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She regards the Celt with disdain and a hint of disgust, but after a moment, with a mere flick of her wrist, the warding spell drops.
Rune and Fintan are immediately at Josephine’s side, fussing over her like nothing else matters.
Perhaps that’s why neither of them seems unsettled by the Moon Witches’ leader—they are blinded by the power the unity bond holds over them.
I watch from a distance, keeping my focus on the leader as she ushers her young niece to a seat farther away from the two dangerous vampires.
How I managed to get roped into witch business is beyond me. I am the Vampire King of the French Quarter, for Christ’s sake.
Stupid unity bond.
Josephine Dumont will be the end of me, I know it.
CHAPTER TWO
FINN
I’m at Josie’s side the moment the barrier keeping us out of the Moon Witch’s cabin is dropped. “Are ye hurt? When the dust settled in the battle and we found ye gone, I lost my mind.”
“I’m fine.” Touching her as I am, my ability to sense others’ emotions, tells me there is more that she’s upset about, but also that she doesn’t want to talk about it here.
I exhale. “We’ll get you home soon.”
Rune is kneeling on the other side of her chair, pressing her hand to his lips and murmuring in Old Norse.
My sire’s worry started seeping into me the moment we discovered Josie missing at the mausoleum. His anxieties compounding my own and gripping me from the inside.
The chaos of those feelings eases when he makes physical contact, reassuring both of us that she really is okay. It also sends a pulse of relief through the four-way unity bond we share.
“And even better now that you’re here.” Josie shifts in her seat, sure to include Rune in the sentiment. I swear her gaze even flicks to Sebastian, if only for the briefest of moments.
“What about you?” Gentle fingers brush against the stubble of my jaw. “The last thing I remember is you being trapped in Adelaide’s poison-barbed vines. When I woke here, I felt you faintly through the unity bond, but not knowing what happened was…” She trails off, dark eyes shining, and I realize how scared she had been.
“We’re all right now, cher,” Rune promises.
Looking at her now, it’s clear Josie’s captors healed and cleaned her since the Dumont crypt. During the battle against Adelaide, she’d been bruised, battered, and bloody.
Now, her wounds are wrapped and healing beneath a herbal, minty-smelling ointment.
Her treatment—no matter how much I appreciate it—makes no sense.
A kidnapper wouldn’t clean up their prisoner, give them a change of clothes, and invite them to sit down for a cup of tea.
Alarm bells are ringing loudly in my head now that the worry for Josie isn’t clouding my thoughts.
If the Moon Witches didn’t spirit her away to harm her, then why? What use do the Moon Witches have with my Unity Witch? And why are there so many of them gathered in one place?
Perhaps they knew her vampire mates would come to save their Sun Witch. Did they steal Josie to lure us in? Have I led the three of us straight into a trap?
“Boys, I’m fine.” True to her word, I sense only fatigue from Josie when I prod at her mind. She waves away mine and Rune’s concern when we don’t stop fussing. “Honestly, out of the three supernatural races that have kidnapped me, the Moon Witches take the gold for hospitality and accommodations.”
“Ouch, babe.” Rune feigns being hurt and presses a hand over his heart. “At least tell us we came in second and secured the silver.”
Josie chuckles. “Yes, you guys win the silver medal for sure.”
Rune pumps his fist in the air for our victory. “Fucking right we do.”
Both of their moods have lifted significantly. It seems being near one another is enough to set their world right again. Rune and Josephine are good for one another and the realization squeezes my heart like a vise.
