by Tamara White
"Em, don't," Nik begs, and I pause to meet his gaze sadly.
"I can't do this with him anymore. First he's nice, then he's jealous, then nice again. I won't spend the rest of my life walking on eggshells, afraid of what mood I’ll be faced with."
I open the door and hurry to leave before I can second guess myself. I make it all the way to the elevator before I collapse to the floor, sobs wracking my body.
The doors open, but I ignore it, too lost in my thoughts. But then suddenly arms are cradling me, and I'm looking up into cerulean blue eyes.
Blaine is holding me, while Meron, Torie, and Kellan all stand above me with furious expressions on their faces.
I cry in the safe hold of Blaine's arms, unsure why everyone else is angry, and just huddle in on myself, hoping Britt will come up too. I could use my friend right now.
After God knows how long, my cries finally ease. Blaine uses his finger to lift my chin so I’m looking him in the eyes. "You ready to tell us what happened?"
I shake my head. "No, it’s okay. It doesn't matter."
Kellan laughs, running his hands through his long blond hair before crouching down to look at me with sympathetic pale brown eyes. "Emerald, do you want to know a secret?"
I nod, wiping away my tears as I sit up, but Blaine refuses to let me leave his arms, pulling me back into his lap when I try to stand up. I don’t bother fighting him on it right now. I'm more curious about what Kellan has to say.
When he's sure he has my full attention, Kellan sits down on the floor beside me and crosses his legs. "When Britt found out you were here at the coven, she made us do something. Do you know what a blood oath is?"
My eyes widen at the mention of a blood oath. It feels too weird after having thought about it earlier for him to be mentioning it now. "Yes, I know what they are, and I know that each oath is different based on the intentions of the people who make them."
He nods with a smile. "Yes, very good. Well, Britt loves you and wanted to make sure you were safe, so we all blood oathed to protect you as we would her. She was very adamant about that, and if she was here right now, I know you'd tell her what happened. So, I'm asking you to please tell us what happened. We just want to help."
She blood oathed them into protecting me? And what did he mean by the part 'as we would her?' It felt like there was some hidden meaning behind those words.
After a minute of thinking things through, I nod and start talking. "I left them. My soul-ties. Lately, Talon and I have both been so angry at each other that I just couldn't see any hope for a real future between us. He would go from angry to nice in a second, and I would get irritated over small insignificant things. You don't do that kind of thing if you love someone."
Blaine frowns down at me before turning to look up at the others. They exchange glances, and I wonder if they're communicating telepathically.
In a swift movement, I'm transferred from Blaine's arms to Kellan's lap, and he takes me with a smile. "Why hello there.” He grins down at me, and I can't help the small smile that crosses my face.
I look back and see that Blaine has taken off towards my former room with a determined stride, and Meron and Torie follow after him. Kellan climbs to his feet while keeping me cradled in his arms and carries me after them.
I tap his shoulder nervously. "Uh, I can walk.”
"I know you can, but for the sake of making Tal feel guilty, just stay in my arms and look all cute. Not that you need to try too hard.” He winks, and I find myself feeling a little stunned. Is he hitting on me?
He carries me into to the room, the door having been flung open by Blaine as he wields his magic like an oncoming storm, wild and dangerous.
I take in the room, but my gaze immediately focuses on Blaine, who is standing facing off with Talon. Blaine’s hands are glowing the same vibrant blue of his eyes, obviously his aura, as he uses his magic to hold Talon against the wall.
Rage, pure rage, comes off Talon in waves, and Meron beckons me over to where he is standing by Blaine’s side. Kellan walks me over to them, and I watch in shock as Blaine’s left hand suddenly snaps out when I’m within touching distance. He grasps mine in vice-like grasp, not quite painful but not exactly pleasant either.
Cold runs through my veins before it’s replaced with a boiling-hot pain that feels strong enough to burn me from the inside out. Before I can beg for it to stop, the pain eases. Blaine lets Talon drop and reaches out to cup my cheeks, his eyes running over me.
"Sorry, Emerald, I didn't have much of a chance to warn you." Blaine turns his gaze to Nik and Dev, who are standing off to the side, a mixture of wariness and fear coming from them. "You two need to pick up your third and take a seat. We need to talk."
Kellan sits down, with me still in his lap, and Dev, Nik, and Tal keep throwing longing glances my way. Blaine stares at my guys with fury in his eyes, and when he speaks, you can hear the underlying violence ready to spill over.
"We came up here after finishing our duties for a night with our friends, but when we stepped out of the elevator, we found your soul-tie, huddled on the floor crying."
Talon's gaze whips around to me so fast, but I can't meet his eyes. Right now, I feel more vulnerable than I ever have.
Dev and Nik look down at the floor in shame as Blaine continues. "She told us what the problem was, and before any of you get annoyed that she told us, you should know it’s lucky she did. Talon was spelled, as was Emerald."
Talon frowns and leans forward, his eyes narrowing. "What do you mean?"
Meron's gaze lands on me. "Have you noticed a change in Emerald lately? A willingness to be more extreme or do things that are a lot riskier than normal?"
I blush at his question, and he smiles softly. "Don't worry, Emerald. it’s nothing to be embarrassed about. In fact, you wouldn't have been spelled if you hadn't been drinking from Talon in the first place. He was the one spelled initially, and you were affected because you fed from him."
Nik frowns and looks between Talon and I, before a light goes off in his eyes. "Wait, so that's why they were so agitated with each other? Because of the spell?"
Torie nods from behind Blaine. "Yep. Whoever cast it didn't have much knowledge of how a hex works because it should have only affected their intended victim. However, there's the chance someone infected Talon because they knew he fed Emerald, but I think we're leaning towards our first theory. Only those closest to you would know that you feed her, after all."
"And you've fixed him? I mean, us? There's not going to be any more issues, right?"
Knowing there was a spell affecting us both eases my mind, and scares me at the same time. I almost walked away. If Blaine and the others hadn't found me in the hall, who knows what I would've done?
Kellan smiles down at me. "No more than any other normal couple, or triple couple or whatever it is you call multiple partners. Britt likes to call us her harem of slaves," he says. His eyes are sparkling with laughter, and I find myself getting lost in their depths.
I shake my head, clearing it from the thoughts that were trying to surface, all the while wondering what the hell is wrong with me. Maybe they didn't fix this hex or whatever it is?
Dev gets to his feet, clapping his hands together to grab everyone’s attention. "Right! You four," he gestures around at each of Britt’s husbands individually, "Out. We need to talk and see where this leaves us."
Each of the guys get up and leaves, including Kellan, but he takes me with him as he goes. It’s not until we get to the door that Nik stops him. "Kel, I think you're forgetting something."
Kellan gives an exaggerated sigh, setting me on my feet with a disappointed smile. "It was worth a shot.” He winks, and I giggle at the same moment Torie slaps him upside the head.
Torie grabs Kellan by the arm and leads him out of the room after Blaine and Meron, all the while chiding him for his behavior, saying he's going to tell Britt about it when they get back.
Once the door closes behind them, I
turn back around to meet the stares of Talon, Devin, and Nikoli, waiting for some kind of… reassurance or something? I don't know. Anything that will make me feel like this has just been a bad dream, and that we can move past this.
"I'm sorry."
My gaze jerks to Talon, not sure if I heard him right. It sounded like he just apologized.
"Are you seriously apologizing to me right now?" At his wary nod, I sigh and move closer, looking up at him with a determined expression. "You do not need to apologize because someone messed with us. That's on them. All I want is for us to be in an equal relationship, not to feel like I matter less or have to be sheltered because I'm a girl, a Princess, or a hybrid."
Nik moves closer, his gaze softening. "That's all we want, too, Em. You just have to understand that even though Talon was spelled, he wasn't the only one who was upset by your actions. We already lost you once, and while some person on the other side claims you're immortal, it doesn't necessarily make it true. We'd just rather not risk it."
"We can't lose you," Dev whispers, his voice filled with heartbreak.
Sadness radiates through our tie as I step away from Talon, making sure they can all see me when I speak. I want to be able to see them and make them understand just how serious I am about this.
"Look, I get it, I really do. I know this is hard on you guys, but it’s hard on me, too. Did you not think I was scared shitless the whole time you were gone when you went to the pack meeting without me? I was terrified that because of me, you might be executed, or at the very least punished in some way. Then there's each night you go on patrol without me, and I'm stuck laying here, worrying when you'll come back, if you will at all."
I take a shaky breath and meet each of their eyes, determined. "Even when I was spelled, I knew I was being reckless. Having it lifted makes me a little more aware of the stupidity that's happened, but I'm only going to tell you this once. I'm not glass, and I won’t break. Sure, I will be a little more careful in the future, but I'm still learning what I'm capable of, and I can't do that if you put me in a little plastic bubble to keep me safe. If you want to do more training with me to ease your worries, then great. You want to make sure one of you comes with me when I leave the coven, then that's okay, too, but I won't let myself feel like a prisoner because you're all scared of what might happen."
Nik, Dev, and Talon each remain silent as they ponder my words, but I'm not done just yet.
"But," I add when I see Talon open his mouth to speak. "That means I want honesty from you about things. If for some reason you are worried, just be upfront about it."
"Are you finished?" Talon asks with a wry smile.
I nod my head with a grin. "I think so."
"Good. Because that's–"
"Wait," I interrupt, knowing he might be annoyed, but wanting to be straight with them. "In the interest of honesty, I feel you should all know when we were attacked in that alleyway, I swallowed a bit of witch’s blood, and apparently, it’s bonded to me, rather than making me crazy like it would a normal wolf," I blurt out in a quick rush, deciding it was easier just to rip the Band-Aid off.
Talon shakes his head, his eyes filled with confusion. "Okay, well we'll deal with the witch blood stuff in a minute. As for the relationship stuff, I just have one condition."
"Okay..." I say, filled with apprehension. I wait for Nik or Dev to say something, but they remain silent, letting Talon continue.
"We want more one-on-one dates. Nik told us how much he enjoyed his evening with you, and we all want the chance to build a separate relationship with you. We will still have a group date every week to help strengthen our bond as a unit, but for now, I think we need to start working on setting aside some alone time for all of us.
"As for patrol, if you want to join us when we go, then that's okay. We just ask that you be careful. It makes our job harder when we're trying to keep rogue witches under control if you end up getting hurt."
I nod, more than happy to agree to everything he just said, when Nik speaks, reminding me he and Dev are still here. My gaze was so fixed on Talon in that moment that for a split second, I forgot.
"Sorry, guys. I have something else I would like to add." He looks apologetically at Tal and Dev. Then his gaze swings to mine and he gives me a small smile. "This may seem crazy, but I want you to think about spending time with Lincoln, too. I know, I know," he says, his voice rising over Dev and Tal's immediate grumbling. "But, Emerald's beast is a part of her. If by some twist of fate she really is his mate, then we would be doing more harm than good by denying her that. What if Emerald had met him before us? He's the type of guy who would have encouraged her to explore her ties with us, so I say we offer him the same chance. As long as you want to, that is," Nik adds, as if it just occurred to him I may not be interested.
Before I can reply, however, the door to our room flies open, hitting the other side of the wall. Britt comes storming in, her eyes glowing with immeasurable power as she narrows her gaze dangerously at Talon. "You're a dead man."
Twenty-Seven – A Witch’s Wrath
Emerald
With a small wave of Britt’s hand, Nik and Dev are sent flying to opposite sides of the room, then she begins to advance on Talon.
Her guys lazily wander into the room through the now broken door, and look between Britt and I with amused smiles. Why are they not more concerned by this? If she kills Talon, she may just take Dev, Nik, and I down with him!
"I don't care that you were hexed! You are a fucking monster! Why would you say those things to her?" she screams at Talon. He just stands there, taking the full force of her anger without a word.
"Aren't you going to do something?" I whisper to Blaine and Kellan, who have come to stand on either side of me, while Torie and Meron go grab beers from the fridge.
Seriously though, why aren't they freaking out right now? They're acting like this is a normal everyday occurrence.
Kellan laughs and wraps an arm around my shoulder, and Blaine presses against me from my other side. "If there's one thing we’ve each learned since meeting Brittany, it’s that you do not get in her way when she's pissed. You just ride out the storm and hope for the best."
"Seriously? So basically, you're all just a bunch of wimps." I roll my eyes and shake them off of me. If they won't calm Britt down, then I will.
My footsteps echo across the wooden floor as I approach her, and I can hear her husbands taking whispered bets on which of us will get the last word.
Men!
"Britt, can you please let my soul-tie go?" I ask softly, able to see the way her magic is wrapped around Talon, which explains why he's just standing there taking whatever she says. I would bet he can’t actually speak right now either.
His gaze meets mine, and he gives an infinitesimal shake of his head as if he knows I’m going to intervene and doesn’t want me to. I roll my eyes at him. This is exactly what I was talking about! Britt may be a witch, but she's also my friend. She won’t hurt me. She’s just trying to protect me in her own misguided way.
I wait for Britt to acknowledge my presence, and sigh when she remains focused on Talon, her shoulders hard with tension. I reach out to touch her, and all the guys behind me cry out in warning.
The moment my hand touches her shoulder, my body seizes up, and a crack rings through the room like a lightning strike. Britt and I are both flung back. Someone catches me, breaking my fall. I look up into Kellan's brown eyes gratefully. "Thanks."
He gets up and helps me to my feet. I can see Meron and Torie are holding Nik and Dev away from me and I can see the magic in their auras as they use it to enhance their strength. No way would they be able to hold back my guys otherwise. Talon is watching, but I think if he really wanted to get close to me, he would have found a way. Instead, he stands off to the side, watching my interactions with Britt’s husbands with contemplative eyes as if he's seen the change in them.
But to be honest, it’s hard not to. It’s like a switch has been fli
pped, and they are all suddenly much more concerned about me than ever. I guess that has to do with the blood oath.
Shit, I should probably tell the guys about that, too, but I don't know whether Britt or I should be the one to explain things. She knows what the blood oath actually entails; all I know is that it's there to protect me.
Blaine and Britt walk towards me, and I notice how pale Britt is. This is becoming a bit too hard to ignore. I know her magic drains her, but for her to look this bad? Something isn't adding up.
Britt frowns at me when she's within arm’s reach. "Sorry, Mer. Are you alright?"
"Of course, just a little surprised is all. How about you? Are you okay?"
She smiles at me sadly, and her eyes seem to cloud with an emotion I know all too well. Defeat.
"What's going on?" I ask her, crossing my arms over my chest and glaring at her insistently. I know she's holding something back.
In a minute, she whispers into my mind. Your magic seemed to react to mine. You actually managed to absorb a little of it.
After whispering to me telepathically, she speaks out loud to the room and I wonder why she's not wanting the others to know everything. Something is clearly wrong. "Since Mer and I are both fine, I'm going to steal her for a bit, while you guys do whatever it is that you do on your boys’ nights. We're going down to the forest to talk and train."
She slides her arm into mine and pulls me away from the guys towards our broken door. Then she stops, turning back to the guys.