20. Jake
JAKE
Over the next week, I see Jasmine nearly every day, even if it’s only for a few hours. We had planned to meet for dinner tonight, but she worked later than expected. We rain-checked for tomorrow.
Am I currently dying inside from not being able to see her? Yes. Will I survive? Maybe.
Honestly, though, I have enough work keeping me busy I’ll have my mind occupied with all the different possibilities. There’s been a lack of demons. So much so that Silas is wondering if they’ve moved on.
But me? No. I think they’re planning something, and it’s taking everything in me not to tell my alpha about Jasmine.
If he demanded I tell him everything I know, I’d fight against his alpha command hard, but I’d likely end up telling him.
You don’t know someone for multiple decades and not know when they’re hiding something.
If he wanted to question me more, he could, and I would tell him, but I’d leave out as much information as possible to help protect Jasmine.
If the Council found out a half demon was living in the northern territory for the last decade, they would bring her in for questioning and demand she leaves. But where would she go?
Demons aren’t exactly welcome in this realm. She’d have nowhere to go.
It’s this dilemma alone that has me in the hotel bar. I’m happy when I spot Hunter. He waves me over, and I go to sit by him.
“Same stool as last time?” I ask.
He shrugs. “I’m a creature of habit.”
I chuckle. “How have you been?”
Hunter leans back in his chair. “Fine. Things are a little quiet in town, and the spell shop is a little slow, but that’s normal for the summer. We always have random dips before a wave of new people comes to town.”
I pour myself a glass of water and take a sip. “Where is your spell shop located again? I’ve been meaning to walk down the strip and check out a few places, but I’ve been stuck in the library.”
“Library, huh? Doing a bunch of research?”
“Something like that.”
Hunter chuckles. “Anyway, it’s not on the main strip. It’s a block over.”
“Would a spell let me find a certain something or someone?” I ask, trying to word my question vaguely in case we have any listening ears.
“It could, if it’s a specific someone. It unfortunately doesn’t work for an entire group of people.” Hunter chuckles. “That’d be a lot of magic and a lot of possibilities.”
“True.”
“I probably shouldn’t tell you this, but Rebecca had someone come into her shop a week or so ago and ask for a similar spell.”
I pause, bringing the glass of water to my lips, and lift my brows. “Really?”
“Mm-hmm. She had a specific person in mind, though. Knew someone. Sometimes we have people wanting to call the Underworld to speak to a dead relative, but that wasn’t the case for her.”
Wait. I set my glass down and try to rein in my thoughts.
I know Jasmine is hiding things from me, but if she wanted to contact someone from the Underworld, she would have told me.
Right? We might have said we’re working together on this, but clearly, there’s something large she’s hiding if she wanted to keep it from me.
She’s had days to tell me more, and I’ve given her space. That’s what I was supposed to do, right? Jasmine doesn’t owe me answers, I know that, but how can I trust her if she’s keeping something like this from me?
The alarm on my phone dings, letting me know I have five minutes until five, which is good timing because the waiter appears and it’s easier for me to slip out.
“Sorry, Hunter, I have to head out. Work things.”
“Oh, you sure? Well, let’s make plans to hang out soon. Get actual food or something.”
“Sounds good.”
I head out of the restaurant, digging my phone back out of my pocket. I need to go see Jasmine, but first, I need to call Silas.
He answers on the first ring. “You’re early.”
“What if I’m calling to say hello?” I pull my phone away from my ear and check the time. I’m only five minutes early. “Do you want me to call you back?”
Silas chuckles. “I don’t have time for chitchat, Jake, unless you have new information. Fran wanted to say hi, by the way. I wanted to let you know before I forgot.”
Fran, Silas’s other second-in-command, handles all our negotiations. I’ve texted her a few times, mostly to stay up to date on things Silas might not be telling me, but I haven’t spoken to her in a few days.
“Oh, tell her I said hi. Does she know you talked to me about the Council spot?” She’d make a better person than me, but I’m not going to tell Silas that.
“Mm, yeah. She’s the one who recommended you when the Council first approached me.”
“She did? Why wouldn’t she want the spot?”
“You’ll have to ask her. I don’t know. I try not to ask more questions than I have to.”
Silas might be one of my best friends, but he’s still the same grumpy alpha.
“Anyway,” Silas continues, “give me the update. Junie is requesting me for dinner.”
I refrain from asking questions, because anything I ask, he’d likely counter with something else.
This whole mission in Fernhollow would be much easier if I could talk to people about Jasmine.
But since I have yet to confirm that what Hunter told me has anything to do with her, I could relay that to him without sounding like I’m hiding something.
“I’ve met a witch while I’ve been here—Hunter—and I found out his wife owns a spell shop in town.”
“Okay? And what does that have to do with finding the demons?”
“Someone went into her shop and wanted to contact someone in the Underworld.”
There’s a beat of silence as Silas takes in the update. I walk up and down the street as I hear him pull the phone away and whisper something to whom I have to assume is Junie.
“Silas?” I ask.
“Sorry, I’m thinking. Can you check out the spell shop tomorrow and find out more information? Be discreet.”
I don’t know how I could possibly be discreet about knowing information I wasn’t supposed to be told, but I agree and end the call.
I’m tempted to text Jasmine and demand she call me. But I know that’d only do more harm than good, and I’ve given her the benefit of the doubt so far in our relationship. If it was her who went to the spell shop to contact someone, I have to assume it was for a good reason.
My patience is wearing thin with not knowing her whole story.
We will reach a breaking point where she has no choice but to tell me everything.
If she still believes I’ll leave her, I can’t give her something to help fuel that fire.
So, me attacking her for something I don’t have tangible proof of wouldn’t be the way to go.
Instead, I have to find the answer to the current problem in Fernhollow.
Until I can guarantee that, I don’t trust that Jasmine is safe from the Council.
When the Council failed to handle the demon problem, they reached out to Silas. They have influence and manpower. It should be enough for them to make a change, but I’ve only known of them stepping in one time before.
This may not be as accurate, since I’ve only heard a partial story, but demons used to have a spot on the Council. They were allowed in this realm and had strict rules for what souls they could take. We understand souls are needed to power their realm, and there was a system in place.
But over time, the demons became greedy.
They started bargaining with others for their souls without telling them what happens when they give them over.
The soul would go to the God of the Underworld, who would then decide if they wanted to consume it for themself or give it to the soil of their world.
I don’t recall how long ago that was, and this could be a myth, but as far as I know, the demons have been shunned to the Underworld ever since and have been unable to safely get souls.
Since the realm isn’t dead and there are still demons, I have to assume they have been trespassing on our realm for a long while without us knowing. Or this could be something the Council has been aware of but chooses not to relay.
I’ve never thought about it like this, but if I were to secure the Council seat, I’d be able to control the narrative.
I’d be able to learn everything the Council is aware of with demons and protect Jasmine from unwanted attention.
Not only that, but I’d be able to actually help with the conflicts that arise in our territories.
I’ve never had the drive to become alpha, but I have wanted to take on a more serious role in our pack and been unable to find a spot to do so.
Now, the Council opening feels like fate.