“What’s going on?” Jace asked. “This isn’t like you.”
“I’m sorry,” Killian murmured, shaking his head.
Jasmine came back to him, putting her arms around him. “It’s been a really terrible night. We all just need some sleep, and we’ll feel better in the morning. I can make some nice soothingtea. And maybe we can figure out how to sleep together. I know I don’t want to be alone.”
My mind went straight to the conversation in the bar. How she’d told us that she wanted to have more sex. I stirred, hardening in my jeans. But that wasn’t what she was talking about, and I tried to ignore my arousal. Her shoulders were slumped, face pale, eyes heavy. She was exhausted, and I doubt she felt very sexy after being so frightened by those outsiders.
I remembered what they said about her, and my blood boiled. “Jasmine.”
She looked up at me.
“What they said about your body. They’re idiots. Don’t give them any thought. Your body is beautiful, and you are beautiful, and they’re just assholes,” I said, trying to make sure she understood how genuine I was.
Jasmine offered me a small smile. “I’m trying not to think about it. Don’t worry about me. I just need some good sleep.”
“We need to talk more,” Killian said, shaking his head. “You’re right that this isn’t usual for me, and I don’t think it’s just being tired. This might be the dark energy starting to manifest. It might be best if I’m locked up until we can know for sure.”
He stared at the table. I glanced over at Jace and Owen. They both looked grim, but not surprised. So, they suspected it, too. I tried to think of something to say. I should tell them my own suspicions, even though I didn’t have any evidence of it yet. And still, I didn’t want to say anything. Was it selfishness? I didn’t want to be parted from Jasmine.
“No, you are not being locked up,” Jasmine said. She pulled Killian tighter into her embrace. “Those jerks were clearlytrying to cause trouble. They were going after Renz, and then you stepped in to defend me. You didn’t do anything wrong.”
“But it’s not like me to lose my temper.”
“You’ve never had a mate before, and you’ve never been in a situation where men from another pack were so clearly hostile toward your mate,” Jasmine argued.
Something eased in my chest. Could that be enough of an explanation?
Jasmine kissed Killian’s head and shook her own head. “I don’t want to be parted from you. We don’t need to jump to the worst-case scenario. In the other cases, the dark energy violence was triggered in people who were already possessed, right?”
At this, I spoke. “No. The violence and the possession came at a similar time. We shouldn’t take chances. When the dark energy started to make the Burgess pack violent, they started going after Penny. If that happens to any of us—”
“If this were the dark energy, then Killian wouldn’t defend me. He’d attack me.”
I lowered the cloth from my scalp and checked it with my finger. Still tender, but it had scabbed over. “Then we should take sex off the table at least. If we have any worries about dark energy, then we should take precautions to make sure you’ll stay safe. Which means not leaving you alone with anyone and—”
“And no sex,” Jasmine said. She released her embrace on Killian and frowned at me.
“Is it really that big of a deal?” I avoided looking at the others. “We haven’t had sex except that one time anyway, and there are a lot of logistics to work out. Like you said, you don’t want to have those marathons anymore, and until we can figureout a way to have a fair system, we should just remain abstinent. Otherwise, it’ll be easy for resentment to brew.”
Jasmine moved to Jace’s side and put her arms around him. “Are you jealous?”
I watched her fingers move over his face and wished that I could be the one under her fingers. But jealousy? “That’s not quite the right word.”
“Resentful?” Jasmine moved over to Owen and kissed him deeply.
The sight stirred me. I tightened my hands under the table. What point was she trying to prove? Oh, I had feelings, alright. They weren’t jealousy and resentment. Even as much as I wanted to be the one that she was touching and kissing, I also enjoyed seeing her with the others. It was a strange place, and yet one that felt comfortable.
“No,” I admitted. “I’m not resentful. It’s just that…”
I trailed off, unwilling to really speak on what I was thinking.
Jasmine came to me, then, and cupped my face in her hands. Her touch made my skin shiver, the heat of her so close making me feel like everything could be all right. I wanted to wrap my arms around her, but I couldn’t make myself do it.
“I want to feel more connected,” she told me. “I trust you all. I want to be close and together.”
The weight of that trust settled on me. It wasn’t heavy, it was light, and it made me feel stronger. But doubts wormed their way through me. Was this trust really earned?
She started to lean closer, and I gently put my hands on her hips, pushing her back slightly. “Alright. I understand that you want more connection, and you feel like sex will help withthat. I don’t want you to think I’m rejecting you, Jasmine. But I think I need more time.”
