Wild and Free (The Three #3)(134)

She didn’t look peeved anymore. Under her black smudges, her face was soft, and around the delicate makeup still adorning her eyes, her gaze was warm.

“It wouldn’t be a hardship, my sweet, considering I’m a billionaire.”

Those warm eyes got wide and her lips parted.

Taking her in…f*ck.

He was looking forward to f*cking her.

“Centuries and nothing changes. Put a vampire in close proximity to a comely witch, shit happens,” an elderly witch, her name Yuri believed was Ruby, muttered. “I just hope this isn’t the beginnings of history repeating itself.”

“Considering I have a few centuries on you and I was actually alive during said history, incidents my father kept me privy to while they were happening, I’ll share that the dispute began when a witch accrued a vast amount of debt, found herself in dire circumstances, and spelled her vampire lover to dispatch those who held her debts. Alas, one of those had a wife who was also a witch. She cast a different spell on the vampire and this unfathomably ended with five vampires being burned at the stake,” Yuri noted.

“One bad apple,” Ruby mumbled.

“In that story, there were two,” Yuri pointed out wryly. “However, upon hearing it, quite a number of other witches cast their lot, spelling their vampire lovers, or simply vampires they were aware of, to do their nefarious bidding, which saw one hundred and fifteen vampires burned or beheaded at the hands of witches and their partners.”

Ruby’s eyes narrowed on him. “And this excuses centuries of persecution?”

“Do not ever test a vampire,” Yuri whispered, and the room went still. “Your kind tested mine, exerting power over them, forcing vampires to bend to their will and do their bidding. Your ancestors knew that was playing with fire. They got burned. I disagree with how and just how long that fire raged. But it’s been centuries. Tonight, we have a common mission, therefore, at least for this evening, shall we call bygones?”

“Whatever,” she muttered and looked away.

“Let’s prepare,” Barb called, thankfully putting an end to that discussion.

Yuri sighed and moved further into the room as he’d been instructed to do the night before.

The women surrounded him and his eyes sought Aurora’s. Her hands were up and white-hot and burnt-orange sparks were glittering between them. All the witches started muttering, chanting, so mote it being and then the sparks burst forth around him, glinting on his clothes and against his skin before they were gone.

“Right, that’s done. Let’s roll,” Barb ordered, and everyone moved to the door. Barb looked to Yuri. “You’re in van two, driving. Aurora is with you.”

He said nothing. Only when he felt and smelled Aurora coming to his side, did he murmur, “Why the lot of them consistently remind me of things I know, I cannot imagine.”

“They’re nervous,” Aurora murmured back.

Excellent. Nervous witches.

They were f*cked.

A vampire never got nervous. Or at least Yuri never knew one to do so, including himself.

Therefore, he calmly climbed behind the wheel of one of the three black vans parked at the front of Aurora’s house. Aurora climbed in beside him as four witches climbed in the back.

Their convoy was on their way before Aurora remarked, “I’m prepared to go in with them. Do my bit.”

“You’ll wait until you’re cleared to do so,” Yuri replied.

He knew she’d turned to face him when she stated, “I know what they’re up against and I’m not afraid.”

She was lying. He could smell it.

However, she was brave. He could smell that too. And in that moment, facing whatever they were to face that night, he wanted to stop the van, gather her in his arms, and absorb both until he knew he’d never forget either, even if he lived until the sun fell from the sky.

He gave no indication these were his thoughts. He kept his eyes on the road as he returned, “That may be so, but you’ll wait until you’re cleared.”

Her voice held a soft snap when she shot back, “Yuri, I’m not a child.”

That was when he looked at her. “No, you’re not.” He returned his gaze to the road but kept speaking. “However, you’re young. You have much life ahead of you and that life, God willing, will be beautiful. Your mother loves you, she wants that for you, she’s worried about you, and she does not need to face that coven with her mind on you. So you’ll wait until you’re cleared.”

She made an adorable exasperated sound but said no more.

Yuri joined her in silence, and within an hour, they arrived at the designated stopping place. All alighted from the vehicles and Barb and Jane approached Yuri as Aurora made it around the van and stopped at his side.

“Hopefully, they’ll only have three or four guarding the implements,” Barb said to him. “But word on the witch vine is that they hang here so we’ll undoubtedly be facing more. You need to get close so you can sense us. If things turn, that spell we cast on you will deflect two, at most three direct hits from them. You take them running and get my daughter out of here.”

Yuri nodded.

Barb turned to her sisters and called quietly, “We ready?”

She got a lot of “Yeps,” “Yeahs,” and “Readys,” and they moved.