I laughed. “I was just thinking the same thing.” I glanced at Samael. He’d allowed a werewolf entrance to his territory, solely so he could be there when Evie woke up.
“Thank you.”
“You can show your appreciation by eating something.”
I frowned and he raised one eyebrow at me from where he leaned against the wall across the room.
“When was the last time you ate?”
I shrugged, and my stomach rumbled at the thought of food.
“I’ll have something brought up.” He glanced at Liam. “For the wolf too.”
“Thanks.”
“I have a meeting, but I’ll be around if you need me.”
I sat in the chair next to Evie’s bed. Within twenty minutes, food arrived. Liam scented the air and grinned at the woman wheeling the cart as she handed him a plate of some kind of hearty soup with bread.
“Appreciated.”
We ate in silence for a while, and then Liam cleared his throat, his green eyes serious.
“I know we don’t know each other well, but I wanted to let you know that I care about your sister,” he said. “I thought about her most days after we moved. I was angry at my parents for a long time because I thought I’d never get a chance with her. When I was turned, I lost everything— it never occurred to me that your sister would be connected in any way to the pack here. Or that she could be interested in a werewolf.”
“My sister doesn’t discriminate when it comes to who she cares about. I’m glad she has you.”
“But you don’t trust me.”
I sighed. “It’s not that. I’ve seen firsthand how difficult it is for a relationship to work between a human and a paranormal— and I’m half demon. I think you can make it work, but Evie has a lot going on right now. She’s being hunted, Liam. And we don’t know why.”
His face drained of color. “I won’t let anyone hurt her,” he vowed. “Kyla’s on her way,” he said, obviously scenting the wolf.
She poked her head in the room a few minutes later.
“How’s Evie?” She nodded at Liam and he nodded back.
I blew out a breath. “Holding steady. She’s really just in a deep sleep right now.” I got to my feet. “If she were awake, she’d be telling me to get back to work. I’ve been working on the whiteboard in the other room. Come take a look.”
I glanced at Liam and he smiled his crooked smile. “I’ll stay with her.”
“Thanks.”
Kyla trailed me to the room I’d waited in, and I gestured for her to take a seat. She shook her head and stared at the whiteboard.
“This is the hierarchy of the witches in Durham.”
I nodded. “I don’t believe the Jefferson or Allen covens have enough motive, but I’m keeping them on the suspect list.”
“Why don’t you think they have enough motive?”
“It’s one thing to gain power, it’s another to hold it. Maybe if the Jefferson and Allen covens worked together with a third coven, they could hold onto the power Gemma’s coven had, but they’d be holding onto it with their fingertips.” I scowled. “You bet your ass, black witches from across the Triangle will be considering moving into Gemma’s territory right about now.”
And I couldn’t think about that. It would have to be a problem for another day.
“Do you think Gemma will be able to build the coven back up?”
I shrugged. “She lost a lot of them, which means she lost a lot of power. I guess it depends on how powerful her remaining witches are. Okay, here’s what I’ve got so far.”
