Jane would often describe her relationship with Wendy as rocky. She and her older sister had never really gotten along all that well, the seven year age difference was probably a reason that they weren't that close, but the main reason was probably that Jane was only Wendy's half-sister.
Being the physical evidence of their father's cheating, Jane can see why Wendy never really took an immense liking to her, but at the end of the day they were still sisters. Their father's blood ran through both of them, and seeing her older sister laying in the hospital bed with the weight on her shoulders, Jane didn't hesitate to rush over to Wendy and just hold her.
This was her fault.
Somehow Ronan had figured out that Wendy was her sister and used that to hurt Jane in the worst possible way- by going after her sister.
Jane felt her mouth opening and closing, wanting to scream for everything that Ronan did, vow to hunt him down and kill him for the horrible thing he had done, tell Wendy that this was her fault. But she couldn't form a single word, she couldn't bring herself to say anything that would make Wendy hate her forever.
Like a coward, she let silent tears fall down her face to match those of her sisters.
"I'm sorry." Jane whispered on a shaky breath.
Never had she felt so pathetic in her life, so helpless- useless.
She stayed for barley over an hour, not another word spoken between them. Their sobbing silence broken by a nurse, who informed Jane that her sister would need sleep for a full recovery.
Waving to her broken sister, Jane could feel her heart shrinking in her chest and as she came face to face with her grief-stricken parents she felt more tears come in her eyes. They were a strong family, they'd been through a lot together, they'd been through Clare together. But this was different.
Although it would affect them all, there was nothing any of them could do for Wendy she would have to break through the mental destruction caused by Ronan all on her own.
Her dad gave her a sad smile that didn't reach his eyes as he questioned, "You okay, sweetie?"
Why was he asking about her? This wasn't about her this was about her sister. Yes the fact that Levi had walked in the room with her had stolen her parent's attention. It's not every day their daughter strolls around with their Alpha and under different circumstances she would've been heavily questioned by her parents. But now was not the time to be worrying about Jane.
"I'm fine, dad. How're you and mom holding up?"
Her dad nodded whilst her mom continued to dab at her eyes with tissues, it was awful seeing her parents like this and Jane knew once they found out about Clare... she couldn't even think about that right now. But soon she'd have to tell them.
She'd have to tell her parents that it was her fault that her sister had been targeted by Ronan and she'd have to tell them it was her blood that had brought Clare back to life.
"Why don't you go home, sweetheart?" Her dad sweetly asked her and for some reason Jane's eyes shot to Levi, who was still refusing to look at her, his jaw clenched and arms folded as he stared at his tapping feet.
She had no idea what was going on in that head of his, but for some reason his attitude towards her had taken a complete one eighty. Whatever she'd done to make him revert to being such a jerk she truly had no idea. Honestly she was shocked he even wanted to come into the hospital with her considering he seemed so put out at the ordeal of having to take her here in the first place.
"Are you sure you and mom are going to be okay, if I go?"
She wanted to be here for her family, but she couldn't look at any of them and not feel an incredible amount of guilt and shame. Not to mention, Peter was still passed out back in Levi's apartment and when he woke up she'd have to tell him what Ronan had done to their sister.
Her dad nodded in response to her question embracing her in comforting arms as he whispered, "Of course Janie, we'll be fine. You and the Alpha should go back to campus."
If only her father knew that she had no intention of returning back to campus to sleep in her dorm, she hadn't been there for a while now.
Wasn't it all these secrets that had gotten her family into trouble in the first place? She had to tell them, maybe not right now, but soon. She would have to tell them soon.
As Levi stood he offered his condolences to her parents assuring them that whoever was responsible for this would be punished severely. At least he could offer her parents comfort that what happened would be dealt with.
Following Levi out of the hospital, Jane didn't say a word to him. She wanted to though, she wanted to scream at him and hit him, demand he tell her why he was acting so cold and callous. But she promised him that as long as he drove her to the hospital she would leave him alone and that's what she was going to do.
Staring at his back she couldn't help but feel annoyed at herself for allowing him to hurt her like this. When did she allow him to get so close to her, she truly has no clue. But somehow the stupid jerk has gotten under her skin and now she's facing the consequence of it.
Stepping out of the hospital doors, she shivered against the cold air and watched as Levi made his way back to his car and she dejectedly walked in the opposite direction over to where the line of cab's were constantly coming in. Jane didn't even think Levi had turned back to look at her and honestly she hoped he wouldn't see her.
Jane was so caught up in stopping herself from crying and trying to keep her eyes on the line in front of her and not on her mate, she didn't notice Levi was right behind her until she heard his rather irritated tone right in her ear, "What do you think you're doing?"
"Getting a cab."
She didn't look at him, couldn't look at him.
"I can see that," Levi spoke as though he was trying not to smile. What was he doing laughing at her pain? Way to add insult to injury!
"I'm wondering why you're catching a cab when last I checked I have a perfectly functioning car just over there in the parking lot."
Jane rubbed her thinly covered arms as a wind blew over, "Yes your car not mine."
The tiny amount of playfulness she had detected in his speech was gone completely as he said, "Either you come willingly or I force you. It's your choice."
At that, Jane turned around to glare at him trying to focus on her anger over her grief as she ordered, "You don't control me. You don't boss me around. If you think I'm going to do everything you tell me to then you're going to be disappointed."
"And if you think I'm going to let you go off by yourself this late at night in a cab you're going to be disappointed."
The tension between them had built to a point where there was merely an inch between them. Jane's shivering stopping from the sheer heat his body was radiating, hearing nothing but her racing heart as it hammered away in her chest.
As close as she was, she watched as Levi's eyelids fluttered shut as he sighed, "Why're you so stubborn?"
"Only because you're such a jerk," she shot back, moments before her lips found her way to his. So shocked at her sudden brashness she went to pull away from him, when Levi groaned placing his hands on her hips and pulling her closer, deepening the kiss.
It wasn't by all means a sweet and slow kiss, there was too much emotion between them that it would ever be sweet and slow. There was too much need, too much hunger, too much frustration.
Her lips moved against his almost frantically, as though she was trying to communicate everything she was feeling without saying any words at all.
His hands at her hips started moving up her back to tangle into her hair and if not for the obnoxious horn of a car driving by, Jane had no doubt in her mind things would've become far more heated then what either of them were ready for.
Breaking apart, Levi took a hurried step away from her, his eyes wide with shock as though he hadn't believed that'd just happened, Jane didn't quite believe it either.
She watched Levi having some sort of internal struggle, as he kept going to speak only going as far to open his mouth before he quickly shut it again. Was he going to shut her out again?
His eyes dropped to the witch's mark peeking out from under the sleeve on her wrist and it became apparent in the hardening of his eyes and the clenching of his jaw that his mind was made up, "Let's go."
Whatever had just happened between them hadn't been enough for Levi to stop acting like a jerk, whatever it was that was forcing him to return back to his old ways wasn't going to be steered by the fact that she'd just kissed him.
Jane had no idea why, or no idea how to change it, but for some reason she felt that maybe a part of the reason was this stupid death mark on her wrist. A ticking time bomb that was showing how close she was to her death.
***
Ronan POV
Ronan stayed close to the hospital watching over the woman who would soon be carrying his child. It didn't matter if she attempted to rid herself of the growing baby inside her, it wouldn't happen.
The magic involved in his half of the curse was strong enough that the baby would be completely protected from medication and procedures and injuries until its due date. Even if the mother were to die the baby would still be brought into this world alive- maybe a little premature but alive.
From where he lay hidden in the surrounding darkness of the hospital, Ronan couldn't be seen by the woman he'd discovered was named Wendy. He still couldn't find it within himself to apologize to her about what he'd done, although mostly his fault, the curse created an instinct within him to procreate before the end of the night and he did.
His brain was already being lost to the curse.
The one thing he'd learnt was that turning completely into stone didn't just happen overnight, it was a gradual, lengthy occurrence that had already started within Ronan. He could feel a burning sensation within his body and his mind as he knew that internally his body was changing - whether it was his werewolf-half kicking in, or the beginnings of the stone transformation he couldn't be sure.
But what he was sure of was that tonight he'd given into the curse and given life to a son that will come to life in the next nine months, and if Ronan doesn't break this curse he'll be dead by the time his son is born.
As soon as he sheds the blood of Levi's mate - the sacrifice - he will be freed from the never ending cycle, as will his father and all the other men in his family standing as stone statues in the cellar of his family's home.
"Putting the curse into action have we Ronan?"
He didn't turn around fully at the voice that came behind him, he only turned his head to watch the silhouette of a woman emerging from a shadowed tree line. He recognized her though, dangerous werewolf like her wasn't a face he'd likely forget.
"I see you've been resurrected Clare," he stated not bothering to give her his full attention, "How fortunate for you, or is it unfortunate seeing as though I'll have to hunt you down and kill you again."
The woman let off a short growl at the threat, "Now, now handsome you got lucky. I was running away from the pack and was going to die from the injuries I sustained anyway. Now that I'm as healthy as a horse, it'd be much harder for you to kill me."
Ronan fully turned to Clare, and noticed how for a newly-resurrected woman she did look healthy as a horse. She looked like she was practically glowing with health and strength, but her eyes were a dark, shiny colour that was picking up and reflecting the light of the moon in an eerie way like she was an animal of some kind.
She shot him a smile full of pointed white teeth, "Told you I was healthy. You see what I've found out about the blood of the sacrifice, it's not only surprisingly tasty but surprisingly strengthening. Take a look at me Ronan, don't I just scream predator to you, even as a werewolf I was never this strong, or fast. I can see better, smell better, hear better, honey everything's better!"
Something about the grin on Clare's face as she stalked towards him dangling a bag of blood in her hand screamed at Ronan to be careful.
"If I dare say," Clare continued, "I look a little younger too."
Ronan scowled, "Not young enough for me to consider. Now either tell me what you want or demand your rematch I haven't got the patience for you."
She frowned at him, before tossing him the bag of blood. He knew it was the blood of the sacrifice. Those bracelets Cassie had made to keep Mike, Elle and Nate under his control had come in handy after all.
"Why're you giving this to me?"
"Because sugar I think you and I can help each other out. This blood- it's my daughter's, your sacrifice happens to be my child. And the good mother I am, I don't want her to die."
Ronan narrowed his eyes at her, not trusting Clare for a second, but if he could put temporary trust in a witch maybe he could be temporary trust in a psychotic, soul-less, resurrected werewolf. Maybe.
"What do you want Clare?"
She nodded her head in the direction of the taxi line as she smirked, "Take a look."
Sure enough there she was, the sacrifice lip-locked with Alpha Levi. Clare's chuckles tore away Ronan's gaze and he glared at the laughing woman, "He will never let you have her Ronan. That boys latched onto her and he aint letting go, tell you the truth sugar I don't want to give her to you either but it seems I'm going to have to. You and I both know that the amount of her blood running through me won't be enough to keep me alive forever, a week, maybe more."
"And I care because..." Ronan questioned still not sure why he was standing her talking to her, but nevertheless he had started a conversation and wanted to see it to the end.
"Because, I know how to get her away from him. After all I am Jane's mother and a mother always knows what's best for her child."
"If I agree what's in it for you?"
Clare innocently shrugged, "My daughter and I both get to live."
Ronan had no idea what her true motives were.
Maybe somehow she was going to use her daughter's blood to break his curse then feed off of her for as long as she was willing to live? Maybe all Clare truly wanted was to keep her daughter alive? Doubtful.
Not wanting to question it too much he held up the bag of blood, "Why'd you give me this if you so desperately need it?"
Clare's cutting grin lit up her face, "Honey, look at me, I'm sitting at the top of the food chain right now and I'm finally kind of lonely at the top. Why don't you join me?"
He stared at the blood for a few fleeting seconds before tearing open the top of the bag and gazing at the thick looking, dark-red liquid. Was he really about to drink the blood of a werewolf all so that he could, 'join Clare at the top of the food chain'?
Heck yes he was, and with that thought, Ronan brought the bag to his mouth and hungrily drained every last drop from the bag, feeling a burning power and rush of adrenaline course through his body with every mouthful.
When the bag was entirely emptied he dropped it at his feet, feeling a vibration of power run through him as he muttered, "You're right. That was tasty."
~*~
This chapter is dedicated to two family members I lost to the horrible killer that is cancer. I lost them both within a few days of each other a week ago and miss them dearly.
On a lighter note... Ronan & Clare- expected or unexpected???
And OMG LEVI AND JANE FINALLY!
I read all of your comments on the last chapter and will be working towards adding more romance between the couples and also a little bit of back story between this whole curse business.
Thank you all so much for your support and your patience with the story! And thank you all for getting this story to number 1!!
Jasmine :)
Next Update: 3/4 days