Page 54 of All's Fair in Love and Magic

“My fiancé has my scent. My pack told him I was headed here, but he would be able to find me anywhere. The only way out of my bond is by finding my fated mate, which is why I’ve been flirting with everyone on the island,” Vera added.

“How long do you have left?” I asked.

Vera smiled humorlessly. “A few months. I’ll be visiting cities that are heavy on supernaturals before then, but I already told my mom to start planning my funeral. She wasn’t amused.”

“Fuck him,” Madison grumbled.

“Yeah. Fuck your fiancé too,” Vera agreed. “In a not-fun way.”

Madison slouched back in her seat. “That bastard can go straight to hell for all I care.”

Someone dropped our drinks off, and we all took sips.

“At least your situation isn’t as shitty,” Vera said, forcing herself to be upbeat as she looked at me. “And your mate can surf. That’s cool.”

I looked out at the ocean, and watched Liam catch a wave like a pro. Or whatever it was called.

“I’m sure yours can surf too,” Madison pointed out.

“You would hope.” Vera drained the rest of her glass and cleared her throat. “Alright, we need something less depressing to talk about. No more forced fiancés. Or mates. We can?—”

The single empty chair at our table was suddenly filled by a tall man.

I stiffened when I recognized him.

Cecil.

He dropped a bag of blood in front of me on the table.

I looked back at the ocean to see if Liam had noticed the intrusion, and realized a problem immediately.

Cecil was completely hidden by the pillar.

Liam wouldn’t have any clue that the vampire who hated me had joined us for lunch.

“Why is there a bag of blood on our table, mosquito?” Madison drawled.

“I’m just paying my debt. The resort’s fearless leader told me I owed his blood witch.” Cecil gestured toward the bag, leaning casually against the back of his chair.

“Which required coming here and doing this whole manspreading thing because…” Vera trailed off, waiting for him to finish.

“Because the phoenix’s blood witch needs me,” Cecil said simply.

“How do you figure that?” I asked, my eyes narrowed.

“We’ve all heard about the witch who was outside. I’m sure she’s still out there somewhere. We also know that the wards are now fixed, which means we have at least another century of security,” he said.

“So…” Madison prodded.

“So it’s in the best interest of everyone in the resort to get rid of Sage now. Before she and Liam seal their bond.”

Shit.

“How do you figure that?” Vera wondered.

“Without the sealed bond, Liam goes back to being his absent, uninterested self and consistently patrols the island. The resort remains his first priority. The witches don’t break down the wards. We?—”

“I get it,” I said flatly, cutting Cecil off. “What do you want?”

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