“Aurora, can you please tell us what happened?” I had never heard Jax speak to anyone like that. He was so calm and soothing, like he was trying not to spook an injured animal. He knew Aurora was his mate, but because the spell hadn’t worn off yet, her scent was still masked. Everyone knows it’s only a matter of time before Jax pounces on her. She took a few deep breaths and then looked directly into Jax’s eyes.
“If Randall has to attend the wedding, then so does Ryan’s sister.” I heard Ryan’s sharp intake of air. She didn’t want to face her sister, yet. “Tyler will come with them as well.” Ah, so this was about her traitor of a brother. Tyler betrayed us all when he decided to help the enemy, but I imagine his betrayal crushes Aurora worse than anyone.
“I know this must be hard for you, love. Tyler made his choice. No one blames you.”
“Everyone hates me! the whole pack has turned against me because of my brother. I was already an outcast because I can’t shift, and now this?” Jackson was growling and starting to shake; he needed to get his emotions under control before he shifted and hurt Aurora, being that close to her. Dom and I jumped to our feet at the same time and rushed over to Jax, while Ryan was pulled to her feet by both her cousins and went to stand by Sophia. I placed my hand on Jax’s shoulder. Worst mistake.
Chapter 7
Ryan
Jackson turned and snapped—I mean, full on went to bite Nico. Nico quickly jerked his hand away and stepped back. Jax was shaking and trying to take deep breaths. His hands were turning into claws. I gasped. Jax spun toward us and his eyes had turned yellow. He started growling again. He took a step in our direction, and I froze. Nico jumped in front of Jax, shielding us from his view.
"Brother, you need to calm down. Aurora is safe, and she’s here with you now." Jax didn’t reply; he just stood there, staring at Nico. Hair burst from the pores of his arms, and long gray hair was present on his legs, too. Jackson was going to shift, and I felt like I was going to piss myself. "Aurora, you need to talk to him; you’re the only person he is going to listen to at the moment."
Aurora raised from her seat, no sign of fear on her face at all. She didn’t even seem nervous. She made her way over to face Jax, and Nico stepped aside so she could take his place. She tentatively reached out a hand and placed it on Jax's cheek, and he looked down at her. I felt like we were witnessing a private moment between two lovers.
"Jax, sweetheart, I’m gonna need you to calm down and take a deep breath for me." At the sound of her voice, Jax started to relax, the fur on his arms and legs lying down and beginning to retract. I swear Aurora is an animal whisperer. No one moved or spoke for fear of setting Jax off again. Aurora took a step back from Jax once it looked like he had himself under control. She took the seat she vacated and tapped the spot next to her for Jax to join her. He didn’t hesitate; he made his way straight over to her and plonked down, sniffing her and rubbing his cheek against her head. Dom gestured for the rest of us to take our seats and we did, except for Sophia, who remained by the window. I was seated between Alex and Chase, Dom took the spare spot next to Jax, while Nico took the single seat.
“I’m sorry for my outburst, I normally have better control of my wolf,” Jackson said, voice still gruff with wolf. I felt sorry for him; you could see in his eyes he was embarrassed for his loss of control but pleased that Aurora was now tucked firmly into his side.
“Don’t worry about it, brother, we all lose control sometimes.” Dom seemed to always know the right things to say, bless him.
“Let’s move on and get down to business shall we?” Clearly Nico was sick of the interruptions. I couldn’t really blame him, because I want to get this over with as well—the suspense is killing me.
“What are the first steps for Ryan?”
“The first step Chase is that Nico and Ryan need to marry.” Well, Aurora doesn’t beat around the bush, does she? I couldn’t help my next words—sarcasm is my go-to in serious situations.
“Yay, I’m going to be a teen bride, how cool.” I felt at war with myself over this situation: part of me felt sick for being forced into marriage, but another part just felt…numb. Resigned to follow a path I didn’t choose. I don’t know how I’m supposed to feel, honestly. Nothing has gone right for me in the past few weeks. My sister has gone rogue, my dad died—murdered, though I didn’t know that originally—and Mom is fuck-knows where. I don’t have a home anymore. The only thing I do have is my truck, which is still parked at Stevie’s. I have no idea what the hell I’m supposed to do. I didn’t notice Nico had moved until he knelt down in front of me. He didn’t touch me but just stared into my eyes. And for a moment, I got lost in the depths of those beautiful violet eyes.
“I know this all must be hard for you, love, believe me. I have been around for a really, really long time, and I have never married. This is all new to me too. I don’t know how to be a husband, or if I will be any good at it, but you have my word I will try my hardest, and when that isn’t enough, I will try even harder. I will treat you like the queen you are and cherish you daily. You will be loved by me and want for nothing.”
Nico’s words stirred something in me. I didn’t know what this feeling was. It almost felt like hope. I knew Nico meant every word he said, and call me a fool if you like, but I believed him.
A thought entered my head at that moment, telling me I was lucky it was Nico I had to marry and not some weird old guy in a suit.
I leaned forward and placed my hand gently on Nico’s cheek. I don’t know if he meant to but he pushed into my touch, almost like it soothed him. I was scared and unsure, but deep down I knew Nico wouldn’t let me fail or fall. As much as I tried to deny it, he really was the same man I spent hours laughing with and talking to in my dreams. I did know Nico. I just didn’t know him properly, while I was awake.
Taking a deep breath to steady my nerves, so I wouldn’t fumble my words when I spoke, I said, “I hear everything you are saying and I believe you will do all of those things. I just need you to be patient with me. I will do my best to be all the things you need me to be.” I feel like I should tell him that I know his secret, but then I would need to answer his questions of how I know and I wasn’t ready to reveal my answer yet. Both my cousins knew how I was getting my information.
“Okay, well, now that Nico is on one knee and just proposed, I think we can start planning the Faeling wedding of the year!” Dom seemed excited for this wedding, and that made me feel uneasy. I could tell he was up to something.
Nico stood and offered me his hand, and I hesitated for the briefest moment before gingerly placing my hand in his, letting him pull me to my feet.
There was a small gap between us, and I could feel my body wanting to gravitate toward him. It took a lot more restraint then I wanted to admit to stay where I was and not close the gap between us.
Looking me in the eyes and never breaking that contact, Nico asked the others to give us a minute alone. Everyone except Chase and Alex readily agreed.
Those two bozos left the room grumbling about jackasses and rich-dicks. When the door clicked shut behind them, Nico led me over to the window Sophia had been staring through earlier.
The view from Jackson’s office is stunning; you can see the forest and mountains that seemed like they went on forever. I could sit here gazing out at Mother Nature all day; I found it so calming. Jackson told me the compound was built in the middle of their lands so that no one ventures near their living quarters. I guess it wouldn’t be a good idea to live close to town, in case humans saw them in their wolf forms. Nico’s homeland was beautiful as well, and also a wooded retreat from the world. At Nico’s loud exhale, I snapped from my thoughts and turned so I could see his face. He was still looking out the window.
“I shouldn’t even be saying this, but you can still turn around and run, love. You owe my realm nothing. You owe me nothing. I’m a selfish bastard, I admit that, but I would never force you to marry me. Do I want to marry you? Yes, I do. But
you’re so young and have your whole life ahead of you. If we marry, you will be expected to return to Farrarie with me and rule by my side. You will be Queen.”
Fuck, I didn’t think of any of that. I would have to leave my realm and live in his. Though, it’s not like anyone here would miss me, aside from Alex and Chase.
I would have to leave everything I know and move to a whole different world. Part of me was scared shitless and another part was longing for the adventure that move would bring. It would be a new beginning for me, a fresh start where no one would know of my past. I could start over.
“As scared as I am with this whole unlocking my power thing and marrying you, I could never let innocent people die due to my own fear. I don’t want to have to do this, Nico—any of it. In a short amount of time I have lost two people I care about, one is dead and the other might as well be. The point is I will not let my fear overshadow what I am supposed to do. If I have to marry in order to stop my sister and Randall, I will. I promise you, your world will not die because of me. I will do everything I can to protect your people, and I will try to be the best queen I can be.” I could see pride shining in his eyes at my words; it meant a lot to see that look and made some of the tension in my body dissipate.
“Hearing those words means a lot to me, love. I will help you with training and be there with you every step of the way.” I knew he meant every word. Nico grasped my hand and led me over to the couch, where we both took a seat and quietly sat with each other, hands clasped. I don’t know how much time passed, but we were both pulled out of our moment when the others re-entered the room. No one said a word, but I did notice both Chase and Alex were apprehensive at seeing me sitting with Nico instead of rejoining them. They took their seats on the other couch, with Sophia now taking my normal spot between them. Dom sat on my other side, and Jax and Aurora each took one of the single seats.
“Right, so let’s get down to business. I’m guessing by the way you’re holding his hand now, Ry, that you are okay to go ahead with this sham of a wedding.” Before I could snap at Chase, Alex did it for me.
“Brother, if you can’t support our cousin and the great sacrifice she is making, then you need to get the fuck out of here.” I have never heard Alex or Chase speak to each other like that; to say I was shocked is an understatement. Judging by the look on Chase’s face, he was just as surprised. He kept opening and shutting his mouth like a fish out of water. I could tell he wanted to say something, but no words would come out.
“I…I don’t know what to say to that.”
“You’re not supposed to say anything, Chase, you’re just supposed to nod your head and agree with me. I know this is hard, but we need to support our cousin. She needs us.” Hearing those words from Alex gave me a rare feeling of belonging. I would miss these two the most when I left for Farrarie.
“Thank you, Alex. Nico and I have decided that we will continue on with the wedding. Our feelings about this mean nothing in comparison to a whole world dying.” Nico gave my hand a squeeze, letting me know that he supported me, which was good, because I was going to need his support to get through all of this.
Everyone then launched into plans for the wedding. It wouldn’t be anything huge, just something small and intimate.
We didn’t have enough time to plan a huge wedding, anyway, and we didn’t want a lot of people there in case Randall or Stevie tried something stupid, which seemed likely. We agreed the wedding would take place in four days’ time.
∞∞∞
After a couple hours of planning, we all decided that we were happy with the outcome. Everyone had their own jobs to do in order to make this wedding happen. We would be run off our feet for the next couple of days, that’s for sure. Nico and I haven’t broken the news to my cousins that after all this stuff with Randall and Stevie, that I would have to move to the fae realm. I was not looking forward to that conversation. I knew my news would hurt them and they would worry. We all decided to make our way over to the mess hall and grab some dinner. After that I planned to retire and enjoy a nice long soak in my claw foot tub in my en suite.
You could hear muffled sounds of everyone talking and laughing as we neared the mess hall. Thank goodness that room was sound proof I could only imagine how loud the noise would be if it wasn't. Jackson was leading our group, so he was the one to push the doors open for us to enter.
As soon as we did, everyone’s laughter and conversation stopped. Awkward much? Sophia didn’t seem to notice, or she just didn’t care—she pushed past us and made her way over to the buffet counter and started to dish her food.
Alex and Chase followed. Nico rested his hand at the small of my back and gave me a gentle push toward the others. I felt like his hand was burning through me, the way his touch set me ablaze. Trying to push my focus away from the feeling of Nico touching me, I started counting in my head how many steps it takes to get to the counter. Conversation seemed to resume once we had taken our seats, and no one approached us, which I was thankful for. I ate as quickly as possible and excused myself with the explanation that I was tired, but I really just needed to dream.
Chapter 8
Nico
I know she is hiding something, but I can’t figure out what. Her cousins know her secret, I’m sure of it. They never questioned her exit, and they always questioned her whereabouts. I needed to figure out her secret; she knew things she shouldn’t. Before I could get more lost in my thoughts, a bread roll hit me in the side of the head, snapping my gaze to the left and glaring at the asshole who dared to throw anything at me. I wasn’t surprised to find the asshole was none other than Chase. The prick had a smug smile on his face that had my hand itching to slap off.
“Now that I have your attention, your majesty, what do you really have planned for your wedding with my cousin?” He’s a smart fucker, I give him that, but I couldn’t let on that I had ulterior motives for my wedding day.
“I have no idea what you mean, little witch.” His playful expression dropped immediately and his eyes turned dark. That’s right; let your magic out to play, young one, so I can teach you a real lesson.
“You may think you have my cousin fooled, King.” I was getting sick of having the words king and majesty thrown at me like they were vile terms. “But you are wrong; we are already two steps ahead of you. You are the one playing catch up to our plan.” Alex stood and placed a hand on his brother’s shoulder, and Chase reluctantly stood and followed his brother out of the mess hall. To say I was confused was an understatement. I knew she was up to something, but if Dumb and Dumber were that cocky about their plan then she must be planning something big.
“Was it just me or did they just say they have a plan of their own and we are not privy to any of it?”
“I hate to say it, but I think you’re right, little dove. I believe our little Knox coven has their own plan.” Sophia and Dom were right; they are the best at finding out secrets. They always have been. It is a hidden talent of theirs. Apart they are good at solving mysteries, but together they are unstoppable. My little witch and her cousins are hiding something big from us, and we need to find out what it is.
“I think we should…” I couldn’t even finish my damn sentence before my sister cut me off.
“No, whatever you are thinking, it is wrong. Aurora and I will go and speak with the witch alone. She will not disclose anything to you, brother. You have lied and hidden things from her, and she needs allies. Aurora and I will be that for her.” Dom and Jax both looked apprehensive about this plan, but we really didn’t have a choice. Sophia stood and nodded for Aurora to follow her. Both of the girls exited the room without even glancing back or waiting to see if we agreed or not.
“I guess I’ll say it, then; those women have you both by the balls.”
“And So-So doesn’t have you by the balls, Dominic the Great Sorcerer?” said Jackson. Wait a fucking minute.
“You have feelings for my sister?” I was burning a hole in the side of Do
m’s head with my glare, but he wouldn’t tear his gaze from Jax’s. I slapped my hand on the table, which garnered the attention of the others in the room, but I didn’t give a fuck at this point.
“Answer me now, Dom!”
He finally pulled his gaze from Jackson’s to meet mine, and we sat there staring at each other for a long moment. Dom wasn’t giving anything away; he was the hardest person to read. Jax was an open book—his eyes told you his emotions. Dom hid his better than anyone I knew.
“Of course I care about her, Nico. She is like a sister to me. Do not ever question my affection for her; you know as well as anyone I love her. I have always cared for her as much as you.” I felt like there was a double meaning to his words, but shouting broke out across the room and distracted me.
“Alpha, the traitor is at the border! He wishes to speak with you.” Jackson, Dom, and I all jumped to our feet and rushed toward the young man who had shouted the news.
“Is he alone?” Jax had his alpha voice on now; he wasn’t asking for the truth—he was pulling it from his pack member. Jackson is one of the strongest alphas I have ever met in my time, with the exception of Dom.
“No, Alpha. He has four vampire guards with him.”
With a curt nod from Jax, the young man turned and hustled out of the hall. We followed Jax outside and toward his border, at least twenty other pack members following us. They would never leave their alpha, and if Tyler tried anything on Jax, the pack wouldn’t hesitate to take Tyler out. Once we neared the border, I could see Tyler and four others, like the young boy had said, but the four of them were carrying something big. My heart dropped when I caught sight of the item they were carrying.
A Twisted Fate : The Dream Trilogy - Book 2 Page 4
