by Eve, Jaymin
His words hurt, but in a good way. He didn’t disregard my sister or the feelings that they had shared, but he made it clear that I wasn’t second choice to him. I never had been.
I hugged him close as magic roared around us, and before I could blink we were no longer at the farm. I had never been to the sanctuary, though I had heard much about it over the years. I knew it was based roughly on the jeweled lands in Faerie, and that it was designed to house and hide supernaturals from the world. If the council leaders got their way and continued this push for human-supernatural integration, would most of us end up here? Hidden away? Never free again?
I wasn’t sure how many supes were usually here—some supes called this place home—but when we arrived there were thousands packing the place. The sanctuary was filled with so much power and energy that as I walked through the town hand in hand with Louis, tingles ran up and down my skin and across my neck.
“When was the last time that this many supernaturals would have gathered like this?” I asked him.
Louis spent a few moments acknowledging people, nodding and shaking hands, before he said, “There was a pretty large gathering when we took on the Dragon King, but that was still nothing compared to this.”
Familiar guilt scraped away at my insides, and I wondered if I would ever forgive myself for ignoring that call. Louis’s hand wrapped tightly around mine, and before I could blink I was hauled into his body, his hard chest slamming against my cheek. “We’re gonna stop this right now, Tee.” He was looking so fiercely at me that I lost all urge to argue. I really wanted to climb him and fuse my mouth to his. To taste those full lips. Because it was kinda hot the way he thought he could boss me around. Hot and annoying.
“How the hell did you even know what I was thinking?”
Louis grinned, and it was a slow curling of his lips, which started a slow curling in my center as I squeezed my thighs together. “Because I know you. You were wild but empathetic. You always felt everything so strongly. I knew when you ignored my call that a part of you would be eaten up with guilt. Just like I know that that guilt hasn’t gone anywhere.”
We’d been apart for so many years, it was easy to forget how well he did actually know me. We’d basically grown into our fundamental personalities together. Louis knew me on a level that no one else ever could. But that still didn’t mean he got to boss me around.
“You might know me, but that doesn’t mean you get to tell me what to do. That’s not how this relationship works, mate, and you need to get with the program real quick.”
Years ago I would’ve stormed off at this point because I was all about the dramatic exit, but I was older and wiser now, and knew that talking through our issues was much better than simply giving in to my anger. Of course, Louis never made it easy for me.
He leaned in closer, his breath washing across my cheek as he murmured, “You love it when I boss you around, and you know better than to think that’s going to stop. I told you this on the dance floor, and then again after that: you belong to me.” He said those last four words slowly and deliberately, and each one sent me spiraling with need.
Fucker.
He was right, and that drove me crazy. But I loved the dominant side of him. It actually turned me on more than anything else.
Louis seemed satisfied with my response, despite the fact that I didn’t actually say anything. No doubt it was written right across my face.
“Come on, love.”
He started to move, only pausing when he realized that I wasn’t moving with him. Immediately, concern slid across his face. “What’s wrong?”
“You’ve never called me love before.”
And, yep, I was that girl, having to bring something up because I needed to know. He’d never called Regina love either. I’d never actually heard him tell her he even loved her. He just said she made him happy that he chose her, and that he was finally part of our family. I could only assume that he told her he loved her in private. So I never asked. But now I was asking.
He regarded me carefully for many long moments, supernaturals surrounding us, the noise so overwhelming that it almost felt like I’d been dropped into the middle of a rock concert. And yet I felt like we were alone, just the two of us, in our bubble.
“Trying to get me to admit I love you?” he finally asked, a stupid smirk back on his face.
I shoved him a little, because the asshole was starting to embarrass me. “No, that’s not what I’m doing at all. It just … took me by surprise, okay?”
Everything was taking me by surprise this week. The last month, actually.
I turned to leave, but he captured my face with both hands before I could. “I’ve already told you that you’re mine, that I will kill any man who touches you, that I choose you now and always, that I will risk the very darkness in my soul because I cannot stay away from you. I will risk the world, something that I have never done before, just for you.”
He had told me that, that and so much more. I knew I was an idiot. And I was too old to think that I needed to hear those three words from Louis. I mean, “I love you” was such an overused phrase that it barely had any meaning anymore. It was the other things he said, his actions, and the emotions running through our bond that told me everything I needed to know about how he felt.
I placed both of my hands against his chest. “I feel the same,” I whispered. “I choose you too.”
Turning again, I was once again walking, and once again I barely got two steps before Louis’s hands were on me. He swung me up and into his arms. His lips pressed into mine, hard and unyielding. Desire coursed through me as I tasted him. Against my mouth he said, “I love you. I have always loved you. I will always love you.”
Even though we had both agreed that those words weren’t necessary, he still gave them to me, and I almost embarrassed myself by crying like a little baby all over him. Somehow I managed to keep most of my emotions at bay as I said, “I’ve always loved you too.”
Regina’s face flashed in my mind, and I knew for a second she was there. But for the first time, she wasn’t between us.
We got back to business after that, but there was a newfound closeness between us. A comfort that told me some of the hurts from the past had finally washed away. Not forgotten, but no longer important.
The crowds parted for Louis, as usual, and he moved us toward the main platform where the council was waiting. “The official vote isn’t for a few hours still,” he said, “but I really should do the rounds, chat to some of these stubborn council members, and hopefully sway a few more to our side. I was pretty distracted yesterday and didn’t get to see most of them.”
I shot him a rueful smile, since I knew I had been that distraction. Despite his words, he didn’t move to the stage, and I could sense his reluctance to leave me alone. It was near impossible for him to do the job he needed to do with me hanging off him, though, so I waved him away.
“Go,” I said. “I’ll be fine. Have you forgotten who you’re talking to?”
I could more than hold my own, even with the ancients. He tilted my chin up with his fingertips, his eyes heating as he caressed my lips with his own. “I’ve never forgotten. You’re a little spitfire when cornered. I still have scars on my ass.”
I laughed. “Oh, I know.” His ass was too perfect not to stare at, and I’d had him very naked for an entire night. “I probably still owe you an apology for that. But, in my defense, it’s not very smart to scare a sleeping witch. Especially one who has just learned a fireworks charm.”
He narrowed his eyes on me. “Stay out of trouble, Tee. The fate of every supernatural in here rests on that fact. You get hurt….” He trailed off, but I felt the surge of hot energy along our bond. I felt the darkness.
“Promise,” I said, hoping to put his mind at ease. “I’ll just wander around and see if I can find some of my friends.”
I included Jessa and her pack in that now, along with my bears. For someone who had been isolated fo
r most of her adult life, I was actually doing okay in the friends department.
Louis disappeared into the crowd, but somehow it still felt like his eyes were on me.
“Lizzie!” I spun at the shout, and a smile ripped across my face as Jessa ran up to me. “You’re here!” she shouted again, wrapping her arms around me.
“Hey,” I said pulling back. “Yep, Louis and I just got here. He’s gone to chat with some council members, trying to convince the stubborn supes that they’re making a mistake with this plan to integrate the humans into our world.”
Jessa pulled a face. “Good luck with that. Brax has been at it all afternoon. I finally suggested he just turn into a dragon and eat them all.”
I laughed out loud. “And how did that proposal go down?”
She shrugged. “He wasn’t opposed, but he was concerned he’d have to take on even more responsibility in running councils around the world, so he’s giving the talking thing one more shot.”
We were silent for a moment, supes pushing around us as more of them arrived and hurried to find their friends and family. “The boys were just about to hand back their leadership roles,” Jessa said quietly, staring out in the distance. “And then this happened, and now they have to stay strong and united to protect Stratford. To keep our shields up.”
She finally turned back to me. “It’s a lot, you know, trying to keep the world safe all the time. I mean, I have to leave my children behind because these situations are so dangerous. I don’t want to keep doing this.”
In the time I’d known Jessa and her pack, she’d always been so strong, so secure and confident. I loved her fight and fire, the way she never took shit from any supe. But now she looked tired and a little beaten, and I hurt for her.
Before I could think about it, I reached out and wrapped my arms around her. “It’ll get better, Jess. I promise. Life always has seasons, you know, so I want you to just think of this as a hard season for you and your family. But there are better seasons coming, peaceful seasons when you’ll be so bored you’ll go out and actively look for trouble.”
This was the one thing my age had taught me, probably the only thing I knew better than Jessa. Nothing ever stayed the same.
She hugged me back fiercely, burying her head in my shoulder, and even though she was slightly taller than me, it felt like I was the one holding her together. “Thank you,” she whispered against my shirt. “I needed that pep talk.”
I patted her back. “It’s hard being the alpha. You have to be the tough one, the one that keeps it together for everyone else in your pack.”
She cleared her throat, but before she could say another word, a huge shadow washed over us, and I’d half pulled magic for a defensive spell when I realized it was only Braxton. I mean, not that there was anything “only” about Braxton Compass, but he wasn’t going to attack us, despite the hard and menacing lines of his face. He looked like an ancient god hell-bent on world destruction.
“Jessa babe?” His voice was a rumble, and his eyes were yellow. “Why are you crying? Why do you have me locked out of our bond?”
She pulled away from me, and I waited for her to sass him, because that was how they usually worked, but she just walked into his arms and wrapped herself so tightly around him that he actually let out a low huff of air.
The look on his face right then almost broke me, because his love for her was so strong that I wasn’t sure I’d ever seen anyone look at their mate like he was looking at Jessa.
“I’m okay,” she said, her voice low and soothing. “Just had a moment, you know. I miss our babies.”
Braxton gathered her up into his body, holding her like she weighed nothing. One of his hands started to trace up and down her body, and he was talking to her, but I couldn’t hear what he was saying.
Jessa grew more content in his arms, and the taste of her sorrow, which had been lingering in the air like the last drops of rain, disappeared.
Pressing a hand against my chest, I tried not to let my emotions run away anymore, but I was so sure I’d just witnessed something more than a true mate bond right there. That was … more.
They were more.
Thankfully, another distraction arrived before I could embarrass myself and cry. “Lizzie … about fucking time you arrived.”
Paulie had me up and in his arms in a heartbeat, and I hugged my friend tightly. “So glad you guys are here,” I said, pulling back so I could see him better. “This is absolute chaos, seriously.”
Paulie nodded, and then we were joined by James and Connor. Both of them hugged me close, and Connor spent a lot of time examining me as if trying to find injury on my person.
“I’m fine,” I said, slapping his arm. “Louis and I are… We’re good. We’ve been dealing with the past, and I think, maybe, there’s a chance at a future for us now.”
Connor crossed his arms over his massive chest, muscles bulging out everywhere. “That’s good, because I really didn’t want to have to kick his ass.”
A blast of power sent him shooting back then, his feet skidding about six feet across the ground. “You could try, bear,” Louis said casually, strolling in and wrapping his arms around me. “But I wouldn’t recommend it.”
It didn’t escape my notice that Louis had pushed all of my friends a few feet back from me, and I raised an eyebrow in his direction.
“What?” he said, somewhat playfully. “They were crowding you.”
I just shook my head at him before turning back to my guys. “So, where is your pack?” I asked, knowing they would be here with the rest of their bears. I’d been wanting to meet their family for a long time, especially after hearing so much about them.
James pointed across to a low building that looked like it might be a bakery or doughnut shop. “Half of them are eating. The other half are running in the forest.”
Shifters needed their freedom.
Noticing Connor still wasn’t moving, I narrowed my eyes. “Can you move closer to me?”
He snorted. “I can’t move my feet at all, so I’m going to say no.”
I spun on Louis. “What the hell do you think you’re doing? You can’t stop my friends from being near me! You can’t stop them from hugging me. We’re supes, for fuck’s sake.” I shook my head at him. “You never used to be the jealous, possessive type … so what’s up with that?”
Louis was no longer smiling, his expression serious but not angry. “You happened. I lost you for more years than I care to think about. The darkness happened. The darkness that is fighting me every moment of every day. Just … I need time.”
Even as he said it, I felt his magic ease, and the guys seemed to relax. “We need a compromise,” I said. “Because there’s no way you can protect me from the world. I’ve already been hidden away for years. I refuse to do it again. This is a new season for me. One of freedom.”
Louis rubbed the bridge of his nose before he let out a deep breath. “Fine, okay. I understand. I’ll work on it, and if the darkness gets to be too much, I’ll talk to you about it before I start smashing your friends into the ground.”
His gaze shot across to Connor, and I saw my friend nod. They had an understanding, apparently. “Don’t you have council members to get back to?” I joked, giving him a little shove.
His lips pressed briefly to mine, and I forgot everything.
“Yep. We’re bringing the vote forward a little. It’ll start in about twenty minutes.”
The guys shot a look over at where their family was, before turning back to me. “We’ll stick with you, but Connor will be up on the stage,” James warned me. “He has to cast a vote for our pack.”
I appreciated them sticking with me, especially since Jessa and Braxton appeared to have disappeared. Probably to the nearest soft … or not soft surface. “What are you voting?” I asked him.
He arched a brow at me. “I know I said I wanted to bring supes out into the world, but from what I’ve learned, this was not the way to do it. Pure fuc
king chaos. And personally, I don’t want to deal with humans’ bullshit. Maybe one day they’ll be able to handle our world, but today is not that day. We don’t need humans to know about us yet.”
“Yep, no amount of extra tits and ass is worth that,” James said, and he actually sounded serious.
I smacked his arm. “Seriously, like you have any issue with that, even when the humans don’t know about us.”
He shrugged, but didn’t disagree with me.
The next twenty minutes passed quickly. We all perched ourselves near the stage. It was good that somehow the stage was half a football field in size, because by the time Connor left and the other leaders from the different packs and cities and prison towns got up there, the number of councilmembers gathered together was huge.
Louis stood in the front, and it appeared he was done trying to chat to the leaders individually. At his side was the Compass quads, and I loved the ease with which they stood there together, silently. There was a trust between those five that spoke of a true family bond, and I couldn’t tear my eyes from Louis as he looked out over the crowd.
“You’re drooling.” Paulie smirked, leaning back against a nearby pole. “Never thought I’d see the day that our little Liz was whipped.”
I shot him a derisive stare. “Whipped? Really?”
He shrugged. “If the obsessive stare fits….”
I couldn’t really argue with him. I was pretty obsessed with Louis. Not that I’d admit that to the purple-eyed sorcerer though. As if he heard me, his eyes slammed into mine, and I felt that stare all the way to my toes. For a brief moment, my feet were moving toward him, and it was only when a sliver of clarity returned that I stopped myself. Now was not the time to crawl up onto that stage.
He crossed closer, and I swear half the supes on the ground with me stared up at him wearing the same expression I had.
