14. Bonkers
14
BONKERS
ARRAN
I feel guilty for wanting to abduct my mate and hide us away like Flint did. Though the others would track Jade down to demand their time with her. And she’d be pissed too. We wouldn’t really be alone since Osen is still haunting her. So there’s that.
Oh, well. That plan is out.
But I will put my foot down after our matings are completed. We can’t just run off unexpectedly like Flint did with her—hoarding her all night.
My berserker was going nuts.
Okay. It was me. I was going bonkers, but he was pissed too.
Taking her without warning set Maxum and me on edge. We don’t want to make Jade feel like she is some sort of captive, so we won’t make a big deal in front of her.
However, the guys need to know we can’t do that to each other. Unless it’s life or death, we can’t run off. No matter how much we want to.
It’s another reason Maxum gave her a spanking… to remind us we can’t just take off.
I’m not sleeping as Jade naps, even though I should, since I didn’t get much rest last night. No, I’m watching her. The movements of her eyelids suggest she’s dreaming. Her breathing is even and shallow. I memorize every freckle and line on her face. I notice how different her hair is from the day I met her. Instead of the look of graying hair, it’s now a consistent silver and almost glows. Fae hair concealed by the spell that I broke when I mated her.
My mate. She’s my gorgeous, amazing, loving mate. I wonder how I got so lucky after my shit show of a life. Then I remember I have the harrowing responsibility to ensure her safety. She’s the target of the most dangerous witch we have ever come across.
Galiana knows Jade’s family secrets, and likely knows more about Jade’s powers. She killed Osen and who knows how many more supes. Plus, this evil witch has a way to use Jade’s magic to drain and kill us.
Eliminating Galiana seems impossible. The only hope I feel is in the possibility that she’s gone rogue and the rest of the ASO witches don’t know about Jade’s abilities. That means she’s separating herself from her main support, and we can take advantage of the vulnerability that comes with that.
If Galiana hasn’t had access to Jade’s unique magic for a while, then it might be fading. Soon she will be the same as any other witch. Witches are normally easier to kill than a supe since they don’t have the accelerated healing ability that we have. She’s a powerful witch, but she’s still killable.
Still asleep, Jade groans and wiggles her body closer to me. She tucks her face into my chest, and I kiss the top of her head.
Flint’s gaze finds mine now that Jade isn’t blocking our view of each other. I think he’s frowning. It’s hard to tell with a gargoyle. His face always has a stern expression, unless he’s admiring our mate. He nods to me, finding the camaraderie in this moment alone with her.
I return the gesture.
Then, with a sigh filled with longing and fear, his fingers delicately comb through her soft hair. It’s strange to see the awkwardly bulky male, so careful and attentive with her. He’s come a long way out of his shell. It’s a shell he’s used to hide himself, even from us.
I realize now how much more there is to him that as a pack we all ignored or didn’t even suspect. But Jade knew. She drew it out of him. Just like she drew the positive out of me.
Because of her love and encouragement, I’m finally feeling sane again after all these years. I’ve accepted my berserker and made peace with him. My wolf is calm after feeling angry that his nature was mutilated into a rabid monster.
Wrapping my arm around Jade’s waist, I hold her closer, and she hums happily in her sleep.
Or at least, I think she’s asleep… until she says, “Good puppy.” Then she lets out a sleepy giggle.
I palm her lower back, but say nothing, hoping she rests longer. It’s been a few hours since we had the little spanking scene, and I want to make sure she’s ready for what Maxum has planned next.
I wish it was more sex. But he wants to see if we can figure out her magic before we leave Amira’s sanctuary and rightfully so. He wants to please her and agree to her plan, but he needs assurances.
Since she feels a magical pull, we know we must take her to Calder’s last death spot soon, but we won’t do it completely ignorant of her abilities.
“Is it wrong that I want to stay snuggled up with you two?” Jade asks.
“I’d say I’d prefer it.” I kiss her forehead.
She tilts her head back and peeks up at my face. “I wish I had more than two sides so I could snuggle all of you at once.”
“We’d like our one-on-one time too though,” Flint says and strokes his hand down her arm.
Jade hooks her ankle behind her and over Flint’s leg. “I need to give you all enough love.”
“Things will settle down soon,” I assure her.
“Once we annihilate our enemies,” Flint adds with a gravelly growl.
“You always say the sweetest things.” Jade looks over her shoulder at Flint and grins.
Then her face falters, and behind her beautiful green eyes, I see the wheels spinning in her mind. Through our mate bond, I feel her sadness and sense her anger.
“You’re angry,” I say, hoping to get her to talk about it.
“I talk a big game in my books. Killing characters off with the only concern being if it serves the plot.” She rolls her lips inward and bites them, thinking. “But real life is different. There were times I thought I’d have to shoot Rob if he broke in and attacked me again. I worried that if I killed him, taking a life would mess me up, even if it was his. But now, after what Rob and Galiana did. They killed Osen and used me. She tortured and killed my mother and mother’s parents. Those assholes need to go.”
“Yeah, killing in theory, killing in cold blood, and killing in war are all different. But this is war,” I say. “It’s either us or them.”
“And you didn’t ask for this,” Flint reminds her. “The only thing you did was dare to exist and refuse to be used any longer.”
She nods vigorously, as if she’s shaking her fears away. “We have to be careful. I don’t think I could stand to lose any of you. Like Maxum said, it would destroy me. Especially since you’re all trying to protect me.”
“Whatever happens, you can’t feel guilty.” Flint captures her chin and guides her face to look at him. “Understand?”
Jade doesn’t answer. She won’t lie to him and to promise this would be untrue.
“Would it make you feel less guilty in all of this to know we would fight Galiana and Rob, no matter what?” I ask. “They killed our packmate. And before that, they were killing our kind. We’ve been hunting them for years.”
“Yeah, okay.” She acquiesces, but still doesn’t promise a thing.
Flint glances up at me, asking for my help.
I give my head a shake. Not now , I tell him with my look. If it comes to pass, we deal with the fallout then.
We can’t live in constant worry over what may be.
I’m learning that lesson by allowing myself to open my heart and love my mate. Yes, many things could go wrong, but what if everything goes right?