Page 47 of Blood on the Ice

He blinks, staring at her for a moment. “Let me get this right. You have a transformation that can either make you a winged, tail swinging gargoyle that can turn to stoneoryou can morph into a snake woman with smart snake hair? Are you serious?”

Iggy snorts, not stopping his mixing as he answers, “She’s pretty fucking special, right? If you hear hissing, you made her mad.”

“Truth, bro.” Lucas holds a fist out and my stodgy roommate bumps it.

What is going on here?

“What color is the paste?” Liam interjects. When Iggy confirms it’s purple, he nods sharply. “Time for Slade to go steep the leftover leaves and the unicorn hair. Once it’s done, we’ll mix it all and it will turn into a smooth liquid. That’s what our patient needs to drink.”

Lucas frowns when I stop singing. I feel bad, but I’ve been given a task and I have to do it. “Don’t worry, bud. I’ll be back once this shit cooks.”

“You can sing for your supper later, siren. Do as the Prince said.”

Glaring at the dragon, I take the items from the pile and stalk off.

That fucker makes Iggy look humble, and I hope we don’t have to deal with him ever again.

soft touch

Slade is in the kitchen working on the brew and it can’t come any faster. Lucas has gotten more pale since Slade stopped singing and I’m really beginning to worry. I know the Prince swears he can help, and I want to believe him… but life hasn’t been kind in the past two years. It wouldn’t surprise me if the Universe handed me a sweet, sexy mate I never thoughtI’d have and whisked him away before I could even enjoy it. I kiss the bear’s knuckles, feeling tears of frustration well up behind my eyes.

“I’m going to check on Slade. Monitor him?” I murmur to the crowd. They don’t answer, but I assume they’re agreeing, so I roll to my feet and head inside.

Once there, I walk past the humming siren, stirring an aromatic pot of ingredients to the living room. Putting my hands on the back of the couch, I lean down, sucking in a shaky breath. I swallow as my body trembles and tears splash on my cheeks. Lucas is too young to die, and it’s not fair that some asshole with a grudge is trying to take away his future. Even if he wasn’t my mate, this would be bullshit—he’s talented and kind and not involved in whatever crap the poisoner is getting revenge for.

Yet someone as evil and selfish as Magnus lived for fucking centuries before he met his end.

“Morgana, are you okay?”

I whirl around in fear, not used to people seeing me in such a vulnerable state. Wiping my eyes, I wait until my vision clears and realize it’s Slade. “You should be stirring. I didn’t mean to distract you.”

He gestures, inviting me into his embrace. “Please… let me help you.”

Swallowing hard, I look at him, unsure if I can be like this in front of someone I don’t know very well. “I… well. I mean, I’m just… This is really hard.”

“Morgana, I won’t hurt you. I get that you’re probably gun shy because of him.” Slade gestures around the room as the housepersonifies his essence. “But I’m not like that. If I’m honest, I don’t think anyone at this place is, even the cranky dragon.”

My brows furrow, and I step a little closer as I bite my lip. “It’s not that I think you are, but I’m… I’m so damaged, Slade. Lucas and I were supposed to be a fling. I didn’t mean to let him in, nor did I have a clue he might be a mate. It was so fucking fast and now he’s sick…”

The smile he gives me is so gentle that I can feel it in my bones. Very slowly, he takes my hand and pulls me into his arms, wrapping me up tight. I stand there stiffly for a moment, but he hums softly, and it makes the spikes in my veins calm down. My body relaxes and I rest my head on his, closing my eyes.

“You’re the tallest woman I’ve ever hugged,” he says with a soft laugh. “I feel like a little kid in comparison.”

That makes me snort and I shrug slightly. “I’m used to being bigger than most, but I will admit it’s why I’ve always dated shifters known for their size. Men aren’t usually so amused by me dwarfing them.”

“Did you just say ‘date’? Because even if youarethis tall barefoot, Iggy and I won’t complain. Pinky swear.” I pinch his side, and he just snuggles in closer. “The dragon and Fae are tall like the bear, though. So you’ve got a good mix.”

I wrinkle my nose and pull back, looking down at Slade in frustration. “I barely agreed to include the two of you and now you’re recruiting my neighbors? How horny do you think I am, music man?”

He beams and shrugs, his beautiful eyes dancing as he looks up. “I’m very empathic and I sense auras as well. Iggy says it’s a glimmer of Precog—which the siren side is known for—but Ithink it’s because I had to learn to read people at a young age. My family has… rivals, and I had to judge things in a snap or it could be dangerous.”

“Are you saying you think the Prince and his asshat guard are… meant for me… or something?” I give him a disbelieving expression. I wasn’t even supposed to have one damn mate, much less a group of supes trying to vie for my attention. I’m not sure I can handle that many dudes in one space, to be honest. It doesn’t take long for me to lose my temper when people are around.

“I don’t know. All I know is that it doesn’t feel like a coincidence. They showed up right when we needed them and had the exact knowledge we needed to save Lucas. That means something and I don’t ignore signs from the Fates. They get awfully vengeful when you don’t listen.”

Yeah, I’m very familiar with their brand of vengeance.

“Should we go check on the brew?” I ask. I’m not ready to think about the implications of our discussion, and I definitely can’t decide until Lucas is okay. “I don’t want him to get worse.”

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