Page 80 of Magic and Muffins

My stomach churned at the thought, and I looked at Shepard.

“She wouldn’t record anything,” Shepard said. “It could be used against her as evidence of how fae use humans. Effora and her people are smart enough to hide what they do. But I’ll call Hugh about sending some agents to raid the house.”

“I want in on the raid,” Vena said.

Anchor and I said “No” at the same time.

“Where is your sense of adventure?” she asked him with a pout.

“We don’t need a relic,” he said. “Nothing needs to be rushed.”

“Says you. I have needs for some serious penetra?—”

Her phone sounded with her Orphia alarm, and I’d never been so grateful.

Cross pulled me to his side with a chuckle.

“How did you manage to live with her for so many years?” he asked me quietly as she looked at her phone.

“Lots of distractions,” I said. “And bribes.”

“And rules,” Vena said absently. “Guys, you’re not going to believe who commented on the mayor’s press conference.” She looked up at us. “Vivian, the cat lover. His user name is a little on point. There’s a linked video promising the truth about the real power struggle between werewolves and vampires.”

She grabbed the remote and mirrored her phone to the TV so we could all watch as she clicked the link.

Vivian’s face came on screen. His long black hair was pulled back, showing more of the black makeup he liked to wear. Even though he looked the same at first glance, he wasn’t. The crazed look in his dark eyes had an extra edge to it. He looked like a man pushed to his limit.

A shiver ran through me.

Cross’ hold on me tightened comfortingly as Vivian’s lip curled in a sneer.

“Orphia, the self-proclaimed leader of the vampires, wants you to believe she’s my kind’s champion and unsung hero. She’s not. She’s a power-hungry cunt, who has drunk an infant or two dry for an appetizer.

“Shepard, the Alpha-king of the werewolves, wants you to believe werewolves don’t have a mindless grudge against vampires. Oh, they do. It’s in their DNA. Literally. Werewolves were created by the fae to protect what the fae craved most—humans—from vampires who were slowly culling the number of their favorite meals.

“Wolves were made to kill vampires. Made to kill…us.” Vivian smiled, showing his fangs, and reached up to tug his hair free. In doing so, we all saw the blue ring he wore on his thumb.

Shepard growled, and I grabbed his hand, holding it in mine.

“Vampires kill humans. Fae feed off of human desires. And werewolves have to breed with humans to make more little baby werewolves.

“Do you see the problem? Otherworlders all want a piece of the humans. But these days, we vampires aren’t allowed to drain our victims dry as we want. We’re forced to fight over the scraps we’re allowed.

“And Orphia isn’t happy about that. But she has a plan.

“She intends to cleanse this world, sending all otherworlders back to the fae realm except for the vampires and the humans. All she needs are four little stones and one powerful relic. Once she has it, she will unleash a feeding frenzy to rival the last one the humans call the black plague.

“You think we’re not dangerous? Watch and learn the truth.”

He reached off-screen and pulled a young girl toward him. She didn’t utter a word as he roughly tipped her head and bit down hard.

I closed my eyes and buried my head in Cross’ neck, only hearing the wet noises as Vivian fed.

The TV clicked off, and the sound stopped.

“Holy shit…” Vena breathed.

Lifting my head, I looked at Cross. His concerned gaze met mine. I saw the worry he had for me and more.

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