Jaxson(51)

Jared nodded his approval and shut his eyes. The exertion of even that much talking had visibly depleted him. Jaxson gripped his brother’s shoulder and counted the seconds until they could finally stop and sew him up.

He would make sure everyone was healed and recovered and safe.

Then he was going after the woman he loved.





Olivia was back in her apartment, pacing.

Waiting.

Praying that Jaxson would be able to call her and tell her everything was fine.

“Seriously, how do you live here?” Her aunt Gwen’s disapproval of Olivia’s small, very downscale apartment devoid of much in the way of furnishings had manifested as a set of magical drapes, new carpet, and a blue, crushed velvet couch… so far. Olivia didn’t know how much of it was glamour, and how much would stay once the glamour wore off.

She prayed the couch wouldn’t last.

But she bit her lip for now. She needed Gwen’s help to pull this off. Instead, Olivia went for pumping up the pity her aunt obviously felt for her situation. “Foster care taught me to live light. Not get invested in things. You never know when you’ll have to pick up and move.”

Gwen’s look of distress was more than Olivia bargained for.

“It’s okay, really,” she rushed out. “I like it this way.”

“It is not okay.” Her aunt stopped conjuring knickknacks for the shelves she had just created across Olivia’s bare walls in order to stalk over to her. “And this plan of yours is utter foolishness! You can still walk away from…” Gwen gestured around her. “…all of this. There are other men in the world. Let this shifter go and come back with me to the coven. You’d be more than welcome! The sisters would love to have the long-lost daughter of Rowan Damon return. Let me train you. Let me help you conjure a better life. You deserve it, dear. You deserve better than all of this.”

It was the same argument Gwen had been making all evening, as she fussed with Olivia’s apartment and kept her company while they waited for Jaxson’s pack to return… if they would return. But Olivia believed in him. If there was anyone on the planet who could do this—rescue his brother from the hands of whoever was tormenting their fellow shifters—Jaxson was the man for the job. And that’s what made it so worthwhile to take the risk for him.

Gwen may think Olivia deserved a better life, simply because she was her niece, but Jaxson had earned a better life with all he’d done—with all he was—and Olivia’s life would finally mean something by giving him the one thing he couldn’t get on his own: freedom from the curse.

Olivia took her aunt’s hands in hers—something she had a feeling witches rarely did, judging by the wide-eyed look on her aunt’s face. “Aunt Gwen, I have to do this. You, better than probably anyone, should understand. My parents died because of this thing I have inside me. You have to let me take this chance to make that count for something. To do something with this magic inside me that makes a difference. If it’s truly strong enough—if I’m strong enough—I’ll live through it, just like Sybil said. And if I’m not… then I’ll still have freed Jaxson. My life will have mattered. Please don’t take that from me.”

Her aunt clenched her teeth. Magical fire stormed in her eyes. “Your mother, if she were alive, would turn me to ash for allowing this.”

“If my mother were alive, it wouldn’t be necessary.” Olivia held her gaze, unflinching.

Gwen’s shoulders sagged. “All right. I’ll do everything I can to help you, Olivia, but… I don’t know if I’ll be able to save you.” The last part was a whisper.

Olivia was asking a lot of her aunt—she knew that. She threw her arms around her neck and hugged her hard. “I know, Aunt Gwen. And just by trying, you’re single-handedly proving to me how amazing some witches can be.” Olivia released her and leaned back. “If I make it through this, I’m going to join the coven and go all badass witch on you. Just wait and see.” And this time, she actually meant that.

Her aunt gave a choked laugh, even though her eyes were glassy with tears.

Olivia’s phone buzzed from where it sat on the edge of the now-blue couch.

She froze, staring at it for a second, then lunged over to snatch it up and answer the call. “Hello?”

“Hello, gorgeous.” It was Jaxson.

Relief flooded her body. “Jaxson! Are you okay? Is Jared all right? What happened? Tell me! Talk, man, talk!”

He chuckled on the other end. “Man, it’s good to hear your voice.” He pulled in a breath. “We’re fine. All good. Jared took a bullet pretty hard, but Jace sewed him up, and he’s fine now.”