“I’ll show you scattered.” When she would have punched him, he darted down the street, running like a gazelle.
He turned to flip her off then entered front door of the shop called, what else, The Mage.
She sighed. With any luck, she could get out of yet another dinner with Boyce. She didn’t want a permanent tattoo, though it might come in handy. A charm to ward away vampire evil would be even better, that was if Boyce could manage magic like that.
But no matter what she got, she planned on slugging her cousin just as soon as she could catch him.
That was if he didn’t have a berserker-repellant charm somewhere on his person.
Good idea,he sent in a smug tone.
She gritted her teeth and worked harder on holding her mental shields tight. But damn if she didn’t understand the ramifications of her future alpha having let that artifact fall into the wrong hands. Enemy pack hands, and at the rate they were headed, vampire hands. Hell, their enemies would use that failure to oust the Crimson Claw pack from its position of dominance over the other wolves.
They had to get that statue back.Stat.
CHAPTERFOUR
Kraft scowledas he spotted Orion standing at the docks in a seedy part of the city,notlooking like he had an emergency. “What’s going on?”
Large, gruff, and mean, Orion had impressed Kraft from their first meeting. They’d sized each other up and immediately gone after each other’s throats. But after several spells, a hell of a lot of witchcraft, and more than a year of togetherness, the pair had bonded as brothers.
Then Orion had gone and gotten a mate.
Kraft sighed. “Is this about Kaia? Is your water nymph not giving you enough sex?”
“Technically she’s now the White Sea Witch, not just a nymph.”
“Brag much?”
Orion didn’t do humble. He gave a smug grin. “Yeah. She’s powerful as fuck. Imagine, a lesser being who’s not so lesser?”
“Then why all the whining? Is your water witch not dancing with the dolphins enough? Hasn’t made any deals with those ‘poor unfortunate souls?’” he sang, parroting a particular cartoon the vryko loved watching, Orion’s addiction to Disney not as much a secret as he might hope.
Instead of annoying Orion into a fight, Kraft had the bastard grinning. Orion threw his arms wide. “She’s whelping.”
“Ah, do you mean she’s due to give birth? She’s not a dog, or is that part of her new magic?”
Orion cuffed him in the back of the head.
“Ow.”
“Dick. I’ve sired young. In another nine months, there will be a new vampire among us.”
Kraft couldn’t resist Orion’s large, toothy grin. “Congratulations.” He let himself be pulled into the vryko’s large arms, tolerating a hug that felt...good. And weird. Normally, Orion’s touch meant he’d made contact, and pain followed.
“Is this the emergency?”
Orion nodded. “I wanted you to be the first to know.”
Kraft didn’t mention that he’d known two weeks ago, back when Orion’s demon cat had broken the news. “Is there a point to telling me besides congratulations? And I do mean that—congratulations, sincerely.”
“I might be mated, but I’m not stupid.”
Kraft opened his mouth, unable to resist that lure, but shut up fast when Orion glared.
“Just forget about whatever it was you planned on saying. You’ll live longer.”
“Right.”
