Page 10 of Witch of My Heart

Daniel was a vampire too. He thought he kept it a secret until he met his true-mate, Shepard, but we’d all known. We never talked about it because his bio-sire was the same man who kidnapped my carrier and his all those years ago.

“Bloody hell,” I faked the Londoner accent as we had when we were kids as Daniel stepped in between us and the pair of dragons.

“Sam, Dara. Go back to the meeting hall, please. You’re being asshats leaving Abel to do all the parenting,” Danielsaid, without looking at them. “It’s a true-mate response, not a murder investigation.”

“Tell your frien---” Sam started, but Dara pulled him away before he could finish his sentence.

“They’re part of a thruple,” Daniel grinned. “Sam is a retired Moonscale Detective bored out of his fucking wits.”

Daniel pulled me into a hug and then did the same to Duke.

“I’m not saying you two couldn’t take them, but beating up the village healer isn’t the way to endear yourself to anyone. Dara wanted to diffuse the situation,” Daniel said. “He’s always doing stuff like that. One day he’s gonna get bit. He’s a good guy, though.”

“I can’t stay out here,” I said, turning my attention toward the house again.

“You have to,” Starry stepped up beside Daniel. “It’s not your house. I’ll go check on Cord. I shouldn’t have had Xi tackle you back there.”

I was about to say it wasn’t a problem.

“I should’ve done it myself,” Starry added before I could answer. “You,” he pointed at Duke, “wouldn’t have lifted me up so easily.”

Duke chuckled and shook his head. He watched a little too long as Starry walked up the path, onto the porch, and disappeared inside the house with my mate.

“You smell that he’s taken,” Daniel shook his head and elbowed Duke in the side.

Daniel and his siblings were living proof that our parents overreacted when we headed off to Heartville. We’d all spent weeks up at the Sanctuary when we were kids.

“I can’t stay out here,” I said again.

“Don’t try to break down the door. We don’t have a jail because we’ve never needed one,” Daniel said, tapping my stomach with the back of his hand. “Seriously, don’t breakStarry’s door. I don’t mean because Bobby will get pissy or Xi might try to fight you. He’s a witch. Don’t break down the Frost damn door, because it might hit back.”

It was my turn to grin. Of fucking course I’d make an enemy of the village witch while meeting my true-mate and trying to find more out about vampyric magic. Maybe my whole fucking family was really cursed after all.

Blood pounded in my ears, and I let out a long slow breath.

“Who the fuck do I need to kill to make him feel better?” I asked, glancing at Daniel out of the corner of my eye.

“She’s already dead. We killed her at the party,” Daniel said, alluding to the ‘party’ that ended the war.

“Then what’s he so afraid of?” I asked.

“Trauma, cousin,” Duke said.

“I know about trauma, F--- Asshole!” I barely stopped myself from calling him Fred again.

I didn’t want to piss off the only person in the whole damn village I knew was on my side for sure.

“Let’s go back to my house,” Daniel said. “We’ll get something to eat, and it’ll all look better after that.”

“Guys, I’m not lying. I can’t leave. My wolf---My mate’s inside. I can’t leave,” I shook my head. “I have to stay right here. It’s here or go forward. Since going forward might entail breaking and entering the best I can do is stay right here.”

“There’s a feast going on and I’m not going to get to eat, am I?” Duke sighed.

“You can go back,” I said, glancing around.

Besides Daniel and Xi the rest of the crowd had already headed back to the meeting hall.

“And leave you to fight a witch and a harpy on your own?” he huffed, a ring of smoke escaping his nose.

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