Page 34 of Wolf Touched

Raffe, Adam, and Keith tensed, and I couldn’t swallow. No. She couldn’t be doing this now.

“Fated mates are rare.” Aldric exhaled. “There hasn’t been a fated pair in decades. And if you do have one, I’m sure it’s a strong, strapping wolf.”

“He’s not.” Josie bit her bottom lip, and then she jutted her chin. “It’s Dave.”

Suspecting it and hearing it were two different things. Her words had me taking a step back.

“Thevampire?” Aldric choked. “There’s no way.”

The story of how the supernaturals were created flashed through my mind. We all stemmed from the same ancestor. If I could become a wolf shifter, then it was possible that her blood wouldn’t be deadly to her mate. They’d need to claim each other to complete the bond.

Uh … why does it not smell like eggs in here?Keith linked.Because Josie just told one big ol’ whopper.

She’s not lying,I linked.

“It is, whether you want to believe me or not.” Josie lifted her hands. “Like Raffe, I refuse to not be with him.”

“None of you know what you’re up against.” Aldric rubbed his temples. “When your senses have returned to you, you know the way home. I just hope it’s before any of you do anything more foolish. Your money is cut off, but we will leave your cell phones on so you can contact us.”

“But—” Finley started, but Aldric’s eyes closed, cutting the man off.

The three of them spun around, though Valor frowned as he stole one last glance at his son. The four of us remained by the door, watching them get into their car and drive away.

Shit. We were screwed, but at least we had the house for the next few days. We’d already paid for it.

When Raffe shut the door and the immediate threat was gone, my limbs grew watery.

“You were kidding, right?” Keith looked at Josie and pointed toward the stairs. “I’m not sure if you get that he’s a whole different species.”

Josie leaned her head back. “So is Sky.”

“Wait.” Keith turned to me. “Will Dave turn into a wolf too? Sky did, and she still has her weird magic. Will he be some sort of vampire wolf?”

“Man, I think exhaustion is getting the best of you. There’s no way that combination can exist.” Adam pursed his lips. “Wolf blood is deadly to vampires.”

“I hate to say this, but I see his point.” Raffe rubbed the back of his neck, but his emotions were leveling out. “Her blood isn’t deadly to him.”

This situation could drive anyone insane. I yawned, desperate to crawl back into bed and start fresh in the morning. “Can we leave this discussion for when it’s not the middle of the night? I want sleep.”

Raffe took my hand. “I agree. This isn’t something we can solve in a few minutes. Let’s get some rest. We’ll need to figure out what the hell to do once the week is over and we have to go somewhere else.”

Ever since I’d walked into their lives, I’d been a burden. Even though Raffe had made it clear he didn’t care as long as we were together, I still hated that I was causing them trouble.

Josie wrapped her arms around her waist. “That’s it? No one is going to say anything else tonight or threaten to throw Dave out?” Her skin blanched like she was waiting for us to react the way their dads had.

“I think the blood exchange you did with Dave has youfeeling like that.” Raffe shrugged. “I don’t think it’s more than that.”

She scowled.

“Even if that’s not the case”—I cut my eyes at Raffe, giving him a warning look—“we’ll support you and your happiness.”

We will?Raffe’s eyebrows rose.He’s a fucking vampire who drugged you.

He was scared for his life and has been trying to make it up to us ever since.Dave seemed genuinely sorry. People had the right to make mistakes, and he hadn’t known what they were going to do with me.How can we not support her and Dave after everything she’s done for me?

He didn’t respond, but I could feel his mixed emotions.

“Really?” There was so much hope in Josie’s voice.

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