Marshall Twins [2 - Twins Series]

13 - The Devil Is Damned

Book: Marshall Twins
Chapter 13
Word Count: 2591

Jackson was sitting outside Avery's old shack in the werewolf encampments, where he was whittling a tree branch with a knife. After a moment, Avery came out with a broom and joined him.

"Uh, why do people keep leaving broomsticks on the porch?" Avery spoke. Jackson saw her and smiled widely. "Seeing as I'm not really a 'sweep while the soup's cooking' kind of gal." Jackson smiled even wider as he choked back a laugh.

"Well, back in the day, it wasn't easy getting a preacher out here. So, if you were engaged, and you couldn't wait... then the community would let you jump the broom."

Avery gave him a look that was visibly confused and oblivious to the sexual connotations.

"Couldn't wait for what?"

Jackson could barely hold in his laughter and gave Avery a significant look. She looked at him, puzzled, before she finally understood the joke and cleared her throat awkwardly in understanding.

"Oh!"

"Yup." Jackson chuckled. Avery waved the broom in the air before unceremoniously dropping it on the floor.

"I would have been happier with a panini press..."

Jackson laughed hysterically.

"It's just a tradition!"

Avery looked clearly uncomfortable.

"Yeah! Got it."

They sat in awkward silence for a moment before Avery changed the subject and pointed to the tree branch in his hands.

"So... what are you working on?"

Jackson stood up and moves onto the porch, where he walked toward a sheet-covered mound in the corner.

"Oh! I started on this for your little girls when you lived here before. Now that they're alive... I figured it was time to finish it." He pulled off the sheet, revealing two baby cribs, one completed and one only half-finished, made out of wood with a crescent moon each carved into the headboards.

Avery stared at the nursery in amazement, and after a moment, she smiled at him. Jackson cleared his throat.

"Something else... I'm getting word from a few packs outside of Louisiana? They wanna be here for the wedding! They want in on the Unification ritual!"

"I thought the ritual only affected the powers of the wolves in our pack?" Avery said, confused.

"Unless they recognize me as their Alpha. Then your power becomes their power!" Jackson exclaimed excitedly.

"You think other Alphas will step down and bow to you?" Avery questioned. Jackson nodded.

"They're coming here today to do just that. They want what you have, Avery. I mean, we all do. I mean, a couple of weeks after the wedding, you are gonna have one hell of an army to protect your little girls."

Avery looked at him and smiled. 

---

Hayley had came down to the Bayou not long ago. Jackson was outside of Avery's old shack, where he was wrestling and playing with a handful of young children. They were all pulling on his arms and legs to try to get him to fall over as Jackson laughed happily.

Avery and Hayley both went outside, watching the children with fond smiles.

"Hey, that's mine! Go to the water!"

"Last one there's a rotten egg!"

Most of the children rushed over to the lake, but one young girl, Daisy, stayed behind and kept tugging on Jackson's arm to try to knock him over. He picked her up and swung her around, but when they saw Avery and Hayley, he just laughed and put her down, patting her gently on the head before she ran off to join the others.