Chapter 12

The following two days were filled with a tension I hadn’t felt since the days leading up to our fight with Rector and the Zoya Coven. Everyone was on edge waiting for Piper’s sisters to arrive. Chloe was insisting we not kill Ivy, but rather strip her of her magic and then lock her up. Even though Abby hadn’t said anything, her aura was hard to ignore—she was terrified that some or all of us wouldn’t come out alive. Isach, mostly, but her overall concern was widespread.

I hadn’t found another moment alone with Piper since the other day at the pool, and that in and of itself was enough to make me miserable, but add that to everything else, and I was the crankiest vampire on the planet. And Piper didn’t hesitate to let me know it, either. Her teasing was the only thing currently keeping me sane. Well, sort of.

Despite having fed with Wyatt, Colt, and Trent the other morning, I was teetering on the tip of a pin, and no matter what side I fell off, I’d end up miserable. If I said something to Piper about being my soulmate, she could easily tell me to leave her alone, that she didn’t reciprocate my feelings. If I didn’t tell her, then I’d have to live with my secret, always wondering what-if. Regardless of what I did or didn’t say, she was leaving as soon as we dealt with Ivy, which meant tomorrow, I’d have to say goodbye to Piper. How the hell was I supposed to do that?

“They’re here!” Piper jumped up from the couch and rushed toward the front door.

Chloe froze where she stood near the sink. Trent had suddenly appeared by her side. Their concern was palpable. I wanted to reassure them that Piper’s sisters were harmless, but I couldn’t say that with any real certainty. Just because Piper was cool didn’t mean her sisters were. In fact, Sabella was downright hostile, and the way Peyton never spoke made me nervous.

“It’s going to be okay,” Isach said. “Piper’s sisters are just as friendly as she is.”

I begged to differ, but now wasn’t the time to start an argument about something so trivial when we had more important things to worry about. Would life ever go back to normal? I sort of missed the days of complaining about being forced to go back to high school and harassing Trent about falling in love with Chloe.

Chloe cleared her throat, then slowly turned. “I guess I should greet our guests.”

Abby stood. “I’ll go with you.”

“Me too.” Trent took Chloe’s hand.

“I’ll introduce you.” Isach led the way outside.

I couldn’t avoid this any longer. Reluctantly, I ambled out of the house, and Piper’s expression brightened when she saw me. I smiled in return. Even though our time was quickly running out, seeing her so happy thrilled me.

“Jaxon.” Sophie nodded in my direction. “Good to see you again.”

“We both know you don’t mean that.” My tone was full of teasing, and Sophie laughed.

“Abby, you’re looking well.” Sophie smiled at her. “Enjoying having Isach around again, I assume?”

“Yes. You can’t have him back.”

Everyone laughed.

Piper stepped forward and introduced her sisters, and several moments of pleasantries ensued before Chloe said, “Why don’t you all come in?”

We filed back into the house, and Trent excused himself to go call everyone else. Now that the rest of the Pendragon Coven was here, we needed to finalize our plans against Ivy. All of us needed to be on the same page to ensure everything went according to plan. We didn’t need any surprises tomorrow, especially when Piper, her sisters, and Isach would be the ones going head-to-head with Ivy. The rest of us were backup.

I hated knowing I wouldn’t be in the middle of the fight with Ivy, that I had to simply stand by and let Piper, her sisters, and Isach make all the moves. I needed to expend all this pent-up anger and fear and energy building inside of me, and fighting that witch Ivy was the best way to do that. But, I’d been given my role, and I had to adhere to it. If I didn’t someone could get hurt, and I’d never forgive myself if that person ended up being Piper.

“You have a lovely home,” Sabella said as she looked around. “It’s got great energy.” She spun in a circle. “Very calming and full of love.”

“Um, thanks,” Chloe said.

“Everyone else will be here shortly,” Trent announced as he descended the stairs.

“In the meantime, I’ll show you where you can put your things.” Chloe nodded for them to follow her, and she led them to the two bedrooms downstairs. She opened the door to Sean’s room and ushered them inside, their voices fading as I turned my attention to Isach, who stood near the fireplace with Abby.

None of us had hesitated to step up and fight for Isach, because was just as much a part of this family as I was. Would everyone do the same for Piper or her sisters if the need ever arose? Moments later, Sean, Colt, Whitney, and Wyatt arrived.

“Well, where are they?” Whitney demanded in her overly enthusiastic way.

“Right here.” Chloe returned to the living room, the witches in line behind her. “You all already know Piper.” Chloe waved her hand at Piper. “These are her sisters. Peyton, Sabella, and Sophie. This is the rest of my family,” Chloe said with a warm smile as she introduced Sean, Colt, Wyatt, and Whitney.

“It’s so lovely to meet you.” Whitney’s eyes sparkled. “Piper has told us so much about you. I feel like I already know you.”

I did not have the patience for this right now. While everyone discussed what would happen tomorrow, Abby slipped out the back door. Part of me wanted to follow her, to get away from all this for a few moments, but knowing every last detail of our plan was much more important. Eventually, talk shifted to other things, and Piper was the next to leave. She headed out the same way Abby had.

So, I went in the opposite direction and strode out the front door. I inhaled deeply and forced my thoughts to settle. We’d fought Rector and the Zoya—without any help from the Pendragon Coven—and we’d won. We could win against Ivy, too, and Piper, along with everyone else, would be fine. I clung to that thought, knowing if I began to doubt it for even a second, I’d crack.

We knew what we’d been up against with Rector, and despite having Heaven Leigh on our side, we had no real idea what Ivy was up to or if she knew anything about our plans. If she did, she’d be prepared, and that would make this fight a million times harder and more dangerous.

“What’s going on with you?” Wyatt slapped me on the back.

“What do you mean?”

He shrugged. “Figured you’d be a lot happier about finally giving Ivy what she deserves. But you’ve been moody lately.”

Of all people to pick up on my change in mood, I hadn’t expected Wyatt to be that person. But if he had, then others probably had, too, and I’d bet anything they were waiting until after Ivy was dealt with to say something to me about it.

“I can’t wait to get rid of Ivy once and for all. But the stakes are much higher this time.” I nodded toward the house. “Chloe and Trent have the girls now.”

Wyatt tilted his head. “They had the girls last time, and they were a lot younger. Chloe was a brand new vampire who barely knew what she was doing.”

I nodded absently. “Ivy’s a lot sneakier than Rector ever was. I can’t shake the feeling we’re missing something.”

Sean’s efforts to learn anything new about Ivy had been a bust, and we had no real information other than what Isach and Heaven Leigh had already shared with us, and that had every one of my instincts on edge. Ivy was the sneakiest witch I’d ever had the displeasure of meeting.

Wyatt rested his hand on my shoulder and gave it a firm squeeze. “Relax, man. We’ve got this under control.”

I forced a smile. “Yeah, you’re probably right. I’ll just be glad when we don’t have to constantly be preparing for war.”

“If not war, then what? Life’s boring if we’re not fighting.” He laughed raucously. “Maybe when this is over, you, me, and Colt should take a vacation. Go see some different scenery, find some new trouble.”

“That actually sounds good.”

Because when this was all over and Piper left, I’d need an escape. Not that I’d ever be able to escape the memory of her, but maybe drowning myself in some good old-fashioned debauchery would help. Of course, if I just told her the truth, I could save myself a lot of uncertainty and heartache.

The timing for that sort of conversation was all wrong, though. We had to fight Ivy and the Rose Coven tomorrow, and regardless of the outcome, Piper was planning to leave and go home to New Orleans. I couldn’t exactly tell her she was my soulmate as she was preparing to leave—that wasn’t something I could just casually drop on her.

I rubbed my hands over my face and blew out a breath. “What’s going on inside?”

“Small talk. Whitney is trying to organize lunch plans.” He shook his head. “That’s my sister. Always planning something.”

I chuckled. “At least she’s good at it.”

Wyatt grinned. “I’m pretty sure she’s got Abby and Isach’s wedding all planned out already.” His smile faded, and he shoved his hands into his pockets.

I studied him for a moment. His aura shifted from regret to sadness to happiness and back again. “You regret letting her go, don’t you? Abby, I mean.”

Wyatt nodded, then shrugged. “Yes and no. She’s an amazing woman, and we had fun together, but I knew I wasn’t right for her. I’m glad she’s happy.”

I wasn’t sure I believed him, but I let the subject drop. Who was I to offer any sort of relationship advice when I couldn’t gather the courage to tell Piper she was my soulmate and that I wanted eternity with her? God, I was pathetic.