“That’s not what I said,” grouched Violet, sitting at the table and tearing into her breakfast.

Clara plopped down prettily next to her with a plate. “Don’t be so grumpy.”

“I’m not grumpy,” she yelled around a mouthful of food. “Evie just needs to watch her fucking self with that were—”

That’s when she looked in my direction and pointed her fork toward the living room where I stood in the entryway.

“Wolf,” I completed her sentence. “Yes. I’ve heard we’re dangerous.”

Violet swallowed, visibly embarrassed, which was a brand new expression I’d never seen on her.

Evie sauntered over to me, perky and beautiful in jeans and today’s T-shirt—black with Darth Vader saying, Welcome to the dark side. We have cookies. She made no hesitation about wrapping her arms around my neck and pulling me down for a swift kiss on the lips.

“Good morning. Ignore Violet. She’s overreacting as usual. Have a seat.”

I pulled up a chair with Violet scowling at me.

“No offense to you, Wolfman.”

The name immediately made me think of the discovery I’d made in Evie’s room. She took a plate from Jules who was prepping at the stove, the smell of ham and eggs and something else delicious making my stomach growl.

“None taken.” I poured a glass of orange juice from the pitcher on the table and gulped it down.

“What I meant was, you were out of your fucking mind last night. You looked like you were going to kill Evie.”

I almost choked on the orange juice. “What?”

That dampened my good mood fast.

What is she talking about, Alpha?

We might’ve jumped at Evie with the intention of attacking her.

What do you mean ‘attack’? You were going to hurt her?

I don’t think so.

You don’t think so! Well, what DO you know?

I know that I felt this wicked pain, and I wanted it to stop.

Violet snapped her fingers in the air over the table. “Earth to Mateo. Are you listening?”

“It doesn’t matter.” Evie set a plate in front of me. She whispered in my ear, “She likes you.”

I looked at Evie like she was nuts.

She giggled and pointed to Jules at the stove. “Her, not Violet.”

“How do you know?”

“Because she cooked Eggs Benedict. You’re getting the special breakfast treatment.”

“Maybe it’s just my last meal before execution.”

She laughed in that husky way she had, forcing me to smile. Clara giggled across the table, watching us with a twinkle in her eyes.

My mouth watered as I forked a bite of the layered English muffin, Canadian bacon, poached egg, and hollandaise sauce. A mound of cube-cut spicy hash browns and slices of cantaloupe completed the dish. I couldn’t suppress the moan when I chewed into the first bite.

Jules sat at the head of the table with her plate and smiled. A genuine one, not a placating or pitying one as she’d given me before. “So, how are you feeling this morning?”

I swallowed a bite of melon. “I was great until I found out that I tried to attack Evie last night.”

My stomach sank as I slid my gaze to her. She reached under the table and squeezed my knee like it was no big deal.

“Did you have any luck with the symbols?” Evie asked.

“A little.” Jules took a sip of coffee. “I sent a pic to Mom to see if she could help.”

“Wait a minute.” I set my fork on the plate. “A picture?”

Jules pulled out her phone. “I snapped a picture last night when it happened.” She glanced at me guiltily. “Are you sure you want to see?”

I actually had to think about it a second. And why was Alpha being so fucking quiet? My brain had derailed at spending an entire night pressed to Evie. Was it her touch that tuned him out so much? If so, I might have to beg her to start sleeping at my place.

“Yeah. Let me see.”

Jules flipped through some photos, clicked one, then passed it across to me. Evie had her hand on my thigh and squeezed reassuringly. But nothing could prepare me for what I saw.

“Jesus,” I mumbled.

“Exactly!” Violet wiped her mouth with her napkin and balled it on her plate. She hopped up to come around and look over my shoulder. “See. You look like a fucking deranged animal.”

“Violet! Shut your hole,” Evie snapped.

I cleared my throat. “No. She’s right.” I stared at the image of me leaping toward Evie, her eyes round with fear, my flexed body poised to come down on her with force. And the red-lit symbols covering my exposed skin. What the fuck? “To be honest, at this moment, I’m more animal than anything else.” I passed the phone back to Jules, not wanting to look at it any longer. “But I didn’t shift.”

Evie turned in her seat toward me. “Part of the curse that’s been put on you includes a block. Like a really strong wall. It’s preventing me from penetrating through to break the curse.”

Jules tucked her short, cropped hair behind one ear. “I recognized that symbol. The hammer-looking glyph.” She pointed to the photo where the symbol appeared on my forehead, chest, and shoulder.

“So many,” I muttered. “So you think your mother will know what they mean?”

“Maybe not all. But she can advise us where to go from here.”

A ringtone echoed from the countertop area. That’s where a desktop was set up, facing diagonally out from the wall.

Jules popped out of her chair. “And there she is now.” She hurried to the desktop, hitting the accept call button.

Evie walked around and stood over her shoulder. Clara and Violet followed. I stayed put, watching as an attractive woman popped up on screen. She had dark auburn hair the same shade as Jules, darker than Evie’s, and looked to be middle aged, but I knew she was likely much older.

“Hello, my lovelies,” she beamed.

A chorus of hellos shot back from the four of them.

“Livvy is absolutely furious with all of you.”

“Why?” asked Evie.

“Because you all waited till she and Isadora left town to have all the dangerous fun, as she calls it.”

“Well, our dangerous fun is standing in the kitchen,” said Jules, pointing over her shoulder.

“Oh, really?” Her voice held a maternal authority, but was also edged with the love she felt for her daughters. “Go ahead and introduce me to your man, Evie.”

I didn’t know what Evie had told her mother about me, or whether it was Jules who had been relaying info, but the fact she had tagged me as Evie’s man had me grinning like an idiot. I put my napkin on the table and stood. Evie met me halfway and pulled me to stand in front of the monitor, edging Clara and Violet to the side.

“Mom, this is Mateo Cruz. Mateo, this my mom, Serena Savoie.”

“Hi, Mrs. Savoie. It’s a pleasure to meet you.” I gave a little wave.

She stared at my eyes for what seemed like a lifetime, measuring me well, before she gave a stiff nod. She had the kind of eyes that could be light and merry or burrow into your soul, depending on her mood. On the surface, she was whimsical, but this woman, this witch, held power. It eked off her from thousands of miles away.

“Yes. Yes, I like you, Mateo. You have kind eyes. You’ll do just fine.”

Sweet. Mother’s approval. Now we can officially claim Evie.

Not now. Please not now.

Of course not. I don’t want you to bang her on the kitchen table in front of Mom. What kind of a guy do you think I am?

Just, shut it. Go back to sleep or whatever.

“Mom,” Evie, her face and neck pink, interrupted her mother’s blatant examination of me. “Where’s Dad, Livvy, and Isadora?”

“He dragged the girls into town to shop for birdhouse materials.”

“Birdhouse?” asked Clara.

“He’s built and painted three already for a family of Bluethroat larks taking up residence. I swear he wants to make our backyard into a bird sanctuary. But you know how your father is with animals.”

“How lovely.” Clara clapped her hands together, a jolt of joy pulsing off her like radio waves.

“Speaking of, how are Z and Fred? He’ll want to know since he missed talking to you.”

“They’re fine,” said Violet off to the side. “Except Jules isn’t near as sweet as Dad is about the house rules.”

The sisters exchanged glares.

Mrs. Savoie’s green eyes sparkled with joy. They were similar in shade and shape to Evie’s. “He would love it if Fred retired to Switzerland. That’ll be next on his agenda. Making our twenty acres into a running farm. To tell you the truth, I’ve seen him eyeing sheep for sale recently.”

The girls laughed, but then their mother’s face turned serious.

“Now, let’s get to the matter at hand.” Her voice was a sharp blade, her eyes darkening with severity. I’ll bet she was a formidable leader when she once ruled as Head of Coven of New Orleans. “The first thing I can tell you is that this curse you’re trying to break isn’t a curse at all.”

Evie leaned in. “Mom, it has to be. It’s preventing him from using his magic.”

“Not exactly,” said her mother. “You’re right that it’s black magic. The red glyphs say as much, but what this looks and sounds like to me is a blood magic spell. Very different from a hex.”

“What do you mean?” asked Jules. “What’s its purpose then if Mateo is unable to shift and it’s causing him…problems?”

That was as good an explanation as any.

Mrs. Savoie leaned closer to her monitor and looked at me. “Mateo, we don’t practice blood magic. It’s forbidden. My knowledge is limited because even reading the spells can be harmful.” Her gaze flicked between Jules and Evie. “Listen to me, girls. Blood magic is sentient, just like our white magic. Its desire is always malevolent. Its intent is to seek a powerful conduit to attach itself to. That’s why even reading some of these spells can be dangerous. The magic wants to seep into a host and latch on.”