by Vivian Wood
Soon after that Jasper began to lose himself in the sensation, the dense sweet heat of her body against his cock blocking out all thought and reason. His thrusts became wild, brutal in their strength and relentless in speed.
The orgasm rushed him unexpectedly, drawing down utter blackness for a long moment as he thrust and shouted Maddie’s name. The shattering was so sweet and complete that it nearly killed him when it ended; it was only seeing his mate’s sweetly languid body beneath to his own that kept him from feeling bereft.
Jasper sunk to the floor where some of the drapes lay scattered, pulling Maddie down with him. She moaned but didn’t truly protest, coming easily into his arms. Tucking her against his body, Jasper sucked in precious air as he fought to slow his heartbeat. Running a hand along Maddie’s body from shoulder to hip, he felt her muscles shaking with the aftershocks of her orgasms. He smiled to himself, proud that he’d completely sated his lovely mate.
A shudder ran through Maddie’s body, different in tenor than the previous ones. Thinking she might be cold, Jasper wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her closer. She made a muffled sound, which slowly built under Jasper could understand it as a soft cry.
“Madd?” he asked, alarmed. He sat up, rolling her over to face him. Her features were scrunched, fat tears leaking from her eyes and rolling down her face freely. Had he been too forceful, mistaking her pain for pleasure?
“What’s wrong?” he asked, giving her a little shake when she didn’t respond.
“I can’t,” she said, her lower lip quivering.
“Can’t what? Are you hurting?” Jasper asked, raking his eyes over her body to ascertain the problem.
“Not like that,” she said, gulping back another sob.
“I don’t understand. What did I do wrong?”
“That’s just it. You did everything just right. You’re really my mate now,” she said, sounding miserable. Wiping away her tears, she sat up and groped for her bra and panties. As she began to dress, Jasper stared at her open-mouthed. For once, he was at a complete loss.
“Isn’t that a good thing?” he managed to ask after a moment.
Maddie found her dress, pulling it down over her head in angry jerking motions. She got it stuck around her shoulders, prompting Jasper to stand and help her right the garment.
“Well?” he asked.
“Gods, Jas. You don’t even realize what you’ve done, and I don’t know how I’m supposed to tell you,” she huffed.
“Tell me what? What is it that I’ve screwed up so completely?” he asked, scowling. He grabbed his pants and began to redress himself.
“You don’t see it? You’re making me choose now. If I follow through with my plans, I lose you. If I stay with you, I lose my chance to see the world. How the hell am I supposed to make a choice like that?” Maddie snapped, furious now.
Buttoning his shirt, Jasper could do nothing more than shake his head.
“That was never my intention, Madd.”
“No? All that dominance and marking and you weren’t trying to prove anything to me?”
“Of course not.”
“Bullshit!” she hissed, pointing a finger at him. Jasper had to restrain himself from grabbing her and turning her over his knee.
“What is this really about?” he asked, crossing his arms and leveling her with a suspicious gaze.
Wiping away the last of her tears, Maddie shot him a glare but didn’t answer his question.
“I mean it. You wanted to know how I feel about you. I just gave you everything, Madd. You’re my mate, and I care for you. Only for you. I belong to you as much as you belong to me,” Jasper declared, stepping toward her and grabbing one of Maddie’s hands to draw her closer. She came to him against her will, stiff even as her wrapped his arms around her. Only slowly did she relax into his embrace, leaning her head against her chest.
“Now will you tell me what’s going on?” he asked, his voice quiet.
“I—” she started, swallowing. “I screwed up my birth control a couple of days ago, missed a pill. I didn’t think we were going to be on good terms, so I didn’t have a backup plan. But then this happened… I didn’t think— it doesn’t matter. I screwed up, not you.” Her voice was bleak.
Jasper was silent for a long beat, absorbing the information. Maddie was upset that she might be carrying his child, and that her freedom might be taken away as a result.
“I see,” he said, releasing her. He turned and found his tie, slipping it back into place and trying to remake the knot with shaking hands.
“I’m so sorry, Jasper,” Maddie said, coming to his rescue. She took the tie from his hands, forming the knot as if she’d been doing it every day of her life.
“Sorry?” he echoed, not entirely listening.
“I know you aren’t very fond of the idea of having children,” Maddie said, looking up at him with a sorrowful expression. “I can understand if… I mean, there are options. Emergency contraception and stuff. I just don’t want to drive you away.”
Her words were cut off abruptly as Jasper gripped her arms and gave her a shake. It seemed all he did these days was try to shake sense into his mate, his lovely mate whose way of thinking made him crazed.
“Stop. Talking,” Jasper growled, unwilling to hear any more of her rambling.
Maddie’s mouth started to quiver again, which meant tears were not far off.
“Are you trying to imply that I wouldn’t want our child?” Jasper asked, trying to keep his temper under control.
“You’ve always said that families were fucked up,” Maddie said, her brow furrowing.
“Gods, Madd. I can’t even comprehend how your mind works sometimes. I thought you were trying to tell me that you didn’t want to be tied down by having my child,” he explained.
Her jaw dropped for a moment, her expression almost comical.
“Oh,” she finally said. “I can see— after what I said about you taking away my choices…”
Jasper nodded, his jaw tense.
“Oh Jas, I don’t feel that way at all. I do want to travel, of course… but…” Maddie trailed off, confused.
“It’s okay. I understand that you have some things to think about. We don’t have to talk about it now if you’re not ready.”
Maddie nodded, throwing herself into his arms with a grateful hug.
“I want to tell you a story,” he said, keeping her pressed tightly against his body when she would have drawn away.
“Okay…” she said, tears in her voice.
“Once upon a time,” Jasper started with a smile, “there was a boy lucky enough to meet his mate in childhood.” He let the sentence hang for a long moment, but other than dragging in a big breath Maddie didn’t respond. He continued, encouraged.
“He loved her the first time they spoke, sitting next to each other on a bus leaving Atlanta and carrying them to their new home. The girl asked about his parents, and he told her his secrets. He told her he wasn’t the least bit sorry to see his father go. He cried, and the girl held his hand and didn’t judge him. She was the first person in his life to make him feel safe.”
He looked down at Maddie, who bit her lip and stared off past his shoulder. He couldn’t gauge her reaction, so he pressed on.
“He loved her every minute after that, every second. He loved her so much that when there was talk of moving her out of the Louisiana pack, he offered himself in her place long before she even knew about it. He did it for her, even though it killed him to leave. He loved her that much.”
Maddie looked up, startled. Jasper merely gave her a soft shrug and continued his speech.
“As they were growing up, he watched her from afar. He watched her bloom into a young woman and loved her still, so much that he kept his distance — because how could a boy like him be good enough for a girl like that? She’d already given him his life back, and given him a heart. He didn’t dare to ask her for anything more than that.”
“Jas—
” Maddie started to say, but he cut her off.
“Just let me talk, Madd. This boy, he tried to replace the girl with other females, but none of that worked. He put everything he had into his pack, but at his core he was empty.”
Jasper squeezed her, loving the way her body felt against his. His female. His mate.
“Finally the male had a chance to be with the female. She gave him a chance, and he jumped at it. He did everything he could to sway her into committing to him, anything he could do to get close to her heart.”
Maddie gave him a wry smile, shaking her head in disbelief.
“Now it’s your turn,” he said, coming to a standstill and looking down at her.
“My turn?” she asked, returning his gaze.
“The rest of the story is out of my hands, Madd. I can love you all I want, but I can’t make you choose me. All I can do is hope that when you do settle, it will be with me,” Jasper said, taking both her hands in his own.
Maddie looked sad for a long moment, which made his heart break a little.
“It’s not about that, Jas. It’s never been about what I feel for you. We’re heading in two different directions, though. You have your pack, and I have mine. You have your plans, and I want to travel before I settle down and start…” she trailed off, biting her lip.
“Start what?” he coaxed, curious.
“I want to have a family. I want to live down the road from my brother and his family. I’ve been letting myself pretend that I can do without those things, that I could trade them in if I loved you enough. And maybe I can. I’m just afraid—” she cut off suddenly, shaking her head. He could see tears glistening at the corners of her eyes, and he nodded in understanding.
“You don’t want to live with regrets,” he finished.
“Yes.”
“I don’t want you to, either. I want you to have everything,” he said, squeezing her once more before releasing her.
“So what do we do?” Maddie asked, her lower lip trembling.
Before Jasper could even try to answer her question, the storage room door opened. Shaw Geauxdreaux loomed in the doorway, squinting into the darkness.
“A little privacy, here?” Maddie protested, glaring at the new arrival.
“Not now, Madeline. This is important,” Shaw replied.
“What is it?” Jasper asked, impatient.
“Your Beta is calling, Jasper. It sounds like an emergency,” Shaw said. The other Alpha sounded upset, and something about his tone made the hairs on the back on Jasper’s neck rise.
“The pack,” he said, looking down at Maddie. He needed her to understand that the pack came first right now, no matter what his personal feelings were.
Maddie took his hand, lacing her fingers in with his. Jasper gave her a brief but grateful kiss on the lips, then turned and started toward Shaw.
42
“Are we going somewhere, Mommy?” Medea asked, her voice plaintive.
Circe finished lacing up her boots, then stood and faced the little girl. Stepping toward Mimi, Circe opened her arms and cooed as she folded the child in her embrace.
“Mommy has to go get Aunt Cassie. We talked about this, remember?”
Medea nodded, her expression grave. Though she put on a brave face, Circe read violent waves in the little girl’s aura. For a moment Circe wavered, wondering if she shouldn’t just take the girl and run before it was too late. After all, Cassandra had never been a particularly strong witch. Medea was already more promising, despite her youth. All Circe really needed was a battery, a witch whose innate magic Circe could draw on to strengthen her own considerable abilities. Medea was so close to being strong enough, and she was already malleable to Circe’s will. Unlike some ungrateful siblings Circe could think of…
But no. Circe shook her head at her own train of thought. It would be at least a year before Medea was ready, and until then Circe would be stuck dragging the kid around. Circe needed Cassandra. Not just for her magic, but also to take care of Medea until the little girl matured fully. Then when the time was right…
“Mommy?” Medea asked, cutting into Circe’s thoughts. The child had gone stiff in her arms, obviously aware that Circe’s mind had drifted.
Circe released the girl and knelt down, putting her hands on Medea’s shoulders.
“I’ll be back so fast, you won’t even notice I’m gone,” Circe promised.
“Why can’t I come with you?”
“Because there will be some bad people, and they might try to snatch you away,” Circe explained, brushing a hair back from Mimi’s forehead.
“But if Aunt Cassie isn’t with you, how will you fight them? I thought you couldn’t do magic without Aunt Cassie’s help,” Medea said.
Standing abruptly, Circe turned away from Medea to mask her own expression. The child was perceptive, more so than Circe truly appreciated.
“Well,” Circe said as she straightened her skirts. “I’ll just have to do the best I can, won’t I?”
When she turned back, Medea’s expression had slid back to a mask of fear. Good, let her realize just whose side she should be on. Cassandra might be the dutiful babysitter, but Circe was their protector. A reminder that Circe wasn’t infallible on her own should put the girl in her place.
“But you are going to bring Aunt Cassie back, right?”
“Yes!” Circe snapped. “Your precious Aunt is going to be fine.”
Medea opened her mouth to respond, but luckily Monsignor Sunderland chose that moment to open the chamber door.
“It is time,” he said, his eyes darting between Circe and Medea.
“Finally,” Circe huffed, breezing out of the room. Without looking back, she smirked. By the time she returned, Medea would be a mess, wondering if Circe had abandoned her forever. The child would be overjoyed, adding one more small tic to the tally of gratitude she owed Circe.
Once Cassandra was back in Circe’s care and back under control, things would be aligned perfectly. The battery, and her not-so-distant replacement, would be safe. Circe would be at full strength again, and able to do as she wished. The Legion would be far behind them; ahead, nothing but the finest life had to offer. Anything Circe wanted, at her fingertips.
Flanked by guards, Circe followed Sunderland outside and allowed him to usher her into a Hummer. The guards piled in all around her, as if they could stop her should she choose to flee. Shaking her head, Circe focused on the fight ahead instead of the idiots surrounding her.
Circe pictured the battle, running her tongue over her teeth. It would be chaos, as was any fight against Circe. Fires everywhere, explosions, curses flying.
She smiled. Those stupid werewolves had no idea what was coming. They were about to learn what happened when you stole the sister of a very powerful witch.
43
“Over here,” Shaw said, leading Jasper and Maddie to a quiet corner of the mess hall. Stopping by a phone, he turned to Jasper.
“Your Beta has been calling you, but couldn’t reach you on your cell,” Shaw explained, lifting the receiver and handing it over. With a shock, Jasper realized he’d turned his phone off for the mating ceremony and had forgotten to turn it back on. Cursing himself, he answered the call.
“Gwen?” he asked, wincing at the incredible volume in the background on her end.
“Jasper! We’re under attack!” his Beta hissed. He heard the report of a rifle in the background, and Gwen let out a string of curses.
“Who is it?” he asked.
“Legion. They hit us hard, knew just how to get at us. I think there are some humans injured upstairs in the club, too. This is going to blow us wide open if any of us survive,” she panted.
Shaw cut in with a wave of his hand.
“We have a helicopter, and we have backup. We can be there in an hour,” the alpha offered, his brow knitted.
“Okay. Gwen, we’re flying in via helicopter. Get everyone locked down as best you can, and we’ll be kicking your doors down be
fore you know it. An hour, at the most,” Jasper promised.
“Yes, sir!” Gwen said, disconnecting the line.
“I’ll spread the word,” Shaw promised. Jasper just nodded and took off following Maddie, who was already sprinting for the spot they’d parked just outside the circle of buildings that formed the Den. She managed to strip off her dress as she ran, startling several drunk partygoers before she made it to Jasper’s Benz.
Jasper popped the trunk to the car, stripping and pulling on a pair of running sweats. Maddie changed into jeans and a tee shirt, and Jasper could hear the sound of a chopper starting up on the other side of the Armory.
Grabbing Maddie by the hand, Jasper raced toward the sound. When they arrived, breathless, they were greeted by a tense circle of men.
“You’re not going!” Jesse was snarling at Jace. Maddie took one look at Jesse, 6’6 of solid muscle and a buzz-cut to herald his military background, and swallowed. She loved her brother, but he would get trounced in this fight. Jesse was a freaking madman, besides.
“You don’t tell me where I go!” Jace roared, taking a step toward the other man.
“Shut it down!” Maddie shouted, pissed beyond belief. “We don’t have time for this shit! Jace, you are fifty pounds lighter than Jesse, and you have a baby on the way. Get out of the damned way!”
Jace turned and blinked at her, clearly surprised that she’d called him out like that. Did he not know her at all? Maddie rolled her eyes. She’d always choose to take care of her pack before worrying about her brother’s foolish pride.
Her heart stuttered for a moment when she realized that she now thought of the Alabama pack as her own. She pushed the thought aside, unwilling to waste time on it during a crisis.
Jesse, Shaw, Rhett, and Jasper climbed into the copter, with Declan piloting. At the last moment Maddie climbed in and sat on Jasper’s lap, putting a hand over his mouth to quell his protests. She’d be damned if he was going to go into a fight without her.
The others were dispatched to the Den’s stock of SUVs, instructed to drive toward the Bunker until they heard otherwise. Declan gunned the chopper, and they were on their way. Maddie just prayed they got there in time, because she and Jasper both knew what an attack by the Legion could be like.