by Jaimi Wilson
The next calls were to my storage unit and real estate agent. Each one I had dealt with many times before, so I had no issues sorting that all out. My real estate agent is the closest thing I have to a friend down here in Miami. I could have moved away to be closer to more witches and have had the chance to build better relationships, but I felt stuck here, waiting for someone I knew would never return, even as I held on to the hope he would.
Deep down, I felt if I moved he'd never be able to find me. I wasn't sure if I was ready to take that step, even though it’s been almost ten years since I last saw him.
Harry knew I couldn't leave the city completely, and so she helped me find this place close to the beach. It was a steal, too, because it had been owned by a witch before me who had cursed the house after she found her lover cheating on her. It was nothing a little earth magic couldn’t fix. I ended up in a five day coma after, but it was so worth it. This house is now my home.
Harry knows about the Order, even though she's human. We met when she scheduled me to put a hex on her slimy ex who had gotten her pregnant, pretended to be all in, and then left her the day their daughter was born.
Her grandmother had known my mom and sent her to us in the hopes that my mother would be willing to assist her. When my mother turned her away, I offered to help. When Harry told me about the bastard, I was all too eager to help make her ex pay for his sins.
Oh, don't worry, it wasn't anything too bad, just a little hex to make sure that he could never perform sexually with any woman he ever loves. It’s my hope that he one day realizes what he lost with Harry and will come back to see the beautiful little girl he left behind. If he does, then the curse will be lifted. Simple. Call it a karmic cocktail, if you will.
That was what led me to meeting Harry and beautiful little Ivy, who was only two months old at the time.
Ivy has visited me many times now, and while I wish I could show her my magic, it’s forbidden to do so until she’s old enough to swear not to reveal it. Harry understands that. She wouldn't dream of letting her daughter get involved in something that could potentially cost her life if she revealed it to the wrong person.
It still sucks, though. Ivy, Harry, and I are extremely close, and I know me leaving is going to break their hearts. Harry wants to tell Ivy herself, and I respect that, but I still wish I could at least say goodbye. It’s so hard leaving her. I had become almost a second parent to Ivy. She doesn't deserve me up and leaving on her like this.
I wipe away the tears that have fallen and refill my glass of wine before taking a seat in my chair, hoping to relax a little before I start packing.
Harry has arranged for a storage company to come pack up the house for me tomorrow, so I only really have to gather the clothes I want to take with me and any valuables I don’t want left behind.
While relaxing, I pick up my Kindle, determined to finish my book, especially since I’m unsure when I'll get the chance to read again.
While trying to get absorbed in the story, my mind keeps wandering to what exactly the Virginia pack will be like. All the rumours say they are very life-oriented, meaning they are interested in preserving life, rather than taking it.
The Maine pack however, well I’ve heard they tend to take in some of the most feral wolves out there. Not that many wolves are actually feral in the true sense of the word.
Being classed as feral just means they’re a wolf who doesn't want to live with the pack.
While rogues are few and far between, there are some wolves that just don't like to live under the Order's rule, and so choose to remain out in the human world blending in with the humans.
The Order usually doesn't stop them from leaving the packs, but they do try to make it as enticing as possible to stay, especially those who are mated, or with children on the way. They have been known to use threats against the children, although not directly of course. No, they make it seem like humans are the bloodthirsty monsters and would kill their kind for existing when I don’t believe it one bit. Sure, humans are scared of what they don’t know, but to kill a child? No, I don’t think even they are capable of something so ruthless.
Humans, while having been informed of our existence five hundred years ago, have long since forgotten about us for the most part. A special selection of the world’s human government, known by most of us as nothing more than Soldiers, is fully aware of our existence and have been for a long time. The sole reason they exist was because of our reveal to the humans. The vampires didn’t exactly ease the humans into the knowledge of our existence. No, one stupid vampire decided it would be a great idea to massacre a bunch of humans in an attempt to prove just because supernaturals hid in the dark, didn’t mean we were weak.
Well, his stunt worked. Humans all over the world began to fear us and the Soldiers were made out of that fear, to control us. The vampires though, became too cocky in their power and wanted nothing more than to bathe in the world’s blood.
A curfew was ordered worldwide for one night under the guise of a supposed bio threat in order to hide the truth from the few remaining oblivious humans.
The truth was that weapons had been developed that could destroy their kind. The night of the “bio threat,” the Soldiers swept in and wiped out the vampires across the world. They didn't even see the ambush coming, assuming the curfew was the humans giving in to their demands. They were too arrogant to see the humans as a threat.
As far as we were aware, only two vampires survived that night, and from there the Order was established. One of the two surviving vampires, a werewolf, and a witch, each from the most prominent lines of our species all came together to lead us. Their one mission–to prevent such a slaughter from ever happening again.
Unfortunately for the Order, when faced with extinction, the two remaining vampires became mad with their need to procreate and rebuild the race they had lost.
They became more vicious in their attacks, trying to turn any human they fed on, and even had the gall to go after a few children of the Soldiers who had been responsible for the loss of their race.
A team of government Soldiers took the wolf and witch of the Order hostage, demanding the vampires surrender.
In exchange for peace, the supernaturals were required to hand over any wolves that had the ability to turn humans, and surrender the last remaining vampires, including any that had successfully been turned in recent attacks.
With the Order having been backed into a corner, they had no choice but to do as the Soldiers demanded. Now, years later, wolves are dying out, just as the vampires were. Witches seem to have no problem with conception, so I guess I can understand why the Order decided to lift the cull on hybrids. Now they’re encouraging the blending of witches and wolves in the hopes it may save their kind. Though from what I remember from my werewolf classes, they can’t reproduce unless they’re bonded to their mate in an official binding ceremony. Not to mention that for such a ceremony to even happen, the two would have to be mates, or the binding wouldn’t take effect. Otherwise, I'm sure they'd be setting up a brothel of sorts to ensure every eligible witch had a chance to get with each available wolf.
So now here I am, ready to be shipped off the Virginia pack in the hopes that one of the wolves there is my mate. I doubt it’ll happen, but I assume they've just run out of better options. After all, if a wolf mates with a human without receiving prior approval from the human government, then it’s grounds for execution.
The last thing we want is for more death when the wolves are already dying out.
We witches seem to be in an okay place population-wise, but that could change at any time. Sure, there aren't as many of us as there used to be, but we still have triple the numbers of the wolves. It helps that our magic is easily passed on if we mate with a human.
On top of that, the Soldiers are nowhere near as strict on us as they are on the wolves. It’s kind of mind boggling to be honest. You'd think they'd be more than a little worried because we have the ability
to curse humans with infertility or even wipe them out in droves if we used dark magic.
Not that most witches would ever consider using dark magic. That stuff leaves a stain on your soul and sucks the energy from your lifeforce. The result, you have less magic than you began with.
I shake my head, feeling a little ill from the doom and gloom that comes from thinking about our races.
All I care about is love. Finding someone to love me for me and not leaving when my feelings become too deep. I can’t bear the thought of offering up a piece of myself again, only to have a man deny me with the old ‘it’s not you, it’s me,’ routine. Do they really think women buy that bullshit? When someone says ‘it's not you,’ we know damn well what they mean is ‘it definitely is you.’ Ugh, story of my life.
But then again, I may not meet a mate in the Virginia pack and will be forced to go to the Maine pack regardless. I can only hope the Maine pack isn't anything like what I've heard. They’re said to be ruthless and cunning, with a mindset similar to that of how vampires used to think.
As to whether any of it is true, I don’t have a clue. I've only met one or two wolves, possibly more, from the Maine pack but they didn’t stick around long enough for me to learn much.
You can't tell if someone’s a wolf unless they shift, or if they tell you of course. They have the ability to bury their wolf deep in their mind to conceal themselves from witches or other wolves and unless we use magic on them, there’s no way for us to know. Considering it’s rude to use magic on another supernatural without permission, wolves are usually able to maintain their secrecy.
And it would be ten times worse if we used our magic on a human. I could only imagine the backlash if someone found out, especially a member of the Soldiers.
For the most part, they leave us be as long as we keep in line, but if one of us was found to be using magic on a human, then I couldn't even imagine the steps that would be taken to track the individual down and have them punished. Hopefully, that kind of thing doesn't happen again any time soon.
We've been living a good life, and that doesn't need to change. War with the humans would lead to too many casualties on both sides.
I set my Kindle to the side, my mind too uneasy to focus on my book. I may as well get started on packing.
I trudge up the stairs and spend the rest of my night drinking wine and boxing up the items I know I won't take with me. Some of these things were impulse buys, but if I haven’t needed them by now, then I doubt I will while I’m gone.
I only plan on bringing a few things, namely my clothes and a few pairs of shoes. There won't be much need for anything else, though I'll probably take my laptop and Kindle just in case.
I may not get the time to do anything while I’m there, but on the off chance I get a little free time, I’d hate to borrow things that I already own. Besides, I hate using someone else’s laptop. It feels like an invasion of their privacy.
For instance, I once opened my friend’s laptop to email a client, only for the web browser to still be open on a surprisingly graphic webpage. One that I was shocked and not at all interested in finding out my friend frequented. There’s knowing and then there's seeing, and trust me, some things can't be unseen.
I glare over at the phone in the corner. I know I should let a few people know that I'm leaving, but it feels like too much effort. The only real friends I have are more acquaintances than anything. That is, apart from Harry and Ivy, and they already know about my departure.
I never was the trusting kind of person, and when the one person you let in and give your trust to betrays you, well you learn to never let people get that close again.
As it was, it took a lot of effort on my part to let Harry and Ivy into my life. Despite my desire to maintain my distance, they both wormed their way in somehow and never gave me the chance to leave. But now, I have no choice.
I pick up the phone and quickly call the few people who would notice my absence. I heave a sigh of relief five minutes later when I’m done. None of them seemed to need too much of an explanation, which is better than I could have expected. I hate long drawn-out conversations.
Some would say I’m an introvert, but really, I just hate fake. Fake people and their fake positive lives. Why lie and tell people your life is better than it really is? Or better yet, why tell people your life is so horrible when there are plenty of positives if you only just look for them. It gets too tiring dealing with everyone’s drama, and I’m too blunt to pretend to care.
My life here in this town is most likely over. If I find a mate, then I will have to move in with the pack. If I don't, then I will still most likely move away from here.
It’s time for a change. I need to let go of the past and find a way to move forward with my life. Staying here and waiting for someone who may never come back is just destroying me and keeping me from moving on.
I look down at my now packed bags and smile. Time for a fresh start.
Three
Jasmine
The flight from Miami to Charleston was just under five hours. When we landed, I was eager to get to my feet and stretch.
The last two days have been a whirlwind of activity as I got the house packed up and ready for renters while I'm gone. Anytime I leave to visit clients across the country, it gets rented pretty quick because of the proximity to the beach.
I even have regular renters who contact me anytime they plan to visit the area to see if I was out of town and if the house was available. They absolutely love my house and the facilities that are close by, which is another reason why I bought the place.
Being close to the beach was my first pro in the long list of things that attracted me to it. The next was the plaza of boutiques just a street away, which houses a grocery mart, a nail salon, and a small spa. Perfect for a woman to have close by, especially when I'm the type of person who would hate to be surrounded by people on the train just to get to the closest mall.
But none of that matters anymore. I need to focus on the future. I haven't told Harry I'm planning on selling the house yet, but I think she sensed it when we said goodbye this morning. She knew I wouldn't be coming back.
As I walk out of the gate and into the crowded airport, I straighten my back and push through the swarm of people who for some reason feel the need to huddle in on each other like idiots. I hate germs almost as much as socializing, so you can probably imagine how awful this feels for me.
When I finally clear the swarms of people, I breathe a sigh of fresh air and take a moment to centre myself. My magic is building inside me, the new surroundings causing a need to expel my nervous energy, but I can't do that right now unfortunately. No, now I need to get my bags and find the person who’s supposed to escort me to the pack.
I got an email yesterday morning advising me I would be met at the airport by a pack escort, so I didn't get lost. It felt a little weird, to be honest. I mean, I know where the pack is, and I could have gotten there perfectly fine. Although to be fair, the hassle of renting a car and returning it would have been more than I was willing to deal with when I have more important things to focus on, like finding and becoming a mate to some wolf that will want me. At least, I hope that’s what will happen.
When I approach the baggage claim carousel, I spot a man standing off to the side and watching the crowd as if looking for someone. I smirk at the sign he's holding up. It reads clear as day 'JASMINE THE WITCH.’ That's not the worst of it, though. All around the words, he's drawn pictures of broomsticks, cauldrons, and frogs.
His brown eyes stare down the people who walk by with a look of pure mischief. If I didn't know any better, I'd say he was challenging the humans to call him out on it. People walk by, and their eyes are drawn to his sign before quickly moving on, giving him odd side glances as they pass like they would a crazy man, and I can’t say I blame them. The intensity with which he's looking around at the humans is a little disconcerting.
What a way to reveal to the world ther
e are other creatures out there, with a sign that announces I'm a witch. Sure, most of the humans will think it’s just some kind of inside joke between the two of us, but we both know the truth.
I grab my bags and make my way over to the tall man, who grins crazily when a group of tourists pause to stare at his sign.
When I stop in front of him, his smile widens. "I’m guessing you’re either Jasmine, or a witch who's about to growl at me for my sign."
The light teasing nature of his voice makes me smile in response. "Yes, I'm Jasmine. I take it you're my escort back to the pack?"
He grins wildly. "That I am, young witch. Do you need some help with your bags?" he asks, looking down at my two overstuffed bags, frowning in confusion. I guess he thought I'd only be here for a day or two based on my amount of luggage.
I hike my bag over my shoulder and look down at the wheelie bag in my hand before smirking back at him. "Nope, I'm good."
The man chuckles, his pale brown eyes lighting up in amusement. "Oh, you're going to be fun to have around. The last witch we had was a bit of a bore. She was such a prima donna and pretty much made us do everything for her. I swear I saw her make a wolf take off his shirt and use it to wipe her shoes clean because one of the pups splashed mud on them."
He shakes his head in horror. "All she did the whole week she was with us, was complain about how unfair her life was. She didn't want a wolf mate and to be brutally honest, I think there were a lot of males who were glad she wasn't theirs. I do however, feel sorry for the Maine pack now. They don't know the trouble they're getting with that one." He shudders, but his voice suggests he would love to be a fly on that wall when that shit went down.
I'm a little shocked by his blunt honesty about the witch who visited before me. I don't quite know how to respond to this, especially when in a week’s time, he could very well be talking about me like this to someone else.