Chapter 16
JASE
The five by seven photo is at least eight or ten years old. My arm is around her and we’re both smiling. She’s beaming. Flushed. It’s out behind the school in the park. I search my mind for the memory, and it takes a minute to recall when this was taken.
We had a carnival. I won her a stuffed animal, and she chose one the same color as my wolf. It’s here, on her dresser. It was beside the picture frame. Now it lies face first on the dresser. She must have dyed the tip of his tail to match mine.
Looking at her photo, at how she’s smiling sets of a strange pang in my chest. The expression on her face in the picture compared to now? I royally fucked this up.
“I told you I’m sorry,” I say softly. “And I mean it.”
The doorbell sounds.
“Whatever,” she mumbles, stomping out of the room.
Fuck. I smell witches.
I catch up to her, and the staircase is wide enough for me to squeeze by and get to the bottom first.
“Jason!” she snaps as I get to the door.
I dig the way she’s shouting my name. I feel it in my cock. But since I can’t do anything about it, my anger is about to be aimed at the reason my hands are tied.
I haul the door open and see Erica and Vivi on the porch. Their sister Veronica sits in the car at the curb.
“You,” I accuse and Vivi rears back at my body language. Erica doesn’t.
“We’d like to talk,” Erica says.
A car pulls up and parks behind Vivi’s. Fuckin’ Danica.
I growl.
“Move!” Bailey demands, rushing past me, grabbing Erica’s hand. “My mom still smells like Soleil Young to Dad. Can you help?”
“We’re already working on it,” Erica says gently, squeezing Bailey’s hand. “Welcome back. You look like you need a hug.”
Bailey wraps her arms around her and hugs her tight. “You have no idea.”
My throat clogs at the expression of pain on Bailey’s face.
Danica is leaned into the open passenger window of the car, speaking to her sister. Now they’re coming this way.
“Come on in, girls,” Carrie welcomes.
She’s changed her clothes and fixed her hair and looks more like the Carrie Blackwood I know.
I do my best to level Danica with a glare.
It seems to bounce off her and she smiles for Bailey, asking, “You doin’ okay?”
Bailey laughs nervously, gesticulating uncertainly before shrugging.
Graydon stands in the doorway behind his mate, looking unhappy.
He huffs out, “Sunroom is around back.”
He’s also blocking the entrance. With my most recent experience with this coven, I understand why.
Carrie shoots an angry look at her mate. “They’re welcome in our home, Gray. Move aside so they can come in.”
He shoots her a dark look and crosses his arms over his chest. He’s not moving.
All eyes move to the street where Greyson is now parking.
Once he’s out, he stops and hugs Veronica, looking like he’s attempting to comfort her.
Two more vehicles pull up. First, Tyson in his old red truck with Mase in the passenger seat followed by Riley’s car with Linc in his passenger seat. Joel approaches on foot.
“Everyone’s here. Let’s go on into the back yard,” Grey says.
“Congrats, brother,” Tyson says and throws his arms around me.
“Thanks, man.” I slap his back.
“She’s perfect for you,” Mase tells me, shaking my hand and slapping my shoulder. “I’m not the only one who was hopin’ it’d go this way.”
I can’t help but smile as I take her in. She’s got her pretty face all puckered up, her arms across her chest, her eyes all squinty. I laugh, feeling something strange bubbling in my chest.
He’s right. If only I’d known it before shit went sideways.
“Bro!” Linc slaps my back and ruffles my hair. “She looks like she wants to murder you.”
“I’ll fix it.”
“You will,” Joel says, throwing his arms around me.
I hug him and push him away teasingly as anxiety climbs up my body like vines about to choke me. “Thanks guys but you two do me a favor and stay as far from her as you can? This is fuckin’ with me.”
Joel’s expression drops.
Linc lifts his hands defensively. “Understood. Having the same issue over with Jared and Cicely.”
Grey is hugging Bailey now and she looks even more upset. My stomach pitches as she dashes tears from her cheeks with the backs of her hands.
But now Rye is squeezing my shoulder “Congrats, Jasey-boy. You better seal this deal soon. She shouldn’t have that look on her face.”
“Don’t I know it. Would’ve been done by now if not for your in-laws. Might need your woman to undo shit Danica did.”
Rye frowns. He doesn’t know.
Grey gets to me with wide eyes and hugs me. “Shit, bro. You’re not just in the doghouse with my sister…you’re in the fuckin’ outhouse.”
Yep. Gotta dig myself out and things will certainly stink living with these urges the next seventy-two hours.
***
We’re all in the sunroom addition on the back of the house.
It’s a big room full of flowers, an herb and vegetable garden, and a dining area.
Me, Rye, and Grey helped Graydon build this five years back.
We’re all sitting around the big table waiting on Carrie who requested we hang tight while she gets some refreshments together.
All of us except Joel and Linc, who are hovering by the door.
I’m just about coming out of my skin sitting here between my anger, the unmated alphas, not to mention this witch who has stopped me from claiming my mate.
Finally, Carrie and Graydon come in with trays of bottled waters, beer, as well as soft drinks.
Linc and Joel are as far from Bailey as they can be while still being present, but it’s not fucking far enough. I’m between them and her and still, it’s like my skin is nearly crawling and my pulse is way too high.
“Quite an audience here,” Bailey mutters to Erica. “Is this necessary?”
Grey speaks up. “Council’s here because there’s stuff we have to talk to Jase about.
The coven is here because they’re helpin’ with the Cicely and Jared issue as well as the issue with Mom and Dad.
We’re moving on from here back to Rye’s house so the girls can do some research, but they wanted to come check on you first and said Danica has something to say to all of us, including Jase, about the new Bailey and Jase situation. So, here we are. Wanna start, Dani?”
I speak up. “I’d like to get this over with. Having unmated alphas in the same space as my mate is not on. But I’ve got shit to say so I’ll go first.”
All eyes are on me, except the one set of eyes I want on me. Bailey’s.
“I fucked up. I wasn’t real nice to Bailey the last little while.”
Bailey scoffs, still not looking at me, but I only have eyes for her right now.
I continue. “I was not happy when you showed in Rome and even less happy when, directly after figuring out you’re meant to be mine, we get knocked unconscious by something only to wake up restrained and locked in that basement.
And now I feel like you’ve been stolen from me.
Because of you.” I point at Danica and wait for her reaction.
“Or… because of you,” she offers an alternative that’s absolute bullshit.
And this pisses me off even more.
“Explain,” Grey requests, eyes on me.
“Danica put a spell on me, warning me not to touch Bailey for three fucking days. I tried and felt like I was being fried, thrown back.”
“Dani…” Rye says with disapproval.
Danica gives him a dead-serious and unflinching look.
I keep going. “Not only was I shocked to suddenly find out Bailey’s mine, but I was given shit that made me sick, weakened me, and it stopped me from shifting.”
“Oh my goodness,” Carrie Blackwood mutters.
“The Starling witch got rough with Bailey and I lost my shit, got myself out of the restraints but she hit me with something that knocked me out. I wake up and Bailey’s gone, only to be dragged back in crying and disheveled in the clutches of the witch’s henchman and I can’t do a thing about it because suddenly I’m in that same bubble thing Wyatt Meadows was in.
Because Bailey fed me that potion while I was knocked out.
All this happened because you…” I point to Erica, “and you,” I point to Vivica “pulled some witchy bullshit game to get Bailey to follow me in the first place. Then you…” I point to Danica…
“know the rest, don’t you? You and Erica swapped the artifacts, pissing off the Starling witch.
You dropped Bailey off to me, playing some little matchmaking game because you guys obviously knew I was about to figure out who Bailey is to me.
Meanwhile, I’m being insensitive because I’m waiting to find out who my mate is and can’t figure out why my best friend’s little sister has followed me to Italy.
She’s pissed because I’m pissed and finally, when Danica can get me out of the fuckin’ trap, does she do that and let me make things right with Bay?
Let me settle my blood, my wolf? No… she keeps me locked in that fuckin’ bubble for a whole extra day coming outta my goddamn skin so Bailey gets a head start away from me. ”
“Fuck,” Mase mutters.
All of these guys look pissed on my behalf.
I finish with, “And puts a spell on me so I can’t lay a hand on Bailey for seventy-two hours. I do not fucking deserve this shit.”
Bailey’s father looks livid. “Fuck,” he mutters to Carrie, “And you wonder why I don’t want the Youngs in my house?”
Tyson blows out a whistle. Mase is flexing his jaw muscles, having second-hand anger, and Riley’s mouth has dropped open, but he’s got his eyes on his mate, who is shrinking slightly under his gaze.
Carrie puts her arm around Bailey, who isn’t looking at any of us.
Danica’s eyes flit up from an examination of her fingernails to level me with a dirty look before speaking.
“And I feel strongly enough about this that I’ve come back and rescheduled my vacation. Since you’ve said what you’ve said, I’ll add that I’d like to call a vote with my sisters to make it longer than three days.”
“This bitch,” I mutter, gesturing and looking to my council co-alphas for support.
They all look ticked. Except Grey. He’s just watching, not outwardly reacting.
“Easy,” Riley warns me.