“Air…can’t…breathe.” I wheeze, trying to push him off me.
“Fuck! Sorry.” He moves to lean on his hands and knees, giving me enough space to catch my breath, but not enough to get away from him.
He looks down at me as I cough and splutter, eventually catching my breath I look up at him hovering over me.
“You think I’m going to let you get away that easily?” He asks.
“I did before.” I smirk.
“Well you caught me by surprise that time. I didn’t know you were such a fast runner. I know now. Unfortunatelyfor you, you’re still a weak human,” he says, grinning now.
“Witch, and I’m not that weak.”
“What?” He asks, his grin long gone.
“Apparently I’m a witch too.” I nearly laugh at how quickly he climbs off of me.
He looks me over, his lip curling.
“Oh Jesus, not you too. What is with you wolves and witches?”
He starts to speak, evidently about to give me the history lesson I’ve already been given, but I put up my hand and shake my head. “I know the story, okay. I had nothing to do with that, so calm your jets.”
“Well, that explains the wicked ass shit you put Chelsea through when you caught that slag with Drake.” Ronny’s voice has me whipping my head around to see her.
“Ronny,” I whisper. I don’t know how I managed to stay away so long without talking to her. She runs the rest of the way to me, tackling me to the ground again. I wrap my arms around her holding her tight. I don’t stop the tears from flowing. I cry hard and I cry ugly, but her hands hold me tight, never losing their strength.
“Don’t cry. You’re going to make me cry as well.” I hear her husky voice as she tries to contain herself, but I can’t hold them back anymore. I haven’t slept in twenty four hours and it’s been one hell of a night; I just need to hold her.
I feel Jax’s presence as he steps closer, rubbing his hands through my hair at the back of my head trying to calm me.
Chapter 18
ALEX POV
“Go after her! Find her!” Johnny tells the twins. Nodding, they rush off after her.
“She’s too fast for them, Alpha. She’s a quick human and an even faster wolf, whether she turns or not doesn’t matter. She’s gone. Give her space, she needs time to process everything. She’ll be back,” I hear Jacob say. Johnny and I both choose to ignore him and he quietly leaves.
“I begged her to come back, Johnny. I managed to get through to her, but she said she had something she needed to do.” I look up to my mate, and he pulls me into his warm arms; it calms me to an extent. I attempt to pull away from him, but he doesn’t loosen his grip, he just gives me enough room to look into his eyes. “What if she doesn’t come back?”
He looks over my shoulder and says, “She will, this is her home.” I sense his uncertainty as he says the words.
****
I sit on my bed looking at the photo I have from my teenage years. James stands tall in the middle with his arms thrown over mine and Noelle’s shoulders. James and I have huge cheesy grins on our faces, but Noelle is blushing so bad even her ears are red. I remember how in love she was with my brother, and how much he loved her back; although neither could build enough courage to tell the other.
I remember the night that everything changed.
Nineteen years ago…
It was a late Sunday afternoon, the sun was setting early and the stars had already come out and were shining brightly. Every week our little family would take a walk down to the local park, where we’d sit and stargaze. It was my favourite day of the week, not only because we got to stay out later then all the other kids, but because Mom would tell me stories about her younger years. I would be enthralled as I sat listening to stories of when she had started to practise magic and learn the ways of the Wicca. I was months away from turning sixteen, so that meant I had only two more years until I was eighteen and would be allowed to experiment and practise my powers; I couldn’t wait.
My father had no supernatural powers whatsoever, but my mother was a powerful witch. Even though we were only allowed to practise magic after the age of eighteen, Mom was already teaching me spells and potions at the age of seven. She only taught me levitation spells for moving small light objects and a few herbal healing potions, but I still thought it was freaking amazing. I was sworn to secrecy though, I wasn’t even allowed to tell my best friend Noelle about it. She and I have been counting down the days till our eighteenth birthday since we were thirteen. There has never been a point in my life that I hadn’t known Noelle, she’d always been around and she always would. She was the only person that didn’t mind how sensitive I was, and I was the only person who didn’t mind her bluntness. We evened each other out, she made me a stronger person and I, well I made her rethink her words before she said them.
“Alex, James, are you two coming?” Mom calls out from downstairs.
Sitting in the middle of my bed, I put down my diary and race to my door. James nudges my shoulder as he walks out of his bedroom.
At sixteen, James is well sought after. Well, sought after by all the girls at school, including my friends. It doesn’t look as if he’s going to stop growing, he just keeps getting taller and taller and his shoulders get wider and wider. I’m pretty sure Noelle is even crushing on him now.
“Race you to the door?” He says. But he doesn’t give me a chance to reply because he’s already halfway down the staircase, making a loud racket as his bulk of a body sprints to the door.
“Son, not long now and you’re gonna be ducking your head to get through that door.” Dad chuckles, smacking James on his back affectionately as they exit the house.
Once I hit eighth grade my height also sprouted, I’m not a fan of it like James is though. I’m taller than most girls in my grade and it’s really hard being taller than most of the boys as well; I don’t feel very ladylike at all. Damn, I need to let up on all those romance novels I’ve been reading when my head isn’t in one of my mother’s Wicca books. When I’m not thinking about magic, I think of the day I’ll find a boyfriend that’s big and strong enough to protect me and keep me safe. To tell you the truth, I don’t think I’m going to him around here.
It’s not that I want a boyfriend right now or anything like that. I’m way too focused on learning the ways of magic and my people, but I’m at the age where all my friends have boyfriends now. I even think Noelle is seeing someone, she’s been rather quiet lately and she’s hardly around these days. I need to have a chat with her about that.
“Alex? You okay over there?” I shake my head as my mother’s voice filters through my thoughts. I look up to her and smile.
“Yeah. Let’s go, Ma.” She wraps her arm over my shoulders and I wrap my arm around her slender waist as we head out the door.
“You don’t want to ask Noelle to join us?” She asks.
James looks back at the mention of Noelle’s name and calls out, “This is meant to be a family bonding session.”
I frown at that and look to my mom. “She is family though.”
Mom doesn’t say anything, but James does, “No she isn’t.”
I don’t argue with him, I just continue to walk quietly alongside my mom. I’ll chat to Noelle later and ask her if something has happened between them. James has never said anything bad against Noelle before, something is going on and I don’t like it.
We find our usual spot in an open patch of soft grass. We laze around looking at the stars for an hour whilst listening to mom and dad talk about their week as well as talking about ours, chatting about the usual mundane stuff as we enjoy each other’s company.
A few hours later and it’s time to leave. I move to jump on dad’s back for a piggy back when a low growl filters through the quiet night. I look to my left and see the edge of the woods, shining eyes catching my attention. I’ve heard stories of wolves and other supernatural creatures that are out there, but I’ve never actually seen on
e.
“Mom, D…Dad,” I stutter, as my eyes stare at the huge shadow of an animal barely hidden in the treeline.
Mom appears at my side and gasps. She grabs my hand and starts walking backwards whispering, “David, James, walk backwards slowly. No sudden movements, if there’s one wolf there’s most probably more, they travel in packs… unless… unless it’s a rogue.” I’m not sure whether it’s my mother hands that are shaking or mine. Either way my body is trembling and my heart is beating fast.
The growling gets louder and the huge brown wolf comes out of the shadows. It bares its teeth and snarls as it growls. We’re all alone in the park and quite away from any houses. Besides what could a human do when facing a wolf, they wouldn’t be able to stop it.
Suddenly my mom turns and looks me in the eye, tears fall down her cheeks as she hold my own tear soaked cheeks in the palm of her hands.
“Alexandria, take your brothers hand. You need to go to the camp and get Noelle’s parents, tell them we need help.” I move my head to look where the wolf is, but my mom holds my head in place squishing my cheeks.
“No, when I tell you, you’re going to run and you’re not going to look back. Okay?” She forces the words out as her tears fall.
“I’m not leaving you and Dad behind,” James says.
“You don’t have a choice James, listen to your mother, take your sister and run as fast as you can. You hear me?” My father’s stern voice leaves no room for discussion, so James nods; his eyes are red but no tears fall.
“I love you two so much, don’t ever forget that,” my mother says, kissing both of us and pushing us away from her and my father. My father is reluctant to let me go, but as soon as he does, my mom yells at us to run.
James grabs hold of my hand and runs.
“Run! James don’t let go of her!” My father’s scream echoes across the park. “Run!”
The sound of my mother’s screams and my father’s yells have me yanking out of James tight grip, managing to get free. I turn around just in time to see the wolf jump my mother. It tackles her to the ground and reaches for her neck, I scream out and start running towards them but it’s too late.
James wraps his arms around me, trying to stop me from looking at the gruesome scene in front of me. I can’t keep my eyes off the wolf as it rips at my mother’s throat. My father is laying on the grass his back is facing me, but he doesn’t move. Through my tears I see my mother’s vacant stare as she lays on the ground with the wolf standing over her growling, blood dripping from his mouth.
“We need to go, please Alex.” My brother is absolutely petrified, I’ve never seen him this way before. I back away and James helps me off of the ground. The wolf stands a few feet away from us staring as if we’re his next meal. As soon as the wolf lunges for me, James pulls me back and wraps his arms around me. The wolf is gone before we even hit the ground. James lies on top of me still shielding me from danger, but through the gaps I see more wolves. I hear the sound of jaws snapping and then the sound of one long howl before silence ensues. I feel warm liquid running down my neck and chest. I push at James’s chest and he falls to the ground beside me.
I look down and see blood covering my chest and neck.
“James?” I look him over not caring about the wolves now surrounding us. I find the source of the blood on his shoulder. The rogue wolf didn’t get a chance to bite him hard, he just nipped him, but there’s so much blood. I cover the wound with my hand to try and stop him bleeding out.
“James? James, wake up.” I start crying and patting his face. I freeze when large, rough hands cover mine over the wound; the touch causing tingles to shoot through my body. I look up into the most beautiful eyes I’ve ever seen, he seems older than me but he’s the most handsome boy I’ve ever met.
“We need to get your brother some help, can you let go of him so our men can get him to the doctor?” He says softly, running his thumb over the top of my hand. I look down at James then back up to the beautiful boy in front of me.
“You’ll help him? You’re not going to hurt us like the other wolf did?” I blink back tears still not removing my hands from James.
The boy lifts one hand and runs his thumb across the apple of my left cheek. His touch causes a strange feeling of reassurance in me. I feel like he has given me a sedative, immediately stopping the blubbering mess I have become.
“I promise you we’ll help him. That wolf was a rogue, I can assure you that I personally saw to his death for causing you harm. I’ll keep you safe, I promise.” As soon as he removes his hand, the fear and worry I previously had consumes me. The boy helps James up and hands him off to two other larger men. I’m still kneeling on the grass as I take in my surroundings. Both wolves and fully clothed men surround me. The wolves look around the park like guard dogs, and a few of the men look at me with pity. My eyes turn to look at the two bodies that lie a couple metres away from where I sit. I stand up on shaky legs and run towards my father’s body since he’s closer.
“Daddy. Please wake up, Daddy.” I shake him even though I know it’s pointless. The blood that soaks the grass surrounding his body is enough to tell me he’s long gone.
I turn my attention to my mother’s broken body, but a bulky man stops me approaching her by wrapping his arms around my waist. I scream and cry and reach out for my mother on the ground.
“Get your hands off her. Right now!” The familiar voice is harsh and angry, the arms that are around me instantly let go and I fall to the ground. I crawl toward my mother’s body, her eyes are still open, she’s looking at the same spot she did moments before; sadly, they are lifeless. I know she is gone, but I can’t resist touching her one last time. I hold her hand to my cheek, she’s still warm, but her body seems heavier now.
What am I supposed to do without them? I don’t have any other family. I need them. There’s so much she still has to teach me, so many questions I have. She was supposed to be such an amazing witch, but she didn’t even use her magic to protect herself. Why? If magic is supposed to be so special then why didn’t she use it to defend us? I know about the conflict between wolves and witches. Did the rogue know that my mother was a witch? God, what if the pack helping us finds out about us being of Wicca blood, they’ll never help James, they won’t hesitate in killing us both.
I feel his presence as he kneels down facing me, he’s so close that I can feel the warmth coming from his body. I rub my cheek against my mother’s lifeless hand and can’t stop the tears from falling.
He slowly pulls my mother’s hand from my grasp and pulls me into his arms. It’s strange how I can’t resist him and how his presence soothes me. I wrap my arms around his neck and cry into his shoulder. I feel his lips on my neck as he speaks, “You don’t need to see all of this. Let’s get you back to your brother.”
I reach out for my mother again. “We can’t leave them here.”
He cups my cheek so that I have no other option than to look into his eyes; I can’t tell if they’re blue or green, but they’re so salient.
“My pack will sort it out, we’ll give them the burial they deserve,” he says, before gently kissing me. Everyone and everything ceases to exist at that very moment. My body is on fire, all that matters is his touch and the protection he is giving me and James. Confusion at what is happening washes over me. I am experiencing an intense attraction to a boy I don’t even know, yet somehow my body and soul are telling me that I want him, that I need him.
I soon find out that the boy’s name is Johnny. He stays with me the entire time we drove to his pack-house, never leaving my side, even for a moment. My head rests in the crook of his neck, and his hands run through my hair making me feel sleepy. He turns his head and moves to look at me, I keep my eyes closed, but his stare penetrates me.
“I can’t believe I found you. You’re so beautiful, my love,” he says, kissing my cheek tenderly.
I eventually fall asleep in his arms. I feel so safe with him, but I can’t hel
p feeling confused at his choice of words.
When we get to his pack house the doctors say that James isn’t going to make it. I beg and plead for them to help him. Johnny told me he’d do anything he could to save him, so I tell him about a witch I know that could help. He is reluctant at first, so is his father, but after more shed tears he agrees to allow Noelle’s mother to help.
The present day…
Noelle was utterly distraught when she saw James that evening so long ago. She stood and confessed her love to him in front of the entire room. It broke my heart knowing that he wasn’t awake to finally hear the way she felt about him.
Noelle’s mother insisted I kept the truth about my mother being a witch a secret. She too was unsure of what reaction they’d have to the news.
That night I learnt that I was Johnny’s mate. His parents welcomed James and I into their family, arranging our mating ceremony for the following day. Johnny didn’t want to wait, I had no idea what exactly a mating ceremony was, but I knew I wanted it just as much. Johnny’s family had many questions, they asked about my parents and how I knew about wolves and witches. I lied and told them that my parents were good friends with Noelle’s and that I had grown up knowing about it, and that it had never been a secret. They never once asked if my mother was a witch, I don’t think I could have told that specific lie to Johnny’s face. The instant love I felt for him was overwhelming, even more overwhelming than my need to learn magic and become the witch I had so desperately wanted to be growing up. After the mating ceremony a lot changed. James healed, but Johnny and his father had to show him how to control his wolf. Johnny refused to let me see Noelle, and I only got to see her once more after that night. From the very start I knew Johnny had a deep hatred for witches, I knew that eventually I would have to tell him the truth about my past. It was a day that I looked forward to with genuine trepidation.
Angel Blackwood Page 22