Chapter Thirty-One

Flame

Even with Claire hanging over our heads, I couldn"t be happier. I"ve finally got my man. Cam being here with us makes it feel like our family's more complete than ever. Honestly, it feels like we"ve always been a family, and I"m loving it. Wrath's off with Cam at the moment, starting his lessons on how to ride and bike maintenance. They should have fun. I know how much Wrath enjoyed doing this at Cam"s age.

Walking through The Clubhouse, I can hear a man and woman shouting, which is unusual. I run towards where it sounds like it"s coming from, coming to an abrupt halt when I get there. Jasmine"s leaning against the wall, with Blade standing in front of her. What the hell is going on here?

"I told you that it"s not true. Instead of believing me, you"re going to believe them, bitches? Is that what you"re telling me, Jas? And you"re going to say shit about stuff I told you in confidence too?"Blade says, and he sounds hurt, and that"s not normal for Blade; normally he"s in full control of his emotions.

"What else do you expect me to believe, Blade? They"ve no reason to lie to me, and you do."She replies, and her features are hard.

Blade just backs away from her, shaking his head.

"I expect you to ask me if it"s true instead of just believing what they say. They"ve every reason to lie to you, and you"ve literally just fallen for it, just like they wanted. I"ve been nothing but honest with you, Jas, and you"ve just thrown it all back in my face. I"ve told you about things that very few people know. Do you know how much your lack of trust hurts? Don"t worry though; I"m out of here."He says his voice is choked up, and fuck, when he turns his back to her, he has a tear running down his face. It"s obvious whatever has happened has really fucking hurt him.

"Blade, come with me,"I say when he just stands with his back to Jasmine, looking lost.

As he walks towards me, I can"t help but look up at Jasmine, and she doesn"t look like the sweet woman we"ve come to know; she looks vindictive. Has the way she"s been portraying herself to us been an act this whole time? Wrapping my arm around Blade, I walk him towards Wrath"s office, using my key to let us in. Once we"re inside, I flip the lock and just stand in front of the door. Blade walks over to the sofa and drops his head into his hands. I can see his shoulders shaking; he"s fucking crying. Fucking hell, this isn"t good at all. This isn"t like Blade at all.

"Blade man, I need you to talk to me. I only caught the end of what happened out there."I say softly.

Looking up at me, he wipes his eyes before he starts to explain what happened.

"You know how hard I struggle with being close to people because of my past?"

I nod my head. It"s one thing Blade has struggled with as long as I"ve known him.

"Well, I thought I"d take a chance with Jasmine. When she arrived here, she was so sweet and seemed so lost. I couldn"t help but be drawn to her. Lately, we"ve been hanging out, getting to know one another. I even told her some bits of my past, which you know I never do."

He stops for a second and takes a breath.

"Well, we decided we wanted more than just the friendship that had blossomed between us. We were taking it slow. Not rushing into anything before either of us were ready."

He stops talking and shakes his head before continuing.

"Anyway, last night I had to cover at Inferno"s; we needed an extra bouncer, so I couldn"t make my planned time with Jasmine. As far as I was aware, everything was fine. I worked my shift, got back here at four this morning, and crashed in my room. When I got up just now, she cornered me in the corridor, screaming that I was a liar; she knew I was with a bunny last night and not working. I tried to talk to her, tell her the truth that I had no idea what the fuck she was talking about, hence why I had her against the wall, but she wouldn"t listen. Then she said something about my past. I"m pretty sure you heard the rest."

"Fuck man, that sucks. I"ve got a feeling this is them getting payback for what I saw take place between Jasmine and the bunnies, but that doesn"t excuse her acting this way. What"re you going to do?"I ask sympathetically.

"Nothing; she can stay the fuck away from me now. I don"t trust easily, Flame, and she"s just lost all of mine. I know she"s here to keep her safe, and she"s Cam"s aunt, but I"m done. This is why I don't fucking try. It always blows up in my face. Fuck trying again; I"ll wait until I find the female version of myself; at least that way, I"ll know I"ll never have to go through this shit again."

"Are you sure you don"t want to talk to her when you"ve both calmed down?"I ask.

"No. She believed a bunny and then brought up what happened when I was younger and told me I was lying about that to gain her sympathy and trust. Why would anyone even consider doing that?"His voice cracks at the end, and I can"t help but walk over and hug him.

"Man, I"m so sorry. I never expected something like this from her; she seemed so sweet. After hearing all that went on this morning, I"m not so sure. Go on and get out of here for a while, take a ride, and clear your head. I"ll have a word with Jasmine."

"Thanks, man. I can"t be around her right now. It"s just all too raw."He says as he stands up and takes a couple of deep breaths to regain his composure before walking to the door, unlocking it, and leaving.

Shaking my head after he leaves. I can"t help but feel for him; he"s been through enough in his life already. For him to even tell her part of it. Fuck, she's got no idea what that meant, and she very likely just ruined everything. He"ll never forgive her.

Leaving the office and locking it behind me, I go searching for Jasmine. I want to get this shit dealt with and move on with my day. Entering The Common Room, I see her sitting alone at one of the tables with her sketch pad drawing away. Walking over, I stand next to the table.

"Hey Jasmine, can you come with me so I can have a talk with you in Wrath"s office, please?"I ask, trying to keep my voice calm, even though I feel anything but calm right now.

"Sure thing, Flame. Can I meet you there in a few minutes?"She asks her voice and demeanor back to the sweet one we"ve all been used to. "I just want to finish this sketch Wreck asked me to do so he can see how well I do with requests." I just nod and walk back to Wrath"s office. She"s acting like nothing"s happened; what the fuck?

A few minutes later, there's a knock on the door.

"Come in."I shout.

Jasmine steps in, giving me a small smile, which I don"t return. I"m not impressed with her at all right now, and I"m pretty sure the way she"s acting is just that—an act. I think her true colors came out earlier with Blade.

"Have a seat, Jasmine,"I say, as I wave my hand at the chairs opposite where I"m sitting behind the desk in Wrath"s seat.

Doing as I ask, she just sits there, waiting for me to talk. She"s got to know what this is about; she knows I heard her and Blade.

"So, Jasmine, I wouldn"t normally get involved in shit like this, but I feel like I need to after talking to Blade."

Her eyes flash quickly with displeasure, but I carry on.

"For now, I need you to respect Blade"s wishes and stay away from him. Don't approach him, talk to him, call him, or text him. Absolutely zero contact from this point on. What you did earlier has caused damage; I"m not even sure you quite understand."I say to her with a hint of anger coming through in my tone.

"I don"t see how you can sit there and tell me who I can and can"t interact with."She starts to say in a self-righteous way, but I cut her off.

"I can sit here and say it because, one, I"m an Officer in this club and you"re a guest, and two, because I've spoken to Blade myself and got the gist of what was said before I arrived earlier. You have no idea how hard things have been for him during his life. He opened up to you slightly, and you threw it all back in his face. If you"d used any of the senses I know you have got to have, you might have spoken to someone who could tell you that yes, Blade was working last night; he covered last minute at Inferno"s, but instead you listened to a fucking bunny and played exactly into their hands. This is the only time I"m going to tell you to stay away from him, Jasmine. Don"t overstep because you won"t like the consequences."I say my anger fully coming through now.

"Oh, I understand you, Flame. Don"t worry, I"ll stay away from your precious Blade. I don"t believe a word you"re saying anyway. You all would just cover for each other anyway. Do me a favor and sort this shit with my sister so I can move back home."She spits at me, stands, and storms out of the office. Slamming the door behind her.

Well, that went well. Not. Looks like her true attitude"s coming out now. I need to talk to Wrath about all this because I don"t see this ending well at all, and I"m worried. Not only about how this is going to end between Jasmine and Blade but also about Jasmine saying or doing something that could upset Cam.

Grabbing my phone, I dial Wrath.

"Everything okay, babe?" He asks as soon as he answers.

"No, not really. I need to talk to you. How much longer are you going to be with Cam?"

"We just finished up, so I"ll be in shortly."

"Good, I"m in your office. You need to get here quickly so I can fill you in on what"s gone down this morning."

"Do I need to be worried?"

"I honestly don"t know; I"ll let you decide that once you"ve got the facts."

"I"m on my way right now."

We hang up, and I sit and wait for him to arrive.