Page 187 of Blue Moon Mistress

They eat as quickly and as much as I expect. The medium rare steaks make my stomach turn, but I’ll live through it.

“I’m going to swing by Wexxon’s a little later and get some more things to deal with your reactions to Aphrodite’s spells.”

They look up at me, but none of them object, even if I can see Johnny looking for an excuse to make me stay.

“And, the wolves will be with you for the next week or two. They may be mine now, but they are tied to you, so you can draw strength from their proximity.”

“As long as nothing’s changed on that side of things, I’m more than happy to have them around.”

“Nothing’s changed.” Nothing except… I look at Chase and remember the pain on his face when I forced his change. “I am so sorry I turned you to deal with that terratoma.”

“There’s nothing to apologize for. I asked you to.” He pulls one of the last cuts of his steak to his lips, but he doesn’t eat it. “Wait…”

He sets it down and looks up at me, brows twisted. “Did you think I was mad at you?”

He curses, dropping his head back, “And then, we didn’t answer texts or calls…”

“What’s going on?” Joshua asks, looking back and forth between us.

“Thursday night, she had to change me back into a wolf.”

“Why didn’t you tell us?”

The look Chase gives him is quietly scathing. “Because I came home, collapsed into bed and then woke up bound and gagged by an evil witch.”

Thomas watches me with a sleepy look of confusion. “You had to turn him to deal with a tumor made of teeth?”

“No,” I let the absurdity of everything force a small laugh with the idea of that. “It’s kind of like a giant ball of earth and tree and rock that can be sent after someone or something to destroy it.

“The wolves weren’t there and the only way to get one there faster was to turn Chase.”

“Mouthfuls of dirt do not taste good,” he says, yawning. “Human or werewolf.”

They chuckle, but it’s not a happy sound, just a tired one.

It’s startling how hungover they look.

“What, exactly, happened with her?”

“Her spell was kind of like what we did this Samhain. When I removed the seven of you from the sphere of her power, it crippled the foundations of that spell.”

“So when you incinerated her fake moon… it ate her like our wolves would eat you.”

“Yeah. Not a pretty sight.”

“Tell me about it.” Thomas leans heavily on Joshua, as though the other man is the only thing keeping him from hitting the ground. “And then the rest of the witches showed up.”

“Yes, we did.”

My mother stands in the threshold of the back door, watching all of us, carefully.

All four of them look at her. None are impressed.

“Too bad you didn’t take care of the problem the first time you were told.”

Eyes narrowed, she glares at Johnny “None of this would have happened if not for you.”

“Mother,” I say sharply, letting the room fall into silence before I continue. “You are in a protected home.”

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