16. Jake
JAKE
Jasmine stares at me like I’m a dream or a hallucination.
She’s not off the hook for the questions I have, but why would I judge her for being a demon?
She’s not trying to hurt anyone, and if anything, we have the same goal to rid the area of problematic demons.
If a demon threatens me, like what happened in the forest, that’s another story.
Silas never tasked me with using force unless absolutely necessary. Sure, I may lead us in a fight, but not everything has to result in bloodshed.
We don’t even know why the demons are in the North, and until we figure that out, it feels like a lot to murder them for no reason.
“You need to sleep,” I tell her, lowering Jasmine’s hand from my heart to my lap.
“You might murder me in my sleep,” she counters.
I narrow my brows. “I’ll cook you soup. I’ll make you tea. I’ll find a romantic comedy for us to watch.” I stand and pull her up with me. “You can sleep. I won’t murder you.”
“But I’m a demon…” Jasmine whispers, averting her gaze to the ground.
If she’s been hiding this for the past decade, there must be a reason she’s keeping so many secrets. I want her to tell me why. I want her to trust me enough to know I won’t run away.
If we’re truly mated, she has to decide whether to trust me with her secrets.
Jasmine leans into me, and I breathe in her smell. I was doomed from the start.
I tuck a strand of hair behind her ear and say, “You told me you’re only half demon.”
“Why? Would me being a full demon be a deal breaker?” Jasmine asks, followed by a yawn.
I chuckle. “If you promised not to eat my soul, then no.” I lean in and kiss her forehead.
“But honestly, I don’t know much about demons, Jasmine.
There weren’t any around when I was growing up, for obvious reasons, and there weren’t any texts about them.
I only knew the man in the forest was a demon because of the shadow magic. ”
“Witches can have shadow magic, too.”
“Yes, I know, but they don’t have markings.”
Jasmine opens her mouth to say something, but the ring of a phone cuts her off. Shit. What time is it?
“I have to get this,” I tell her.
“Is it okay if I sleep out here? I don’t want to be alone right now.”
I nod, and we sit back on the couch. As I answer the phone, Jasmine settles her head in my lap.
“I’m sorry,” I say immediately after I answer.
“Five p.m., Jake. You told me you’d call for normal check in. It’s not fucking hard,” Silas booms into the phone.
“I know.”
“You’d better have a good reason,” Silas demands, not bothering to ask because he knows he doesn’t have to.
I glance down at Jasmine. I’m not sure whether I’m looking for her to tell me what to say or for some other permission, but she already has her eyes closed.
After a deep sigh, I answer, “There was a demon.”
“Fuck.” Silas curses, then slams the phone down on the table. I assume he’s talking to Junie, though I’m not sure whether it’s in person or through their telepathic connection, the way bonded and packmates can communicate with their minds.
The line stays silent for a minute, and I try to time my breathing with Jasmine’s. My nerves are threatening to overtake what little hold I have on remaining calm.
“Tell me everything that happened,” Silas demands.
I take a deep breath, then launch into the story.
I don’t tell him everything because I wasn’t sure how I’d bring Jasmine up even before this.
Now that I know she’s a demon, her being my mate makes securing a position in the Council more complicated.
As she sleeps in my lap, I keep relaying the events to Silas and trace her snake tattoo as it fades into her skin, wanting to memorize every inch of her she keeps hidden with her glamour.
Silas asks too many questions, and I try to answer them, but it’s hard when I yawn and have trouble keeping my eyes open.
Eventually, he lets me go, but not before reminding me to call on time tomorrow.
Before today, I would have done anything to maintain my opportunity with the Council.
The ability to have an impact on a larger scale drives me to eradicate the demons in our realm.
But now? There’s plenty of added complications with Jasmine and me.
We require time to explore our relationship and solve this problem together.
Today could have gone a million different ways, especially after learning about the library incident yesterday. Yet somehow, even with the lies and what I’ve learned over the past two days, I already know that if I have to choose between Jasmine and the Council, I’d choose her.