14. Jake
JAKE
The demon’s voice is low, shaking the ground beneath us. Vines appear, snaking their way to me.
I would shift, but I fear I wouldn’t have the strength to shift back after fighting him off.
I should’ve thought about what I’d do if I encountered a demon.
We don’t want to draw attention. We want the people of Fernhollow to know as little as possible, but if they hear or see a wolf after it’s killed a demon, there would be questions.
“Jake!” Jasmine yells behind me, and I’m cursing myself for agreeing to a walk.
Jasmine and I haven’t even discussed what we’d do if this happened.
And I know she said she wants to help me, but what’s she going to do?
I don’t even know the full extent of her magic, and if I can’t fight, I don’t know how to keep her safe.
The panic rises in my chest. My breathing quickens as my gaze ping pongs from the danger in front of us to Jasmine.
Fuck. This is two years ago all over again, when the rogue wolves threatened to take those I love.
Every time I blink, I see Junie hanging from the tree, unconscious and bloody.
Or it’s Silas near death when I make it to the clearing where Junie was kidnapped.
If I was minutes later, I could have been too late.
Jasmine’s hand rests on my shoulder, shaking me from my attack.
This is what I’ve been preparing for, and with her life at risk, I won’t let the past repeat itself.
With this job, and the future of being on the Council, I have the opportunity to make a real difference with hidden information and protect those I love.
My hand curls around my dagger on my leg and I stand ready to attack.
“Ah, lover boy. You don’t know, do you?” The demon chuckles. “You can leave—alone—and I won’t come after you.”
“Don’t believe him,” Jasmine says, her voice low and stern.
I don’t know whether to turn and face Jasmine or ask this demon for clarification. The choice is taken from me when Jasmine steps in front of me.
“Jasmine, no—” The words die on my tongue as Jasmine turns to face me.
“I didn’t want you to find out this way. But I hope you understand.”
Sadness. Anger. Anguish.
I don’t understand until it happens.
Jasmine’s left shoulder, once only freckled, is now encircled by a snake. A black tattoo wraps from the middle of her bicep around to her shoulder, the snake’s head dipping near her collarbone.
My gaze tracks the movement, and despair hits me at seeing Jasmine change before my eyes.
Her hands come to her chest, resting one over the other in the middle.
She closes her eyes and takes a deep breath.
As she does, her fingers darken. Black covers them, then fades into her palm.
When her eyes open, her irises are the same color, but it’s as if I’m seeing the real her for the first time.
“Jasmine, it’s taking you an awful long time to call on your magic,” the demon drawls behind her. The vines surround us still, but they’ve yet to attack.
I stand there, mouth wide open, as tendrils of shadow spill out of Jasmine.
She mouths, Stay behind me, before turning around.
“I’m out of practice, what can I say?” Jasmine says. Her shadows fall to the ground, then snake around us, forming a protective barrier. The others go out in front toward the demon.
Even with the little knowledge I have, I’m now aware Jasmine isn’t a witch.
She’s a demon.