Page 16 of Bonded Through Bite

And Santiago will help.

I park the car and get out. This part of the city is full of little cafés, small shops, street artists, and anything crafty. Black Cat stands out amidst all the colors and I head over, not caring that my car is in a restricted zone. This won’t take long.

A little bell announces my entrance to the shop and Thea looks up from the counter. Her expression is tight and her fingertips are an even deeper purple.

“To what do I owe this displeasure?” she asks, crossing her arms defensively.

“We need to discuss some ground rules,” I reply.

She snorts. “Good one.”

“I’m not kidding, witch. I won’t allow this”—I wave a hand between us—“to make things harder for Samantha.”

“You might be high on the pecking order, Mr. Moretti, but you don’t dictate what I do.” She squares her shoulders and I sense weight behind her words. It intrigues me. I assumed that she was a hedge witch, but I might have been wrong.

Narrowing my eyes, I take her in more closely as I walk over. Outwardly, nothing about her has changed, but the weight of her presence is different now. Did she conceal herself at my club?

A snarl threatens to break free. It’s my territory and I’ve drained witches for smaller infractions. Thea raises an eyebrow at me, not backing up an inch, and I rein in my irritation.

The club is my territory. This shop is hers. And I came here to make sure we could play along nicely for Samantha’s sake. Keeping that thought at the forefront of my mind, I force my tone to be calm.

“I’m not telling you what to do. I’m saying we need to find a way to coexist.”

“But—”

“Whatever Samantha is going through, she needs our support, not us bickering and trying to poison each other.”

Thea’s arms relax, and she slumps down on a chair. Her hostile expression morphs into resignation. “She didn’t tell you.”

“Tell me what?”

She shakes her head. “If she didn’t, I won’t either.” It looks like she comes to a decision and meets my gaze head-on. Brazen show of force, showing that she’s not worried about me compelling her. “Come back when you have an inkling of what the fuck you are talking about and then we’ll talk.” Something flashes in her eyes and she rubs her temples. “It won’t work if she doesn’t tell you…” she mumbles and blinks, her vision clearing.

“What are you talking about?” I snarl.

“Nothing. Get out of my shop, vampire. You are no longer welcome here.”

Her banishment is gentle but strong. I find myself moving toward the door before I can blink. Just when I reach the door, she throws something at me and I catch the little pouch.

“You’ll need that. Don’t let the door hit you on your way out,” she says.

I don’t bother fighting her and stride to my car while I look inside the pouch. It holds a key.

What the fuck is that witch up to?

Chapter Six

Samantha

My stomach growling wakes me up. I’m curled against Rafael’s chest, and blearily, I rub at my eyes. Then my brain registers that Rafael is in my bed. A shriek escapes me and I jerk away.

“Shh, darling. Everything is all right.” He runs a hand over my back soothingly. He’s still wearing the same clothes as earlier, but his hair is way more mussed up and there’s a bit of drool on his shirt.

“How the hell did you get in here?” I snap and rub at my eyes again, making sure that I’m not dreaming.

“I got a key,” he replies.

“Uh-huh.” I huff and climb out of the bed, too frazzled to dig deeper into that statement. Or into the fact that I don’t absolutely hate his high-handed ways. Hunger gnaws at my insides, and visions of triple cheeseburgers and pizza float around my head.