Chapter 24
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
CLEM.
It’s been a busy few days since Otis declared his love. The bouquet didn’t last long, but that’s okay. The flowers may have wilted, but our love is getting stronger by the day.
Otis is working long hours to finalise the mission, and I’m helping by keeping his notes tidy and filing them neatly, and making cups of tea, and sitting on his knee and giving him the odd blow job or two.
And then he tips me onto the bed and returns the favor with that magic tongue of his.
There have been lots of meetings, at the sheriff’s office. One time Otis took me in there and introduced me to everyone, and I took notes of the proceedings.
I love the bustle of the station, and Tony Vazzeli is an absolute darling. It’s such a relief Otis has such a good deputy watching his back.
But tonight, we’re at home because Jax is due to pick up the first of the devices.
There’s a knock at the door. Otis answers and Jax ambles in and gives me a hug.
I can look at the bite marks on his neck now without feeling worried.
I’m so relieved to know the truth. I’m in in awe of him, to be honest. My brother has a wolf inside him.
That’s epic. I know now he will be better at defending himself.
That he will be swifter, stronger and fiercer than any human who might try to take him prisoner.
And if need be, he can shift into his wolf to escape.
I do still worry about him coming face to face with a malefic. Will he be stronger than one of them, even in his wolf form?
I put the thought to the back of my mind as I detect a waft of passionfruit.
“What’s that smell?”
“My vape.”
I roll my eyes.
“Seriously, can’t you give that away? I mean, it’s probably not good for your inner wolf,” I whisper. He lets out a growl. It sounds perfectly human. For now.
“What if it hampers your ability to shift?” I persist, knowing I’m nagging.
“It won’t.”
I shrug as Otis strides in and gives me a wink.
Jax pans his gaze from me to Otis.
“Okay. You guys need to fess up.”
“What d’you mean?”
“It’s bleeding obvious you can barely keep your hands off each other. My wolf can scent the fucking pheromones in the air.”
“I guess that’s a fair cop.” Otis grins, his eyes caressing me.
Jax lets out an amused grunt, but doesn’t pursue it further. Guess he’s got a lot on his mind. Otis strides to the desk and gets the device out of his desk drawer.
“The first of many.” He puts the tiny device onto the desk.
“Tonight, you will take this with the box of cigars, enter the captain’s office in the army barracks in the Periphery and offer him a deal he can’t refuse.
Make sure you haggle on the price for a while.
During the exchange, place the device under his desk.
It will barely have to touch a surface to adhere. ”
Jax grins. “Lucky for me, the bastard’s a heavy smoker.”
Otis nods. “We will be monitoring portal activity as per usual, but there should be nothing to arouse suspicion. Virtual Jax will be in his apartment in the Periphery watching TV the whole time, so returning here unnoticed should be no problem. If the bugging device provides clear intel, we move on to phase two.”
“Sure.”
Otis puts the device in a small box and hands it to Jax, then we walk him to the door.
“Are you ready for this?” I ask Jax, my gaze panning his face.
“Probably been ready since I was thirteen years old, to be honest. It’s time to stop the bastards before they destroy us all.”
I hug him tight. “Good luck, bastard.”
“Thanks, bitch. Don’t worry, I’ll be back to annoy you soon.” He pulls away and winks at Otis. “Meanwhile, you two enjoy yourselves. Don’t spare a thought for my sorry ass on the line.”
OTIS.
“Where’s Jax?” Tippy asks as she places the shot glasses down on the table.
“Off on the prowl,” I reply jauntily.
Tippy sniffs disdainfully. I guess that was an unfortunate turn of phrase.
She doesn’t know about the mission. And she certainly doesn’t know that Jax is a werewolf.
I get why Jax doesn’t want her to know he’s been turned. There has been a long and bitter rivalry between vixen shifters, and wolves. Or more accurately between wixens and wolf sages.
The wolf sages believe that it was their species that wrote the original runes with the help of white witches.
The Wixens say they are descended straight from a mate bond between a vixen shifter and a powerful mage. They believe that it was wixens who wrote the original runes.
The argument has gone on for centuries.
And yet, neither wixens nor werewolves, as far as anyone knows, have any ability whatsoever to decipher the runes.
They remain a thick book of mysterious hieroglyphics and a few strange spells sewn into the portal cape’s lining.
Someday, maybe there will be an answer to it all.
But until that day, wixens and their packs and wolf sages and theirs, continue to fall out over it. You really can’t have a wixen and a wolf in the same room without them tearing into each other (metaphorically speaking, for the most part, though fur has been known to fly at times).
If there is a blossoming romance between Jax and Tippy, her discovering that he’s a werewolf will likely nip it in the bud.
Which is kind of sad.
Love is such a special thing. Now that I’m lucky enough to have found it with Clem, I want everyone to experience it.
Even fucking Jax.
Tippy is way too good for him of course, but there you are. Clem is too good for me, and I still can’t quite believe she feels the same way. I am truly blessed.
As it is, I’m here taking Jax’s place at Friday night poker. I hate card games. I only know the rudimentary rules and am likely to get my ass well and truly kicked by Brody, Kazmo and Silas, but I offered to take part since they prefer to play with four… so here I am.
Meanwhile, having delivered our drinks, Tippy sashays back to the front of house, where she’s been chatting to Clem between customers. It’s nice to see these two forming a friendship, particularly with Sammy away at present.
Honestly, I’d rather be dining a deux in a candlelit corner with my girl, and soon, hopefully we will be.
Once this mission is out of the way, we’ll confess our love to everyone, but right now we need no distractions, and another mate bond forming between a human and a monster would be a major distraction.
So for now, we’ll keep our love between us. Even though rumors are beginning to gather.
“Your turn,” Silas prods.
“Shit!” I stare at the cards in my hand like they’re an equation I need to solve.
Suddenly Kazmo asks, “How’s Clem going?”
“Good. Great.” I stare harder at the cards.
“Someone said they saw you two at the orchards. In the lover’s garden, sitting very close to one another,” Brody adds.
“Really? Yeah, I was just showing her around. Probably we just sat down for a rest.”
They all glance at me over their cards, as if they don’t believe a word of it.
“There’s talk around the place of you looking… very friendly.” Kazmo smirks.
“Another human-monster mate bond would be interesting. Like fate is bringing it to pass,” Silas muses.
I shrug. “If it was happening, yeah, I guess.”
I show my cards. Four of a Kind.
With a smirk, Brody tops it with a Straight Flush.
“Damn,” I growl.
Finally Silas shows his cards. He’s landed a Royal Flush, the sly raven.
Kazmo throws down his hand. “You fucker, Silas.”
Silas smiles as he sweeps the stakes toward him with a claw that turns briefly into a wing; None of us have yet seen him in full raven.
Some say it’s not even possible—that raven shifters have lost their powers to shift past a show of claws and wing.
But no-one asks Silas directly; he’s a very private person.
“Another round?” Kazmo suggests.
“Think I’ll go check on Clem.” I get up, pushing back my chair.
“Come back, so we can beat your big green ass.”
“Nope. Done as much as I promised.” I stretch my arms above my head. “Heading home for an early night.”
As I saunter out, I sense all three pairs of eyes glued to my back.
“Have a nice night,” Kazmo drawls, “with Clem.”
Brody sputters out a laugh and even Silas joins in with a dry snigger.
I hold up my middle finger in a farewell salute.