by S. L. Morgan
My mind went back to seeing that thing like I did. “It’s like it’s waiting for something. It talked to me when my wolf shifted, and Dom’s wolf took my wolf down.”
“When you were unconscious?” she asked. “That thing talked to you? How does that even happen?”
“It’s the way I have it mentally locked down, I guess. I used whatever fairy-witch magic I have in me to lock that thing up.”
She inhaled deeply. “Jenna, be honest with me, do you really feel like you have it locked up? I sensed you do, but is it really locked up and unable to get to you?”
“It won’t get to me. I’m more aware of what it’s capable of now. I just can’t piss my wolf off again,” I said, honestly wishing we could extract the damn demon out of me. “My inner wolf going off the rails on her own…” I shivered. “That is what scares the shit out of me.”
“Dom’s going to handle your wolf,” she said with certainty. “You may not like his approach because he’s probably going to be a total jerk, but you have to understand he’s got to help you put the wolf in place. If the wolf in you is coerced by that evil again, then we may not get you back next time. You must be in control so the wolf won’t be controlled again. It’s that serious.”
“I get it. I would understand if he is totally over me because of this.”
Vannah smiled for the first time. “That boy ain’t going anywhere,” she said with a laugh. “When Ethan and I were putting up that cloak, I felt his deep love for you. It’s as strong as the magic in our spells, if not stronger. That’s why you both can’t merge the wolves or intensify the bond. Dom is doing an amazing job of hiding his true feelings for you, but I did feel them.”
“What he did for me, I’ll never be able to repay,” I said.
“Oh, you’ll repay me,” Dom’s voice cut through our conversation. I watched my shirtless and ripped man cross the floor into the room. “It’ll just have to wait until the time is right.” He sat next to me on the bed. “Are you hungry? Thirsty? I ordered almost every item on the menu just in case.”
“I’m starved, but I need a shower.”
Dom’s lips covered mine, but he kept the kiss rated PG to respect that Vannah was sitting right there. “I can sense with that kiss alone that my girl is back like nothing ever happened.” He smiled and rubbed his hand along my leg, “Go get in the shower, I’ll make sure they keep your pie hot, but you’re throwing down some steak and potatoes first, no arguments.”
“I’ll eat anything.”
“Alright,” Dom stood up and looked at Vannah. “Ethan shifted. He’s better. Are you still feeling the connection with him from cloaking Jenna and me?”
“No,” she answered. “It faded when he flipped out after seeing what’s inside Jenna.”
“About that,” Dom eyed me with concern, then looked at Vannah, “I’ve got him calmed down. I had to make it very clear to him that I’m not leaving Jenna’s side and that I will protect her. Thank God that kid trusts me.”
Vannah smiled. “Yes, thank goodness.”
“It’s your wolf he trusts,” I said, knowing for sure that’s what helped Ethan cope with this evil inside me. “I’m still shocked your wolf did what it did to help yank mine out of the grips of that monster.”
I watched Dom swallow hard but recover his concern about this dark energy with a half-smile. “Jen, we’re all lucky my wolf managed to pluck both of you out of the grips of that damn thing. I have no idea how my wolf managed it.”
“Well, my fairy-witch magic—that it seems I only know how to use at random times—came in handy in locking it up.”
“It’s locked up,” Vannah said, “but it’s still inside you. We have to get that expelled.”
“And then what?” I snapped. “It goes and possesses you like that other dark energy did? You’re a witch, Vannah, and a strong one. Everyone knows witches are more vulnerable to that crap than the rest of us. Hell, I have strong witch and fairy genetics, and the darkest one came right after me.”
“I know,” Dom said in a softer voice. I could tell he was trying to calm me down. We were walking on eggshells because of this dark bastard inside me, and now I was afraid to lose my temper for fear of the thing taking control of me. “I felt how strong it is. I felt the strength of the straggler that possessed Vannah too. Both were sinister and strong, but what I saw and felt inside you?” He strained his lips, most likely holding back going off. “What I felt is not good. Vannah’s right, we have to get it out of you. My wolf couldn’t and wouldn’t provoke it, the wolf knows that’s what it wants. My wolf knew that if it attacked the damn thing while seeing it in you, it could have given the creature enough energy to blow out that mental cage of magic you have it locked behind.”
“Extracting that evil creature in you has to be done carefully,” Vannah added. “Then, when it’s ejected, we will need some form of a trap. Once we handle that, we send it back to hell where it belongs.”
“A trap? Fairies build those sorts of things,” I said, perking up some. “We may have a chance. We just need a strong fairy.”
“I highly doubt there’s a fairy strong enough or brave enough to mess with that sort of dark energy,” Dom said with agitation. “All the students here are too busy being worried about what IA requires of them, and I don’t trust one damn professor or leader at this school. I’m not too thrilled with the fairies after what they pulled by putting in those virtual humans either.”
“Well, I have it locked up. I have fairy magic in me too. I just need time to learn what I really am and how strong I am with the combined witch genetics, then I’ll snuff the sucker out myself.”
Dom and Vannah looked at each other, then back to me. “One thing at a time. Right now, I’m focused on protecting you from it. We keep it light and airy for you, fluffy and fun.” He winked and leaned in to kiss my cheek. “We’ll make plans, but let’s get you feeling good and healthy first.”
“Positive thinking only,” Vannah said. “And your cursing needs to stop too. It’s probably feeding that thing also.”
I rolled my eyes. “Cussing helps me blow off steam, so it can’t feed that thing,” I teased.
Dominic laughed with Vannah. “Cussing is the result of you being pissed, which is negative energy that feeds the creature,” he said.
“You’re going to go all Dean Edgewater no cursing on me now?” I asked with a smile. “Good God, I heard you cursing in here, and I have to say, you have a mouth on you, Dom Rossi!”
Dominic smirked. “I’m not the one with the spawn of Satan parked in my brain,” he taunted, then patted my leg. “Let’s go eat. It’s been a long week without my girl and a long freaking day trying to get her back.”
“I’m gonna shower first,” I said. “I’ll see you out there in a few.”
10
I ate like I hadn’t eaten in years, and it actually felt like that was the case. Dom ordered everything on the menu, and I raised my hand to double that. Even though it was breakfast time, I was thankful they gave us the dinner menu too. It definitely paid off to have a gorgeous vamp in our company because we had nearly all the waiters and cooks working to impress Lusa.
Not one morsel was wasted, and all eyes were on Jenna as I pigged out. Vannah giggled, watching me shove my face like a glutton, and I didn’t care what everyone else who sat with us thought. I was back and feeling like a million bucks while my wolf hid in a corner, ashamed of falling to that monster inside me.
I finished all the meat and carbs I could stuff in my face, and I giddily pulled the warm pie toward me.
Time to throw this bad boy down.
“You’re seriously going to eat that entire pie?” Scott asked, sitting closer to Lusa than I would’ve expected. What the hell did I miss out on while my demon-driven wolf took over?
I looked at his jewel-blue eyes and grinned. “If you think I’m stopping at this one whole pie, then you’ve got a lot more to learn about your buddy’s girl.”
Dom laughed and ran his
hand over my bare leg. If this pie hadn’t been consuming every last sense in my body, I would have probably got all tingly and lost in that touch, but I hadn’t had pie in at least a week.
“Let her eat. You and Lus can go take a romantic walk on the beach if the sight of my girl getting better by the second bothers you, wimp!” Dom taunted as he brought his arm around me.
“I think we girls are going to go find our seats elsewhere. I can’t stand the sight of Jenna acting like shifters enjoy pies.” Kat curled her nose up at me. “I can’t even eat my breakfast. So disgusting.”
“Plenty of seats on the beach,” Dom said dismissively.
“Plenty of seats in another reality,” Ian laughed as he called out to the trio of snobs, storming off to the beach chairs. He looked back at me, “Man, I feel horrible about your wolf taking over like it did, Jenna.”
“Thanks, Ian. I’m fine now.” I smiled, not sure how much information was too much to share. “Never thought my wolf having a mind of her own would backfire on me.”
“Yeah, Dom’s going to shut that down and quick,” Finley said in her Master Finley tone. “You’re lucky he could help you.”
“Jenna is safe,” Ethan said. “Do not worry about Dominic and Jenna.”
I smiled at Ethan, who sat to Dom’s left. “That’s right, E.”
Dom gripped his cousin’s shoulder. “You’re doing a lot better yourself, bud.”
“Ethan is better. Ethan is strong,” Ethan said, prompting Dom and me to both smile at him, relieved he was interacting well again.
I watched Scott and Lusa exchanging flirty glances before Lusa smiled over at Ethan. When the hell did Scott and Lusa get together?
“I’ll tell you later,” Dom whispered to me. “Your thoughts are back and stronger than before.” He smiled at me after I looked at him, “Must be the wolf connection.”
“More like my wolf in full submission to yours.”
“Yeah, that’s not happened just yet. She’s going to take work, but it’s nothing I haven’t dealt with before.”
“Like kicking my butt kind of work?” I asked, a little scared of how Dom was going to approach this.
“More like kicking your wolf’s butt,” Scott joked. “By the time Dom’s done with your wolf, let’s just say you might not like pie anymore. Then you’ll be a normal shifter like the rest of us.”
“Yeah, if Dom plans to beat the pie cravings out of me, then I’ll save us all the trouble and dump his ass right here and now.”
“Language, Jenna.” Vannah arched the witchy brow at me.
“Yeah,” Dom pulled me in tight to his side. “Watch the language, Jen.”
“You’re loving this, aren’t you?”
Dom’s smile was discreet but noticeable. “Never.”
“Are you kidding?” Ian grinned, “Dom’s favorite thing to do is to defeat the impossible, kick all our butts into submission, and now he gets to do that with his girl.”
“Kinky, right?” Dom laughed. “Nothing I do will ever be outside of what is only going to get you in full control, babe. Don’t listen to them.”
“Well, don’t make it to where I hate pie.”
Dom chuckled with the rest of the table, including Ethan. “Your wolf hates the pie, you don’t, so there’s not going to be a Jenna personality makeover. You’ve got that wolf submitted there.” Dom rested his folded arms on the table. “This time was the first and last time your wolf pulls something over me and mine,” Dom said. “Like I told E, you’re safe, and I’m protecting you. I just need to figure out how I’m going to take all of my second-year courses over again.”
“Why?” I asked.
“Because I’m not leaving you alone unless you hit the sack, and even that makes me wonder if you’ll be safe until the wolf gets under control.” Dom pursed his lips, and I could tell his thoughts went into military, Master Dom mode. “You know what?” He looked at me, even though it seemed like he was looking through me, “I’ll give you exercises to work on when we can’t be together.”
“Thank God,” Lusa answered. “I thought for a second you were going full dominance mode on her.”
“I was looking forward to Jenna’s reaction when Dom would say he had to take her to the bathroom and handle that for her too,” Ian laughed.
“Shut the hell up, all of you,” Dom said, annoyed. “I’ll do whatever it takes to keep her safe.”
“Yes. The restroom is safe, Jenna,” Ethan chimed in.
We all laughed, even Dominic. “You think so?” he teased his cousin, and I could sense the happiness in Dominic at having Ethan back with all of us like this.
“Yes. You cannot dominate her.”
“I thought that’s what the name Dominic meant, Dom!”
“I’m about to show you what my name means, lover boy. Get your hands off my sister.” He smirked at Scott. “Or I will kick your ass.” He taunted with an arch of his brow.
Lusa rolled her eyes, “Why don’t you and the boys go enjoy a day of surfing, Dom.”
Ethan shot up enthusiastically. “Yes, surfing,” Ethan said, knowing he would shift into the owl and chase Dom on his surfboard.
We were all pretty much up before the humans, so Ethan was definitely cool with shifting and letting his owl glide over the large waves rolling into the shoreline.
Dom smiled at him. “I’ve got other plans for you and Jenna. You ready to let the owl run loose somewhere else before we head back to school tomorrow?”
“Yes.” Ethan nodded.
“Good.” Dom kissed my cheek and stood. “You all enjoy our last day here. I’m taking off with Jenna and E.”
“I don’t think your girlfriends down at the shore are going to be happy that their dreamboat isn’t surfing this morning,” Vannah came in with the sarcasm.
Dom sighed. “They can watch Scott and Ian ride the boards, we’re out of here. See you all back at school tomorrow.”
“We’re leaving until we have to head back to school?” I asked Dominic as he, Ethan, and I headed off and away from the dining table.
“Yep. I want to make the most of our time together before we have to get back to reality. I hope you’re good with leaving the beach for the rest of the vacation.”
“I’m cool with anything but, where are we going to stay? I’m all for pulling an all-nighter and never letting this trip end, but where are we supposed to sleep if we’re not going back to the beach huts?”
“If you get tired and want to call it a night, then you’re sleeping in my arms. Simple as that.”
It was our last full day on vacation, and I couldn’t wait to spend it all alone with Dominic. Being in my right mind again, I realized I missed him more than my body missed not having pie for a week. Feeling more in control of myself around him, I knew my wolf needed the comfort of her mate too.
I sort of understood why Dom was doing this. He was going to show my wolf and me the gentle, loving side of him before he kicked both our butts when we got back to school. He was going to pull my wolf out of her corner of shame, then kick her butt right into submission, and for the first time since she was tricked and fueled by that demon in me, I felt her perk up at Dom’s idea of spending the next twenty-four hours alone.
This is why she was screwed by the demon. She was as scatterbrained as I was with Dominic before I thought separating for a short time would help me. She couldn’t see past the two wolves being true mates. My wolf was riding blind, and it was going to take an excellent instructor to get us both back in the right mindset and thinking clearly again.
“Hey, Dom,” I said, walking up through a trail, wondering if we were going to shift like Ethan just had.
“Yeah, babe?” he intertwined his fingers with mine, watching Ethan’s owl fly through the trees like it had been let out of a cage.
“The whole demon tricking my wolf thing? I’m shocked it didn’t trick me.”
He looked down at me with somber eyes. “Like Vannah was saying earlier, the wolf was upset with
your secret plan to put her in her place. The wolf’s anger made her a target to that darkness. It makes perfect sense, or else we’d be dealing with a dark Jenna too.”
“Can I admit that having this thing inside me scares the hell out of me?”
He nodded, looking straight ahead. “You’re totally justified in feeling that way. I’m sorry I can’t take that shit away from you. I saw it. I felt it. I want to rip its damn throat out. It’s unpredictable, so you need to talk this out with Vannah or me. I’m going to fill Lusa in too. She’s already asking about why Ethan was concerned about the darkness and saw first-hand what Vannah and E had to do to protect you.”
“You think she’ll be safe knowing?”
“Lus trusts me. She also has lived a life right alongside me, doing whatever was necessary to protect Ethan. She’ll be fine. I’ll tell her at the eucalyptus trees when we get back tomorrow. She needs to keep an eye out and come get me if she notices anything is off with you, especially since she’ll be the one with you while you sleep.”
“And if the school messes with her mind again?”
“I’m having Vannah put a protection spell on her. Vamps are easily protected by spells. Lus can also pick up on that dark crap better than witches anyway. She’ll notice something isn’t right before any of us do.”
“Does she sense it in me?”
“No. It’s not controlling you. That’s what I fear its next target is…taking full possession of you, not the wolf that its coward ass hid behind the first time.”
“It’s probably listening in on our conversation,” I said.
“Good. Then maybe it’ll hear me coming when we form the plan to expel it from you.” He led us onto a black, paved road. “Now, no more talk of that thing, we’re giving it too much energy by talking about it. I’m going to let you have a first out here.”
I swallowed hard. I was doing great keeping myself together…until now. “A first? What the heck do you have planned?”
Dom laughed. “I’m so proud of you, no cussing. So, I pretty much brought you out here so I can take you from zero to ninety. You’re probably going to scream louder than ever while squeezing my waist.”
