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“We both take after our fathers, I suppose,” I tell him.

I flatten my hands on the table over Amari’s lines while my dragon paces. It’s the question I’ve been chewing on since my cabin build started stalling. “I just don’t understand how I can win,” I admit. “Win over Levi, I mean. He’s still really hurt about the past, about the Great War and what the dragons did to his pack. How am I supposed to get past that when I’m the very thing he blames for destroying his family?”

“What about that therapist Nicole at Medina Shadow?” Ocran asks. “Levi and the pack, hell, all of Wintermoon says she’s wise beyond her years. If you can get past the vampire stuff, which I’m sure you can since you talk to Amari all the time, maybe she can give you some advice on how to approach him.”

My dragon quits pacing to listen. If Levi trusts her, she might be the only person who can tell me where to start. “That’s not a bad idea.”

Ocran puts a hand on my shoulder. “And there’s Uncle Amir,” he adds. “He was around during the Great War. His wisdom could help bridge the gap of the forgiveness Levi is struggling with. If anyone understands what it takes to move past old wounds, it’s him.”

I should have thought of going to the king myself. Ocran squeezes hard before he steps away.

“I think everything is going to work out,” he tells me. “After all, Levi can’t keep rejecting you forever. Mother Fate won’t allow it. The mate bond will take over between you and Aya soon, and hell, I thought it almost did back there.”

I smirk. “And what will Levi do then? Disown his daughter and grandbaby? Oh hell no, House of Zorah wouldn’t allow that. And King Amir would have a fit.”

Ocran chuckles and reaches for the door handle. “I gotta go. Pack business at home.”

I don’t move from the table. “I know. Aya told me.”

He sobers and pulls the door open. “I hope things work out soon, brother. I really want to see my cousin happy. She’s always struggling with her wolf, fighting against the mate bond, and I hate watching her do that to herself.”

My dragon whines. He’s felt her back away from us for years with nothing to do about it but wait.

Ocran steps out onto the porch and turns around. “Whatever you do, don’t listen to Uncle Jo’s advice.”

I burst out laughing. That’s the funniest shit I’ve heard in a while and the truest. Josiah loves Layla more than anything, but every piece of advice he’s ever given me has blown up in my face.

Ocran shudders. I know exactly which stunt he’s thinking about. I was there too, back when we were students and stupid enough to ask Crazy Jo for help.

“Remember when he told us to handle those bullies by setting their dorm room on fire while they slept?” Ocran shakes his head. “He said the key was to make sure the fire was small enough that they’d wake up before any real damage was done, but large enough to scare them into leaving us alone.”

I’m cracking up. “We almost burned down the entire dormitory wing. Angie was so pissed she made us scrub the cafeteria floors for a month.”

“It worked, though,” he admits. “Those assholes never bothered us again.”

My dragon still thinks it was a great plan. “Because they were terrified we’d actually kill them next time.”

“Which, to be fair, was exactly what Uncle Jo suggested if the fire didn’t work,” Ocran reminds me.

I sit on the edge of the table. “Uncle Jo is certifiably insane.”

Ocran squints. “Don’t you think there’s some truth to his madness, though? I mean, he’s survived this long, and he’s actually kind of brilliant when he’s not setting things on fire or threatening to dismember people.”

I rub the back of my neck. “I don’t know. Maybe you’re right. He’s just Wintermoon’s crazy uncle, the way I see it.”

Ocran laughs with me. This island really is one big family now, vampire warlock included. Jo spent years training under Angie and Carla to rein in his magic. Back then, running into him on campus usually ended in detention or worse. He and Layla are steadier these days, but most people still steer clear of them. His advice will get you killed, though. When I win Levi over, I’m doing it without Uncle Jo’s help.

“I’ll stop by tomorrow,” Ocran says with a wave. “Before your date night with Aya.”

I flip him off as he disappears into the trees. With Ocran gone, there’s nothing in the cabin to keep my mind off Aya’s mouth on mine.

I close the door and lean back against it. Her scent is still on my shirt. I drag my collar up over my nose and breathe her in. Every time I think about the sound she made when I kissed her, my dick throbs behind my zipper. My dragon shoves at me to go get our mate.

I pace the main room for four hours. I’m no better off than when Ocran left. My skin’s too hot. Every lap ends with me reaching for the knob.

I stop at the window. The path to House of Zorah runs off through the community lands to Aya’s cabin. If the bond is telling the truth, she’s awake in her bed over there thinking about me too. It pulls tight in my chest, and I want to follow it straight to her. I grab the frame instead.

I shouldn’t go. We agreed on tomorrow, and showing up uninvited would wreck what little peace I’m building with her family. My dragon doesn’t give a damn. When I tell him no, smoke streams out of my nostrils and my back burns. He’s already pushing to the surface.