“Right.” He gave her a soft smile. “And as soon as they know, the Riverwise pack is going to fall apart. I might be able to hold them together for a little while, but it will be a terrible blow. And with the disappearances happening, we can’t afford that. Plus we need to keep our alliances with the other packs strong so we can stop whoever is taking the shifters. Especially now that they’re targeting our packs directly.”
She nodded. “You need to keep this under wraps. Until that can be handled, at least.”
His smile brightened. “Exactly.” He ran a finger along her lips. “And once that’s settled, once we’ve figured out who’s threatening us and dispensed with them, then the danger will be past. And I’ll be free to tell the truth.” He paused, then took the leap. “I’ll be free to be with you.”
Her eyes went wide. “But I’m human.”
He moved his finger to tracing a line along her cheek, up to tuck a stray piece of hair, set loose by their love-making, behind her ear. “That doesn’t matter to me. I want to be with you, Olivia.”
But instead of embracing him or at least smiling, her frown came back, and she scrambled out of his lap. “You’re an amazing, wonderful man, Jaxson,” she said, trembling as she stood before him, naked and standing tall. “But I can’t be with you. Not like that.”
He frowned and a stabbing pain ran through his chest. He quickly rose up from the chair to stand with her. “I don’t understand. I thought…” He glanced at the desk. Hadn’t they just made love? Was he imagining the beautiful connection between them with every touch? “I thought you wanted this.”
Her face scrunched up and tears glassed her eyes. “I… I…” She was grasping for words, and he couldn’t help—he was completely confused.
He took her trembling shoulders in his hands. “What is it? What’s wrong?” He searched her face, but all he saw was fear and pain and… grief. He didn’t understand it at all.
She sucked in a deep breath and pulled out of his grasp. She was still trembling. “This was… having sex with you was… very nice. But I can’t be with you, Jaxson. I’m in love with someone else.”
“What?” His mouth hung open.
She just ducked her head and scrambled to gather up her clothes. Some of them were in tatters, but she managed to shove on her skirt and pull her blouse closed with a button or two.
He gaped at her. This was all unraveling, and he didn’t understand any of it. “Who are you in love with?” he managed to get out. He was still standing naked in the middle of her office and watching her hurry around to pick up her things.
“It’s no one you know.” Then she looked like she was going to run straight out the door.
He rushed over to beat her to it, holding it closed. “Olivia… what are you talking about? I thought… I didn’t think there was anyone else in your life.”
Tears were running down her face, but her face twisted in anger. Anger that she threw at him. “There’s not. Not really. And there never will be for me, just like with you. Only my problem isn’t magical at all, just stupid, stupid human love. I fell for a man who can never be mine.”
“I don’t understand.” Truer words had never been spoken. Jaxson’s entire body deflated with the misery of this.
“He’s married, okay?” she shouted. “He’s a millionaire with the perfect life and a wife he’ll never give up for me. I’ll never be more than an occasional fling for him, but I can’t help loving him anyway. There! Are you happy? You know my secret. Now let me go!” She gestured angrily at the door, tears gushing down her cheeks as she demanded that he let her run away half-dressed and bawling.
He stepped aside, mouth still hanging open.
She tore open the door and fled the office.
He just stood and watched her go.
Her bare feet pounded the carpet as she ran... and his heart shattered more with each step.
Lies. All of it complete lies.
Olivia had no idea where she conjured this whopper about being in love with a married man—it just spilled from her mouth as her mind was spinning with all the truths Jaxson was telling her. He was cursed. By a witch. Some vile vixen wanted his body and cursed his heart when she couldn’t have it.
If Jaxson discovered Olivia was part witch, he wouldn’t simply gape at her, bewildered, like when she left him in her office less than a minute ago. He would hate her. And rightly so… because her kind had ruined his life. And the curse of one witch might take down all of Riverwise, too. Not to mention endanger all the shifters who were being kidnapped. Who would rescue them, if Jaxson’s pack was crippled? They needed a leader they could believe in, not one who was weakened by the fact that he couldn’t take a mate.