Chapter 22 #3
“And remember that I’m a really shitty witch,” Fox pointed out.
“Don’t!” Winter interjected sharply. He wrapped his hand around the back of Fox’s neck and brushed his thumb across his cheek. “Don’t say that about yourself. It’s not your fault you’ve had no training. I have no doubt you’d be an amazing witch if you had training. You’re already perfect to me.”
Fox melted. He didn’t give a shit who else was in the room. Looking up into Winter’s shining blue eyes, Fox fucking melted right there in the chair. No one had ever looked at him like that. No one had ever saw him as someone they needed the way Winter needed him.
“Winter,” Marcus started softly, but Ethan was already shushing him.
“Don’t ruin this moment. It’s so freaking sweet. I feel like I need popcorn,” Ethan said in a horribly loud whisper.
Fox’s face cracked into a smile, and Winter reluctantly joined him. It was okay. Fox foresaw some very critical cuddles in bed in their future.
Releasing Fox, Winter turned his attention to his older brother. “Marcus.”
“Putting aside the question of Ethan’s possible heritage for a moment,” Marcus said and paused, rubbing his temples with one hand. “You know I have no problem with Fox alone. He makes you happy. Something I’m sure we were all skeptical of ever happening.”
“Except for when you’re driving Rafe crazy,” Ethan added. Winter smirked, and Fox’s heart did a little flip. He loved that devilish expression.
“And my concern has nothing to do with him being a witch, per se…”
“It’s the prophecy,” Fox finished. With his elbows on his knees, Fox dropped his head into his hands.
“It doesn’t matter how many times I say that I won’t hurt you or your family.
I’ll do anything to help you. Protect you.
I don’t want anything to happen to Winter.
It-it tears me up inside that I might be some threat, and I can’t do anything about it. ”
His fucking heart hurt so much. It was like the thing was getting ground to dust in his chest. He didn’t want to deal with this. Winter had just asked him to move in with him. They were going to be together and date, and things were going to work out.
“What are you saying, Marcus? You gonna demand I give him up like Bel was asked to give up Wyatt and River?” Winter snapped.
“Fox is not a pet,” Marcus countered irritably.
“You know what I fucking mean!”
Marcus sighed, and Fox’s heart went out to the vampire.
He was the oldest brother. He was tasked with the job of protecting his family from the moment he was named.
Fox was a potential threat, and his little brother was clutching him like a security blanket when Fox could somehow be poisoning them all.
Closing his eyes, Marcus started again, his voice low but firm.
“Winter, you have always been logical and removed when it came to analyzing threats to the family. Can you look at the situation with Fox and honestly tell me you are completely safe with him? That even with the prophecy, he won’t hurt the Variks? ”
To his credit, Winter didn’t automatically throw out an answer.
He took a deep breath and slowly released it while looking down at Fox.
The witch met his gaze and inwardly flinched.
These were the icy cold eyes of the man who’d slaughtered all those vampires in the blink of an eye.
This was the stare of the Angel of Death.
“Yes,” Winter said in a dull, emotionless voice.
“He’s as harmless to the family as Ethan or Philippe or even the wolves.
He’s already risked his life to protect me while I was in the middle of a fight at Luke’s.
He’s offered to give up his powers. I believe he’d protect any member of the family with his life.
” Winter lifted his eyes to Marcus, and Ethan flinched.
“If something happens to the Variks, it won’t be because of something he did.
I don’t think you can rightfully ask for more reassurance than that. ”
Marcus nodded. “Fair enough.” The vampire then turned his attention to Fox, his expression softening slightly. “I’m sorry, Fox. I don’t mean to be unfair to you. I…I lost our mother because I wasn’t properly prepared, and I can’t make the same mistake twice. I—”
“No, Marcus! Julianna was my fault!” Ethan said.
Unshed tears instantly sparkled in his eyes as he grabbed at his boyfriend.
Marcus pulled him in tight, as if he meant to move Ethan into his lap.
Marcus whispered things into his lover’s ear, and for a moment Ethan stubbornly shook his head, but after a while, he started to relax, roughly wiping at the tears trying to escape down his cheeks.
Fox looked up at Winter, but the vampire gave the tiniest of head shakes. Not now. Well, he was definitely asking later. He was pretty sure Julianna was their mother, but she was the one thing Winter didn’t talk much about other than his explanation about their names.
“Marcus, if you came over here because you’re worried about me with Fox, then you came for nothing. We’re fine. I’m safe,” Winter announced when Ethan appeared settled again.
“No, it’s not. Blush was burned to the ground tonight,” Marcus announced.
“What?” Winter snarled, launching to his feet. He looked as if he were about to climb across the coffee table to get to his brother.
“No one was hurt,” Ethan quickly added. “The place was already empty when the fire was started, but it was a complete loss from our understanding.”
“Are we sure it was arson?”
Marcus nodded. “There were a few witnesses who saw people setting the fire.”
Winter paced away, swearing loudly. Fox stood, but he wasn’t sure what to do.
“Blush. That’s Rafe’s nightclub, right?” Fox asked Ethan.
The young vampire nodded. “He loved that place. Hadn’t even been open a full year yet.”
“Rafe?” Winter shot out, stopping in his stalking of the living room.
“About what you’d expect,” Marcus replied, shoving one hand through his thick, midnight-black hair.
“Pissed and ready to start ripping off heads. Aiden is with him right now, talking to the fire chief. Lola and Jullien are with Philippe at Rafe’s penthouse.
Ryder and Gideon are with Bel and his wolves. ”
“And Bel?” Fox asked. As Rafe’s twin, he had to be incredibly worried as well.
“About what you’d expect,” Ethan repeated. “Pissed and ready to rip off heads.” Ethan sighed. “River and Wyatt are keeping a close eye on him. They’re afraid he’s going to try to make that goo formula again.”
Fox blinked and dropped back down in his seat. “The what?”
“Bel accidentally created this formula that’s quite effective at killing vampires. Reduces them to bubbling goo,” Ethan explained.
“Nasty shit,” Marcus added. “The Ministry has forbidden Bel from ever making it again.”
“Like that fucking matters,” Winter muttered under his breath.
“The bigger concern is anyone else getting their hands on it and using it,” Ethan pointed out, and at least Winter nodded at that.
The room fell silent, and Winter returned to pacing. After a couple of seconds, a mumbled, “This is all my fault,” rose from his lips.
Fox shot to his feet. “What?”
“I should have planned better. I should have seen this coming a mile away. If I hadn’t let myself…”
“Let yourself what?” Fox snapped. Fire burned in his veins, and he clenched his shaking fists at his sides.
“Get distracted with me? Have fun? Laugh? Be a person instead of this scary myth everyone thinks you are? Why isn’t it Rafe’s fault for not doing more to protect his club?
Or Marcus’s? He’s the oldest. Or Bel? Or any of the others?
Why does it always have to be you who’s one step ahead and covered in blood? ”
A heavy silence filled the room, broken only by Fox’s quick pants.
“Yes, Winter,” Marcus surprised him by agreeing. “Why does it always have to be you?”
Winter gaped at his brother for a full second before he finally shouted, “Because it’s what I’m good at! The only thing I’m good at.”
“You’re good at more than death and destruction. You protect your family, and you watch out for me constantly!” Fox yelled back at him. “Maybe you should spend more time worrying about that, and let your brothers help protect your family too.”
“Oh, I like him. Really freaking like him. Winter definitely has to keep him,” Ethan whispered to Marcus.
Damn straight Winter was fucking keeping him.
The vampire needed someone to shake some sense into him.
He was pissed at Winter, but he was more worried about him than pissed.
He didn’t question that Winter cared about him, but he was all too eager to toss his own life and needs aside and take responsibility for all the safety needs of the Variks.
And that was just wrong. It wasn’t all on Winter’s shoulders.
“Fox—” Winter started but Fox just waved a hand at him.
“We’ll talk about it later.” He had no desire to air all his thoughts in front of an audience.
God knew they’d already learned more about them than Fox was ready to share.
He was still getting to know Winter, figuring out what they meant to each other.
There was no reason to share things with the rest of the Variks yet.
Flopping down on the chair again, Fox turned his attention to Marcus. “I take it you’ve heard nothing from Zelda.”
Marcus shook his head. “No. I’m getting the impression that she’s avoiding us. We may have to take on Damon without talking to her.”
“What about that forum you were using,” Winter asked. “SpellIt?”
Fox shook his head. “I wouldn’t trust them for a prophecy. We’d get nothing but trolled. It’s only good for old, time-tested spells and possibly rare ingredients.”
Fox chewed on his bottom lip, his stomach coiling into tighter and tighter knots. He couldn’t believe he was about to say this, but Winter had said he’d do anything to protect his family. This would be included in that anything.
“I know a witch. Another one,” he admitted softly.
“Really? I thought you didn’t. Why didn’t you say something sooner?” Winter demanded.
“Because the last time I saw her, she tried to kill me. I barely got out with my heart still attached to the rest of my body,” Fox shot back.
He stopped and took a calming breath. There was no point in getting irritated with Winter.
He was more angry at himself for being weak and scared of the old bitch.
“She didn’t like me all those years ago, and I can’t imagine anything has changed her opinion since then. ”
“Do you think she’ll help us?” Marcus asked.
“Honestly? No. But seeing as we have no other options at this point, we might as well try. I’ll need a little time to locate her. She was in Washington when I knew her, but she’s like the rest of them. Moves around when she gets the itch.”
Marcus nodded. “I’ll leave you and Winter to it. Just keep us updated. If you need anything…”
“I’ll call you,” Winter finished.
Fox remained sitting with his head in his hands as Winter walked Ethan and Marcus over to the door.
A hand briefly touched Fox’s shoulder and he looked up expecting to see Ethan’s smiling face, but he was surprised to find Marcus’s worried blue eyes watching him closely.
The vampire squeezed his shoulder wordlessly and continued to the door.
He didn’t know what to make of the moment, and truthfully, his brain and heart hurt too much to mull it all over.
Maybe he and Winter had been moving too fast. They’d known each other for two weeks, and they were already talking about moving in together. It was all insane and ridiculous. No one fell for another person that fast.
It didn’t matter that Winter made him feel so happy and free when they were together.
That they laughed constantly.
That they shared the same interests.
That they could talk about anything.
That they felt completely safe with each other.
Except Fox’s heart was breaking into a million pieces, and he didn’t know how he was going to ever put it back together again. Every piece he picked up had Winter’s name on it, and it might be time to throw those pieces out.