Page 72 of The Dark War

I sat up. My sister’s eyes held such anger. This wasn’t her. This was someone new I was seeing for the first time. “It’s all right to be upset, we all are, but that doesn’t mean we give up now, does it?” she snapped. “That is whattheywant! They want us to feel helpless, to give up, give them the upper hand.” She growled. “I’m going to tell you what to do until you process this shit. Do you understand me?”

Fuck, Raine’s alpha blood shone through, Torin now tilting his head in amusement.

“You get cleaned up, shower, and you stay here with Clara until she’s better. The pack and I will do the rest. Dad, Mom, and me will hold down the fort until then. You both seem to think you have the world on your shoulders. We are here, and we are not gonna leave you.”

I sighed, hugging my sister. “Thank you,” I whispered. As much as I didn’t want to admit it, I needed this.

“I’ll listen.” I grunted. “But…” I held my hand out, touching her nose. “When she’s better, all fucking hell is going to break loose.”

Nothing would bring our pup back, not even blaming her fucking parents who left keeping theirs.

Chapter Thirty-nine

Taliyah

“Everyoneissettled.”Jaspershut the door to the royal cabin. We had members of Parliament staying in other bedrooms as well as our closest servants. We even had those with small children or babies staying in the living room quarters, dining room, and a family staying in the overly large bathroom. Three young children slept in the bathtub filled with blankets and pillows. I would say it was adorable if we weren’t in such danger.

Letting out a sigh, I plopped myself on the oversized bed. Maybe we should give this room to a family that really needed it. Jasper and I could use a tent outside and cuddle up under the stars.

“I’m going to stop you right here,” Jasper got on his knees in front of me. His hands rubbed the outside of my thighs as I hunched over from exhaustion. “You are a queen. You have opened up this cabin to people that really need it. Being a little selfish for a room to yourself so you can work on your magic is perfectly fine. Clara and Kane are doing the same thing with the pack house.”

My heart was pained. Rubbing my hand over my forehead, I could not imagine what Clara was going through. She was the sweetest person, saved me from a terrible fate, and helped me understand Jasper, even forgive him. She didn’t deserve any of that.

“How are they?” I closed my eyes, feeling the sorrow of the entire pack. Since my powers had strengthened to sorceress, I could feel things I never wanted. I could feel emotions, read the room or the large plot of land we now inhabited. It hung so heavy my shoulders wanted to slump to the ground.

This pack loved their alpha and luna, even with the terrifying ways Kane ran the pack with an iron fist. He was brutal in their training. Punishments were harsh, but they all gave him respect because he wanted to see them strong and protected.

“Kane’s at his breaking point.” Jasper stood up, making me lay down on the bed. He rolled me over and pulled my back against his body. Nose in my neck, he breathed heavily as he sighed. “Raine is acting Alpha for the next few days while her parents help manage the hordes of people.” We sat in silence, Jasper rubbing his thumb over our intertwined fingers.

“I need to cast the ward,” I whispered. Jasper’s body tightened around me.

“As much as I don’t want you to, I know it must be done. You’re so tired,” he said. I hummed, turning my body so I faced him. Kissing his lips, he wrapped his arms around me once again.

We would all be so much safer once it was cast. It would give us some protection, let me know if someone or something was coming that was considered an enemy. We even toyed with the idea of putting a glamour spell on the entire pack, but that would pull too much power with the three witches that resided here.

Genesis, Gemma, and Gloria were powerful, but even more so when their fourth sister joined them. She was stuck in the elven tribes, unable to travel.

“What do I need to do to help?” Jasper’s thoughts of incompetence ran rampant. Xander was pacing back and forth impatiently.

“Just hold me.” My fingers trailed his bare chest. “I can do it right here in bed.” Having looked at the territory borders for well over an hour, I had a good idea of how far to cast out the ward. The crystals sat on the table next to the map not far from me. Incense had already filled the room. Now, I just needed my mate to calm me to help prepare.

“That seems so little, to just hold you,” he muttered.

“But it’s not,” I whispered. My eyes began to shine, filling the space between us with glowing red. His eyes glimmered in return as I pulled the power that grew inside him. Crystals on the table clinked together, hovering over the map.

My people and the pack fell into a deep sleep; the entire area was surrounded by an invisible ward. I wasn’t sure how much it would help against the dark magic, but any sort of padding was better than nothing. The crystals gently laid back on the table, and our eyes were no longer illuminated. Jasper’s half-hooded eyes of exhaustion made my heart ache. He still had not eaten.

Pulling my hair away from my neck, my artery pumped the blood quickly through my body. With my racing heart and my pale neck, Jasper licked his lips, staring at my skin longingly. “Jasper, you need to.” Part of him hated it. It was the wolf in him. The more he fought, the worse he would become. “Please, it feels good to me too.”

Jasper slowly went to my neck, licking the skin and finally piercing it with his fangs. My body relaxed, feeling the blood flow out of my body and into my mate. His grip around my body tightened, making me feel secure as he continued eating as I fell asleep.

“Taliyah.” Raine ran toward me, embracing me in an enormous hug. “Sorry I didn’t welcome you yesterday.” Her voice trailed off. “I had to—” I shook my head, rubbing her arm.

“You were busy.” Raine’s eyes softened, her face frowning.

“And you have dealt with a lot too. I’m hoping the pack helped you and your people settle in.”

“They did,” I said quickly, not wanting to linger on the subject. “The ward has been created, so no one will be able to leave unless you tell me. Same thing for anyone wanting to come in.” Raine closed her eyes, her palms coming into a praying position.

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