by Celeste Raye
“There's no sense in revenge anymore. He is going to be upset about this evening, but that's alright. I know this was all supposed to work out like this.”
“Like what?”
Scott took deep breaths and then settled the nerves inside of him that made him tremble. He had watched it done so many times in the movies, and each time he had seen it, Scott had told himself it would never be him. He was never going to love someone enough that he would get down on his knee and ask her to marry him. It had not seemed real, but there was nothing else he could do.
“I want you to marry me, Jessica. I know it's sudden, and I know that the way this has gone has not been normal, but I don't care. I don't want to wait the appropriate amount of time. I don't want to get everybody's blessing. Marry me and to hell with everybody.”
She got quiet and then smiled, making him feel hope.
“You really do have a way with words, don't you?”
Scott smiled back at her, asking her if that was a good thing. He had no idea how any of it was going to turn out. All he knew for certain was if he didn't ask her, he was always going to regret it. There was no sense in waiting.
The moment slipped by, and it seemed to be a lifetime before she finally answered him.
“Yes. I will marry you.”
Relief and happiness rushed through him. He had been holding his breath, not even knowing it.
The two kissed, and he was finally able to hold her in his arms again. It was the knowledge that she was supposed to be there that made it feel all the better. There was nowhere else either one of them was supposed to be.
Chapter Eighteen
Jerry was at the big dining room table, and since there was good news, everybody was down to share a meal together. It was still hard for Jessica to ignore the looks she was getting. She had made a promise to Jerry, and she was breaking her promise. Whether it was right or wrong was not even considered. Everyone was looking at her like his face being beat up was her fault. Maybe it was, but it wasn't like she wanted it to happen.
Every time she questioned why she was there; she would feel an encouraging squeeze on her hand from Scott. His brother had just made the announcement about the two of them getting married that evening, only a couple of hours away. Scott seemed to be able to ignore the whispers.
They should have waited.
It was bad enough that Jessica had broken her promise and he had stolen the man's soon-to-be wife. What was worse was the fact that they insisted on getting married the same day she was supposed to marry Jerry.
She could see it for what it was and knew it didn't look good. But she also knew that there was not much she wanted to change. Jessica found she didn't want to wait either.
While there was a lot being said about it, she didn’t want to put it off to make people feel better. This was about her and Scott and their surprising love that came out of the blue. He had asked, and she was more than willing to go along with it.
The looks, though, were hard to ignore. That was probably the point, and she tried not to give anybody the satisfaction of knowing they were bothering her. She just looked past them like they weren't even there. Jessica had always felt a little different and this was not as complicated as it appeared. How many times had she gotten all kinds of looks because of what her mother was? This was no different, but at least this time, Jessica was getting all of the negative attention because of her choice, not what she was.
“Why don’t we just leave, Scott? Everyone is staring at us.”
“If you really want to go, we can. But I would like to stay and celebrate. We can’t let a few people ruin it for us. There are many more that are genuinely happy for us. I know that Jake is.”
She scoffed. “I doubt that. He probably warned you several times, but you’re hardheaded and didn’t listen.”
He pressed his lips together and asked her again if she could read her mind.
“No, I am not old enough for that, but it isn’t hard to imagine that happening. Maybe you’re not as mysterious as you hoped.”
Scott chuckled. “Maybe not. I am glad that you can already read me so well. We are well matched for mating.”
“I think so. I can’t wait to spend the rest of my life with you.”
She looked down. “You know that mating is different than marriage with us, Scott. It’s different than it is with humans.”
“How so?”
“We live longer, for one, and we really do mate for life. Divorce is not a thing with us.”
Scott shrugged. “Forever sounds like just the right amount of time.”
The mating took place among the dirty looks, and Jessica tried to ignore it all. These were her people, and while Scott seemed unphased by what some complete strangers thought of the situation, it was not the same with her. She knew every person that was shunning her with their eyes, and it was hard to focus on the moment. It certainly wasn’t what Jessica wanted for her wedding.
She wanted to get out of it, put it off, but it was important to Scott, so she stood there with her head as high as she could manage. She couldn’t ignore the looks, but Jessica decided that she wouldn’t react. That was the only thing that she had control of at that point.
The vows were said, and the kiss was magical. For that one moment, she’d forgotten about everything. When he pulled away, though, reality set in as they were walking through the throng of people. They were set to ride off for the night on his bike. It was waiting for them, but instead, she whispered softly into his ear. She didn’t want to go that way. She wanted to shift and be free. It was how they had fallen in love and how she wanted to do it now. Being with him, choosing who she married and loved, was freedom.
When they got to their destination, Jessica couldn't keep her hands off Scott. All of the adrenaline from the run had set in, and she was ready to burst. The cabin was one that was in the club’s list of assets. It was off the beaten path, had a nice willow tree in the front.
Before they could even get in the door, though, Jessica was pulling him down into the grass next to her. It wasn’t what she had thought her first night as a wife would entail, but she was glad for it.
“You don’t know how happy I am that you came along, Scott. I can’t imagine it going any other way.”
He chuckled. “What’s so funny?”
Scott shrugged his large shoulders as he pulled his shirt off and stared down at her like he wanted to eat her. It was hard to talk to him about anything when he was looking at her like that.
“I didn’t even see you coming, Jessica. I didn’t see any of this coming, but the last week has changed everything, and now this, you. It was all meant to be.”
She pushed him and he reluctantly moved. Jessica stood up and started to take off the ceremonial dress that she’d worn. It wasn’t her type of garment at all, but it was the sort of thing that they all wore, so she knew that it was better to stick to tradition, especially when she had so much bad karma at the moment.
None of it mattered when she got down to her bare skin. He was pulling her down on top of him, and her legs spread wide to straddle him. While that was what was supposed to happen, it still made her call out. He wasn’t inside of her yet, but he was pressing on her core with his hot rod, and it was doing something to her senses.
He picked her up for a moment and then set Jessica down on top of him. It surged inside of her in seconds, and Jessica was left calling out his name. She could do so as loud as she wanted now. No one was around to catch them, and they were married. Jessica was now his. She didn’t belong to any other man, and she really liked the idea of it.
The thoughts of their vows raced through her head and made each surge of his need harder to take. They moved slow; her body being moved for her. Jessica climaxed too quick, and it was sapping the energy out of her. While she wanted to take a moment, Scott was making her go forward, sliding himself in and out of her in a slow tick.
Jessica looked down at Scott after she had exploded hard, and it
was the first time she was no longer afraid of the future. She had a kind husband that was well-endowed and knew just how to please her.
She clenched him and watched the change of expression on his face. Jessica liked the short burst of control she got when she braced herself against him. She wanted to make him feel as good as she did, but instead, he pushed her to another orgasm, and Jessica was a slave to how it made her feel.
Her nails cut into the hairy flesh of his chest. He growled at her, then pulled her off long enough that he could press her back against the soft grass in front of the cabin. Now, Jessica had no control, and she knew why the thought of it made her tremble.
Scott didn’t take long to pick up a familiar pace. Once he’d been inside of her for a while, Scott pounded her hard and fast. It was the same now, and she was holding on like before. The orgasms were coming faster, and she finally had to push him away, begging him to finish.
“Now, Scott, please!”
Scott pushed deep and held it there. She could feel the throbbing as each spurt filled her insides. It was hot to the touch, scorching her walls. Jessica only felt more pleasure from it and was then in her own moment of pure bliss. It came over her so suddenly.
He collapsed on her for a moment before rolling over to the side and letting her take a breath. She needed one. Maybe more than one.
Jessica had a smile on her face and it grew as he leaned down to kiss her, telling her how beautiful she sounded when she cried his name in pleasure.
“I think I will have to record it and play it throughout the day when I am missing you. It could be the best sound I’ve ever heard.”
She waved him off, telling him that he was being silly, but Scott wasn’t joking. He was already planning to record it on his phone when they got inside and he would have more time to please her properly.
He was watching her scamper into the cabin naked like someone was out there to see them. He already knew that he was never going to tire of his new bride. It was impossible, he decided. Just impossible.
Chapter Nineteen
They were only gone for a couple of days but Scott was feeling incredibly relaxed coming back to his life. He wasn't even paying attention to the sounds or smells around him, until they came to a stop on the outskirts of the woods. They both shifted into their human forms and walked the rest of the way to the clubhouse, holding hands as they had since they’d been married. Scott knew that whatever was going on between the two of them was right. He could feel it in his bones.
Her arm pulled away, and her hands left his. That was the only reason that he looked up. He immediately wanted to take her hand and lead her back into the woods where everything was safe and the problems in front of him didn’t exist.
“I'm not ready to let go of you yet...”
The words that were coming out of his mouth stopped. He was looking at complete destruction in front of him and didn't know what to say.
“What the hell?”
The clubhouse was gone. It was reduced to ashes. There was a smoldering fire that still spewed smoke into the air, but the eerie thing was no one was around. Scott knew that many people lived there, but he did not see one person. The hundreds of people that he had seen before were all gone. His feet finally started to work, and he started to move towards the scene in front of him. Scott was afraid of what he was going to find there.
“What happened?”
He looked over at Jessica and could see that she was shaking. Whatever it was on her mind, Scott didn't want to know.
“I don't know what happened here. But I don't sense any of them. Where could they have all gone?”
Even as she asked, he had a sickening feeling that he didn’t want to put into words. She was looking around, and he was trying to understand what she was saying.
“What do you mean, you can’t feel any of them?”
“Just what I said. They're just gone?”
Scott frowned. “Do you mean dead?”
She shrugged. “I don't know. I have never not felt them before.”
“That can't be true. I am not going to believe that they are dead. They have to be somewhere. Who could have done this?”
“I can't think of too many people that would be stupid enough to even attack us to begin with. Not only that, they would have to have a substantial amount of power as well.
Scott watched her with fascination as she got down close to the ground. He asked her what she was doing.
“I'm looking to see if these are dead bodies. The good news is that it doesn't look like there are any here in the rubble. I think that they must have had some kind of warning and were able to get away. Or taken…”
“Warning from what, though?”
Scott just couldn't imagine what could make such a damaging mess. The first thing that came to his mind was witch magic. That was where all the power seemed to be. When he suggested as much to Jessica, she gave her own prediction of who she thought it was going to be.
“I honestly think the ancients did this. They put the curse on us, and now this.”
“I thought you guys took care of them?”
“Well, it's not that simple. The ancients are many, and while they did take care of the ones that came here to make them pay for what they considered a breach of the rules, there are still more that never showed up. They could have easily come back and attacked.”
He felt silly for not knowing such things. How had he thought they would be safe? It seemed like ever since he had met his new family, there had been nothing but a whole lot of stress and strain in his life. He had to worry about dragging her into it.
“What if we just leave?”
She looked at him with an accusation on her face, and he immediately felt guilty. Of course, she wasn't going to just run away like he wanted her to. Just because Scott had not bonded truly with his family yet didn't mean she hadn't. These were the people that Jessica had been raised with, and her loyalty was a lot stronger than his.
“We can't just leave them, Scott. We have to figure out what happened to them. They could need our help.”
Scott was afraid of that. He was also afraid of what was going to be suggested next. He already had it in mind, and it worried him.
“I think we need to get some help.”
“Yeah? Who do you think we should get to help us? Who can even help us in this kind of situation?”
“Witches.”
He sighed loudly, and she looked at him strangely.
“What?”
“I was afraid you were going to say that.”
Scott was standing in front of the door, and his body was twitching. He was sure it was because they were going to see Evelyn again. She had helped them before, but she had also wanted something in return. He worried about what would be asked of him for this new favor.
When they heard the woman's voice on the other side telling them to come in, Scott pushed back the ill feelings that he had and followed Jessica inside. He couldn't be the only one worried about what was going to happen next. If Jessica had a worry in the world, she certainly didn't show it, though. That was unnerving in and of itself.
“Come in, new bear, and tell me what is happening. Where is my niece, and why can't I pick her up?”
Scott cleared his throat and started to talk. He was under the impression that he was the new bear, and it seemed like a good enough name for him. What other nickname would he get?
“I was hoping you could help me with that, witch. We just got mated a couple of days ago, then we went off on a short honeymoon. When we got back, the clubhouse was gone, as well as everyone in it.”
“What do you mean it's gone?”
“Ashes are all that is left. I don't know what happened. There's nobody around. I was really hoping you would be able to tell me what went down there. You seem to know everything.”
Evelyn chuckled, but it was dry, and it turned into a cough at the end. She wasn't the young vibrant woman he had seen before. Instead, she was the decrep
it woman, and she looked every bit the hundreds of years old she was supposed to be. She sounded like it as well.
“This, I do not know. All I know is that my niece is far enough away that I cannot sense her. I cannot sense her power, and that means that she is really far away. I’ve never not felt her before, ever. My reach is long.”
“Is she dead?”
Scott didn't want to ask the question because he was so afraid that the new family he knew and was growing to love was gone already. Of course, there had been that moment where he had wondered if it would be right to just leave, to ride off in the middle of the night just the two of them, but Jessica had righted him on that. Now Scott knew how wrong that would be.
“No, they're not dead. At least Celeste isn't, anyway. I suppose that it would be rather hard to kill her. Even if you tried to burn her alive, she would probably live through it. That woman has a lot of power.”
Scott had to agree because he had seen a little bit of it at one point. He had also heard a lot of stories that kind of freaked him out and made him nervous when he was around her. He never knew when she was going to turn that power towards him.
“Are you sure you would know if she were dead? You said yourself that you didn’t know what had happened.”
“If she had died, then I would get some of her power, as well as her child’s. Trust me; she's not dead. I feel my surges, and if any of the women in my coven died, I would know about it the moment it happened.”
Scott was a little bit relieved because it made him think that if she wasn't dead, then maybe none of them were. He had to figure out what was going on. Where were his brothers? Where was the whole damn clan of people? There were over one hundred people there, but now there were none.
