When we park, I spot Seth’s car, along with a few other cars parked along the road. I take a deep breath and try to ignore the growing anxiety.
As soon as the front door opens, I want to turn around and run to the other side of the lake. There are more people in there than I originally thought. Miss Jaynie said a few Elders. Not ten people! And that’s only who I can see in the front room!
I start backing my way to the door. My chest is heaving and my palms are sweaty. I really hate meeting new people.
I need Henry.
Realization hits me and my vision starts getting cloudy as tears come to my eyes.
It has to be really bad for this many people to be here! Is this more than a whacked out ghost?
Scratch that! I do not want to know! My back hits the door. I turn around and reach for the doorknob. My movement is frozen abruptly by a hand clamping on my shoulder. My hand flies to my mouth and I bite my tongue to halt my scream.
“Calm down, Jaz,” I hear Seth’s soft voice in my ear.
“I’m f-fine,” I lie.
“No, you’re not.” He gives me a pointed look, reminding me that he receives my thoughts and feelings.
I take a deep breath. “I…”
“I know,” he whispers.
I was going to say that I’m afraid. I don’t do well in large groups anymore, and I really don’t like that in this large group, I’ll be center of attention. It’s like being under a microscope.
I suddenly feel really bad for bugs and parasites.
Seth hugs me to his chest, and my arms instantly go to his waist as I listen to his heartbeat and breathe in his cologne.
After a minute or two, Seth rubs my shoulders lightly. “Come on, there’s a few people I’d like for you to meet.” I nod and grab hold of his hand with a vise grip.
He tugs me into the kitchen and we stop in front of a woman, who looks remarkably like Miss Jaynie, with less gray hair, and a man with jet black hair and ice blue eyes.
“This is Joe and Becca, Skeeter’s parents. This is Jasmine Williams, my soul mate.” He beams, and my stomach flip-flops. Joe and Becca each give me a hug, and as I peer over Becca’s shoulder, I spy Seth’s mom.
My stomach drops to the floor and my mind starts spinning out of control. What if she doesn’t like me? What if she thinks I’m not good enough for her son?
She comes over and gives me a big hug that quashes my fears.
“Jasmine, I’ve heard so much about you! I’m Claire, Seth’s mom. This is my husband, Luke.” He hugs me, too.
“It’s wonderful to meet you. I wish it were under better circumstances.” He pats my arm, and before I can do more than nod at either of them, Miss Jaynie rushes over.
“Sugar, this is my husband Gregory. Gregory, this is Jazzy.”
She’s the only one who uses my nickname, and she doesn’t even use her own granddaughter’s nickname. I shake hands with Gregory.
“Well, there, that wasn’t so bad now was it? You’ve met all the important ones formally. The rest of them, well, you don’t need to worry about who they are. They’re stuffy,” Gregory says with a smile. I giggle.
“Hey you old coot, I’m important too!” A young man walks over. He has brown eyes, brown hair, and an oddly familiar smile. “You must be the girl I keep hearing about, Jaz. I’m Sam, Seth’s older brother.”
Seth’s what?
I look over to Seth, and he’s glaring at Sam.
“Hi, Sam. It’s nice meet you,” I say uncertainly.
The tension is thickening around me again.
He smirks. “I’m not surprised Seth didn’t mention me yet, no worries, I’m sure you’re going to be seeing a good bit of me now. What, with this devux after you and all.”
There’s a what after me?
“Umm…” I start.
Then I remember what Seth said about the devuxen. A devux has been stalking me, and it wants my soul.
My lungs seem to be shrinking because I’m not getting enough air.
What started out as simple introductions is ending with me freaking out.
“Jaz, calm down. Nothing is going to happen to you,” Seth wraps his arms around me.
I’m not going to lie, I usually feel safe being in his arms. But right now, it does absolutely nothing to chase away the fear for my soul.
“Thanks, Sam. I didn’t tell her yet,” Seth spits out.
“You didn’t tell her a lot from what I’m hearing,” Sam fires back.
“I’m sorry, Jaz. I was getting ready to tell you, but I wanted to get the introductions out of the way, and I’m sorry for not bringing up my brother before.”
I just nod. I don’t trust my voice.
How do you stop a devux from eating your soul? Is it possible?
I numbly follow everyone into another room, where Seth’s mom is yelling.
“She’s new to all of this, Vanessa! How did a devux single her out on her first day of school? How is there one in that school, and no one knows about it?!”
I wasn’t introduced to Vanessa. I wonder what her part in all of this is. There are three other men in the room, too. One of them stands and addresses Claire.
“We need to keep a level head to help her with this,” the man says, with a hint of a southern accent. Claire sits down stiffly. “I’ve contacted the alpha of the pack of shifters here. They’re having a pack meeting as we speak. The alpha has agreed to help us because this affects everyone, including them. They are going to be a part of the protection for the girl, and helping us figure out exactly who is after her.” He pauses and looks at me for a second before speaking again. “The last devux problem any of us had was nearly eighteen years ago. Some of you will remember, they asked us for help, and we gladly helped them.”
“Is that necessary, Athan? Does she need more protection than we can give her?” Skeeter asks.
“It would be suspicious to her family, as well as the general public, to have us surrounding her at all times. The protection the shifters are offering will allow us to find out the answers to the questions, why, who, how many, and where. Then get rid of them,” Athan replies.
“Do ya’ll think her family will be in danger?” Gregory asks.
My eyes go wide and I feel bile rise in the back of my throat.
I put my family in danger?
A short, gray haired man with wire rimmed glasses begins speaking. “Kiron, Phil, and Ped are on her uncle’s team, Jaynie’s with the boy, and her brother is at the same school, he’ll have her protectors near him. Is there anyone else?”
“Yes, my mother,” I squeak.
A tall man with bright, almost orange hair speaks to me. “That’s right. Yolie and Sandy are her nurses. They’ll watch out for her. I will inform them as soon as the meeting is over, don’t worry about a thing.”
My panic escalates as I shrink into Seth more. He squeezes me tighter.
I breathe in a lungful of Seth’s clean, spicy scent, and after a few minutes, start feeling myself calming down.
The Elders are discussing various tactics on figuring out who the devux is. From following me to seeing what happens if I’m pulled out of school for a week.
I can tell you what would happen if I missed that much school. My uncle would freak, my brother would go ape shit on everyone, and I’d end up losing my A-B average. I like my GPA at 3.2, I’d prefer it higher, but sometimes History kicks my ass.
The doorbell rings, and Sam gets up to answer the door.
I hear someone shout, and my eyes go wide. I know that voice!
What are they doing here?
“I knew there was something off about you!” Tony yells at Seth, and then turns his glare towards me. “Why didn’t you listen to us, Jaz?”
“Don’t worry, Pretty Boy. We can handle this and protect her,” Barry says.
“You okay, Jazzy?” Flynn asks me.
I stare at them dumbly. “What are you doing here? And why are you making a scene?”
“Alpha sent
us here to hash out this devuxen problem. We’re your protection,” Barry explains.
What? The giants, my brother’s friends, are Shape-Shifters.
“Oh, my God,” I whisper, and then everything goes black.
***
I wake up alone in a dark room.
Being alone is the last thing I want right now. I feel the panic rising, bringing bile up with it, again.
I try to sit up, but my spinning head forces me to lie back down.
“It’s been ten minutes, Jaynie,” Flynn says.
“She’ll be fine once her mind protects itself. Just be patient,” Jaynie says.
“She’s had a lot to process lately. She needs time.” I can’t be sure but that sounds like Sam, Seth’s brother.
This is definitely not a dream.
It was all real.
Barry, Flynn, and Tony all turn into some kind of animal, my boyfriend is my Amaranthine soul mate, and I’m going to die at the hands of a demon.
My breathing is shallow again and the dizziness is making me feel like I’m on a boat, even though I’m lying on a stationary bed.
“She’s awake. Jaynie, let me through,” Seth says.
The door pops open.
“Shield your eyes. I’m turning the light on,” he says softly.
I cover my eyes, and he turns it on. I feel the bed dip, and slowly test my eyes against the light.
I blink rapidly. “Did you know? About the guys?”
“I had my suspicions about them, like they had of me, but I wasn’t certain.” I’m not sure if I like this not being told things and having a giant shock all at once. I hope this doesn’t continue.
“Were you going to tell me?”
“It’s not my information to share but I would have, had I known they would show up here tonight. If they would’ve known for sure I was an Amaranthine, they would’ve tried harder to keep us apart. It’s not that the shifters don’t like the Amaranthines, or any other being. They just understand how dangerous our world can be. They’re protectors. It’s in their nature to protect themselves, our world, humans, and other beings as well.”
Protectors. Well, they are protective, that’s for sure, but they’re also giant asses.
“So, they won’t hurt me, or you, or my family?” my lips tremble. Seth scoots closer to me and wraps his arms around me. I move to sit on his lap.
“They’re protectors, they protect and defend. They won’t hurt you or anyone that’s not a threat.”
“What do they change into?” I ask quietly.
“Their other form is a wolf. I know you’ve seen movies with werewolves, and have seen the wolves in zoos, but they’re much larger.”
This makes me gulp. Wolves aren’t the friendliest animals. Especially if they’re as large and terrifying looking as the wolves in my dream. I shiver and duck my face into Seth’s chest.
“I’m not ready to see them like that, yet,” I say, but it sounds muffled even to my own ears.
“Do you want me to ask them to leave?”
“No, they can stay. I’m just not ready to see the wolf part,” I explain, and he nods in understanding.
“Do you want to stay in here until your uncle comes?” he asks quietly, as he rubs circles into my back.
“I don’t know. I need more answers, but I’m afraid of what I might hear. Does that make sense?” I half smile.
He grins. “I won’t let anything happen to you, I promise.” He seals his promise with a kiss to the top of my head.
“I know, but I’m still scared,” I shiver.
I know deep down Seth is right, but this is weird.
Someone knocks on the door, and Seth leaves me to answer. When he pulls open the door, I see Flynn’s bulking figure in the doorway. I instantly picture him as one of the wolves from my dream, a larger than life wolf, dagger-looking teeth, and talons for claws. I shiver and shake the image away.
“I don’t think this is a good time Flynn, she’s kind of…”
“Seth, I’m fine,” I say, sitting a little straighter.
“Can I have a few minutes with her, alone?” Flynn asks.
Seth’s anger skyrockets. I try my best to let him know that I’m okay and he needs to calm down, without speaking.
“I’ll be fine, you’ll know if something isn’t right,” I say. He nods, tight lipped and glares at Flynn before leaving the room.
I scooch to the foot of the bed and hug my knees, while I wait for Flynn to begin.
“I’m sorry, Jazzy. I didn’t want you to find out, especially not like this. None of us wanted this,” he says nervously.
I nod. “Does Henry know?”
“Not yet, but Barry is planning on telling him soon, because of this soul-eating prick,” he responds.
“I hope he takes it better than I did,” I mumble.
“You would’ve taken it better with some warning. From what I understand, no one really answered your questions until you got here, and, well, I don’t blame them. I can’t say I would’ve done anything differently. I am sorry. We didn’t mean to overload you.”
“No worries, it was probably coming anyway, or another breakdown,” I shrug. “I should be used to crap happening by now. My life was never really normal, and it’s gone off the deep end since March.” I’m trying to play it off like it doesn’t matter, but I’m sure he can see through me.
“I should warn you about a certain part of our protection plan,” he says and fiddles with the carpet. “Barry is going to ask your uncle if he can stay with you until the end of the year. The story is his parents are moving out of state, and he graduates in a few weeks, so he wants to stay until he graduates. The truth is his dad, our Alpha, will never leave our territory, and neither will he.”
“Why can’t you stay instead?” I groan. “Barry is so…Barry.”
He laughs. “He’s not all bad. Besides, he’s stronger than us, he’s the Alpha’s son, and Alpha ordered it. We don’t argue with the Alpha,” he pauses and taps his finger on his shoe, while giving me a once over. “You’ll be in good hands with him there, and with Jaynie, and I’m sure Seth will be around you more now.”
I purse my lips. “I guess I have to be okay with this arrangement then, huh?”
“At least it’s not permanent,” his face becomes a mask of seriousness and concern. “The guys and I are rearranging our schedule, so we have classes near you now. You’ll have one of us within yelling distance at all times. You’ll never walk to class without one of us, except when you have Seth.”
That’s wonderful. I roll my eyes. “Oh, well that’s going to be cozy, more time with you guys. I appreciate having you guys as protectors, but you guys can go a little, wait that’s a lie, a lot overboard.”
“Your being safe is worth more than rearranging a schedule,” he counters. “Who wouldn’t want a sweet girl like you to be safe?”
I let out a hollow laugh. “Who wouldn’t want me safe?” I repeat. “Uh, the jerk that’s stalking me?”
“We’ll get that demon,” he says icily.
It chills me and reminds me that he’s not just a human, like I once thought. “I have a question,” I say quietly.
“Fire away.”
“Will I have to see you guys in your other forms?” I cringe.
He appraises me again before answering. “You’re not ready for it yet. I’d probably send you into a coma if I shifted now. We aren’t that bad, I promise,” he laughs. “Just think of us as overgrown guard dogs.”
I nod. I don’t find any of this funny at all, in fact I’m feeling extremely overwhelmed. Tears prick my eyes, but I blink them away.
Knuckles tap on the door before Seth pokes his head in.
“Jaz, your uncle will be here soon,” he says calmly. I can feel his inner turmoil, so I know he’s trying to curb himself.
I nod and slowly stand so I don’t trigger any lingering dizziness. I step out the door and am met with a smirking Barry.
He gives me the once over and
snorts. “Dang Jaz, it won’t be that bad living with me.”
I roll my eyes and sidestep around him.
He continues talking, obviously ignoring my reaction. “It’s for the protection of you and your family, Princess. I think we’re gonna have fun,” he bumps my shoulder, knocking me off kilter and stumbling into Seth. “Come on, I promise not to show you my kills,” he laughs.
I choke a little.
“Dude! She’s freaked, don’t be an ass!” Flynn pounds him.
He deserves it for that comment.
***
Once we get home, I take a long hot shower to try to wash away some of the craziness from the evening.
I wrap my towel around my head after I toss my pajamas on, and grab my ear buds and iPod, before sitting at my desk. I fish out my sketchpad and a pencil, and stare at them. Breathing deeply, I focus on the song to get a mental image of what I feel I should draw.
I envision a soldier sitting in the sand, holding a picture of his family, so I begin sketching.
Not much time passes before I’m startled by someone tapping on my shoulder.
I whip around and see Henry smirking. “Damn it! Don’t do that!” I pat my chest and yank out my ear buds.
“Sorry, for a minute there I thought you were sleeping. Whatcha working on?” he asks.
“I knew I wasn’t going to fall asleep yet, so I figured I’d just draw something. When it’s done, it’ll be a soldier.” I shoot him a small smile.
He nods. “You okay? You’ve been kinda…off, today.”
“Yeah, I’m just nervous for tomorrow.” Not a total lie. I cross the room to the tote bag with the paintings and drawings I’m taking in tomorrow. I dig out the one I’m looking for, and without looking at it, I cross back over to where Henry is sitting on my bed.
“Do you remember, when I wouldn’t leave my room for a while after the accident?” I ask him.
“Yeah, Leland and I thought you’d have to be admitted with Mom,” he looks away from my eyes.
I know it’s still painful. It is for me.
He moves to stand and I hold my hand up to stop him.
“Don’t freak out, okay? I’m not a masochist. I just had an image stuck in my head, and it was driving me insane. Every time I closed my eyes, there it was. I couldn’t get away from it. So I did what I always do, I drew it out.” I hold up the protective sleeve. “I never looked at it again. I never really planned to, but I decided to take it in for Mr. Becker to see. Since you’re going to be there with me, I don’t want this to be a shock. I’m sorry I kept this from you.”
True Connection (The Soul Mate Series) Page 10
