Savannah bent down and picked her up, stroking her back. “Hi, kitty,” she crooned.
Satchel butted her head against Savannah’s chin, purring in contentment.
Ava followed us inside and shut the door. “I need a glass of wine,” she stated, heading toward the kitchen. I could hear the clink of the glass as she pulled a bottle from the fridge. “You know what, I need two glasses. One for each hand.”
Savannah watched her, her gaze contemplative. “You know, I’ve never seen her so off-balance,” she murmured. “But I don’t think it was Rhiannon who affected her like this.”
I didn’t either. The sparks flying between Ava and Macgrath had been so strong they were nearly visible. I also noticed that Rhiannon didn’t like it much. In fact, she clearly despised Macgrath’s open flirtation with Ava.
Ava returned to the living room, three wineglasses clutched by their stems in one hand, a bottle of wine under one arm, and another gripped in her other hand. “Now, we need to discuss a few things,” she stated in a firm tone. She placed the wine bottles on the coffee table one by one, then set the glasses down and started filling them. When we didn’t move quickly enough, she glanced up at us. “Come take a glass of wine so we can discuss this.”
I shook my head. “None for me thanks.” I didn’t like the sweet wine that she and Savannah tended to drink.
“Then it’s a good thing the third glass is already for me,” she quipped.
Savannah chuckled, but there was tension in her voice. She moved over to the couch, settling on the cushions and taking the glass that Ava held out to her. I moved next to her, grunting as Satchel jumped from Savannah’s lap to mine, landing directly on my crotch.
“First of all,” Ava began, looking straight at Savannah, “Rhys will be staying with you from now until this situation is resolved.”
To my surprise, Savannah nodded. “That sounds like a good idea.”
Ava must have been surprised too because her eyes widened. “What?”
Savannah drank her wine. “Clearly Rhiannon’s comment about coming to visit me was a threat and it’s not as if Rhys isn’t over here most of the time anyway.”
Ava leaned back in the chair she settled in. “Well, that was easy.” She finished off her first glass of wine and reached for the second. “Now, on to the next thing. Rhys accidentally siphoned some emotions from you today after your reading, Savannah. It was an accident.”
I stared at her in shock and not a little anger. “Ava, I think maybe that’s something I should talk to Savannah about alone.”
Ava shook her head. “No, because you don’t understand what happened and I do.”
“How could I not understand what happened?” I asked her, my voice getting louder. “I fed from her! You and I both know it!” Savannah’s cool hand rested on my shoulder, calming me slightly. I realized suddenly that she was drawing negative energy from me in an effort to make me feel better. I took her hand and held it between mine. “Please don’t do that, Savannah.”
“Do what?” she asked, frowning at me in confusion.
“I can feel you taking my emotions into yourself. You were trying to calm me, which I appreciate, but it’s not necessary.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about, Rhys. I could tell by your behavior that you were upset and that was all.”
“Then why do I feel calmer?” I asked her.
“Because you care for her,” Ava interrupted. “That’s what I was trying to tell you earlier. You balance each other out. When Savannah is exposed to too many emotions and she’s going into overload, you’re able to take some of that weight from her. It provides you with nourishment and feeds you when you need it. You fit together.”
I glanced at Savannah and she shrugged at me as if she didn’t know what else to say.
“How is that possible, Ava?” Savannah asked. “There’s a difference between emotions and someone’s soul. How does that even work?”
“Emotions are part of the soul, Savannah,” Ava replied. “They’re all connected. You can’t have one without the other. You can’t always control the amount of emotions you take in, but he can act as your release valve.”
“Look, maybe we should talk about this another time,” I suggested. “We have larger concerns right now.”
Ava nodded, but she didn’t look happy. “We do, but we can’t call the witch in the U.K. until tomorrow morning. It’s probably close to the middle of the night there.”
I didn’t like it, but she was right. “Tomorrow.”
Ava stood. “Now, I need to go home and see if I can find a hex that will turn a vampire into a toad,” she stated.
“Are you okay to drive?” Savannah asked.
