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“No, you may not. You’re dismissed as well,” Kit interrupted as she opened the deli meat and cheese containers. “Pack your things and don’t come back.”
The butler’s mouth dropped open comically. I was sure that was the last thing he expected to hear, and I hid a grin behind my hand. I didn’t care if he saw, but I was still practicing my etiquette. Baby steps.
Such a shame Shirley didn’t get to witness this moment.
“This is outrageous!” he declared.
As Walter continued to splutter and protest, Kit opened a drawer and took out a knife, dipping it into the mayo and spreading it on two slices of bread. Her calm yet firm demeanor showed no signs of cracking.
“If you have any desire for a positive reference letter, I suggest you take your leave,” she said when he stopped to take a breath. She pointed the knife toward the door. “Now.”
The older man narrowed his eyes at my friend, and I gripped the hilt of one of my knives. He didn’t strike me as an especially dangerous threat, but one could never be too careful.
“The covens will hear of this,” he warned.
She looked up at him, her gaze emotionless yet electrifying the air with tension. “Yes, they will.”
Walter wised up and showed himself out, though not without muttering the entire way.
“Yeesh,” I said as I took a seat on a stool. “Talk about a stage one clinger.”
Thane grinned at Kit as he took the stool beside me. “You just made someone’s day and ruined another in less than five minutes. That a new record?”
Her lip twitched upward as she laid slices of turkey and cheese on the bread. She closed the sandwich and pushed the plate toward Angela, who smiled gratefully. “That’s me: maker and breaker of worlds. Must be my new specialty.”
Despite her fragile appearance, Angela wasted no time scarfing down the sandwich like a footballer after an intense match.
“So, you going to tell us what the hell happened?” I leaned my elbows on the island counter as Kit set to work on more sandwiches.
“There’s not much to tell.” She shrugged as she spread mayo across the bread slices. “Octavia welcomed us like we were actual guests. I was cautious at first and ready to leave right after saying the thanks you promised her.” She glanced up from her work to give me a pointed look.
I waved a hand dismissively. “Hindsight.”
She snorted and pointed the knife at me. No wonder Walter had stopped arguing—she was terrifying while wielding a butter knife. “I warned you before meeting with her. That’s not hindsight.”
“Honestly, I still can’t believe Octavia turned on us like that,” Angela said, taking a break from her sandwich to chime in before I could argue again. “I know you told me not to trust her, but she was so… nice.”
Her eyes filled with tears and her chin trembled, but she held her head high as she took another bite of her sandwich.
Pressing her lips into a thin line, Kit laid turkey and cheese slices onto the bread.
I would’ve called Angela naïve, except I’d almost fallen for the woman’s charms, too. And then I’d sworn a blood oath.
To be fair, I hadn’t agreed to swear a blood oath. Octavia had sprung it on me when we shook hands, jabbing me with something she’d hidden in her palm.
“Anyway, she wanted to show me the greenhouse,” Angela continued after swallowing her food. “Kit was taking a shower, and I didn’t think much of it.” She bit her lip and dropped her gaze, picking at the bread’s crust. “Shirley was there. Before I knew what was happening, she was on me, feeding.”
She closed her eyes and shuddered.
While a vampire had never bitten me—outside of my nightmares—I imagined the sensation was unpleasant. A vampire as old as Shirley, who was at least a century out of the grave looking as human as she did, would have an arousing bite. A quick jab followed by pure ecstasy, which must be wildly confusing.
I had no intention of ever learning what that felt like, but damn if it didn’t pique my curiosity.
“I found them like that. Octavia had forced Shirley to attack Angela, to show me how fragile my human mate is.” Kit’s upper lip curled in disgust as she plated the finished sandwiches and slid them toward Thane and me. “By that point, I realized she’d been slowly wrapping her magic around me until she had a strong enough hold that I couldn’t resist.”
Well, now I knew what they weren’t blaming Shirley for. I never thought I’d see the day I sympathized with a vampire.
Kit’s gaze lifted to meet mine. So much emotion flickered through her eyes—anger, sadness, guilt—it made my breath hitch. “You saw what came next.”
