Chapter 18 - Jillian
I didn't want to get locked up again. I didn't want to sit in a dark room with nothing but my thoughts, but maybe that was for the best. I couldn't let them pull Maddox from his pack because they were scared. Maddox didn't deserve that. He had done nothing wrong.
I pulled my hands free from Maddox's, ready to agree to whatever they wanted. I had to. I couldn't let him dig himself a grave. I couldn't let them think he was trying to protect me and end up getting locked up himself. His pack needed him.
But before I could agree to it, the doors behind us opened. I jumped at the sound as Hope, Tara, Jessie, and Sam all stepped into the room. Hope marched forward, anger fueling each of her steps as she got closer to me. "What the hell do you think you're doing!?"
The Council looked a little uncomfortable with Hope's presence, and I didn't understand why. Maybe it was because she was a witch.
"She's a seer, and your instant reaction is to throw her into confinement? How the hell is that fair?"
"Hope, how great of you to grace us with your presence."
"You can all eat shit," she snapped angrily. Maddox's eyebrows went up at her words, looking as stunned as I was feeling. "How is it that Sam sees visions and you all praise her, but Jillian sees something and you want to lock her up? Where is the fairness in that?"
They all looked at Sam, who had her arms crossed, looking beyond pissed. I'd seen Sam mad before, but this was another level.
"She didn't try killing Frank and Nina, for starters." Willow said, sending her gaze to Sam. "Sam understood her role."
Sam made a sarcastic laugh. "I'm not your friend here. You've crossed a line."
Ralph sighed. "Sam, we understand your concern, but this is different from your situation."
Sam shook her head. "It's really not, and I would be more than willing to call the other Alphas and witches to come and listen in on this meeting."
Jennisa tapped her fingers. "Sam, as an Alpha's wife, I would advise..."
"I don't want your advice, Jennisa. Because respectfully, it sucks."
I held back a smirk as Hope walked toward the Council. "You have no grounds to lock her up."
"We aren't letting her walk freely. We don't need a repeat of last time."
"She was possessed," Hope snapped. "She had no control over what she was doing, just like she had no control over this vision."
Ralph spoke calmly. "We can't just let her walk around freely. There is no knowing if he is seeing into her mind. You all know the magic is always changing."
"And you know there is a difference between a vision and someone possessing another. Visions are sporadic and uncontrollable."
I swallowed, feeling like I wanted to disappear. I looked down at my fingers, rubbing them together.
"She can't go free."
"And you're not locking her up," Maddox snapped.
The room fell quiet for a moment when Sam spoke. "What about magic blocking bracelets?"
Maddox looked at Sam. "That's a thing?"
Sam nodded. "Yeah, they aren't exactly something people like wearing." She looked at me. "But they work."
Everyone looked at the Council. Ralph stared at me, his eyes cold and harsh. I squirmed, waiting for him to disagree.
"If she wears them, then yes. She will also be under house arrest until further notice."
I took a deep breath. I didn't love the idea of the bracelets, but whatever kept me from going back into that dark room.
Everyone still seemed to be talking, but my mind was elsewhere. I don't remember leaving or sliding the bracelets on. I didn't even remember getting home and crawling into bed. But I did hear Maddox, his soft voice telling me everything was going to be okay.
I woke up the next morning to Maddox shaking me slightly. "Jillian, hey."
I groaned as I slowly peeled my eyes open.
Maddox was fully dressed, looking as perfect as always.
I pulled a pillow over my head, not wanting to get out of bed.
I had plenty of reasons to stay in bed. One reason was that I couldn't leave the house anyway, now that I was under house arrest, and two, I would have to acknowledge what had happened yesterday, and I didn't want to.
I moved my arms, and I could feel the weight on my wrist. The bracelets were like cuffs.
"Jillian, I know you're awake."
"Just leave me alone," I groaned, pulling the sheets tighter. "I just want to stay in bed."
"You have visitors, so I think you should probably get out of bed."
I moved the pillow a little, looking over at Maddox. He held a slight smile on his face as he tilted his head at me. "And I made breakfast. Waffles and bacon."
I moved the pillow and slowly sat up. All of yesterday's events are coming back to me. I groaned and sighed. "Can we just say I'm sick?"
"But you're not," he said softly, giving me a smile. "And I think you could use some company." He reached out, moving some free hair behind my ear. "It will be good for you."
I knew he had a point. I threw the covers off and crawled out from under the bed. He reached out, taking my hand. "You know I'm proud of you, right? For handling all of this."
I softly smiled, knowing that he meant it. "And just a few months ago, you wanted nothing to do with me."
He rolled his eyes, pulling me closer, pressing a kiss on my forehead. "Well, a lot can change in that time."
He let go of me and slipped out of the room. I got up and changed, running a brush through my hair before I left the room and headed down the stairs. I found Hope and Sam both sitting at the island, working on coffee. Maddox placed a mug down next to them, and I knew it was for me.
"Jillian, you are up," Hope said, giving me a smile. "After yesterday, I thought you'd never want to get out of bed."
"I didn't. But I'm awake. What brings you in?"
"Well, we didn't want you to sit around all alone all day, so we figured we could come and spend time with you."
"That and I imagine you have a ton of questions," Sam added as she took a sip of her coffee.
I wanted to say that I was fine being alone and that I could handle things, but I'd be lying. I had so many questions filling my head. I had concerns, and I knew that Sam would understand, because she was in the same shoes I was in.
"That's nice," I said, taking my seat.
"As much as I would love to stay for this, I have a meeting to head to." Maddox placed a kiss on my forehead. "Call me if you need anything."
I nodded and watched him walk out of the house, shutting the door behind him. I looked back at Hope and Sam, who smiled at me.
"How are you feeling?" Sam asked, giving a sympathetic expression now.
I shrugged. "I could feel better. I have so many questions. I just feel like this is all so much."
"Magic can be," Hope said, nodding her head. "But any questions you have, we can certainly answer."
I nodded, knowing they meant that. "Was the Council right in being concerned?"
Sam shrugged. "I mean, they have reason to be concerned, but that's because it's not something they entirely understand. None of them have visions, so they don't know the depth of how it goes."
"Is he able to see through me without me knowing?"
Hope shook her head. "No, you would know if someone was seeing through you. Having a vision is different than possessing someone."
"A vision is magic, and while we understand that they are afraid this man might be able to see through you, he could easily do the same to me. But we can't live in fear of it. Do not let the Council make you afraid of the gift you've been given."
I took their words in, knowing that they had a point. After many more questions, I felt a little better. Had a better understanding of what they were saying to me.
The next few days were all moving in a blur. Someone stopped by each day, spending their time with me. We watched TV or spent the entire day talking. Even Maddox was extra caring with me. He left me notes around the house and messaged me throughout the day, asking what I was up to.
I expected to feel stir crazy with being stuck inside the house, but I wasn't. There was always someone around, something that I could do, so it wasn't terrible.
I sat outside putting a shrub into the ground and smiled. I pulled myself up and looked through the entire yard. I was so happy with how it all turned out.
"This looks wonderful."
I turned and found Maddox standing on the deck, taking it all in. I couldn't help but feel proud as I saw the excitement in his eyes. He looked stunned as he took the yard in. "Jesus, you did an amazing job, Jillian."
I blushed as I wiped my hands on my pants. "You've seen the yard, you've watched the progress."
He nodded. "I know I have but to see the final result.
It's amazing, Jillian. This backyard used to be bare, and now I have a stunning space.
I have trees and a rock wall in the back that is full of flowers.
I had a deck with a patio set and strung up lights.
We will have to have some people over to use this space. "
"The plants will look better after a few years. It will fill in. And the trees will look better once they are bigger."
"It's amazing," he said, walking towards me. "And I'm grateful to have someone like you doing it."
I blushed, feeling my heart skip a beat. Over the past few days, I've felt like we were a real couple. Not someone that were forced together, but two people who wanted to be together.
"Thanks."
He reached an arm around, wrapping me in a hug. I sank against it and smiled, looking around the yard.
"How about I get the grill going and we eat dinner out here and take in all your hard work?"
I nodded, loving the idea.
Maddox made steak and potatoes. We had dinner out on the back porch, where I told Maddox about each of the plants that I put into the ground. I told him about how the flowers will look once some of them bloom and how lush and green the yard will look in a few years, more than it looks right now.
Maddox listened and smiled, taking everything in. It wasn't until I finished my plate that I realized I had been talking the entire meal.
"I'm sorry," I said, feeling embarrassed. "I spoke for the entire meal."
He smiled at me. "That's okay. I like listening to you talk."
I felt my entire body go hot seeing how softly he was looking at me, and I knew he meant it. I could tell from other days that our relationship was different. It was better than it was before.
After eating, we headed to bed. I fell asleep easily, finding that having Maddox's arms wrapped around me was comforting.
I was having a peaceful sleep until I found myself in the middle of the woods with Maddox. I could hear voices all around me, yet I couldn't figure out where they were coming from. I turned and twisted, trying to find the voice until my eyes landed on Maddox.
He stood in front of me. I could tell it was him, but it wasn't. His eyes weren't the same. They were lacking this cheerfulness. And his smile was off. Like he was in pain, he was pale as he stared at me, and then suddenly he fell over.
My eyes widened as I noticed a knife was sticking out of his back. I screamed.
"Jillian!" I was shaken awake, snapping my eyes open, and Maddox hovered over me. His hands were on my shoulders, and his eyes were wide with fear as he stared at me. I searched for him, feeling my entire body shaking.
But I watched him die.
"Jillian, it was a nightmare."
My lower lip quivered as I started to cry. "You died. I saw you die."
He frowned, pulling me tightly. "I'm alive. I'm right here, Jillian. I'm right here."
I sobbed into his shirt, clinging to him tightly. The thought of losing him felt so real, and I felt a sharpness in my chest.
"I thought I lost you," I whispered.
"No, I'm right here. I'm real. I'm holding you and I'm not going anywhere."
I inhaled his scent, realizing that I felt something more for Maddox than just caring, and it scared me a little. Our future was uncharted waters, and neither of us knew what was coming.