Chapter 7 The Interim
“I t’s all arranged, they’ll be there.”
“Are you sure about this?”
“There’s no time, we need to get her through the barrier now, before the guards wake up. Then this willall be over.”
Those unfamiliar voices wake me again. My mark burning as I turn and groan at the heavy ache in my body. The voices soon forgotten when something is placed on the table beside me.
“You’re awake,” Ferne’s soft voice is the only thing I hear now.
I slowly open my eyes and peer up from beneath the covers. Ferne is sat beside my bed, a steaming mug in her hands and a tight smile upon her soft face. Her hair isn’t in its usual low ponytail, it lays in soft, fuzzy waves around her sun-kissed face, as though she’s just woken up herself.
“Hi,” I murmur, the word is hoarse and quiet as I attempt to move and wince.
“Careful,” she ushers, leaning forward and adjusting my pillows to prop me up, “you’ve been asleep for a while.”
With Ferne’s support, I manage to sit up with a groan. My entire body aches, it feels tight and I’m desperate for a hot shower to ease the muscles.
“How long?” I ask, rubbing my eyes and painfully glaring at the blaring sun peeking through my curtains.
“Three days.”
I frown and shake my head. My hair falls over my shoulders in a tangled mess of waves and my neck stings from the sudden movement. “Seriously? I feel like I’ve gone seven rounds with Brutus’ pack.”
“You’ve barely moved, after the first day I made sure to reposition you every few hours to maintain blood flow,” she explains, her worried gaze dancing over all of me, before reaching for the mug on my bedside table. “Drink this, it’ll help with the muscle aches and circulation.”
I grip the mug with both hands, the intense heat comforting and sinking into my raw skin. When I take a sip, the hot liquid burns but awakens more of my body. I sigh as the heat soothes my empty stomach.
“Thank you, for looking after me.” I glimpse Ferne’s smile as I take another sip. “And I’m happy to say this is much nicer than the last drink you made me.”
Her gentle smile remains but it’s cautious, it doesn’t quite reach her hazel eyes.
“Brutus was right not to let you work that night, you were still recovering and we shouldn’t have left you alone. Alexis found you passed out and panicked, she rang all of us, said the windows were cracked and you were hardly breathing…” she explains in a breathless tone, speaking quicker than normal and suddenly pulling out her phone. “Shit, I need to call them, I need to let them know—”
“No,” Ferne’s delicate features pinch together as I interrupt, understandably. Why wouldn’t I want to see them all?
But what she doesn’t realise is, at that moment, my mind has begun to piece memories together and the demon’s words from three days ago reappear. His threats, like impenetrable talons, dig into my chest and the intense ache reminds me of what I need to do. What I can’t say.
The fear blooms deep in my chest, the utter terror I hadn’t been able to feel finally appearing and doubling in intensity. My power stirs as I feel my eyes beginning to water.
“I don’t want to see them yet.”
Ferne’s eyes soften, she glances away for a moment. “Please, don’t be mad at us, Jasmine. The barrier, keeping you here, away from them… We just wanted to keep you safe, we all do. We shouldn’t have left you alone again.”
She doesn’t understand, of course she doesn’t. I close my eyes and take a deep breath, forcing the tears to remain, begging my power to awaken quicker and stop these emotions.
I need to be careful, these people, my family, know me more than anyone and Ferne is one of the most perceptive.
“It’s OK,” I say, forcing a smile and reaching for her delicate hand, “but I don’t want to see August. Not yet anyway.”
Even saying his name creates an unbearable ache in my stomach, I wrap an arm around myself .
Her gaze softens again and her gentle smile slips into something smaller, sadder. “Brutus has been keeping him with the pack, alpha rule, he hasn’t been here since the night Alexis found you unconscious.”
If possible, my chest aches more, it’s a deep eroding pain which claws at my bones and causes my breath to catch. Ferne sees it, possibly senses it as my power finally begins to stir from its deep slumber. I feel its extensive tendrils unfolding, crawling, seeking out my pain but she doesn’t say a word.
Of course, Brutus has kept him away. He can’t risk losing his beta when his illness is progressing the way it is, and August can’t put me above his pack, I wouldn’t ever ask him to.
Currently, I have no doubt Brutus will be going through hell trying to keep August with the pack and away from me, having to constantly remind him of his duties to his true family, where his real loyalty lies. Where it will always stay.
It’s the right thing to do, but it doesn’t stop the stabbing sensation making it difficult to breathe.
“Drink up.” Ferne’s fingertips ease the bottom of my mug up, edging it to my lips. I take another gulp and she smiles happily over the rim at me.
She doesn’t say any more about August as we continue to sip our beverages. Every so often she mentions things that have happened at the club during my absence, I can feel her genuine warmth and relief during the entire conversation. My power latches onto it and blooms.
After finishing the drink, I’m able to ease myself out of bed. Ferne follows my every step, suggesting we wait for the others whilst cautiously watching my movements but each step stretches and helps to ease my aching muscles. My power coils around me and the subtle burn in my legs is a welcomed sensation.
Now alone in my bathroom, I lean my head against the cold tile of the shower wall, allowing the scalding water to cascade over me in a heavy current. I finally allow my worries to surface, the demon’s words repeating and making my coils lash out around me, slicing into the heavy steam as I cry silently.
The warmth sinks into me and heals my aching body as I cry, remaining against the cold tiles. With each hot inhale my chest judders, imagining the fate that could await my loved ones, but my power only strengthens, grows with each breath, until it's wrapping around me and providing another layer of comfort, one much thicker than ever before.
When I step out into the steam and see my foggy reflection, I inhale sharply.
Everything feels and looks different.
I tentatively skim my bare skin with shaky fingers, seeing my thin tendrils seep out and over me to create a thin veil of black. My eyes are piercing as they glow through the steam like fire and, as the steam begins to disperse, I note the tinge of blue infecting the veil.
“I’ll kill them.” My power flares with pure rage.
The room becomes an instant sauna, steam morphing into a blanket of heavy fog, droplets of water sizzle upon my skin and create more heat. I begin to pant, feeling the vehemence upon my tongue, at the back of my throat, in my lungs.
My eyes flare bright crimson.
“Jasmine, are you OK?”
My power immediately rescinds, sinking back into me at her worried voice. The warmth of my anger still evident but no longer physically marking my skin. I take slow, heavy breaths and urge my coils to seek out stabilising emotions, it latches onto Ferne’s concern and devours it as we speak.
“I’m fine, I feel much better,” I call out, lying.
I quickly dry my body and pull on a long hoodie. As I dress, I don’t dare look at my back, I’m completely unwilling to acknowledge the change I can feel, terrified at the need to keep this hidden yet burning with a desire to maim.
The living room is a mess. Piles of roughly folded blankets, cushion towers and makeshifts beds indicate how the last three days went by for my family. My heart swells and the lurking anger disintegrates at the thought of them camping out here, the glowing red coals indicating Lew hadn’t long left.
Numerous mugs and pizza boxes lay haphazardly over the kitchen counter, I nervously open the lids and grimace at the remains of old crust in one, most likely Louise’s.
When the door suddenly opens, my power nervously hovers in an invisible barrier until it feels her and drops.
“You really need to stop with the excessive sleep thing,” Alexis says, her voice attempting to be playful but I can feel her concern as it sinks into me. She quickly makes her way over to me; her arms looping around me and mine her. “I’m sorry I left you, you seemed totally fine.”
“You don’t need to apologise,” I murmur, tightening my grip to mimic her own grasp, preparing myself for the barrage of lies I’m about to spill. “I was pretending to be better than I felt, the moment you guys left I knew I wasn’t right…But everything is fine now.”
If she had any idea I was lying, she didn’t give any indication. She gives me another hard squeeze.
“I’ve been so bored ,” she blurts, followed by a hard laugh. “Don’t leave me for that long again, you hear me?”
I slowly step back to see her flustered face, her large, violet eyes are glassy as though she’s holding back tears and her purple hair is piled in a soft mess upon her head. “I’m sure you weren’t that bored and I bet a certain fae kept you… occupied .”
Alexis’ angelic face turns into a scowl but her lips are struggling to stop the hint of a smile. “Shut up, right now.”
I grin slyly as we separate, feeling a new ache in my stomach as I open the fridge door, frowning at the empty shelves. “If you feed me, I won’t say another word.”
“Won’t say another word about what?” Javier’s voice bellows from the hallway. As he enters, I note the multiple shopping bags he and Ferne are carrying.
“I love you guys,” I dramatically sigh, but my power pulses with each word.
I eagerly reach into the closest bag in Javier’s arm and rummage for something edible. I quickly find a muffin, rip away the packaging and inhale it whilst groaning.
“Wow, I never knew a fifty pence muffin could make a girl moan like—”
“I swear to the Holy Goddess, Javier, do not say another word or I will gag you.” Alexis’ deadly scowl narrows on Javier’s beaming face.
Completely ignoring them, I’m already opening muffin number two and pretending to cry with joy as I take another bite.
“Oh baby, I thought you’d never ask.” He grins. Bags now discarded on the ground; he prowls towards Alexis.
The room becomes warm, I rip my eyes away from my muffin and I almost choke on a piece of blueberry at the sudden intensity of emotions swarming the room .
“Guys, I haven’t eaten for three days, please do not make me throw up,” I spit out, my power sinking and feeding into the frustration, lust, irritation and… happiness. Happiness.
I glance at Alexis, seeing her narrowed gaze intent on Javier, one which seems to lack its normal level of contempt as Javier’s eyes travel over her lustily.
It seems a lot can happen in three days.
I amplify the final emotion, my power hums as it pulses and spreads. The atmosphere lightens, Ferne’s body relaxes and after a final glance, I continue to happily chomp away.
“No promises there, Jas!” Javier’s path takes a sudden change as he bulldozes into me for a tight hug, picking me up off the ground in a spin and away from my previous muffin. I start laughing during the second spin and after the third he finally stops. “It hasn’t been the same without you teaming up on me with Lex, I’ve had to really be on my best behaviour because she has been a total…”
He pauses, gently placing me down as I glance at Alexis over his large shoulder. Her eyes narrow impatiently.
“Maybe we should talk later and you can fill me in on all the gossip. Well, maybe not everything …” I whisper, causing Javier to chuckle and Alexis’ eyes to flash, her small hand lashing out to grab Javier’s t-shirt and jolt him back.
“OK, that’s enough catching up for now!” Alexis shouts in panic, her cheeks blushing, hand still a tight fist wrapped in Javier’s t-shirt. He continues to grin at me and I return a similar smile, feeling Alexis’ annoyance build.
“Brutus called me,” she suddenly states and my smile slowly drops.
“Way to kill the mood, Lex,” Javier murmurs. She looks guiltily at him, before turning back to me.
I place the partially eaten muffin gently on the counter, watching her nervous expression carefully, allowing my tendrils to sweep out and form around us as I wait.
“How is he?” I ask, voice quiet.
“He’s OK.” Her eyes glimmer at the words, her grip dropping from Javier’s t-shirt. “He’s worried about you. He doesn’t want you working tonight, or tomorrow. He said you need to rest and maybe in a few days, if everything has cooled down then—”
“I’m fine, nothing happened, I don’t need to—”
“That’s what you said last time.” Her violet gaze cuts into me, as does Javier’s and Ferne’s. I sink back against the counter in defeat.
She’s right, they all are. But I was fine, until they turned up. Something they’ll never know because I will never risk their safety.
Instead, I dramatically sigh, resigned to my fate. “Fine, just a couple more days but that’s it.”
Alexis, Ferne and Javier all share another glance, I step forward and frown.
“What? What is it?” I ask, searching their faces, hoping one will reveal something.
All eyes land on Alexis, she rolls her own in a purple flash as she takes a breath. “We haven’t seen the enforcers since that night. They were in the club barely five minutes, then they were gone, like ‘poof’, we didn’t even see them leave.”
“All three of them came?”
“Just the two, the demon and fae,” Javier adds.
I pretend to seem interested by their disclosure and attempt to imagine how I would have reacted if I didn’t know they’d spent the evening removing a part of my mark and threatening to kill my entire family if I ever let them know.
“OK, so there was only two of them and they haven’t been back since. Isn’t that a good thing?” I question, forcing myself to sound optimistic.
“I mean, I guess…” Alexis glances at Ferne and Javier, this confident mage has never struggled with her words before which makes my power flicker. I watch her carefully when she speaks again. “Brutus is worried they’re planning something.”
I pull in my bottom lip and narrow my gaze. “Like what?”
“He doesn’t know,” Ferne continues the conversation, now moving to begin emptying the many bags. I copy her, eager to see what else they have brought and hoping it will ease the tension beginning to build.
“We just need to be careful,” Alexis explains, her eyes focused on me, “ you need to be careful.”
I easily smile, kneeling onto the counter top to place a box of cereal away in the highest cupboard. “You know me, I’m always careful Lexi.”
At that moment, I pretend to lose my balance and all three of them tense, ready to race forward and catch me. Javier is the first to realise my charade and begins laughing loudly, slapping his legs .
My own chuckle joins his but Alexis and Ferne look uneasy with the whole thing.
“Come on you two, we’re over the worst!” Javier beams, putting them both under one large arm, knocking their heads together which makes me laugh again. “Let’s put this away and eat, it’s been a hard few days.”
And the next days were harder still.
Restriction to this level of the club, unable to leave to even go to my makeshift gym, was utterly tedious.
They come and see me every day, everyone but him. Louise and Lewis came yesterday and they spent the entire day filling me in on elemental gossip, how Lewis is currently dating an air elemental (which is apparently a big deal) and I nod along whilst eating the takeaway food they brought.
My power is utterly restless.
I do my best to keep it contained, occupied, feeding off the emotions it’s allowed access to, but it wants more.
They haven’t returned.
During the first few nights, I was absolutely petrified they would come back, especially since I wasn’t alone. I haven’t spent a single moment alone.
But they don’t.
After nearly ten days in this place, memorising the signs outside the window and learning all the ways to exercise using a chair and table, Alexis comes bounding into my living room. Louise and I are in the middle of a headstand competition, using the sofa as a prop to keep us upright.
“You’re free!” she shouts, eagerly wrapping her arms around mine and Louise’s legs.
We quickly lose balance and fall onto the floor in a pile of laughter whilst she continues to excitedly speak, “Brutus said it’s been over a week with no sign of the enforcers, you’ve been sleeping normally, he’s heard nothing from the other packs. He’s given you the ‘all clear’!”
Louise attempts to pry herself away from us but we both pull her back into our playful wrestling. Alexis tries to get her into a headlock and I can’t stop laughing at the annoyed expression plaguing Louise’s face but feeling her truer emotions, my power blooms with excitement and joy .
“There’s just one thing,” she says, all of us now breathless from our fall and play. We simultaneously sit up; I watch Alexis as she pushes purple strands away from her face. “Brutus needs you on level six.”
My power flickers around us, catching her worry and smoothing it away. “Why?”
She takes another breath, glancing at Louise who avoids eye contact, then swallows whilst watching me. “August is meeting another pack with Brutus, he said they’ll be gone for a few days.”
“It’s close to mating season,” Louise adds quietly, wrapping her light curls into a high ponytail. Alexis’ eyes widen as they land on Louise in shock.
Louise was always the bluntest of us all, not afraid to say what really needed to be said, never hiding behind flowery language. It was a quality of hers that often got her into trouble, but it was one I deeply admired.
I nod along with their words, trying to ignore the tightening in my chest at the fact I still haven’t heard from August. He ignored all of my messages, I stopped sending them after the third day, and now he’s going on a pack visit, close to mating season, which means he’s preparing to take over as alpha and is actively seeking out a luna.
“Are you OK?” Alexis’ soft question pulls me from those thoughts, I pull my lips together in a tight smile and nod again.
Louise is holding an empty glass towards me but when I take it, it slowly fills with water and I take a cold sip before speaking.
“Thanks. I’m fine.” Both their gazes harden, I try to smile. “Honestly, I’m good. I get to leave this room; I’ll have my own floor and the boss is away? I’m more than fine.” My smile pulls into a genuine grin now, one which Alexis copies, Louise simply watches. “I think we’re overdue a drinking session too, I’m desperate to see Javier’s dance moves again.”
“Wait till I tell Jav, he’s going to lose his shit.” She beams, grabbing her phone and calling him.
“This isn’t going to end well,” Louise mutters, gripping my glass and taking a few hard gulps.
Javier quickly picks up and when Alexis informs him of the news, loud hollering and excited curses fill the air.