Page 65 of Witches Be Damned

“Looking after these two.” I gestured to my two brothers.

Tor spluttered out a laugh. “Good one, Mopey.”

Right back at him. “Don’t think I didn’t miss the sly cuddles you gave Pascal when I turned my back.”

“He loves my cuddles,” Tor shot back, and took a sip of the Coke can he shared with Asra.

Raze would throw it in the trash if he were here. That thought, amid the hundreds that circled my head this past week, charged me with greater resolve to bring him back into the fold…however it was possible.

Astra giggled and her cheeks flushed pink. Fucking cute. Fucking perfect. Fucking ours forever.

I clasped her hand between both of mine and broke protocol. “We’ve got an incredible lead and we’re gonna round up all these assholes soon. I’m going to figure out a way for us to be withhim.” It needed to be said to reassure her when leaving was clearly difficult for her.

“Okay.” Her eyes glistened and she nodded. “Who wants to play cards?”

Distraction 101. Fine by me. We shouldn’t mention him when it put him in danger. And I hoped Vartros did a good job of erasing any sign of our brother, because I didn’t want that asshole Vancor setting his sights on Raze when our brother tore off the dick his son.

Vancor… I had a lot to say about him. Talk about a conflict of fucking interest. Who appointed that asshole to this role? And to replace Vartros? Friends in high places, that was who. All signs suggested they were friends who wanted us dead. Fresh testimony supplied by Serena and Loco heightened the suspicions Tor and I had over the warden’s reckless decisions, putting Pascal in cuffs, refusing to retrieve Astra after her kidnap, and approving Tor to go on missions in untested technology.

“I’ll get the pack.” Pascal stood, came over, dropped a kiss on her head and strode out of the cafeteria.

The smell of leftovers from breakfast got stronger, and my stomach clenched with hunger even though I’d already eaten.

A whistle warned us of the meal to collect, and we got up, grabbing four plates full of breakfast smorgasbord including eggs, bacon, mushrooms, toast, beans, sausage, tomato and friend potatoes. More than she could possibly eat, but she’d polish of most of it if she hadn’t eaten much yesterday, knowing her time with Raze came to a close.

“Mmm,” my girl hummed, picking at her scrambled eggs with her fork.

Pascal arrived with the set of cards, dropping them to the table and diving into a second round of breakfast, a treat we were never afforded.

“You go first,” I instructed my girl, wanting her belly full and content.

I lifted a slice of crispy bacon and fed it to her. She happily accepted it with a smile and a nip of my fingers. Sometimes I wiped the meat’s grease from her lips and sucked it off my finger.

Tor got that glint in his eye that spelled another joke was on the way. “So, Supergal, I’ve been thinking about a serious topic.”

She finished a mushroom with hollandaise sauce and took his bait, a fiendish smile curling on her lips. “How serious?”

“You know how you did that thing to us?” His flicked his finger between him and me, and I tensed. He wasn’t supposed to bring that up.

She leaned in and whispered, “Altering your DNA?”

“Yeah, that.” Tor stroked his bamboo knife as if the butt of his joke was coming. “Could you tweak mine and give me the biggest cock on the team?” His palms spread twelve inches wide. “I’m talking monster dick that matches the beasts in your audiobooks.”

Our girl howled, earning the attention of the cook.

Even I got a kick out of it and smiled, my body easing back into my chair, appreciative of him for lowering her grief of saying goodbye to Raze.

“You don’t need more junk in your trunk, babe,” I played along, patting his leg. Anything to keep that smile on her face.

“Your dick is fine.” Pascal didn’t catch on, though he was getting better in that department.

Astra recovered, sat up and punched Tor’s stomach, making him grin. “You’re not coming near me with a monster dick. I don’t care if it’s a romance genre. Raze’s is big enough, thank you.”

Tor buffed the end of his knife. “Can I have one as big as his?” He batted his lashes.

Pascal shook his head, finally catching on to Tor’s antics.

“Your’s is perfect, Superguy.” Astra poked out her tongue. “It’s what you do with it that counts.”

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