Page 142 of Blue Moon Mistress

The silence is deafening and when I look up, Joshua has come back inside. They all stare at me until Chase asks. “Can that happen?”

“Not with this witch, their magic barely registers after it’s punched its way through my wards.”

I slip into the living room where I left the cleansed black tourmaline and take four of the stones with me back out onto the chilly back porch.

Some spells require the sacred. Some require the profane. This one I’ll let intent cover.

I glare at the stones and speak clearly and calmly. “Whoever you are, go fuck yourself.Scoate.”

The tourmaline glows hot for a bare second before turning to ash in my hand. The wind takes hold and pulls it from my palm.

“Wow.” I don’t know which of them said it. They’re all behind me, watching. And none of them are worried about the amber anymore.

“I need to set up some wards around your house tomorrow, if that’s okay?”

“You can do anything as long as it means we don’t lose you.” Thomas pulls me into them and they close around me, holding me close between all of them.

“It would be the other way around.”

Joshua grumbles from over my head and goes to the grill. “Get her back inside and give her the thing.”

“The thing?”

Chase lifts me off my feet and carries me back into my kitchen as Johnny hurries to my fridge.

“What is that?”

Johnny holds it up and presents the plate to me. “This is a chocolate torte with a raspberry rosemary drizzle.”

“He spends all his free time watching Food Network now.”

“And none of you are mad about it.” He shoots them a look that is somewhere between scolding and a challenge.

“Since you weren’t going to eat a second dinner with us, but we hoped we’d have exhausted you… I thought it only fair that we provide some sustenance.”

With a little bit of magic, and a lot of Joshua’s skills, my table is now big enough to sit all five of us in our own chairs and I about die when we’ve all sat and I take the first bite of that chocolate cake.

The sound I make…

“Fuck.”Thomas shifts in his chair, making it creak loudly. “Keep making that noise, and none of us are going to finish our meal.”

I bite my tongue and manage to keep from making any sound at all with my next bite.

But I can’t stop myself from savoring each bite.

Even still, I finish the cake before the others scarf down the last of their burgers, but Johnny grabs my plate before I have a chance to get up and so, I stay put.

“How many kids do you want?” Joshua asks, and then looks a little startled.

“Thought it but you hadn’t meant to actually ask?” I guess.

He nods, and the others watch me, interest bright in their eyes. “Those urges are higher… even the ones that tell you to mate and procreate.”

“Still haven’t answered the question.” Johnny says, leaning forward, waiting.

“That depends on if you care which of you is the biological father.” I watch their faces and know the answer they’d give me tonight. “We can have that discussion when you’re not influenced by the full moon, but I suppose I’d be willing to have one each…”

Twenty-Five

---