Jax looked around for a moment and then his hard, untrusting gaze landed on me. He was contemplating whether or not I would betray him and go behind his back again. I wouldn’t, not this time, and plus, if I did, I am ninety-nine percent sure Ryan would hurt my balls.
“I will not do anything without your consent, brother. I swear to you that you have my word. I will not go behind your back again.” Jax moved his gaze from me and then turned to Kai and Dom and asked.
“What would you do?”
“I would do what was best for my people; I would want to save the lives of my family and friends first.” Dom was so political in his response, Kai was still silent.
“Kai?” At the mention of his name, Kai looked to Jackson and then Ryan, sighing before answering.
“I would claim the love of my life before I had a chance to lose her. There is no guarantee we will all survive this battle, so I would want to claim what is mine and love her while I had the chance.” I looked around the room and noticed the three women had tears glistening in their eyes, while the guys stood there mouths hanging open and staring at the huge blond haired, blue-eyed vampire. I think we were all in shock at Kai’s confession; I have never heard him talk like this before. Ryan was staring at him in awe, and it made me fidget and feel slightly irritated. she has never looked at me like that before. Ryan made her way over to Kai and grasped his hand in hers. I couldn’t hold my grunt in even if I tried. She turned to glare at me and then focused her attention back on Kai, who was looking down at her with a look of longing and hurt.
“You will find the one for you, Kai, and when you do, she will be the luckiest woman in the world. You are a beautiful man with a kind heart, and I will always be here for you. The world is a better place with someone like you in it. I love you, Kai.” Kai didn’t reply, he just continued to stare at her. I needed to break their moment apart stat!
“Okay, so back to Jax and Aurora now. Do you want me to cast that spell?” Everyone in the room turned to glare at me, except for the fucking two warlocks, who started laughing at my expense. I was really getting tired of those bastards.
“You are such a dick, Tink. She is marrying you in like”—Chase looked at his wrist to check the time—“nine hours, and you’re still jealous over her talking to Melakai.” The fucker had the balls to burst out laughing again and was quickly followed by his brother and Dom. I glared at Dom, the fucking bastard, who’s side was he fucking on?
Chapter 35
Ryan
After the guys got their laughter under control, we all sat down and agreed to let Tyler go back to Randall with our message. Nico and Dom were going to tell him the terms and what was at stake. I didn’t want to go and see my sister again. I couldn’t. If I did, I knew I would have to deal with what she told me, and right now I didn’t have any time for a breakdown. We needed to wrap up this meeting, as Sophia said I had a lot to do before my wedding this evening. I had no idea what she meant, but she was adamant that I had a shit load to do. Who was I to argue with the princess of Farrarie and my future sister in law? I was pulled from my thoughts when Jax spoke.
“Okay, if this is what you want, Aurora, I will do it for you.” Jax and Aurora were staring at each other, and it felt intimate. Aurora seemed shocked that Jax would agree to her request.
“Thank you, Jackson.”
“I have one condition though.” Aurora took a deep breath and then nodded to Jackson. “I want you to move into the room next to mine. You being near will calm my wolf.” Aurora tilted her head to the side, clearly at a loss.
“But your wolf was fine before.”
“My wolf and I didn’t know you were our mate then. This spell will mask your scent so my wolf won’t claim you, but it won’t stop him from knowing you’re his mate. Grant me this one thing, Aurora, and I will agree to the spell. I will hold you to your promise, though, that as soon as all this is over you and I will talk.”
Aurora agreed and said she would move into the room next to Jax’s first thing tomorrow. Nico cast the spell soon after Jax agreed. We all said our goodbyes and filed out of the room. I was walking down the hall with Sophia and Aurora on either side of me when Nico called out.
“Can I talk to you for a moment please, love?” I turned back to tell the girls that I would meet them in my room shortly.
“What’s wrong, big man?” He seemed nervous and kept moving from foot to foot, he put his hands in the pockets of his jeans and looked down. His hair fell forward and hung over his face so I couldn’t see his eyes.
“I just want to make sure that…you know…you’re okay with…and that you were sure?” What the hell was he saying?
“I don’t understand what you’re asking me, big guy.” I was keeping my tone light so it would help put him at ease. He blew out a long exhale and then lifted his head so I could see his eyes.
“Are you sure you want to marry me?” Oh my God, I swear to fucking whoever was listening I just swooned so fucking hard for this man. I grabbed his face between both my hands and pulled his face down to mine so I could kiss him. The kiss was slow and unhurried. I was trying to tell him with this kiss that I was sure, and I was ready to marry him. I was literally marrying my soulmate, and tonight, when my powers were free, my soul would merge with his as his hugacko. I pulled back and looked him in the eyes and smiled.
“Of course I’m sure, big guy. I want to do this with you. We’re gonna fight and we're both going to piss each other off while we get to know each other better, but we’ll make it through, I promise.” He smiled his signature panty-melting smile and pecked me on my lips again.
“You better go, then, before my sister comes looking for you.” I gave him another kiss and quickly made my way to my room. As soon as I opened the door, I wished I had stayed in Jackson’s office. My room was full of beauty products that were scattered everywhere; there were at least four dress racks that held different colors and types of dresses. There were flower arrangements all over the room, and Sophia and Aurora were sorting through the dresses. When I closed the door behind me, they both looked up, and Aurora squealed.
“Ryan! Come on you have to choose your dress and what flowers you want, and we need to do your hair and makeup.” Aurora was talking so fast I could barely make out what she was saying, I think she was more excited about the wedding than Nico and me.
I didn’t get a chance to answer, as someone knocked on my door, thank God. I quickly turned and went to answer the door to buy myself some time before I was subjected to trying on dresses. I opened the door and standing on the other side was Mya. She looked so remorseful. I stepped aside and invited her in, her eyes were as wide as dinner plates when she saw my room and all the stuff scattered everywhere.
“Sorry, you’re busy, I’ll go.” I put my arm out to stop her and said.
“Please stay.” We stared at each other for a long moment and that look alone conveyed everything we hadn’t said, that she was sorry for what she said and she didn’t mean it. I was saying I was sorry for everything my sister had done to her. We were both wiping the moisture from under our eyes and then hugged, letting bygones be bygones.
Chapter 36
Nico
After leaving Ryan and making sure she wanted to go ahead with the wedding, I made my way out to the shack to meet Dom. When I arrived, Dom wasn’t alone—Jax and Kai stood beside him.
“I thought you two had other plans that you needed to deal with?” None of them answered me, they just turned and opened the door. Alrighty then, I guess we’re not talking now. Once we made it to the bottom, we all exited the elevator and made our way toward the back cells that housed Stevie and Tyler. As soon as we rounded the corner, the evil bitch was standing in front of her cell with her arms hanging out of the bars. Jax growled, and she smiled. They may be twins, but they were nothing alike. Ryan was kind and caring, and Stevie was dark and power hungry. She didn’t care if she hurt people.
“Back on your own, are we, boys?” I ignored the bi
tch; I had nothing to say to that vile murdering waste of space. Tyler was standing at the front of his cell, looking between the four of us and Stevie, trying to figure out what we had planned.
“Why didn’t you tell me, Tyler?” Tyler looked to Jax, and I saw a crack in the mask Tyler was wearing; he didn’t want to hurt Jackson. Ryan and Aurora were right—Tyler hated what he was doing but wouldn’t give up his mate.
“Because you didn’t need to know. You chose your side and I chose mine!” Tyler’s words were lacking the bite you would expect from someone who hated you. Jax didn’t respond, just nodded his head and pulled the key for Tyler’s cell from his pocket.
“You fucking touch him and I will kill you! I will rip your bride apart.” Fuck it, I spun around and pulled every bit of energy I had in me and released an energy ball that hit her in the chest and sent her crashing into the back wall of her cell. Holy shit, I never expected it to work. How the fuck did I do that?
“How the fuck did you do that down here, Nico?” I turned and just shook my head; I had no idea how I had access to my magic down here. Was Ryan’s magic already starting to merge with mine?
“You fucking prick! I’ll rip your fucking head off!” Tyler was angry and spewing insult after insult at me. Jax opened the cell door and he and Kai wrestled Tyler’s arms behind his back and attached some cuffs that were iron infused with silver, and led him out the cell toward the elevator. He was fighting against their hold, trying to check on Stevie.
“If you stopped fucking yelling and struggling, you would hear her heart is still fucking beating!” Tyler stopped struggling against Kai and Jax’s hold and listened like Jackson told him, and after a moment he relaxed in their grip and continued to walk to the elevator without a fuss.
Once at the top, we walked around the compound to the front of the property, garnering dirty looks and insults from pack members. Their insults and dirty looks were for Tyler, not us. They saw him as a rat and traitor. They didn’t know he left to be with his mate. Tyler hung his head in shame; he knew his pack hated him right now.
“Keep your head up and don’t let them see you as weak.” Tyler turned to look at Jax, who refused to meet his beta’s gaze. Tyler held his head high and straightened to his full height. Insults were still being thrown his way, but he didn’t falter, and continued to walk with his head held high. Jackson was a great alpha. As soon as we reached the front of the property, we made our way into the woods, away from prying eyes. We continued to walk until Jax told us we were far enough away from his pack that they couldn’t hear or see us. Jax released his hold on Tyler and stepped in front of him.
“We are releasing you to return to Randall, to pass on a message.” Tyler nodded his head. “You will tell him that he is to bring the Knox coven elders with him tonight to the ceremony; he obviously knows we changed the time of the wedding to suit his fucking needs.” Tyler just nodded again.
“If you betray us and try something stupid, Tyler, we will kill your mate.” At Dom’s declaration, Tyler turned and glared at him, growling low in his throat. “You obviously know this trail well, pup. You will pass the cabin where you believe your mate has imprisoned the elders’ loved ones. You will set them free before returning to Randall.” Tyler started shaking his head.
“She will never forgive me if I do this. She knew you would send me back to Randall to free the elders, but she will hate me for going against her and freeing her bargaining chips. If they’re even in the cabin.” The four of us shared a look between ourselves. We didn’t care about Stevie and Tyler’s relationship; that was his problem. We did, however, care about the wellbeing of innocent coven members. Jax pulled a burner phone from his pocket and placed it in Tyler’s front pocket.
“When you reach the cabin, and if they are there, you are to set them free and then call me. After that, you go to Randall and bring the elders back tonight. The ceremony starts at eight, so don’t be late.” Jax uncuffed Tyler and sent him on his way, and we stood there and watched until he disappeared from view.
“Do you think he will actually go through with it?” Dom voiced the question we were all wondering.
“Yes, because the alpha of all alphas is his sister’s mate.” We all spun around to see who spoke. I knew he was coming, but it was still a shock to see him after so many years. “It’s good to see you all back together again.”
“It’s good to see you too, sir.” Jackson was such a kiss ass. Dom and I rolled our eyes.
“It’s good to see you too, Dad,” said Dom, as the two men hugged. He pulled back and looked at his son.
“Would you look at that, my baby boy has gone and grown up on me.”
Kai, Jax, and I laughed at Dom’s dad’s teasing. Dom got his quick wit and smartass mouth from his father. Ian Silver was a beast of a man, standing well over six feet tall, with broad shoulders. He had tanned skin like Dom and the same silver-blond hair. They could have been twins, except Dom had violet eyes, the same as his mother’s, and Ian had green eyes. We don’t speak about Dom’s mom; that was a touchy subject still nearly seventy years later. Dom pushed his dad away and started to try and fix his hair since his dad ruffled it. The rest of us shook hands and welcomed Mr. Silver back to the homeland. Jax may be the alpha of all alphas but we all respected Mr. Silver, he is wise and kind and also helped Jax as much as Ralph Knox did when he first took over being Alpha of his pack.
“What did you mean, sir, when you said he would do it because of his sister?”
“He will do as you ask, Jackson, because even though the witch is his mate, he still loves and cares for his sister. He won’t risk your wrath against his sister; he would rather take the punishment his mate gives him than hurt Aurora.”
“How did you know Aurora was my mate, sir?”
“My word, you boys should know by now that Dominic can’t keep his mouth shut about any gossip.” We all turned to Dom, who refused to meet our stares and was focusing his attention on his nails like they were the most interesting thing in the world.
“Dominic!” Dom sighed and then finally turned to Jax and shrugged his shoulders.
“What do you want me to say, Jax? It was fucking hard! I tried, I swear I did, but then dad asked if I knew anything new and then it poured out like diarrhea after a night on the booze.” We all busted out laughing at Dom; he could never keep a fucking secret. If your life depended on a secret, don’t ever tell Dom. You would be dead within minutes. “Stop fucking laughing at me!”
“Dominic, language!” We all laughed harder at Mr. Silver telling his son off. Oh he’s going to be in for a treat, Dom had the mouth of a sailor these days.
Chapter 37
Ryan
Aurora had run me a bath and told me I had to soak in the oils she had put in and wash my hair and shave. I wasn’t going to argue; I had been dying to try out the massive claw foot tub in my bathroom but hadn’t found the time to do so. After soaking for a bit and washing my hair with the amazing passionfruit and mango shampoo and conditioner Aurora had given me, I shaved everywhere. Sophia insisted that I should get waxed, but I flat out refused to let anyone wax my coochie. After my bath, I wrapped myself in my robe and put my hair up in a towel. I was now sitting on a chair that wasn’t in my room before, with Aurora putting cream on my face that she swore would make me shimmer in the light of the moon.
She moved on to doing my hair and makeup next. I wasn’t allowed to look until I was done and in my dress. The dress I picked out is a dress I would never have ever thought I would wear, but I just knew that Nico would love it.
My fingernails and toenails were waiting to be painted.
I felt bad Aurora was doing all this work while I sat here.
Sophia and Mya were sitting on the couch, watching Aurora do her thing with my hair and face, neither of them had done anything aside from drink the champagne that was being brought in. Every time they neared the bottom of the bottle, someone would knock and bring in a fresh bottle.
After hours
of sitting here in the same spot, my ass started to protest and go numb. I was also nearing the end of my patience. I had been plucked and shaved, and my hair had been pulled every which way. My face felt like it was covered in mud. My fingernails and toenails had been scrubbed and soaked then scrubbed again. I wasn’t a girly girl, so having to endure all of this for hours might be some other woman’s idea of fun, but for me it was pure fucking hell. Sophia and Mya kept giggling every time they saw the look on my face. They were enjoying my discomfort, the assholes.
“Okay, Ry, I’m nearly done, and then you can put your dress on.”
“Aurora, it’s still early. Can’t I wait till just before the wedding?”
“What are you talking about, Ryan?”
“What’s the time, Aurora?”
“Ryan, it’s seven. You get married in an hour.” What the actual fuck? Where has the time gone? I started to panic. Holy fuck, I’m getting married, and I’m only eighteen. I’m going to be a teen bride. What’s next, kids? I’m not ready to be a mom; I haven’t even lived yet. Fuck, and I will have to move to Farrarie with Nico? What about the coven? What about my cousins? I started to hyperventilate; Aurora placed both her hands on my shoulders, trying to get me to look at her. My vision was going foggy.
“Ryan!” I looked up to see Sophia and Mya were now standing next to Aurora. “Snap out of it, now! You’re going to blow this whole fucking room up otherwise.” I looked down to see I was glowing; I couldn’t get enough air into my lungs. All I could hear was my own heartbeat in my ears, like a drum. Everything else was white noise. I was being shaken, and I managed to lift my gaze and then my eyes locked onto beautiful violet eyes.
“I need you to calm down, love, before your groom breaks down your door. I don’t think Jax wants to replace that door for a third time.” I couldn’t communicate, no words were coming out of my mouth. “It’s okay, love. Deep breaths. I guess you’re probably freaking out about getting married, huh?”
A Twisted Fate : The Dream Trilogy - Book 2 Page 17
