Jake: FairPlay Shifters
(A Paranormal Romance Story)
Serena Meadows
Copyright ©2018 by Serena Meadows - All rights reserved.
In no way is it legal to reproduce, duplicate, or transmit any part of this document in either electronic means or in printed format. Recording of this publication is strictly prohibited and any storage of this document is not allowed unless with written permission from the publisher. All rights reserved.
Respective authors own all copyrights not held by the publisher.
Contents
Authors Note
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Also By Serena Meadows
About the Author
Exclusive Offer
AUTHORS NOTE
FairPlay Shifter Series
Book 1-Justin
Book 2-Jake
Book 3-Quinten
Book 4-Steven
Book 5-Dalton
Book 6-Daniel
You should know that Jake is the second book in the Fairplay Shifters romance series. Although each story can be read independently and all end with a HEA with no cliffhangers, to get the full experience of the series, you should really read them in order.
Chapter One
***Joslin***
Pushing open the big double doors, Joslin slipped inside and made her way down the aisle and sat down next to her sister. Annabelle was sitting next to her fiancé Justin, looking calm, but Joslin knew that she was anything but calm: that inside she was nervous about standing in front of the witches’ high council to answer to the charge of using black magic.
No one was sure who had reported the events that had occurred in Fairplay to the council, but Joslin had her suspicions that it was Deacon, Annabelle’s ex-fiancé. Of course, there was no proof that he’d done it, but there was no other explanation for how the council had heard of Annabelle saving Justin by giving him some of her life force. The spell they’d used wasn’t really black magic, at least not the way they’d used it, but once a complaint had been made, the council had no choice but to investigate.
Penny, Justin’s sister, was sitting next to him, looking as unhappy as Joslin had ever seen her. The entire family looked unhappy, but Joslin couldn’t blame them; being in a room full of witches was never an easy thing for a shifter thanks to the long-standing distrust between the two communities. She and her mother had done their best to make Justin and his family feel welcome; it wasn’t an easy task, not only because of the prejudice on both sides, but because of her father’s attitude.
He’d been determined not to like the Brooks family from the very beginning, especially Justin, who had ruined his plans by sweeping Annabelle off her feet. There had been many whispered conversations between her parents, and sometimes she wondered if her father had been the one to report Annabelle.
Looking at him now, a smug smile on his face, she was almost convinced that he was responsible. She wished that she could tell him that it wasn’t going to do any good to try and break them up. Annabelle and Justin shared a love that nothing would destroy. Deep down she was a bit jealous of what they had together and hoped that someday she might find that kind of love.
Forcing her thoughts back to the problem at hand, she looked around the room, which was packed, recognizing not only the members of their coven but several faces from other covens in the area. It had been a long time since the council had been called together to decide a witch’s fate, especially one who was destined to become the leader of her coven, and people had come to watch the spectacle.
She and Annabelle had discussed the possibility that she’d have to step in and take over for her sister, but Joslin was sure that it wouldn’t come down to that. What they’d done, they’d done out of love and nothing more; there had been only one thing to gain: Justin’s life. The council would see that and dismiss the charges as soon as they heard the entire story. She was sure of that.
At the appointed time, the council filed into the barn from the back door and began to take their seats. Everyone in the room had their eyes glued to the empty seat, the one her father should have been sitting in, to see who he had chosen to take his place. When Deacon walked out in his black robe and sat down, there was a gasp, and then everyone began whispering.
Joslin couldn’t believe what she was seeing; her father had chosen the one man who would love to see Annabelle stripped of her power within the coven. She glanced over at Annabelle, whose face had taken on a mask of hurt and anger, but it quickly passed when Justin squeezed her hand, the calm expression returning to her face.
The room finally grew quiet, and all eyes were focused on the council seated at the front of the room, their black robes signifying their power. Joslin was tempted to get up and leave, to just disappear until the inquisition was over, but that was impossible. She had to be there for Annabelle, no matter how difficult it was going to be, she and Penny were the only ones who could clear her sister’s name.
“I call this meeting to order,” Minerva said, using a voice that cut through the barn, reaching the people all the way in the back. “We’re here to discuss Annabelle Simons use of what many consider to be black magic.”
Joslin had always like Minerva, who besides being the head of the witch’s council ran a summer camp for adolescent witches. Today, however, the woman wasn’t her friend; she was her adversary, and that was a little scary.
“The council and I would like to make it understood that this is not a formal inquisition and nothing will be decided here today; we simply would like to get some information,” Minerva said, then turned to her left. “Byron will be conducting this part of the meeting; when he’s finished, we will listen to any other business the coven may have with the council.”
Byron Masters was a man few liked; a ruthless but honest man, he’d been on the council almost as long as Minerva. “We’d like to hear from Annabelle and Justin first, then we’ll hear from the other witnesses,” he said, gesturing for them to step forward.
Joslin could feel her sister’s legs shaking as she got to her feet and tried to send her some positive energy, knowing she’d succeeded when Annabelle reached down and squeezed her hand. As Annabelle talked, she could see the council being swayed, and several nodded their heads in understanding when she explained that she had no choice but to use the spell to save Justin.
When it was her turn to speak, she stood in front of the council, looked them right in the eyes, and recounted the exact same story that Annabelle and Justin had. Penny then backed her story with her own, and she could see that the council was going to rule in their favor, but then Deacon spoke.
“I, for one, am not convinced that this was done purely in the name of love. There was a great deal at stake here: not just a life, but an entire empire,” he said, leaning back in his chair and crossing his arms over his chest.
“What do you mean by that?” Minerva asked, clearly annoyed that he’d spoken.
“Well, Annabelle stood to lose a lot if Justin died and another shifter pack took over the ranch,” he said triumphantly, then added, “I’m not sure I believe the true love, meant to be together part of this story; after all, it hasn’t been that
long since she was engaged to me.”
After his words faded away, there was whispering in the room, which quickly died away when Bryon banged his fist on the table and yelled, “Silence.” Then he turned to Deacon, “What would it take to convince you?”
“I think a formal inquisition into the matter is called for and I propose that until it’s completed, Annabelle and Justin should be barred from getting married,” he said, a look of satisfaction on his face.
The room suddenly erupted with chatter, the outrage in the room palpable. “I don’t think that’s going to be necessary,” Minerva said, “And I’m not sure we have that kind of power; this isn’t the old days, and if they want to be married, we can’t stop them.”
Some of the satisfaction drained from Deacon’s face. “I still want a formal inquiry,” he said. “These are serious charges that can’t be ignored.”
***Jake***
Jake had been absently playing with a frayed spot on his shirt when he heard the call for a formal investigation. Groaning, he shifted in his seat thinking that they were going to be there for a while. He didn’t really understand why he was there anyway; he’d only come out east to attend his brother’s wedding, nothing more, and now it looked like he was stuck for a while.
His annoyance drained away and quickly turned to anger when he heard the suggestion that the wedding be postponed. He knew who had suggested it, and that made him even angrier. Justin seemed to be taking everything in stride, and Jake knew that his brother wasn’t taking this very seriously, so he let the anger slide away.
Anger was still a very dangerous emotion for him, could cause him to shift at the most inopportune times. Not only was it embarrassing, but it could be dangerous if it happened here among so many witches. Justin had promised him years ago that it would get easier to manage the gift as he got older, but so far, that didn’t seem to be happening.
When the strange-looking witch in the center of the table rejected the idea of postponing the wedding he breathed a sigh of relief. But his relief was short lived when the man spoke up again, demanding an inquisition which he knew would take weeks. He’d been surprised when Justin had asked him to come with them, but now he understood why; they were going to be here for a long time and they all thought he was the most expendable.
He didn’t blame his brother for not wanting to be alone with all these witches, but it bothered him that his family thought that he was that easily replaceable. As the youngest, no one ever gave him the credit he was due; in fact, most of the time they still treated him like a child.
At nearly twenty-four, he’d never been given much responsibility on the ranch, had, in fact, been treated more like an amusing pet than anything else. Now he’d be here for weeks, following Justin around doing absolutely nothing when he should be back home proving himself.
He’d been so lost in his thoughts, he didn’t hear it the first time that his name was called, but soon he became aware that everyone was looking at him. Fighting off a moment of panic, knowing that he’d missed something important, he got to his feet.
“Jake Brooks,” the woman in the middle of the table said. “Your brother has chosen you as his personal representative. The council would like to know if you’ll accept the responsibility.”
“I…I guess,” Jake stammered, feeling like a fool.
“Step up then,” the woman said, clearly annoyed with him. “Jake Brooks, do you agree to represent your brother in these proceedings, to abide by our laws and to do your best to see that the truth is revealed?”
Jake swallowed a lump in his throat. “I agree,” he said, louder than he intended.
The woman nodded her head, “Let the record show that Justin Brooks is to be represented by his brother Jake Brooks. Now, Annabelle, you must choose a representative as well.”
“I choose my sister, Joslin,” Annabelle said, with no hesitation.
Joslin got to her feet and walked to the front of the room and stood so close to Jake that he could smell her perfume, a mix of something spicy with just a hint of sweet. Unable to help himself, he took several deep breaths, letting her scent wash over him, wondering what the perfume she wore was called.
When she spoke, her voice was clear and musical, with just a hint of the playfulness he knew she possessed. Since he’d met her on the night his brother almost died, he’d had a crush on her, had gone out of his way to spend time with her. He knew that there was no chance that she’d ever see him as anything but Justin’s little brother, but that didn’t stop him from nursing that crush.
“I accept and promise to act in my sister’s best interest while obeying the rules and laws of the coven,” she said, then bowed her head to the council.
Chapter Two
***Joslin***
She’d known walking in that night that she might end up having to represent her sister if there was an inquisition, but now that it had happened, Joslin wasn’t so sure she was ready. Dealing with the council had always been her sister’s problem; after all, Annabelle had long ago been designated as the next coven leader.
She’d been just fine with that because it meant that her parents basically left her alone, let her do her own thing. It had never really bothered her that her sister got so much more attention; Annabelle was clearly the stronger witch and much more suited to leadership than she was. She might have felt a few pangs of jealousy when Annabelle had become engaged to Deacon, but that hadn’t lasted when they’d discovered what he was really like.
Looking at the man sitting so smugly at the front of the room, she wondered again what her father saw in him, how he could have fooled someone like him so completely. Even when she and Annabelle had gone to their father and told them what they’d found in Deacon’s apartment, he’d refused to believe them, had made excuses for the evidence of black magic.
No longer able to stomach looking at the man, she got to her feet and headed for the door, needing a few minutes to herself; she didn’t wait for the family but instead headed for her favorite spot on the compound. The night was far from over; her father had some explaining to do, and she couldn’t wait to see what he had to say about putting Deacon on the council in his place.
It made absolutely no sense, unless Deacon had put a spell on him, or promised him something in return. She hated to think that Deacon had any kind of power over her father, but it was the only thing that could explain what he’d done. Even though it seemed unlikely that the council would strip Annabelle of her place in the coven, she knew that Deacon could make a lot of trouble for the family.
As she got closer to the tree that was her little piece of heaven on the compound, she realized that there was someone else there. The tree, which had to be over two hundred years old, looked like an old woman: its branches curled and twisted, its leaves sparse and yellow. But Joslin loved it. It was a great place to sit and think and apparently someone else thought so too.
She recognized Jake immediately even though his back was turned to her, his head pressed against the bark of the tree. Not sure if she should approach him, she stopped and waited, hoping that he’d realized that she was there. They’d gotten to know each other a little bit over the last few weeks; the youngest of the Brooks children, he reminded her of her little brother.
When it was clear that he hadn’t heard her approach, she cleared her throat. He turned around then, his blue eyes glowing in the night, and she was instantly sorry she hadn’t just turned around and gone back home. But Jake took several deep breaths, his eyes returned to normal, and he smiled at her.
“Are you okay?” she asked, coming a few steps closer.
“I think so, it was just a bit of a shock to suddenly be defending my brother,” he said, shrugging his shoulders.
“It’s a little scary for me too,” Joslin admitted.
“What can they do to Annabelle and Justin? I mean, it’s not like they broke the law or something. Is there a witch prison?”
Joslin couldn’t help but laugh, “No, there isn’t
a witch prison. The truth is they can’t do anything to your brother, but they could strip my sister of her place in the coven, exile her for the rest of her life.”
Jake thought about that for a minute, “Do you think they will?”
Joslin shook her head. “I don’t know, but I do know that it’s up to us to find a way to make sure that doesn’t happen,” she said, thinking that he looked like a lost little boy.
“I have no idea how to do that, I just know I’m going to screw this up,” Jake admitted.
Joslin felt sorry for him, but her sister’s future was at stake. “I’ll help you if you want; we’ll probably be able to help them more if we work together.”
She could see Jake relax; the tension disappeared from his shoulders, and his breathing slowed. “That’s a relief; I have no idea what to do or say.”
“Neither do I, but tomorrow we’ll get together and start working on their defense; there has to be something we can do to convince the council that we used that spell with no ulterior motives,” Joslin said, her anger rising again when she thought of Deacon’s smug smile.
“I thought they were going to forget the whole thing until that one guy started talking. Who is he?”
“That is Annabelle’s ex-fiancé,” Joslin said with a grimace. “I don’t know why he’s taking my dad’s place on the council; it’s strange, and it worries me. He never told anyone that he put Deacon in his place; it’s just not right.”
Jake (Fairplay Shifters Series Book 2) Page 1