Page 91 of Charming Her Monsters

In our private moment in my mind, he caresses my face and hugs me.“Until we know what’s happened, we can’t worry. But our guys are tough.”

“Our guys… You don’t mind me being with them anymore?”Previously, he had expressed a hint of envy.

Osen sighs heavily.“I’m a jealous, possessive prick. Not sure if you picked that up before.”

“There might have been a few crimson flags waving around,”I tease.

“Ah well, I see in your mind that you finally broke Flint open like a geode, revealing a sparkling center. I was never able to do that. And Arran? He’s accepting his beast, which is healing his pain. Maxum never wanted me for more than my friendship and an occasional fuck.”Osen tilts his head and stares into my soul.

His shadowy appearance takes form. He’s still not completely whole, but I can see his eyes are dark gray, not just shadows. And of course, he’s as handsome as I expected, with a fit, but not overly muscled, build.

I gasp.“I can see you.”

“With your bonding with Flint, and the moment with Calder, I have enough power briefly to show you myself, before I will need to rest and restore my magic again.”

“Why show me yourself now?”I ask.

“You gave me a moment with Calder that I hadn’t had before. Ironically, it took you to be my open heart so I could be present with my love. Thank you for helping to heal his wounds, too.”

“I’m not really doing anything.”I shake my head.

“You are being you. Genuine, and that’s enough.”Osen corrects himself,“No, that’sexactlywhat my pack needs. What I need. So… thank you.”He leans down and presses a sweet kiss to my lips.

“I have to go for now,”Osen says and fades away from the shadowscape.

I open my eyes and find I’m still embracing Calder. “Uh, Osen had to rest. It’s just me. Sorry.” I pull away from the embrace.

However, Calder doesn’t let me go. He tightens his grip.

“Thank you, Jade,” he whispers over the side of my neck.

Goosebumps rush down my flesh.

When he releases me and leans back, he traces a thumb over my cheekbone. “I’m sorry I was so unpleasant before.”

“It’s not a big—” I begin, but he cuts me off by placing his thumb over my mouth.

His eyes stare at my lips, and his hand on me. “No. Don’t be dismissive of your amazing patience with my behavior.”

His thumb traces my bottom lip lightly. I feel he’s debating if he should kiss me. If it were only up to me, I’d lean forward and take the lead, but it isn’t.

It sounds as if his choices were taken from him during his last death, and I won’t pressure or force him into anything. Especially not with me, a witch.

Calder blinks a few times, shaking himself out of whatever lustful thoughts he might have been having. He stands up and walks over to the center of the bunker.

He had been blocking something from my view this entire time. I stand, unsteady on my feet and walk over to the glass and metal casket-sized box.

“What the fuck is this?” I hiss. “Is that…him?”

28

STUCK

MAXUM

My other contacts don’t give me much more information than Mal and Dwayne did.

Arran is restless, and I don’t blame him. His bond with Jade is incomplete, and he won’t be settled until they formalize the mating process.Ifthey formalize it.

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