Page 40 of Fated Moons
They all also had to deal with the concept that their parents had been fated, but for whatever reason, their father had turned out to be a disgrace to their wolf pack.
“Your mate is going to have to be a saint,” Tina said.
“All of our mates will have to put up with a lot.” Jackson reached his arm around Amanda’s back, resting his elbow on the counter and his hand on her hip. He didn’t care that both his siblings arched a brow at the protective gesture.
“Here’s to that.” Tina raised her glass.
“I should head out since I’m on duty tonight,” Decker said, taking in his last sip of wine. “I’ve enlisted a couple of buddies of mine to help keep an eye on the place, and I should join them.” He nodded. “Tina, we should be good. You can go home and take over tomorrow.”
“Always look up,” Amanda said with a sweet smile.
“I thought you said witches couldn’t actually fly,” Tina said.
“We’re dealing with black magic. They turned birds into wolves. They’ll use it to fly because we won’t suspect it,” Amanda said and she had a valid point.
“I also watched Trask turn from an owl into himself.” Jackson could stare at her tanned complexion all day long. There was nothing about her looks he didn’t appreciate. He could only hope her true personality would be the same.
“He’s Toldar. His black magic is sanctioned when used for good,” Amanda said. “And according to Isadore and Daphne, it was documented and sent to the council.”
“I’ve seen witches do some sneaky things, but I can’t say I’ve ever seen one fly.” Decker set the glass on the counter. “Amanda, good luck with my brother. He’s a total pain in the ass.”
She smiled. “I’ll keep that in mind.”
“I’ll be lurking around if you need me,” Decker said as he waltzed out of the room, confidence radiating from his strong frame. Joining the Crescent Moon Pack had been good for Decker. But Jackson knew underneath that tough exterior was an injured boy who still hurt over a legacy he had no control over.
“Well, I’m not going to be a third wheel.” Tina set her glass next to the sink. “Besides, I’ve got court in the morning. I’ll be back tomorrow evening to help out.”
“So much for moral support as we watch the entertainment news shows.” Jackson slipped his hand under Amanda’s shirt, rubbing his thumb on her hip, thankful she didn’t pull away. On the outside, it appeared she had accepted their union. Their fate. But he sensed that on the inside, she wasn’t so sure.
“I wouldn’t worry about the reporters and their hype. Having the prince and our mom at the press conference, I’m sure, made an impact when you told the world of your crazy, wild love affair. Still can’t believe what a good little actress Mom turned out to be. She nailed it. It was like both families couldn’t be happier about this pairing.” Tina patted his shoulder before leaning up on tiptoe, kissing his cheek. “I’ll see myself out.”
Tina had let herself in and out of his house since he’d bought it. He wasn’t about to walk her to the door now, nor would he let Amanda do it.
“See you tomorrow, sis,” he said.
She waved over her head, disappearing into the other room. Minutes later, the front door clicked closed.
Jackson continued to sip his wine, his arm wrapped around Amanda, fingers under her shirt, gliding across her supple skin as more fairy dust filled the air.
“Your siblings are nice,” she said, raising the glass to her pink lips, the red liquid easing into her mouth.
“I’ll keep them.” He rotated his body. “We don’t have to watch the news.”
“No. I want to.”
“All right.” He took her by the hand, led her into the family room, and brought the opened bottle of wine with him. They sat on his dark-brown leather sofa that his mother picked out for him. Two swivel recliners were positioned on either side ofthe couch. The television hung over an electric fireplace. In the center of the room, covering part of the dark wood floor, was a white plush area rug, also found by his mother. She loved to decorate and had made a decent business out of doing it for other people.
Knowing she now had a place of her own to decorate with all the nice things she hadn’t been able to afford during his childhood made him smile. However, some people wouldn’t dare use his mother’s services because of her ex-husband, a thought that made his blood thicken with rage.
He pointed the clicker at the TV and found the channel where the most popular entertainment show was about to begin. The music that kicked off the show floated out of his surround sound speakers.
A picture of the two of them, sitting on a sofa in the studio, holding hands, flashed across the screen before panning over to Barbara Hollie, the show's host and the woman who conducted the interview.
“The entertainment world is all abuzz with the news that Lady Amanda Windsor of the royal witch family in the Coven of the Silver Flock is indeed in a relationship with the son of her uncle’s murderer,” Barbara said, starting the interview.
“Oh fuck,” Jackson muttered.
“When we come back, we’ll hear from Lady Amanda and her new love, Jackson Ledger, in an exclusive interview.”
