Page 90 of Blue Moon Mistress

“Fine. I want to know how long each of you have been… afflicted.”

I’m already denying the request when I see the brief flash of panic in Chase’s eyes. “There’s absolutely no reason they need to tell you that.”

“It’s fine.” Joshua says, and he’s about to tell her.

“No. It’s not.” I force myself to only look at Joshua. “You might be willing to tell her whatever she wants to know, but there are things you do not give a witch you don’t know power over.”

“Do you honestly think I’d—”

My glare is sharp when I turn back to my mother. “I know that I’ll do anything to keep them safe. Even if it means barring you from knowledge you don’t need to have.”

“Why would knowing when we were changed be dangerous?” Thomas cuts through the casserole, confusion marring his pretty face.

“Because if a witch knows when and where you were bitten, she can use the place of your rebirth to kill you.”

That confusion only gets deeper. “You’re a powerful witch… why couldn’t you just kill us outright?”

“Aside from the fact we can still be convicted of murder in a human court and living on the run is no life at all?” She looks behind them and they follow her gaze to the window. “The wolves protect her because they are hers… but they protect you, because you’re hers too.”

The wolves are back, each standing next to the man whose bodies used to bind them, heads almost level with the guys sitting down.

“I’m not a murderer,” She says, straightening her shoulders. “But if my daughter dies, you will follow her to the grave.”

“We wouldn’t—”

“Maybe not on purpose.” She glares at them and I see the intent in her eyes.

“Mother.” I try to warn her, but she doesn’t listen.

“If you break your connection to her, she dies. If that happens there is no place on this planet you can hide from me.” Straightening, her eyes dart to the wolves and then back to them. “She holds the state of your existence in her hands, but you hold her life in yours. I don’t know you. I don’t trust you. And I will not let you kill my daughter because she doesn’t want to burden you with that potential guilt.”

Johnny’s fork hovers in front of his face. “What is she talking about?”

No one’s going to eat until I answer.

“You can choose to take them back from me. It is a conscious thing, all that has to be there is the true intent to remove yourself from my control.”

“You told us that before.” Joshua says, his words elongated with concern.

“But if you do, there are consequences.” My mother glares at me and I know that if I don’t tell them, she will.

“If all of you take the wolves back… they’ll kill me.”

The pronouncement is met with silence and then curses.

“But if I do something that is so bad you’d rather be subject to the moon’s cycle and losing your humanity each month… I’d probably deserve it.”

My mother sets her tea cup down, too loudly, and leaves the room.

“Why didn’t you tell us that?” Thomas asks, shoulders rigid, eyes on his food.

“Because it was my risk to take.”

Joshua shakes his head. “You still should have told us. What if we’d accidentally done it?”

“I trusted you wouldn’t.” I glance toward the wall the wolves have disappeared through again. “What would it take for you to give up being able to stay human?”

They look at each other and I know they haven’t thought about it.

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