Jax only shifted back to his human form once we had left the dilapidated gothic mansion. He came to my side almost instantly, pale eyes burning with a strange mix of worry and relief. I took in every inch of him, from the rippling dark waves of his hair to the defined plains of his scarred body.
I was immensely overwhelmed with emotion and gratitude. Gratitude that Jax was alive and well, and I had the time to ask him about how he got those scars. The world didn't want us to be together but I didn't care about the world. It dawned on me now that I cared about my mate. And to be without him would be the worst torture that could be devised for me.
It was strange that Diana Thorpe seemed to be the reason he was alive. She stood away from everyone else- the group of us that was me, Jax, and Elisabeth and Genevieve carrying a restrained and chained Victor Thornwood- tugging anxiously at the red silk scarf still wrapped around her neck. Her hair shone like copper in the moonlight, framing her terrified face and wide green eyes.
Victor hadn't taken his eyes off her since she had first arrived. The way he looked at her... it was so similar to how Jax was looking at me.
I turned to him- my mate- and forced a weak smile.
"You're alright?" He asked for the millionth time. He hadn't touched me, as if afraid I would crack into a million pieces.
I nodded and tried to divert his attention. "What will happen to Victor?"
We both turned to watch as Genevieve and Elisabeth chucked him into the boot of a black car I recognised as belonging to the Masons. The vampire lord put up no fight, his arms wrapped around his wounds.
Jax growled, low and deadly. The sound no longer sent chills down my spine. "I should've killed him for what he was trying to do to you!"
I cautiously reached out and placed a hand on his arm. Strange vibrations rippled through his muscles. "I don't wish him dead. And soon you'll realise that neither do you."
He tossed me a look that clearly said we'll see about that. He grimaced and looked thoughtfully as the door slammed shut on Victor, trapping him like a wolf on a fishhook.
"It's weird," Jax thought aloud. "I shouldn't have stood a chance against him. In fact, I had a most embraced death at that point- I was just desperate to defend you. Last minute he just became distracted and distant. It saved my life."
I pondered whether to tell him my suspicions about Diana. Looking at the way she was practically hugging an oak tree, though, I decided to be kind and keep it to myself.
"It is odd," I agreed. "I also think it's odd that Elisabeth brought her mortal cousin along to a vampire fight."
Jax laughed grimly with little humour. "She was the one who knew how to find you. It's a long story," he told me quickly as Genevieve stalked towards us.
"We're hauling his lordship back to the council headquarters. Want a lift?" She pointed towards the car, which Elisabeth was already sat in patiently waiting.
Jax looked to me for an answer. After a split second decision, I shook my head decidedly. "You should look after Diana though," I suggested.
"She does look shaken up," admitted Genevieve through slit eyes. "She was the one who insisted on coming along though."
Nevertheless, Genevieve carefully walked Diana to the car and handed her into the backseat. I wondered if the material that separated the boot to the backseat would be strong enough to stop Victor from clawing his way to reach her.
"You're pretty old," I pointed out to Jax as we watched the car speed off down a ruined and hidden road.
He blinked in surprise. "I am, I suppose. Is that a problem?"
Not as much as it should be. Out loud I asked, "did you know Victor's lover before she died?"
He shook his head slowly. "Not that old. The Thorpe witch was born in eighteenth century England. A century before my time."
I tried to hide my disappointment. "Does anyone know her name?"
"Not other than Victor, and he wouldn't tell anyone for all the blood in the world. He takes his mourning to the extreme, as you can see."
Before I could ask whether witches could come back to life, a howl and a shriek pierced the calm silence. It emerged from the house, where Desdemona and Winona still fought to hold the vampires.
"Do they need help? Surely they can't control all those vampires on their own?" I asked concernedly.
Jax raised an eyebrow. "They can and they will. The Cranes are a powerful family, second only to the Thorpes."
Sighing deeply, I inhaled the fresh night air and just appreciated freedom. The moon was still high in the sky.
Whilst my eyes were cast up, appreciating the beauty of the night sky, Jax was staring at me.
"What?" I asked, not daring to return his fiery gaze.
From the corner of my eyes I saw a sad smile tug at the corners of his mouth. "I was just thinking about something I wanted to show you."
The words twisted the very core of my being. I gulped, not in fear but anticipation. He laughed at my reaction- a real, full laugh. It was the most beautiful sound I'd ever heard.
"Come with me."
He offered his hand. I willingly slipped my own inside his, revelling in the normalcy of such an action. We could pretend that we were a normal couple on a moonlit walk, rather than the mess that was the truth.
Silence filled the air as we walked through densely packed trees. It was a marvel that Jax knew how to navigate the wild kingdom; in many ways he was the king of it though. We needed no words to fill the night. My hand in his, and the warmth that radiated through my arm and into my chest, was enough.
I had no clue how long we walked for. I wouldn't have complained if it was hours. Finally, we reached an area where the branches and foliage was thicker than the rest.
Jax pushed back the plants with one sweeping gesture. What lay hidden behind took my breath away.
A perfect pond decorated the empty space. It wasn't dirty or filled with weeds and ducks, but as silver as Jax's eyes and as smooth as the dress that I still wore.
"My pack often come here for swimming," he explained, seeming almost awkward. "I'd always wanted a mate to show it to, but when I finally got one I... I acted shamefully. Not how an alpha should behave and-"
His voice was suddenly thick with emotion. I stepped into the glade so I was beside him and pressed a finger against his lips. He slammed his mouth shut, his eyelids fluttering shut in response to my touch.
"Don't," I whispered.
"I owe you an apology. I owe you so much more," his voice was livid. No more growls. No more snarls. He had nothing to prove anymore.
A strange sob came from my chest. From hysteria and exhaustion and nerves. "You owe me nothing Jax," I said in a hushed voice, loathe to disrupt the peaceful serenity of the moonlit pond.
"At least let me explain," he begged. "About what happened tonight at least."
"You can start from the beginning if you want." My eyes flickered towards the pond. So inviting. The water would cool my flushed skin. But did I dare throw myself into a pond around my mate? I dropped my hand from his face and took a step towards the waters edge.
Without another word, I slowly walked forward, palms facing forwards, into the cool water. I felt as it brushed my ankles likes the embrace of a god, unfathomable and arcane. Further in. The water lapped against my waist. A few more steps and I was nearly in the centre of the body of water, the wedding dress floating around me like a spectre in its own right. My veil (now filthy and torn) floated like an alien sea beast from behind me.
When my eyes met Jax's, they burned with an intensity I had never felt before. Much faster than I had, Jax threw himself into the water, his long strides taking him to my side as fast as possible.
My breath hitched as his strong arms reached out to wrap around my waist. Looking deeply into his spectacular eyes, I pressed my hands against his chest in a gentle motion.
The passion in his face told me I had distracted him. "Tell me the story," I breathed. I felt his legs brush against mine, soft and almost phantom-like beneath the water.
He swallowed hard before beginning. "A few months ago, on a full moon, I felt a shift in the world. I hurried to the council, worried it meant some darkness had come to Silver Hills. There I discovered that it wasn't the world that had shifted. Only my world. That night was your eighteenth birthday. The night the mating bond began to set into place."
I thought about my last birthday, how normal it had seemed to me. Meanwhile, my life was changing forever.
"I made the worst decision of my life that night: I agreed to stay away from you. Back then, it seemed the right, safe, thing to do. But I payed for it this summer. I felt a danger descending and I had to see you, to make sure you were safe."
This summer. When the voices started. Except I hadn't told him that.
"Once I saw you once, I found it hard to stay away. I'd done a pretty good job of it up until tonight, considering how every minute of every day I burned with the want to see you."
"And tonight?" I asked.
"Tonight, Andre rushed to find me. He brought me back to the Mason house where I found Diana blabbering in about how you were in danger and she knew where you were. Of course, we assembled what council members we could and rushed to your aid. The rest is history now. Though, we still have no clue how Diana knew where the old Mason house was."
With the conclusion of his explanation he stared at me intently. Trying to gauge my reaction. I did my best to keep my expression impassive.
"I'm not mad at you," was all I could think to say. "I never was."
"I'm mad at myself!" He growled and tugged me closer to him. I hadn't been this close to him, both emotionally and physically, ever in my life. Each brush of skin set my body aflame.
"Don't be," I murmured, my head leaning in towards his. Before our lips touched, I pushed back.
Annoyance riddled his face, his brow creased in frustration. I'd had an idea though.
"Wolf weddings," I said. "How are they done."
He recoiled in shock. "Persephone... that's..."
"We're already mates!" I reminded him. "Tonight made me realise I don't want to lose you. To hell with who my father is! I want you Jax. And that's all I care about right now."
He expression calmed and he nodded. "It's quite simple. And we're halfway done since the moon is already up."
I pushed myself up close to him again, feeling faint with excitement.
He looked at me, such intense lobe in his eyes it almost bowled me over. "Are you sure?" He asked, one last time.
I nodded and pressed my lips against his.
Under the full moon, in a wedding dress, I bound myself to my mate. And we became bound together. Forever.