Chapter 35
CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE
Jonah knew better than to go to Spellbound if he was going to sleep in his truck.
He drove a while before finding free street parking a few blocks away from the office.
The neighborhood was safe enough and most cars had wards on them.
Hopefully people would assume the same for his and leave him alone.
Crawling over the seat into the back, he tried his best to get comfortable, using the bag with his clothes as a pillow.
He was glad it was Harlem who was talking to him when he decided to leave.
The werewolves would’ve been able to tell he was lying when he said he was going to a hotel, and he got the feeling they would’ve kicked up a fuss if they’d known the truth.
He couldn’t help pulling his phone out of his pocket, checking the screen for more messages. He wouldn’t get any. Emmett had always respected his boundaries, and Jonah had asked him for space. He wouldn’t contact him unless Jonah did first.
His heart ached at the thought of not talking to Emmett.
He’d gotten so used to it, to the random messages he got when they were apart during work.
Emmett had even texted him while they were in The Lodge together, in separate groups but within eye shot of each other.
It had made Jonah laugh out loud, it was so ridiculous and got a ton of questions from the pack members he’d been hanging out with demanding to know what was so funny.
He hadn’t wanted to go. He’d wanted to wait and check on Emmett, to make sure he was okay. The fight had been violent and a little terrifying, and Jonah was sure Kyle wasn’t the only one who’d gotten hurt. But…
When they were taking Kyle away to be treated by a healer, he overheard some people commenting about how unlike him Emmett’s behavior was becoming, how violence wasn’t the only option, and they were starting to worry about him.
Jonah could practically see the divide forming between Emmett and his pack.
He couldn’t stomach being the reason Emmett lost his family.
He’d already driven off his own. He couldn’t be the reason Emmett was alone, too.
His phone buzzed in his hand, and he sucked in a breath, hopeful that it was Emmett even though he’d just told himself it wouldn’t be.
And it wasn’t. It was a stupid spam message.
Jonah got his hopes up for nothing and had to fight the urge to throw his phone out of frustration.
He didn’t, he couldn’t afford to fix it, but he did open his and Emmett’s text thread again, scrolling through old messages filled with stupid jokes, memes, and weird questions about supes that Jonah knew better now were completely idiotic.
The fact that Emmett never judged him showed just how patient he was.
Patient, kind, sweet, he was the full package. And that tail. Whapping against any nearby surface if Emmett got even a little excited about something. Jonah couldn’t help but smile every time he heard it.
His fingers moved unconsciously, his heart aching for the werewolf who felt more like home than his parents’ house ever did.
Jonah: You okay?
He wasn’t sure if he should be surprised that Emmett answered right away, like maybe he was clinging to his phone the same way Jonah was.
Emmett: Bumps and bruises. Nothing a healing potion can’t fix.
Emmett: You?
Jonah: Fine.
The lie felt hollow, even over text. It also sounded like a brush off, and he didn’t want Emmett to think he didn't want to talk. Apparently he was really bad at sticking to his own rules because now that they’d started, he couldn’t stomach stopping.
He quickly typed out another reply, unable to resist keeping the conversation going.
Jonah: Heard any good jokes lately?
He felt stupid the minute he sent it, but he couldn’t think of what else to say. He didn’t want to talk about what happened, he wasn’t ready to face that particular reality just yet, and the text conversations he’d been looking at before were the first thing that popped into his head.
The dots danced across the screen for a moment, then stopped. Jonah chewed on his lip, worried that maybe Emmett was getting tired of him dodging conversations, but before he could type out an apology, Emmett’s message came through.
Emmett: Why was the necromancer so buff?
Jonah: I don’t know. Why?
Emmett: Because he did so much deadlifting.
Jonah snickered, then had to ask.
Jonah: Are necromancers real?
Emmett: … no…
Jonah’s mouth fell open.
Jonah: You’re lying! They’re real?
Emmett: Okay, yes, they’re real, but they’re super rare. Like, one in a million. Pretty sure none of them live in the city either. They’re about as well received as telepaths.
Suddenly sleeping in his truck felt a little more dangerous than he’d first assumed. He curled a little tighter around his phone so no one would notice the light inside and peek in.
Emmett: My turn. I have human questions.
Jonah snorted. This should be good.
Emmett: I heard about this thing where human kids go house to house begging for candy. What’s that all about? Can their parents not afford to give them candy?
It took Jonah a minute to figure out what the heck he was talking about, and once he finally clued in, he snickered to himself.
Jonah: That’s a holiday called Halloween. Kids dress up in costumes and go house to house collecting candy. It’s fun.
Emmett: What kind of costumes?
Jonah: Usually characters from books or TV shows. Sometimes animals.
A thought came to him and he nearly laughed out loud when he remembered.
Jonah: One year I dressed up as a wolf.
Emmett: Wait, really? That’s awesome!
Emmett: Can we recreate that? I want pictures.
Jonah: Absolutely not.
Sleeping in his truck wasn’t comfortable in the slightest. He was freezing, he got a crick in his neck, and his legs were cramped when he woke up.
He gave up before the sun had fully risen and headed for Spellbound, where they had a full gym including showers on the seventh floor.
Since he wasn’t the only one who arrived early to use the gym, the security guard, a bored looking orc, barely checked his badge before waving him through.
His clothes were a little wrinkled from being used as a pillow and he had dark circles under his eyes, but he figured it was better than nothing, and Roz didn’t seem to notice or care when he showed up.
She pointed at the desk he’d studied at the day before, where the book she’d had him study was still laid out, and told him to get to work.
He tried not to read too far into it, but when she disappeared for a little while, telling him to watch the system, and came back with a few potential hires on a tour, Jonah felt his heart sink a little.
It was starting to feel like she was giving him filler tasks to run out his last week before he got sent back to Charmed Away.
He’d gotten the message from Kian the day before, his month-long stint was coming to a close, and he was headed back to Charmed Away once Roz was done with him.
When Roz came back and took over monitoring the system, Jonah excused himself.
He needed some air and the walls of the Cyber Security floor were starting to feel like they were closing in on him.
Roz gave him a curious look, but didn’t ask, waving him off and giving her attention back to the screen.
Jonah took the opening and headed out, taking the stairs instead of trying to stuff himself into overly full elevators just to get outside. That would only make things worse.
He’d only gone a few flights down when a door opened and Taron stepped out. He was talking over his shoulder to someone, a smile on his face, and when he turned and noticed Jonah, he beamed.
“Jonah!”
Ah, crap. He wasn’t in a good mood, and Taron was sure to pick up on it. Ever since Taron had said he was going to adopt him, the shapeshifter had been relentless with the whole ‘parent’ thing. Jonah didn’t have the energy to deal with him today.
“Hey, Taron. I’m actually headed out so–”
“Out where? I’ll go with you. I need to think about anything other than this puzzle in my head or I’ll go insane.”
Jonah grimaced. How did he tell Taron he didn’t want company without hurting his feelings?
Taron’s head cocked and he stepped closer, his tone turning concerned. “Jonah? Did something happen? Why do you look so exhausted?”
“It’s nothing,” he murmured, but his traitorous throat decided to close up while he was speaking, completely giving him away. He tried to clear the tightness, but Taron had already lost his smile, and his expression said he wasn’t going to be happy with some half-assed reply.
Surprising him, Taron didn’t immediately demand an explanation. Instead, he pulled out his phone and tapped out a message before sliding it back in his pocket. “Alright. Time for lunch. A good meal will help.”
“Oh, uh… I’m not really feeling up to the crowded cafeteria today.”
“Well, good because we’re not going to the cafeteria.
This lunch is just you and me.” He looped his arm with Jonah’s, giving him a smile that was a lot sharper than Jonah was prepared for.
“You can ask anyone, Jonah, I’m a really hard person to argue with.
I’ll keep pestering until I get my way. Let’s go. ”
Too exhausted to argue, Jonah let himself be pulled along.
At least Taron didn’t force him into an elevator.
He took the stairs, happily chattering about his weekend plans and the recent gossip he’d overheard.
Jonah only half-listened. He would normally text Emmett to rescue him if Taron set his sights on him.
It hurt that he hadn’t heard from the werewolf since the night prior.
Not even a check-in text, and he hadn’t come to the Cyber Security floor either.
Jonah would know, since Roz had shown him the security feed for the floor that morning.
The pain in his chest tightened almost to the point that he couldn’t breathe, and he barely made it outside before the panic threatened to set in. “Taron, I’m really not–”
“Just hold it together a little while longer,” Taron coached, his voice surprisingly soothing. “It’s only a few blocks from here.”
He had no choice but to listen, his eyes on his feet as he focused on not falling apart completely.
He had no idea where they were going, nor did he care, and he let Taron tug him around until they arrived at an apartment he’d never seen before.
Taron led him inside, nudging him over to a couch and pushing him onto it.
He walked away without a word, and all Jonah’s efforts in holding back the tears finally failed him.
He was alone. He’d need to get used to that.
It seemed like that was going to be his life from here on out.