Chapter 7
7
T he sun beat through the windows, warming Amanda’s face. Her chill had long since left her bones, but her body shivered in remembrance. She’d never been so terrified in her life. Not even when she’d been on an airplane that had to make an emergency landing when one of the engines had cut out. One of the few times she thought about using black magic, only those who did always ended up paying a higher price.
That had been the only time she’d been in the same space as Jackson. Only she hadn’t known until after they’d deplaned as, for whatever reason, he’d been seated in coach while she was in first class.
She sat at the small table off the kitchen in Jackson’s cabin. Her father wrestled with scrambling eggs. He’d never been good in the kitchen, but the food was never half-bad.
“Where’s Jackson?” her father asked.
“In the shower. He said he’d be out soon. He looks worse than I feel.” She fiddled with her coffee mug. “He told me it was Trask who reversed the spell, but that he had to leave. Did you speak with Trask?”
“I did.” Her father nodded. “He said you were in bad shape. A few minutes longer and I hate to think what might have happened to both you and Jackson. Helping you while waiting for Trask took a lot out of Jackson. He’s been living with two evil spells for a long time. Banishing them while helping you heal could have destroyed him.” He glanced over his shoulder. “Shall we talk about what all this might mean? Especially the fairy dust?”
She shook her head. “Did Trask tell you what the spells were?” Most of last night turned into a mirage of agony and darkness. Her bones were frozen to the point they could easily snap. Her blood so thick it hurt as her heart tried to pump it through her system.
Jackson’s touch turned into a raging fire against the frigid ice cube she’d become. The worst part had been hearing the agony in his howls as Trask lifted the spell and banished it into the abyss. “And why did they enter my body when I looked inside his aura?”
Her father dumped eggs onto three plates as the toaster popped with slightly overcooked bread. “Jackson needs to be here for this. It affects him as much as it does you.” Her father rested his hand on her shoulder. “You should know that a book is being written as we speak that seems to have something to do with why you’re suddenly emitting fairy dust. Trask admitted that he’s been waiting for something like this to happen.”
“But he’s never told you before?”
“No.” Her father sighed. “I wasn’t thrilled when he clued me in last night, but he has his reasons and I do understand them.”
“I can feel it inside me and whenever I’m near Jackson, the dust just wants to come out and play.” She rubbed her temples. The headache had subsided to a dull throb. “Why did I wake up in Jackson’s bed? With him? And you in the guest room?” Her father hadn’t been overly old-fashioned like her mother with the proper rules of dating a royal, but Amanda couldn’t imagine him being okay with her sharing a bed.
Even if nothing happened.
Not that anything would.
Imprinting.
Fated mates. Fated Moons.
None of that could have been real.
She touched her lips. His scorching kiss still tickled the inside of her mouth, sending pulses of desire to her belly.
“You needed his warmth. He needed you and your dust. Not to mention he imprinted on you. It seemed like the only choice at the time.”
She dropped her head to the table and groaned. “How do you know?”
“I just do.” He tapped her shoulder. “Wolves are an interesting breed with how they do that. But something tells me that imprinting happened a long time ago, and it was blocked through black magic.” Her father set the plates on the table and then poured three cups of coffee before sitting down. He’d always been the serious type with a dark sense of humor that only came out in the comforts of his family. He took his role as prince to heart, trying to do right by his father’s memory.
She wrapped her arms around her middle. Waking up in Jackson’s embrace felt normal. Natural. Like she was always meant to be there. When her eyes flickered open, he’d already been awake, staring at her, his hand draped over her hip. A long silence followed before he told her he needed to shower. As he rose out of the bed, deep groans filled the air. Bruises and scratch marks lined his back, though they were half-healed already.
She cringed, knowing she’d done that to his magnificent tanned skin.
“Am I allowed to reject a wolf imprinting on me?”
Her father chuckled. “Yes and no. I mean, an imprint is a claim. When it’s wolf on wolf, there is an acceptance of it. It’s more like a call to date. When it’s wolf on another creature, there still needs to be a desire to be together. But Trask explained to me last night about how wolfairies and fated mates happen. It’s a soulmate kind of thing and there’s no stopping it.” He leaned forward and cupped her cheek. “You have to claim him too. The way Trask described it is you have to take a stand. Almost a vow of protection. It sounds like you might have done that last night. But there is so much more to this, and I fear something is out there trying to prevent it.”
“Seriously, Dad. Any decent being would have tried to protect him in my shoes. Those fake wolves wanted to kill him.”
“It wasn’t just that. It was the compulsion to peek inside his aura. As if you knew there was black magic in his soul.”
She let out a long breath. “There is something about him, Daddy. I feel like I’m supposed to know him better, but it’s like he pushes me away. Pushes everyone away.”
“It might not be him doing that, but the spells clinging to his heart.”
“He’s not that easy to get to know. Trust me.”
“I can’t imagine it was easy growing up as the son of a murderer. But Trask said he had a very powerful spell inside his inner aura. It was deep and did its best to wrap around yours. That’s not easy to deal with. And he’s a guarded creature.” Her father had an uncanny knack for reading people, and she trusted his judgment more than her own.
“I’m starving,” Jackson said, startling her.
She jumped, hitting her coffee mug. The black liquid sloshed out, splattering on the table.
“Feeling better?” her father asked with a kind smile. He’d always been a generous man. He wasn’t the kind of person to be quick to judgment. Always giving most the benefit of the doubt.
Especially his sister, Alley, who could be a difficult witch. Always on the outer fringe of their coven. Aunt Alley didn’t like change and while she’d been less outspoken since the birth of the wolfairies, in private, she loathed the creatures.
“Better is a relative term. I feel clean. How’s that for a start?” Jackson rubbed the back of his neck.
“I’d say a good one. Eat up.” Her father waved a fork in the air. “You both need the nourishment.”
“I plan on it, but I need to understand what the hell happened last night.” Jackson’s gaze darted between her and her father. “I was aware of the conversation between you and Trask, but honestly, it’s all a blur.”
Her heart swelled while his stare lingered a little longer, the corners of his lips tipping upward.
“You look beautiful this morning,” Jackson projected.
“Thank you, but you already said that, and I don’t think it’s nice to speak like this right under my father’s nose.”
“Well, if you change your mind, we can always have a private conversation this way.” Jackson raised his mug and blew.
“I like a man who is direct,” her father said.
“I see no point in beating around the bush, considering your daughter almost died,” Jackson said, patting her leg under the table.
She should have batted his hand away, but instead, she took it and squeezed it. Fairy dust floated into the air and coated his body. “I don’t think I will ever get used to this.”
Jackson rubbed his shoulder. “I think I will.” He rolled up his sleeve. “It’s got healing powers. Look.”
She leaned forward. “Interesting.”
“According to Trask, fairies can heal others. Mostly their mates or their bloodline.” Her father arched a brow. “But you want to know more about last night, so let’s go there. When Amanda tried to take a peek at your inside aura, she hit a blocking spell that Trask and I’ve come to find out was cast on you as a child,” her father said.
Jackson narrowed his eyes. “I’ll ask about looking inside me later, but for now, what is a blocking spell? And what is it blocking me from?”
“In our culture, it would be connecting with your soulmate. In yours, it would be connecting with your fated mate,” her father said matter-of-factly, but with a stiff back as he rounded his shoulders. “It would have worked, except whoever cast the spell didn’t consider that my daughter is also a fairy and not a regular fairy. Even if she hadn’t looked inside your aura, the black magic would have eventually come out and had that effect on her because her fairy powers started growing. The sole purpose of that spell was to prevent you from imprinting on her, but you’d already done that.”
Jackson groaned. “And how do you know that?”
“Are you going to deny that, son?” Her father arched a brow.
“What I don’t understand is how. I’ve only been around Amanda twice, and I would have known it.” Jackson leaned back, raising his mug to his lips, but he didn’t take a sip. Instead, he gently set the cup back on the table. “It’s incredibly rare for a wolf to imprint before coming of age. But when it happens that way, it’s still known when the wolf and their mate are in the same space so that mating can happen.”
“Whoever cast the spell either didn’t know about the imprinting or wanted to prevent the mating.” Her father waved his hand dismissively. “But it doesn’t matter. We need to focus on what it means going forward.”
“I’m going to ignore the weirdness in all of this for a second, but imprinting is not a soulmate thing. It’s more of an intended kind of thing. A claim for a relationship. And fated mates are for wolfairies and those wolves who are important to…” His words trailed off and he stared up at the ceiling.
“What is it, son?” her father asked.
“Five years ago, I was summoned to the Ferguson farm. This was long before Chaz met his wife or the wolfairies were ever conceived. Titus offered me refuge. He asked me to move back here, and Trask believed then that this was where I belonged.”
“Trask is a hundred times more powerful than I. He also has the gift of visions. I don’t. I can’t see the future or even have a sense of what will be. But I do believe in soulmates for all creatures and when we find the perfect match, it’s nothing short of spectacular,” her father said.
“Daddy, now is not the time to go into your love-at-first-sight fairy tale.”
“It’s not a fairy tale, and it happened to me and your mother.” He lowered his chin.
She rolled her eyes.
“Let’s say your theory is true, and Amanda and I are soulmates. Or in wolf terms, fated mates. Why did she freeze like that when she looked inside me? And just for the record, that is creepy, and I’d appreciate it if you never did that again.”
“I can promise that I won’t,” she muttered.
“To answer your question,” her father said, “the spell was a permanent solution to keeping you two apart by killing my daughter if the two of you were to meet and you not only imprinted but mated, and it was the kind of pairing that is written in the stars. And my understanding is that mating doesn’t have to come in the form of being intimate.”
She shivered. “I wouldn’t say intimate, but we kissed,” she said so softly she almost hoped her father hadn’t heard.
“Kisses can be incredibly passionate and intimate, but that’s not powerful enough to unleash the spell. However, imprinting is incredibly intimate for a wolf.”
“I can’t believe I’m going to say this.” Jackson ran his fingers through his hair. “But I believe I imprinted before that. And technically, she accepted when she stood by my side to ward off the fake wolves.” Jackson lifted his mug and took a long slow sip.
“This isn’t an exact science. I know the spell, but I’ve never seen it in action. So, it must have been a combination of all three things,” her father said. “Also, fairies, especially royal fairies, are incredibly powerful. Add magic to it, and I bet the spell struggled to unleash itself. Again, whoever cast the spell had no idea Amanda was a fairy and according to Trask, her fairy powers were only unlocked when she met her fated. Trask does not believe this an average pairing. He mentioned the Legend of the Fated Moons.”
“This is way too much.” Amanda picked off some of her toast and plopped it in her mouth. “Mom checked her lineage. She’s not of royal fairy descent. Wouldn’t I have to be a royal fairy to be part of this Fated Moons thing?”
“Trask is checking into all this, but it’s possible your lineage doesn’t have to be royal on the fairy side,” her father said. “And remember, we didn’t tell people about your mother because witches and fairies don’t always get along. We didn’t do an extensive search for that reason.”
“I’ve got another question. Why her and not me?” Jackson asked, dropping his fork to his plate. “It makes more sense to kill me.”
Her father stood and strolled across the room. He lifted a book and brought it back to the table. He set it down in front of them. It was a Book of Shadows she’d never seen before. He tapped his finger on the cover. “If Amanda had died, it would have looked as though you killed her.”
“This is fucking crazy,” Jackson muttered, slamming his fist on the table. “I’m sorry, sir. I realize my father did a horrible thing, but your family… you witches and your magic?—”
“This isn’t my magic, though I will admit my family has a tainted history with the dark side,” her father said. “We track dark magic. Keep records of illegal spells, so we know how to fight them like Trask did last night. It’s the only way to fight those who use something so powerful for evil.”
She drew the book closer. It felt heavier than it looked, and it singed her fingertips, sending sparks popping in the air. The first few pages were lined with images of the underbelly of magic. As she leafed through them, glancing at spells that could destroy an entire race, her stomach knotted. “This is the royal legacy?”
“The cliché that power corrupts absolutely is a truism that in our case we must constantly fight against. The more we master our craft, the greater our need to use it and expand our potions and spells. This can always lead us down a path of darkness.”
Her fingers froze over the blocking spell to which her father spoke of. It had to be performed when the male mate hit four years of age, or it wouldn’t work. The ingredients included the normal herbs one would expect, but hair and saliva from both mates were also required.
“Dad, did you read this spell?”
Her father nodded. “It means that the two of you met right around when Jackson turned four and you were just an infant.” He waggled his finger. “It’s possible. His father wasn’t fired from our employment until you were two months old.”
“I have a bigger question. How could someone know if two people are fated mates when they are babies? I mean, Jackson is four years older. For the spell to work, both our hair and saliva had to be collected by the time he was four. And it blows this theory about not knowing I was a fairy, right?”
Jackson reached for the book, his hand barely hovering over the pages, when a lightning bolt shot out of the book. “Jesus,” he muttered, yanking his hand back.
“Sorry, that’s to ensure the book doesn’t get into the wrong hands,” her father said as he waved his arms, putting out the flame. “But going back to how someone would know, that would be on the wolf side.”
“Eliza Ashton is known for ensuring proper mating in the paranormal world, but she also deals with humans as well. If anyone would know, it would be her,” Jackson said, leaning back in his chair. “I know for a fact Chaz and his two brothers went there and learned who their fated mates were. How she knows I can’t answer. But Trask might.”
“Yes, your mother told me of her, and I will be in contact,” her father said.
“You spoke to my mother?” Jackson bolted upright. “I don’t want her mixed up in any of this. She’s suffered enough.”
“Son, she’s your mother. I felt it was my duty to tell her what had happened. You nearly died.”
“I’m a grown man, and my mother doesn’t need to know everything.” Jackson pushed his plate of food across the table. “This will just cause her more grief.”
Amanda did her best to bite her tongue. Even though she agreed with Jackson, she knew better than to get in the middle of two dominant males. She continued to read the spell and found out that while it wouldn’t stop attraction, the couple wouldn’t feel the intense need to be together, but if they did act on impulse, the female mate would freeze until she crystallized into a million pieces. Once dead, she would morph back into herself, but with a dozen stab wounds to her chest.
“Jesus, Daddy. Who wrote this spell?”
“I don’t know, but no one but myself, my siblings, and the high council have access to this book.”
“Why the hell didn’t you burn it years ago?” Jackson asked.
“All the spells in here are banned, but we can’t destroy it or lock it. It’s against our laws, and the Twilight Crossing Council requires us to show them all the spells. It’s been a long time since any new spell has appeared in this book. Sadly, we don’t always know the author, but when that happens, I report to the council.” Her father flipped to the last page. “If I tried to destroy the book, all of my children and my wife would suffer the worst kind of pain for the rest of their lives. Tragedy would be at every corner.”
“I have no children. I’ll burn the fucker,” Jackson muttered.
“It’s not just children. Whoever dared to destroy the book, their loved ones would suffer,” her father said. “It was something the witch covens agreed to when we joined with the council.”
“Great. We have a Book of Spells?—”
Amanda interrupted Jackson. “It’s a Book of Shadows. It’s darkness. Evil. We don’t like it and we don’t use it.”
“I think that sounds worse.” Jackson pinched the bridge of his nose. “If your family and the witch council are the only ones who have access, then it’s one of them who cast the spell.”
“Most likely. However, it’s possible that someone else could have peeked inside, though highly unlikely because it would have burned. But we have a second spell to contend with,” her father said.
“And what spell might that be?” Jackson said with a long breath.
“I can’t find it in this book, but it’s a variation of an unlucky spell, and I can’t be sure when it was cast, but based on how Trask said it came out of your aura and what I know about your career, my guess would be after you got the Oscar win. After you moved back here.”
“So, what you are trying to tell me is two different spells cast by two different witches?” Jackson stood, taking his mug.
“Yes, only it’s possible it’s the same witch,” her father said, pressing his hands on the table, lowering his chin, giving her that look he used to toss her way when he was about to punish her. “But I have an idea on how to flush out whoever cast the blocking spell and potentially the other one as well.”
“I’m not sure I want to know,” she said.
“The black magic has been lifted and the imprinting that happened years ago, while it will take a little bit of time to resettle, will firmly take hold of the two of you,” her father said.
“Don’t I have a say in this?” She folded her arms and massive amounts of fairy dust exploded angrily from her body. It landed on Jackson, swirling around his body like a vacuum before circling hers, as if to make a bridge between the two of them.
“Care to have a little private chat now?” Jackson asked.
“No. Not really.” She glared. “And stop smiling. I don’t find this amusing.”
“It’s hard not to smile with this stuff coating my skin like a warm blanket in front of a fire. It’s like it wants us to calm down and accept our fate.”
“I bet you say that to all the girls you imprint on.”
“I can only do that once,” he projected.
“Why do I get the feeling you two have some super-secret form of communication going on that I’m not privy to?” her father said with a chuckle.
“I apologize, sir,” Jackson said. “Only wolves can communicate by projecting. It’s incredibly rare for us to be able to do so with other species unless they are our fated mates. We were able to do it last night when the fake wolves attacked. I was just testing it out.”
“Doesn’t look like my daughter’s all that thrilled, but that brings me to what I think we should do,” her father said. “We need to spin this that you two have been secretly dating for the last few months. That the only people who knew were your families.”
“My siblings won’t go for that,” Jackson said.
“You’re going to have to make them, because whoever cast that spell won’t hesitate to cast something far worse, and the only way I know to draw them out is to make them think you’ve done exactly what they tried to prevent.” He arched a brow. “Trask agrees with me and he’s taking it back to Chaz. He’ll most likely be on board as well since Trask believes the two of you are the first pairing of the Fated Moons that will create witch and wizard wolfairies. Interesting combination, if I do say so myself.”
“I need a drink.” Jackson took a couple of long strides to the kitchen and pulled down a bottle of whiskey. “Anyone else?”
Her father shook his head.
“No. I’m good,” she said, watching his outside aura swell with a dozen different reds, yellows, oranges, and a dollop of brown. He wasn’t filled with rage, which was good, but the confusion and fear… no, it wasn’t fear, at least not the kind that made a man quake in his boots. It was more an uneasiness about something. As if he questioned the validity of one’s actions. Or emotions. Or even existence.
She caught his gaze and realized it was her that troubled him.
“Why are you upset with me?” she projected her thoughts in his direction.
“Because I can feel you looking at me like you did right before you looked inside my aura. I don’t like it. It prickles my skin.”
“Oh. I’m sorry,” she said. “But I’m not looking inside. Just noticing the colors and doing a reading of them. It’s my witch superpower. We all have something we’re good at. I’m good at reading auras. It’s like a tarot card reading.”
“I still don’t like it, but what is mine saying now?” He arched a brow as his aura turned bright red with a white glow.
“Now that I can’t say in mixed company.” She swallowed. “And you shouldn’t be thinking about me like that in front of my father.”
“It’s all I’ve been able to think about since I woke up with you in my arms.” He smiled. “This would be a great way to communicate if your cheeks weren’t five shades of red and your fairy dust wasn’t flying out of your pores and racing ? —”
“I feel as though I’m intruding on a private moment.” Her father kissed her cheek. “I’m going to shower, and then I need to call a car service. Trask granted me permission to use my flying powers to get here, but he doesn’t feel it would be a good idea to use them to return in broad daylight. We’ll work out the details of your relationship and how to handle it later. Chaz is expecting both of you at the farm in a couple of hours.” Her father disappeared into the other room.
Before she could collect her thoughts, Jackson closed the gap and lifted her from her seat. He wrapped his arms around her body and heaved her to his chest. “You have to know I literally can’t help myself.”
“Yes. You can.”
“No. I can’t.” His hot breath tickled her skin. “And neither can you.” He pressed his mouth over her lips in a tantalizing kiss. A deep rumble filled her throat. “Whether or not we believe in this Fated Moons stuff, I can’t deny my wolf heritage or that I’ve claimed you and that you’ve accepted me.” He held her gaze. “Are you going to try to reject me now?”
“I can’t think about this,” she whispered, clutching his biceps. “I need time to process what happened and what it potentially means for my future.”
“That, I can respect.”