."

"Too bad…" Jaden mocked stretched, her chest jutting out. "I was thinking that maybe you'd like to come for a swim with me, but now I see you're too busy protecting… your ah…"

"Nuggets?" Mark suggested.

"Marbles."

John scowled at them both before straightening up and diving into the water.

Shrieking, Jaden dived under.

Isis emerged just in time to see the two rolling at the bottom of the pool. "What'd I miss?"

"Marbles."

"Oh."

"This is boring." John groaned, tossing his hand in as Jaden raked in the chips. "Can't we play something besides poker?"

"Like what?"

"I don't know, but it's been a week since we killed off those werewolves and all we've done is hunted then played cards all night!"

"Getting bored are we?" Isis drawled, shuffling the deck.

"Hell yes I am!"

"So let's play something else." Mark suggested, having had enough excitement over the past three years to last him an eternity.

"Like what?" Jaden stopped counting her chips.

John leaned back in his chair, stroking his chin thoughtfully, finally his blue eyes lighted up. "I've got an idea, providing you're game." He said challengingly.

"Oh really?"

"Let's play strip poker."

Isis, Jaden and Mark stared at John like he had lost his head or something.

"What?" John asked, smiling cockily at them. "You all afraid? Maybe not confident enough to lose some clothing?"

Confidence, honestly, had nothing to do with it.

Mark was middle aged when turned and he had been amused to find his bpdy in perfect shape, his wrinkles gone, areas of his body that weren't as firm as they used to be were now well toned.

Jaden and Isis were both young and in perfect condition when they'd been made. Jaden's body toned from her former job as an exotic dancer and Isis from her country, farm girl upbringing.

"We're game." Isis said suddenly, interested in continuing this game of one upping she had going with John.

He grinned. "Deal the cards."

As the game progressed, John stopped smiling, his clothes beginning to disappear all to rapidly.

What he didn't know was that Isis was slipping in his head and reading his cards, then informing the other two what he had.

John los his boxers and that was the last straw. Frustrated, he tossed his cards on the table, sitting their naked save for his socks.

Mark has lost his vest, Jaden her pants and Isis her overalls.

"I guess you lose." Jaden chuckled, running an appreciative eye over John's chiseled chest.

"This game was rigged." John grumbled.

"More than you'll ever know." Mark murmured under his breath, shooting Isis a look.

She just smiled innocently.

"I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm going to bed." Jaden said, glancing out the window at the approaching dawn, trying and failing to stifle a yawn.

"Yeah, me too." Isis agreed, picking up her overalls.

"Night Mark, night John." Jaden bent down and kissed John's cheek, winking at Mark before disappearing.

Isis snickered, pushing away from the table. "Night fellas."

Mark kissed her hand as she passed by. "I'll be up in a minute darlin'."

"Night John." Isis smiled sweetly at him.

John just grunted, still trying to figure out where the game had backfired on him.

Isis leaned down, her eyes locked with Mark's, wrapping her arms around John's neck. "Nice cards by the way." She whispered in his ear.

It took John a minute to realize what she had said. His gaze slowly moved from Mark to his cards that lay on the table. Then everything seemed to click.

Mark was already up and on his way to protect his mate.

John didn't bother with clothes, just ran after Isis, bare socks and not much more.

Mark was blocking their bedroom door.

"Come on Mark, just one minute is all I need!" John said, struggling to get past the much larger man.

Isis was giggling, having already changed into her pajamas. [Jaden, I think you're man is a lil upset with me.]

[Think so?]

[Yep.]

Jaden's laugh could be heard from down the hall.

"Isis, this ain't over." John started laughing too. "I'll get you yet."

She sent him a mental image of Mark naked.

John howled, shielding his eyes as if that would help. "No! Yuck!"

Mark shut the door in his face, not sure if he wanted to know.

Jaden was waiting on the bed when John stumbled in, his hands on the side of his head. "Please, tell her to stop." He begged, not sure if he could take much more of this.

"Done messing with her?"

"Yes!" John shouted. "Isis, not that!"

Isis'mad giggles were quite audible.

[Okay, I think he's suffered enough.]

[You sound amused.]

[I am actually, please don't ever do that to me though?]

[You know I wouldn't.]

Jaden started laughing when Isis told her what she had been doing to John, unable to stop as the blood tears rolled down her face.

John watched her crossly. "When you're done…"

Jaden stared at him, still laughing, taking in the defensive way he held himself, still in just his socks and laughed even harder.

John watched her for a few minutes before stepping back. "Um… Jaden?"

"Nice… booties!" She gasped.

"JADEN!"

"Huh?" Jaden looked down at him, doing a double take when she realized she was actually looking down at him, right before her head hit the ceiling. "Ow!" She fell to the bed.

John rushed over to check on her. "Are you all right?" He asked, sitting on the bed and gently feeling her head.

"I'm fine… nothing that hasn't healed already." She glanced up at the ceiling, frowning slightly. "Was it just me or was I levitating?"

"You were levitating."