Page 62 of The Monster's Desire

“I had no choice,” I grind out. “Warren is even older than Imogen. His compulsion would have overridden any attempt I made to shield your mind. It would have gotten us both killed.”

“Bullshit,” Ridge says.

“No, I don’t think it is.” She sighs. “They specifically asked if I was prepped for the meeting. Normally, my magic gives me a fair amount of protection from compulsion, but it was almost like something or someone was blocking my power.”

“I don’t think there’s anyone on the council with that ability,” I tell her truthfully.

“Then, I have no idea. The other blood witches that came to town—how far into replenishing the ward did they make it before being killed?” she asks.

Ridge growls.

“Half to maybe two-thirds of the way through.” I shove my hands into my front pockets. “Just enough to keep it from falling completely. It would have fallen by now without their intervention.”

“Okay,” Nadia says, sighing heavily. “We were attacked, and I hadn’t even completed a quarter of the ward.”

“It doesn’t make any sense in the first place. None of us want the ward to fall. It would lead to a mass exodus. Those who stayed would have to live as humans.” My head shakes involuntarily.

“There could be a group working against the council,” Nadia offers with a shrug. “They’ve got enough bodies to sacrifice that they could be a real problem.”

“That’s true. No one in North Falls likes the council. Most simply do what they can to survive under their tyrannical rule,” Ridge adds.

I glance away. He’s right about that. There’s no one strong enough to overthrow them, and as a result, most with any intelligence try to stay out of their periphery.

“It’s not even daylight. Perhaps you two should try to get a few hours of sleep. Nothing will be accomplished at six in the morning.” I roll my eyes.

Nadia nods her agreement, and they head to the mutt’s bed.

I settle back against the wall. My mind has always been my most valuable asset. It’s kept me alive this long. Normally, I can strategize the best outcome of any situation. Unfortunately, I don’t yet have enough pieces of the puzzle to accurately surmise how any of this will play out.

* * *

The witch and the wolf sleep for two or three hours. Banging on the door wakes Ridge, drawing my attention from my thoughts. I’ve continually pondered the idea. If there’s a group working against the council, they could be possible allies. Except that they don’t want Nadia to succeed.

The main question is: why?

Ridge stomps downstairs while Nadia groans, rolling around the bed and complaining it’s too early to be alive. I snicker. She’s quite adorable with the bedhead and kitten-like stretches.

“You know you’re flashing me your pussy, right, baby darkling?” I chuckle. She continues stretching out her arms with little care. “We’ve got company. Are you able to magic yourself up some pants? I left the spare clothes in my car.”

My head tilts as I listen to the commotion downstairs. I don’t wait for her reply. I’m instantly in motion and suddenly staring at two very confused teenagers. Ehh, they may be in their early twenties, but they’re definitely no older than that. I vaguely recognize them from around town, but not well enough to know either of their names.

“Jenny?” Nadia comes down the stairs in shorts, a tank top, and a weird over shirt that falls down her arm, showing off her delectable neck. It’s the wrong outfit choice when so close to a perpetually half-starved vampire. “Brock? Well, you look better than the last time I saw you.”

I frown, glancing between the witch and the two wolves who’ve joined us.

I did spend a fair amount of time wondering how Ridge came upon her.

“Alpha,” Brock bows his head low, “we have a problem.”

Nadia huffs out a heavy sigh, coming to stand at my side.

“Could we speak alone?” Brock asks.

“Oh, shit,” Nadia whispers, taking a step back. “You didn’t happen to turn into a fae, did you?” She looks at Brock, who simply blinks in response. “Ohmigod, no way. An omega?”

Jenny laughs. “No, but ever since you gave me that contraceptive spell—”

“Jenny,” Brock hisses, grabbing her hand and nodding at me.

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