Chapter 58 Jasmine #3
But my empathy tells me it’s something more. Not just heat or power, something emotional. Deeper.
“Kacey,” I whisper dramatically, “there’s a topless man wearing your apron.”
She’s perched on a stool, elbow on the counter, staring hard at Amon’s back. She doesn’t respond.
I pretend to clear my throat. Nothing.
“Amon,” I try, holding back my laugh. “Do you think you could put a shirt on so I can have some type of conversation with my friend?”
He turns, revealing a large chest covered in swirling gold and orange designs, like fire painted across bronzed skin.
“My apologies; in my district, we rarely wear clothes indoors,” he explains. “It is the norm for shifters as our blood runs hot, it feels quite unnatural to be covered.”
“Totally fine by me,” Kacey murmurs, eyes glued to his chest.
Amon flashes her a fiery look that could burn through steel, and I suddenly question every decision that brought me here.
With no subtlety, I clear my throat, and Kacey blinks.
“Think you could go next door for a little while? Just so me and J can talk?” Kacey asks sweetly.
With one nod, Amon turns off the hob, closes the distance in two steps, and places the softest kiss on Kacey’s forehead. He grabs a shirt from the chair, and we both watch as he leaves, waiting until we hear the door click into place.
“Goddesses, you two are so cute,” I sigh, turning to meet Kacey’s smiling face. A smile that tips into a small giggle. “What?”
“I called him cute the other day and… well…” Her cheeks flush. When her eyes dart to the kitchen counter, the one we’re leaning against, I slowly lean away.
“Do I need to, like, disinfect or something?”
A sharp, shocked laugh bubbles out of her, then she can’t stop, and I find myself joining in. When she suddenly reaches for my hand, placing it back onto the counter with hers resting on top, my laughing stops.
She’s touching me, again, like it’s nothing.
Kacey wipes tears from her eyes, catching her breath when she says, “I’m so glad you came over. I’ve missed having you here.”
“Yeah?” I quirk a brow. “Even though I was a pretty shit friend when I was?”
“Okay, but—no!” She winces. “I mean… you were quiet, but it’s not like I was expecting deep confessions over burnt muffins. You had a lot of things to think about, and to figure out, lots of stuff. Like… traumatic stuff.”
Only Kacey could say traumatic stuff like it’s a category on a grocery list.
“Well, I’m here now, trying to make up for it.” We both smile at that. “How’s Raelynn doing?”
Kacey’s smile turns sad. “Her body’s healing, but… the mage extended her coma yesterday.” Her voice lowers. “She said her injuries are extensive. Could take weeks for her to physically recover, never mind the mental support she’ll need after…”
I reach out, clasping her hand on the counter without thought. “I’m so sorry, K.” Tears well in her eyes. “But I’ll be here. For you and Raelynn, when she wakes up, because she will wake up.”
Doubt plagues Kacey, eating into the air around us. I twist it, trying to inject some hope, and her fingers tighten around mine.
“You’ll have me and Amon to help.” I smirk. “How’s that going by the way? Or do I really not want to know.”
“Good.” Her vague little response is plenty, especially when her cheeks redden. “Rae won’t recognise me.” She shakes her head. “With Amon, I’m so different.”
“I don’t think that’s a bad thing, Kace.”
“No, I don’t think it is either.” She nods, smiling softly. Then she leans closer. “What about you? How are you and your bonds?”
“I’m staying over at their house tonight.”
She frowns, puzzled. “And… that’s a big deal?”
“No. Yes?” I draw in a breath, then let it out slow. “It’s the fact I know I won’t want to leave.”
I look over the kitchen, spotting the henbane plant still missing some leaves sitting on the shelf.
“When the barrier drops tomorrow, they might come through.” I wet my lips.
“The people who found me, who raised me, who I thought I could trust.” It stings to think about, I think it always will.
“And even though I know they’ve lied, that they kept things hidden from me, I still—” I clench my teeth. “I still care about them.”
“Of course you do, J.” I meet her gentle gaze, see her soft understanding. “They were everything you knew for five years.”
“But that’s the thing, Kace. If I have to choose, if it’s between them and…” My voice falls away, then sharpens. “I’ll choose my bonds.”
I’ve never felt so certain about anything. Even without all the answers, with my past still hidden, I can’t imagine a life without them.
But instead of feeling relief at saying it out loud, I’m filled with…
“Why does that make me feel so guilty?” I grit the words, hating that I even feel it. “Like I’m turning my back on the people I love—loved—I… I don’t even know.”
Kacey’s features harden, dropping into an expression I don’t recognise. Something fierce.
“No.” When she wags a finger at me, I pull back, a little shocked.
“You don’t owe anyone your feelings. Just because you stayed with them for five years doesn’t give them ownership of you.
It doesn’t mean they’re entitled to you.
Just because they gave you something doesn’t mean you owe them something in return. ”
Her voice wavers, and slowly, I realise this isn’t just about me. Not anymore. She’s talking to both of us. A truth neither of us can ignore.
Family isn’t who raised you, it’s who you choose.
Her eyes lock with mine. “You don’t owe them a thing, Jasmine. Not even your misplaced guilt.”
I pull her in without thinking, wrapping my arms around her shoulders as the soft buzz of our powers connect.
“Neither do you, Kacey,” I murmur.
She flinches at my words, then sinks into the hug, her arms sliding around me.
We stay like this for a while, wrapped in this quiet warmth, letting our words and truths sit in the air. When I finally pull back, her eyes are a little teary, but her grin breaks through.
“So, what are you wearing tonight?” I blink at her abrupt question. “Remember last time? We had this whole game plan, and now it’s the next level.” She smirks mischievously. “Bonded level.”
Kacey really has changed. From the woman who used to flinch away from touch, who couldn’t hold eye contact and rambled through almost every sentence. Now she’s holding hands, speaking truths, and plotting outfits.
Her bond didn’t change her, not really. He just made room for the best version of her to breathe.
And maybe that’s what’s happening to me. Even if I don’t know who I used to be… I think I like the person I’m becoming.