Embracing Winter (Lords of Discord 4)

“I’m assuming you don’t actually mean a cave for keeping bats,” Fox said slowly.

Bel chuckled. “Oh, no! I think River is referencing that Batman comic book hero and his secret lair. The hidden room under my house is for emergencies. I modeled it after Winter’s.”

Winter looked over his shoulder in time to see Fox shoot to his feet and leap—honest-to-God leap—over the couch and run into the kitchen. The witch was suddenly standing right in front of him, both hands tightly gripping Winter’s arms.

“Is he serious? Do you have a secret lair full of weapons and gadgets? Is this where you keep your trusty butler and wonder dog Ace?”

“Yes to the first part. But no, I don’t have a butler or dog.”

“Can I see it? Please, I’ll do anything you want. Please, may I see your Bat Cave?”

For a moment, all Winter could think was that he wanted to kiss Fox again. Just lean in and gently take those perfect lips in a slow, draining kiss. It didn’t matter that Winter’s entire family was right there, watching them. Didn’t matter that Winter’s entire world was in danger of being torn apart by a monstrous vampire and all his little fucking minions. He wanted Fox with all his smiles, enthusiasm for life, and teasing.

But he couldn’t kiss Fox.

And it surprisingly had nothing to do with the all-too-attentive gaze of his family. He knew from their attempt at just one kiss that it wouldn’t be enough.

“Yes, you can see my Bat Cave, but I’ll warn you that I don’t think it’s as interesting as Bel’s.”

Fox whooped and thrust one fist into the air in triumph.

“I would never have guessed the Wee One’s Bat Cave would be so enticing,” Rafe murmured, and somehow it sounded dirty coming from his mouth. Of course, Winter focused on the much-hated nickname that wouldn’t die. Luckily, Fox was too busy celebrating to take any notice.

The witch remained in the kitchen long enough to help get the pizzas and other food prepped for the oven before they returned to the living room together. To his surprise, River nudged people around until a space opened up at the end of the L-shaped sofa so Winter and Fox could sit together.

If anyone thought it was strange, Winter was sure they were instantly distracted by Aiden’s questions regarding Fox’s kidnapping. The witch detailed how he was grabbed after he was leaving work one night, the story similar to what he’d already told Winter. Unfortunately, there were no new helpful details.

“And you don’t know anything about this prophecy?” Marcus asked, speaking for the first time since he’d initially growled at Winter. But then, Marcus tended to be all business, particularly when it came to the safety of his family.

“Nothing,” Fox said with a shake of his head. “I don’t think I’ve even heard the wording of the official prophecy, which could hold its own clues. Maybe this Damon is misinterpreting it. He could have the wrong witch entirely.”

“But if Damon is convinced that Fox is the right witch, he will do anything to get his hands on him. And if Fox fails to destroy the Variks, he’s dead,” Winter added.

Marcus grunted. “This is Damon we’re talking about. Fox is dead the second Damon no longer has a use for him.”

“Yes, but do we even know what Harry Potter is capable of?” Rafe said with a wave of his hand.

Fox was on his feet in a flash, his face turning bright red. “I’m getting you’re the annoying nicknames guy, but I’m gonna draw the line right now. No Harry Potter bullshit! You can go with Tabitha from Bewitched, Sabrina the Teenage Witch, or any of those four crazy bitches from The Craft, but no Potter references.”

Rafe’s smile became a little feral, and he leaned forward like he was preparing to launch his long body at Fox. “And what are you going to do about it, Mr. Weasely? Turn me into a frog?” Rafe taunted, proving he knew far more about the Harry Potter series than Winter would have ever guessed.

“Fuck magic. I’ll knock your fangs down your throat with my fist.” As if to prove his devotion to the idea, Fox made a fist with his right hand and lifted it, ready to jump into action.

Everyone held their breath for a second, and Winter saw Aiden tense as if he were getting ready to jump into the middle of things, when Rafe fell back laughing.

“Now I understand why you decided to bring him home instead of killing him,” Rafe announced. He sat in his seat, snuggled close to Philippe. “You should hold on to your little flame. He’ll make your life interesting.”

“What?” Fox looked from Rafe to Winter, confusion scrawled across his face.

“Ignore him,” Winter muttered to mask his own feelings of surprise and pride. Fox was a bright flame making his life more interesting every night, but his brother actually noticed it? He grabbed Fox’s arm and pulled him back down to the couch. “We all do.”