Page 10 of Balor

I stared at the ceiling. “Because a duplicitous witch tried to trap me into making her my wife.”

The room was silent. It was Clay who broke the silence. “You’re going to have to explain that one.”

I’d have to be careful what I said. They knew I had a home up on the hill, but they’d never seen it. Didn’t know a damn thing about me other than what I’d told them. They’d never once suspected the man who founded Darkwood was their MC president.

“I’ll give you the short version,” I said. “She showed up on my doorstep, claiming she needed help. Turns out she wasn’t lying, except she decided the best way to protect herself was to trap me into being her baby daddy. That’s what they call it these days, isn’t it? She’s a powerful witch, and I got tricked into helping her, and… well…”

Clay snorted. “Showing your age there, old man.”

I flipped him off, but he just shook his head at me. Yeah, I was fucking old. So what?

Jackson grinned. “She’s great in bed, huh?”

I glared. I didn’t want to answer that. Hell, I wasn’t even sure why that mattered right now. “She’s in my house. I’m not certain if she’ll cause a problem or not. I get the feeling chaos is about to erupt in Darkwood.”

Jackson tipped back his beer. “You know, it’s not like you to let someone in so easily. What if she’s here to cause trouble? You said she’s alone in your house. Are there things she could access that would harm the town or you?”

He wasn’t exactly wrong. I understood his worries and could acknowledge they were logical concerns. My thoughts drifted back to the witch in my mansion. I’d kept too many damn secrets. No one knew what I was capable of. Because they didn’t know who I was.

She could burn it all down. Every single bit of it. I’d have to be careful how I handled her. Claiming her hadn’t been my intent. But I knew, even if I’d been completely unaffected by her spell, we’d have still ended up in bed. Especially after I heard what she had to say.

“Only one thing to do,” Jackson said. “You’ll have to make an honest woman of her.”

I snorted and turned my gaze back to him. “And you’re the expert?”

Jackson’s lips twitched. “How are you going to handle her?”

“She’s currently on lockdown in my house. I haven’t decided what to do with her yet.” I scrubbed a hand over my face. “I’m not entirely certain what she’ll do. Or if she’ll try to leave. I do know if she thinks she’s in danger, she’ll fight back. I saw a bit of her power.”

“Maybe she needs a firm hand,” Clay said. “One who can handle this witch of yours.”

“What’s her name?” Jackson asked.

“Belladonna Kline. She’s from the Coven of Eternal Night and seems eager to escape them.”

I’d been considering my options. I’d have to be careful what I said around my brothers. It wasn’t that I didn’t trust them, but I wasn’t sure how they would handle the news of a kid between me and Belladonna being the most powerful witch in the world. If our kid went off the rails and decided to destroy the world, I had a feeling they’d be able to do so easily enough. And that kind of power made people nervous.

“Hell, Luke. You need a beer.” Jackson went to the bar and grabbed a bottle, then slid it across the table to me.

“Thanks.” I took a swig and let my gaze drift over the room again. “I’ll hang out a bit before I head back.”

He nodded. “Might do you some good to talk things over with us. You’ve been on edge, and I mean even before tonight. It’s just worse now.”

I grunted and took another sip of my beer. I needed more information on her. She’d told me a little, but I knew there was much more to her story.

I’d worried her coven might come for her. And if they did, the town of Darkwood might be laid to waste in the process. As the founder of the town, it was my job to ensure everyone’s safety. I hadn’t liked the idea of her being defenseless, though. She was powerful, but I’d seen the exhaustion in her eyes this morning, and the fear.

And I wasn’t certain my magick was up to the task of taking on a coven. Not when I didn’t know what sort of witches they were. I’d heard rumors of the Coven of Eternal Night, but I didn’t know much was true. Not enough to confidently go to war against them. In my long life, I’d learned to trust my personal experiences and not word of mouth. People had a tendency to embellish things, and the more the story spread, the more it changed.

I finished my beer and stood, the room quieting. “I’ll be back tomorrow. I have a few things I need to take care of.”

My men nodded, and I headed back outside. I settled onto my bike and pulled out my phone. I pulled up a name I hadn’t called in years. Osran Starke, an alpha wolf I’d known for nearly a century. He was a genius at finding information.

I hit the button to dial and listened to it ring.

“Balor,” Osran said. “It’s been too long.”

“Yeah. I have a bit of a problem, and I could use more information.”

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