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“No, you will—” Chen stopped himself and sat bolt upright, freezing every muscle before launching to his feet. His senses straightened, listening for a distant noise to match the shifting energy he felt in the air. Someone was approaching their home.

“Chen-ge, I was only teasing.” Moon giggled.

He looked over at the witch, struggling to keep his expression blank, but he must have failed, because Moon lost his smile. “Come. Your friends have arrived.”

This time when Moon smiled, it appeared tense and forced. “Okay. Good.”

But he didn’t sound happy or even relieved. Chen prayed that his reluctance was only due to the fact that he didn’t want to leave. He didn’t want to believe that Moon would betray them.

Chapter 9

Moon Mullins

Moon stepped out the front door with Chen as Red’s SUV pulled through the open gate and down the smooth drive. His heart was pounding hard enough that he was sure Chen could hear it. Thankfully, the vampire was so rigidly proper that he didn’t comment on it.

Why was he nervous?

It was fine. Everything was going to be fine. He had nothing to be nervous about. His friends could behave themselves. Mostly. Sometimes.

He couldn’t be worried that they’d say something horrible, making Chen kick him and his friends right out the door, undoing all the hard work he’d put in over the past several hours.

He was so close to a smile from Chen. He could feel it. So close he could fucking taste it. Just a bit longer. Maybe another night or two, and that grumpy vampire was going to grin at him.

Which meant that his friends not only had to behave themselves, but Moon had to make himself indispensable during this meeting. Chen and Xiao Dan couldn’t send him away even if Red located the exact spot the door was going to open. The one way he was going to have a shot at getting closer to Chen was to stick right by his side.

As the vehicle turned to slide into an open parking spot next to the sleek black sedan Chen had driven the other night, Moon cursed under his breath.

“What’s wrong?” Chen demanded.

“Nothing! Nothing, I swear.” Now he was cursing himself for letting that slip. “You got two earth witches for the price of one. They got Maddox to tag along. He’s in the back seat. Red is driving. Sky is in the front passenger seat.”

“Why is this bad?” Chen inquired.

Moon huffed a sigh. “Is your sect family meddlesome and opinionated? Would you invite them to something if you were afraid they couldn’t hold their tongue?”

“Ahhhh…” Chen murmured, sounding as if he had a far better understanding of what Moon meant than he’d expected. “This will be good. Two earth witches means two people potentially capable of achieving our goal.”

Chen stepped off the wooden porch onto the sidewalk, his hands hanging loose and open at his sides. Moon trailed a step behind. For the first time in his life, he wished he was an earth witch. Until now, he’d always reveled in differing from his friends, that he could do things they couldn’t. It also didn’t hurt they couldn’t comment on his magic style because they didn’t understand it.

But now, when he wanted to do something that would help Chen, that would mean something to him, he couldn’t. He was nothing more than a go-between. He just happened to know someone. And after he completed the introductions, there would be no use for him any longer.

Screw that. He wasn’t going down without a fight. There had to be a way to make himself useful to these vampires.

Pep talk complete, Moon picked up his pace and came to stand next to Chen, flashing his friends a wide grin as they climbed out of the hunter green SUV.

“What? You didn’t drag Nolan along with you?” Moon called out.

Sky waved a hand at him. “He and his friend Jennifer went out for dinner. I have a feeling she needs all the dirt on his newest relationship.” As he spoke, Sky waggled his eyebrows. Well, at least one member of their coven was happy and getting laid. God knew Mad could use it, considering the frown that was deeply etched into his face.

“You couldn’t call me, too?” Maddox demanded as he marched over.

Moon shrugged. “Like Red goes anywhere without checking in with you first.”

“Hey! I—”

A harsh hiss from Chen cut Red’s wounded cry off. The vampire grabbed Moon with his left hand and jerked him behind his taller frame. He threw out his right to his side, and a sword formed of ice shot out from his palm.

“Someone else is here!” Chen snarled.

Moon’s heart launched itself into his throat. A hard knot twisted in his stomach. “What? No! I told you they just added Mad, another earth witch. It’s fine. You need an earth witch.” Moon tried to step in front of Chen, but the hand holding him tightened on his shirt, trapping him in place.