Page 13 of Fangs with Benefits

Treyton stares at the muted bluish glow moving through the veins beneath my skin. His mouth drops open in awe.

"How are you doing that?"

"Magic," I say with playful sarcasm.

He's in rough shape—broken bones, gaping gashes so deep I can see bone. The other vampires must have used something sharp, fangs perhaps, to cut him.

As I tend to Treyton, I talk to him to keep him focused on me and not on the pain that I know my healing magic is causing as it works to mend his flesh.

"What is your zodiac sign?" I ask him with a genuinely serious expression.

"Are we trading horoscopes right now?" He chuckles. "Wouldn't you rather make this sort of chit chat when we aren't in such a rush?"

"It's notchit chat," I protest. "The zodiacs are important magical influencers. They're also very accurate predictors of behavior."

"Does that mean if you made Arman's birth chartbeforeall this happened, you might have been able to predict he would turn out to be an asshole?" he asks with a pained expression as my magic straightens one of his broken ribs. I can't help but laugh at his remark because it's partially accurate—Iwouldhave been able to predict some of his erratic tendencies if I had studied his birth chart.

"I'm a Pisces," he answers.

"Of course, you are." I laugh out loud. "That explains a lot. I could already tell you and I are like fire and water."

"I know you're a cosmic witch, but I really don't know how much stock I put in all that astrology mumbo-jumbo."

"The signs are powerful, as is celestial magic," I scold. "If you have any doubt about it, then just look at what I've done here." I motion my hand down at his torso and he lifts up his shirt to see.

I feel my breath stick in my throat when I gaze at the finely sculpted muscles of his chest.

"You see," I say, trying to make my voice sound normal and not raspy with wanton breathlessness. "All of that healing was done by harnessing celestial magic. And as for the zodiacs, I am an Aries. I'm a fire sign and you're a water sign."

Treyton looks in awe at how much of his body I was able to heal. At least he can walk out of here now.

"A fire sign, huh? I guess that explains why you're so hot-headed."

I bristle, but when I see the wide grin on his face, I know he's teasing me. His grin sends my blood rushing again.

"Come on," I say as I stand up and try to fight back the smile that threatens to take over my face. I love this banter. It's playful andfun, despite the dire situation we're in. "We need to get out of here before we get caught."

"Agreed," he says as he takes my hand and rises slowly to his feet. His grip is cold and strong. "So, what's your plan? I assume you and the rest of your coven came up with one while I was taking a frozen nap on your floor."

"Sorry about that," I mumble, realizing I didn't apologize for catching him with my banishment spell.

I launch into the plan in a fast whisper as we snake through the empty hallways and head toward the nearest exit. We manage to get outside undetected and we stick to the back alleys and shadowy side-streets as we walk.

When I get to the part about replacing the clan leader, Treyton grimaces.

"Yeah, I know," I say with a sweep of my hand in the air like I'm trying to brush away any doubt that this plan won't work. "It's going to be hard to find another vampire that fits the bloodline requirement."

"Nothard," he says as he shakes his head. "Impossible. There are no other nobles in the city or the nearby areas."

I stop walking and look over at him, reaching my hand out to touch his arm without thinking.

"You can't give up on this plan," I say with pleading eyes. "It's the only thing that will stop Arman from coming after the coven."

Treyton frowns and it makes my heart sink. My coven sisters and I spent an entire night searching for answers and this is the only one we found that stands chance. I can't give up on it.

"Look, I know it's a longshot but—"

"That's not why I made a face," he interrupts. He lets out a long exhale, one that makes his whole chest rise and fall, and I lower my hand to return to my side.