“Yeah, but in case you’ve forgotten, she’s a witch with a nasty man after her,” Joslin said, only half teasing.
“Well, that’s true. But she’s an incredibly strong and resourceful woman; I have no doubts that she’ll take care of that man, with a little help of course,” Jake said, wanting to make sure that Joslin saw herself for what she really was.
“I hope you’re right because now both our lives depend on that,” she said, then sat up in bed. “You could still walk away from this; it’s not too late.”
“It was too late the moment I met you, Joslin. I’m not going anywhere,” he said, then grabbed her and pulled her back into his arms. “You’re stuck with me for as long as you’ll have me.”
Joslin snuggled down into his arms deeper. “I think that will be for a long time.”
“That’s fine with me; shifters live a long time, you know,” Jake teased.
“Well then I better start looking for a youth spell, because I’m not going to look old when you’re young,” Joslin said, wrinkling her nose at him.
“Young or old, you’ll always look beautiful to me,” Jake said, wishing he could add, “I love you.”
Chapter 14
***Joslin***
Joslin approached her horse warily, still not sure that it was a good idea to ride off into the mountains on one. She’d been riding several times that summer including that terrible night when they’d had to ride through the darkness to face the wolf-shifters, but still didn’t feel that confident.
When she got close enough, the horse whinnied and stuck its nose in her hand, and she was glad that she’d tucked a carrot inside. The horse took the carrot in its velvety lips then pulled it into its mouth with a long tongue; two bites later the carrot was gone, and the horse was searching for more. She laughed, and reached into her pocket for the other piece, watching as the horse chewed happily on the larger piece.
“She likes you,” Jake said, coming up behind her. “Do you need a lift?”
“No, but you can do it anyway,” she said, holding her arms out to him.
He pulled her to him and kissed her, then turned her around and lifted her up into the saddle. She took a deep breath and picked up the reigns. “Okay, I’m ready,” she said, squaring her shoulders.
Jake swung up into the saddle as if it was nothing. “Just relax and let the horse do the work. She knows what’s expected of her; if you relax, she will too.”
For the first few miles, Joslin repeated that to her self over and over, and soon she discovered that it had worked; both she and the horse had found a kind of harmony. Her steps not so jarring, the path she took much surer than when Joslin had been in control. For the first time, she was able to relax and enjoy the beauty around her.
Taking a deep breath, she realized that it wasn’t so bad up here. The air was clear, the scent of pine and earth tangy in her nostrils, and the occasional bird or small creature they encountered only added to her enjoyment. The hours flew by, now that she’d figured out the trick to riding, she decided that it was fun.
It was late afternoon when they reached a small river; it was wide but not very deep. Still Joslin pulled up her horse and stared at it. “Do we have to cross that?” she asked when Jake stopped beside her.
“Sure, it won’t be that hard. We just have to find the safest route across; that should be easy for you,” he said, gesturing to the river.
Joslin looked at him confused. “Why should it be easy for me?”
“Well, you’re a witch with Earth powers. Annabelle told me,” Jake said.
“Jake, I don’t know how to use those powers; remember I haven’t exactly been the outdoors type. Annabelle should keep her mouth shut.”
Jake shrugged his shoulders. “There’s only one way to figure them out: use them. Are you afraid?” he asked, knowing that she’d never be able to resist the challenge.
“No, I’m not afraid. I’ve just never needed those powers,” she said, getting down from her horse and walking over to the river.
“Well, you need them now, that is unless you want to camp out here for the next two weeks, I had something better in mind, but it’s up to you,” Jake said, shrugging his shoulders.
Joslin knew when she’d been beat, “Fine, I’ll try.”
Closing her eyes, she concentrated on the river, on the way it bubbled and flowed as if it was alive. Soon she began to hear a mummer under the sound of the water, and when she opened her eyes, the path across was clear to her. Shooting him a dirty look, she got back on her horse and started across the river. Jake followed silently but she could feel the look of satisfaction on his face.
***Jake***
When they got across the river, Jake didn’t say anything, even though he was tempted to gloat. He jumped down from his horse and walked around a little clearing by the river. “I think we should camp here for the night,” he said, beginning to unstrap his saddlebags.
“What? Here?” Joslin asked, getting down from her horse. “I thought you said you had a better place in mind?”
“I do, but we’ll have to spend at least one night out in the open, and I think this is a great place to do it,” he said, coming over and taking her saddlebag.
“We could have stayed on the other side,” Joslin pointed out, not sure why she felt like he’d tricked her.
“True, but then you wouldn’t be going to bed tonight knowing that you can use your powers over nature,” Jake said, grinning at her. Joslin gave him a dirty look, then started helping set up camp.
The next morning, they rose with the sun, broke camp and got on the trail. He could tell the Joslin was a little bit sore from the day before and their night sleeping on the ground. But he promised over breakfast that they’d get to their destination by nightfall. Just to tease her he’d begun calling it that and each time he did, she grimaced.
“This better not be a tent out in the middle of nowhere, Jake,” she said, as they rode. “If it is, I’m going to use my magic, just so you know.”
He laughed, “I promise you won’t need to.”
It was getting close to lunchtime when they rode into a huge clearing in the forest and he began to watch Joslin closely to see if she remembered it. They were almost to the middle when she stopped her horse and looked around her. When she turned around in the saddle and looked at him, he could see the tears in her eyes.
“This is where we fought the wolf-shifters,” she said, then looked around again. “Why would you bring me here?”
Jake had known that it upset her to remember that night but that wasn’t why he’d brought her here. He jumped down from his horse and walked over to her, held out his hand and waited for her to take it. “Jump down; I want to show you something.”
She took his hand and jumped down, then followed him through the clearing to the edge of the woods. When he stopped, she looked around. “What happened here? The trees all have broken branches, and I think those are burn marks,” she said.
“Don’t you remember?” he asked, taking her hand in his and leading her farther into the damaged area.
“No, I don’t remember that much of that night; it’s all just kind of a blur,” she said with a shiver.
Jake put his arm around her. “This is where you and I fought the wolf-shifters; those burn marks are from you.”
***Joslin***
Suddenly that night came back to her: the frantic trip up the mountain, the fear and horror when she’d realized that she was going to have to defend herself. It was all back, every memory, every emotion sucking the breath from her lungs and making her knees collapse.
Jake caught her just before she hit the ground, gently lowered her to the earth. He sat down next to her and pulled her into his arms. “I’m sorry to shock you this way, but I wanted you to see this.”
Joslin looked up at him. “I don’t understand why?”
“Because I still don’t think you realize just how strong and capable you are,” he said, rubbing her back. “I want you to
think about what you did that night, rode all the way up here in the dark and then faced not one but three wolf-shifters. If it wasn’t for you, we might not have won that fight.”
“But I just wanted to keep Annabelle safe; I didn’t do anything special,” Joslin said, not quite ready to believe what he was telling her.
“Joslin, fire flew from your fingertips,” he said, raising his eyebrows at her. “I don’t know very many witches, but I don’t think there are very many who can do that.”
Joslin thought about that; she knew that he was right. She sighed. “I’ve always been the one who’s not strong, the one who’s got no responsibility.”
“Well it’s time to put that Joslin in the past and learn about the new Joslin, the one who is strong and capable,” Jake said, helping her to her feet. “Now if we get back on the trail, we should still be able to make it to the cabin by nightfall.”
Joslin took a deep breath and got to her feet, knowing that Jake was right but a bit scared. Then she realized what he’d said. “Did you say cabin?”
Jake laughed, “I did. Now let’s get going.”
***Jake***
Jake helped Joslin back on her horse, feeling bad that he’d upset her so much, but he hadn’t seen any other way. Over the last few weeks, he’d noticed that whenever anyone talked about that night earlier in the summer, Joslin seemed to check out of the conversation. If she didn’t get up and leave, she seemed to drift away, to not hear what was being said.
He’d finally realized that she didn’t remember much of that night, that she was blocking those memories, and he couldn’t blame her. She’d killed for the first time that night, not once but twice, and for someone like her, it had to feel unnatural. Joslin was one of those rare people who had a pure heart, that made it especially difficult when she faced evil. Given the choice, she’d chosen good and destroyed the evil, but that went against everything inside her.
It was something she was going to have to learn to deal with, and not for the first time he was glad that he was a shifter and not a witch. His choices were much easier to make; life and death were an everyday part of the natural world that ruled his life. When he made the choice to kill, it came naturally, from someplace deep inside him.
They’d been riding for several miles, Joslin was as quiet as he’d ever seen her. “I’m sorry if I handled that wrong, but I didn’t know how else to get you to remember,” he said when the silence had gone on too long.
She slowed her horse and waited for him to catch up. “It’s still hard to believe that I did all that. I mean, I don’t even like to kill flies.”
“What about cockroaches? I hope you don’t kill them either,” Jake said, giving her a silly grin, hoping to lighten the mood.
Joslin wrinkled her nose. “I won’t now that I know it could be my husband.”
Jake’s heart picked up its pace at her words, and he couldn’t help but grin at her. “I like the sound of that; not the cockroach part, the husband part. And just so we’re clear, I’m done with bugs.”
Joslin laughed, the mood returning to a positive one, much to his relief. “I’m glad to hear that, now tell me about this cabin we’re heading for.”
“I think you’re going to love it; it’s a little more rustic than the other one, but it’s got running water and a nice bed,” Jake said, wiggling his eyebrows at her. “And I was thinking that when we’re not in bed, you might have some time to work with your powers.”
Joslin looked at him, clearly not sure how she felt about his suggestion, then she shrugged her shoulders at him. “I guess that might be a good idea. I’m not sure what I’m capable of. I just hope I don’t set the forest on fire.”
Chapter 15
***Joslin***
When they came down from the mountain, Joslin felt like a different person. Her feelings for Jake had only grown, and that in and of itself made her feel different. But most importantly, she’d discovered over the last few weeks that she was just as strong as her sister. The knowledge had come in bits and pieces as Jake pushed her beyond her limits, not only with her magic, but physically.
Most days they’d risen early, had breakfast, and then he’d taken her on a grueling hike through the mountains. Those hikes had pushed her to her limit but taught her a great deal about the wilderness that Jake called home. He taught her survival skills, forced her to scale a rock wall and cross a very questionable rope bridge, and each time she’d succeeded, her confidence had grown.
Afternoons were spent experimenting with her powers; it would have been easier if she’d had some spells to work with, but Jake hadn’t known that. So, she muddled her way through, learning to command not only the forces of the Earth but the creatures in the forest around her.
But the woman who came out of the Colorado mountains was ready to face what lay ahead, ready to take Deacon on and free her family from the power he held over them. With a new confidence in herself and her feelings for Jake giving her strength, she knew that they would win the battle, that once and for all Deacon would be out of their lives.
And she was looking forward to that life now more than ever; no matter what Annabelle decided to do, she knew her place was with Jake, that she’d never lead the coven. Her sister had been right; it might be time for someone new to take over, to breath life into the coven, as their family had been in power for too long.
She hadn’t shared these feelings with Jake yet, wanted to talk to Annabelle first. There would be plenty of time to figure out where their lives would take them after the wedding and the inevitable showdown they were about to have with Deacon. For now, she was going to enjoy feeling strong and capable, and every moment she had with Jake.
Joslin pulled her long gloves on over her shaking hands, surprised to find herself more nervous than she’d been at her own wedding. But she’d just taken a quick peek into the church and spotted Deacon sulking near one of the side doors. She knew that he hadn’t officially been invited, but everyone had expected him to show up to see Annabelle marry Justin himself.
His presence would have bothered her more, but she knew that there were lots of people in the church who didn’t want Deacon there any more than they did. Their allies had shown up in force, not so much because they thought that anything would happen at the wedding but as a show of support.
Annabelle had been busy over the last few weeks consolidating support in the coven while Justin had been in contact with his followers in the valley. “Joslin, calm down; I’m the one who should be nervous. I’m getting married today,” Annabelle said, pulling her out of her thoughts. “Deacon isn’t going to do anything at the wedding; he doesn’t know that you and Jake got married. He still thinks he’s going to marry you. My guess is that he’ll announce his intentions at the reception, once he’s sure that Justin and I are married.”
“Sorry, I know I’m being silly, but I’m ready to get this over with. I want Deacon out of our lives, so we can go on living them. I’m tired of seeing mom and dad walking around in a fog,” Joslin said, coming over to where her sister was sitting in front of the mirror and standing behind her. “You look beautiful by the way.”
Annabelle smiled at her, “You’re only saying that because we look exactly alike.”
Joslin smiled back, “That’s not true, you do look beautiful. Justin is going to lose it when he sees you in that dress.”
Before Annabelle could reply, there was a knock on the door, and Penny came bustling in. Her dress matched Joslin’s but instead of the deep purple Joslin had chosen, it was a soft shade of gray; it would have made anyone else look drab and washed out. But with her golden red hair and striking green eyes, it made Penny shine.
“It’s time, Annabelle; everyone is here and waiting for you,” she said, picking up her long black gloves and sliding them on. They’d chosen the gloves to hide the rings on Joslin’s finger from Deacon. “God, I hate these things; I can’t wait until we can take them off.”
Joslin smiled at her sister-in-law. “It�
�s only for the ceremony; as soon as we get to the reception we’ll take them off,” she said. “I can’t wait to see the look on Deacon’s face when he sees the rings on my finger.”
“Okay you two, I’m ready, but I don’t want to hear any more talk about Deacon,” Annabelle said, getting to her feet.
“Sorry,” Joslin and Penny said in unison.
Together the three women walked through the door and down the hallway, the sounds of the wedding music become louder as they got closer to the sanctuary. When they got to the double doors, her father was waiting for them, a huge smile on his face. “There are my girls,” he said, reaching out for Annabelle’s hand. “Are you ready, sweetheart?”
Annabelle nodded and took his hand. “I’m glad you’re here today, dad,” she said, then gave him a kiss on the cheek.
Joslin was pleased to see that her father was slowly coming back to himself. Annabelle had managed to break the spell on him and their mother, but it had been strong, strong enough that it was taking time to wear off. Still, it gave her hope that they’d both be back to normal before long; they just had to keep them away from Deacon, who would know immediately that someone had messed with his spell.
“I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else; it’s hard to believe that in just a few hours, both my girls will be married women,” her father said sounding a bit confused.
“I know, daddy, a lot has changed,” Joslin said, then kissed him on the cheek.
***Jake***
Standing next to Joslin greeting the wedding guests, Jake felt an overwhelming sense of pride. She was easily one of the most beautiful women in the room, and she was his. But it wasn’t just her beauty that made her so attractive to him; it was her newly found confidence and belief in herself. She’d been beautiful before, but now that beauty was deeper, and he’d seen several people look at her twice.
Fairplay Shifters Boxset Page 21
