“Sure.” Wes smiled just as sweetly at Roxanne as she had smiled at him. “Call me if you need help with a zipper or something.”

“Wes, really?” Katie asked from the stairs, a twinge of annoyance in her voice.

Her brother only shrugged, then turned and marched into the living room. Luther waited until the two women had disappeared upstairs before he followed Wesley.

“Quite a stunner, that Roxanne, huh?” Wes asked.

“You do know that I can’t answer that, right?”

“Because you’re with my sister?”

“Something like that.” Luther let himself sink into the sofa cushions.

“So what’s gonna happen?”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean between you and my sister.”

“You’re gonna have to ask her that,” Luther deflected.

“You said at HQ you came back to atone. What happens afterward?”

“I’ll be leaving. I never intended to stay.”

“And Katie, does she know?”

“I never lied to her about my intentions.”

“And she’s okay with that?”

It was a question Luther had asked himself, but didn’t have an answer to. Was Katie truly okay with their arrangement? Had she really accepted that he would be gone soon, never to return?

“And how about you, then?” Wes continued. “Are you okay with that?”

“Why wouldn’t I be?”

“Because of the way you look at her.”

Luther scoffed. “Listen, Wes, I like you. So why don’t you quit while you’re ahead?”

“Just like I thought.” Wes pivoted and walked to the fireplace, looking into the ashes. “She’s been alone for far too long. I worry about her sometimes. It’s not like she can date a normal guy. Her life revolves around her family and Scanguards. It’s not something you can easily bring an outsider into. She needs somebody who knows what this life is like. And as a witch without powers she needs protection.”

“Your sister is capable of taking care of herself.”

Even as he said it, Luther knew he wanted to be the one to protect her. But there were issues he couldn’t simply pretend to overlook. Katie deserved somebody who could fully commit to her, and given his past, he couldn’t make such a commitment. It would only end in heartache. And he didn’t want to hurt Katie like he’d hurt Vivian. He liked Katie. No, that wasn’t even the right word. He cared about her more than he thought was possible in such a short time. He wanted her to find happiness. But he didn’t believe that she could find it with him.

“So this is it then. You swoop into her life, break her heart, and then just disappear again,” Wes said, pulling him out of his thoughts.

“I didn’t break her heart, Wesley.” Not yet, anyway, he added in his mind. But if he stayed, he would. Because then Katie would grow attached to him and he to her. Already now their physical connection was so strong Luther had a hard time imagining ever wanting to be with anybody else. If he let this go on, he would fall so deeply under her spell that he would never be able to extricate himself from it.

Wesley grunted.

Luther tossed him an annoyed look. “This conversation is over.”

Wesley didn’t reply. Instead he paced in front of the windows, brooding. Luther decided to change the subject, because the witch had gotten too close, whirled up too many thoughts Luther had tried to push back.

“Have you heard back from Samson and Haven yet on how long their vampire aura is staying cloaked?”

Wes looked back at him. “Blake called a little earlier. It lasted about forty-five minutes with Samson, and about forty with Haven. Since Haven is heavier than Samson, I’m thinking size is a factor. Roxanne weighs much less than both of them, so the spell might last even up to an hour. Won’t know for sure, and I don’t want to test it out on her until it’s time.”

“Why’s that?”

“I don’t have any data to tell me whether performing multiple spells within a short time frame might result in a loss of their effectiveness. I’d rather not test it out right now.”

“I’m surprised you have such powers at all,” Luther said, shoving a hand through his hair. “Katie told me your mother robbed you of all of your witch powers.”

Wes nodded tightly. “She did.”

And judging by the tone in Wesley’s voice, he was still bitter about it.

“But I worked hard at getting some of them back. I’ll never be as strong or as powerful as I was meant to be as one of the Power of Three, but I’ve harnessed a lot of the power my mother stole from me. I spent years learning, practicing.” He chuckled suddenly. “Some of the guys at Scanguards can tell you a few stories about my early tries. But I know my craft now. It gives me a purpose.”