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| Jackson |
Something tickled Jackson's cheek. He frowned and opened his eyes, and when he realized that Damon was stroking his face with his fingers, Jackson smiled up at him. He dragged his hand down from the Alpha's shoulder and moved his head from his chest and up to nuzzle his neck.
"Sorry," Damon mumbled.
Jackson shook his head. "No, it's okay," he assured him quietly. "Did you get any sleep?"
"A little," the Alpha replied as he guided his hand down to Jackson's waist. Then, he eased it under his belt and lightly gripped Jackson's ass.
As much as Damon's attention excited him, Jackson quickly grew nervous. He glanced around the cavern at the resting pack; knowing they'd all heard him and Damon having sex in the shower at the Venaticus was embarrassing enough, but if they saw, too...then Jackson was sure that he'd melt into a puddle of anxious, humiliated goop.
He grasped Damon's wrist before he could guide his hand around to his crotch. "They're gonna see."
"So?" Damon muttered.
"So...you don't feel uncomfortable about that?" he asked with a frown.
"No."
Why would Damon care if his pack saw? He was their Alpha; they'd know better than to stare, right? They always saw each other naked. But Jackson wasn't accustomed to how they did things. He wouldn't even think about bringing a date home when Wilson was around, so having sex ten feet from fourteen other people wasn't something he was going to do.
He pulled Damon's hand from his trousers. "Not right now," he mumbled.
Damon returned his hand to Jackson's shoulder. "I'm sorry," he said.
"It's fine, I just...I'm not used to being around so many people."
The Alpha hugged him tightly and kissed his head. "Once this is done, we'll have somewhere else to call home."
Jackson nodded but didn't say anything. Why did what Damon said make him feel despondent? Was it because he wasn't entirely sure whether he wanted to live in Ascela or not? A part of him still wanted to go back to Dawnward, but he knew that he couldn't. He was wrapped up in this mess. There was no telling what might happen to him and Wilson if they went back; Holt was involved, too...and Jackson needed to find out how deep all of this went. But he couldn't do that until they got to the lab out in Greykin Valley.
He couldn't ask Damon to consider leaving Ascela for him. It wasn't safe anywhere else in the world for wolf walkers right now, was it? And Damon and his pack had lived out here all their lives. Switching from snowy forests and an icy tundra to an urban environment wouldn't be easy for anyone.
With a quiet sigh, he glanced around again. But then he remembered what Doctor Laurent said. Damon needed to take his antibiotics every twelve hours, and Jackson was sure it was time for his first one. So, he reached around inside his bag and pulled the bottle of green pills out. He stared at it for a moment, searching for side effects on the bottle, but all the information told him was that Damon might feel sleepy or nauseous.
"Why are you looking at those?" Damon suddenly asked.
Jackson glanced up at him. "Oh, uh...it's about time to take your first one, right?"
He grunted and looked away.
"Do you want some water or something to take it with?" Jackson asked as he opened the bottle and took one of the green pills out.
"No," the Alpha grumbled.
Jackson opened Damon's clenched fist and placed the pill on his palm. "Take it."
"No," he replied stubbornly.
"Damon..." Jackson said with a sigh. "You need to take them, or you could get an infection."
"I'm fine."
Jackson sat up and stared at the Alpha's face. He looked aggravated and uncomfortable. "What's wrong?" he asked quietly.
"Nothing."
Something was definitely up with him, but whatever it was, Jackson was sure he wasn't going to get it out of him. However, getting him to take his medicine was more important. Jackson looked around, and when he saw that the pack were either still asleep or talking quietly with one another, his hesitation to reciprocate Damon's affection withered a little.
He edged closer to Damon's face. "If you take your medicine, I'll suck your dick," he offered quietly.
Damon's glower faded slightly as he glanced at Jackson. "I want to fuck you," he replied, and he didn't bother keeping his voice hushed like Jackson.
Jackson was sure his face went a little red, but he did his best to keep his composure. "I mean...but...I don't want anyone to see. At least I can like...hide behind you to—"
"No one will see," he said, turning on his side to face Jackson.
He tried to determine how that would be possible since there was nowhere for them to hide away, but he couldn't ignore his growing anticipation. He wanted it...and if Damon said no one would see, then he'd take his word for it. So, he mumbled, "Okay," and pushed Damon's hand with the pill on it closer to the Alpha's face.
Damon smirked and threw the pill into his mouth. Once he swallowed it, he moved his hand to the back of Jackson's head and kissed his lips.
Jackson kissed him back, and when Damon hastily turned him around and pulled his back against his chest, Jackson smiled excitedly. He faced the cave wall with Damon behind him, so no one would see him. If anyone did so happen to look over at them, they'd probably know what was happening, but as long as Jackson didn't have to see them or be seen, he was fine with it.
As Damon pulled his and Jackson's trousers down, he whispered seductively into Jackson's ear, "Don't make too much noise; you might wake everyone up."
The Alpha's hushed voice sent a shiver of aspiration down Jackson's spine. He felt his arousal throb and his body tremble. His desire for Damon's affection consumed him so quickly, and when the Alpha eased his saliva-smothered shaft into his ass, he exhaled deeply and closed his eyes, trying his best to keep quiet. But the moment Damon started thrusting into him, he sunk into the pleasure and groaned quietly.
Jackson gripped his shirt and breathed deeply, moving his left leg behind Damon's legs. Any anxiety he had before was gone; the only thing he felt now was desperation for more. But just as he was about to let a pleasured sigh escape his breath, Damon clamped his hand around his mouth.
"Shh," he murmured into Jackson's ear.
With a desperate huff, Jackson held his eyes shut tightly.
Damon plunged his hard shaft deeper inside Jackson, making him grunt and scowl in struggle. He wanted to moan; it felt so good, but all he could do was huff and utter.
He struggled even more when he felt himself approaching his peak. "Damon," he breathed, tensing up.
The Alpha thrusted harder, breathing heavily against the back of Jackson's neck.
Jackson shivered and grunted, his moans muffled against Damon's hand, and as he climaxed, he whined as quietly as he could manage.
Damon then pushed Jackson onto his front and thrusted aggressively. He pinned both of Jackson's hands to the ground and nuzzled the back of his neck as he panted and groaned. And not too long after, the Alpha moaned into Jackson's hair, and his shaft convulsed inside him, filling him with his climax.
Jackson responded with a delighted hum, and when Damon exhaled and kissed the side of his face, he rested his head on the ground. But that was when he saw Wilson...staring right at him. There was a look of hostility on his face, and it looked like he was about to get up and storm over to him and Damon.
The Alpha exhaled deeply as he pulled himself from Jackson and buttoned his trousers.
Jackson hastily did his trousers up and sat beside the Alpha. He tried not to glance over at Wilson, but he couldn't help but look to find out whether he was still staring or not.
He wasn't. Wilson returned to muttering with Julian.
With a quiet sigh, Jackson looked down at Damon, who lay with his hands behind his head. "When are we heading out?"
"Maybe thirty minutes," he answered. "I have to check on the hunter before we leave."
"What are you gonna do with her?" Jackson questioned curiously as he glanced at the hunter Damon captured.
The woman was shivering and sweating and lay on her side with Wesley and Alastor keeping watch over her.
"I was going to throw her out into the woods and leave her to the cadejo."
"But...you're not?"
"I didn't say that," he mumbled, gazing up at Jackson. "She's a hunter. She's the very thing that helped drive our kind to near extinction. Everything within me is telling me to make her suffer, but there's this tiny little part that is trying to convince me to give her a chance. I've said it many times before: there aren't many of us left and we need as many wolves as we can get. I don't know how loyal she is to her people; if I give her a chance and she finds a way to contact other hunters, then it would be my fault. I'm not sure I want to take that risk."
"But...wouldn't she have to be loyal to you as her Alpha? And can't you get Tokala to find out her intentions?"
The Alpha then frowned. "It sounds like you want her to stay."
Jackson shrugged. "I know what it's like to be in her place. Everything is changing for her; her whole world is being turned upside down, and if she makes the wrong choice, it could cost her her life. And...I know that she's a hunter, but she's just a private. Something I learned from my years of talking to people and finding what makes them tick is that when there's these huge power structures, the little guys like her can be easily swayed. They're not as important as the ranks above them. She might jump at the chance at a new life—one where she'd matter more."
"She begged me to not let her turn."
"Yeah, and there were a lot of things I know I wouldn't have done or agreed to if I hadn't become a wolf walker. Having this new power and responsibilities changes you. I just think you should talk to her before deciding what you're doing."
Damon sighed heavily and nodded. "I'll need to ask for Wesley, Tokala, and Rachel's opinions first, though. The council might be small, but its vote still matters." He sat up and glanced around at his pack. "I'll get that done now."
"All right," Jackson said.
As the Alpha headed off to gather his council, Jackson set his sights on Wilson again. He watched his friend fiddle with his light-brown hair while he listened to whatever Julian was talking about. He knew his friend was mad; Wilson always twisted his hair around in his fingers when he was angry about something...but Jackson didn't understand what he could be mad about.
He got up and headed over there, and when he sat with them, both Wilson and Julian greeted him.
"Do you know when we're heading out?" Julian asked.
"Damon said in about thirty minutes," Jackson answered, making himself comfortable. "He's just talking to his council about the hunter." Then, as his friends looked at the bitten hunter, Jackson located Sebastien. The hound was still sleeping, so he couldn't yet ask his questions.
Wilson leaned his back against the wall. "Julian and I were just talking about what we're gonna do once this is all over."
Jackson gazed curiously at them both.
Julian looked at him. "Do you think...Alpha Damon would let me go and see if there's anyone still alive in my old village?"
He frowned unsurely. "Uh...well, I don't know. I mean...he's reasonable, so maybe."
Wilson scoffed. "I'm sure he'd come up with some excuse as to why you couldn't."
"We're not Damon's prisoners," Jackson snapped irritably. "He'd want to make sure it's safe, sure, but he wouldn't flat-out deny Julian's request. Once we get this done...the Nosferatu might be able to put a stop to all this cadejo stuff."
"And if they don't?" his friend questioned.
Jackson didn't know what to say to that, but he was confident that whatever was hidden inside the lab would reveal what the Nosferatu needed to know in order to create a cure or vaccine.
In response to Wilson's question, Jackson shrugged.
"I just hope everything is smooth sailing from now on," Julian said. "The hunters are dealt with, right? So all we have to worry about are cadejo."
Jackson glanced at Sebastien. "Yeah. I heard him talking and the Venaticus are sending out a bunch of people to clear up the traps." Then, he looked at Wilson. "What do you wanna do once this is over?"
"By once this is over, I hope you mean once we find out how Holt is involved. I wanna go back to Dawnward, and the only way that's gonna happen is if we uncover what's going on over there."
He was right. If either of them ever wanted to go home, they needed to get to the bottom of Holt's involvement. "When do you think Holt started working for El'Vorian—for Lyca Corp.?"
Wilson exhaled and shrugged. "Who knows, man? If I had to guess, I'd say it was when he started restricting what people write about. Remember when Alice was looking into those murders?"
Jackson took a moment to recall. "Oh, the Caeleste ones? The guy was like...taking their teeth or something?"
"Yeah. Holt shut that shit down, so she went off on her own with it, and then poof...she wasn't a journalist anymore. Stuck working down at the convenience store on Lawton Street."
Julian frowned at them both. "So...they tore her whole career away from her because she was doing her job?"
"That's what happens when people and places are corrupt," Wilson told them. "Holt obviously has contacts and friends in high places. I mean, how else would he have been able to ship a bunch of us out here to die?"
Something then hit Jackson. "Wilson...where did you end up?"
"Huh?" his friend questioned.
"Like...in the shipping container. Where was it delivered?"
"Oh, I dunno. I got out of the thing before they could load it onto the truck. I got the hell out of there and found my way to the closest town."
Jackson pondered as he spoke. "Do you think they were sending you to Lyca Corp.?"
Wilson adorned a perplexed expression. "I mean...maybe."
"What about the others?" Julian asked. "There were a bunch of those journalists, right?"
That was a good question. "I found Thomas in Farrydare," Jackson told Wilson. "I have no idea where the others are, though."
"Those who were Caeleste were probably sent to Lyca Corp," Wilson muttered. "Makes sense."
"Are you gonna try to find them?" Julian asked.
Jackson nodded. "I came out here to find all of them, so...yeah. But we have to get to that lab first. Maybe there'll be something there that tells me what happened to the others."
"Did Thomas wanna go back to Dawnward?" Wilson asked.
"I don't know," Jackson answered. "After Damon helped me get away from those demons, the authorities got everyone else out of the cave. I didn't actually stick around to see what Thomas was gonna do. I assume he's still in Farrydare."
Just then, Jackson heard the hunter's strained voice. He looked over there, and when he saw Damon crouched in front of her, he turned to face them and listened, and so did everyone else.
Damon glared at her. "You have nowhere to go," he told her harshly. "No hunter will let you re-join their ranks. They'll lock you up, skin you alive, and toss your body out to be picked at by whatever's nearby. You won't survive out there, and because of the simple fact that you're now one of us, I'm going to offer you one chance," he said, holding up his index finger as she gawped at him. "You can come with us, or you can stay here."
The woman stared at him; it looked like she was thinking, and as sweat trickled down the sides of her face, she huffed weakly and looked away from him. "I'd rather be left to die than join...you," she grunted, shooting a look of disgust at Damon.
"Suit yourself," the Alpha snarled. Then, he stood up and looked around at his pack. "We're heading out. Get your things."
As they were told, everyone grabbed their bags and shifted. Jackson headed over to where he'd been sleeping with Damon and grabbed his bags, and when he shifted, Rachel helped him get them on.
"Thanks," he said to her.
She nodded and hurried off to help everyone else.
Jackson walked over to Damon, who was waiting by the cavern exit with Remus. "Are you really gonna leave her here?" he asked, glancing back at the hunter.
"She made her choice," the Alpha grumbled. "Trying to convince her would be a waste of time."
"But—"
"She isn't coming," Damon interjected before Jackson could speak. "We need to move on."
Jackson frowned and looked at the woman again. A part of him wanted to try and convince her...but if she would rather die than go with the only people who could help her, then what could he say that might change her mind? Damon's explanation of what would happen to her if she tried to make it alone clearly wasn't enough.
"We'll get back on course and then continue towards the valley," Damon said as everyone joined him. "We'll travel for most of the night, and once dawn approaches, we'll find somewhere to rest."
Wilson—in his tiger form—stood beside Jackson. "So, it's safer to travel at night because the cadejo have shitty night vision, right?"
"Yeah," Jackson said with a nod.
"Let's go," Damon called, and then he started leading the way out of the cave.
But as the pack left, Jackson took one last look at the woman. He hoped she might ask them to wait and that she'd changed her mind, but she just sat there...shivering and sweating. So, Jackson sighed and started following the pack.
He was glad they were getting back on track; they'd been steered off course enough already, and he hoped that things would be a lot smoother from now on. But there was no telling what might be waiting for them out there...and no matter how positive he tried tobe, he couldn't help but feel like there would be something else that slowed them down.
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