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Henry was brought out of slumber when the sound of birds chirping glided into his ears…then, when the distinct sound of male voices pierced and made him sit up. Those voices didn’t belong to Martin or Gunther, the former who he ordered to take a few days off, and the bedroom he was in wasn’t his. He did a quick once-over, noting the organized mess and recognizing Pearl’s personality infused in her home.
Memories of last night blasted through his fuzzy head, each picture successively becoming racier until his morning erection became even harder. But the space beside him was empty and cold, signifying there had been no presence for a while. He pushed it off, debating between the door and the window, and decided he wasn’t a coward. Shoulders straight and head held high, he marched toward the door and slipped out, immediately locking eyes with the orange-haired witch in the kitchen. Beside her was her half-vampire mate, who spared him a baleful look before trudging toward the couch.
“You look like you had an eventful night,” Ruby said. But the comment lacked malice as the woman pointed at the kitchen counter, where several filled plates had already been lined up. “Juice and breakfast.”
The scent reached his nostrils and made his mouth water, but he gulped it in and cleared his throat. “I’m intruding.”
Ruby didn’t agree or disagree. While Pearl always had a playful, seductive aura surrounding her, her youngest sibling seemed to emit an aura of stillness that matched Maddox’s perfectly. “You’ll find that a few sips of the liquid and a bite of the food should fix whatever your body’s feeling.”
He was ready with his refusal, but his aching body and grumbling stomach protested for him. Reluctantly, he went to the kitchen counter and took his share. The first sip immediately made his fuzzy head clear and energized.
“Where’s mine?” Moon asked, stumbling out of another bedroom and staring blearily at the plate in Maddox’s hand. Then the younger man’s gaze shifted toward Henry and widened. “Oh, hello Henry. I didn’t know you were here. Why are you…oh.Oh.Okay. Breakfast, Ruby?”
Henry nodded in greeting, ignoring the awkwardness of Moon just finding out why Henry was here. He didn’t correct the first-name call, either, remembering how he had deliberately been friendly to Moon last night just so he could pilfer some information about Pearl’s so-called date. But their conversation took a turn and he found out that Moon wasn’t too bad, either, as the younger man had regaled him with stories of his pirate life adventures before the eventual settlement on Broom’s Isle.
“Here you go,” Ruby chirped, not missing a beat as she pointed at the remaining plate. That made it clear that they were the only ones here. Moon sat beside Henry, promptly devouring the food within seconds and letting out a loud, satisfying groan.
“I don’t know what spell you put in here, but it’s heaven on a plate.”
“If that’s your way of saying that I’m a terrible cook without my magic…you’re right.”
Henry ate in silence, listening to their banter and imagining Pearl blending in seamlessly. It was strange to find people behaving so casually around each other when he grew up in a household that encouraged formality above all else, and he knew he stuck out like a sore thumb in her home. But Moon was right. The food was amazing.
“More?” Ruby asked. Henry looked down, baffled to find his plate already empty. Her encouraging tone had him nodding and watching as she added more meat slices, then just watching her in general.
“I thought Mr. Hendricks had a house,” he said after a while. He glanced at the man in question, who was peering at him from the couch with eerie blue-black eyes.
“He does, but Moon over here got himself very drunk and howled when we wouldn’t bring him here.” Ruby grimaced. “When Moon howls like that, it’s better to just send him to our family cottage and get him some relaxing potions.”
Moon’s cheeks burst with red. “All you guys do is have sex, and it’s loud.”
Henry started before it registered that Moon was referring to Maddox and Ruby. Maddox gave a half-smile while Ruby blushed.
“Also, it’s not my fault Mrs. Newman keeps giving me drinks,” Moon continued.
Maddox’s half-smile faded. He and Ruby glanced at each other.
“That woman’s obsessed with you,” Ruby said. “And what she’s doing isn’t right.”
“Ruby,” Maddox said in mild warning. The glance switched to him, and it clicked that they were talking about Teresa Newman: the matriarch of a very wealthy family on Broom’s Isle, and a close friend of the Lyras. Something heavy started in his stomach and wouldn’t leave, snapping with the knowledge that Teresa could discredit whatever they accused her of with a flick of her fingers.
Ruby’s expression turned stony. “It’s true. And Pearl’s right. She’s old enough to be his grandmother, and yet…”
“I’ll deal with it.”
The serious air pricked at the sound of his voice. Three heads swiveled to gawk at him.
“What?”
“I meant that I will check what kind of drinks she’s giving Moon,” he clarified at Ruby’s query. “If there’s something mixed in them or not. If she’s giving it to other men. Or women. He’s a shifter. He should be able to hold his drinks better…”
Moon nodded in confirmation, then mumbled, “She wouldn’t take no for an answer. She said that I should be grateful for her welcome and it’s important to make friends.”
“I tried spells. None of them work to remove the alcohol from Moon’s system whenever the alcohol comes from her,” Ruby piped in. “If I get my hands on her in the act…”
“There’s no need for violence. As I said, I’ll handle it.”
“Right.”
