11. Jax

11

Jax

It was unusually quiet the next morning. I opened the blinds to the stillness outside. Our window faced the courtyard, so usually, in the morning, there was a flurry of activity. The table of bagels, muffins, fruit and coffee had been set up, but no one was using it. Yesterday, I'd watched staff moved back and forth, using the courtyard as a shortcut. Guard members were constantly streaming in and out until the food and coffee were gone.

Today, it looked like the table hadn't been touched since the food had been placed out there. An inkling of unease slithered through me. Generally, this kind of still meant that the guards were all busy with some emergency, but I suspected London would have alerted me if that was the problem.

Maybe I was just making a problem in my head because we hadn't been able to catch a break. I was tense and waiting for the next shoe to drop.

In the bed, Anna sighed and shifted. Closing the blinds, I put all my attention on her. A weight in my chest had eased since telling her that I loved her. I should have done it as soon as I felt it. Maybe then, Emerson would have never gotten his hands on her.

At least he was dead now.

Her hand stretched out to the pillow I'd used last night, and her eyes opened. "Good morning," I greeted softly before she had a chance to wonder if she was alone.

Sitting upright, she pushed her hair out of her face. The usual expressions crossed her face. Fleeting vulnerability followed immediately by annoyance and stoicism. Then, as if she remembered what I'd said last night, her face softened, and the vulnerability returned.

"I have to pee," she squeaked out as she threw the sheets aside and darted for the bathroom. I couldn't help but chuckle and noted that she snagged clothes on her way.

I picked up the things that she'd discarded last night and noticed the file folder with her name on it. She hadn't had it with her on the ship, which meant that London had given it to her.

The door opened, and I looked up, file folder in hand. I didn't say anything as I handed it to her.

"London thinks my mother might have been a witch," she blurted out as she took it.

That was not what I'd expected her to say. "What?"

"Apparently his grandfather kept meticulous journals and was friendly with a null. London copied some passages he thought I might be interested in. He says that the null power is passed down in the same family. Not mother to daughter or even mother to granddaughter, but that it can be traced to one family line. So, my father must have knocked up a witch."

The nonchalant tone and haphazard shrug of her shoulders told me everything that I needed to know.

Anna wasn't sure she wanted to know what was in those file folders.

"What do you remember of your mother?" I asked casually as I made the bed. She joined me, her movements more fidgety than helpful.

"Nothing," Anna said quickly and then sighed. "No, that's not true. I have some memories that I associate with her. Singing and soft touches, but when I try to really focus on them, they don't feel real. Like maybe I'm making them up, so I really don't know if I remember her at all."

"And what did Dirk tell you?"

"What didn't Dirk tell me? First it was that she abandoned me because she didn't want anything to do with me. Then, after the first time I tried to escape to find her, he told me that she was dead. Since he was drunk when he said it, I'm inclined to think that was the truth. Sometimes he'd tell me that she was the most beautiful woman in the world. Sometimes he'd tell me that she was nothing more than a one-night stand. Sometimes he'd tell me that he raped her."

The more she spoke, the shakier she got. Walking around the bed, I pulled her into my arms and held her until the shivering stopped. "You don't have to go down this road if you don't want to," I told her. "We can burn those pages, and I'll tell London that you aren't interested. We can leave it behind."

"What if she's dead, and she was a good person? A good mother. What if Dirk took me from her? There's this ache inside me when I think of her dead and me not knowing anything about her. Even her name. What if Dirk killed her and she's just in some hole in the ground? And no one knows?" Unshed tears gathered in her eyes. "I've never had the chance to do anything about it. I've never been safe enough to look for her."

I kissed the top of her head. "You're safe now, Anna. You can search for her. I'll help you. Even if…" Fuck, I hated what I was about to say. "Even if you don't stay, I'll have people look into it for you."

Pulling away, she glanced down at the floor. "I guess you're waiting for a response about what you said yesterday."

"I am, but not today, Anna. Not tomorrow, either. We've spent a lot of time circling each other when I should have been more honest. I know you need time to think, and I'm happy to give you that time. There's no pressure here," I told her gently.

Her shoulders sagged as she looked up at me and smiled. "I do need some time to think, but I also know that we haven't had time to just be together and see how it goes. I won't be leaving until we get that chance."

Relief swept through me, and I returned her smile. "Good. We should be leaving here soon, and I think you'll find our home is a little bit different than when you left. Things will be easier for you, Anna."

She opened her mouth and was momentarily distracted by a crashing noise outside. Her eyes widened, and we both raced to the window. I opened the blinds in time to see an enormous beast break through the door into the house, followed by guards racing after it.

"You were saying?" she said dryly. We both ran from the room and down the stairs. Chaos spread across a wide berth. Doorways were broken open, walls cleared of all artworks, and tables smashed. The front door was practically hanging off its hinges.

I swore. "There is no way something could escape the house before we got down here."

Just as he spoke, three wolves raced past him, followed by six guards on foot. They were panting hard.

"Cool. So, something about three times the size of a normal wolf and three times as fast is now rampaging through London's pack. What are the chances he'll pop up and tell us not to worry, that this kind of thing happens at least once a week?" Anna asked.

A whistle sounded as Finn walked through the front door. "Does London have a giant pet we don't know about?"

"You went for an early morning run?"

Still staring at the destruction, Finn nodded and rubbed his neck. "I've been trying to shift twice a day until I know for sure my wolf won't get away from me again. I've been out for about two hours."

"And you didn't see it?"

"No. I just followed the unsettling wide path of broken tree limbs and bushes coming in from the woods. It leads straight here."

I look at Anna. "You up for a little investigating?"

"Anything to keep my mind off that stupid file."

Not the healthiest mindset, but she needed time. I understood that. "Let's grab Janelle and have a look. I'm starting to discover that almost everything weird that's happened is because of witchcraft."

"Yeah," Anna sighed. "Me too."