by CY Jones
“Not going to lie. I’m not looking forward to doing this again. Do all contractions have to hurt like a son of a jewel?” I ask no one in particular. My next contraction hits and I hand the wolf cub over to Aiden who starts to coo at the pup. I would think it were adorable, if not for the excruciating pain I’m in. I brace down hard, pushing with all my might, and this time I'm pushing the baby out on the first push.
“It’s a boy,” Sally cries out and tears come to my eyes. When I look over at my men, they are all staring at me in amazement. The cub in Aiden’s arms has transformed back, and when he hands her over to me, I cry even harder over the beautiful little girl with tufts of blonde hair, and golden eyes like her father. Sally hands me my son and I hold him in my other arm. As soon as he opens his eyes, I gasp. We were under the impression that Aiden was the father since vampires are infertile, and with our daughter coming out in wolf form, I didn’t doubt the theory. But now, with my son gazing at me, looking far wiser than his couple minutes of life, I’m struck dumb by his brillant eyes. One a lovely shade of blue and the other silver. The same shade of my vampire mates.
“What are you going to name them?” Sally asks once she’s done cleaning me up.
We’ve talked about names, but ultimately my mates left the choice to me. I wanted to wait until I saw them so that I could give them the name that fits.
“Jewel and Jasper,” I whisper, kissing them both on the top of their their tiny heads. “My sweet babies. You will be very loved and have the family I never had.”
My mates move closer and they all kiss me and our babies. We are a family. No matter who’s the father of these babies, they’re all the dads, and our kids will grow-up knowing that. They will be loved and treasured and have everything I didn’t have. We will give them the world and they will be happy. I came back to a town with a family who ran me away, but when I opened my heart, I gained my own family in return. To me, that is the most precious gift in the world. My very own happily ever after….
The End
Bonus Scene
Marcus
I sit and watch the debauchery going on with disgust. As soon as the mansion was clear of the threat, my father sent out hunters to track down supernaturals with rare abilities to replenish the ones he lost. Losing his little pets was a huge blow to his pride, but not as much as a blow as losing Amethyst. Saying he was livid is putting it lightly. He sulked for days, killing anyone for the stupidest reasons. Now he’s back to his old ways. Induldging himself in too much blood and sex.
“Marcus, why don’t you come join us?” Father says. Currently, he has two of his new pets working together sucking him off, while a third plays with her pussy in front of him.
“No thank you father.” I’ve had enough of this shit. I no longer find any enjoyment in what I see right now. Before, I would’ve pulled my cock out and pulled one of the pretty males off my father and fucked their throat raw, but now they hold no such appeal to me. I stare down at my rainbow palm and make my decision.
“I’m tired. I’m going to retire in my room,” I lie. I don’t know if he buys it, but he lets me go nonetheless.
As quickly as I can, I go back to my room and pack a bag. Leaving out one of the hidden passages, I unlock my Audi and throw my bag inside. I have a lot of ground to cover and I need to get there as quick as possible. I don’t know what it is, but I have a bad feeling that Amethyst is in trouble. Concentrating on the frail thread connecting us, I step on the gas and follow it to my girl. Yes, I know she’s my mate. I’ve known ever since Torque threw her in the back of the limo when we took her. With my quick reflexes, I drive like a bat out of hell all the way back to Silver Springs. It’s a necessary evil. The bad feeling from before has grown substantially, to the point it’s hard to breathe. I don’t know what’s going on, but it’s not good.
The thread leads me to a store called Hex You. As soon as I stepped out of the car, I hear Amethyst scream and immediately I throw myself into action. The door is locked by some magic spell from the outside, so I break the huge store window in the front. Once inside, my vision goes red from the scene in front of me. That asshat Abraxious on top of my girl, holding her down against her will. He will pay. No one touches what’s mine. When she sees me her eyes grow wide, probably wondering what in the hell I’m doing here. Hopefully, she knows I’m here to save her and not to help the asshole. When he rises to his feet, he drags Amethyst with him and holds a dagger to her throat, herding my anger to a murderous intent.
“Who the fuck are you?” Abraxious spits out.
“Your worst nightmare if you don’t let her go,” I answer and Amethyst laughs.
“Really, is that all you can come up with?” She retorts.
“Really, princess,” I says cocking my brow.
“I don’t care who you are or how you know this whore, get back or I’ll slit her throat,” Abraxious threatens, and it’s enough to make me pause.
“Let her go,” I order, using my power.
His grip on her waivers, but he doesn’t fall into thrall like I would have liked. I try again, and again, his grip loosens on her, but not enough for her to get free without getting cut. Fuck, who is this dude?
“You’re wasting your time, vampire. I’m a full Fae from the Autumn court. I’m too powerful to fall for your little trick.” Well, that explains it. Full Fae are a lot harder to control and a royal is damn near impossible. “Now you’re going to stay right there while I take my lovely jewel here and leave. If you try to follow us, I’ll slit her throat. Trust me, this slut does not mean half as much to me as she does you.”
“Pot calling kettle black,” she mumbles under her breath with that smart mouth of hers, but of course he heard her and pushes the dagger closer to her neck, drawing blood.
I turn my eyes on her looking for a solution. I can’t lose her, but I can see it in his eyes. He’ll make good on his threat if I make a move on him. My princess must have really pissed him off. Just when I was prepared to surrender, the bastard’s sleeve catches on fire. Good girl, I think to myself as I make my move, not wanting to waste this opportunity. I go at the asshat with everything I’ve got. I heard about Abraxious and his little company. I’m surprised he can fight as well as he is. He’s just like my father, sending others to do his dirty work for him. When Nolan joins the fray, I’m relieved when he helps me take down Abraxious and not come after me. From the corner of my eye, I see Amethyst is still here, sitting down on a stack of pillows, riveted on us fighting like this is a movie or something. Why the hell hasn’t she ran off to safety? I swear I’m going to spank her once we dispose of this asshole. Between the both of us, it doesn’t take us long to bring Abraxious down. I see an opening and I drive a hard right hook at his nose, breaking it and knocking him out.
Turning my eyes on my princess, I’m about to reprimand her for not running to safety when a pixie girl with bright green hair holds her hand out and like a magnet, pulls Amethyst through the air to her, holding a dagger to her neck much like Abraxious did, but unlike Abraxious, she doesn’t hesitate and slits Amethyst throat. My cry of, “no,” is unheard as my precious jem falls to the floor, choking on her own blood. I don’t hesitate, I run right to her and hold her tight in my arms, praying to whichever God that would hear my plea to save her. Nolan has his hand held against her neck, trying to stop the blood, but it’s too late. When she breathes her last breath, my heart shatters and dies right along with her.
“What is he doing here?” I hear Caleb roar, before he drops to his knees when he sees our girl lying still in my arms, covered in blood.
“No, no, no,” he cries, trying to take her from me, but I growl, tightening my grip around her, which only makes him growl back. Good, I hope he tries to kill me. I’ll let him. My life is not worth living without her in it.
I’m drifting into madness as I rock with my princess dead in my arms. I barely hear when the wolf shifter comes into the shop or his piercing howl of agony. The same exact agony I’m drown
ing in.
“Someone get the angel,” Nolan yells. An argument takes place, but I really don’t care. Only mentioning the angel snaps me back to the present.
“I don’t care. Bring her here,” Caleb roars.
Nolan is a blur as he runs out of the shop and is back within seconds with the angel in tow.
“Can you help her?” I ask in a weak voice.
Slowly, she lowers to her knees. Reaching out, she runs a glowing hand across Amethyst’s still body. Since seeing the knife slice open Amethyst’s throat, this is the first time I actually have hope that she’ll live.
“I’m sorry,” she says, and the fleeting hope I had withers and dies. I pick up the bloody knife lying by Amethyst’s side, prepared to end it all and follow my princess into the afterlife when Nolan stops me.
“I know how you feel, but Amethyst wouldn’t want that.”
“Her soul has already left her body, but there's still hope. I can feel pieces of her soul in each of you. Her mates,” the angel says. With that she gets up to leave, I weigh what she just said in my head.
“We can save her but...”
“No,” Caleb shouts, interrupting me.
“She’s dead. Her heart has stopped beating. We can’t bring her back without a heartbeat,” Nolan clarifies.
“But you heard the angel,” I shout angry now.
“What are you three going on about?” The wolf questions, snapping out of his shock.
“I’m a very old vampire. My blood is powerful enough to bring Amethyst back,” I explain.
“Then why won’t you let him do it?” He asks, turning his head to the twins.
“He wants to make her one of us, but that’s impossible because he can’t bring her back without a heartbeat. She’s been dead too long, and even if it were possible, we will still be killing her witch. To become a vamp, whatever you once were has to die first. She will not have her witch powers, and she would never be able to have children. It should be her making that decision. Not us,” Caleb explains.
“Well, she can’t because she’s dead,” I roar. She’s dead and you won’t let me save her.” I cry full on tears now. I don’t care if they see them or if it makes me a pussy. The only thing I care about is lying dead in my arms. Already, her body heat is starting to fade, and the longer we sit here arguing about it, the farther she slips away from us towards death.
“Do it then,” Aiden whispers.
“Are you sure? It’s risky and you’ll never be a father,” Nolan tells him.
“She’s already dead. We’ve already lost her. If there's a chance to bring her back, no matter how risky, I’ll take it. If the cost for her to live is me never becoming a father then so be it. I’d pay it a thousand times over,” Aiden says.
“If what the angel said is true about her soul, I’ll need to drink each of your blood.”
They all nod in agreement and I don’t waste another second. Releasing my fangs, I drink deeply from each of them and then take the dagger and slit my own wrist. Holding my princess tightly, I let the wound drip into her open mouth. Each time the wound would heal, I’d cut it back open, not caring if I severed my hand from my wrist, the pain, or the blood loss. Only Amethyst living mattered.
“How long have you known?” Caleb asks.
I don’t need him to clarify. I already know what he’s asking. “I’ve known she was my mate since the day I grabbed her,” I answer.
A groaning sound grabs our attention and Aiden marches over to Abraxious who’s just now coming too. I hear a loud crash and the sound of flesh being beaten over and over again. When Adien returns, he’s covered in blood and his knuckles are bruised. I know without him telling me that Abraxious is dead. Good fucking riddance. That bitch of a pixie is next.
My thoughts are interrupted when I feel Amethyst’s lips wrap around my wrist as she starts to drink on her own. I’m starting to feel the blood loss, but I let her drink her fill as her body heals. I’m fucking relieved she’s responding. The gamble on her life worked, now she just has to live through the change and not hate us for what we’ve done.
If you liked Amethyst, you’ll enjoy these other Jewels Cafe books:
Amber by Mia Harlan
Sapphire by Eva Delaney
Peridot by M Sinclair Author
Opal by Candace Wondrak
Topaz by J.E. Cluney
Ruby by Ann Denton
Amethyst by CY Jones
Pearl by Tabitha Barret
Emerald by Jade Waltz
Onyx by Melissa Adams
Moonstone by Lucy Felthouse
Rose by Jewels Arthur
Flip the page to read a preview of Pearl!
Pearl Sneak Peak
Book 8 in the Jewel Series
I eyed the door handle as the car slowed for a red light. If I timed my jump right, I could roll out of the car, hit the ground running and reach the bus terminal in ten minutes.
As I reached towards the handle to carry out my escape plan, I thought about his face. My fingers grazed the metal handle and I paused. I was insane to believe that this time would be different. Nothing had changed in the few months since I had left for school. I still didn’t have my magic. I still didn’t know how to talk to boys. Yet, deep down, I still held out hope that Benjamin Fitzroy would see me as someone other than the girl with pigtails and braces. I didn’t want to be his buddy or the girl next door. I wanted Benjamin to care about me as much as I cared about him.
Fearing that I would make a fool of myself with Benjamin, I thought about hopping on the next plane to Hallowed Woods Academy and retreating to the quiet of my favorite library. I closed my eyes and saw his handsome face. His goofy smile melted my heart and gave me the courage to continue on my mission. It was time to stop hiding my feelings for Benjamin. I needed to know once and for all if we were meant to be together, even if it meant spending the Winter Solstice with my family.
I gritted my teeth and stared at the welcome sign for Silver Springs, New York. For better or worse, I was home.
“Pearl Dreger, sit up straight. I don’t know what that academy has been teaching you, but I will not spend good money to send you to a boarding school that doesn’t teach you proper posture. For heaven’s sake, put down your book for five minutes and talk to me. I haven’t seen you since you left in the fall. Tell me what you’ve learned.” My mother, Caroline Marjory Dreger, head of both the Black Hat and Broom Society and the Wands of Tomorrow Society, stared at me from across the limo, expecting me to answer. We had left the airport only 30 minutes ago, and already I could feel the familiar stress settling into my neck and shoulders.
Snuggling into my wool coat, I watched the snow fall on the barren trees and the mounds of snow from the previous storms and sighed. I reminded myself that it was my decision to come home, not hers. Taking a deep breath, I settled into the seat and let her continue our one-way conversation. It was best not to answer until she let out all of the pent up mothering she had missed out on since the summer.
She shifted in her seat and assessed me. “I assume you haven’t gotten your magic yet; otherwise, you would have mentioned something by now. I told Georgia that it was only a matter of time until you proved how adept you were at spell casting. I swear that woman believes you’re adopted. I know you have the potential to be one of the greatest casters in the world. Of course, she doesn’t believe me. Don’t worry, Pearl, we’ll show them. They will have to apologize to me for all their gossiping.” She looked out the window to mutter to herself for a few more seconds before looking back at me.
“Yes, mother. We’ll show them.”
“I heard there was a witch who was thrown out of a conjuring school because her magic didn’t come in by senior year. They said she was better suited at a regular school. Oh, the embarrassment. I just don’t know what I would do if you were sent home from the academy next year. We would have to move. You have been trying to cast, haven’t you?”
I cringed at her tone. She would be embarr
assed. What a joke. I would have to live my life as the girl who was kicked out of school because I was the worst witch in history.
“Yes, mother. I have been working with my tutor, Professor Stoica, every chance I get. I promise that I have been trying.” I glanced down at the book in my hands to avoid the look of dissatisfaction on her face. As one of the most prominent witches in town, she hated to admit to her friends that I was unable to cast or conjure. If only she knew how hard I was working to learn as many spells as possible so that whenever my stupid powers decided to show up, I could finally make her proud of me.
She launched into her third speech about everything that was wrong with me as I pretended to ignore her. I resisted the urge for the hundredth time to remind her that I hated the name Pearl, and preferred to use my middle name, Celeste. After all, who wanted to be named after a witch who single handedly saved her village from a fire-breathing dragon over 200 years ago? Sure, it was an honor to be named after my great, great something or other grandmother, but not when my magic hadn’t come in yet. As a late bloomer, I was a social pariah, despite my mother’s insistence that I would one day be worthy of the name Pearl.
“I’m fine, by the way.” I pursed my lips, unable to take any more criticism.
Her expression softened a bit when she looked back at me. “I’m sorry that we didn’t fly out when Headmistress Strudwick contacted us about the incident. She said that you were fine and no longer in danger. I’m glad they apprehended the guilty party. Your father will make sure that man never sees the light of day. Attacking children. How horrible do you have to be to harm children? I wanted to bring you back home, but Headmistress Strudwick insisted that you wanted to stay.
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