23. Calder, Take Me Away
23
CALDER, TAKE ME AWAY
JADE
H e’s eerily quiet, but I sense Osen panicking inside my head.
Who am I kidding? I’m panicking too.
The guys laid out the whole Calder might die thing so matter-of-factly, there was no other choice but for me to help him.
I understand they didn’t want to force me into mating with him.
I just hope he accepts me so he’ll live, maybe even one day find happiness with our bond.
Then I think about what Flint said…
What if Calder harms us because of his fractured soul?
I can’t think like that. If Flint and Arran can shoulder his pain, so can I. Calder saved me from Rob and Galiana. I don’t believe it was only for Osen’s sake.
He likes me. He is attracted to me, even though he fights it because of his trauma and aversion to touch.
I think about how Calder kisses me. His lips sizzled when he swallowed down the orgasm the others gave me over Maxum’s lap. I think about how his eyes light up when he looks at me.
He’s pack. And I’m pack. We take care of each other. That deep compulsion to make sure my mates are alive and well resonates in my bones.
Literally, since Flint has gifted me his stone to make me stronger. Unbreakable.
I won’t be unbreakable if Calder or the others die. Or if I lose Osen.
Damn, how things change. A few weeks ago, I was lonely and aching for someone to share my love. I wanted to finally live out my fantasies—not just the paranormal ones—and find my soul mate and true love. I wanted someone who would do anything for me, and I would do the same for them. Just like the romance books.
I didn’t want my heart to only exist in fiction anymore.
And here they are. Bigger than life and better than I could have imagined.
I won’t let Calder just give up without fighting for him. Our story was just getting started.
I hope we’re almost to the point where the book usually ends and the characters are finally happy. I want to experience when all the big bad antagonists have been conquered, but in real life, and we can enjoy lazy days in bed, and travel the world, or in our case, realms.
We just have to eliminate Galiana and Rob, and we’ll be free to live our Happy Ever After .
Hell, I’d be good with having a Happy For Now for the first time in my life.
“Jade?” Arran nuzzles my mating mark.
“Yeah?” I blink and return my attention to the room.
Around the kitchen table, Maxum, Arran, and Flint are all staring at me like I’m about to lose it. Whoops, I guess I spaced out for a while there. I stir in Arran’s lap and suddenly feel claustrophobic.
Thankfully, I don’t have a panic attack because he doesn’t resist when I slip out of his hold.
“I need some time alone.” I glance down at my naked body and don’t feel the urge to throw clothes on. “I’m going to take a bath.”
“Of course,” Maxum says, then rushes into the bathroom.
I follow him inside. I’m about to grumble and throw him out when I see he’s wiping down the bath tub of any dirt and grime to make it clean for me.
It strikes me as one of the nicest, most thoughtful gestures someone has ever done for me. Screw saving my life. It’s the little things, like making sure I’m cared for, that make me all misty eyed and glowing heart.
I realize I am crying by the time he’s done cleaning and running the hot water for me.
“Oh, sweet woman, why are you crying?” Maxum asks as he scoops me up in his huge, muscular arms.
I’ve never felt so safe and cherished as I do in these guy’s embrace.
A sob rips from some deep primal place in my soul and hits Maxum in his broad shoulders.
His warm hand strokes up and down my spine, comforting me. “It’s okay. We’ll get through this.”
I nod, but don’t answer. I sure fucking hope so.
But life isn’t like books. People rarely get their happy ending.
When I’m all cried out, and the tub is almost full, Maxum dips his tail in the water to test the temperature and then lifts to place me inside. He holds my elbows to keep me steady until I’ve sunk down completely.
I sigh as the lovely warm water surrounds me.
“You still want to be alone?” he asks, bending down to study my eyes.
“Just for a bit.” As he moves to leave, I grab his forearm to stop him. “Thank you.”
He takes my hand and kisses my palm. “Anything for you, my love.”
When he shuts the door behind him, I realize he’s slowing down our courting. Is it for Calder’s sake? For the fresh bond with Flint and Arran? Or is there something else?
I don’t believe he’s worried about hurting me during a rut. That’s not the complete story.
I sense Flint and Arran through our bonds. They’re worried about me. I’m worried about me too, but mostly about them.
The three of them slip out of the cabin, I imagine, so they won’t disturb me with their conversation.
I lean my head back and give myself a damned minute to relax.
It then hits me. I have two mates, maybe a third soon, then another.
I’d pinch myself to see if I’m dreaming up this entire life. I know the test is bullshit. The only proper test is trying to read, and I’ve written while in this new reality.
Which reminds me… I need to finish my book.
But it seems so unimportant now. Between almost dying several times, my new mates, and the revelations about my origins, what does a preorder deadline mean in the grand scheme of things? Not much.
I don’t want to disappoint my readers, but if they knew what was really going on, they’d likely understand. And then they’d want detail accounts of the sex.
“Jade?” Osen whispers. “I know this is probably a bad time, but I don’t have anyone else to really talk to.”
I’m not even mad that he’s bothering my quiet time. It speaks volumes that I really do care about this incubus ghost.
“I’m sorry about Calder,” I say.
“Why are you sorry?”
“Hurting him with his soul fragments. Being his mate.”
“I’ve known you’re his mate for a while now. And the soul fragments returning are probably for the best once he settles.”
“I hope so.” I sigh and skim my hand over the water. “When I returned his soul to him, I had a fleeting thought. I wondered if I healed him, then you and Calder could finally be together.”
“Through you? With your body?” he asks.
“No. Not like that.”
“What do you mean?” He sounds interested.
Does he sense what I’m about to suggest? Has he wondered the same thing? He’s smart. I doubt it would take him long to figure it out.
“Osen,” I hesitate. “I’m scared to even suggest it. Calder might not be okay. And that means you might not end up okay, either.”
“ Jade, ” he presses with just my name.
“If your soul is with me and I can put souls back in their bodies…”
“You mean… do you really think that’s possible? But what about my magic?”
“I thought about that too. If Galiana and Rob used me to steal it from you, that means I could steal it back. If you didn’t have enough when you were put back together, that is.”
“I don’t believe I would. Supes don’t last long without their magic. That’s what killed me. It being ripped out of me.”
“Then we need to go after them, see if we can steal it back,” I say, worried that I won’t be able to pull all this off.
“No.” Osen sounds like a fierce leader right then. “I won’t risk you like that. Not for me. I made my mistakes. I won’t make another to fix it.”
This version of Osen is a far cry from the one I knew that forced me to go to his death spot in the alleyway. He truly cares about me.
“Don’t you dare mention it to the others,” he warns. “I won’t be the reason they lose you. I will find a way beyond the veil before you can risk it. Do you understand? I will use that unbinding chant Amira gave you.”
“How?”
“I memorized it when you glanced at it.”
“Fuck.”
“Yeah, fuck. You’re too precious to lose over an asshole like me. Think of our pack.”
That’s what stops me from arguing further. “Okay. But if we find a way that will work, hear me out.”
“I doubt it, but fine. First, we need to get Calder on his feet.”
Fortunately, Osen allows me the rest of my bath time to feel like I’m alone and stays quiet.
I sense he’s thinking about what I’ve proposed. Maybe he’s wondering if there’s a way to make my plan work that won’t risk everyone else.
I push those thoughts away. There are too many variables. And my mind can go off forever trying to anticipate all the variables and possible solutions until I’m exhausted. But I don’t know enough yet to make it a reality. I don’t know what I can do. I don’t know how to do it, or even if I actually have that ability. And I don’t know enough about how this universe and magic work.
I need to be prepared if we encounter Rob and Galiana. It seems likely that Galiana will hunt me down. She wants her weapon back.
A shiver races through me with that realization.
I’m a weapon.
Then a thrill zips up my spine.
Yeah, I am a fucking weapon.
If I can get a handle on my magic, Galiana and Rob will be afraid of me.
They should be afraid. They hurt me. They’ve hurt my pack. My family. They’re a threat, and I will do what I have to do to protect my guys.
When the bath water turns cold, I slip out and dry off with the fluffy towel Maxum left behind.
I stand at the vanity, staring at the reflection in the mirror. Cliché, I know. But I rarely ever looked at myself. Now, I see someone else, except what I see in me seems oddly familiar. It’s as if I’ve been waiting forty years to unmask this version of myself that’s lurked just under the surface. Under a spell.
I comb my fingers through my wet hair, noting how different it looks now. It’s an ethereal silver that a fashionista influencer would kill to have. I lean in and study my eyes. No longer hazel, they shine, literally shine, a soft jade color.
My skin subtly glows too, but I could pass for a human if I needed to. Besides, most people don’t really look at others. Everyone’s too busy, distracted with their own thoughts or glancing at their phones to notice my minor oddities.
I flex my hands, thinking about my enhanced bones. With a thought, my fingertips crackle with magic electricity.
Wild .
I leave the sanctuary of the bathroom and find the cabin empty. On the bed, someone has set out a red slip dress with a skimpy pair of red silk panties.
I know it was Maxum who picked these out.
He’s fulfilling his promise to replace all my destroyed clothes.
I slide on the pretty dress and find it fits perfectly. My nipples are hard and their outlines are clearly visible, but whatever. Time for these girls to be showcased a bit. And I’m certain that Amira’s guys have zero interest me and likely wouldn’t spare me a glance if I walked around naked. Not that I want their attention. I have enough with my own hulky males.
Instead of calling out to my mates with my bond, I go out to find them, slipping on my leather clogs as I leave the tiny house.
Maxum and Arran are standing by Raithe’s bunker and talking in low voices. Using my bond with Arran, I reach out and pick up how worried he is.
They catch sight of me immediately, smiling and waving me over.
I can feel the heat of their gaze as I saunter toward them. Damn, I’ve never felt sexy in my life and now, with my mates, I feel like a goddess.
“Gorgeous,” Maxum murmurs and slides his hand down my side to rest on my hip.
Arran does the same on my other side. I’m pinned between these devastatingly beautiful males, and I forget how to breathe.
How can they affect me like this?
My wolfboy kisses his mating bite mark and asks, “Feeling better?”
“A bit more grounded.” I flick my chin toward the cellar door. “How’s Calder?”
“He seems to be waking,” Arran answers and steps back. “You want to see him?”
My nerves coil up tight and I worry I’m overstepping. “Is that a good idea?”
“Your presence might soothe his mating fever,” Maxum suggests. “He’ll need a clear head so he can mend his soul.”
Squaring my shoulders, I gather my strength. “Let me see him.”