Chapter 8

As expected, my food was pure perfection. Dinner was pleasant and filled with easy conversation. No one put Piper on the spot, and no one had anything negative to say about Isach. For that hour we were gathered around the table, things felt more normal than they ever had, and I hated that this would be a fleeting moment in time.

“Thanks for cooking,” Chloe said as she set a pile of dirty dishes in the sink that I was filling with hot, soapy water. She rested her hand on my shoulder. “And for everything else you’ve done recently.”

I smiled. “Anything for you.”

With help from Trent and Colt, we had the remnants of dinner cleaned up in a matter of minutes. Chloe had settled on the floor with Sarah and Emma. Trent joined her. Abby sat on the couch while Isach was on the floor directly in front of her.

I stood several feet away, watching as everyone played with the twins, who were growing so fast. Each day they did something new that would bring such a vibrant smile to Chloe’s face. Trent’s, too. They really were incredible together. Even though it had hurt like hell at the time, Chloe made the right choice in choosing Trent.

My gaze wandered toward Piper, who was on the very end of the couch. She was bent over, smiling at the girls. The spot right next to her was empty, and I could easily picture myself sitting next to her, holding her hand, kissing her cheek, laughing along with her… She was meant to be part of this family. If only everyone else could see that as clearly as I did.

“They’re absolutely precious,” Piper said to Chloe and Trent. “And quite a miracle considering the circumstances.”

“Thank you.” Chloe sounded genuinely sincere. “Having them wouldn’t have been possible without Isach’s help.” She gave him a grateful smile. “Sorry for earlier, if it seemed like I didn’t trust you.” She reached over and squeezed his hand. “I do. Completely.”

“I know,” he said.

“We all do,” Colt said.

I did a double take at my brother. He’d never fully trusted Isach.

“You’ve proven yourself, more than once, and we’d be stupid to doubt you now.” Colt shrugged.

“Thanks.” Isach jutted his chin at Colt in a show of solidarity.

“And on that happy note…” Chloe scooped Emma into her arms. “It’s bedtime for these two.” She bounced Emma and cooed at her.

“Want some help?” Isach got to his feet.

Chloe glanced down at Trent. “You don’t mind?”

Trent shook his head. “If letting Isach help with bedtime means the girls will sleep for longer than an hour or two, by all means.”

Isach gathered Sarah from the floor and followed Chloe upstairs.

Abby stretched and yawned. “Pretty sure it’s bedtime for me, too.”

“We should head back to the house.” Whitney gracefully unfolded herself from where she’d been sitting in the corner of the couch. “I’ll come back tomorrow, and we can start talking wedding plans.” Her eyes twinkled as she gave Abby a hug goodbye. Then she left. Colt followed, but Wyatt lingered.

He shoved his hands into his pockets. “Can I talk to you for a second, Abby?”

Her gaze immediately darted to me. I had no idea why Wyatt wanted to talk to her, so I shrugged. A second later, they were gone, too, leaving me alone with Piper. I’d probably never get a better chance to talk to her than right now, but… Everyone was still awake, which meant every vampire in this house would be able to hear what we said.

“I need some air,” I said abruptly, then stopped as soon as I had the glass doors open. “Want to come?”

“Sure.” Gracefully, Piper stood and sauntered toward me, her gaze not leaving mine.

Heat erupted in my body. How the hell did she do that to me? I stepped aside and motioned for her to go out first. She did, and I followed. We were silent as we marched down the porch steps.

“Are you going somewhere specific or…?” She raised a brow.

“No.” I shook my head. “Just needed to get out of that house. C’mon, we can sit by the pool.” I led the way, and she followed.

Lowering myself onto a chaise lounge, Piper surprised me by sitting next to me. Our bodies touched from thigh to shoulder, and I wondered just how long it would take before I combusted from the heat building between us.

The moon was bright and high in the sky and reflected off the still pool water. In the distance, crickets chirped. I leaned forward, arms resting on my legs, and hands clasped in front of me.

“Not to inflate your ego any more than it already is, but dinner was good. You know, for a vampire.” She nudged my leg with hers.

I glanced at her, grinning. She had that effect on me—no matter what she said or how much she teased me, she always managed to coax a smile from me, even when I tried not to.

“Thanks,” I said. “I’ll try not to let your backhanded compliment go to my head.”

Her soft laughter echoed in our otherwise silent surroundings. “You really weren’t kidding when you told me you were a food snob, were you?”

“Nope.”

“You must really like to cook.”

I shrugged. “It helps calm me.”

“And you needed to calm yourself tonight?” She tilted her head. “Why?”

I straightened. “Because I was on edge with how everyone’s been treating you. They’re not being fair, and I’m sorry for that.” Admitting that was better than blurting out the truth—that I was on edge about her plan, that I was crazed with fear and desperate to keep her safe.

“Don’t be.” She waved her hand dismissively. “They have every right to be cautious around me. In fact, I’d be worried if they weren’t acting this way. And really, what right do you have to judge them for how they’re treating me? You weren’t very nice to me when we first met.”

“You weren’t exactly Little Miss Sunshine either, you know?”

Piper playfully shoved me with her shoulder, her eyes twinkling. “Yes, well, that’s what you get for being so cranky.”

I laughed. “You haven’t seen cranky yet.”

“Have I seen nice yet?” She raised a brow.

“If you had, you wouldn’t have to ask me that.” My voice was deep and raspy.

My gaze dropped from her eyes down to her mouth. Her heartrate sped up, and I ran my tongue across my bottom lip. I had never wanted to kiss anyone as badly as I wanted to kiss her right now. Would she let me? Slowly, I dragged my gaze back up to meet hers, and she stared at me with so much hopeful innocence.

I was so incredibly fucked.

My ever increasing need to be with her was getting harder and harder to deny, but how could I start something with her right now? We had to deal with Ivy, and who the hell knew how that was going to turn out? What would happen once Ivy was dead? Would Piper leave? Would I have the guts to ask her to stay?

What if I did and she said no? Or worse, what if she said yes and I did something incredibly stupid to mess things up? She was so sweet and loyal, and she deserved someone better than me, someone whose love wouldn’t destroy her. If I was the very thing that could do the most harm to her, then I had to protect her from me.

Piper stood. “It’s been a very long day. I think I’m going to head to bed.”

I gave a small nod but remained seated, because I knew if I stood, if I let myself get any closer, I wouldn’t be able to stop from touching her. Right now, my focus needed to be on keeping Piper safe from Ivy, and then killing Ivy so she couldn’t hurt anyone I loved.

“Sleep tight. Don’t let the vampires bite,” I said.

Her answering laugh was the sweetest sound I’d ever heard. “Guess that depends on which vampire is trying to bite.” She tossed her hair over her shoulder, spun on her heel, and walked back toward the house.

I stared after her, mouth agape. Was that some sort of invitation? I wanted to find out, but I reminded myself yet again that there were more pressing concerns that needed my attention. Finding out if I was Piper’s soulmate, too, or if she had any feelings for me, no matter how small, didn’t mean a damn thing if I couldn’t keep her safe.

***

I blew out a breath and shook the nerves from my hands. Chloe had set up what would eventually become the girls’ playroom for Piper, and as I always did when I stayed here, I was sleeping in Sean’s room—directly across the hall from Piper. Despite having gone to bed two hours ago, I hadn’t slept a wink. Between knowing she was so close, her parting words when we’d been outside earlier, and my insatiable desire to talk her out of offering herself up as a spy, sleep was a lost cause.

I knocked on the bedroom door, and a second later, it swung open. Piper stood before me dressed in colorful butterfly-patterned pajama shorts with a solid pink tank top. My gaze roamed freely down the length of her body and lingered on the spot where fabric met flesh, mid-thigh. My palms tingled with the need to touch her, and my gums ached with the familiar beginnings of bloodlust. Coming to her room like this probably wasn’t my best idea, but I was desperate, and I’d do anything to make sure she stayed safe—including torturing myself with being so close and not being able to touch.

When my gaze finally moved back up to her sparkling green eyes, she had a knowing grin waiting for me. She raised a perfectly arched brow and shifted on her feet, causing her breasts to jiggle just enough to draw my attention. I sucked in a sharp breath.

“Are you the vampire coming to bite me?” Her tone was a teasing seduction.

“You sound disappointed.” I leaned against the doorframe and crossed my arms. “Guess I’m not the vampire you wanted to come knocking.”

“I’m just in shock that you had the manners to knock at all.” She gave me a wicked grin. “Do you need something?”

Yeah, I needed something alright. I needed her. But I didn’t say that. Instead, I said, “Can we talk?”

“Of course.” She stepped aside and waved for me to come in.

Because being alone with her in her room was a smart idea. I mentally rolled my eyes but didn’t stop myself from accepting her invitation. The conversation we needed to have was best done in private anyway.

Chloe and Trent hadn’t gotten around to redecorating this room yet, so a set of bunkbeds was pushed against the far wall. A loveseat was positioned in the corner, wedged against the dresser. I sat on the loveseat, not trusting myself to be anywhere near the bed.

Piper closed the door with a soft click, then sat on the bottom bunk, her gaze focused on me. She crossed her ankles and leaned back on her hands, much like she had in my room at the Pendragon Palace.

“So, you wanted to talk?” she said, perfectly at ease.

Clearly, being alone like this didn’t rattle her nearly as much as it rattled me. I wasn’t sure what to make of that.

I nodded. “You can’t spy on Ivy.”

“We’ve already discussed this. I have to, and everyone agrees.”

“They’re wrong.” I inched forward so I was sitting on the edge of the cushion and clasped my hands in front of me. “I know you want to help, and I know you’re powerful, but Isach’s powerful, too. And Ivy had no issue with siphoning from him. She was going to kill him. What do you think she’ll do to you if she figures out what you’re up to?”

“Nothing.” Piper straightened, then stood. Arms crossed, she paced the room. “She won’t find out. You saw how I changed my appearance. I can do this, Jax.”

My gritted my teeth and forced in a calming breath. I didn’t doubt her abilities—I’d seen firsthand what she was capable of—and I didn’t want to come off like I didn’t think she could handle herself, but I knew better than anyone what Ivy could do. And now was the time to share that information with Piper. She was smart and cunning, and she could be reasonable. I hoped.

“Before the curse was broken, Ivy attempted to reason with Chloe, to convince her to break the curse, but Chloe refused. So, Ivy kidnapped her.” I rested my elbows on my knees and lowered my head. “Of course, having Chloe didn’t do her any good because only a Halstead vampire could change her to break the curse. Trent wasn’t here when Ivy showed up, so I went with her. Willingly.”

When I glanced up, Piper had stopped pacing and was now standing in the middle of the room, watching me through compassionate eyes.

“I went because I needed to make sure Chloe was okay, and because I knew my brother would find us. And he did. But not before it was too late.”

“What happened?” Her whisper cut through the quiet room, and the vulnerability in her tone broke something inside of me.

I wasn’t exactly proud of what had happened in that room with Chloe, and acid churned in my gut at having to confess to Piper what I’d done. No way she wouldn’t think I was a jerk, but if tainting her opinion of me was what it would take to keep her from spying on Ivy, then so be it.

“I did everything I could to protect Chloe, to respect her decision to remain human. I refused to change her, so Ivy starved me to the point that I probably would have died if Chloe hadn’t forced me to drink from her. So, I did.”

I momentarily closed my eyes as the memory of that night flooded over me. What used to fill me with love now only filled me with shame. So many things I should’ve done differently. I shook my head to get rid of the memory and the emotions tied to it.

“I drank from my brother’s soulmate, and I didn’t even think twice about it.” I laughed humorlessly. “Needless to say, there were consequences for our actions that extended far beyond Ivy and her involvement.” I stared at my hands, too afraid to look at Piper for fear of what I might see in her expression.

“Why are you telling me this?” Her voice was significantly closer.

I lifted my head to find her within arm’s length, and my God, I wanted to reach out to her. To tug her closer. To pull her down onto my lap. To wrap my arms around her and taste her lips.

“Because you need to understand what Ivy’s capable of. I chose to go with her, to make it seem like I was going to help her, and she still decided to starve me. She locked me up in a room with the one person I knew I could never have but at the time wanted more than anything else.”

I pushed to my feet and took a hesitant step toward Piper. She didn’t move except to tilt her head back enough to see my face. I stopped myself seconds before touching her and forced myself to keep my arms at my sides.

“She did all of that even though she needed us for something. What do you think she’s going to do to you if she finds out you’re spying on her?”

Piper’s expression softened into something that could only be described as pity. “She’s not going to find out.”

My muscles tensed, and I curled my hands into fists.

“And even if she does, I’m more powerful than she is.” She smiled warmly. “I’m not scared of her.”

Jaw clenched, I stared her down. Clearly, she didn’t care about what might happen to her, but I knew she cared about other people. Time to play dirty.

“Fine. Then what about the rest of us? Ivy may not be able to do anything to you, but trust me, she will come after the rest of us. Then what?” I crossed my arms and brought myself a tad closer to her. “Because I swear to you, Piper, if Ivy so much as breathes too heavily in your direction, I will kill her.”

Understanding sparked behind her eyes, setting them ablaze. I was getting through to her, which meant I couldn’t let up. Not now.

“Ivy’s coven is strong, and it’s growing stronger by the day. If you go in there and start poking at that hornet’s nest, all of us are going to get stung. My brothers. Chloe. Abby. Isach. The twins. Me.”

She held my gaze unflinching, but I could see the indecision warring behind her eyes. She shifted on her feet, bringing her body closer to mine. Intentionally or not, I didn’t care. Heat radiated from her, and I wanted nothing more than to lose myself in her warmth.

“You might be the most annoying witch I have ever met, but you’re not stupid, Piper. You know you can’t go through with this.” My tone was borderline pleading.

Piper cracked a smile, and some of the terror sitting on my chest eased. “We don’t have another plan.”

“We’ll find one. I give you my word.”

Too many moments of tense silence ticked by as we stood there, facing off. I was not budging on this. I had to convince her there was a better way that didn’t involve her getting on Ivy’s radar.

After a torturously long time, she finally nodded. “Okay. You’re right. It’s too dangerous.”

The relief that crashed down on me was all-consuming. “I’m sorry.” I tilted my head in her direction. “Did you just say I was right?”

Laughing, she shook her head. “You’d better have a good memory, because you have my word that this will be the one and only time you ever hear me say that to you.”

I grinned. “Thank you, Piper.”

“So, what’re we supposed to tell the others?”

“I’ll figure something out. But first.” I dragged my hand through my hair. “I need to go recruit some reinforcements. If I can get Abby to side with us, she’ll convince Isach, too. Then maybe we stand a chance of convincing the others.”

“And if that doesn’t work?”

“Then you stand up and tell them you’ve changed your mind. No one can force you to do this, and if they try, they’ll have to deal with me.” I crossed the room and reached for the doorknob. I yanked open the door.

“Hey, Jax?”

I stopped. “Yeah?”

“Thanks for caring so much. Maybe you’re not so cranky after all.” Her smile was teasing.

“Yeah, well, let’s keep that between us, okay? I’ve got a reputation to uphold.” With a wink, I left her room.