Page 63 of The Human’s Heart

I had to bite my cheek to stop the protest that wanted to fall from my lips.

Hugo made a face, then tentatively did a quick, small lick over his new sire’s wound.

“Good. That’s how you seal a wound after you feed.” He paused. “Technically, you can use it for any wound, but it won’t heal something gigantic on a human in time before they bleed out. But for small cuts and scrapes, you can use your saliva.”

Hugo hummed while I sat there picturing him walking around licking people. It made me want to growl some more.

Hugo let out a small chuckle and murmured, “I’m not gonna go around licking random people, Zay.”

That made my uncle smirk, and I huffed and kissed Hugo’s cheek, asking, “Do you feel better now?”

“So much better. My chest still hurts.”

Uncle Toby said, “Yeah, that was a… really bad wound. You had a hole in your heart, so it’s going to take a while to fully heal. Now that your transition’s complete, you should be fully healed in a couple of hours.”

“Mm. Good. I’m really tired. I… I think I need to sleep now.”

I looked at Uncle Toby, and he gave an encouraging nod, so I said, “Go to sleep. We’ll keep you safe.”

Hugo hummed again and turned into me, snuggling into my chest. I gathered him in my arms carefully, buried my nose in his hair, breathed him in, and closed my eyes.

Now that he was back, now that I knew he was truly okay, holding him was the only thing that mattered. And maybe… maybe I could get a little sleep too.

“I’ll protect you both,” Uncle Toby said. “We’re safe here.”

And I knew it was true. Not only was he my family and someone I trusted with my and my viramore’s life, we were also on coven land. It smelled like safety here. It smelled like home.

And I knew I had about a billion family members guarding us all over the grounds too, including some of the most powerful supernaturals in the entire world.

We really, truly were safe.

I cuddled Hugo closer, and for the first time since Hugo had been hurt—since Phia had died, really—I let myself relax.

Chapter 20

Hugo

When I woke up the second time, I was just as hungry as I’d been the first time. My stomach ached with the need to fill it, and my gums burned with need.

I groaned as I woke, and I heard Zaos ask, “What’s wrong?”

He’d been asleep, but the second I moved and moaned, my man was awake and hovering. I opened my eyes to stare up at him, and the poor guy looked absolutely exhausted.

“Oh, Zay.” I reached up and cupped his cheek. “It’s gonna be okay, baby.”

He sent me a soft but concerned smile, then turned his head to kiss my palm. “What do you need right now, mezelie?”

“I’m hungry.”

Zay’s uncle’s voice came from behind me. “That’s a good thing. Let me show you how to use your fangs properly so you don’t wind up hurting anyone.”

That definitely sounded like a fine plan to me, so I pulled out of Zay’s arms and moved into a seated position. I expected pain, but to my utter surprise, I didn’t feel any. At all.

“Wow. It’s… my chest feels fine now.”

Zay asked, “Really?”

I nodded. “Yeah, I’m good as new. Can’t feel it at all.”