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I nodded. “And yes, I figured that out. Zoe told me. But it’s your story. Your life. Your past. If you wanted me to know, I knew you’d tell me. It doesn’t change our friendship.”
She blew out a sigh of relief. “You have no idea how long I’ve been waiting to hear that.”
I took hold of her hands. “You’re stuck with me at this point. Friends for life.” I smiled when I noticed she was relaxing. “You can tell me anything and I’ll have your back. Well, unless you want to date Owen. Cause I can not go along with that. It would be my duty to save you from that disaster.”
She wrinkled her nose. “You said he wasn’t even good in bed. What’s the point?”
Heat flared low in my belly as I recalled the feel of Luke’s fingers and the taste of his kiss. There was no way he wasn’t good in bed.Fuck. I shoved the thought down. Deep, deep down. “I should have dumped him after the first time I had to fake an orgasm.”
“Never fake them. Make them work for it,” she said.
We laughed, and some part of me that had been long dormant seemed to return. There was an easiness being with Jasmine that felt safe and comfortable. “I’m so glad you’re here.”
“Me too,” she agreed.
“So tell me about your magic.”
She took a deep breath in, then explained her training with Zoe in detail. She told me about starting with meditation and inner work, before moving on to simple telepathy exercises and connecting with Zoe. “I even got to work with Scarlett today. She’s like us; like me and Zoe. But the power there is something else. She’s the strongest witch I’ve ever encountered.”
“She’s quiet,” I commented. During my stay here, I’d gotten to know Luke and Zoe. Even Clayton had spoken a few times. Scarlett was a mystery to me.
“She’s not part of their pack. She’s a hired witch. I didn’t even know you could do that,” Jasmine explained.
“That makes two of us.” It explained why Scarlett seemed to be on the outside of all conversations.
“Can I tell you something without judgment?” Jasmine’s tone turned serious.
I nodded. “Of course.”
She turned her arm, revealing the tattoo on her inner wrist. “I told you I got this for running away. But that’s not really true.”
My brow furrowed, but I didn’t speak.
“When I discovered that I could control minds, I didn’t tell anyone. It’s very taboo in the coven I grew up in. Nobody could know. But I didn’t have any power there, any agency. My life was difficult.” She traced the tattoo with her index finger, keeping her eyes lowered.
“Someone tried to hurt me and I threw my magic at them.” She looked up, as if seeking my reaction. I kept my expression concerned and interested, not a trace of fear or judgement.
“Magic like mine leaves markers. They knew what I did. It didn’t matter what he was going to do to me, it only mattered that I’d destroyed him with magic that terrified them.” She swallowed hard.
I clasped her hand and squeezed. “You are a survivor. We both are. Those that hurt us deserved what they got.”
Silent tears streamed down her cheeks. She wiped them away. “I know you have your own past. I know you’ve endured things nobody should have to.”
My throat tightened. I’d never told her the details of my past, but shifters talk. She had to have gleaned at least some of it.
“And I no longer feel ashamed of my magic, or what I did with it. But I needed you to know that you’re not alone,” she finished.
Now we were both crying. I pulled her into an embrace and we cried until we laughed. It was the laugher of insanity. Of two broken people who had been through hell and somehow made it out stronger.
When we pulled away, I saw my friend in a new light. I knew she was powerful, when my potion was wearing off I could feel her magic. But I never imagined she’d step into her power this way.
Living in Copper Springs, we’d both been hiding from our true selves. I saw that now. But there was more healing to do. It would take time for us to forgive ourselves and grow into the people we were meant to be. One step at a time.
I never realized how much I needed to get away. How much I needed the peace of a change of scenery. Jasmine needed that too and Copper Springs wasn’t enough. I hoped this place would help both of us.
She sniffed and wiped her tears away. “Anyway, thank you for listening.”
“I’m always here for you, you know that.” I smiled. “But seriously, you need to expand on that whole telepathy thing. How does that work?”
