Page 58 of Spike

I turned to Spike, still awestruck by the fact that they managed to escape a dragon.

"I still can't believe we made it out alive," I admitted, shaking my head in disbelief.

Spike nodded, his expression serious.

"We were lucky Venom sent Colin there," Spike said. “Actually, we were doubly lucky that dragon shifter was behaving oddly. Colin said he would’ve had trouble dealing with him.”

I recalled Spike's description of the strange symbol on the dragon's chest.

"It's because that dragon shifter was being controlled," Venom said.

"By who? Jack?" Spike questioned, his brows furrowing.

"No, not by Jack at least,” Venom replied, shaking his head. "That rune you described to me sounds like black magic."

I felt a chill run down my spine at Venom's words.

Even though I wasn't particularly knowledgeable about the supernatural, I had heard enough stories on the road to know that black witches were bad news and were to be avoided at all costs.

"I had Whizz do more digging after Nitro and you left for Blue Vale Valley," Venom continued, his voice grave. "He hacked into Jack's personal email and found out Jack had employed the services of the Paynes, an old witch family.”

Spike's frown deepened. "I've never heard of this witch coven before," he remarked, his expression troubled.

"You wouldn't. They were hunted close to extinction a century ago because they specialized in mind control," Venom explained grimly. "They'd been torturing shifters and using them as familiars."

The fear that gripped me tightened its hold at Venom's words. Jack was manipulative and cunning, but these Payne witches sounded like pure evil incarnate.

The sudden influx of information overwhelmed me, causing dizziness and a feeling of the room spinning. Thankfully, Spike caught me and held me steady.

"It'll be okay, Gray," Spike said.

"I didn't wish for any of this to happen," I whispered, my voice shaky with emotion. "First it was just Jack, and now these black witches are involved?"

"We only have to worry about Jack's pack. Those witches only provided Jack a service, but they weren't his allies. Right, Venom?" Spike asked.

Venom nodded. "That's correct. The Payne family operates independently. Their relationship with Jack was probably transactional. For now, focus on taking getting better and care of Gray."

Venom had directed that last sentence to Spike.

Spike squeezed my hand reassuringly, and I managed a small nod.

It only occurred to me that Spike had gotten out of bed just to comfort me. "Back to bed," I ordered him, concern evident in my voice.

"Aw, but I rather prefer this," Spike protested, hugging me tightly.

His wince didn't escape my notice, and I knew his wounds must be acting up.

"Come on," I said gently, guiding him back to bed. "You need to rest."

"I'm not going anywhere," Spike assured me with a smile, finally conceding and settling back onto the mattress.

Venom left the clinic, probably to attend to some other MC business.

I stayed with Spike until he fell asleep, not wanting to leave his side but feeling restless nonetheless.

Micah noticed my unease and suggested we go upstairs to make dinner together. I agreed, grateful for the distraction.

As we climbed the stairs, Micah showed me around his apartment. It had a comfortable, lived-in feel, with touches of both his neat personality and his mate's more relaxed style.

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