Page 34 of Bloodween

I put the actress side of me into overdrive.

“Wait, wait, wait—are you gonna tell me Dorian’s a werewolf too? Are y’all mates?”

“No,” she said quickly. “We’re kind of chosen. Well… I wanted us to choose each other.”

I had to keep laughing to mask the small ache I felt from the word chosen. Renna had wanted Dorian—Varek—to choose her. And all it took was for one night for him to mark me.

“Why are you laughing, Armisha?!” She slapped my knee. “I’m serious.”

“It’s the way you said it, ‘I’m a werewolf,’ all whispery—it was kinda funny.”

“You’re annoying.” She rolled her eyes and then squinted them, as if realizing she’d told me her secret all over again.

“Why aren’t you freaking out? This is not a joke.”

To prove her point, she lifted her chin—and her eyes flared that pretty shade of gold as her mouth opened, showing off her deadly teeth.

“I told you, I know that. But since we’re sharing secrets…” I let my magic rise, my freshly blood-red eyes on display. I saw them glowing in the mirror behind her and got giddy inside.

I was really a Bloodborn.

All thanks to the werewolf in front of me…kinda, sorta.

Her eyes widened.

“Oh my God,” she whispered as if we weren’t the only ones in my apartment. “You’re one of those Crimson Witches.”

This was me and Dorian in the cabin all over again. But her reaction wasn’t fear—it was excitement.

“Oh my God,” she screamed, grinning. “This can’t be real life! There’s no way my best friend’s a witch!”

We both laughed—that shaky, relieved laugh that fills the room when something unbelievable suddenly feels too real.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” she asked.

“Same reason you didn’t tell me.”

She huffed. “Damn, if I knew you were a witch, I would’ve had you cast a spell on his cheating ass.”

“And I would’ve,” I stated matter-of-factly. “Because that’s what friends are for.”

That got another deep laugh out of us both.

“This honestly gives me so much relief. I’ve wanted to tell you, but we have such strict rules around that—like y’all do. I had to be sure. But I trust that you’ll keep my secret, like I will yours.”

“Of course,” I said easily. We hugged and talked a little more about what it was like being supernatural. I had to admit, it felt nice talking to her about it.

Except for that one little part about me almost killing her.

“By the way,” I said, bringing the conversation back around to make sure we closed up loose ends. “I know all this stuff with Dorian is a lot. I’ll do my part to help you get through it. When he shows back up, we’ll tell him to piss off. If he can’t control his urges, you deserve better—someone who chooses you.”

“You’re right.” She smiled. It reached her eyes enough for me not to have to release the memory-erasing dust that had been swirling around in my pocket.

The unwritten rule of Bloodween: never underestimate a werewolf.

So I’d been prepared for the worst—but for now, I think she was going to be okay. In due time, she’d think he left town and ran off.

And if she or anyone else became a threat, my coven would do what needed to be done to erase him from memory.