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Chapter Twenty-Four
Claire
As the days melded into one another, I didn’t know where I ended and Jack Beaumont began. And I didn’t really care either.
He’d taken care of me. Over the years, I’d heard witches tell about dream experiences with their warlocks. Of course, I’d also heard nightmare tales about warlocks who had mistreated witches during their heats.
But when a warlock was with his true mate? There was no question that the warlock would see his witch through. Do his utmost to take care of her. And Jack had done that and more. It was almost enough to make me believe that this could be real.
There was still that worry that this was Jack being Jack. I knew that no matter who Jack was with, he’d treat the witch with the utmost care and tenderness.
It wasn’t as if Jack was the only warlock who could successfully see a witch through her heat. After all, Anna Kirby at the local heat lodge employed several warlocks who prided themselves on knowing how to care for a witch during and after her heat.
I didn’t doubt that Jack would have been an attentive warlock, mate or not. And yet, every time he had cleaned me up after he’d knotted me or I’d woken up to food to keep up my stamina, I built a little fairy tale in my head. That this would go far beyond what had happened. He’d bathed me, soothed me, and comforted me just as I imagined a mate would.
“How many days has it been?” I asked him as I lay atop him after yet another knotting session. The heat had abated, but right now, I was still feeling those little aftershocks. Likely the combination of the natural drawing down of a witch’s heat as well as the fact that I’d been on suppressant spells and potions for so long.
“Four, I believe,” Jack answered.
I tensed, thinking of all the obligations that I’d likely neglected. Jack kissed the top of my head, running his hand down the length of my back.
“Don’t worry, darlin’. I called Carlton and told him you needed heat leave.”
I groaned. “He’s going to have questions.”
Jack’s laugh rumbled beneath me, the sound filling me with something far beyond lust and need. I burrowed myself into his chest, loving the way it felt to feel his laugh. Loving the way the sound reverberated through my body as he did so.
“Furthermore,” Jack continued, “I called a good friend of mine from the station, a witch that I trust, and saw to it she ensured Maggie made it to and from school on time.”
Raising my head, I propped my chin on Jack’s chest. “I didn’t even realize you knew I was the one who got Maggie to school and back.”
He stared down at me, his eyes full of some emotion that I couldn’t quite place. “I know a lot of things about you, Claire Landon.”
For a moment, we simply lay there, looking into one another’s eyes.
“What happened that night?” he asked finally. “After I took you to the hospital.”
I placed my head back on Jack’s chest, allowing myself to be lulled by the sound of his heart thudding beneath my ear. “You don’t want to hear that story.”
“I do, actually,” he said after a long pause. His hand ran over the crown of my head, his fingers threading between the strands of hair. “Unless it’s too painful for you.”
“No. It’s not too painful to share with you. Not now that you’re here with me. It’s just that I didn’t know that you’d ever want to know what happened. I suspect that it’s what happens to any witch who goes to the hospital to be treated for heat sickness. But it’s definitely not pretty.”
Jack said nothing, letting me continue at my own pace.
“After you dropped me off, I ran for the door, trying to get out. Trying to get back to you,” I said, my voice thick. The back of my throat burned. I pushed the tears back. I knew I was vulnerable, but I didn’t want to appear weak, all the same. Any time I’d entertained the memories of that night, they’d usually been accompanied with big, fat crocodile tears and I didn’t want to do that. Not now.
“I shouldn’t have asked, Claire. You don’t have to say anything more.”
His arms tightened around me, but despite the fear that I might break down and give in to all that emotion, I wanted to continue.
“It’s not all that common,” I continued, wondering if his telling me to stop wasn’t because he feared what I’d tell him. Perhaps he was afraid that he had opened Pandora’s Box and now that he was getting a peek inside, he wanted to slam the lid back down.
“Usually, when a witch comes to that hidden part of the hospital, it’s because something has happened to her mate or she can’t take a knot for some reason. It’s usually not because her mate has rejected her.”
“Claire, I—“
“So, they weren’t prepared for me to make a run for the door,” I continued, cutting him off. “It took two witches to subdue me. The warlocks on duty were a little afraid of touching me, afraid I might be desperate enough to try and mate with them. They shouldn’t have worried. I’ve only ever wanted one warlock since that night.”
