Chapter 33

After we disentangled ourselves, Piper snapped her fingers, and she was once again fully dressed. I adjusted myself and fixed my clothes, then we stepped out of the supply closet. No one noticed us, and I rested my hand on her lower back.

“Let’s get out of here. There’s something I want to show you,” I said.

She nodded. As soon as we were outside, I scooped her into my arms. She let out a surprised yelp, then laughed as she wound her arms around my neck. When I was positive she had a solid grip on me, I took off. In the blink of an eye, I had her at the very top of the nearest mountain. I gently set her on her feet, holding onto her waist to steady her.

From where we stood, we could see the entire village of Lake Placid, including an aerial view of the lake. Her eyes widened, and she turned in a slow circle to get the full picture.

“This view is incredible.” Her voice was full of awe.

“You’re not the only one who has neat tricks.” I winked.

Piper grinned. “This is definitely a cool trick.” She stood with her back to me.

I slipped my arms around her stomach and rested my chin on her shoulder. I remained silent so she could enjoy this moment—it was one I never wanted her to forget. She leaned against me and covered my hands with hers.

The weight of everything that had transpired in the bar hung between us. I’d bitten her, tasted her blood, and while I’d loved every second of it, I knew where this was going to lead us. Drinking for pleasure was addictive for vampires—and humans—and I was already to the point with Piper that I wanted more. The need to taste her again was a living, breathing monster inside of me.

“Piper, honey.” I turned her so she was facing me. The ability to remain patient vanished. “Why did you want me to bite you?”

She hung her head.

I lifted her chin and forced her to look at me. “Do not be ashamed of this,” I said with a hard shake of my head. “But I need to know why.”

“I wanted to know how it felt,” she whispered.

“And?” I raised a brow.

“It was… overwhelming.” She winced. “During Abby’s bachelorette party, she mentioned she was afraid of how much it might hurt when the time came to change, and Chloe said it did hurt, but only at first. Then it just felt really good. She talked a lot about when Trent first bit her for pleasure.”

So, I had Chloe and Abby to thank for this. Or maybe I should yell at them for having that conversation in front of Piper. I stepped closer and flexed my hands on her waist.

“Did you enjoy it?” I asked.

“Yes.” She nodded. “Probably a lot more than I should have.”

“Well, I can assure you, that feeling is definitely mutual.” I took hold of her wrist and caressed the spot where I’d bit her, then I kissed that same spot.

She trembled slightly.

I tugged her close enough to feel her breath against my lips. “I love you, Piper.”

Her gaze dropped to my mouth and lingered. She leaned forward, and my heart and breath stopped in anticipation.

“Jax… please…” Her tone was downright pleading, borderline terrified. She firmly pushed against my chest and wiggled free from my hold, then she hugged herself. “We can’t.”

I let out a heavy sigh and raked my fingers through my hair. “I know.”

But I didn’t. Not really. I knew, for her, kissing would seal our bond; it would seal us together forever. That was a huge step, and not one we could rush into, but we were soulmates. We’d both declared our love for each other. What more did she need or want? Her family and magical obligations aside, we wanted to be together. I knew that now with absolute certainty.

“Are you angry that I’m your soulmate?” She gazed up at me, her expression hesitant.

“What? No. Why would you think that?”

She shrugged. “Because it’s no secret you’re not a fan of witches, and that’s what I am.”

“Yeah, well, no one’s perfect.”

Piper blinked, then laughed, her posture relaxing. She unfolded her arms and stepped toward me. “Takes one to know one, right?” Her grin was teasing.

And just like that, whatever unease had been building in my heart vanished. My God, how did she do that? She really hadn’t been lying when she said she knew how to diffuse me. That skill would either be incredibly helpful, or it would blow up in my face—I wasn’t sure which yet.

“C’mere.” I reached for her, and she willingly welcomed my embrace. I wrapped my arms around her, my hands settling on her lower back. “When Trent met Chloe, he was still cursed. She was human. They beat incredible odds to be together. If they can do it, so can we.”

“You have no idea how badly I want that to be true.” Her lips trembled with a weary smile.

“All you have to do is give me permission, Piper, and I will make you mine so damn fast your head will spin.” I cupped the side of her face, and she leaned into my hand, eyes fluttering closed.

The world around us seemed to dull into deafening silence. The only sound was of her racing heart and rapid-fire pulse. Not even her unsteady breaths could drown out the pounding in my ears. Was this the moment she finally said yes? Would tonight be the night she let me claim her? I shifted closer.

Piper covered my hand with hers, and she opened her eyes. “I know.” She rose up on her tiptoes and pressed a lingering kiss to my cheek. “But I can’t do that, Jax.”

My heart smashed into sharp, jagged pieces, and my hope deflated. I wanted to ask why she couldn’t, but her answer had the power to destroy me, so I kept my mouth shut. Besides, I really didn’t need an explanation. I wasn’t stupid—the only reason she couldn’t give me permission was because she didn’t want to be mine.

“Right.” I moved back.

“Jax, I—”

I held up my hand to silence her. “No. I asked. You answered. That’s all there is to it.”

Her shoulders sagged, and she hung her head, but not before I saw her subtle nod.

“So, what do you want to do now?” I asked.

“We should probably head home.”

I once again scooped her into my arms, and I had us off the mountain in a flash. I set her on her feet near the sidewalk, then took hold of her hand. Despite her refusal to let me claim her, I still craved her in the worst way. We headed back toward my car. At least I was sober enough to drive home now.

“I’m sorry I ruined our night.” She gave my hand a small squeeze.

“No, I’m the one who ruined it. I pushed too hard, too fast.”

“For what it’s worth, there are a lot of reasons why I can’t give you permission, Jax, but none of them are because I don’t want to.” Her voice was low and tinged with regret. “Whatever happens, I need you to know that.”

My steps faltered, and I glanced at her. What the hell was that supposed to mean? If she wanted to give me permission, why didn’t she? What reasons could she possibly have for denying this connection we shared?

“You know you have to give me more than that, right?” I raised a brow.

“All this stuff with being royalty, my responsibilities to the magical community, deciding who gets the throne…” She heaved a sigh. “There’s so much to it. I have no idea how much time it will take to sort it all out.”

Her shoulders drooped as if she carried the weight of several worlds. I wished I knew more about her life, her obligations, but above all else, I wished I could do something to help, to alleviate the burden she had to face.

Footsteps sounded behind me, and I moved to the far side of the sidewalk so they could pass, but they didn’t. Unease skittered up my back, and I tossed a casual glance over my shoulder. Two men, both pushing at least six-and-a-half feet, dark eyes, and jet-black hair, dressed in expensive designer suits kept pace several feet back. They stuck out like sore thumbs around here. Who the hell were they—the Men in Black? And why were they following us?

“C’mon. There’s somewhere I want to take you.” I nudged Piper toward the nearest crosswalk.

When the light changed and traffic stopped, we crossed the street. Sure enough, the two goons followed, careful to keep their distance. My instincts flared, and I clenched my jaw to stop my fangs from protruding. I wouldn’t hesitate to kill whoever those men were, but I really didn’t want to do it on a busy public street. Though, with my current mood, I’d make an exception.

“Whatever you do, don’t look over your shoulder, but I think we’re being followed,” I said.

Piper’s hold on my hand tightened, and her heartrate spiked. The scent of fear and adrenaline permeated the air around her, and I suppressed a snarl. I didn’t know who those men were, but they weren’t going to get their hands on Piper.

“Do you trust me?” I glanced down at her.

She nodded. In the next instance, I pressed my back against the glass storefront and yanked her into my arms. I swept her hair from her neck and lowered my face to hover near her ear. She trembled against me, and I now struggled with containing an entirely different kind of instinct.

“Don’t move,” I whispered, my lips grazing her earlobe before moving lower to tease her neck.

With my heightened senses, I knew exactly when the men got closer, and I fought to stay as relaxed as possible, to give the impression that I was just a man engaged in an intimate embrace with a woman.

“Watch the reflection in the window. Do you know those men?”

Piper stiffened in my arms, and blood rushed through her veins at an alarming rate. She wrapped her arms around my neck, making a show of hugging me. “We need to get out of here. Now.” Her voice was laced with terror.

The instinct to hunt and kill flamed to life inside of me. I wanted nothing more than to lure those men to some place dark and secluded so I could rip their hearts from their chests. I may not know who they were or why they were following us, but Piper was clearly terrified, and that was enough reason for me to want them dead.

“Follow my lead.” I untangled her arms from around my neck and laced our fingers.

Then we walked as calmly as possible in the opposite direction. A few seconds later, the two men turned and started to trail us again. I was tempted to text Colt and Wyatt and give them a heads up, because if I needed back-up, I knew I could count on them to get here as quickly as possible.

“As soon as we round the corner up here, I want you to run. I’ll take care of these guys.”

“Those men are Draven witches, and they’re part of the royal coven.” Her voice wavered. “You don’t stand a chance against them. They’re too powerful.”

I snarled. If I couldn’t take them alone, maybe with a little bit of magical help, we could get away unscathed. As soon as we turned the corner, Piper held her hands out and recited a spell. The space directly in front of her swirled and shifted in a rainbow of colors for a split second before a black hole appeared in the center.

“Do you trust me?” She extended her right hand toward me.

I took it without hesitation, and she yanked me straight into that thing she’d created. Dizziness swamped me, and I had sense of weightlessness, the only thing grounding me was the feel of Piper’s hand in mine. Seconds later, my feet hit solid ground, directly in front of the cabin. I blinked, confused.

“What the hell was that?” I asked.

“An escape portal.” She tugged me toward the porch. “C’mon. I need to talk to Sophie.”