by Nicole Hall
She was still for a moment, listening to him breathing, until he rolled over and pulled her against him. It had been a long time since she’d been the little spoon. Dried sweat on her skin made her feel sticky, and she had delicious aches in places she hadn’t used in years. It would probably be prudent to stretch the next time. Habit had her itching to jump up and take a shower, but for the first time in forever, she didn’t want to.
Jake was warm and the contented feelings coming through the bond encouraged her to snuggle in and go back to sleep. She wiggled closer and discovered that Jake was more than contented. Then there were the other things she could feel. Happiness at the forefront. Jake was happy she was there.
Even more surprising, Sera was happy she was there. Jake yawned in her ear and chuckled when she playfully elbowed him in the stomach. His hand traced her hip then dug in to tickle her. Sera shrieked and grabbed at him, but he was too fast. He rolled her under him, arms above their heads where her elbows couldn’t reach him.
“Guess we’re both awake,” he said.
“I never meant to fall asleep.”
“We used up a lot of energy earlier, it makes sense we’d pass out.”
Sera slid her hands out from under his and popped up on one elbow. “Did you see it too? The flashes?”
Jake nodded slowly. “I saw something flash, but it could have been a bunch of pervert sprites getting off on all the magic being tossed around.”
Her excitement dimmed. “Yeah, I guess. I thought maybe we’d tapped into something new.”
“Oh we definitely tapped something new.” He grinned suggestively. Sera rolled her eyes, but her smile was back. Jake trailed a finger down her cheek and lifted her chin until she met his eyes. “It could have been sprites or it could have been some kickass power you harnessed on accident or it could have been a lightning strike near the house. I’m no expert on magic, especially magical humans. As far as I know, I’ve never been with anyone with power, though it could’ve been buried deep down. I suppose you count in both cases.”
A flare of jealousy at the thought of Jake with anyone else made Sera take a concentrated breath. She had no reason to be jealous. Hell, she’d been married. His hand continued down her neck, over her shoulder, and settled at the small of her back. A trail of warmth followed where he touched. It would be easy to reach up and pull him back down to her, but the flare of light weighed on her mind. Something had happened between them and manifested physically.
They’d been fully connected, no shields, no hiding, and it felt like they hadn’t come all the way back from that. She sensed him, even though his shields were back up. He was keeping his attitude light, but she knew what she’d felt earlier. It scared her because she wasn’t ready for it. She wasn’t sure that she’d ever be ready for it.
It wasn’t fair to keep quiet.
“Jake, we need to talk.”
He flopped back against the pillows and blew out a breath. “I hate that phrase. It never comes before anything good. You’re not about to tell me you’re secretly a man or a werewolf or something, are you? Because I’m pretty sure I would have noticed.”
Sera smiled. “Not a man or a werewolf, as far as I know. And this was one of the most enjoyable afternoons I think I’ve ever had.”
“We’re well into evening now.”
“I noticed. Just in case I’m giving mixed signals or the bond is making things confusing, I need to be clear that I’m not interested in marriage and babies and a picket fence.”
“I’m going to point out that you actually own a picket fence around your garden. I helped Evie build it. And I don’t remember proposing. We’re good together, and I have a lot of jumbled feelings about you, for you, but I’m not looking for a wife and babies yet. I like you, more than I probably should considering our history, and I really like seeing you naked.” He twined their fingers together and kissed her knuckles. “Be with me now and we can take the future as it comes, okay?”
She’d started this conversation expecting it to end with hurt feelings and an unfortunate walk of shame, but Jake surprised her. He seemed to know exactly how far to go before she started wanting to run the other direction.
Sera rolled into him and pressed her face into his shoulder. “Okay,” she whispered. A moment passed before she pulled back a little and spoke more firmly, “Okay, as long as you’re not seeing anyone else naked in the meantime.” She hadn’t meant to say the last bit, but it made sense. No need for miscommunications or extra complications. Sure, keep telling yourself that’s the reason.
“As long as that goes both ways,” Jake added.
She nodded. “Okay.” And strangely it was okay. Her traitorous heart was appeased by the stipulation, and the rest of her wasn’t freaking out about the perils of commitment. Nothing was going to convince her that marriage led anywhere other than anger and disappointment, but she could enjoy Jake as long as they were both willing.
“Well that wasn’t too bad.” Jake shifted so he settled between her thighs again, hard and ready. “Want to go for round two?” He ran his nose gently up her neck to that spot she liked behind her ear.
Yes. Yes, she did.
10
SERA
Someone was being rick-rolled. “Never Gonna Give You Up” blared from somewhere in the bedroom, and Sera was ready to kill whoever it was. She kept her eyes closed and listened to Jake sit up and answer his phone. Who in their right mind used Rick Astley as their ringtone?
The sun shone through the window and birds were chirping outside. It was a cheerful morning, but Sera still wanted to pull the blanket over her head so she could sleep for another full day. The bed bounced as Jake got up, and memories of the reason she was tired surfaced. She cracked one eye to watch his fine ass disappear into the bathroom.
Giddiness came over her at the thought that, at least for the moment, he was all hers. She could join him in the shower, or position herself seductively for his return. A couple of practice poses made it clear that she’d never be a pin-up girl.
Indecision made the choice for her. The shower turned off and Jake emerged in a cloud of steam with a towel wrapped around his waist. Sera pulled the sheet up over her boobs and sat up.
“Rick Astley? Seriously? Is there something wrong with you I don’t know about?” Without coffee, her morning filter was non-existent. Mocking his choice of ringtones would probably not get him back in bed with her.
“You don’t like Rick Astley?” He took off the towel to rub his hair, humming the chorus, and Sera couldn’t decide if she wanted to jump him or strangle him. She’d bet either one would shut him up.
“Why are you up so early?” she asked instead.
He looked pointedly at the window. “It’s not early.”
Sera groaned. “Oh man, you’re one of those morning people I want to beat to death with my coffee cup, aren’t you? Why, god, why must you test me so?” She considered raising a fist to the heavens, but it seemed like a lot of work when she’d already sat up and had part of a conversation this morning.
“Maddie called. She needs me to come help her move some stuff.”
A warning pinged against Sera’s senses. “What stuff?”
“I don’t know. Boxes or something. She woke me up and I wasn’t really listening. She wanted to borrow the truck, again. I love my sister, but she’s clumsy and my truck is worth more than her.”
It all sounded completely normal, but Sera had a bad feeling. “Be careful, okay?”
Jake collected his wallet and keys and sat on the bed next to her. “I shouldn’t be gone long. Will you please stay here?”
“You want me to throw my agenda for today out the window in favor of keeping your bed warm?” Actually, it didn’t sound like that bad of a plan.
“Do you know what today is?”
Sera squinted at her phone. “Tuesday?”
“Halloween.”
“Right…” Sera frowned. For the last twelve hours, she’d completely forgotten abo
ut Torix and his threat. One she hadn’t told Jake about. They had only today left to find his follower, but now Jake needed to deal with Maddie first. Something weird was going on with her, and he’d be the best person to figure out what it was. As much as she wanted to pull him down for a repeat of last night’s fun, they were basically out of time. She really needed to be out looking for the minion.
Jake lifted her hand to his lips and brushed a kiss over her knuckles. “I promise to be as fast as possible, then we can figure out a way to lure the bad guys into the open. Promise me you’ll stay safe.”
“That’s mighty optimistic of you.”
Jake glared at her meaningfully.
“Fine.” Sera rolled her eyes. “I promise to stay safe.” Jake might not know it, but that was a huge concession from her. She was used to handling things on her own.
Jake kissed her hand again, then her lips, sending tingles through her. Sera deepened the kiss, and for a second, she thought Jake might stay after all. One swipe of his tongue against hers, then he pulled back with a groan,
“Ugh, Maddie ruins everything.” A chaste peck on the cheek, and he got up to leave.
Sera stayed in bed for all of two minutes. She needed a shower, and it was tempting to go next door to her own stuff, but it wouldn’t hurt to indulge Jake’s worries. Besides, his shower was way nicer than hers.
Twenty minutes later, Sera was clean, her clothes were in the dryer, and she was ready for coffee. Heading down the stairs in one of Jake’s shirts, she balked at sitting around brainstorming when she could be doing something instead. She kept expecting a panic attack to sneak up on her. Things were going too well, so her mind had to freak out about something insignificant. To her great relief however, since she’d picked up the shields, she hadn’t felt any panic. It made sense in a twisted way. She had faith that the shields would protect her, and her newfound power made it hard for anyone to force her into anything.
She sat down at the table with a cup of coffee and a bowl of generic Frosted Flakes before she saw the note.
I mean it. Don’t go anywhere without me. I took your keys just in case.
The memory slammed into her before she had a chance to react. A sunny morning at their house in Irvine. She’d woken up with a stomach ache, but Will had been gone. She’d stumbled down the stairs in search of her purse only to find that her keys were missing. Hunched over, trying to alleviate the shooting pains, she searched the house, but couldn’t find them anywhere.
Will had insisted that all the locks on their house be key access only, and all the doors were locked. None of their windows opened, again because Will wanted fixed picture windows. He had a thing for large swaths of glass. Without her keys, she was trapped inside. She spent the day in the bathroom by herself, puking and writhing in pain from food poisoning.
When Will came home, he’d berated her for not getting dressed or cleaning the house. He’d called her lazy and useless, and when she’d dared to ask him about her keys, he’d scoffed at her. What do you need to leave the house for? Everything you should be concerned with is right here. He’d claimed she was overreacting and given her a pill to calm her down, then left again for a last-minute dinner appointment.
She’d promptly thrown up the pill, along with everything else, and it had been the first time in months that she’d felt clear-headed for more than a few minutes. When he came home from dinner, he’d smelled like perfume, and he’d watched her closely. It took three days of healing and pretending to be drugged, before he gave her keys back. Each day, she spit out the pills after he left and felt stronger. The day he returned them, arrogant and doting, she packed up her stuff and moved out.
Her keys were her freedom.
Outwardly, she knew she looked calm. It was a useful skill she’d developed while married to Will. Inwardly, she was fighting the urge to set the note on fire, along with the table, and probably the kitchen too. She’d wondered where she’d left her keys, but it had never occurred to her that Jake would abscond with them.
Who does he think he is? He didn’t have the right to decide her actions, and she’d damn well go gallivanting off if she wanted to. Her heartbeat throbbed in her ears, and she tried to keep her breathing even. She wasn’t trapped. Her house was right next door, and it was easy enough to walk into town if she needed to. She wasn’t locked in. It took a minute to realize she wasn’t feeling panic. It was rage. Hot, powerful, justified rage. Plain and simple. She let it roll through her, feeling it fully and acknowledging its validity.
After letting herself process for a minute, it was time to reign it in, decide what she wanted to do and fucking do it.
She still didn’t trust herself not to destroy something if she got up though, so she didn’t stomp directly back to her place for a change of clothes. She stayed seated and ate her cereal, and imagined what kind of pain she could inflict with the spoon. Jake was great in bed, but she was done letting anyone else control her. If Jake didn’t understand that, and she highly doubted it because her keys really were gone, then he could fuck off.
The more she thought about breaking away from Jake, the better it sounded. Zee wasn’t omniscient or they wouldn’t be in this mess, so leaving Jake behind was suddenly back on the table. Her magic would suffer, sure, but she’d gotten through twenty-five years without magic, and she’d get through this. She had to unclench her jaw to eat the next spoonful.
She’d take care of Torix on her own. Thus far, they’d gotten diddly squat anyway, and she knew Zee hadn’t told them everything. Hell, everyone knew that. She could go grab some clothes more appropriate for tramping through the woods and pay Zee a visit. She didn’t need keys for that since she’d left the door unlocked, and she didn’t need Jake or any other controlling asshole with a hero complex holding her back.
The front door opened, and Sera prepared for battle. With Jake and with herself, because a large part of her still wanted to drag him and his stupid hero complex back upstairs for round three. Except it wasn’t Jake that appeared in the doorway.
Ryan pulled up short at the sight of Sera in one of Jake’s shirts eating cereal at the table. “Well this is going to complicate things.”
Sera decided to be polite, even though she could feel a breeze all the way up her thighs. There was no reason to take her anger out on him. Yet. “Want some breakfast?”
“Is Jake making it?”
“He’s not here. He had to run off to save the world all by his lonesome.”
Ryan raised both brows. “Then no.” He hesitated. “You seem upset. Everything okay?”
Sera swallowed another spoonful of soggy flakes. She must have been out of practice with her poker face. Something to work on.
“What is wrong with men that they think I’m incapable of making smart decisions on my own? They’re possessive and stupid and so sure they’re right all the time. Yeah, it was amazing sex, but that doesn’t mean he gets to trap me here. And what makes him so convinced he can protect me? I’m the one with the power. What’s he going to do, punch Torix? One night of mind-blowing orgasms and suddenly he’s invulnerable?”
Ryan looked askance at her, then pointed to his face. “This is my ‘I immediately regret my decision to be polite’ face. Please stop talking.”
“You should be taking notes, maybe you’ll learn something.”
“Mm-hmm, like I should stop coming over uninvited.”
Despite his words, he sat down at the table with her. Sera knew she was cranky, partly because the coffee hadn’t kicked in yet, but mostly because it was taking time for her to work through her anger with Jake. Taking her keys didn’t really stop her from doing anything. All she had to do was walk across the street to go into the magical forest. He was trying to exert control, and she was going to make sure he understood the consequences.
Her stomach cramped at the thought that she’d been about to follow him blindly. She’d certainly learned her lesson there. Again. Jake’s actions had made her doubt herself. Again. Tears
formed in her eyes, but she’d be damned if she’d let them fall in front of Ryan. The last thing she needed was him telling Jake all about how she’d cried into her cereal.
Sera didn’t take orders well on the best of days, so she was definitely going to be gone by the time Jake got back. She was half-worried seeing him might weaken her resolve to stay away from him, so she needed to be strong. Her chest got tight imagining living next to Jake for the foreseeable future, and she considered leaving for a while after everything was over. Jake could do as he pleased.
Ryan had waited patiently while her relationship silently imploded, surprisingly nice for a snarky dude, but Sera wasn’t feeling very charitable.
“What are you doing here, anyway?” she grumbled.
“It’s Halloween, and I don’t want to be sucked dry and left as a shriveled-up husk. It’s not a good look for me. I’m here to strategize. As a side note, Jake makes amazing pancakes, and I was hoping to score some.”
Her heart squeezed painfully at the mention of Jake’s pancakes. “Priorities.”
He hesitated. “There was one other thing. There was another break-in at school.”
Sera winced. She was pissed and hurting, but not enough to welcome another set of zombie bunnies to distract her. “Not more dead animals?”
“Dead? As far as I know those rabbits are still categorized as missing.”
“Right. That’s what I meant.”
He watched her, and she fought the urge to fidget. “No, not animals this time. It sounds like it was part of a series of break-ins yesterday in town. The sheriff is blaming teenagers causing trouble before Halloween, but the missing items rang some bells for me.”
“You think it was Torix’s minion?”
