Chapter 21 #2
“Nope. Not even then. Her Dark Majesty doesn’t forgive, never forgets, and is one hell of a hand at transmogrifying. No wonder I couldn’t sense him. Bastard’s no more sidhe than Matilda at this point, but you’re right, the node needs to be taken in hand, and Chase needs to be there when you do it.”
“What? No!” Jena went to stand and Chase’s arm caged her waist, keeping her on his knee. “He’s the only thing Malcom doesn’t have right now—”
“You’re right, but I’m betting he’s got that ring of Crystal’s, and if you make him tug on that leash, the only thing that’s going to happen is people are going to get hurt.”
“And there’s no way I’m letting you go out there alone,” Chase growled.
Goddamn it. Jena slumped against him. Stupid frickin’ men.
“The two of you need to cross the bridge in the garden before the sun sets,” Aggie said.
Jena’s eyes flicked up to hers. “You saw it?”
Aggie shrugged. “I saw something, and knowing that it’s William up there, it makes a lot more sense now.
Regardless, I can guarantee that if you’re both not there at moonrise, shit is gonna hit the fan.
” She stopped leafing through the album and pulled it close, then removed a photo from behind the crinkly cellophane. “Here.”
Jena leaned forward to take a photo of a very tall, very handsome man with raven black hair and startling green eyes. They were wide, like the photographer had caught him off guard doing something he shouldn’t be. “That’s my dad, isn’t it?”
Aggie’s mouth screwed up like she wanted to spit. “Yeah. His name’s on the back, and you’d do well to remember it. If your mother had bothered to tell me what she was doing, it might’ve put an end to this already.”
“You never told me I looked like him.”
“You don’t. You look like you.”
Jena huffed and flipped the photo over. Her brow quirked. “This isn’t what Malcom called him.”
“Of course it isn’t,” Aggie snapped. “You think sidhe just bandy their true names around like everyone else out here?”
“Then how do you just happen to have it?” Jena asked, batting her lashes.
Aggie batted hers right back. “Wouldn’t you like to know?”
“I would, which is why I asked. God, I really hate you sometimes,” Jena muttered as she stood, slipping the photo into her back pocket.
“Good, it would be weird if you didn’t. Now scram,” Aggie said, waving them away. “You’ve got places to be, nodes to claim, and lingering assholes to banish.” Her gaze fell on Chase. “And you better come back with that cup of tea and my scone.”
“Yes, ma’am,” Chase said as he stood, taking Jena’s hand. He didn’t understand all of the subtext to the conversation they’d just had, but something had royally pissed Jena off—
She stopped abruptly and turned back to Aggie. “Why did she do it? My mom knew what he was and what he wanted. Why in God’s name would she sign up for that?”
“Because if she hadn’t, there would be no you, and Havers would already be on the bottom of the sea. Fun fact, all the nodes’ guardians have to have a certain percentage of sidhe blood, and the Seymores were due for an infusion.”
“And I’ll just bet you saw that too, didn’t you?” Jena spat.
“Come on,” Chase said, after the two of them had glowered at each other for a solid minute. He put an arm around Jena’s shoulders and steered her from Aggie’s room, back into hers. “You wanna talk about it?” he asked as the door closed behind him.
“No.” Jena seethed, dumping a messenger bag out on her bed and rooting through a bunch of witchy stuff.
Okay then. Chase frowned, but didn’t say anything, heading for the pile of his clothes at the foot of the mattress.
Looked like Sweets had been able to dry them out.
He raked Liam’s hoodie and tee up over his head and picked up his shirt.
Huh. He sniffed it. Wasn’t great, but it was better than smelling another were on him—
“You know, she did the same damned thing with her diagnosis. She knew she was sick before I left for college and didn’t say a goddamned thing,” Jena blurted, jamming things back into her bag and trading others for stuff inside an inscribed box.
“I didn’t even know she was going for treatments until collections came after me.
” She ran a hand over her brow and hung her head.
“God, why she can’t just tell me things… ”
Chase dropped his shirt and pulled her into his arms. “Pretty sure that’s not how it works. I mean, if she really is a sidhe, aren’t they supposed to speak in riddles?”
“Yeah, that and bargain for your soul, steal babies…” Jena buried her face against his chest. “Please, please tell me you didn’t know she was unseelie. God, I feel so stupid,” she murmured with a half-sob.
“How do you know she’s not part of the bright court?”
“You’ve met her right?”
Chase laughed. “She’s crabby, but she’s not evil, Jena.
She wouldn’t even let me kill the spider I found in her bathtub.
” He stroked her hair, smiling as she calmed at his touch.
“And no, I didn’t know. I mean, not until she was talking about your dad and recognizing the dark queen you were talking about.
Pretty sure regular witches aren’t rubbing elbows with any kind of sidhe, royalty or otherwise. ”
“Okay, you have a point.” Jena sighed, leaning back to meet his gaze. “But how screwed up is it that Aggie’s my literal fairy godmother? I thought they were supposed to be all bibbity boppity.”
“Maybe you just got the boo.” He smiled at Jena’s scowl. “You have everything you need?” he asked, glancing at her bag.
“No, but it is what it is.” She flopped down to sit on the bed, chewing her lip. “How the hell am I going to do this, Chase?”
“I dunno,” he said, putting his arm around her as he sat beside her. “But you are, and I’m gonna be there to help you.”
She leaned against him, raising her chin to be kissed, and he slid his hand up her back to her nape—
“Shit!” He flinched back, his fingertips blistered. “You’re wearing silver?”
Her brow furrowed, then guilt stole over her face as she pulled a necklace from her shirt. “It’s a were-b-gone charm.”
He eyed it, sucking on his fingers. “Were-b-gone?”
“What? I was mad at you, and it’s not activated yet…”
“Baby, silver is always active, and you just fried my fine-motor skills.”
“Sorry,” she said sheepishly, then laughed. “But, at least it didn’t zap you into a wall.” His brow furrowed, and she held up the hand with the rings he’d given her. “Kelsey tried to lick me, and they sent her flying. Ms. Pao says they’re sidhe rings.”
Chase growled. “You were hurt?”
“I’m fine now.” Jena laughed. “But Kelsey said it was like licking a cattle prod. The inscription has something about remaining true.”
Chase ran his knuckles down the side of Jena’s face. “You think they’ll do that if I try to lick you?” he murmured.
Jena wet her lips, her eyes searching his face. “Um…probably not. I mean you were kissing me earlier so…”
“Yeah, but I wasn’t licking you. Doesn’t seem like something we should leave to chance. I think you should take off that necklace and come sit on my lap.”
“What about your fine-motor skills?” she asked, dropping it to the floor and straddling him.
He leaned back against the pillows, bringing her with him. “Guess you’re gonna have to do all the work.”
She bit back a smile. “We don’t have time for this.”
“Sunset, right? There’s plenty of time for this, it’s not even noon. I missed you, baby, lemme show you how much,” he murmured, teasing her lips with his and sliding his good hand over the curve of her ass. He rocked his hips against hers, swallowing her groan.
Jena pulled back, biting her lip. She skated her hands over his chest. “We’d need to be quick…”
“Then I suggest you get naked.”
She pulled her shirt up, along with her sports bra, her nipples pearling as her clothes joined the necklace on the floor. Chase wet his lips. “Good girl. Push your tits together for me…yeah, like that. Now tug…” Fuck, that was hot. “Come here, baby. Lemme taste.”
Jena crawled forward, and he lapped around her nipple before drawing it into his mouth, sucking as it tightened between his lips.
He groaned, his dick throbbing as she wriggled out of her pants, and the scent of her arousal hit him, heavy and sweet.
He slid his hand between her thighs, rumbling his approval as her wetness coated his fingers.
She rocked against them, needy. “Oh God, Chase…”
He pulled his hand away, and chuckled at her cry of dismay, licking her desire off his fingers. Damn, she was delicious. Next time he’d feast. “You said quick, right?”
“Maybe not that quick,” she huffed.
Chase grinned, his dimples studding his cheeks.
“Mmm. I like it when you’re needy. Take my dick out,” he rumbled, kissing up her throat, the room dense with pheromones.
His canines elongated as her fingers slipped into his sweats and pulled him free, his tip slick with need.
“Now be a good girl and look at me when you sit on it.”
She raised herself up and slicked his cock across her slit, positioning him at her entrance. Her gaze met his, her big green eyes widening and her lips an ‘o’ as she slowly took every inch.
Jesus fuck, the feel of her velvet walls clamping around him—he fisted the hair at the nape of her neck, pulling her down to him and claiming her lips, bottoming out deep inside her.
Her smell—Chase moaned. Sweet, she was so damned sweet—a tremor went through him, his dick stone. “Jesus, you’re ripe, Jena.”
Her eyes went wide. “I’m not—”
“Soon.” Damn, so fucking soon. His hand tightened on her hip, sweeping his thumb over her belly. Mmm…
She arched against him. “You’re not getting me pregnant.” Her hips rocked with his, her body saying something totally different.
“Yeah, I am.” He nuzzled beneath her ear, their bodies undulating, her riding him as he pressed up, thrusting in long, strong strokes. “Jesus, I wanna sink my fangs into you so goddamned bad.”