Jake
Is it unhealthy to miss someone you just met thirty-six hours ago? I’m trying hard not to come across as a possessive werewolf, but it’s hard when my brain won’t let me forget about every small detail I’ve learned about her.
Who can I talk to about this? No one. That’s the worst part of all of this, but I’m glad it didn’t happen in Starview.
There’d be too many people around, asking me questions, and I wouldn’t have known how to deal with it.
Being in Fernhollow lets me take it one day at a time and figure out what to do.
Unfortunately, my wolf is unpredictable without the mate bond being solidified.
I fear if someone were to flirt with me or ask me out, my wolf would threaten to take over and show them I already belong to someone.
I need a distraction, so after grabbing a cup of black coffee from the restaurant downstairs, I wait for my rideshare outside and call Silas.
He picks up on the first ring, but I’m surprised when it’s a female’s voice.
“Jake! Hi!”
Junie. I smile.
“Hi, June-bug. Keeping things in order over there?”
I watch the townsfolk meander down the street as she tells me everything that’s been happening over the last few days.
When I’ve called Silas for our daily check-in, we haven’t had time to chat about the goings-on of our pack, aside from the fact that I’m across the country.
Junie is the comedic relief of our pack and has become one of my closest friends over the years.
I was there when she and Silas met. It’s a hilarious story I make them tell everyone they meet for the first time.
“Gah, okay, grumpy man incoming, Jake. Beware!”
The phone is snatched out of Junie’s hand, her words trailing as Silas growls into the phone.
“You’re early. Again.”
“Long day?” I ask, then check my phone quickly to make sure I have time before my car arrives. There are still a few minutes until my scheduled time.
“Yeah. The werewolf representative, Dennis, has finally announced he’s stepping down.”
“Oh?”
“Everyone knew already, but he wanted to make a show out of it.” Silas sighs. “I’m frustrated he decided to make a big deal of it after receiving more news about a demon sighting.”
“Wait, what?” Shit.
Yesterday. If Silas found out I knew, that I was there…I can’t tell him. I can’t risk Jasmine losing any inkling of trust in me, even if it’s barely anything at this point. If Silas knew I had a mate, if the Council knew, then I’d be compromised.
I rub at my forehead; a migraine I’ve been trying to avoid all day is slowly returning. “What happened?”
“Word got to the Council that demons were spotted at the library in town. Two souls were claimed…They were found dead in an alley behind the library.”
Silas continues to talk, but my mind has wandered. They claimed two souls? Fuck. I should have pushed more when Jasmine first pulled me into the closet. Did she…No…She couldn’t have known what was happening, right? If she knew what happened, she wouldn’t have hidden it from me.
Any other secret? I don’t care.
Being the reason for two people dying? You don’t hide that.
There has to be a reas—
“Jake? Are you there?”
“Yeah, sorry. What were you saying?”
“They’re getting reckless. I need you to stay vigilant.”
“Noted. I’ll be on the lookout. I’m going back east today, and I’ll call for normal check in later.”
“Good. Let me know if you see anything out of the ordinary.”
“Will do. And thanks, Silas, for, uh, having my back.”
“Always.”
The line goes silent at the same time a car approaches. I debate not getting in, maybe asking Jasmine to come over and explain what she’s hiding. Ultimately, I decide to go to her, hoping she’ll feel more comfortable if we are at her apartment.
What I know is she can sense those around us. If her power extends to all paranormals, could she find the hidden portal doors?
Either way, I need to go into this evening with an open mind, even though I’m barely hanging on. The driver stays silent on the ride over, which isn’t ideal because it lets my mind run through all the various scenarios.
Jasmine might not know what happened.
Or she might be the reason it happened.
My mind is on autopilot as I go up the stairs to her apartment. Both doors are left unlocked for me. By the time I get to the top of the stairs, my mind is still replaying yesterday’s events.
“Oh, hi.” She smiles, slightly turning herself to face me from the kitchen. Her smile turns into a frown. “What’s wrong?” She turns the knob on the stove off, then rubs her hands off on her apron, which is dotted with little black crows.
“Crows?” I ask, grasping onto any subject while I figure out how to bring up yesterday without sounding accusatory.
“What? Oh.” She looks down, then chuckles. “It’s a reminder of home. Or, well, I don’t consider it my home anymore, but someone I love deeply is there.”
She plays with a fraying string, smiling to herself.
“They’re lucky to know you,” I blurt.
Jasmine shakes her head.
“What?”
She blushes. “It still blows my mind you can say these sorts of things when you don’t know me.”
“You’re letting me get to know you.” I grip her shoulder and squeeze. “Speaking of getting to know one another…we need to talk.”
Jasmine blinks. “Oh? Now?”
“If we don’t, my mind won’t stop doing this thing where it replays every terrible scenario that could happen to me at any given moment.” It won’t quiet down until I get this off my chest.
“Yeah, okay. Let’s sit on the couch?”
Jasmine unloops the apron from her waist on the walk to the couch, throwing it over the coffee table when we sit side by side.
She leans back, pulling up both legs in a crisscross pattern.
Her gaze keeps bouncing from the floor to me to the door to her lap, and all I want right now is to know what she’s thinking.
I break the silence. “I talked to Silas today about what happened in the library.”
Her eyes snap to mine.
“He told me two souls were claimed.”
Jasmine’s gaze doesn’t waver; she holds it.
“Did you know?”
“Jake, I—”
“Did you know?” I ask sharply, each word clipped.
Jasmine bites her lip and nods. “I found out earlier today.”
“You…You chose me over others.”
“I did, but I didn’t know that would happen, I swear,” Jasmine answers without hesitation.
“Why?” My hand finds hers, and she doesn’t pull away. “Tell me. And don’t tell me it’s because of the bond.”
“It’s stupid…”
“Try me.”
She thinks for a moment, then says, “It was either you or fighting the demons. And I chose you. I chose you instead of using magic that’s harmful to me, magic that drains me. I chose you over myself, and all the years I’ve spent protecting my secrets. And I’d do it again.”
My breathing turns shallow and heavy as Jasmine confesses the secret to me. I’ve only ever known what it’s like to protect those I love from harm, and to know she did the same for me? To know she chose me over others, regardless of the consequences?
I know there’s nothing we can do for those who were taken, but we can make a pact to ensure it doesn’t happen again.
“We need to work as a team. You can’t make decisions without me. If this is going to be a team effort, we will do everything to ensure the safety of this town.” I grip Jasmine’s jaw between my fingers, forcing her eyes to stay on me. “Do you understand?”
“Yes.”
“Tell me you understand.” I tug her an inch closer.
“Yes, I understand.”
I use my free hand to grip her neck and pull her to me, moving my other hand from her jaw to wrap around her back. She helps me close the gap by straddling and leaning into me, grasping the back of the couch.
My body is immediately aware of how much I want her, and I can smell how much she wants me. The scent of burnt orange and vanilla wraps me like a goddamn present, and I never want to be unwrapped. I want to live in this scent, calcify it to my body, unable to break free.
It’s glorious, and I breathe in deep, dropping my lips to skate along her jaw. Jasmine tilts her head, moaning as my teeth bite gently into her neck, right above her pulse. The need to take her, claim her, make her mine forever is strong in this moment.
“Mine,” I growl, pressing my lips against hers once more before I pull away. My breathing is heavy. Jasmine’s heartbeat echoes mine, our faces both flushed from the heated moment.
Jasmine bites her lip, but it doesn’t help this situation.
“Don’t do that,” I groan, placing my thumb on her lower lip and pulling it away from beneath her teeth.
“I want to fuck you, and I’m trying to be good by waiting.
When you do things like that, it makes it hard.
I want to get on my knees and let myself taste you, beg you to tell me all your secrets until we aren’t hiding anything. ”
Desire pulses from the bond as Jasmine’s gaze travels down my torso.
“Soon,” she says, and although I know she wants to mean it, there’s still wariness in her tone. “Soon, you’ll know everything.”
“I’ll hold you to that.”