Destined (War of the Covens 2)

The sound of the front door slamming pulled them from Laila’s tale, and Ryder strolled in, an obvious look of surprise on his face at the sight of them sitting together.

“Everything okay?” he queried.

“I was just going to ask that.” Vil hurried in, his anxious eyes locked on Laila. She smiled, holding her hand out to draw him to her.

Visibly relaxing, he moved toward her like a magnet. Jaeden huffed in amusement at the suspicious look he leveled at her. She jumped up to go to Ryder, wrapping her arms around his waist, snuggling close to him. “Everything is good, actually.” She searched his eyes, looking for the answer he’d received this evening from her parents. “Everything is good?”

“What did I miss?”

“Ryder?” she whined.

“I’ll tell you if you tell me what happened here.”

She pulled away from him. “You’re a pain. Fine. Laila and I understand one another now, and I believe Caia when she says Laila is a good Midnight. Who would have thought? Now tell me what my father said.”

All of a sudden, he laughed and grabbed her, whirling around the room. “Yes!”

“Yes?”

“Yes!”

“Oh my god—”

He smothered her words with a passionate kiss. A discreet cough pulled them apart a few seconds later and they turned, smiling, to see Reuben lounging in the doorway. Jaeden felt Ryder tense.

“What are you doing here?”

“I came to see how your guests were faring, but obviously, I’m interrupting a celebration.”

Vil grinned. “Jaeden’s parents are allowing them to mate.”

Reuben remained passive, not giving anything away. “How nice for them.”

“Reuben.” Jae made a move toward him, hating to hurt her friend. “I’m glad you’re here. I want you to be here for the ceremony. You’ve been through so much with me, it would feel weird without you.”

“No, it wouldn’t,” Ryder growled, brushing past her to stand bristling at the vampyre. “For a start, my guests are none of your business.”

“I was merely curious. She is a Midnight, after all.”

Ryder scoffed, his fists curling into knots. “We both know why you’re here, you son of a bitch.”

Jaeden fought an oncoming headache. “Ryder—”

“Son of a bitch?” Reuben stood straight now, all evidence of passivity gone and replaced with a stony anger. “I’m the son of a bitch? You’ve done nothing but hassle me since I got here.”

“Because you’re always here!”

“I’m her friend. I’m not going anywhere.”

“We’ll see—”

“Guys!” she shouted, looking desperately to Laila and Vilhelm for help. They were no good, already sliding quietly away to disappear into their bedroom.

“You have no right turning up all the time, that’s all I’m saying.”

“I came here to see if the boy and the girl were okay. That they weren’t causing any trouble, that’s all.”

“That’s what you can’t seem to wrap your thick skull around. This isn’t your business.”

“Whatever’s coming, I’m more equipped to deal with it than you, lykan.”

“Enough with the prophet crap. It’s wearing on my nerves, vampyre.”

“You’re such a child.”

“I’m—”

Their argument drifted from earshot as Jaeden slammed out of the apartment and down the stairs, out of the building. Half the time, she didn’t think their inane arguing even had anything to do with her. Her headache throbbed harder as she got into her car.

A run.

A run would be good to work out everything that had happened this evening. Laila’s sorrowful tale, the bond that she’d felt forging between them, the idea that Midnights might not all be bad, her official engagement to Ryder, and his inability to function normally in a room with Reuben.

Yeah, a run would be great.

Trying to throw off her irritation at Ryder and Reuben, Jae mused over Laila as she drove to Lucien’s house and felt an impatience growing for Caia and their Pack Leader to return so they could work this all out. Parking on his drive, she got out and walked around to the back yard. She didn’t bother going through the house, knowing they would hear her strolling around to the back and would work out for themselves who was there.

That impatience she felt bubbling in her skin changed into an impatience for the run. Jae jerked out of her clothes and suddenly wished she could be like Caia. Ryder had described how she could change into a wolf instantly now, how she could run into the woods on human legs and soar into the change. It sounded wonderful.

But as Jae’s muscles strained with the burn of the change, and as her bones cracked with eye-watering satisfaction, she knew she wouldn’t give up this feeling for anything. Distantly, she wondered if Caia missed it. The cool night air rushing through her pelt was exactly what the doctor ordered. She crunched through pine cones, ran at full speed toward a tree and launched herself at it, only to bound off and race in the opposite direction.

With the run, her mind cleared, replete and calm.