Ascended (War of the Covens 3)

A spark of hope flared inside her, and she switched her gaze to Lucien. He was looking around at the pack, carefully reading them all. Finally, he turned back to her, and that spark burst into flame at his slow grin of agreement.

27

Save Our Souls

Twenty-One Pilots played softly from the sound system in their suite at the Center. It was dreary outside in Paris, shadowing the room in a gray-blue gloom counteracted by the candles Jaeden had lit all around them. The atmosphere outside their door was tense and expectant. Inside, she lay snuggled against Ryder as they dozed on a sofa, untroubled by anything but one another. It was nice to forget about the last few months of horror, to forget about the fight that lay ahead.

“I like the name Anna,” Ryder mused, stroking his fingers up and down her bare arms. Goose bumps rose where he touched, and she smiled at his turn of conversation.

“A name for what?” she teased.

“Uh, the Hummer I have a deposit on,” he replied sarcastically. “A kid, Jae, a little girl.”

“Whose little girl?”

“Well, I was going to say ours, but this conversation is rapidly making me rethink procreation with you.”

Jae chuckled. “Sorry. I just can’t believe you’ve thought of names. What else have you thought about?”

“I don’t know. I thought we could wait a few years, have some time just the two of us. And then I was thinking maybe we could get a house next to Lucien and Caia so our kids grow up close, you know. Maybe have three or four kids …”

The warmth of his sweetness settled like a pleasant ache on her chest. “Boys or girls?”

“I don’t know. What do you think?”

“Three boys and a little girl.”

Amusement laced his words as he replied, “Ah, so you have thought about this?”

“I guess. I always thought that would be nice, you know, having three big brothers.”

“I thought Christian drove you crazy?”

“Oh, he does,” she whispered, thinking about her brother these last few weeks. He’d been wonderful to her mother when Jae hadn’t. But now that she was acting like a sane person again, they were getting through the loss of Dimitri together. Her brother had taken on a paternal role that was annoying … and yet so welcome. “But I don’t know what I’d do without him.”

Ryder pressed a kiss into her hair. “Then three boys and a girl it is.”

She laughed. “Just like that?” She twisted around to look at him.

His expression was serious as his eyes drank her in. “Of course. What do I gotta do to make you understand I’d do anything to make you happy?”

I love you.

Jae reached for him, pressing a soft kiss to his lips. A soft kiss that quickly grew heated. Ryder groaned underneath her and she felt a tug on her shirt as he began undoing buttons.

A gentle tapping filtered into her consciousness.

“Jae!”

Caia.

Ryder growled under her lips, and she peeled herself off him. “Her timing sucks.”

Smiling ruefully, Jae buttoned her shirt again. “Coming!” she called and then threw Ryder a warning look. “I’m letting her in.”

He squirmed uncomfortably, a slight flush rising on his cheekbones. “Give me a minute.”

Snickering at his predicament, she thrust a cushion at him and hurried to the door. Caia stood on the other side looking a lot more put together than she had in the last few days. She looked over Jae quizzically and then blushed. “I didn’t interrupt anything, did I?”

How did she know?

“Your hair …” She gestured vaguely.

Jaeden felt her head and realized her hair was twice as big as it usually was from Ryder running his hands through it. “Oh … I, um … was experimenting.”

She ignored Ryder’s snort.

“Anyway, what’s up?” She stood aside to let her pass.

“Hey, Ryder.” Caia gave a little wave and threw him an apologetic look after taking in the candles and romantic setting. “I didn’t mean to bother you guys.”

“No bother,” he assured her amiably.

Jae took a seat next to Ryder. “I thought you would be busy getting ready for the ceremony tonight.” Caia was being made Head of the Coven in a matter of hours.

“Nah, I know what they want me to do. I’ve been hanging out in the library.”

What the Hades was she in the library for? “Why?”

Caia shrugged. “Oh, just reading up on the ceremony and stuff.”

“Oh, makes sense.”

“Yeah.”

After another pause, Ryder coughed, “Do you, uh, want me to leave?”

Caia shrugged again and threw Jae a pensive look. “It depends if Jaeden’s comfortable talking about her telekinesis in front of you.”

A sick feeling settled in Jae’s stomach, and she felt her defenses rise. “Yes. Ryder can stay.”

Her mate frowned. “What is this about?”

Caia shook her head, her hands fluttering nervously as she read their sudden tension. “No, I don’t want to alarm you. It’s nothing too serious. It’s just … well … when we were at Eliza’s home fighting … Jae, didn’t you realize that your telekinesis worked on the lykans in wolf form?”