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“Mess? Oh, you’ve mistaken me for Yichen. He’s right—” Moon’s words were cut off when Zelda cupped Moon’s face with both hands and tilted it up to the light.
“I know what I’m doing, Moon.” She turned his face to the left and then the right, staring into his eyes before clicking her tongue twice. “Turned a blood witch into a vampire. What a shame!” She shifted her scrutiny to Chen and clicked her tongue a second time. “Do you have any idea how rare blood witches are? First, we lose Caroline and now her only child.”
“Now who’s acting like they were dropped on their head?” Rafe sniped from the small bar on the far side of the room as he mixed up Zelda’s drink.
Chen wrapped his arms around Moon from behind and pulled his mate in close. “Moon was dying. He chose to become a vampire. It was the only way to save him.”
“And who put him in the way of danger in the first place?” Zelda grumbled, her narrowed eyes landing right on Moon. “You had no business taking on the fae king. Definitely no business being in the thick of things without at least twenty years more of magic training.”
“I don’t regret it,” Moon snapped. He grabbed Chen’s arms, as if he were trying to sink deeper into Chen’s embrace. “Chen and his family needed my help. Nothing could have made me sit on the sidelines. Besides, I can still do magic. I’m still a blood witch.”
“You’re a mess, that’s what you are. All you’re doing when you cast spells now is tearing yourself apart.” Zelda held out her hands and waved her fingers at him, beckoning him. “Come on. Give me your hands. Let’s have a good look at things so we can see what can be fixed.”
Moon hesitated, glancing up at Chen, who pressed a kiss to his temple. It must have been the reassurance he needed, because Moon released Chen and put his hands in Zelda’s. The old witch inspected them for several seconds, pressing her thumbs into the dead centers of his palms and running them to his fingertips.
She released his hands with a heavy sigh and accepted the drink from Rafe, which she downed in one large gulp. “That hits the spot.” She returned the empty glass to Rafe with a nod of her head.
“Another?” Rafe inquired with a smirk.
“Gods, no. What do you think I am? Some lush?”
Rei held his breath, waiting for the vampire to smash the glass over her head, but Rafe restrained himself.
“Why don’t we all sit? Continue this conversation in comfort,” Philippe suggested, lifting his hand to his mouth to hide his smile.
Zelda nodded and pointed at Philippe. “See. Common sense. It must be exhausting keeping him in line.”
Philippe said nothing as he ushered their group over to a cluster of chairs and a large black leather couch. Zelda sighed loudly as she dropped onto the cushions. Rei selected one of the chairs, preferring to be apart from the group. Yichen surprised him by settling on the arm of the chair, his hand coming to rest on Rei’s shoulder. Everything about the position was aggressive, protective, and possessive all in one. It was all Rei could do to keep his body from naturally leaning toward him, cuddling him the same way Moon had with Chen.
“I don’t regret becoming a vampire,” Moon repeated when he sat next to Zelda on the sofa with Chen on his other side. “Even if I can’t do magic anymore.”
“Hold on to that thought,” Zelda murmured.
Moon’s shoulders slumped. “Really?” he whimpered. Chen appeared as if he were about to pull his mate into his lap to protect Moon from the witch’s cruel words.
“But Moon’s been able to cast spells just fine since he became a vampire,” Xiang argued from where he stood at the far side of the sofa, his arms folded over his chest.
“Has he?” Skepticism dripped from those two words and Zelda narrowed her eyes on Moon.
“No,” Moon whispered.
Zelda reached out and patted the top of his head. “Don’t look at me like that. I don’t mean to speak harshly, but you need to take this seriously before you destroy yourself.”
“What?” Chen gasped. At that, the vampire grabbed Moon and jerked him into his lap, wrapping him up tight as if trying to shield Moon with his own body.
The witch’s expression softened, a smile tugging up her lips. “Blood magic and vampire magic are not the same thing. They are close. Almost cousins. But not the same. Necromancy and vampire magic are much closer. You would have been better off being a necromancer and turning into a vampire.”
“Lovely. I’ll tell Sky he’s got a backup career as a vampire,” Moon muttered from the depths of his embrace.
Zelda made a dismissive sound. “Don’t you dare. The boy is finally on a good track with Nolan. If he can stay away from that demon king, he’ll be fine. The point is, blood magic is similar enough that you can still access it. Unfortunately, the two magics are tearing you apart. It takes a full century for vampire magic to settle in every cell of your body. While that magic is trying to take over and remake you, the blood magic you keep tapping is tearing you in the opposite direction. You’re creating a war within your body. When you use blood magic, you lose control, right?”
“Yes,” Chen answered when Moon remained silent.
“That’s the vampire magic fighting for control of both you and that magic you have access to. If you continue, bad things will happen. Not only to you, but potentially to anyone near you. That includes possibly killing your mate.”
“No!” Moon’s voice cracked. He twisted in Chen’s arms, holding him tight as he buried his face in his lover’s neck. “Never,” came out muffled.
“I don’t wish to scare you, but if it means you stop doing magic for your own good, so be it.”
