Page 70 of Charming Her Monsters

“You know witches are secretive as fuck. Fortunately, we know a few who aren’t particularly happy about the never-ending war between supes and human-born magicals. From what we were told, Rob’s been a person of interest for a while. So they knew about his dealings. They had looked into his mistress, but couldn’t find much on her. What we do know is Jadeana is sixty years old from a driver’s license I finally found when she lived in another state. Records now show she lives in town at 42 Brighton Road. No record of employment. Couldn’t find much else on her, actually. It’s like someone put a spell on all her records so they would disappear or get mixed up. I’ve seen results like this before—usually it’s a supe or a witch hiding their identities. But other than Rob, I couldn’t find any connection to the magical world.”

42 Brighton Road? That’s Jade’s place. It must be her.

“Any more about Jadeana?” I ask.

“Sorry. I didn’t know I needed to dig too deep into her. She didn’t seem to be of any consequence.” Dwayne types on his computer and begins a search. He sits back in his swiveling office chair and spins to look at us. “Patricia is the mother’s name on what appears to be her birth certificate. A father wasn’t listed. I don’t see any other record of the mother, Patricia—not even a death certificate. That’s odd by itself.” He narrows his eyes at the screen. “The year on Jade’s birth certificate is also smudged on the form. Like I said, weird.”

* * *

Maxum and I walk out of the hackers’ building in a bit of a daze. Once clear of the building, we both glance around to see if there is anyone in the area.

I say, “What do you—”

Maxum cuts me off. “Not here. Too many eyes and ears in this realm.”

We duck into a dark alcove of a building, and he opens a portal to Elfhame. After he shuts out Earth behind us, he does a quick mental scan of the area for active minds and I give the air a sniff.

Once satisfied we are alone in the meadow, Maxum begins in a hushed voice, “We know nothing yet. So we must keep our worries about Jade’s truthfulness to a minimum.”

“I can’t believe she would lie to us like that.”

Maxum growls. “I never picked up that level of deceit.”

“What if Rob did more to her mind than we realized? What if he tricked her into believing a false persona?” I ask, my voice rising with the fear my mate has been twisted so thoroughly she doesn’t even know who she is.

Maxum sighs. “Fuck, I hope not. But there is another, more feasible possibility.”

“What’s that?”

“The information they found about Jadeana is wrong.”

I blow out a huff of air, feeling a bit of relief just from the thought. “You’re right. Most of what Dwayne said was rumors, and he noted how records were missing. Her grandmother may have put a spell on them.”

“We must wait to freak out until we get Jade’s version of the facts,” Maxum says, then grinds his teeth. “But if she wasn’t honest about her age, then what else did she lie about?”

I don’t want to believe she lied to me. Because her being my mate matchisn’ta lie. I feel that in my bones. But if I’m matched to a liar, I don’t know what I’ll do. I’ve fallen for her. My wolf and berserker have already bonded to her.

No matter the truth or the reasons—we don’t want to lose the one person who has made us feel whole again.

I suspect Maxum feels similarly.

He’s right. Until we talk to Jade, we can’t dwell on this information. There must be an explanation. Hopefully, a simple one.

22

TESTED

FLINT

Jade has cracked my mantle, and I’m experiencing a tectonic shift.

I don’t think I’ve ever felt this way. My usually cold insides are churning lava. I feel like a volcano about to erupt. Parts of my body I believed to be long defunct are now awakening. My crotch aches from only listening to Jade’s voice.

Closely, I watch her eating the meal that I made her. I observe, as she builds a foundation for a relationship with Calder. I’m not jealous. Not that I ever expected to be a jealous male. Her worry lines around her eyes are easing with his acceptance of her being in our lives, and they are beginning to talk to each other.

I overreacted when I heard her cry out when I was in the hallway, listening in on them. I didn’t mean to spy, but I worried that Calder’s hostility toward witches would cause him to take it out on Jade. And I will not stand for that behavior anymore. His pain allowed him some leeway, but he can’t keep spitting his angry fire at others.

“Flint?” Jade looks at me as if she had been calling me more than once and perhaps she did. “You okay?”

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