(DANE POV) I drifted in and out of consciousness when I caught his scent. At first, I hoped it was just remnants of his blood inside Jo, but I knew better. Mag was near. Every instinct I had screamed danger, but my body was weak, and my mind was foggy.I took Jo's hand quietly, the warmth of her skin a small comfort in the encroaching dread. I pushed my nail into the pad of her thumb, and she jumped. I held her tight and whispered, "Just a little... I just need a little until they get back, okay?" As soon as her blood touched my tongue, I pulled her into the whitespace. "He's close, Jo. I can feel him." "What does he want?" she asked."I don't know, but he's watching us for some reason," I replied. "Don't panic, whatever happens, okay? I will kill him before he hurts you.""But that'll kill you," she said."I don't care at this point. I'm going to do whatever I have to do to protect you," I assured her.We left the whitespace when I pulled her finger out of my mouth, and I snugg
(JO POV)I was livid, thrashing in the back seat of the car with Mag. I lunged at him, aiming for anything I could hit. "You bastard!" I screamed, swinging wildly. "How could you do this?" Mag effortlessly caught my wrists mid-air. "Calm down, Jo. This isn't helping." "Calm down?" I snarled, trying to yank my hands free. "You took me, you maniac!" He pushed me back against the seat, easily holding me there. "You need to relax before you hurt yourself." I kicked at him, my foot connecting with his shin. He winced but didn't release me. "Let go of me!" I demanded, "Jo, enough," he said firmly. "Fighting me won't change anything." I lashed out again, but my energy was waning. I finally slumped in the seat next to him, crossing my arms tightly across my chest. My breathing was heavy, and my entire body was shaking. I glared at him, hating how composed he looked. After a few minutes, he spoke. "Dane loves you, you know. He's beside himself in love with you." I blinked, the sudden
(DANE POV) I lay there until I healed enough to get up. Slowly, painfully, I started dragging myself toward the school. Each step was a struggle, every movement sending waves of pain through my battered body. After what felt like hours, I heard Deirk's voice."Shit, there he is!"Percy and Deirk rushed over, lifting me and carrying me the rest of the way. I wasn't doing well at all. My vision was blurry, and my strength was nearly gone."We have to go see Mag," I croaked. "We don't have a choice and must be calm. He has Jo."Deirk tried to convince Percy to give me some blood, but I refused. "I can't be high for this," I insisted.They prepared to confront Mag, tense and ready for anything. When we walked into the office, we found Jo sitting at her desk, dressed well and looking rather composed for what had happened to her. Relief washed over me. She stood and grabbed me, pulling me into a tight embrace. Tears flowed as we held each other, the fear and tension finally releasing.
(DEIRK POV)After Percy and I moved a bed we could fit into the new room, I checked it up and down for bugs. I wasn't going to rest until I found it. I was in there for hours with Percy, looking through everything Mag did.I never found one. Maybe Mag was trying to change. Maybe. The jury was still out. It would be out for a long time.When we finally walked out, Jo and Dane were already mid-meeting in the big meeting room, where many of the teachers were present. Jax was cuddled up to Vikki in the corner and looked up at me when Percy and I walked in. He was freaked out.I sat next to Jo, directing Percy to sit next to me. Dane was going over new rules. Some were relaxed, others more strict. All aimed at creating authentic relationships between the vampires and humans as he and I had found. Like Jax had found with Vikki.I wondered what my role would be. I decided to wait until after the meeting was concluded to talk to him about it. I was ready to take on some of the responsibility
(PERCY POV) Deirk's eyes went black, and the veins started to dance as he traced his nail along my femoral artery. I lay back trembling, my skin prickling under his watch. He leaned down. His breath against my skin made my pulse race when he pressed his lips to my thigh."Are you ready?" he whispered."Yes," I replied, even though I was shaking. "Do it."His fangs pierced the skin, and I gasped, arching my back as a rush of sensation flooded through my entire body. The rush from the pain... It was so damn intoxicating.He roamed over my body, his movements predatory and deliberate. When he wrapped his hand around my cock, stroking me slowly as he fed, I started moaning as he started growling.It seemed to drive him wild, his grip tightening, his strokes becoming more urgent."Fuck," I groaned, gripping the sheets. "That feels so good." I made sure to keep my hands on the bed. I knew better than to touch his head while he was feeding there.He moved faster, his thumb rubbing over th
(DANE POV) The office, once Cami's, felt like a place stuck in time, filled with echoes of her decisions and the consequences that followed. Now, it was mine... a truth that felt too surreal to grasp fully. I sat behind the desk, holding the worn leather collar in my hands. I didn't always wear it... but when Magness was around, I had no choice. If I didn't, the punishments were severe.A reminder of his control over me that I now had over him.Talk about surreal.The collar was a relic of everything I'd endured. I hated it, but letting go felt impossible. Throwing it away would mean losing a piece of myself. Even now, with Cami gone and the school under new leadership...my leadership...I couldn't escape its hold.Cavanagh entered the room, stopping when she noticed the collar on the table. She approached me, and I could sense her hesitation and the unspoken questions."You know," she began, "I never thought I'd see you without that thing.""Neither did I," I admitted, staring at th
(JO POV) Waking up in an empty bed was disorienting. I reached out, expecting to find Dane beside me, but the space was empty. He'd never left before... not without waking me. The room felt overly quiet and empty, sending chills through me in more ways than one.I grabbed Dane's leather jacket from the closet and pulled it on, wrapping it around myself like a shield. It hung loose on me, the sleeves falling past my hands, but it was comforting in its own way. It smelled like him, a reminder of his presence even when he wasn't there. I took a deep breath, steadied myself, and headed to his office.I found him sitting at his desk with a stack of documents spread out in front of him. His focus was so intense that he didn't even notice me enter. I watched him momentarily, trying to figure out what had suddenly pulled him away from our bed. He was always so present and attentive with me, and this... this was new.I walked over and climbed into his lap without a word, curling up against
(DANE POV)I watched Jo as she knelt over the toilet, her body shaking with each heave. It wasn't just the nausea that had me on edge... it was the fact that she hadn't answered me. The silence was crushing, and the longer it dragged on, the more my mind spun out of control.Why wasn't she saying she chose me? Why couldn't she just say it and put me at ease?When she finally stopped retching, I moved quickly, helping her out of her clothes. Her skin was clammy. She looked so fragile... It scared me. I changed as fast as I could, trying to keep myself from spiraling into full-blown panic. I had to hold it together.For her, for us.There was an us, wasn't there? But her refusal to say it made me doubt everything.I crouched down beside her, desperate to understand what was happening. "Jo, you do choose me, right? I expected a lot today, but this... this wasn't one of them."She tried to reply, but another wave of nausea hit, sending her back to the toilet, dry heaving again.Why w