31

*Sorry, everyone, for the delay, but updates will be resuming as normal now.*

Knocking interrupted the tense moment between them. Mara wasn’t even sure why she had admitted any of that. Jackson hadn’t done anything to prove that she couldn’t trust him. If anything, he was constantly reassuring her that he would be safe. She felt safe with him, at least. But these were secrets she was supposed to take to the grave. How many times had that been drilled into her head as a child? Never speak about her father’s business. Never speak about the supernatural world. And never, under any circumstances, let a supernatural know you knew what they were.

She shouldn’t have said anything. Her stomach clenched, confirming the worst as she studied Jackson’s reaction. He looked like someone had kicked him in the gut. Another knock sounded, this one with a distinct ring of glass. She looked up to find the handsome man from earlier banging on her patio door. Jackson stood quickly, moving with a predatory grace she hadn’t noticed before. That had to be a good sign, right?

That he hadn’t ripped off her head, hadn’t tried to deny what she knew she’d seen. His eyes had changed from green to brown too many times to count, and she wasn’t sure why she had never put the pieces together.

“Jax,” she started, looking nervously between her bodyguard and the stranger she didn’t really know.

“Colton’s not a threat. You have my word,” he assured her. His posture hadn’t gotten any softer, however. If he was in his other form, she knew his hackles would be raised.

“Are you—” he cut off her next words with the loud glide of the door. Colton wasted no time stepping into the room.

“Did you not hear the first knock?” he sniped, glaring at Jackson. “I don’t like to be kept waiting. Mara, lovely as usual. Is that coffee? I’ll have some, thanks.”

She froze, unsure of what to do. Did Colton know what Jackson was? Should she—

“Colt’s Fae, Amara. He’s aware of what I am.” Jackson sighed into the words, sliding the door closed. He rubbed the back of his neck and blinked a few times.

“Well, no, isn’t this just COZY…” Colton said, glaring at the side of Jackson’s face. “What are rules if not to be broken, eh?” He turned those intense eyes back on Mara. “Coffee?”

Mara jumped, sliding another mug out of the cabinet while angry whispers sounded behind her. She was shaking, the liquid spilling down the rim of the mug. What was she doing? Her whole life was—

“Mara,” Jackson murmured, holding her trembling hand steady. God, that felt good. He was so warm, and the smell of him was male and natural, like the forest beyond her grass. She let her shoulders relax. “You’re not in danger here, with us. I promise. It’s just a shock, is all. But we wouldn’t…” he swallowed a rough breath.

“We wouldn’t kill you for the information,” Colton said from a seat at the table. Mara nearly dropped the mug, but Jackson slid it free just in time, turning to slam it in front of the Fae.

“Nice,” he growled. “Very delicate. Well done.”

“What? She looks like she’s about to vomit on those nice countertops.” He took a sip as Mara attempted to take a seat. “Ugh, no sugar?”

“Drink it, and shut up,” Jackson snapped. “Mara, I need you to explain this all one more time.”

Her heart rebelled. Jax was looking at her like a head of snakes would suddenly emerge from her and attack. But she’d already gotten herself into this position. The least she could do was follow through. Maybe two supernatural creatures would be enough to keep her safe from the one that posed a real threat.

“My father’s name was Domelio. Everyone he worked with referred to him as Dom, and sometimes, he would have some of the…”

“Supernaturals,” Colton supplied, grimacing through another awful swallow of black coffee.

“Yeah, supernaturals. I was young then, and to be honest, I don’t like to remember a lot of my childhood. I’ve tried to block as much of it out as I could. But my mother would know more… I haven’t spoken to her or my siblings in a while, actually… and she hates to talk about that time in our life about as much as I do. Maybe more. She saw more than any of us did, and I’m sure it’s hard to get over it all…” Jackson nodded, telling her to continue, so Mara explained a little about how she knew what her father did. She repeated some of the things she had overheard and ended with the threatening words her stalker had said at the Gala.

Things she had never told the police out of fear.

“Are you going to say something?” she asked after both of them were silent for a while.

“And you’re sure both of your parents were human?” Colton asked after a while, Jackson still studying the table.

“As far as I know…” she swallowed. It had never occurred to her to consider anything else. Her father was as hateful as he was hurtful. And he never spared the venom he’d spew about the other species. She knew without a doubt that he couldn’t have been special. And if her mother had been supernatural, things would’ve been very different—probably way worse than they were.

“Jax?” she whispered.

“Ignore him, he’s relaying all the information you’ve shared to his pack. They’ll need to change a lot about your security detail.”

She inhaled. “The others are all wolves, too?”

Colton nodded.

“Okay, everything has been relayed, Amara,” Jackson said, suddenly standing. “I’ll brief you on the new plan in the morning, okay? It’s time for you to get some sleep.”

She shuddered. That sounded amazing. “What about you?” she asked Colton.

“I have some things to speak to him about, but I’ll let him out and secure the perimeter when I’m finished.”

“Okay, um, Jax, I can get you some things for the pool house, as you can see, it’s right there. There’s a bed and a fully functional kitchen. It’s not pretty, obviously,” she motioned to the disarray of construction around her. “But it’s effective.”

Jackson swallowed roughly and looked from the main house to the pool house. “Okay yea… sure. You can leave it here for me.”

Colton snorted but smothered it in another miserable gulp. Mara glanced between them, trying to figure out the joke.

“How many feet do you think are between here and there, Jax?” Colton asked, snarking the nickname as Jackson glared at him. “A hundred feet?”

Mara blinked, studying them as she started to exit the room. What the hell did that have to do with anything? But the words seemed to irritate Jackson even more, drawing a growl she definitely wouldn’t have thought of as human.

“Yeah, that’s what I thought. How fast can you run? How far can you hear?”

She was halfway out the door when Jackson answered. “Not about to fucking find out, Colt.” Why did she feel like Jackson wasn’t going to do what he was supposed to?