Chapter 34

“You two are back earlier than I expected,” Chloe said as soon as we walked through the front door. She and Trent were snuggled on the couch.

Trent eyed me with concern, and all I could do was shrug. I had no fucking clue what was going on right now.

“Where’s my sister?” Piper released my hand and moved through the house. “Sophie!”

“Shh. I just got the girls back to sleep.” Chloe glared at her. She straightened, her feet landing on the floor as if she were ready to jump up at any second. “Sophie’s right there.” She nodded over Piper’s shoulder.

Sophie stood near the couch. “What’s wrong?”

“They’re here. Draven witches.” Piper’s voice, which had been fearful before was now trembling with terror. “Have you talked to Peyton and Sabella? They were supposed to handle this.”

“All right, calm down.” Sophie held up her hand, then moved to sit on the arm of the couch. “Are you positive that’s who it was?”

Piper nodded and wrapped her arms around herself like she was trying to ward off a bone deep chill. I moved to stand behind her and rested my hands on her shoulders. And then, in a glorious moment of trust and understanding, she leaned back against me for support.

Sophie’s angry, accusatory gaze narrowed in on me, and I returned the look with twice as much fury. She could go straight to hell if she thought for even one second that I wouldn’t be everything Piper needed me to be, and right now, she needed my strength and comfort.

“I’m sorry. I think I’m missing something here.” Chloe now stood next to me, arms crossed. “Who are the Draven witches, and why are you afraid of them?”

“Two of them were following us tonight, but we escaped before they had a chance to get too close.” I rubbed my hands up and down Piper’s arms.

“Which two?” Sophie’s attention was focused on Piper now.

“Vince and Victor.”

Sophie’s eyes fluttered closed momentarily, and her shoulders sagged.

“Why are they here, Sophie?” Piper’s tone had a sudden edge to it. “Why is he sending his guard here? It’s too soon. He promised us ten days.”

I stiffened, and my hands froze halfway down Piper’s arms. Ten days? Up until right now, Piper hadn’t said a word about a ten-day deadline beyond that being when she was leaving, but clearly when that time was up, something big was going down. But what?

“I don’t know,” Sophie bit out and stood stiffly. “Cloak the house. I’m going to call Peyton and Sabella.” Sophie disappeared from the living room.

“Uh, do I need to be concerned about the girls’ safety?” Chloe’s gaze bounced from me to Piper. “Are these witches dangerous?”

“No. Not to any of you or the girls.” Piper stepped away from me, then turned to face us. “The Draven Coven is expecting me and my sisters to pay them a visit when we return home. I don’t know why he sent two of his guard here.” She shook her head.

Icy cold fear slithered down my back. Why did they need to go see the Draven Coven? And why did Piper seem to think that was a bad thing? Did the Dravens know who Piper and her sisters really were?

“You keep saying he,” Trent said. He now stood next to Chloe. “Who is ‘he?’”

That was a damn good question.

“It’s complicated witch business.” Her gaze lingered on me for several moments before lowering, and in that split second when she wasn’t looking at me, my heart shattered.

Whatever was going on was not good, and I had a terrible feeling it would end with me alone and Piper very far away. Forever.

“Excuse me. I need to cloak the house before the Draven Coven tracks us here.” Piper walked out of the house.

I stared after her, unsure what to do. I hadn’t ever been this confused before. Did I go after her? Did I give her a moment to do what needed to be done? Did I drag Sophie out here and demand answers?

“What the hell happened tonight?” Trent asked.

I raked my fingers through my hair. “I don’t know. Things were going great. We were having fun. A lot of fun.” My mind flashed to the bar supply closet. We should’ve stayed there. “We were headed back to the car, and next thing I know, these two guys are following us. Piper freaked out, and now here we are.” I frowned, my attention not straying too far from the front door.

“I haven’t been able to shake this feeling that they’re hiding something from us,” Chloe whispered.

I sliced a look at her. “Yeah, me too.”

All the little things Piper had said over the past couple of days, the cryptic half-answers and warnings raced through my mind. There was a whole hell of a lot they knew that we didn’t. Granted, witch business wasn’t vampire business, but now that my entire existence was tied to Piper, didn’t I have a right to know? Or at the very least, have a basic understanding so that I could help her?

Chloe nudged me and nodded at the door. “Go make sure she’s okay.”

I walked outside to find Piper standing directly in front of the cabin. Eyes closed, hands raised, and head tossed back, she chanted a spell. Crossing my arms, I stood silently and watched her. She radiated beauty and grace and power—so much power it was slightly terrifying, even to an immortal like me.

When she finished, her arms dropped to her sides like wet noodles, her head fell forward, and her body sagged. In a flash, I was off the porch and catching her in my arms before she slumped to the ground.

“It’s okay. I’ve got you,” I whispered as I cradled her in my arms.

She draped her arm around my neck and rested her head on my shoulder. “Thank you, but I’m okay. Really.”

“Yeah, you look it.” I studied her face, which was taught with tension, her cheeks pale rather than their normal pinkish color.

“We need to get back inside. The house is cloaked.”

I carried her into the cabin and gently set her on the couch, but I didn’t move away from her. I brushed hair away from her forehead, my concern eating away at me. Not screaming for answers took all my self-control. She leaned into my hand, her expression grateful and sad.

“Peyton and Sabella will be here any minute.” Sophie returned to the living room and sat on the couch. “Are you okay?”

Piper nodded. “The house is cloaked and protected.”

Sophie laid her hand on Piper’s shoulder. “Thank you.”

“I think it’s time you start explaining what’s going on.” I shifted to give Piper a little more room, but I was still close enough to pull her into my arms—or for her to reach for me, if she wanted to.

“What’s going on is witch business and none of your concern,” Sophie snapped.

“Wrong.” Trent stood near the arm of the couch, eyes hard and bordering on black. “You’re in our house where our girls are sleeping upstairs, and by being here you’ve brought these witches and this trouble straight to our front door. We have every right to know what the hell is going on.”

Chloe stared at him as if he were some sort of god, and admittedly, I could’ve kissed my brother right then for stepping up and saying the one thing I didn’t seem to have the power to say.

“If you tell us, we can help you.” Chloe looped her arm through Trent’s, and his stance softened just a little, his eyes clearing to a lighter shade of blue.

“Who says we need help?” Sophie stood and positioned herself in front of the TV.

“Sophie, stop.” Piper sat ramrod straight, hands in her lap.

“We don’t need help, Piper. We need to face this like the strong women we are. This is our destiny, and a handful of vampires aren’t going to change that.” Her gaze flickered to me, then back to Piper. “No matter how badly you want them to.”

“Clearly you underestimate us.” My voice was hard and lethal. “In case you forgot, you’re standing in a room with the very vampires who defeated the entire Zoya Coven. We took on an entire vampire army and won. We eliminated Ivy Rose. Look around. Who is still standing here and who isn’t?”

I slowly stood, knowing if I moved any faster, I’d end up losing control to my instincts that were clawing at me, demanding I kill anyone who even attempted to get near Piper, and then whisk her away somewhere safe, somewhere no one could ever find her.

“This situation is completely different.” Sophie didn’t so much as flinch a muscle.

She wasn’t going to budge on this, which meant I was wasting my time trying to get answers from her. Not that Piper was any more forthcoming, but she had been opening up to me tonight. If I could just get her alone again, maybe I could—

I stiffened. Noise outside had my fangs protruding, and I whipped around to face the front door. I growled low in my throat. Behind me, Chloe and Trent poised for an impending attack.

“It’s just Peyton and Sabella,” Piper said softly.

Her hand grazed my arm as she stepped around me and opened the front door to welcome her sisters. The three of them hugged, and the faint color of fear surrounding Piper eased into something stronger—determination and strength.

“What happened? Why are members of the Draven guard here?” Piper motioned for her sisters to come inside, then she closed the door behind them.

“By the time we secured a visit with him, it was too late.” Sabella’s gaze darted around the room.

“Not here.” Sophie shook her head. “Let’s take this conversation somewhere private.”

Without question, Peyton and Sabella moved to follow Sophie.

I clutched Piper’s wrist before she could get away. “You can’t keep me in the dark, Piper. Not when this concerns you and your safety.”

She removed my hold from her wrist, then slipped her hand into mine. Giving my hand a firm squeeze, she smiled up at me, her green eyes full of warmth and compassion and need. Whether that was need for me or simply for an ally, I didn’t know. And I didn’t care.

Fire flared up and blazed in my veins, melting my insides. I wanted to drop to my knees right here in front of everyone and beg her to choose me, to love me, to spend her life with me, because I would give anything in the world to have her look at me exactly like that for as long as I existed. Though, I knew this sudden, intense urge was fueled by desperation more than anything else at the moment.

“They’re right. It’s not fair to hide this from them.” Piper’s voice was loud and firm. “If you three aren’t willing to discuss this in front of them, fine, but I will tell them the truth. About everything.”

My heart clenched with pride and love. The power Piper possessed was so much more than just her magical abilities. She had strength of character, a drive to do what was right and fair. A pang of regret and sympathy hit me—what had she done wrong to get saddled with a soulmate like me? I was much too selfish to be worthy of someone as incredible as her.

“This will only cause bigger issues.” Sophie had stopped leading her sisters away and now stood sandwiched between them. “Especially that one.” She jutted her chin in my direction. “He’s blinded by his feelings.”

Chloe’s laugh of disbelief garnered everyone’s attention. “I’m sorry, but you say that like it’s a bad thing.”

I narrowed my eyes. Where was she going with this?

“It is,” Sophie said, head tilted. “We need to be clear headed and smart.”

“Let me tell you something.” Chloe marched up and got in Sophie’s face.

I dropped Piper’s hand, and Trent and I moved forward, ready to intervene if necessary. Chloe had a bad habit of getting in people’s faces and provoking them to make her point, and she rarely backed down. She and I had gone head-to-head more than once, so I knew firsthand just how good she was at getting a reaction from people. The last thing we needed was for her to piss off the four powerful witches, because I had no doubts they’d stick together no matter what.

“You’d better thank God or fate or whatever higher power you believe in that you have Jax on your side. He’s a much better ally than enemy, and take it from someone who knows, you want him blinded by his emotions.” Chloe’s hands curled into fists, and Trent and I exchanged uneasy glances. “Because when he cares that much, he will move heaven and hell to make sure the people he loves aren’t harmed.”

Rage pulsed around Chloe, hotter and thicker than I’d ever seen. I raised a brow at Trent and gave a subtle nod.

“Easy, Chloe.” Trent reached for her arm, but she jerked away before he could touch her.

“No, Trent,” she snapped, but her focus never wavered from Sophie. “They need to know how stupid they are.”

An unexpected, surprised laugh fought to escape, but I covered it with a cough. Trent bit back a smile, his eyes sparking with pride.

“I don’t know who the hell you think you are, but you’re not better than us,” Chloe continued. “And you do not get to come into my house and treat Jax—or any of us—like we’re not good enough to be privy to whatever is going on with you.”

Damn, Chloe was on a roll tonight. Her faith in me, her willingness to defend me so fiercely gave me hope that maybe someday, Piper would be able to see me the same way Chloe did.

“So.” Chloe straightened and crossed her arms. “You can either climb down off that high horse you’re on and tell us what’s going on so we can help, or I can happily shove you off and then drag you out of my house.”

I swore all the air was sucked out of the room, and no one spoke. I held my breath and waited to see how Sophie would react to Chloe’s ultimatum.