Page 70 of Wolf Touched

Curling one side of his lip over his teeth, Raffe opened his mouth to answer, but I linked only to him,Please don’t push him. If he doesn’t want us here, I want to respect his wishes. Think about it from his perspective. If someone showed up at our place wanting protection from powerful people, would you want them to stay?

I considered myself a kind and compassionate person, but when it came to putting Raffe in danger, I wasn’t sure what my decision would be. He was the most important person in my life, and I would never want to take unnecessary risks with his safety.

He must have felt the same way because his anger thawed, though his unhappiness remained stifling.Fine, but only because this is important to you. But dammit, Sky. I don’t know where to take you to keep you safe. This coven has me questioning this place too.

I believed Priestess Caroline when she promised she wouldn’t hurt us again.I didn’t know how to explain it to him other than it was as if magic had laced her words, binding her to them and me … as if I could sense them in my soul.

“See, he won’t even answer my question.” Fane snorted.

“Don’t press me,” Raffe gritted. “You’re right. I want to tell you that I don’t give a fuck. As long as Octavia and Dru don’t mind having my mate here, we aren’t leaving. But because of Sky, I’m willing to agree. If you want us to leave, we will. No questions asked.”

Lucy gasped and bit her bottom lip as Keith linked,Man, where are we going to go? We have no fucking money. We might as well pony up and go back to your dad’s pack with our tails between our legs.

Shut up.Adam shut the blinds.That’s not an option, and you know it.

Then what is?Josie asked.We need a way for Dave to get blood without drawing the attention of other supernaturals.

Why did everything keep stacking against us? I must have pissed off someone good to be dealt a hand like this.

“Son, it’s in your hands,” Dru said and rubbed Octavia’s shoulders.

Fane leaned forward, catching Lucy’s attention, and said, “Of course all of you can stay.” His body relaxed. “I don’t want anything bad to happen to any of you, but I also want to make sure my parents are safe. I also never imagined the coven would do something like that to you. I’ve never seen Priestess Caroline harm a fly, let alone another person.”

The tension in the room eased, and my lungs filled a little easier. I hadn’t been sure what Fane’s answer would be, and I was so damn thankful he’d said yes. My body sagged against Raffe, and he wrapped an arm around my waist, anchoring me to him.

Now that this was over, I wanted to rest. I had no idea when the coven would summon me for the next test. Knowing them, it wouldn’t be long. With how strongly my magic had fritzed, if any one of the Veiled Circle’s disciples had felt it, they’d find us. I could only hope there was a reason the coven members and Octavia had chosen to settle in this spot. It was a ways from the city, and they avoided other supernaturals like the plague.

“Okay, good.” Octavia’s smile seemed forced, but she patted Fane’s arm. “That’s settled. I’m going to get dinner cooking. After what Sky and Raffe went through, they should eat and restmore.”

Fane winced, but his expression smoothed within a second.

I wasn’t sure if his reaction was from guilt or because she was taking care of me again. Either way, I wasn’t trying to make his life hell.

“Dave and I can help you cook,” Josie offered, taking Dave’s hand.

“You don’t have to.”

“I love cooking.” Dave shrugged. “I know it sounds weird, with me being a vampire and all, but food and the way the rest of you enjoy it has always intrigued me. I took some cooking classes in Portland.”

“Really?” Josie tilted her head back. “You’re full of surprises, aren’t you?”

“Good ones, I hope.” He shuffled his feet.

Octavia gestured to the kitchen. “How can I say no to that? More hands will make it go quicker.”

Josie and Dave followed her while Adam and Keith headed to the door.

Adam linked,We’re going outside to keep an eye out. I understand that the coven promised not to pull a stunt like that again, but I want to make sure they don’t do anything else today while Skylar’s exhausted. I already fucked up by sleeping through the first attack, and I won’t make that mistake again.

My heart ached. I hated that he felt that way. We could’ve woken him. None of us had expected them to pull something like that, so if anything, we were all to blame.

As I readied to speak, Raffe linked,Sounds good. Let me know if you need me out there too.

With those coven members, it’s best if you stay close to Sky. Their sorry asses could cloak themselves and stab her in the back.Keith opened the door and glanced over hisshoulder to examine the room again like he expected to find Caroline behind us.

A chill ran down my spine. I truly didn’t understand the scope of what the covens were capable of. Slade and Olwyn clearly kept things from me, focusing on trying to get me on their side without revealing too much. They hadn’t needed to be vicious … until now.

Raffe led me back to our room, leaving Lucy and the others in the living room. When we entered the room, he sighed. “That damn cat is taking over our bed. The more time I spend with her, the more I agree with naming her Keith. She’s a pain in the ass like him.” He held the door open wider and stared at the cat curled in the center of our bed. “Out!”

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