“That, I’m afraid, was all my wife,” Vlad said, resting his tattooed hand on Belladonna’s lower back, and again, her mother gawked at their intimacy.
“I refuse to live in a house that doesn’t decorate or accept trick-or-treaters or drink pumpkin-spiced lattes,” Belladonna said. “I may have gone overboard, though. I decorated almost every room.”
“I’m afraid to check my credit card bill.” Vlad smirked, and Belladonna rolled her eyes, shoving him playfully off her as she grabbed her mom’s hand.
“Come help me get the food out of the oven,” she said as she dragged the bewildered woman into the kitchen, leaving him with her dad. Magnus was a powerful witch, and even though his wife was the coven leader, the man was a reckoning force. Vlad was suddenly thankful for the wards as they stared uncomfortably at each other. What the hell was he supposed to talk about with the husband of his enemy and the father of the woman he constantly fantasized about?
“Can I get you a drink?” he asked.
“Please,” Magnus blurted too quickly, and Vlad heaved a sigh of relief as he strode to the bar. They hadn’t killed each other yet, which was an incredible feat, but the air was so thick with tension that his fangs ached.
“Broomstick was first and then came Fang,” Belladonna said as she and her mother returned, arms ladened with steaming trays of food.
“Fang is nasty, so watch your hands,” Vlad interrupted, which earned him a scowl from his wife.
“He just doesn’t like grumpy old vampires,” she shot back. “I’m sure he’ll love you, Mom.”
“That feral cat?” Rowena asked, watching as the horde of black cats sauntered into the room as if summoned.
“He is not feral!” Bella scooped him up. “He’s rough around the edges, but I love him.”
“Like me,” Vlad said without thinking, and the witches fell silent as they stared at him. For a long and awkward moment, he had the urge to kick everyone out of his house to appease his humiliation, but then his wife walked toward him, the mean cat still clutched in her arms.
“Exactly like you,” she whispered, but Fang hissed with such violence that he broke the spell of his wife’s confession.
“Right,” Belladonna laughed, putting the angry animal down. “Then came Jinx, followed by Cauldron, and Batty showed up today. I think he and Cauldron were abused, but they’re safe with me.”
“I didn’t know vampires kept cats,” Rowena said.
“We don’t,” Vlad answered. “They just keep showing up, and suddenly my credit card statement has all sorts of cat supplies on it.” He shrugged as he extended his hand to the table, signaling they should sit. “Just when I think she’s done collecting strays, another one pops up, so now I’m resolved to constantly trip on animals with ridiculous names for the rest of my life.”
“That’s…” Rowena paused as if she wasn’t sure what to make of Vlad’s unexpected friendliness. “It’s a sign of a powerful witch, you know?” She looked at her daughter. “Black cats sense a witch’s magic, and the more that flock to her, especially around Halloween, the more power that witch has. The night you were born, twenty black cats showed up in our yard.”
“I didn’t know that,” Belladonna said.
“It’s why we always kept you hidden,” her mother said. “It was a sign you would be the heir to the coven. That you might one day surpass my power.”
“But this house is warded,” Magnus said. “How are the cats finding her?”
“I don’t know.” Rowena glanced at Vlad with a horrified expression as she put the puzzle pieces together. When vampires fed off their mates, it strengthened their bond, but when a witch found their soulmate, it heightened their magic. If Belladonna’s mate was a vampire, how powerful would her magic swell, especially if they shared blood?
“Bella?” She pinned her daughter with an alarmed expression. “Have you?—”
“Hi, Dad,” a male voice interrupted, silencing the gathering, and ice ran through Vlad’s veins as Gabriel strode into the room and locked eyes with his shocked wife.
Anxiety flooded Belladonna’s chest as Gabriel’s eyes locked with hers. They purposely hadn’t invited him to this dinner. Not because they wished to exclude him, but with his sudden hostility, Vlad felt it was safer to host his enemy for the first time with as little confrontation as possible. The last thing either of them wanted was Gabriel insulting her and causing Rowena to declare war.
“What are you doing here?” Vlad asked, his voice ice and razors.
“Eating dinner with my dad and my stepmom, of course,” Gabriel said as he plopped down into an empty chair and started shoveling food onto a plate. “Wow, this smells good. I didn’t know the witch could cook.”
“Gabriel…” Vlad warned.
“What?” His son played dumb. “It was a compliment. Right, Bella? I didn’t know you could cook, but I guess you were holding out on me. Saving all the good things for my dad.”
“I would have cooked for you if you’d asked,” Belladonna said, hating how small she felt beneath his words. Even whenshe and Vlad verbally sparred, he never made her feel inadequate, but Gabriel made her want to wither and retreat. “You never wanted to stay over. You never came to my house. Infatuation blinded me around you, but let’s face it. We moved too fast. I don’t think we truly understood what we were getting into. You never even slept over during our six months together.”
“I bet you sleep with dear ole dad all the time though, don’t you?” Gabriel sneered.
