in a sharp breath, and he spoke before he could launch into any comments. He could guess what a blood slave was, but he didn’t have a clue as to the definition of “pet” besides the obvious meaning. Judging by the slight tremble in Winter’s hand, it wasn’t a good term.
“We don’t want to take up any more of your time than necessary. We just need to know about a prophecy a witch made about the Varik clan,” Fox said. “The prophecy stated:
Go west to the mountains.
Find the fleet-footed Fox with the magical touch.
The fiery witch will disarm the brothers
And free the lost king.
Have you heard it or know what it means? Or maybe even who made the prophecy?”
Cheryl’s eyes narrowed on Fox for a moment. “And let me guess…you’re the Fox.”
Fox hesitated for a second before he finally gave a tiny nod.
Cheryl laughed loudly as she dropped back in her chair, both of her feet kicking up in the air. The witch looked younger laughing like that. The sound itself was evil and more akin to nails down the chalkboard as two metal cans fucked each other, but she certainly looked happy.
A low growl came from Winter, but Fox quickly squeezed his hand to keep him silent. Cheryl could laugh and mock him all she wanted. That didn’t hurt him one bit. Annoyed, but it didn’t hurt. All that mattered was that she was willing to cooperate.
“Is this your way of confirming that Fox is a magical threat to my family?” Winter asked stiffly.
The witch wiped her eyes as the last of the giggle settled. “Well, he’s no threat magically. Kit can’t do the simplest of spells. He’s barely a witch.” Her gaze sharpened on Winter when he opened his mouth to speak and he fell silent. “That doesn’t mean he can’t fuck things up for your clan in other ways. It’s just not likely to be because he’s a witch. The prophecy could have just as easily stated that a useless red-haired twink would destroy the Varik clan.”
Fox ignored her barbs. “Do you know who made it?”
Cheryl threaded a loose hair behind her ear and looked thoughtfully into the flickering flames for a moment. Was she digging through her memory or using a spell to shift through the collection of futures that twisted together ahead of them? He wasn’t sure what the flames were telling her, but he hoped the answer would see them safely back out the door again.
“Who? No. But I’ve got my guesses. Damn good ones too,” she muttered, seeming to talk mostly to herself. She continued to stare into the flames and Fox held his breath, just waiting. “Someone is shrouding that information.” Cheryl slowly turned her head to pin her narrowed eyes on Winter. To his credit, the vampire didn’t flinch. Hell, it looked as if Winter was just a hair from launching himself at Cheryl and tearing her apart with his bare hands.
“You can’t tell us anything useful about the prophecy or who made it,” Winter summarized succinctly. He shoved to his feet, still tightly holding Fox’s hand. “I’m sorry we wasted your time. Thank you for your patience.”
It was kind of amazing how he did it. He said “thank you” but it sounded like he was saying “fuck you.” It was a trick Fox would love to learn.
Cheryl smiled and lifted her hand. She held it flat with the palm down and slowly lowered it. At the same time, Winter’s body trembled as he sat on the couch.
Shit!
“I’m not done with you yet.” Once Winter was seated against his will, Cheryl looked over at Fox. “So, someone thought you were the witch to destroy the Variks. How funny. And to get your answers, you brought him here to me.”
“You’re the only witch I know.”
She snorted. “And maybe I’m the witch that destroys the Variks. Or maybe it’s still you because you brought him to me.”
“Please, Ms. Watkins,” Fox said, fighting to hold on to his civil tone. This was starting to take a nasty turn, and he had to think of a way to get at least Winter out of this cabin safely. She wasn’t likely to follow him, but he was in danger so long as he was inside her home. “We mean no disrespect or trouble. We were just seeking information. We are happy to leave now and never bother you again.”
“But you’ve already bothered me. You disturbed my night. And you bothered me for months with your pleading