“All of you can kiss my ass! I don’t need a babysitter in my room, and do not ever talk about me like I can’t make my own choices. I am a grown-ass woman, and no one will ever take away my freedom to choose what I want again! Do I make myself crystal fucking clear?” I was seething, and I know I went over the top, but I couldn’t hold back. Control was my trigger button.
“Oh, Ry, I’m sorry. I never meant to upset you, I promise.” I could see Alex meant every word he said when he looked at me; he was never a good liar—his eyes always gave him away.
“The only reason we want to have someone in the room with you tonight is because we’re worried about your safety. Your sister or Randall could ambush you, and it would just give us peace of mind if someone was here to watch out for you. Please consider it.” I never thought about it like that, and deep down, I knew that Dom had reason to be concerned. “You can choose who you would like to stay with you, if that helps, and just so you know, I am an outstanding big spoon.” Oh my God, he was relentless. I sent him a glare in return, and he just laughed.
There was no way I was choosing Dom; he would never sleep on the floor, and judging by the way he was eyeing the bed I had slept in, he was thinking the exact same thing. I couldn’t choose Jax, ’cause that would just hurt Kai, and the way Jax looked at me, I knew he wanted in my bed. There was only one man here I had eyes for, and I couldn’t choose him either, because we had a lot to work out. Which meant my “choice” wasn’t much of a choice at all.
“Alex, would you and Chase be okay with staying with me tonight?” My cousins both had a satisfied look on their faces, like they knew I was always going to pick them.
“Of course we will, Ry, we wouldn’t have let you stay with any of these predators.” Chase seemed pleased with himself after saying his piece. He walked straight past me and collapsed on the bed with a huge exaggerated sigh, just to rub it in the other’s faces. Jackson gave Chase a look of utter disgust and growled. Before I could even comment on it, Dom slapped the back of his head.
“Dude, you really need to chill out. We all have to work together, and trying to kill Ryan’s cousins isn’t going to help anyone, now is it?”
“Since when did you become so mature, Dominic? Do not forget where you are,” Jackson spat back at him.
“Well! Before this gets out of hand, we should all get cleaned up and then grab something to eat and work out a plan for tomorrow.” Alex to the rescue—he was always the level-headed one of the family.
“Very well. I will send Tyler to get the three of you in an hour. He will escort you to the dining hall.” With that said, Jax, Kai, and Dom exited the room. I made my way over to the bed and plopped down next to Chase. I was so exhausted. I really just wanted to hide under the covers in this beautiful soft bed forever. Alex made his way over to where I was lying on the bed, pulling me to him and wrapping his big arm around my shoulders. I leaned my head against his chest and let the tears fall. Alex held me while I cried, and I could feel Chase shift on the bed behind me and then he was rubbing my back, trying to soothe me.
“I am so sorry that you have to go through this, Ry. I wish there was something Alex and I could do to make this better.”
“Thanks, Chase, but we can’t run from this or hide from it. I need to woman up and get my shit together. I just don’t want to hurt my sister. I still love her more than anything.” I was sobbing more now just thinking about having to make a choice between my sister’s life and the survival of Farrarie.
“Shhhhh, it’s all right, Ry. Chase and I will always be here for you, and we will help you get through this.” I was so blessed to have two such amazing cousins. They went against all they have known to help me. I sat up straight and turned on the bed so I could face both my cousins.
“I just want to say thank you to both of you, for all you guys have done for me over the years, and for what you are doing for me now. I know this can’t be easy for you guys, and I just want you both to know that if either of you should want to return to your coven, I would totally understand.”
“That will not be happening, Ry. We stand with you.” Chase gave me a small smile which didn’t quite reach his eyes.
“Chase is there something you aren’t telling me?” He looked to his brother, as if asking permission to answer my question, and now my interest was piqued. Alex gave a small nod for Chase to continue.
“My family—I mean myself, Alex, Mom, and Dad—have had doubts about Stevie for a while now, even before your dad passed away. Stevie started to change over the last six months, almost like she is a whole new person. She stopped hanging with us and wasn’t home whenever we would go visit her and your dad. Your dad was starting to get worried about her too—they were fighting all the time over him needing to step down as coven king so he could pass the title onto her.”
I was shocked to hear this; Stevie had told me Dad was her best friend. “I know this is gonna be hard to hear, and for you to even believe us, but what I am about to tell you is the truth. Will you let me finish explaining before you go off your rocker?”
“I will keep my trap shut until you are finished Chase.” I gave him a small reassuring smile, and Alex leaned over and grasped my hand and gave it a quick squeeze.
“Three weeks before your dad died, Alex and I went with our parents to your dad’s house so we could discuss coven business. When we got there, the front door was open, so we all just walked in. We could hear shouting from the kitchen. Your Dad and Stevie were screaming at each other. They were so wrapped up in their fight that I don’t think they even heard us come in. Stevie was out of control. She said, ‘Mark my words, Dad—if you do not step down and let me take over, you will regret it. Ryan isn’t even half the witch I am, and if you give her the crown, I will take her out as well.’”
I gasped, I knew where this story was going, and I didn’t want Chase to tell the rest of the story, but no words would come out of my mouth. “The next week, Mom and Dad met with your father in private, and he told them that he was going to get you back from your mom and bring you home, so he could train you and pass the crown onto you.” I couldn’t sit still a moment more. I stood up and started pacing the room, mulling over everything Chase had just said. One question came to mind. I stopped and turned to both my cousins, and Alex must have read my mind, because he answered before I could voice it.
“He wanted you to have the crown, Ryan, because he never trusted that Stevie would do right by our people. He knew she was power-hungry. She even told us that she wanted to be the most powerful witch and rule all the races. She tried to convince your father to go to war against Jackson and Randall so our coven could rule.”
Chase chimed in then.
“Oh and let’s not forget about the whole marriage thing.”
“Wait, what marriage thing?” I asked.
“Well, Stevie wanted to rule over all, so she thought that if she could get your dad to pass the crown onto her after he took out Jackson and Randall, she could then approach the fae king and offer an alliance through marriage.” I was boiling now, and I could feel my magic rising. How dare she think that she could go and marry my Nico!
“What the fuck do you mean, my Nico?” barked Chase. Oops. With a sigh, I began to explain how I knew Nico.
“You know how Melakai came to me in my dreams?” They both gave me a nod, so I continued. “Well Nico use to come to me in my dreams, as well; that’s why I knew who he was when we went to Farrarie.”
“Wait—so if Melakai and Nicholas Stone have come to you in dreams, does that mean Jackson and Dominic have too?” I could tell Chase was pissed, knowing that not one but two supernatural’s have been visiting me in my sleep, but before he could get me more upset, I answered.
“No, just Kai and Nico. I swear I didn’t even know who Jackson was until I met him in the woods the day of Randall Cane’s party—and I met Dom the same time as you guys did.” They both seemed less tense after that.
“So anyway, back to Stevie—ar
e you saying that because my dad wouldn’t take out the other races and agree to give my sister the crown, she killed my father?” My voice rose to a high pitch when I reached the last part of my question.
“We don’t think she did it herself, but we do think that she organized for someone to take him out.” Alex wouldn’t look me in the eye while telling me this, and I could tell from the tone of his voice that he regretted not intervening over Stevie sooner. I went back to pacing, trying to sort all my thoughts out.
I didn’t want to believe anything that my cousins were saying, but what would they gain out of lying to me? I knew my sister had a thirst for power; I could see it in her eyes when we arrived in Alaska. To have our father killed, though—that was extreme. I needed proof. If I did find out that Stevie had our father killed for her personal benefit, I would go after her with everything I had, trained or not.
∞∞∞
Chase, Alex, and I took turns getting cleaned up after our conversation. The shower here was to die for; I felt like I had washed all the bad away. Jackson had someone drop by with clothes for us to change into, which I really appreciated. Tyler turned up a short time later to lead us to the dining hall, which was just a short walk from the room we were staying in. I could hear loud noise and voices coming from the double doors just ahead of us.
“My people don’t take kindly to your kind, so stay close and we shouldn’t have a problem.” He had a satisfied smirk on his face that I just itched to slap right off. I knew Tyler didn’t like us because we weren’t wolves, but how fucking dare he judge us? Before I could retort, he pushed the two double doors open, and we were hit with the smell of roasting meat and the sound in the room amplified, almost as if the doors were acting as a sound barrier.
No sooner had I entered then the room went completely silent—I mean, you could hear a goddamn pin drop. I never liked being center of attention—hated it, actually—and right now I felt like I was a prized filly on show. I ducked my head down to avoid their stares, but I could feel their eyes burning holes into me.
“Put your head up, Ryan. If you want these people to believe in you, then you need to show them that you are strong.” Chase murmured, and I knew he was right. These people were about to go to war because of my sister, and I was here in their home, asking them to fight with me to save a world that wasn’t theirs. There were long tables and bench seats spread out through the huge room. I could see men, women, and children, and a broad variety of ethnicities represented. Before I could see more, a man shouted.
“The Alpha’s bitch is a half-blood! Why would we help some low-level witch that can’t even use her own magic?” I could hear the hatred in his voice; he didn’t want me here, and I couldn’t blame him for that—he didn’t have any loyalty to me. But who was he to call me a bitch?
“You say anything like that again to my cousin, you hairy piece of shit, and I’ll pummel your fucking face in!” I loved Chase for sticking up for me, but we were outnumbered here, and I didn’t think for a second we could actually win if a fight broke out. I mean, there must be at least sixty people in here.
“What are you gonna do about it, witch, huh?” The angry voice belonged to a huge mountain of a man…I mean, this guy must be nearly seven foot, and he was all muscle, with shaggy black hair that just touched the tip of his ears and eyes they looked so dark they were almost black. We were about to find out what color they really were—he was making his way toward us, pushing people aside, to get to me and my cousins. By the looks of things, no one in here cared if he killed us.
I looked to Tyler for help, but he was just standing by with a smirk on his face. I made a promise to myself that if we got out of this hall alive, I was going to punch that asshole in the face. Before the hulk could make it to Chase, I jumped in front of him and put my hand out to tell the hulk-man to stop. Unfortunately, between the fear and adrenaline, I must have sparked my magic, because the hulk went flying across the room and landed on top of a table, which collapsed instantly from the weight of him. It was like it took everyone in the room a second to catch onto what I had just done, then the room erupted: the screaming was deafening, and some of them started throwing things. I put my hands over my head so I didn’t get hit in the face by a plate that some lady just threw at me.
Chase pulled me into his chest and spun around so that he could cover me, but just as quickly as the roar started, the room fell silent once more. I peeked out from Chase’s arms to see Melakai standing in front of us, fangs out, and body coiled tight, ready to fight.
“The next one of you that comes after Ryan will have me to deal with. If any of you so much as even looks at her disrespectfully, I promise you, your shifter healing will not be able to heal you fast enough.” Melakai’s words sent a shiver down my spine; I could feel he meant every word he said. Now I understood why he was the head of the king’s enforcers—he was freaking scary when he wanted to be. And fuck me sideways if the lethal tone of his voice wasn’t making me so hot and wet for him.
“What makes you think we’re scared of you, vampire prince? You may have a reputation of being a killer, but even the great Melakai Cane can’t take on forty adult male werewolves by himself,” jeered a woman with long shaggy brown hair and dull brown eyes.
“Ahhhh, Jessica but he isn’t alone, love. He has me and two warlocks, as well as the strongest being alive on his side.” God bless Dom and his power to just appear anywhere; he was standing right beside Kai. I straightened and stood on Kai’s other side with my head held high, looking her dead in the eyes, daring her to make a move against us. If she had the power to kill someone just by looking at them, I would be dead. Chase stepped up beside me and Alex stood beside his brother, the five of us against all of them. I didn’t like our odds, but I knew we would all go down swinging.
“Don’t make me laugh, half-breed! You think that bitch standing there is the most powerful thing in world? Give me five minutes with her! I bet my life I would kill her in the first thirty seconds.” A few people started laughing with her, and I felt my magic rise with my anger.
“You make one more threat like that, Jessica, and not even your father will be able to save you from my wrath!” It was Jackson who spoke, striding through the double doors. By the look on his face, he was pissed off at what had just transpired. “How dare you disrespect my guest like this?” He was screaming at her, and everyone in the room was bowing their heads.
Kai whispered in my ear, “All wolves must follow their alpha’s orders. They are bowing their heads to show Jackson that they are submitting to him and don’t want to fight. If you look an alpha or any wolf in the eye for too long, it is seen as a challenge.”
“I have looked Jax in the eye a lot, and he has never tried to attack me or challenge me,” I whispered back, but Kai didn’t get a chance to respond as the plain girl spoke up.
“They aren’t even pack, and you invite them into our home! You even let an enforcer in, the leader of the vampire king’s army, not to mention two warlocks, a mutt, and a halfling,” she said with a lip curled in distaste. I hated this girl already. She had no idea who I was or what the fuck I had been through in my life. I was done holding my tongue—this bitch was going down.
“How about I show you what this halfling can do with no magic?” I took a step forward to go over and slap that smirk off her plain face when Kai reached out and grabbed my arm. Jax let out a growl—who was he growling at, I wasn’t sure. At that moment plain girl started laughing, and it had an edge to it that I couldn’t understand.
“Oh my God, this is too good! The Alpha has finally found his mate, and she doesn’t even shift. Does she even know that she is your mate, alpha, or have you not told her, in case she fancies the enforcer more then you?” I jerked my eyes to Jax and he tried to quickly mask his expression, but it was too late—I had already seen it.
“Do you wish to challenge my leadership, Jessica?” Jax was looking her directly in the eye, his tone icy cold. Plain girl went pale; she kn
ew what Jax was doing. He was issuing her with a challenge, and by the looks of things, it was one she wouldn’t win. She lowered her head and submitted to Jax.
“That’s what I thought. If you ever disrespect me like that again, I will exile you from this pack.” I heard gasps and murmurs around the room, but I couldn’t take my eyes off Jackson. “I don’t give two shits if your father is an elder and is on the council—he will not be able to save you from exile or my wrath. Do I make myself clear?”
Plain girl didn’t move or speak for a moment; her head was still down, and then she finally nodded and pushed past a few people blocking her way so she could leave the room. When she got to the double doors that we came through, she turned back and shot me a vicious glare. I gave her my biggest smile and waved. She screamed and slammed both doors open and made her exit. I know it was childish to taunt her, but I couldn’t help it. After all, she did start it.
Chapter 24
Jax lead us all to a table in the far corner. I sat down between Alex and Chase, and Dom, Kai, and Jax were on the other side. Dom was sitting directly in front of me and wore a sly smile on his face. I couldn’t help but grin back at him—his carefree, mischievous attitude was infectious.
Tyler returned carrying some plates and was trailed by a small, frail-looking girl who must’ve been about my age. She had long blonde hair that was past her waist and the most striking blue eyes that were so pale they almost seemed white. She was absolutely beautiful, and I totally had a girl crush going on. Tyler set three plates out in front of the three guys opposite me, and then the girl set mine and my cousins’ plates in front of us. That’s when I noticed that my cousins couldn’t take their eyes off her, either. Just as she was about to turn to leave, I felt an internal push to talk to her, one that I couldn’t ignore.
“Hi, I’m Ryan, and these are my cousins, Chase and Alex.” I pointed out who was who, and she gave each of them a shy smile and then finally looked at me. The moment her eyes landed on my face, her pupils went completely freaking white. Alex and Chase jumped out of their seats and reached for her, but Tyler threw an arm in front to stop them.
A Beautiful Dream: The Dream Trilogy Page 14
