Page 39

I walk closer to the twins to get ready for them to break this spell, but Jaxon grabs my hand before I can get any closer.
“Wait,” he whispers. He pulls me close and holds me tight. I’ve been hugging him for hours to stay awake, but I guess being a werewolf makes him more cuddly than a regular person. I’m not complaining.
“After this, you can sleep as long as you want, okay?” He tucks a piece of hair that fell out of my messy bun behind my ear. I nod at him and bite my lip. I’m so excited to go to bed and stay there.
I let go of Jaxon and walk over to the twins, who are ready to cast the two spells. Felix puts his hand on my right shoulder, and Elise puts hers on my left shoulder. I’ve already written down that Jaxon is growling, which is one of his personality traits. He must really hate them because Jaxon still doesn’t trust them, even though they’re helping me.
Felix and Elise put their hands up so that they are only above me. Felix has tears in his eyes when I look at him. The last time he cast a spell he didn’t want to, I got a huge case of deja vu and panic spread through me.
He whispers, “I’m sorry,” then speaks Latin and points his magic at Jaxon and the other wolves.
“NO!” I yell as I try to get in front of Felix. But it’s too late now. Just in time, I turn to see a flash of blue energy hit Jaxon’s chest. There is a hole where his heart used to be. I run over to him just in time to catch his body, but I don’t have enough strength to hold it up. I fall with him, and it feels like I’m going to die. I have a pain in my chest that won’t go away, and I can’t find the words to explain how bad it is.
I did this. I had faith in Felix. I had faith in Elise. They were here because of me. I was Jaxon’s only weak point, and now he’s dead because of me.
“Why, why, why?” I keep saying over and over. No one tries to stop me from crying.
“Calla, it’s fine.”
I can’t answer because I don’t have the voice, but if I did, I would. This situation is not okay at all. My boyfriend, my soulmate, my love is dead.
“I can’t do anything when she’s like this.”
“Do something! She’s dying!”
“Don’t you think I would if I could?”
I don’t understand what the words mean. I don’t even care who is talking. All I can think about is Jaxon’s dead eyes, pale skin, and voice that will never make those dumb growls again.
“I’m so sorry, Jaxon. I’m so-” I can’t even breathe right now. I can’t breathe because my throat is closing up.
As the water soaks me, I start to cough. I gasp for air that I really need. I see ten people looking at me when I look around. I see five people with wide, relieved eyes that I know are pack warriors. Elise is to my left and doesn’t care, and Felix is scared. No one is attacking them… Why? Didn’t they kill…
Jaxon’s bright eyes look into mine right in front of me. I let out a sigh of relief and gave him a hug. I must have dozed off again. Dreams that are dumb. I’m sick of thinking about him being dead. It would kill me if he died. It almost killed me, and it wasn’t even real! Jaxon hugged me tightly and crushed me against his chest. He kisses my shoulder with soft kisses that go all the way around. The kisses go up my neck and along my jaw until he finally kisses my lips quickly. He looks me over and puts his hands around the back of my neck.
“You are shaking,” he says, shaking his head in disapproval.
“I’m sorry. I’m just cold.”
“Sorry,” Skyler says with a smile as he tries to hide the empty bucket behind him. Ezra doesn’t help him hide it, which makes me smile. “Hey, it’s not my fault. Nobody could wake you up, so I thought throwing water on you would do the trick. And it worked. Go me!”
Ezra gave Skyler a light smack on the back of the head and then hugged him. These werewolves are very hot and cold. I’m glad Skyler is awake now. It’s good to know that he’s okay.
I wrap a fuzzy blanket around myself and close my eyes right away. It’s really warm…
“No, no, no. Don’t close your eyes again. No matter how hard I tried to keep you up, you fell asleep.” Jaxon rubs my arms up and down to warm me up, but he must not know how soothing it is because it just makes me want to sleep even more.
I croak, “How long was I out?” It seems like my voice is broken.
“Twenty minutes. We tried everything to wake you up, but you just kept screaming and crying… I couldn’t-” Jaxon’s voice cracks, and his real feelings come through. I can’t even begin to picture what that must have been like for him.
“I’m sorry,” I say, but Jaxon shakes his head.
“Don’t say you’re sorry. It’s that fucker’s fault,” he says, pointing to Felix, who looks very upset. His face shows that he feels guilty.
“Calla, I’m so sorry. I had no idea it was this bad.”
“Just do the f*****g spell and get out of my sight.” Jaxon cuts Felix off quickly. Felix seems like he wants to say more to me, but he just nods his head and comes over to me quickly to break the sleeping spell.
“Calla, I just want you to know how sorry I am,” Felix says, his deep brown eyes full of tears.
His apology gives me a strong sense of déjà vu, and I start to back away from him. If he were to betray me, he would say this. It just happened in my sleep. Was it a sign of things to come?
I don’t have time to step back before Felix says the spell in Latin.
“Exsolvo somnia in somnus.”
My first thought when I wake up is that someone put cotton in my mouth. Hold on… Is there cotton in my mouth? I put my fingers to my lips and sigh in relief when I realize that I’m fine. I wake up and see that I’m in Jaxon’s bed. It takes me a few moments to remember why I’m here, and then all the memories come rushing back. Felix must have taken away the sleeping spell because I didn’t have any dreams. Thank God!
I was afraid that Felix would betray me, but he kept his word and saved my life. I hadn’t forgotten that he was the one who put it in danger in the first place, but he did seem sorry as he tried to make things right. I still have a lot to say to him and Elise, but right now I just want some water. And coffee, too. And food. Fine, I want a whole buffet. Sue me!
I sit up and feel a little pain in my left arm. I see that there is an IV in place, so I slowly start to pull off the tape. I feel bad as I pull the small tube out of my arm. I can’t go downstairs and get food while carrying an IV pole. When I think about food, I quickly get up and head for the door, but my legs feel like noodles. I fall to the ground like a sack of potatoes and groan at how dumb I am. How long have I been sleeping?
The door flies open, and right away I feel the warmth and sparks that mean my partner is touching me.
“F**k, baby. Are you okay? I leave for one minute and you fall!” Jaxon easily lifts me up and looks at me with worry. I laugh and hug him. I close my eyes and relax in his arms, wrapping my arms around his body. I feel so alive and full of energy. My body and mind have been through a lot in the last week, but I’m just glad I’m still alive and can hug Jaxon. If I had to have another dream where Jaxon died, I think I would go crazy.
“Why did you take out the IV? You could have hurt yourself even more! The doctor should check you out first before you start walking around and-”
It’s kind of cute that he’s worried, but he needs to stop bugging me. I put my pointer finger over his lips to stop him from talking, and I smile at how shocked he looks. I guess the Alpha isn’t used to being quiet…
“Jaxon, I’m fine. I’m a little stiff, but I’m perfectly healthy. How long was I asleep anyway?” I ask him, expecting him to say between 12 and 15 hours.
“Two and a half days,” he says with a grunt as he pulls me closer to him. I’m in shock. I slept for two and a half days in a row?! I had no idea that could happen!
“W-what? H-how did I sleep for that long?” I say as I pull away from him. I start to walk around the room impatiently. I guess that’s why I had an IV: I needed food for the days I slept and didn’t eat. I must have missed some school. That’s not good. I hope I don’t fall behind. My mom wouldn’t like that I missed school, but WAIT!
“Oh my God! My mom has no idea where I am! She probably thinks I’m dead in a ditch or that a homeless man kidnapped me or something!” I start to pace again and pull at my hair. What should I say to her? I can’t say I was with Jaxon for two days because that would make me look bad. I would have texted or called her during that time so she’d think something was up. Oh my God! She’s probably going crazy and-
When I hear a laugh that makes me laugh, I stop pacing. I turn to Jaxon and glare at him with my arms crossed over my chest and my nostrils flaring in anger.
I complain, “What? What’s so funny?” and start tapping my foot on the ground. Jaxon walks up to me and grabs my waist, pulling me toward him until there isn’t any space between us.
He says, “You’re cute when you’re angry,” and I let out a breath when he says my anger is funny. “I texted your mom from your phone. She thinks you’ve been staying with Skyler.” I’m glad she knows I’m okay. I let out a big sigh of relief.
“Also,” he says slowly, “I’ve never heard you curse before. It’s kind of hot.”
I can’t breathe when I look into his silver eyes. The longer he looks at me, the bigger his pupils get. His grip on my hips gets a little bit tighter. He seems scared to hold me too tightly, but he can’t let me go. I can only guess how he feels right now. He is a man who has found his true love. He probably wants to go faster than I’m ready for, but he’s been so patient and understanding with me.
His desire is fighting with his common sense. I just woke up after sleeping for two and a half days because a warlock’s spell was meant to kill me. When I stand on my tiptoes and bring my lips close to his, I make the decision for him.
“I am not glass; I am human. You won’t break me.” The words come out in a low, seductive voice that I didn’t even know I had. My lips brush against his as I whisper the words. He gets angry and slams his lips against mine. The kiss is hot and full of passion, and it’s just what I need right now. I forget that I’m hungry for food and instead feel a deep hunger for something else.