How disappointed would Nina be when she found out that her little brother was having sex with Thomas? Or did she already suspect it? And the rest of Scanguards, would they look at him in an odd way? Would they treat him differently? Would they too make fun of him like the boys in his high school?

“I don’t mean to pry,” Samson’s voice drifted back to him.

“No. No, that’s okay. Everything was all right. Luther seems well.”

“Well, good then.”

There was an awkward pause, but Eddie was saved from saying any more when Nina spotted him and waved to him. She said something to Portia, then walked toward him.

“Excuse me, there’s Nina,” he said to Samson, glad for the excuse, and strode toward his sister, meeting her halfway.

“Hey, Eddie,” she greeted him with a smile and a hug. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen as much of you since when we were living together.”

She was right. Ever since she’d started looking for an apartment for him, they’d seen each other practically every day, or had at least talked on the phone. Nina was putting a lot of work into this apartment search, and he felt like an ass for leading her on. But this wasn’t the time or the place to tell her to cool the search. There were too many people in the room who could eavesdrop.

“Getting sick of me?” he asked, grinning back at her to hide his guilty conscience.

She boxed him in the side. “No chance. So where’s Thomas? Haven’t seen him yet.” Her eyes wandered around the room.

Defensiveness crept up in him. “How should I know?” Why did everybody have to ask him about Thomas as if they were an item?

Nina tilted her head, giving him a curious look. “Are you in a bad mood?”

“No, I’m not!” But if she kept going on about this, he would be very shortly.

“Hey, buddy,” Blake’s voice came from behind him, a hand landing on Eddie’s shoulder, giving him an overly friendly pat. “Nina.”

Eddie turned to look at the human. He wasn’t mad at him or at Oliver anymore for having leaked that Thomas had feelings for him. Blake just couldn’t help himself: he was a bit of a klutz. He meant well, but being the newest member of the extended Scanguards family, he still had lots to learn. As Rose and Quinn’s 4th great-grandson, he had become part of their group overnight and, given the circumstances, he had adjusted surprisingly well.

“Blake. So what’s this all about? Samson seemed to know but didn’t say anything,” Eddie asked.

“Your guess is as good as mine. Can’t be long now. Almost everybody is here. Even Wesley.” He pointed to the window where Wesley stood talking to his brother Haven, making wild gestures with his hands. Blake leaned in, lowering his booming voice. “He’s been working on his witchcraft, and I don’t think Haven is too pleased with the outcome of his experiments.”

Nina drew her head closer. “What happened? I thought Haven was okay with Wesley trying to regain his witch powers.”

Eddie had thought the same, and in fact he was grateful for it: Wesley’s witchcraft had helped save Thomas’s life when he’d fought his maker, Keegan. Had Wesley not cast a spell to break Keegan’s concentration during the mind control fight he and Thomas had been locked into, Thomas could have perished in the fight. Even now, Eddie still shuddered at the thought.

“He already has some of his powers back. I’ve seen it,” Eddie added.

Blake grinned. “Yeah, but apparently he has trouble controlling his powers. Last night when he was visiting to have a look at the baby, he was trying out some spells on Haven’s two puppies and turned them into piglets. Haven was pissed to say the least.”

“Oh no!” Nina laughed out loud.

Eddie couldn’t suppress his own laugh. “That’s too comical.”

“Well, Yvette didn’t think so. She’s afraid of Wesley being around the baby now, because who knows what he might turn her into.”

Nina stopped laughing. “She’s got a point.”

“Has he turned them back into puppies yet?” Eddie asked.

Blake gestured toward Haven, the witch-turned-vampire, and his witch brother. “Doesn’t look like it. From what I could overhear, the place where Wesley buys his ingredients ran out of something he needs for the reversal spell.”

“You mean those two puppies are still running around like pigs?” Eddie could virtually see them before his eyes.

Blake chuckled. “Yes, Bacon and Sausage are roaming Haven’s house, driving everybody crazy.”