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I laugh as the questions tumble out of her. Licking my lips, I say a silent prayer to Hecate that I won’t accidentally melt anything this time and hold out my hand, palm up. Pink sparks dance along my fingertips, and a smile breaks across my face as Jaz squeals.
“That is so wicked! What else can you do? Can you do any spells on stuff? Can you use magic while you’re a wolf?”
“I’m actually still learning about my wolf… and my magic.” I frown at my hands as I let the sparks fizzle out, studying my palms for a moment before glancing back up at her. “But Mila was helping me train today.”
“You should come to the training classes!” she says, excited. “Darrold is training all of us new to shifting in the pack again tomorrow. It—”
“No,” Gideon says flatly.
Jaz narrows her gaze at him. “Why? And if it’s some dumb reason like training her yourself, you better not even bother. You can still train her. The classes could be extra. And being in a group, to feel like part of our pack, would begoodfor her.”
His jaw flexes as he clenches his teeth. I put my hands over his where they sit on my hips, rubbing my thumb along the back of his hands. “It would be helpful, I think. And I’d like to meet more of the pack as an equal.”
He searches my eyes, the frown never leaving his lips.
“And if you say no again,” I add, raising a brow at him, “I’ll go and just not tell you.”
Jaz laughs, making Gideon glare at her briefly. “Oh, I like her,” she manages to say between breaths.
“Dinner!” Mila calls from the slider door.
Jaz shoots up from the chair, skipping into the house. I get up to follow her, but Gideon quickly pulls me back down, his hand cupping my cheek. “You’re as insufferable as that pup, but gods, are you beautiful when you have that defiant fire dancing in your eyes.”
I glance away briefly, my mind still stuck on what Madrona mentioned before. “What did she mean earlier? When Madrona said you saved her?”
His eyes travel lazily up from my lips. “Like I said, Jaz never needed me to save her. I only reminded her of where she came from.”
Scowling at him, I sigh. “That doesn’t actually answer anything.”
He chuckles. “Darling, it answers everything.” He presses his lips softly to mine before pulling back. “Come on, let’s get inside before they come searching for us.”
I laugh as he sets me on my feet with a huff, his hand never letting go of mine as we walk around the fireplace and into the house.
It never occurs to me that when we’re together, the demons screaming in my mind that I’m betraying my coven are silent, the voice that sounds like Monique telling me I’m worthless has nothing to say. As long as Gideon is touching me, everything else falls away, and I’ve never felt lighter.
Chapter four
Gideon
Frank’s laugh booms across the table, his eyes dancing with mirth as he looks at Mila. Gods, I’ve never seen him so happy in the centuries he’s stood by my side. My gaze sweeps across the table, glancing over Jaz lighting up the room with her smile, and lands on Adara next to me. She watches those around the table with a mixture of curiosity and joy, but a hint of doubt plays on her features.
You love her, my wolf says, startling me. His voice sounds strange, distant.
She’s my mate.
Yes, but it’s more than that. You actually love this witch.He laughs, the sound distorted as if underwater.
You told me to accept the mate bond. You—
I didn’t expect you to love her, this witch that could bring death to our entire pack. She’ll become more powerful than us once she awakens her true powers, and then what? You can’t use her witch powers like she can use your wolf abilities.
A lead weight settles in my gut at those words. More powerful than me? Can I trust her to protect us, from both witch and wolf alike, when I can’t be a safeguard against her? Because they will attack—every side will attack to gain that kind of power. The image of Adara, silhouetted against a raging fire behind her, flits across my mind.
“Are you okay?”
Blinking, I focus back on Adara sitting beside me, her brows furrowed in concern as she places her hand atop mine.
She’ll kill us all.
