“Jacob,” Madison whispered in his ear and shook his shoulder. He grumbled something, then rolled over on the other side, pulling the pillow over his head. “Jacob,” she yelled a little bit louder, hopefully not enough that her mom would hear, and then pushed him until he was halfway off the bed. He pulled the pillow off and looked up at her with sleep still wanting to take over his eyes. “It’s time to get up for school.” She pointed to the clock, which showed they had one hour before classes. “I’m going to take a shower.” She wrapped herself in a sheet and walked over to her small closet. Madison was sifting through her hanging clothes when two strong, warm arms went around her waist.
Jacob started to nibble on his mate’s ear and tried to pull the tightly held sheet off of her. After being unsuccessful in his morning endeavor, he kissed her one last time on the cheek, then backed off. “I’ll be back i
It was lunchtime before the group got to mingle together again. Madison was slumped in her chair, as were Emily and Alex. None had an appetite, well, except for the guys who could eat whether there was stress or not.“This is like one of the worst days I’ve had in a long time.” Madison put her head down on the table on top of her hands.“Maybe your insurance will pay for it and you can get a new one.” Alex tried to make the best of the whole situation.“I liked my car, it was so me.” Madison lifted her head to look up at Alex. “Plus, my prom dress was in there, so looks like I won’t be going.”“I don’t know if Zach and I are either.” Emily needed to talk to her friends about what had happened this morning.Both girls’ attention switched over to Emily. “Why’s that?” Alex asked, now becoming a little uncomfortable with the idea of h
“So, what was the big fighting event with Brindle all about?” Madison wanted to get this conversation out of the way before he took her home.“I questioned her if she did anything to your car.” Jacob really didn’t want to get into the whole Brindle situation right now, he’d just gotten himself unstressed thinking that she might be the one causing problems.“And?” Madison wasn’t going to let this go. If Brindle was behind any of what had happened, the underwear in Jacob’s car, the text messages, and now her car destroyed, well then if he didn’t take care of it she surely would.“She said no.”“Obviously you didn’t believe her or you wouldn’t have been screaming at her in the hallway.” Madison didn’t understand why he couldn’t just come right out and tell her what Brindle had said.Jacob was fed up with this whole conversation. He knew th
Zach pulled the Mustang up to the curb in front of Emily’s house. Her aunt’s car was parked in the driveway, so they knew she was home and probably ready to talk.Emily let out a deep sigh. “Ready?” She glanced over at Zach, whose facial complexion appeared to have taken on an ashen appearance. He nodded his head and slowly got out of the vehicle. Emily gripped his hand as they walked up to the front door. It looked as though he needed more support with this matter right now than she did. “It’ll be all right.” She squeezed his fingers tightly and opened the front door.Aunt Maureen heard the front door open and the sound of two sets of footsteps coming down the hall. She sat on the barstool at the kitchen counter, waiting for Emily and Zach to walk in. She gave them a small smile as they both walked into the room and motioned for them to come sit down with her. “How was school?” She decided to start the conversation
“It’s positive,” Zach answered Aunt Maureen’s question, then looked at Emily for confirmation. She nodded her head yes and sat back down on the stool.“How did you know?” Aunt Maureen wasn’t sure as to how Zach figured it out so quickly.“He picked up on my feelings and maybe some thoughts.” Emily put her head down on the counter and closed her eyes. She was trying to get her feelings under control and put some rationalization into what she needed to do.“How was he able to do that?” Aunt Maureen was all full of questions now.Emily picked her head back up and glanced over at her aunt. “Because we’re mates and once mates become bonded they’re able to sense feelings and read thoughts from each other.”Aunt Maureen shook her head. This was information she had no clue about since she mainly worked with vampires and they didn’t tell her much about what speci
It was Sunday, the day after prom, and the day Emily, Zach, and Aunt Maureen were going to talk to his father. The crew decided not to do anything special last night, since they all blew off the prom, and just watched a movie over at Danny’s house. They all decided to be there when Zach and Emily did their big announcement to the alpha. Jacob and Danny both said they’d back him up with the whole bonding and would confess also.“Does he suspect anything?” Emily’s anxiety level was being pushed to its upper limits the closer Zach drove to his house where his dad was waiting.Zach shook his head no and looked in the rearview mirror to make sure Aunt Maureen was still behind him. He saw the Escalade keeping up and was surprised with her ability to drive at a speed over forty on these windy bends with that big of a vehicle. “He thinks everyone is coming over for formal introductions.”“Will anyone else be there? You kno
“You did what?” Derek couldn’t believe that his own son would defy all that was taught to him since he was a small child. “You know what this means, right?” He knew he’d have to tell the elders and that might warrant Zach being banned from the pack.“Well.” Jacob stood up and interrupted before his father had a chance to say anything else. “I just wanted to make it known that Madison,” he motioned back to Madison, who was still seated on the chair they had shared, “and I are mates and we’ve also bonded.” This earned him a look of shock and disgrace from his dad.“If they get into trouble, then I’ll have to also.” Danny stood and took off his shirt to show that tattooed marking that only those bonded as mates achieved when the complete rite was done fully. “Alex has the same marking too.” He put his shirt back on and went to stand behind the chair that sh
“So, what do we do now?” Madison bounced on her toes and looked out the window for the hundredth time. It had been almost two hours since Jacob’s father had left and no one had heard anything about what was going on with the pack meeting.“I know what we could do to pass the time,” Jacob softly whispered in her ear as he came up behind her and pulled her tight against him. He felt the stare of the other two males and knew they’d heard what he’d said to her. They were both shaking their heads in disbelief of what he’d suggested. “What?” He continued to glare at Zach and Danny. All three boys had a stare down for a few minutes, then they heard the opening of the front door.“Could that be your father?” Aunt Maureen looked up from her iPhone, which she’d been messing around with while the kids had gotten restless staying in one location for so long. The group kept their eyes focuse
“Do you guys want to get going?” Zach questioned Danny and Alex if they were ready to go get her things.“And exactly what am I supposed to tell my mom and dad?” Alex knew they wouldn’t let it fly with her staying at a guy’s house for who knows how long. Madison’s mom was hardly around, so it was not like she would even recognize Madison was gone. And Emily’s aunt was here and knew everything that was going on. Alex looked at Danny to see if he had any perspective on what was going on.“You’re going to tell them that you’re staying at my house for a few days. It’s okay to tell them I’m pregnant and I just need a friend around.” Emily tried to give Alex a simple solution to her problem.“See, problem solved.” Danny took her by the hand and led her over by the doorway. “We’ll be back shortly unless her parents give her too hard of a time about it.” The
The following morning, Lucas delayed opening the store as he took Cecelia home to get a set of her own clean clothes for the day. She’d put up a struggle having him follow her, but eventually caved in after he kept persistent about the matter for over twenty minutes.“Does everything look normal? Untouched?” Lucas glanced around at the sparsely furnished and decorated pile dwelling that Cecelia called home for the moment. The stilted home sat far back in the swamplands where alligators would be her nearest neighbor.“For the most part, yes. But we all know Rayne can put a glam spell on anything to make it seem untouched.” Cecelia rummaged through several drawers grabbing the necessities for a quick shower.“That is true. Rayne will do anything to cover her tracks. I’ll keep an eye and ear open while you take your shower.” Lucas stood by the front door and stared out into the vast land and water.“Alrig
Cecelia slightly waggled her head back and forth as she tried to figure out how to tell him what he wanted to know. “Are you connected to Rayne in any way?” She looked over at him so that she could interpret if he was telling the truth by his expression.“I was at one point in my life, but I learned that Rayne wasn’t the person who I thought she was.” Lucas didn’t want to divulge too much information until he found out what Cecelia’s association was to her.Cecelia nodded her head. It was a brief and basic answer. She wanted more as to how much he knew about their kind.Lucas saw the looks of conflicting emotions cross over Cecelia’s face. It seemed she was torn between telling him the truth or making up some outlandish lie. “I know all about the enchantresses of both black and white magic if that makes this all any better.” He hoped he just didn’t open up a whole new box if she had no clue what h
The electricity of their first kiss ripped through Cecelia. She had kissed men before, but this was one that no other could compare to. Lucas played with her by only allowing soft kisses until she wrapped her arms around his neck and forced them to be closer. His tongue lightly traced her lips asking for entrance, which she did without reservation. His hands that were once on her hips had moved around to fit perfectly on her ass. Cecelia softly moaned as his hips began to gently sway back and forth causing her to become wet in her panties.“Is this the type of business you are now offering, Lucas?”The sound of someone speaking halted both Cecelia and Lucas’s actions. They both knew who the voice belonged to, but neither knew that the other also knew Rayne.Lucas turned around keeping Cecelia behind him. “Rayne, it’s always a pleasure to see you.” He said this with as much sarcasm as he could put out right now. The past little
The smell, lights, music, and ambiance of the chosen restaurant caught Cecelia’s attention as soon as Lucas pulled the car into the parking lot. “How did you know I liked Cajun food?” She looked at the many people that were seated at the outside patio tables and then back to the long line forming by the front door. “Looks like we’ll have a long wait.”Lucas chuckled. “I doubt that. I have good connections that will probably allow us to bypass that line.” He took hold of Cecelia’s hand and led her in the opposite direction of the front entrance.“Where are we going?” As soon as Lucas led her back into the darkness behind the restaurant and away from the hustle and bustle that was going on in the front, Cecelia started to get a little anxious.“Right here.” Lucas knocked on the back door and waited for someone to open it.The back door swung open and a petite, beautiful woma
It had been two days since Cecelia went to the small store along the main street. She’d kept her presence in the Bayou hidden since venturing out the last time, never knowing when Rayne and her coven of black magic witches were going to poke their ugly heads up. Not that they were really ugly, quite opposite in fact. They were the most beautiful coven of enchantresses that she’d or anyone had ever seen, it was just their practices that were ugly.Cecelia’s cell phone buzzed to life with an incoming call. Only one person had the number and she’d given it to him as a gamble, which could have been deadly if he’d been a pawn of Rayne’s.“Hello,” Cecelia answered the call cautiously.“May I speak with Ms. Towne?” Lucas knew it was her as the sound of her voice had been floating in his thoughts for the past two days and nights. But he wanted this call to sound formal so she wasn’t so easily scared off b
Cecelia opened the back door of the small, wooden shack that was hidden amongst the cypress trees and swamp grass of the deep south. The heat, humidity, and musky smell rising up from the Bayou filled her senses as she walked across the pier that linked her small home on stilts to the mainland. She’d been in hiding since leaving West Lakes and knew this place would serve as a great cover. She'd left her home, her sister, and most importantly her niece, Madison, all alone at a time when she needed the protection of everyone in the coven.The dark ones, the enchantresses of black magic, would find her no matter where she took refuge. But, the seclusion and shadows of the Bayou would serve as protection for the time being. Cecelia had encountered those who practiced black magic when she was sixteen years old. Being of a rebellious nature and not wanting to follow in the steps of her older sister, she experimented in the dark, mystical essence that always seem
Madison opened her eyes. Wherever she was it was still pitch black and she couldn’t see anything in front of her. She still had some kind of rope binding her hands together and her ankles were crisscrossed and wrapped with some sort of material. Her whole body ached and she felt like she’d been in this prone position for years. She heard a door unlock and soft footsteps coming closer to her. She closed her eyes and pretended to be back asleep. The darkness that was once in front of her now had a soft hint of light. Whoever had come in obviously was lighting some sort of candles as she smelled a hint of burning wax in the air. Madison kept her eyes closed, but opened them enough that she could somewhat see. It took a few seconds for her eyes to adjust, then she could make out several details of where she was at. The walls were bare and seemed as if they were made of dirt. There were three candles in a smallholder that was placed to the side of her. A couple of empty IV fluid
“I’m here.” Zach burst through the door, still pulling the shirt over his head. Danny, Adam, Derek, Dr. Scott, and Jacob followed close behind. He rushed over to Emily’s bedside and picked up her other hand. “It’s going to be okay.” He saw the pain she was in as her face scrunched up as another wave of discomfort took over. “Just breathe and try to calm down.” He stroked her hand with his.“Fuck you,” Emily hissed out as the pain kept getting stronger. She let out a loud piercing scream that made everyone hold their ears.“I don’t think we have enough time to make it to the clinic.” Dr. Scott was observing the scene and then motioned for both Zach and Maureen to step away from the bed. “Can you all give us a minute or two? I need to check how Emily is progressing.” Derek motioned for the group to follow him out into the hallway. Once they were alone, Dr. Scott addressed Emil
“Has anyone talked to Jacob lately?” It had been over a week since they all had last seen Madison and Jacob. Alex hadn’t had any more visions, even with concentrating and focusing as the elder had suggested, she just couldn’t get any read on what was happening with either of the two.“He’s still looking for Brindle, who has also gone AWOL since all of this went down.” Danny had picked up Jacob on a few of their tracking runs, but he still hadn’t come back home yet. “Have you talked to him?” He looked over at Zach, who seemed completely exhausted with all that had been going on.“Um, I saw him once like two days ago, but he wouldn’t or couldn’t shift back to talk. It looked like this whole Madison being missing is making him go insane.” Zach had only had the chance to track both Madison and Jacob twice this week. Emily, who was now confined to bed rest, had him up day and night.&