“Well, have fun, and stay out of trouble. No kidnappings, attempted murders, or crazy witches, because I do worry about you. And if I’m being honest, I’ve never really had to worry about anyone else before like this, so it’s really stressful.” I couldn’t help it, I laughed at his admission. It was sweet, and funny all at the same time.
“I will try my best, although I can’t vouch for what others attempt to do to me…”
I heard Mikael growl through the phone and realized how that sounded.
“I didn’t mean it like that,” I said to him.
“Be good, Jess.” His words trailed into a sigh as he hung up.
I hit speed dial for Ashley then. “Do I need to stop for ice cream, or do you have some there?”
“I just stocked up this morning. We’re all good here, just bring your stories, and I will trade ya.”
When I got there, Ashley answered the door with ice cream in hand and a couple spoons. “There’s a reason you’re my best friend!”
She looked at me innocently, “it’s because I have ice cream isn’t it?”
“Of course!” I took a spoon, and dove in, before we even left the doorway. “What else could it be?” I uttered through the cold, creamy, deliciousness in my mouth.
“Well, you got me. I’m a horrid person. That’s why I keep stocked up.” She shrugged, and then held the ice cream container out in front of her as she backed away to the couch.
“Anyone ever tell you this is the equivalent of tying a pork chop around a child to get the dog to play with them?”
“Yeah, but it’s okay. I enjoy my delusions!” She giggled. “Come play with me, Jessica!”
We both laughed, then sat, and enjoyed ice cream in silence for a bit. “Thanks. I needed to just sit for a minute.”
“I know.” Ashley got up and put the container away, and took our spoons to the sink, then sat back down beside me. She turned so she was angled towards me, with her feet kicked up underneath her. “So, spill your guts, girl. Oh, and you might as well start from the date you had with Mikael the other day, because we haven’t really gotten to talk since then.”
“Okay.” I told her all about the date, and she just smiled, and nodded, and asked questions here and there, until I got to the part about not being able to get to my Jeep keys because of her Banshee-like wailing from inside the apartment.
“Sorry about that.” Ash looked thoughtful for a minute before she added, “actually, I’m not, because on my end…” She mock-moaned out loud.
“You know, I kind of got that picture from the audio track!”
“Okay, so what happened after you left here?”
“We went back to Mikael’s place, and you know, totally not what I was expecting.”
“What do you mean? Does he live in a dump?”
“No. I was just expecting something close by, more urban, maybe an apartment or one of the houses in the city. He lives out in the county, in an older house with a giant wrap-around porch. He barely has furniture in it yet, but what he does have is comfortable, homey, inviting.”
“Hmmm, I can kind of see that after what you said about the dogs.”
“Yeah. It fits him. I guess I just didn’t care to really know anything about him before.” I shrugged. “I mean, I was angry with him about hurting you.”
“Was?”
I smiled at Ashley then. “I’m getting to that. It’s part of today’s story, so just wait.”
“So, Evan has been a wishy-washy mess with all of this. One minute he’s apologizing for overreacting, like with the phone incident the other day. Then when he sees me texting Mikael to let him know I’m okay, but that the witch was back, Evan’s blowing up again. I mean, was I not supposed to tell Mikael I was okay? He was there the first time?”
“No, you didn’t do anything wrong. It’s best if Mikael knows anyway, that way he can be extra alert when he’s with you.”
“Anyway, after we left the club yesterday, Mikael took me to get my Jeep at school, and then he followed me home to be sure I got there okay. He made me sit down with my parents and explain what was going on to them too. It was sweet. He wanted to make sure it got done so that people were looking out for me when he or Evan couldn’t.” Ashley just nodded her head, and smiled at me.
“Yes, so what happened then? Clearly he was still there in the morning!”
“No. He left after the talk with my parents. I woke up this morning, and went for a run out to the hot springs and thermal pool in the caves at the edge of the pack’s land.”
“Oh! Hey! I still haven’t been there!” Ashley was pouting a little bit now.
“We could go tomorrow, so I can show you where it is, and then you and can Asi can head out there together. It’s definitely a good place to just go relax or whatever.”
“Is it now?” Ashley looked at me knowingly, because she saw the blush creep up my face and into my ears. “It’s my job to blush, so tell me what happened at the caves today, missy!”
“Well, Mikael showed up, not long after I got in.”
“I’m sure you weren’t wearing a bathing suit, since you had to run there as a wolf?”
“No, I was naked.” I looked down, but Ashley sat up straighter, clapped her hands together, and looked like a kid in a candy shop.
“Finally, some good stuff! Spill it, girl!”
I told her about everything that transpired in the cave, and Ashley was smiling and giddy school girl clapping the whole time.
“Oh wow! That is hot. You almost… Were you going to let him?”
“Honestly? I don’t think I would have stopped it if we hadn’t been interrupted. I may have regretted it later though, you know, because of Evan and everything being up in the air. So, in a way, I’m glad we were interrupted.”
“And in another way?”
“Ashley, it was perfect. I wasn’t all in my head, like normal, I was just lost in the moment. It felt right. I wasn’t thinking about all the other complications, just how normal I felt, and well even that only came afterwards. The only thing going through my head was need and want.”
“Then I think it’s a shame those kids showed up, because times like those are when it turns out absolutely perfect.”
I thought about that for a minute. “He apologized for losing control and taking it so far.”
“Really?” Ashley seemed surprised by that.
“Really. At first, I was kind of offended that he thought he had to say sorry for something that seemed, you know, perfect. But I understood. He didn’t want to make things harder on me.”
“So, what happened when you got back to the house, because you were upset when you called me?”
“Well, we both got dressed, separately. Then we said our goodbyes. And my mom told me that Evan had stopped by earlier. I checked my messages, saw the ones from you, and then these from Evan.” I showed her the texts he’d left on my phone. “So, I tried to call him back.” That sick feeling hit my stomach again like a ton of bricks.
“And, let me guess, he was pissy!”
“No. He didn’t answer. A woman did.” I told her about the phone calls, and what I was hearing in the background. Ashley was clutching the throw pillow in her lap tightly, and her face was turning red, while her eyes were narrowing.
“That son of a bitch!”
“I felt like that at first, but it’s not like he’s the only person I am seeing.” I couldn’t even look at Ashley as I said it.
“OH, hell no. First of all-he knows that you are seeing someone else. You’re being honest about it. He didn’t bother saying a word to you! Secondly, you were forced into it, and he knows that too. And thirdly, you chose him, and if it weren’t for his shitty attitude you wouldn’t be changing your mind about that decision.” I looked up at Ashley then, stunned. She was right, of course, but it was the first time anyone had said it out loud. My mind was changing, and he was the biggest part of the reason for it. “Hang on,” Ashley said as she grabbed her phone off of the
coffee table, tapped on it, and then put it up to her ear. “Hey baby, I just wanted to see if you were going to be a while?”
“I’m working on something at De ‘Lune’s for Evan. It might take a while, why?” I could hear Asi just fine, even though it wasn’t on speakerphone. His deep voice resonated through the speaker naturally.
“I was going to hang out with Jess for a bit. Maybe we could bring you guys some lunch.” Ashley was slick. She was pumping him for information about Evan without Asi ever knowing it.
“It’s just me and the staff here. Evan’s out. I’m not sure when he’ll be back, but I wouldn’t turn down lunch if you want to come anyway.”
“Okay, I’ll text you in a bit, hon.” Ashley hung up and looked at Jess. “It doesn’t necessarily mean anything…”
“It doesn’t matter anyway. Seriously, how is what I’m doing with Mikael any different, especially after what happened, well, what almost happened at the cave?”
“We already went over why that is different. I know you Jess. I know why you feel guilty, and I’m sorry that you have to. What Evan is doing, possibly doing, that’s different though. He’s being sneaky about shit. You are beyond open about what’s going on with you, and why! Besides, after all the crap he’s giving you about Mikael, making you feel horrible, and making you hate yourself… worse, you’ve tried to do it his way, and ended up nearly giving yourself an aneurism. Besides, anything that has happened between you and Mikael is his damn fault too. He’s been pushing you away with all this bullshit, and Mikael has been the one there, steady, not asking more than you can give. Mikael is being understanding of the situation. What did he expect you to do? Did he think he was so wonderful you’d keep right on loving him while he treated you like shit for something beyond your control? He knows how the wolf world works. We don’t always get choices. I’m just saying, he has a lot of nerve to do some sketchy shit behind your back after all that.”
“Tell me how you really feel!” I threw a pillow at her to break the tension. “I get all that, Ashley. I do. I just don’t know how to process everything right now.”
“I know.” Ashley reached over and hugged me. “It’s too much for those of us sitting on the sidelines. I can’t imagine having to be you. Honestly, I envied you at first, but I’m definitely happier with how things worked out for Asi and me.”
“So, what has been going on between the two of you? Has the shock set in, or hell, worn off yet?”
“He’s been great, Jess. Asi makes me happy, and he wants to be sure he’s doing a good job at it. I don’t know how I ever managed to drift through all the morons I did over the past few years. I keep asking myself what the hell I was thinking. None of them could even come close to what I have with Asi.” Ashley was glowing as she spoke.
“I can’t tell you what a relief it is to know it worked out for you. I worried when you turned and bonded within hours…” I sighed. “I’ve never heard of that happening before. Even your pain-in-the-ass brother waited a few lunar cycles after his transition to be with Sierra.”
“Well, there you have it. I must out do Jack at every turn. We’ll blame him!” Her red locks bobbed around her shoulders as she laughed. “Speaking of Jack, he’s been trying to convince me that living with the pack would be beneficial. Technically, I’m not part of your pack though, so I suppose I would have to what? Petition your dad or something?” I nodded as she continued on. “But Asi would never do that, because he’s loyal only to Evan and the royal Ancients. So, I’m honestly not sure how that would work. Do I have to be part of their pack since Mikael turned me, and I’m mated to Asi? Am I even allowed to be since I was a human who was turned? I have so many questions, and my one pet peeve about Asi is that he always tells me we’ll figure it out when we need to, but he won’t sit down and tell me anything.”
“Wow, so I guess I’m not the only one who has been missing out on the girl talk.” I smiled at her. “You can petition my father, and the pack to become a member. You know they’ve all been expecting it anyway. I think you’re right about the royal Ancients though. You can’t belong to them because you were human. You’d be nothing more than a servant in their eyes, unless things changed. You’re also probably right in assuming Asriel would never willingly swear fealty to my pack. He is of the Ancients too. I don’t see him giving that up. I also don’t see Antoine allowing it.”
“But does that ever happen? I mean, a mated pair from two different packs?” Ashley looked worried, and I wished I could alleviate her fears.
“I’ve never seen it done, but I don’t think there’s a hard and fast rule anywhere that says you must both belong to the same pack.”
“That’s good.” Ashley commented absent-mindedly, and then she was staring off into space for a while. I sat quietly, trying to figure out how to help her, when I saw her wince.
“Are you still there, Ash?”
“Yeah,” she turned her attention back to me. “Sorry. I just got lost in thought for a minute.”
“Understandable.” I put my hand on top of hers. “We’ll figure it out. I’ll talk to my dad about it. You’re more than welcome to come talk to him too. You know he loves you like his own daughter.”
“I know.” She exhaled a big breath, allowing the tension to roll out of her shoulders, and let it all go, just like that.
“I wish I could do that.”
“Do what?”
“You just, breathed it all out, and let go right then. I could see it happening.”
“Yeah, well, years of yoga and meditation had to teach me something, right?” She laughed softly. “Now, what are you going to do about Evan and this mystery woman? Jess, you can forgive a lot, but you’ll never be able to forget that. Knowing you, there won’t be any getting past it either.”
“I know. How do you work through and move past something like that? I keep trying to figure it out in my head, but then, I wonder if that isn’t the point. Maybe, I’m not supposed to.”
Ashley shrugged, “The only advice I am going to give you is that you have to go with where you find the most peace in your life. You have enough struggles. You need to be with a person who is going to lessen the burden, not add to it.”
“I never would have thought that you, of all people, would be rooting for Mikael.”
“Hey, I’m not telling you who I am rooting for. I don’t want to put my opinion on you after what the witch said. You’re trapped already in so many ways. I don’t want you pinned down by what you think I want for you too. I’m just saying, if you can get past it, and Evan will do better, then pick him. If not, Mikael seems to be doing a good job of handling things. That’s all.”
“Gee, thanks for the help!” I let my sarcasm sit for moment as I pulled at my shirt nervously. “Seriously, thanks for trying to not add to any of the crap I have going on.”
“Jess, I’m always going to be on your side, no matter what your choices are.”
“I know. I love you too!”
“Hey, now! I never said I love you.”
“Yes you did, you just didn’t realize it!”
“Whatever.” She reached over and hugged me again, and this time we both held on for a good long while.
“I guess we better go get Asi some lunch, since you promised and all. Hopefully, Evan will stay put wherever he is. I don’t think I can deal with seeing him right now.” I sighed, and got up off the couch to grab my bag.
“No matter what you end up choosing, I really would like to punch him in the mouth one good time, at least. If the opportunity ever arises, I’m taking it.”
I smiled over at Ashley then. “Good, add a little extra oomph for me!”
“What did you guys pick up?” Asi asked as he opened the back door to the club. We had parked around front, but couldn’t get anyone to answer the door there, so we had to walk our haul all the way around.
“Chinese!” Ashley was giddy as she said it.
“Mmm, I was just telling you that I haven’t had Chinese in quit
e some time.” He smiled at her as he took some the bags she was carrying.
“It all makes sense now.” I added.
“What makes sense?” Asi set the bags down on a table in the lounge area, and came back for the bags I was carrying.
“Well, I was down for just grabbing some pizza, and Ashley wouldn’t hear of it. So, here we are, satisfying your cravings!” I batted my eye lashes at him, and grinned really big. He just laughed as he removed my burdens, and set them down on the table too.
“The stock crew just took off for lunch, so I’ll go grab us drinks.”
“I’ll help.” Ashley jumped up and went with Asi. Personally, I didn’t care to help. I was just ready to dig into some food, because I was starved. I started dishing some of it out on a plate for myself while I waited for them to come back. When I was happy with what was on my plate they still weren’t back, so I took my phone out to check messages. There were two texts from Mikael. None from Evan.
Hey, Jess! I hope you’re day is going well. Jackie says to tell you hi, and come back to see her sometime. The puppies miss you! I’ll be leaving here soon, let me know if you need anything.
That had been from earlier when I was hanging out with Ashley. Then there was another text from Mikael about fifteen minutes ago.
Jess, my dad called a meeting with us, not sure how long we’ll be. I’ll let you know. If you need anything call, otherwise stick close to Ashley and Asi until we’re done.
Just having lunch with Asi and Ash. Sorry, didn’t see your messages before now. Hope all goes well with Antoine. Let me know when you’re done.
I hit send then, because the first time I typed it I wrote, see you later? at the end, and I wasn’t exactly sure what possessed me to do that. I put my food down then, to be polite and wait for my friends to come back. That just gave my mind time to worry about things I didn’t really want to focus on, like time spent in a the hot springs caves with a certain person. I was feeling the flush of heat from the memory as Ash came back in the room, looking a little rumpled, and handed me a coke. “Is it sanitary?” I laughed as I took the drink.
The Ancients Series Page 32