Bitten (The Wiccan Way Book 7)

by Nicole Coverdale

  Jade nodded. “Yup. We got it.”

  “Hey! Someone’s letting out the hostages!”

  The shout sounded down the hallway, and Matthew’s head jerked up. “Jezebel!”

  “Wait! Matthew! It’s not safe!” Josslyn shouted, rushing after him.

  “Wait! Josslyn!”

  “You good to see this through?” Elijah asked, glancing over at Julie.

  “Are you kidding? I live for this stuff!” Julie cried, grabbing his hand and dragging him forward. “Oh, by the way, I had an ultrasound done yesterday. We’re having twins.”

  Elijah stumbled. “You’re not serious.”

  “As serious as a heart attack.”

  “Julie, I’m going to have five kids!”

  “And two of them are going to be boys.”

  Elijah dragged her to a stop. “We’re having boys?”

  Julie nodded. “A first in my family.”

  “Julie!” Elijah grinned, pulling her close. “I love you!”

  “And I love you. Now let’s go vanquish this damned vampire queen!”

  “You do realize you scared me half to death, right?” Ashwin asked, as he lifted Jade up into his arms and hurried after the others. “I don’t know what I would have done if…”

  “I know,” Jade whispered, laying her head on his shoulder. “But you would have done the same thing. You and I are similar that way, Ashwin. We’ll do whatever it takes to save the ones we love.” She smiled, touching his cheek. “I love you, Ashwin.”

  Ashwin smiled, arching a brow at her. “Oh. Do you now?” He chuckled. “I love you too, Jade.”

  “Josi?” Josslyn slid to a stop, staring at her daughter in shock. “What are you doing here?”

  “Did you really think I was going to let you guys have all the fun?” Josi asked, propping her hands on her hips. “We’re getting all the hostages out of here!” She raced forward, engulfing Jami in a tight hug, and then embracing Josslyn. “Thank God you’re okay!”

  “Your sister did good… again,” Josslyn said, winking at Jami. “So did your Aunt Jade. Together they saved me, but I am getting a bit sick of being the only around here who’s almost died. I feel like a cat with nine lives!”

  “Oh. Please don’t be a cat,” Caleb said, wincing. “We would never be compatible.”

  “Josi!”

  The shout sounded on the other side of the door, and Josi raced forward. She wrapped her hand around the handle, dragging it open. “They’re coming!”

  “Come on, Jordyn, it’s just a little further!” Jessi shouted as they raced down the path, glancing over her shoulder at the beasts that were chasing them. “You do know what this place is, right?”

  “Yup! The chamber of hell. I read about it in the book,” Jordyn said, tightening her grip around Jezebel, as she lay in her arms. “Don’t worry, Jez, we’re almost there. You’ll see your Daddy again. I promise.”

  Jezebel sniffed, nuzzling into her shoulder, and Jordyn’s heart clenched. Poor kid. She doesn’t deserve any of this.

  “Come on!” Jessi shouted, gesturing to the twenty-three other kids, who were racing behind her. “We’re almost there. Josi! Open the door!”

  The door slid open, and they glanced behind them as the winged beasts got closer. “They’re getting closer! What are those things?”

  “Varguses,” Jorja and Jasmine said in unison, as they appeared in a reign of light next to Sky. “Everyone, close your ears!” She opened her mouth. “Ahh!”

  The four winged beasts let out a shriek, stumbling backward, and the girls raced through the door with the other kids right on their heels.

  “There!” Josi slammed the door shut, flipping the lock, staring through the window at the winged beasts. “Take that, you bastards!”

  “Girls, you need to get out of here,” Josslyn said, nodding to the four girls. “Ashwin, can you give them a ride home?”

  Ashwin nodded. He pointed a finger, a portal opening up behind them. “Go.”

  “Jezebel!” Matthew raced forward, taking his daughter from Jordyn. “Thank you,” he whispered, tears brimming his eyes as he stared at the girls. “For everything you just did.”

  “Of course,” Jordyn said, squeezing his hand. “You’re family. Plus it was the right thing to do.” She turned, gesturing to the kids behind them. “Let’s go home!”

  The disappeared through the portal.

  “You should probably go too,” Elijah said, nodding to Jade. “You’re weak.”

  “She can’t,” Jasmine told him. “We need her to help with Jax. It’s going to take all of us. Come on!” She turned and raced down the path.

  “Jasmine! Wait!” Sky raced after her. “You can’t just go barging after them. They’ll kill you!”

  “Not if I kill them first!”

  “I kind of second that,” Josslyn said, as they raced around the corner. “After all, the bitch has only tried to kill me twice!”

  “Josslyn! Little ears, remember?” Julie shouted, pointing to her stomach.

  “Oh please!” Josslyn rolled her eyes. “They’ll be hearing about demons and stuff! They can handle anything!”

  They hurried up the steps, rounding the corner.

  “Look! There they are!” Jorja shouted. “They’re getting away!”

  “Jax! Get them!” Talia shouted, turning, and stabbing a finger at them. “Protect me!”

  “With pleasure, Mother,” Jax said turning and lifting her hands. Knives appeared above her hand, spinning in a circle, and flinging toward them.

  “No!”

  Josslyn flung her hands up, a stream of ice sailing through the air and knocking the knives to the ground.

  “Yes!” Jax shouted, flinging another knife forward.

  “No!” Josslyn glanced over at her sisters. “Hey, guys, I can’t keep doing this much longer, somebody do something!”

  “We need to release her soul back to her!” Jade shouted. “Jasmine, do you have her soul?”

  “Right here!” Jasmine cried, holding up the vial.

  “We’ve gotta say it now!” Jorja shouted, linking hands with her sisters.

  “Sister of mine. Sister of the.

  Through time and space, you have known nothing but pain.

  Open your heart. Open your mind, and come back to us.

  Come back to us, our sister.

  We need you. We need our sister.”

  Jasmine opened the vial, watching as Jax’s soul flung high into the air, and headed straight for Jax.

  “No!” Talia let out a scream, lifting her hand.

  “Nah. Uh. Uh.” Jasmine shook her finger, flinging her hand out, holding Talia in place. “You’ve caused enough pain already. This you are going to watch.”

  “Jax!”

  Jax gasped, her body jerking, as the soul seeped into her. She screamed, falling to her knees, her eyes turning black to white, back to black, and finally to a familiar shade of blue.

  “You.” She raised her head, staring at Jasmine. “I remember you. You were at my wedding!”

  Jasmine nodded, a tear streaking down her cheek. “Yes. I was.”

  “You told me who I was. You’re the first person to ever tell me the truth,” she whispered. “And you!” She swung toward Talia. “You used me! You manipulated me. You lied to me. You pitted me against my family. I…” She let out a scream, flinging her hands forward. Metal spikes flung from her hands, piercing through Talia’s chest.

  “Jax!”

  . Talia screamed, dropping to her knees as the spikes pierced through her chest. “Don’t do this! I took care of you. I loved you. I raised you. I raised you as my own. Please, don’t do this!”

  “You never treated me like your child,” Jax said, striding forward and hunkering down, staring into Talia’s dark eyes. “You took my soul! The one thing, that made me… me! Without it, I was in constant war with myself. I didn’t know what to feel. I didn’t know what to think, and it was only when I met Matthew that I truly knew what love meant.�
�� She rose to her feet, crossing to Matthew. She stopped in front of him, staring up into his kind face. “Matthew, I am so sorry,” she whispered. “What I did to you. What I did to Jezebel…” She sniffed, shaking her head, as she touched Jezebel’s cheek. “I…”

  “It’s okay,” Matthew said, reaching forward and grasping his hand in hers. “Because as much as I wanted to hate you for what you did, I couldn’t. I still love you, Jax. I always have, and I always will. We’re bound together, Jax. You and I, and I will never, evet let you go. Even after we divorced, I knew something wasn’t right. I knew I couldn’t let you go, it’s why I went to such great lengths to find you. I love you, Jax.”

  “You are amazing,” Jax whispered, cupping his face in her hands. “How did I ever get so lucky? And all of you.” She turned, glancing over at the family she’d never even known she’d had. “Thank you for everything you’ve done for me. How can I ever repay you?”

  “You’re family Jax,” Jasmine told her, as she leaned back against Sky. “You don’t ever have to repay us. It’s what we do for the ones we love.”

  “Speaking of family, there is one last thing we have to do, isn’t there?” Jorja asked.

  Josslyn nodded. “Yes. Together?”

  They all nodded, turning toward Talia.

  “Blood of evil, blood of doom.

  You’ve made a lifetime of causing gloom upon us, upon our loved ones, our family, now it’s our turn to return the favor.

  Through time and space, you shall be erased, and trapped down into the depths of hell from eternity and beyond!”

  The ground shook, and they all gasped, as the ground opened up underneath Talia. She screamed, her body dipping downward into the depths of hell.

  “Now, that is a sight I never get tired of,” Jade whispered, wrapping her arms around Ashwin. “Good riddance.”

  “Took us long enough to defeat her,” Julie added. “Can we go home now?”

  “You fools,” Alana narrowed her eyes on them. “You don’t know what you’ve done!”

  “Oh, Alana, will you just shut up!” Ashwin cried. “You’ve lost! Now we can focus on saving you!”

  “Oh, you fool. There’s no saving me,” Alana said, grinning wickedly. “And I promise, all of you will suffer. I guarantee it.” She whipped around, disappearing in a blur.

  “We need to go after her,” Elijah whispered.

  “We will, but not today,” Ashwin said, glancing down at Jade. “Right now, we have more important things to take care of. Now, let’s go home.” He smiled at Jax. “All of us.”

  Chapter 35

  “Sky, my man! It’s been too long!” Connor clapped his hand on Sky’s shoulder, taking in the new house behind them. “This is it? This is the new house?”

  “Yup. This is it,” Sky said, wrapping his arm around Jasmine and pulling her close. “Jasmine, I’d like you to meet my brother, Connor.”

  “It’s nice to meet you,” Jasmine said, ignoring the hand Connor extended to her, and engulfing him in a hug. “Just a warning. I come from a family of huggers.”

  Connor laughed. “Oh, I like her, Sky! Much better than that other girl you dated. What was her name?”

  “Lexi.” Sky said, scowling. “Am I ever going to live that one down?”

  “Nope,” Sophia said, striding forward. She engulfed Jasmine in a hug. “Jasmine! Hi! I’m Sophia. Connor’s husband, and my children.” She pointed. “Matthew, Lisa, and Steph. Kids, come say hi!”

  “Hi!” They raced past them, racing into the back yard. “Oh my God! They have a pool!”

  “It’s too cold to swim!” Sophia shouted.

  “There’s a game of foosball being played downstairs!” Sky shouted. “Go join the fun.”

  “We will!”

  Sky laughed, watching as another car pulled up. “Mom.” He grabbed Jasmine by the hand, pulling her forward. “Jasmine, I’d like you to meet my mother, Sherilyn.”

  “Oh my God. Hi!” Jasmine rushed forward, gripping the older woman by the hands. “I am so happy to meet you!”

  “Likewise,” Sherilyn said, staring down at Jasmine, a huge smile spread out across her lips. “You’re a beautiful girl, and you make Sky happy. That’s all I can ever ask for.” She turned to the man next to her. “Jasmine, this is Shane. My husband.”

  “Hello.”

  “Nice to meet you.” Shane took her hand, bringing it to his lips.

  Jasmine laughed. “A charmer, aren’t you?”

  “Always,” Sherilyn said, rolling her eyes. “Come on, let’s go check out this house. It is gorgeous!”

  “Leave it to you to have a house warming party in the middle of January,” Winston said, shuddering, as he walked up to them. He sent Jasmine a smile. “And you must be the girl who stole my brother’s heart. The blonde, mystery girl he could never quite remember.”

  “Oh, he will always remember me,” Jasmine said, as Sky’s other brother pulled her into a hug. “What is it you always say?” she asked, glancing over her shoulder at Sky.

  “I will always find you,” Sky said, winking. He wrapped a hand around her shoulder, pulling her close. “Get away from my woman, Winston.”

  “Oh, you have nothing to worry about, Sky. That man is all mine,” Dillon said, walking up. He winked at Jasmine. “Hi, I’m Dillon. Winston’s husband and this is…”

  “Diego!” Jasmine cried, holding her arms out. “Oh, you are such a cutie!”

  “Uncle Sky!”

  “Well, I guess I know who the favorite is,” Jasmine said, pouting.

  “Oh, don’t feel so bad,” Sky said, laughing, as he took Diego from Dillon. “Diego and I bonded while I was lost. Come in, guys!”

  They all crowded into the house, and Jasmine smiled, watching as everyone sat around the table. “You doing okay, Jade?” she asked, taking a seat next to her sister, worry instantly filling her.

  “Agh. I feel like crap, but I’m getting there,” Jade said, sighing, as she lifted her glass of water.

  “What happened to you?” Stella asked, as she picked up the salad from the island and set it on the table.

  “She gave blood,” Ashwin said, as he pulled the turkey out from the oven. “And got a bit woozy, so I get the honors of cooking dinner.”

  “Hey, you’re not the only one cooking here,” Matthew said, rolling his eyes. “Who took care of the chicken? And the stuffing? And the mashed potatoes?”

  “You are a chef,” Elijah pointed out, as he placed a basket of rolls on the table. “So you kind of have us outnumbered.”

  “Right.” Matthew laughed, glancing over at Jax, as she held Jezebel. She looks so happy, he thought, sadness washing over him, knowing that their time together was going to be coming to an end very soon.

  “Girls!” Josslyn clapped her hands together. “Dinner’s ready!”

  Running feet sounded, the four girls racing into the room, along with Sky’s nieces and nephew.”

  “Where are we sitting?” Jami asked.

  “At the end of the table,” Jorja said, pointing. “That’s where the kids get to sit.”

  “Where on earth did you find such a big table?” Sherilyn asked as she took a seat, staring down at the smiling faces around her.

  “We didn’t,” Jasmine said, glancing at Sky. “Sky made it.”

  “Oh! You are so good with your hands,” Sherilyn murmured.

  “I bet Jasmine can attest to that,” Julies said under her breath.

  Everyone hooted.

  “Do you need me to help with anything?” Jax asked, looking over at Ashwin.

  “No. You just sit right there. Caleb, did you find the wine?”

  “I found too much wine!” Caleb cried as he walked into the room. “What did you do? Buy out the liquor store?”

  Josslyn shrugged, handing him the corkscrew. “We’re five… six women living in the same household. We’re bound to go through a lot of wine.” She grinned at him. “It also makes me do some crazy things.”

  “Maybe you
and I will get crazy one of these days,” Caleb whispered in her ear, wagging his brows. “But then again, you do still owe me that first date.”

  “Yes. I do. And I’m guessing you will not let me forget about it anytime soon.”

  “Not even a tiny bit.”

  Josslyn grinned, ducking her head. “Jax. Can I see my niece?”

  “Absolutely!” Jax handed Jezebel to Josslyn, and Josslyn sighed, staring down into her dark, blue eyes. “I missed this with my own kids,” she whispered. “Seeing their first steps. Listening to their first words. Even their first diaper change.” She sniffed, wiping a tear from her eye. “I wish I could go back and change it.”

  “You’re here with them now. That’s what matters,” Stella told her, lifting her glass, staring around at everyone around her. “A toast. To the family I had. To the family I’ve found, and to the family I’m just getting to know.”

  “Cheers!”

  They clanged their glasses together, and Sky cleared his throat. “Before we eat, there’s something I want to say.” He said, rising to his feet and glancing all around him. “You know, I’ve envisioned this moment for so long,” he whispered, glancing down at Jasmine. “When I lost my way. When I lost my memories, forgetting who I was, I felt so lost. Like I would never climb out of my hole, but then there you were.” He nodded to Stella. “You pulled me out. You brought me home. To a family, I never knew I even lost, and then I found you… again.” He glanced over at Jasmine. “Seeing the way I hurt you that day when I told you we could never be together, it tore me in two. I didn’t understand why, until I remembered who I was. Until I remembered who you were. Who we were, and I don’t want to waste another moment.” He set down his glass, taking her hand in his, and getting down on one knee. “Which is why, I’m going to ask you this, in front of everyone we love.” He reached into his pocket, pulling out a box and flipping it open, revealing a solitaire princess cut diamond imbedded in a rose gold band. “Jasmine, I love you. I loved you from the very moment I laid eyes on you, and I can’t imagine spending my life with anyone else. I want to marry you. I want to spend the rest of my days with you. I want to grow old with you and have kids with you. Will you do me the honors of becoming my wife and marrying me?”