Page 21 of Sweet Inferno

I grunted and brushed a hand over my head. “Can’t do that?”

“Why not?”

“I have not a gotdamn clue, which is why I was trying to figure some shit out about her. The minute her blood hit my tongue, something changed. I’m fucking obsessed and it makes no sense.”

“That’s your mate?” A line appeared between his brows.

“Nah, I don’t think it’s that, but it’s something. Her veins were glowing like ours.”

“She’s a fire witch; it makes sense.”

I shook my head. “Nah, it doesn’t. Not according to what I found.” I pointed to my laptop. “That’s not how things work for them and it didn’t happen until I fed from her. It was both of us. Some crazy ass shit. That has never happened before.”

“So what you saying?”

“I don’t know what the hell I’m saying other than there’s something with us and I need to know.”

His tone got dark and his mood shifted. “You worried.”

“No, it’s nothing like that.”

I didn’t know that for sure but part of me felt safe with Uri, even with the darkness I tasted in her blood. She wasn’t on any bullshit with me, or anyone else for that matter, but she was still a danger because all I wanted was her. That was a gotdamn problem.

Pretty little danger.

“You need to talk to a witch. You know that shit they put out there in the world be half truths. We’re the same with that. They’ll never share their secrets but we give them enough to know not to fuck with us. Maybe someone can put you on game about fire witches since she has your head all fucked up.”

“My head isn’t messed up.”

Hale laughed cockily. “Yeah, aight. You need to talk to a witch for real.”

“You have one in your pocket? ’Cause if not, how am I supposed to do that? Witches don’t trust for shit. I can’t just go around asking random ass questions about them without bringing attention to us that I don’t want. I’m sure you don’t either.”

“You’re right. Asking too many questions could for sure backfire. I don’t have one in my pocket but we know someone who does.”

I frowned, staring at my brother before it clicked.

Xander.

“Come on, let’s take a ride.”

We pulled up to Bean Bazaar, the café run by some of the Bennett Pack members who rented a space in the building that the brothers—Laz, Xander, and Zion—owned. On the ride over, I shot Xander a text asking if could set up a meeting with his wife. After Xander not so subtly asked what we wanted with her, I explained that I had questions about a witch that needed to be answered discreetly. He shot back a text stating “we’ll be there.”

I smirked because as different as we were, being shifters and vampires, one thing was universal in our worlds. We did not fucking play about our family and loved ones. Hale and I walked into the café and spotted Xander and Toyin at a table in the corner. The witch looked tiny seated next to her shifter and Xander didn’t make it any better because her chair was right next to his, placing his wife protectively at his side and his arm across the back of her chair.

He offered a nod when Hale and I pulled out chairs across from the two of them and Toyin smiled brightly, softening her husband’s irritated disposition. We didn’t cross paths much. For the most part we all kept to our kind but I had been around both of them a handful of times. The last was after 112 assisted with a fire started by rogues out on the land the Bennett Pack owned.

We moved through our greetings before Toyin got down to business.

“You have questions about a witch?” Her eyes darted between me and Hale, not sure which of us to address.

“Yeah I do.” She smiled at me and nodded.

“What do you want to know?”

“I met one and I’m trying to find some information about her. I’m not trying to create issues that could be avoided, like rumors or misunderstanding, so I wanted to see if you could help me out.”

“Did something happen?” Toyin asked and her pulse quickened.