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Chapter 15
CAESAR
The moment I step onto the house’s rickety porch, I come in contact with a force fi
field that has me stopping in my tracks.
It’s like a sharp zap of electricity and I gasp in shock when it suddenly zings through my bloodstream.
“What’s wrong, sir?” Henry asks, Inrrying to my side,
I look at the brightly lit windows and sight.
“It seems Jayla’s grandma is a very powerful witch. And a paranoil one at that, She built a forcefield around her porch to keep strangers away.”
“She did?”
Being the curious puppy that he is, Henry takes a step forward to check things out for himself.
I heave another sigh, grab his collar and pull him back
“Where exactly are you going? You want to get zapped, too? Call Jayla and inform her of our arrival”
“Yes, sir.”
Just as he whips his phone out of his pocket, the door swings open and an elderly woman, who I’m guessing is over the age of sixty, walks onto the porch.
Her hair is pitch black, despite her age, but there are streaks of silver on both her temples.
“Who are you and what are you doing here?”
She’d turned off the porch lights before coming out and the entire place is now bathed in darkness, but my sensitive wolf eyes catches her fingers fidgeting with something in the dark.
That glow can only be one thing – The Blue Eye Crystal.
The crystal is one of the most powerful weapons of war in the BlueRivers Pack. I’m shocked that it’s in her possession b
I’m not here to ask stupid questions.
“My name is Caesar Manchester, I’m Amaya’s fiancé.”
Her
eyes narrow with annoyance.
“First of all, young man, I do not believe you. Second, if you’re really who you say you are, why would you even come here! thought you kicked my god daughter out of your house.”
Oh. So she’s Amaya’s godmother.
“My fiancée and I had a misunderstanding. I heard she’s sick. I’m here to take her back with me.”
Just then, someone flips on the lights from inside, bathing the porch in brightness once more.
Seconds later, Jayla stomps out of the house and pauses beside her grandma, giving me a very dark stare.
“Mr. Manchester, What an unpleasant surprise. What do you want?*
1 fist my fingers. “You’re a wolf, Jayla, so I’m sure you must’ve heard me all the way from inside while you were
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Chapter 15
cavesdropping
She doesn’t even flinch when I call
her out
Just like her best friend, she folds her arms and stares me down.
“You’re not going anywhere with her. If you hadn’t kicked us out, Arnaya wouldn’t have had to travel two hours and her condition wouldn’t worsen like this. This entire mess continues to be all your fault, Caesar Stay away from us. You’re shitty luck.”
I ignore the pang of guilt that her words elicit in my chest and focus instead on getting what I came here for.
“I did not send you forty thousand dollars to leave my woman in these. I look around, “conditions. She needs a good environment to facilitate her recovery,
Jayla’s eyes widen in incredulity.
“Your woman? I’m sorry, but “your woman” is better off here with people who actually love and care for her. She might wither away in your cold ass mansion. Besides, we don’t know what you and your people did to her. Until we find out who’s responsible for Amaya’s condition. I’m afraid she won’t be going anywhere.”
I’m about to say something in response when suddenly, a loud, piercing scream rents the air.
In a split second, the atmosphere becomes very, very cold.
The hairs on my nape rise with suspicion and shivers rack my frame. Something’s wrong. I can feel it.
“Amaya.” Jayla whispers urgently.
She turns around and runs back inside to check on her. I take a step to follow her but her grandmother stops
“And where do you think you’re going, young man?”
My heart is pounding at a thousand miles per second at this point, and I cannot ignore the worry that gnaws at my stomach “I need to check on Amaya. Is she okay?”
“Yes, she’s okay. For now. What just happened is a sign by the witches that they’re on their way. The closer they get, the harder the Fire Bond will burn.
Amaya probably felt the first effects of the burn, hence her scream. She’s alright.”
However, all her claims crumble to dust a mere cheeks.
second later when Jayla runs out to the porch with tears streaming down h
“Nana, please come quickly. Something terrible has happened. Amaya’s fever has returned. She’s burning up and she’s not responding to me. Please hurry…”
My wolf is no longer just pacing. It’s screaming to be set free.
I watch helplessly as Jayla and her grandmother run back into the house.
“Come back here!” I yell at them. “Let me in!”
I try to go past the forcefield but the electricity seems to be more intense this time because it throws me backwards a coup
of metres.
My insides are burning up with worry. I have never, ever felt this strongly about anyone aside from Michaela. “What’s happening to me? What have you done to me, Amaya?”
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Chapter 13
After an eternity of pacing the cold night and no one has returned with uplates, I return to the porch, more determined to break down the force field. There must be a way.
Henry steps in my way and grabs my arm
“Sir, what are you doing?”
“Amaya has been screaming for over an hour now. I have to do something”
“There’s nothing you can do against the forcefield, sir. You have to wait until Jayla’s grandmother returns. It’s too cold out here. I suggest we camp out in the car.”
I peek at my watch and I’m shocked when I see that it’s almost 4AM.
“The sun will be up soon and Amaya has been sick all night.” I mutter to myself. “What’s really going on?”
Something tells me this might be more than a mere case of alcohol overdose.
Henry finally persuades me into going back to the car, but I end up feeling trapped and restless for the rest of the night. I finally fall into a restless sleep by 5 AM, but when six AM rolls by, I jerk awake and return to camp out outside the porch
to “Sir, you have a meeting with international clients less than two hours from now.” Henry reminds me. We go back 10 New York or you’ll be late.”
I don’t even think twice when I say: “cancel the meeting. I have more important things to attend to.”
I can feel the shock waves literally rolling off Henry’s body. I can’t blame him. I’m shocked at myself, too.
I’ve never cancelled a meeting for any reason, talk more of an international one. To me, my clients are mini gods. But not
this time.
Thankfully, we don’t have to wait outside for long when Jayla’s grandma returns, her face twisted with worry.
“What’s going on, ma’am?” I ask urgently. “How is she?”
She shakes her head. “Not good. Her fever keeps worsening. Right now, the only thing that can keep her warm is human heat. The witches can generate that with a couple of spells but they’re still six hours away and we can’t wait that long-
Myself and Jayla tried, but the heat from our bodies is not powerful enough”
I lift a brow. “So you’re saying…
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She nods.
“Yes. That’s exactly what I’m saying, We need you to give Amaya your body heat for a while. Do you think you can hold her until the witches get here?”
Something dark tweaks in my veins and I take one step backwards.
“I really don’t think…”
She sighs again and cuts me off. “That’s fine. I know you don’t care about her so I really didn’t expect you to agree. have to call one of the men from the village.
Another man
“I’ll do it!”
I guess I
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Chapter 15
I’ve never agreed to something so fucking fast in my entire life ve never changed my mind so quickly either
The thought of another man touching Amaya, holding her, sends a surge of anger through my bloodstream. I cannot quite understand it.
“Excuse me? I thought you said…?
“Take down the forcefield and let me in. I’ll give Amaya my heat Ignore whatever I said earlier”
Without uttering another word, she lifts her hands, shuts her eyes and murmurs a few words. Five seconds later, she walks back into the house, pauses at the doorway and says over her shoulder;
“My name is Gina. You can come
I thought the outside of Gina’s house was shabby, but the insidess much worse. Not only is the house gloomy and tiny. there’s only one piece of furniture in the living room–a threadbare sofa
They’re too bassinets in the corner and I pause to check up on Heaven and Neveah before continuing my short journey When I look up, Gina is staring at me suspiciously again.
“What were you doing?”
I shrug “I’m checking on my future step–children”
Very bold of you to think Amaya will still marry you.” Jayla says as she walks out of one of the rooms.
*Bear it in mind that if we didn’t need your heat, you wouldn’t even come in here in the first place.”
Her words sting but I force myself to brush it off. I stalk in her direction and I don’t stop until we’re almost nose–to–nose. Despite the fact that she tries to maintain her ground and look strong, I can smell her fear.
Jayla knows that I could single–handedly kill every single person in this room. But she’s bold because she also knows I would never do it.
“You seem to have a lot of boldness these days, little wolf” I say softly. “Careful. If you keep attacking me like this, I might start thinking you have feelings for me.”
Her eyes widen in shock but I don’t wait for her to recover. I walk around her and saunter into the room
“Caesar, you bastard!” Jayla screams at my retreating back. “I would chew a barn full of hay before I develop any feelings for you!”
I smirk. “Whatever makes you sleep at night, little wolf.”
“I’m not little!!” She yells.
Surprisingly, the room is not as shabby as the rest of the house. Although the only furniture is a chair by the corner, a pretty decent dresser and the king–sized bed, it’s neat and comfy
I pause when my eyes land on Amaya’s frame curled underneath the duvet. Her red hair is splayed across the bed like a bright flame and the rise and fall of her breath sounds.. abnormal
“She’s not breathing properly.” I say to grandma
ina when I see her walk in behind me. “Since when?”
“Since last night. It’s even
worse because we don’t know why.”
Chapter 15
My worry is spiralling emt of control. I hate feeling like this Without wasting any more time. I start taking off my mum and
shirt
“What do you think you’re doing?” Jayla snaps behind me.
I do not stop taking off my clothes as I turn to address her.
Were you born dumb or do you enjoy putting on an act?”
Her lips tighten with annoyance. “You’re the dumb one.”
I shake my head. “Amaya needs my heat. You don’t expect me to give it to her with five layers of clothing on my body, do you?”
she goes very silent after that.
My heart is pounding like a runaway train as I lift the duvet and crawl under the covers beside Amaya.
Her eyes are firmly closed and her lashes rest atop her cheek like a crescent moon.
She’s so beautiful, even with her eyes closed.
I pull her against me, stifling a gasp at how cold her body is.
Something shifts inside of me as I pull her flush against my chest and wrap my arms around her.
Now stay like that.” Gina orders. “She should be fine in the next hour so please be patient.”
I’m not sure I’d last an hour doing this but when Amaya nuzzles her face against my neck and lets out a soft, mewling sound of contentment, something tells me I could stay in this bed with her for eternity.
And that’s scary as hell.
SIX HOURS LATER
CAESAR
I snap awake after what seems like thirty minutes when I hear Jayla’s screams;
“They’re here!! The witches of the East Coast are here…!!!”
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