by Jaimi Wilson
Benji and Josh hide smirks, looking away as I rise to her challenge. "If I'm the fucking youngest person here, why are you the one acting like a child?"
Before Neira can respond, Liam stands, slamming his hands down on the table, cutting off whatever she was about to say. I smirk, until his eyes turn to me. They’re hard and filled with an anger I didn’t expect, and aimed at me. "Jasmine, could we speak in private?"
My smiles dims and I nod, rising to my feet and following after him as he leads me into Benji's office, slamming the door shut once I'm inside.
Seventeen
Jasmine
I sit in the chair behind Benji's desk as I watch Liam pace angrily. I can tell just how furious he is by the stormy cloud in those violet eyes as he pauses to stare at me, before continuing his angry pacing. Finally he stops, placing his hands on the desk as he looms over me, trying to intimidate me, but all that does is turn me on.
Seriously? What the hell is wrong with me?
"Why are you aggravating Neira? She's been nothing but civil since she got here. Maybe you could use a little compassion, Jasmine! Her sister is gone. That's all she wants, her sister back!"
Civil? Has he forgotten I heard every fucking word of what she said earlier this morning before Benji distracted me?
My eyes flare in anger, and I rise to my feet, feeling my magic responding, no matter how much I try to tamp it down. "Liam, you need to back the fuck off right now! I heard what she was saying about me this morning! I'm not goddamn stupid! I know you had some kind of relationship with her sister, and I'm telling you now if your past with her is why you pulled me aside, demanding me to be nice, then you can just turn around and walk back out the door."
He stays there, glaring over at me, before his anger deflates in a matter of seconds. "You're right. Fuck if I'm not still mad, but you're right. My past with Sabine coloured my actions, and for that, I'm sorry."
I relax and walk around the desk into his open arms, running my hands up his chest. "I get that you have a past with Sabine, trust me I do. But I'm your mate, your future. You need to remember how hard this is for me. I have to juggle both your feelings and Benji's, but I can't do that if I have to tiptoe around your past."
I press my lips to his and pull away with a smile. "How about from now on, the past stays in the past, okay?"
"And what about when Sabine comes back to the pack?" he asks me as he meets my gaze with worried eyes.
"If by some miracle we are able to free her from the Order, we’ll deal with it then. You should know, though, I won't let her intimidate me. I will fight for you, even if I have to kick her out of the pack. That's my right as your mate, I'm sure." I grin broadly.
His eyes darken with lust, and he grabs my ass, lifting me on the desk with a smirk. "As my mate, it is well within your right to issue a challenge for me. One that I would gladly watch," he murmurs, reaching out and nipping my bottom lip between his teeth.
“We should get back out there," I whisper as he moves to the mark he left on my neck, gently kissing the area.
I moan softly and try to remember what I was just talking about. One touch, and he sends me into a massive pile of hormones.
"You did promise me a quick fuck," he reminds me, and I groan at the heat in his words.
"What about the others? Won't they hear?" I ask in a shaky voice, so turned on right now.
The wickedness in his eyes makes me suck in a breath in anticipation. He moves the bottom of my dress up further along my legs. Then he shoves my panties to the side, so he can slide a finger inside me slowly, before pulling it out. He lifts his hand to his mouth, sucking my juices off his finger with a groan. "I guess you’d better be quiet, then."
I watch hungrily as he unbuttons his jeans, revealing his cock and pressing it against my entrance. He quickly thrusts inside me until he's buried deep, making me gasp at the sudden feeling of being stretched wide.
I keep my hands on his shoulders, to keep from moving too much, but still I hear the soft sound of the desk, which shifts slightly as I'm pounded into it.
My orgasm builds quicker than I expected, and I pull his shoulder down to my mouth, biting down as he sends me over the edge, spilling himself in me with one last thrust.
He pulls a few tissues from the box on the desk, cleaning us up. Liam helps me stand and goes to move, but I stop him by gripping his hand. "Liam, we still need to talk."
He turns back to me, his brows furrowed in confusion. "Okay, what's on your mind?"
I fidget, unsure how to say this after we only just kind cleared the air so to speak. I may as well just be brutally honest. "I don't trust Neira."
Liam sighs and kisses me before tapping me on the nose. "You don't have to worry about Neira. We can trust her."
My irritation rises again. He's letting the past influence him again, right after we talked about that exact thing, and I don't like it. Something about her is off, I just know it! "Liam, she had blueprints to the house the Order spends most of the time in! Does that not seem suspicious? Then she just happens to show up right when we need her?" I shake my head in frustration. "That's not a coincidence, honey."
He shakes his head defiantly. "Neira would never hurt any of us. She's just protective of those she cares about, in this case, her sister."
I throw my hands up in the air and slap them against his chest, pushing him away. "Fine, if you want to vouch for her, then if anything goes wrong on this scouting trip, I’m blaming you."
My heart hurts saying those words, and I know right away I don't really mean them. "I'm sorry, I don't mean that. You need to understand, though, everything has changed. From the moment the Order showed up here, we have no way to know who we can trust. How do you know this isn't just a trap to get you and Benji away from my wards?"
He thinks through my words before he sighs loudly and pulls me into his arms. I go willingly, feeling the need to be touched and comforted by him. This is all foreign territory for me, but I'm not going to keep my mouth shut because it may upset him.
“You're right, Jasmine. I'm sorry, I didn't think it through."
I laugh against his chest. "That's obvious. You need to think like the Order to make sure we don't get hurt. You need to be calculating and ruthless. Think not only about your friendship with Neira and Sabine, think of your people, just as I am. My actions and thoughts are solely focused on getting Stephen freed of his curse, so we can get rid of Evan and Jessica from their positions of power."
I sigh and look up at him, my face completely open so he knows I'm being one hundred percent honest with him. "I have no ulterior motives. I'm not on a quest for power, but I'm not just going to bust into their house waving my magic around and hope I'm strong enough to defeat everyone in there. Being level one does not make me invincible." As much as I wish it gave me some kind of extra boost, it just means I have better control over my magic than most.
"How would you feel if, God forbid, I got hurt, or died, because Neira's plan blew up in our faces?"
He sighs, and his shoulders slump in defeat. "I know what you're saying, I really do, but I can't leave Sabine with the Order. I'd rather die than let that happen."
I step back, feeling like I've been slapped. He didn't exactly say he'd mourn my loss but would die if something happened to her, and that hurts more than anything.
"Who is she to you that you would risk my life, your mate’s life?"
His face closes down. "It doesn't matter right now. When she's safe, I'll explain our past."
Hell fucking no!
I understand everyone has a past, but this is too much for me to handle right now. I need to be focused on the task at hand.
I walk away from him, knowing this very well could be the end of us. But I won't be strung along.
The door handle turns in my hand, and I pause, looking back at him sadly. "I'll help you get Sabine back, but when we get back to the pack, you need to stay away from me."
His mouth opens in shock, and he starts
to speak. "Jasmine, I–"
"Don't." I shake my head, silencing him. "Don't stand there and lie to me about how she means nothing to you. Either I'm your mate, and you're ready to move forward with me, or you have feelings for Sabine.
"I won't sit here on the sidelines as some fuck toy while you try to work out your feelings. If I had known about her before agreeing to this dating the both of you, I would have shut you down in a heartbeat. At least I know that Benji–while he may be misguided in his attempts to protect me–wants me with every fiber of his being.
"I'm already falling hard for you, and I won't let myself love you, only to be destroyed when you leave me for Sabine. I can’t go through that."
I walk out before he can stop me and run smack into Josh. The sadness in his eyes undoes me, and I dissolve into tears. He gives me a hug before walking with me through the house, past Benji and Neira while I try to keep it together, but the tears won’t stop falling. No matter how hard I try, I feel like I'm broken. My soul feels like it's being ripped to pieces the further I get from him, but I hold my head high.
Neira smirks as we pass, and Josh pauses. "If you say one word right now, I will rip you to pieces, and let my pack feed on your rotting corpse," he spits at her.
She wisely closes her mouth and looks down.
Josh looks to Benji with a sad smile while I stare off into the distance, refusing to meet his eyes. I don't want sympathy right now. I feel stupid, and one look of pity will either harden my heart or break me into a million pieces.
"Alpha, I'm taking your mate for a walk. We'll be back later."
Benji nods, and Josh takes that as his cue to lead me out of the house and into the fresh evening air.
"I'm sorry one of your mates is an idiot," he smiles sadly.
I chuckle softly at first, but then that turns into full blown hysterical sobs. Josh lowers me to the ground and cradles me while I cry out all the emotional stress that has been building since I got here.
All the while, I can't help but wonder, did I just lose Liam?
Eighteen
Jasmine
"Come on, Jas! Kill her!"
Josh is bouncing around on the balls of his feet as I fling bright blue fireballs at the tree he has deemed Neira the Destroyer.
When I finally stopped crying, the rage took over, and I knew I needed to burn it off before going back into the house. If I have too much magic flowing through my veins while I’m this pissed, who knows what I'll do?
I hold my hands in front of my chest, feeling the power build between my palms. I hear Josh gasp in awe at the blue flames. Witches with blue flames are extremely rare and it shows off our power level. I aim the ball of fire directly at the tree, smirking in triumph when it cracks and starts to fall.
"Timberrrrrrrrrrrrr!" Josh calls as the tree falls with a resounding thud, making me laugh. He runs over to me. "Holy hot damn, girl. You’ve got some power!"
I shrug my shoulders. "It’s just the emotion. When I'm hurt or angry, it feels like I could destroy the earth."
Having said that, my thoughts wander to the earth, and the pain she might have felt from one of her creations being destroyed. I sit down on the ground, crossing my knees and send a little power into the earth as an apology for destroying the tree. I feel the answering flow of energy as she accepts what I gave her.
"What are you doing?" Josh asks, sitting down opposite me. He crosses his knees, and they gently press against mine as he stares at me, looking intrigued.
I smirk at his interest in my magic and respond, even as I’m still connected to the earth. "I'm connecting to the earth and offering some of my magic as penance for destroying one of her creations."
"You really care about the earth and the balance, don't you?"
I cock my head, wondering why he phrased it that way. All of us should respect the balance. His words implied that not many people care. "Of course, I do. Don't you?"
“Sorry, I don't mean to sound so shocked. It’s just not many of our kind respect the earth. They are happy to take from it without offering anything in return. You are the first witch I've met in a long time who cares not only about the earth but, how your choices will affect it. I admire that."
I pick up a stick and playfully throw it at him. "Stop, you're going to make me blush."
He raises an eyebrow in challenge. "Oh, I could do way more than make you blush."
Before I can think of a way to respond, a throat clears. I look away from Josh to see Liam. My face pales and Josh reacts, getting to his feet with a growl.
"No!” Liam growls at Josh, his eyes flashing bright in the darkness. "Out of my way, Beta. You can't stop me from seeing my mate!"
"Over my dead body! She may be your mate, but she's my Alpha's mate, too. It's my job to protect her, even if that means protecting her heart from you."
Pain flashes across Liam’s eyes. I stand to my feet, placing a hand on Josh's shoulder. "It's okay. I'm under control now."
I may be under control, but I'm still walking the fine line between anger and hurt. If Liam’s here to just dig the knife a little deeper, then I'd rather he just leave. I do know, though, that as my mate, I owe him the chance to apologize or at least explain himself more thoroughly.
Josh turns his gaze to me with concern. "I'll walk out of earshot, but I am not leaving you alone with him. Not after how much he hurt you. Just send up a magic flare if you need me, okay?"
I nod, and he walks away, leaving me alone with Liam. Awkward silence descends on us, and I kick my foot in the grass, not sure what he wants. Did Benji send him out to try and make nice? Or is there something he wishes to say?
"Jasmine, I screwed up. I need you to understand, there is absolutely nothing between Sabine and me. That's not to say that I don't have issues with her. Our split was painful to say the least, and while we tried to remain friends, there were times we would spiral back to each other for comfort."
He runs a frustrated hand through his hair and drops it before taking a step closer to me. I unconsciously take a step back, not ready to let him too close.
"Don't do that," he murmurs, his eyes showing his hurt. "Don't back away from me. You are my mate. I am fully invested in this relationship, and while I've never actually been in love before, I think I'm falling in love with you."
My heart stops, and my gaze rises to meet his. This time when he takes a step towards me, I hold my ground.
"If you want to know all about Sabine and me, then I will tell you every last bit of our relationship. If you want me to banish her from the pack after we free her, then I will. I will do anything to keep you in my life.
"You are my mate. The one woman I am meant to cherish above all else. Please, give us a chance.”
I think through how to respond. When I do, I speak slowly, so he can absorb my words before reacting.
"Yes, I'm your mate, but at the end of the day there has to be more to it than that. I can't be in this relationship only based on the fact we’re mates.”
I take a deep breath. "I don't feel this connection the same way you two do. For me, it’s all heart. I let my heart guide me and have trust that the earth chose right for all of us. When I was given the both of you, I felt guilty beyond anything. No woman should have two men, right? I mean I could barely handle one! But there I was, faced with two mates who wanted to share me, and it made me happy. I didn't regret it for one second. At least, not until you fucked me on Benji's desk, then right after, didn't even blink at the thought of me being hurt while you go save Sabine. That doesn't exactly scream love to me."
He blinks, clearly shocked, and I can see the moment his actions dawn on him. "You thought I wouldn't care if you died?"
He swoops down on me, kissing me with passion, but I push him away. He can't just kiss me and make this go away.
He takes deep calming breaths and speaks slowly, his wolf in complete control now. I wouldn't be surprised if he shifted. "Listen to me carefully, Jasmine. I'll only say this once. If anyone
even thought about laying a finger on you, I would tear the world apart until I made them die the most painful death they could possibly imagine. If you were hurt or killed, I would feel it in the depths of my soul. You," he takes another calming breath, "are the most important thing in my world. No one is ever going to hurt you!"
Nineteen
Jasmine
Stupid. We're all goddamn stupid. We came here to scout out the place, but now we’re going in to rescue Sabine. This just screams trap to me.
After Liam made his declaration, he and Josh guided me back into the house, so we could all go over the plan for today. There was barely a plan to speak of, because this was supposed to be a recon mission only.
Liam put his foot down and told Neira that while he wanted to help Sabine, he wouldn't risk my safety to do it. I get that the Order is holding her sister hostage, but a suicide mission wouldn't benefit any of us. Yet, that seems to be exactly where we've ended up regardless.
The Order left the house thirty minutes ago. As soon as they were gone from sight, Neira demanded that we do a spell to determine how many people were in the house. When Neira and I came up with only two life signs, we all begrudgingly agreed that now may be an opportune time to get her sister out without any bloodshed.
After some quick planning, it was decided Liam and Josh would scout ahead. Benji was going to go off, too, but I don't think he trusts Neira. He's been looking at her strangely since we came back to the house last night.
Benji stands alert, listening for a howl from Josh to let him know it’s all clear before we start walking across the manicured lawn. For the whole walk to the basement window, the hairs on the back of my neck are standing on end.
