Page 95 of Magic and Muffins

“You love her?” Craig said. “I thought she was your employee.”

Shepard winced.

“Shewasan employee,” Shepard said. “From the moment Everly walked into Blur and applied for a job, I knew she was the one. I never said or did anything, though. I’m a werewolf, and she’s a human. The chances of her being interested in a life with me were really low.”

“Low?” Craig questioned, looking surprised. “I think there are someTheOther Housefans out there who would beg to differ. But since Everly is sitting here, I assume she beat those low odds.

“Are you two together?” Craig looked at me for confirmation.

All I could do was nod. It was the truth, and hiding it would hurt Shepard. I couldn’t do that to him.

Craig looked as if my nod was the most intriguing thing he had ever seen.

“Then what about Cross? I feel there is a bit of a romance blooming there. He was pretty poetic a few moments ago.”

If I couldn’t hide my relationship with Shepard, then I couldn’t deny Cross either. I loved them equally. They were my life. My future.

“I love Cross. And I love Shepard.” I braced myself for disgust. Few people understood polygamous relationships. Even I was still trying to figure it out.

“Then do Cross and Shepard love each other? Is this the first werewolf and vampire mating?”

“No,” I answered before either of them could. Shepard would probably growl his answer, and Cross would make a humorous comment that wouldn’t clear the confusion. “They love me. I love them. But Cross and Shepard are friends, working together to help rid the city of vampires.”

“Although I’d love to delve into your relationship a little more, I’m really curious why the two of you are working together to help rid the city of vampires.” He looked to Cross. “You’re a vampire. Why would you want them gone?”

“There is a lot of misinformation out there. I could say vampires are all bad, but I’m proof there are exceptions to the rule. The problem is that any vampire can tell you they are exceptions as well. They can thrall or compel you to believe whatever they want.”

“I’ve heard about that. How would a person know if they were compelled or thralled?”

“They wouldn’t,” Cross said. “But the people around them might if they start acting out of character.”

“I’ve been compelled twice,” I said. “Both times, it felt like my thoughts were my own.”

“Cross compelled you?” Craig asked.

“Once. To help me sleep after a different vampire compelled me.”

“Would you like a demonstration?” Cross asked before Craig could ask more questions.

“Is it safe?” Craig asked.

“No,” I said. “Being compelled or thralled by a vampire is never safe. That’s what people need to understand.”

“Yet you allowed Cross to compel you.”

“Because Everly knows I would never hurt her,” Cross said. “Plus, compelling is merely a suggestion that doesn’t go against who you are. How long it lasts and how far it can press against the boundaries of who you are depends on the vampire’s strength and the human’s willpower.

“Now, thralling is different. It’s more than a suggestion and requires a vampire to feed from the person. Once that connection is made, a vampire can turn you into their puppet, forcing you to act as the vampire pleases, whether you like it or not. The thrall lasts until you die, the vampire dies, or a stronger vampire takes over the thrall.”

Craig’s attentive expression never faltered, but I knew he was nervous when his gaze briefly shifted to the camera crew. The producer was frantically motioning to Craig, and I almost felt bad for the news anchor when he looked at Cross.

“How would you demonstrate it? Compelling, not thralling,” he said quickly.

“By having you do something simple. Something that doesn’t go against who you are, but something you wouldn’t normally do without a nudge.”

Craig looked at the camera. “I can’t believe I’m about to do this.” He turned to Cross. “What will you make me do?”

“If I told you beforehand, the audience wouldn’t know if I compelled you or if it was an act.”

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