Page 80 of The Human’s Heart

My uncle smiled at him. “It’s perfectly safe. You have to remember that Zay isn’t a human. He’s not as fragile as all of that, and this potion has been used for centuries and then perfected even further by Delaro. Thayer takes it—he has been for decades—and so does anyone in our coven who has a vampire mate or regularly feeds a vampire. Del even sells it in his store now, so there are others using it as well.”

Hugo nodded, and I asked, “Does it taste bad?”

Uncle Thay answered as he walked into the room, carrying two plates of food. “No, it kinda tastes like fruit juice or something, I dunno. Del did something to make it taste good.” He shrugged and passed me a plate. “It’s a breakfast casserole even though it’s dinnertime.”

“Mm. It’s perfect and smells delicious. Thank you.”

“No problem, kiddo.”

Because of Hugo’s bond with Uncle Toby, Uncle Thay and I had been spending a ton of time together. It was actually really nice because he was kind of hilarious, especially when he told stories about all the trouble he and Uncle Bas caused as kids. I had no idea how my grandfathers put up with the two of them. And with Uncle Jorah. He was nearly as bad as the two of them, it seemed, and the three of them had that Power Of Three bond going on, so I was sure they’d driven Granddad and Grandpa nutty.

Uncle Toby said, “Del’s bringing you some when he gets home from the store tonight, so… in a few hours, probably. Will you be here tonight?”

Since my mouth was full of deliciousness, I turned to Hugo and lifted a brow in question. He grinned at me and nodded, then said, “Yeah, we’ll be here tonight. Should he start taking it right away?”

“Definitely. Start tonight and take a dose every single night, okay?”

I nodded.

“Great.”

“Actually,” Hugo said. “Toby, do you think we could try going through the portal to our other house? Like just Zay and me?”

He stared at my viramore for a long time. “Are you sure you feel ready?”

“Yes, but I’m nervous, and I only want to go for like an hour or something.”

Uncle Toby nodded. “Alright. After Del brings you the potion, and Zay takes it, we can meet at the big house. I’ll stay there while you two go through the portal. That way, I’m right there when you come back through. I have a feeling you might need me when you get back.”

“I think so too.”

Uncle Toby reached over and gave Hugo a quick side-hug, and my viramore leaned into him.

I was used to it now, and I didn’t get jealous. I knew he wasn’t a threat in any way. He was more like a father figure than anything else to my Hugo. He was our family.

They stayed for a while longer, and the four of us chatted until they left to talk to Uncle Bas about some kind of BCA business. I didn’t ask for details because I didn’t want to know or be involved in any of that.

After they left, Hugo and I cuddled on the couch and watched some TV. Since my other uncle would be here soon, we didn’t want to start anything even though I was dying for him to drink from me again.

I could tell he was hungry too, so I said, “Do you want to drink from me?”

“What? No. Absolutely not.”

I jerked at the vehemence in his voice. “Why not? Did you not like it?”

He actually rolled his eyes at me and pushed my chest. “You’re ridiculous. Like you couldn’t tell how much I liked it. No, baby, I’m not drinking from you until you’ve taken some of this potion. And actually, Uncle Toby told me to wait twenty-four hours after your first dose to give your body time to adjust.”

“What? You can’t feed from me tonight?” I was beyond disappointed, and Hugo must’ve sensed it because he chuckled and patted my chest.

“Not until tomorrow.”

“But you’re hungry.”

He shrugged and nodded. “A little. He let me drink from him before you woke up, but I wasn’t that hungry then, so he left me some vials of his blood in the fridge. I’ll drink them in a bit.”

“You could drink them now.”

He sent me a small smile and snuggled in closer. “I’m perfectly happy right where I am.”