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I step forward and plant a kiss on her cheek. “Layla. Always a pleasure to see you.”
She waves me off. “You don’t mean that. I mean, everyone at the spa kind of hates me.” She scrunches up her face. “Except for Nicole and Amari.”
She’s not wrong. I love her all the same.
“What brings you here?” Ezra asks.
Josiah checks with Layla. She bounces on her toes until her papers rattle.
“Love is a peculiar fire,” Josiah says. “It burns brightest when shared, and chaos is merely the kindling that keeps the flames alive. Family dynamics are the wind that feeds or starves the blaze. Embrace the chaos. Let it forge something stronger.”
Ocran nods along. I know for a fact he didn’t understand a word of that.
It has to be a quote from the book he passed down to Layla. She usually carries it everywhere. Tonight she’s got her papers instead.
“Well, that seems to work for us,” I say. “Is that from your healthy habits book, Uncle Jo?”
He leaves it to Layla again. She’s about ready to explode with her scent gone all sweet and fizzy.
“Josiah is writing his own healthy habits book!” She beams at us with her fangs peeking out. “My sexy man is going to be a published author!”
Josiah tugs at his collar. “Well,” he says, “since I ate the original publisher for taking too long…”
Ezra, Seth, and I deadpan. Ocran’s jaw is actually hanging open. That did not just come out of Uncle Jo’s mouth so casually.
Josiah gets all bashful on us and scuffs his shoe through the grass. “I think it’s only fitting that I write volume eight. We were supposed to get a rewrite of volume seven, but, well…”
Layla giggles when he messes with his belt buckle. They’re two peas in a pod and absolute fucking nutcases, but I still love them.
“It’s gonna be a bestseller, Jo!” she crows. “I can just see it now!”
She shoves a flyer at each of us. Mine is glossy and still smells like fresh ink. Sure enough, his debut is up for presale. The cover is professional as hell, with Josiah’s silhouette against a moonlit backdrop. The title in bold gold letters reads Healthy Habits Volume 8: A Vampire’s Guide to Eternal Peace.
They’re cute together, I can’t lie. Layla’s cradling the extras like a newborn.
Of course that’s when I remember and blurt it out. “Is this what Uncle Amir was going on about?”
Layla snaps her mouth shut, and Josiah clears his throat. Whoops, I should’ve kept that one to myself. I hurry back over to Ezra and try to disappear into his side. He tucks me under his arm. The jerk is shaking with silent laughter.
She rounds on Josiah. “Is this why you wanted to come with me tonight during my village visits?” She jabs the stack at him. “You were making sure I stayed in check?”
He sputters. She flashes her fangs and hisses. My wolf jerks awake, huffs at Layla’s scent, and goes back to sleep.
“For the record,” she says with her chin in the air, “I didn’t bite anyone.” Her innocent face doesn’t fool any of us. “I only threatened to bite if they didn’t buy your book on release day.” She shrugs. In her world, that’s perfectly reasonable. “Release weeks are very important. I want you on the charts.” She spins toward us. “And you all are going to support my man, right?”
When we don’t answer fast enough, she cranks it up. “RIGHT?”
“Yes, absolutely!” Ocran yelps.
“Bestseller, Jo!” Seth hollers.
“It’s gonna be a bestseller!”
Layla preens while we trip over ourselves agreeing. “See?” She swings back to Josiah. “The young ones are a lot more accepting than those stuck-in-the-mud cursed ones.”
“Those stuck-in-the-mud cursed ones are our parents, Aunt Layla,” Seth mutters, and she bats her lashes at him.
Josiah quits joking and turns my way. “It’s good to see that you’re recovering well. Love will do that. Heal you in all the ways you didn’t think you could be healed.”
