Chapter 29 #2
Having sex with Darian was never enjoyable because he was so big and took zero time for enjoyable foreplay, but I never once felt completely out of control.
When he went too far, I hurt him back, and he’d cry and apologize.
I was stupid enough to accept the apologies.
Being with Darian was my worst mistake. I knew I had the ability to kill him with a touch, so I never thought he actually wanted to hurt me.
I didn’t want to think about what happened to the women who never consented and couldn’t fight back, but I also couldn’t help thinking of them.
Jesper went deathly still next to me. “Rune, I know how badly he treated you, but this…this is bigger than that. Did he ever…did he ever take away your consent?”
“No,” I stated with a sick feeling of dread in my gut. “I didn’t know anything about this fantasy of his, but if my powers weren’t what they were, then I would have a different answer for you.”
Jesper’s breathing changed as he fought his shift harder.
Darian scoffed. “A different answer? Bullshit, Rune. You liked it, and you know it.”
My fangs slid down slowly. “You were, no, you are a predator. There is no way you should be allowed at the academy to become an agent.”
“Oh, yeah?” He chuckled, crossing his arms. “You might be the headmaster’s daughter, but you have no proof of what I’ve done.
Besides, like I said, they liked it. You won’t get them to say anything else.
I’m the star of House of Fortitude. Did you forget that?
I was part of the reason that we won the House Gauntlet last year.
The public loves me. Good luck pinning anything on me. ”
“It was more Tobias than you,” I hissed.
Jesper looked at his aunt calmly, and his scales stopped shimmering over his skin. “Aunt Maelis,” he said quietly. “I’m asking formally for your permission to put him down.”
Nymera had already been sobbing, but she looked up with tears pouring down her cheeks. “Jesper, wait. Hold on, no. I…Fates. Darian, what have you done?”
Jesper asking permission from Darian’s mom would void him of any trouble from the council for killing him, and I held my breath as I waited for her answer just like the rest of us.
Maelis’s hands hovered over her teacup. For a long second, she said nothing. She only watched Darian with an expression that was harder than any I’d ever seen from anyone. Her jaw trembled once, like a sob that was about to escape, then it locked.
“Mom, come on…you can’t honestly be considering this?” Darian asked, his eyes widening with panic as he realized he’d really fucked up this time.
“You know what your father did to me, Darian,” she said, her voice low but filled with grief.
“You know what happened to your Aunt Nymera.” Her eyes slid to Nymera, who had walked over toward the stove, her fingers curled in a dish towel.
“How could you become like… No. You are still my son. I can’t give permission to kill him, Jesper.
I’m sorry.” Her voice broke off as if she’d swallowed glass.
“But you should do what must be done to teach him a lesson.”
There was a terrible, aching mercy in her words. It was an acknowledgement that sometimes forgiveness could not be the only answer. Actions had consequences, and even Maelis, a mother, knew she had to punish her son.
And that was all my mate needed to hear.
Jesper blurred forward with precision. He flew over the table, his fist connecting with Darian’s face. Bone met bone with a sound that made us all flinch with the crunchy, wet noise of it. His blood sprayed onto the table like ink.
Our plates trembled.
Our food was ruined.
Darian’s head snapped back. He hit the floor hard enough to kick the table. Me grabbing it was the only reason it hadn’t flipped.
Jesper straddled him, pounding fist after fist into his cousin’s face. Every hit was perfectly controlled. It was a showcase of restrained violence.
He was holding back, but that was the terrifying part.
Darian didn’t scream. He couldn’t.
Jesper’s fists pummeled his face, delivering blow after blow that carried the sort of trained edge only agents had. Each punch folded the rage burning down our bond into a perfect strike. There was intent to cause pain, yes, but it was specifically a force to inflict the pain without killing him.
“Stop,” Nymera whispered, voice cracking. “Jesper, please. Killing him is not protected because Maelis did not agree.”
“He’s not going to kill him,” I assured her softly. “The blows are meant for pain, not death. He’s trained well. There’s a reason he’s Mom’s top agent.”
Maelis’s face had gone pale, and her lips trembled. She didn’t speak up, though.
Jesper’s jaw worked. For a moment the blows slowed, and Darian’s mouth tore open with a half-plea.
He tried to wheeze, “You—don’t—understand—”
That was when the rage in Jesper rose to something nuclear. The next punch was harder, then he stood and kicked him in the ribs, sending Darian skidding across the tile where he landed, curling into the fetal position.
“I understand clearly.” He stormed over him, palms flat on the wall as he stared down at Darian’s crumpled form.
“You piece of shit. How could you be like them? Our moms got us out!” he shouted, heartbreak tearing from his chest before he launched himself at Darian. “And to try to do that to my mate?”
The control he had while punching him was gone.
His punches were hard, breaking the bones in his face into shards and causing serious damage before Darian’s magic could heal him even an inch.
I pushed out of my chair and ran over. My hands curled around Jesper’s shoulders from behind. “Jesper, baby, stop. It’s done. He’s done. Look at me.”
He didn’t hear me. His hand swung toward Darian’s throat, claws lengthening until they were sharp.
“Jesper!” I roared, moving fast, grabbing his wrist just inches away from him landing the final blow. “Look at me, now.”
His arm trembled with strength, then stopped as his brown eyes flicked up to mine.
“It’s me, Jesper.”
“Rune.” He shuddered, stumbling back and dragging air into his lungs.
Rage shook every inch of our bond.
“It’s over, Jesper. You taught him a lesson,” I said, but he felt through the bond that I wanted him dead as much as he did. My concern was for Jesper and what would follow if he did kill him.
“It won’t stop him from doing it again.” Jesper shook with anger. “He tried to…fuck, Rune, he tried to rape you.”
I flinched at that. “He didn’t, though.”
“Thank Fates for that, but he has others.” His expression crumpled. “How can we let him become an agent?”
“He won’t be. I’ll talk to my dad,” I promised. “Mom was already figuring out a loophole because of his conduct with me, but I’ll have them dig into this, okay? We didn’t know about this before. Now, we do.”
Maelis stepped forward, her stance steady even though her voice shook. She laid a palm on Jesper’s shoulder in a gentle, apologetic way. “Enough. I will clean him up. You two go talk.”
“Show her your room, Jesper.” Nymera’s voice was weak. “We’ll take care of this.”
“I’m so sorry, Rune,” Maelis whispered.
“You’re not at fault,” I assured her.
Jesper backed away from Darian slowly. His hands were dark with blood. He took the kitchen towel his mom held out for him and wiped them clean.
Wordlessly, he dropped the towel in the sink and took my hand, leading me into his room.
Jesper’s room sat at the end of the hall. The door creaked softly, and his winter woods scent carried out.
We walked in, and I looked around the room.
There were so many shelves. Dozens of them, built into every reasonable stretch of wall: fossil shells, tiny glass vials of sand labeled in his neat hand, and a row of what looked like potions, and above his bed was a framed map of Kalista that was pricked with different colored pins.
I didn’t know if it meant missions, memories, or both.
He shut the door behind us with a careful click and leaned his forehead against it. The tendons in his neck were tight. Rage still spiked through our bond. He pushed off the door and crossed the room, sitting on the edge of the bed.
I came over and sat next to him. The quilt was navy and worn, and it was cool as I sank onto it.
He hung his head in his hands and let out ragged breaths.
I brushed my fingers over his back, sending nothing but reassurance through our bond. “Jesper, baby,” I whispered. “Breathe.”
“I wanted to kill him,” he admitted. “I still do.”
“I know.”
He looked at me. “He hurt you. He drugged you. Used you without you even knowing. And I wasn’t there—”
“You’re here now,” I said. “That’s what matters. I’m with you, Jesper. Not him. Never him.”
“Never again.” He sat up and cupped my face, his brown eyes boring into me. “You tell me if he ever comes near you again. I’ll kill him for you. I swear it. I don’t care about the consequences.”
“I know,” I whispered, leaning forward and kissing him gently before pulling away.
“I’m sorry you had to see me lose control downstairs. I’m so sorry.” He swallowed hard. “I wanted to make sure he knew he couldn’t do immoral acts like that again.”
“You don’t have to apologize.” I ran my thumb along the inside of his wrist, feeling the pulse there like a drum. “You will never lose control on anyone who doesn’t deserve it.”
He looked at me, and fear thrummed through the bond. “I lost control and killed the man who raped my mother, resulting in me.”
“What?” My voice cracked.
I knew his mom and aunt had been through a lot of bad things. He’d told me as much before we’d mated. But hearing that hurt. Not as much as what I was sure Nymera had gone through, though.