Page 49 of Captive Hybrid

Chapter Seventeen

Zenna

Will gives me a hard stare across the dinner table, arms folded over his chest, appraising me silently.

Aidan, on my right, clears his throat. ‘So, uh, Zenna wanted to apologise to you.’

The air is tight with tension.

Evelyn finishes setting the table, placing bowls of salad, cheese, and a plate of steaks and sausages between us. If the vampire is bothered by our tense conversation, she doesn’t show it. She sets out cutlery, salt and pepper, then a pitcher of water and glasses.

Will raises a blond brow at me. He doesn’t seem angry, just expectant.

‘I am sorry.’ My hands tighten in my lap, under the table. ‘I should not have judged you.’ I have to play nice. I have to let them think I want to be friends. If there’s even a chance they actually do want to be friends, I should let them. They might even give me some information, like Godric’s slip before. Faster beating heart is easier to hear. Noted.

Will bobs his head. ‘Sure. No problem.’ With that, he unfolds his arms and spears a steak with his fork, setting it on his plate. ‘Thanks for the invite. Siobhan sends her regards.’

Evelyn takes a seat next to Will, inclining her head. ‘She understands why we didn’t invite her?’ Those copper eyes meet mine. ‘We thought Zenna should slowly get used to us.’

Will spoons salad onto his plate. ‘Yeah, ‘course.’ He meets my gaze. ‘So, you nearly made yourself supper, did you?’ His mouth is slightly curved in a smirk, but his voice is serious. He heard about me wandering off.

‘Um. Yeah. I was… a bit stupid.’ I hope offering myself up like this earns me some favour. I glance at Aidan with wide eyes. ‘These two freaked out like I was a teenager home after dark.’ I don’t have to fake the gratitude in my voice.

Will eats a third of his steak in a single bite. He leans back, perfectly at ease. ‘You’re lucky to have them on your side, you know.’

I nod sombrely, picking at the salad on my plate. I don’t know how ‘on my side’ they can be, since they’re still keeping me captive, but I keep that to myself.

‘She knows,’ Aidan says. ‘We were hoping you would be, too.’

Will smiles easily. He meets my gaze. ‘You know, Zenna, if you want, I can introduce you to Siobhan. She’s sweet.’

I can’t help it. In my head, I add, for a vampire? Instead, I attempt a smile. ‘Is that your girlfriend?’

He grins. ‘Yeah. She’d like you.’

To eat?I arrange my features calmly, wondering if Evelyn can hear my slightly increased heartbeat. ‘I’ve never met so many vampires,’ I say casually.

Will offers a smile. ‘I bet it’s a little strange.’

‘Yeah. I mean, most people haven’t met a hybrid before, either, though, so I’m used to strange.’

‘Oh, you’re not the strangest creature I’ve met,’ Evelyn offers. There’s a plate of food in front of her, which she seems to be nibbling at, but it appears to be more for decoration than her meal. ‘I’ve worked with a Dark Witch before. Let me tell you.’ She shakes her head a little. ‘That, well, I don’t think I’ll be doing that again.’

I look to Aidan, remembering that conversation.

‘Yeah, we talked about that a little,’ Aidan says around a mouthful. ‘Zenna knows one too.’

All eyes land on me, popping.

‘Really?’ Evelyn says. ‘I thought you were from a light coven?’

‘I am. But when I went back home, uh, to my pack, there was a Dark Witch there. From what I know, she’s been working with them for some time. To protect them from, uh, faeries.’ I shrug, feeling a little insulted at my own words. Indeed, Divina is the only one of her kind I’ve heard of, let alone met. ‘How rare are they?’

Demons are the things of nightmares. Very rarely seen or interacted with. Their offspring, Dark Witches, roam the earth, usually alone, not part of a coven, which is a good thing. I can’t imagine the chaos they could cause if they formed together.

Evelyn purses her lips. ‘Quite rare. Why would a Dark Witch be working with your coven?’

I shrug. ‘I honestly don’t know. She was there when I returned. I thought it strange, but she really does seem to want to help.’

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