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“Nah, not really, but the situation was unique. She’s a fire witch.”

I sensed Toyin’s heart rate increase and she shifted, making me frown. Xander peeped it too based on the way he moved closer to his wife and kissed the top of her head.

“A fire witch? Here in Hollow Grove?”

“Yeah, we met…”

“Where?” she asked, cutting me off, and I glanced at Hale before I focused on Toyin again.

“Blood Lust. You know who I’m talking about?”

I kept my eyes on Toyin, confused by her reaction. I also noticed she and Xander began a private conversation through their link based on the way she turned to him and shook her head.

She knows. You see that shit? Hale asked me.

Yeah, I do and Xander is about to shut this shit down. I might not get my answers.

A few seconds later, he did exactly as I expected.

“We’re done,” he stated roughly, but Toyin stopped him.

“Baby, no.” She placed her hand on his leg and kissed his cheek. I swore this muthafucker growled in irritation because whatever was going on, he wanted his wife away from us. I almost fucking laughed.

“Do you know her name?”

“Uri Montgomery.”

Toyin rolled her shoulders back, widening her small body defensively. “She’s my cousin, is something wrong?”

“Cousin.” I frowned and Toyin nodded.

“Yes, our fathers are cousins, so it’s distant, but we share the same blood. Why are you asking questions about Uri?”

“We’re acquaintances.”

Barely even that but she was damn sure mine.

Toyin frowned, narrowing her eyes at me. “And you met at Blood Lust?”

I nodded and her eyes narrowed more. “That’s hard for me to believe. Witches don’t mingle with vampires. That’s not our thing.”

I smirked and glanced at Xander, who was damn near in his wife’s skin, looking like he was calculating how quickly he could snatch my heart out of my chest if I pissed his wife off. “Maybe not yours, but it’s damn sure hers. We met in a suite.”

Toyin’s eyes went wide. “She let you feed from her?”

“Twice.” I conveniently left out that I’d ambushed her the second time but Toyin’s reaction let me know Uri wasn’t a regular at Blood Lust.

“Shit,” she muttered.

“Which is why I have questions. Do you know about Danakil?”

“Not much but I know enough. You’re fire too. What is it you want to know?”

“Her blood was different…”

She glared and I smirked.

“Relax, it’s not like that. Shit was different though and I need to understand why. When I fed from her, both of our veins were glowing. That doesn’t happen. Mine for sure when I absorb fire. That’s how it works. It moved through our bodies by way of our veins, but from what I’ve read online, that shouldn’t have been the case with her. That night I met her, there was no fire in me. It shouldn’t have happened.”