‘Devi,I need you. I know you’re the healer. I know it! If Emma dies, I die too! Iwon’t help you kill Layla. So you need to help me now. Please!’The second I thought it, mist poured from myhands, saturating Emma’s body. I was brought to my knees panting as my skin tingledlike my blood was filled with carbonation. Black spots danced across my visionand I felt faint. Suddenly, Emma gasped, taking in a huge gulp of air andthat’s when I passed out.
*
“Herhair!” I heard Diya’s voice.
Myeyelids flew open and I groaned.
Emmawas sitting up in a chair, nursing the baby, and I lay on the couch in theliving room. Kai was hovering over me with yellow eyes.
“Stillwith us?” he ground out.
Ihad a raging headache and felt hungover. “Yeah,” I croaked.
“Herhair,” Diya said again with fascination.
Kaieyed my hair and shook his head in disbelief.
“What?”I touched my hair.
Diyahanded me a mirror and I gasped. A black chunk of hair streaked my bangs as Ilooked at Kai in shock. He was pissed and I could only shrug.
“Witches,”Kai mumbled.
Emmacleared her throat.
Isat up quickly and grabbed my head again. Kai put a strong hand under my elbowand helped me walk over to Emma who had finished feeding and was now gazing ather daughter.
Squeezingmy hand, Emma looked at my hair with fear. “Thank you,” she told me.
Inodded. “What’s her name? Can we repaint the nursery pink now?” I asked andeveryone laughed.
Emmalooked down at the baby. “Avery. Devon wanted that name if it was a girl.”
Inodded. “Avery.”
*
Kaimade me shift to my werewolf form and fed me raw steaks. My vegetarian sidewould be repulsed, but I let my wolf come to the surface and I knew I neededthe steaks to replenish the blood I gave Emma. That was a scary thought. IgaveEmma my blood. Somehow, magically. Now I had this black chunk of hair thatwasn’t going away.
Emmawas asleep and Diya was watching baby Avery. We had all decided to take shiftsto help her out. Alek and the kid, Jeremy, had spent last night in the basement;Jeremy in a cage, Alek on a couch. Layla was hell-bent on kidnapping femalewerewolves to use as baby incubators, and my best friend almost died duringlabor. It was officially the longest day ever. The second my head hit thepillow, I was out.
Permanent
Thenext day I awoke in excitement. Last month, Sylvia and the coven had formallyinvited me to an exclusive event called the witches’ ball. It was a black tie,witches only, ball where you could mingle with all of the witch covens, buyrare and precious magical items, get psychic readings, and God knows what else.Even with everything else going on, I was so stoked! Kai? Not so much.
Irolled over and let my gaze roam over my mate, moaning lightly. Serious eyecandy. He was lying on his back, one arm behind his head, shirtless. I musthave done something really good in a past life to deserve to sleep next to thisgorgeous man every night.
Suddenly,he popped one eye open, a yellow eye. His wolf came to the surface for tworeasons: when he detected danger, or when he detected sex.
Iran my fingers along his chest down to the V-shape of his lower abdominalmuscles.
“Goodmorning,” I purred. “I thought you were sleeping.”
Herolled over and quirked one eyebrow. “I was until your naughty thoughtsfiltered through the bond.”
Ilaughed and then crawled on top of him. “The witches’ ball is tonight. I am soexcited!” I told him, leaning in for a kiss.
Hegroaned and pulled me off, sitting up quickly, eyes suddenly brown. “Tonight?Wait, I thought it was next week. You’re not seriously going after hearingabout Layla wanting to capture female werewolves, right?”
