Chapter 31 #6
“Such as help me get through this without all this anxiety and all these awful, painful emotions? Maybe something anti-psychotic so I don’t bald any females for being interested in Jase and so I also don’t hear voices in my head like a pup yipping at me because it may or may not be the soul of a future daughter the nice lady on the plane told me she saw in my future? ”
“I’m guessing that’s not a random example.”
“She gave me knitted baby booties for my future daughter that she had a vision of. Oh, and she said that I’d be getting a puppy, too, which I’m assuming is code for a daughter that’s part-shifter.”
Her eyes widen. “That’s… specific.”
“Yep. She said she knew she sounded kooky but said her visions frequently come true.”
Dani mouths the word wow.
My brother is walking up the sidewalk toward us. Mason and Linc are right behind him in Linc’s SUV. Joel and Tyson are following behind in Joel’s car.
“We should continue this convo later,” I suggest.
Dani nods and we go back to help Mom bring the refreshments to the sunroom.
A few minutes later, Riley and Erica pull up on Riley’s motorcycle.
***
It’s fifteen minutes after the meeting was supposed to start, and the small talk has started to fade. People are fidgeting and making concerned eye contact with one another.
I’ve been silent this entire time, eyes laser-focused on the door.
My eyes bounce between Erica and Dani now. They’re both watching me.
“He’s not coming,” I say.
Erica clasps her hands together. “Okay, well, the spell is going to be extended until this time tomorrow. We’ll meet here then, if that’s okay with Graydon and Carrie.”
“I’m sure it is,” Grey says.
My parents aren’t here. They decided to stay out of it after how graphic Jase got the day we got back from overseas.
It’s clear he didn’t get a clue from Jase today on the phone that Jase wasn’t coming or I’m sure Grey would’ve made sure we didn’t waste our time.
Linc approaches me, taking his ball cap off.
“We all think a lot of you, Bailey,” he says.
“I sense a but coming,” I mutter, thinking he’s about to rip me a new one for potentially slowing down his mating.
“He’s wrecked. Fuckin’ wrecked.”
“Oh, poor Jase can’t get lucky because he’s stuck on the scent of me? Sorry I didn’t just fall on his dick.” I roll my eyes.
But even as I say it, it’s an act. Because I know it’s now about more than sex. Maybe he’s feeling humiliated at being rejected. He made it crystal clear he’s disappointed with my behavior. Either he’s done waiting around and is thinking about a severance, or he’s doing this to get revenge on me.
“Bailey,” Grey mutters disapprovingly.
I shouldn’t take my frustration out on Lincoln.
And not because of Grey’s reprimand, either.
I already know I’m going to lie awake tonight beating myself up for that statement because it’s not like me to be disingenuous.
I’m tired, cranky, stressed out, and possibly hormonal if my body is reacting to the denied mate bond, too.
I’m about to apologize to Linc, but he speaks up first.
“You might’ve thought he was being callous with your feelings, and maybe he was, but he’s suffered for it.
I’ve never seen him like he’s been these last four days.
Saw him this afternoon and he’s… not Jase.
He’s wrecked over this. He’s shouldering the blame, not passing it off.
You mean a lot to all of us. I know he was probably a jackass trying to cure you of your feelings for him, but he’s not someone who intentionally hurts pack members. You know that, right?”
I swallow. Maybe that’s why it hurt so much. The dismissiveness. The callous comments. Because Jase has always been super-caring.
Linc continues. “He thought of you like a little sister. We all do. Until things changed. And now he's just… he’s fallen apart. I’m sensing you don’t want to hear this, but if you could find it in your heart to give him a chance, I think he’d bust his ass trying his best to make it up to you.”
“A hundred percent,” Riley chimes in. “Not trying to diminish your feelings, Bailey. You’ve got every right to feel whatever you’re feeling.
All our matings have been difficult. Emotional.
But we’re all here for one another, right?
That includes you. And this is Jason. You know him.
Think about that. He never wanted to hurt you.
He got caught up with the emotional rollercoaster of everything. ”
“Hey, Bailey?” Joel calls from across the space. “What would you have felt like a month ago if Jase identified you as his?”
When I don’t immediately reply, Mase says, “Try and put yourself in that headspace. You didn’t have a little crush on him.
You were all in to spend your life making him happy, right?
We all know that about you. Giving him everything a mate wants to give her man.
It’s been written all over you for years.
We’ve all talked about it. Not with Jase, but we have.
Some of us recently talked about how great it’d be if it was you because we knew you’d give him a happy home.
You’d give him everything he never knew was possible with being in a committed relationship. ”
I can’t swallow. I can hardly breathe. They weren’t ridiculing me all this time?
Tyson is suddenly in my space, too. “He’s sorry, Bailey. Don’t do this to him and don’t do it to yourself. You’re meant to be. Don’t deny yourselves the happiness. Whatever good stuff people say about being mated… it’s even better than that. You don’t know what you’re missing.”
“It’s really nice that you’re all standing up for him,” I manage to say despite my clogged throat. “I love you guys for how much you care about this pack.”
“He cares about this pack as much as we do,” Grey puts in.
I sigh. “But he’s not even here. Maybe he’s decided it’s not worth it.”
“Maybe he’s so devastated he can’t pick himself up out of the dumps,” Linc suggests with emotion in his voice that has me feeling an ache that I loathe.
“Instead of you guys speaking for Jase, maybe Jase should speak for himself.” Dani steps closer. “If Bailey is in agreement here, we’ll set up again tomorrow. Unless you want to go look for him and tell him you’re ready to give him a chance?”
The look of sheer panic I give her has her continuing.
“Right, okay, so if Jase doesn’t show up tomorrow, if Jase thinks he’s gaming the system here by waiting out the spell because he thinks we can’t indefinitely extend it, then it won’t be tolerated.
If I need to put my own ass, my magic on the line to prevent him from traumatizing Bailey, I’ll do it.
I will be Bailey’s personal security guard, armed with my entire apothecary and every spellbook I own.
Can one of you communicate this to him? Noon tomorrow.
We aren’t waiting all fucking day again. ”
“Is that what he’s doing?” My voice comes out very high. “Waiting things out so he can come claim me when magic won’t be in the way? Does he really think I’ll just suddenly be okay if he does that?” Panic is a rapidly increasing tidal wave, rising higher and higher inside me.
None of the other council members are responding. Because they’re covering for Jase or because they’re not dignifying Dani’s theory with replies?
Jase sure seemed like he was done when he left me in the woods. I don’t think that was an act.
But what if he does plan to just cart me off and have his way with me? My eyes pan across each council member, each witch in the sunroom. I’m utterly panicked and I know for a fact that each one of them is reading it from me.
“Come on,” Dani tugs my hand, ushering me to the door. “You’re having a sleepover with us in town tonight. Let’s go pack your pajamas. Bring enough for tomorrow night too. Just in case.”