Angel Blackwood (40 page)

“I do love you that way, Angel.
I know I haven’t shown it, but I do. I love you more than you know,
and I promise to spend the rest of my life making sure I never have
to feel sadness or loneliness coming from you again. I’m going to
be the mate you need and deserve.”

I give him a weak smile.
Lifting my hand, I gently tuck a strand of hair behind his ear not
caring that we have an audience. I’ve waited so long to hear him
say those words, but it still feels as if something is missing.
That something is standing across the room looking as if he’s about
to turn into his wolf any moment now.

I look back
into Talon’s eyes as I link up with him again.
“I love you too. I‘ve loved you since the moment
my eyes met your pretty blue ones, even after you and Ty scared me
enough to pass out.” H
e lets
out a chuckle as he grabs my hand, bringing it to his lips and
kissing my injured palms.

I look back up to Tyler,
wishing things between us were different.

“He’ll come
around, baby.”

I look to my side to where he’s
seated facing me and give him a sad smile.

I don’t think he will…

I don’t allow him to hear the
words because I build a wall in my mind making sure no one can get
in and I don’t project anymore of my feelings.

“Who hurt her?” I hear Alex ask
again. I look up to see her looking up to Johnny, whose eyes are
still trained on Talon and I. Alex then turns, looking to Tyler
asking for a response.

“His name is Drake. His Alpha
knows all about it. Drake is his Beta,” Tyler says.

“Has he been punished? Wait-”
She looks back to me. “Drake?” She turns to look at Tyler then
Johnny. “You said Drake?” She says, shaking her head clearly
confused. “Drake, the boy you were dating in Point Bright?”

I nod my head and all of a
sudden her face pales and she covers her mouth. She walks slowly up
to me and sits to the side of me. I feel the cushion in the sofa
next to me rise as Talon gets up and walks over to his brother.

Alex pulls my hands into her
lap, softly running her fingers over the scars that wrap around my
wrists.

“You told us you didn’t know
who he was?” She says softly.

“I lied.” I grit out. The cat’s
out the bag, there’s no reason for me to lie to them anymore.

She looks at me. “Why?” She
seems so hurt.

“I was afraid. He threatened
you all, so I kept my mouth shut like he demanded. ” I look up to
my father as I say this. Johnny’s face crumbles and he rushes to my
side wrapping his arms around me.

“God, I’m so sorry you
were put through all of that. I will kill him and his Alpha for
allowing him to harm you again.” I pull away from him.

“No, you can’t hurt Jax. I know
Jax should have punished Drake, Jax knows that now too, but if you
punish Drake that will be punishment enough for Jax; Drake is like
a brother to him. Please don’t hurt-”

“Why do you
keep standing up for this
Jax
?” My father sounds
perplexed.

I don’t know how to answer
him.

“He was her mate,” Tyler says.
He’s clearly not a fan of Jax at all.

“What?” Alex gasps.

“You found your mate?” My
father turns to look at me.

“No, he rejected her,” Talon
explains.

“He what?” My father yells,
standing up. Talon holds his ground as Johnny storms up to him,
grabbing his shirt.

“You’re telling
me, the Alpha of the Black Valley Pack rejected
my
daughter?”

“Yes, Alpha,” Talon says,
not looking worried at all.

“Stop this!” I stand up and my
father steps away from the twins obviously surprised by my firm
voice.

“Yes, he did
reject me. I won’t lie and say it didn’t hurt, but I have bigger
things to worry about now. Jax regrets what he did and has made it
pretty clear that he wants me back. I told him that I don’t belong
in his pack, that this is my pack and
this
is where I
belong. Unless you don’t want me in this pack anymore?” I say,
looking to Alex.

“Of course we want you in this
pack. The things I said earlier…” My father walks up to me seeming
calmer than he did before. I force myself to look up into his
eyes.

“…
I didn’t mean
them. I don’t want to send you away and I won’t force you to marry
Caspian, Angel. I was furious that you went and saw the witches
without my permission. I should have listened to what you had to
say before lashing out on you, honey. I’m so sorry.” I nod my head,
unsure of what to say.

“I promise not to storm into
the Black Valley Pack’s territory to take out their Alpha, but
you’ve got to do one thing for me.” This has me looking up with
focused attention.

“Stop calling me Johnny.
I’m your father. I know I don’t deserve the title, but please…
Please call me Dad and don’t ever call me Alpha,” he begs. I can’t
help the small smile on my lips.

He pulls me into his arms
again, letting out a deep sigh as I wrap my arms around his broad
waist.

He motions for me to sit on the
sofa I was sitting on moments before, as he sits beside me. He
seems calmer and talks to me as if I’m a fragile piece of
porcelain.

“Your mother has told me
about the lineage of witchcraft in her family, Angel.”

“What?” I hear the twins blurt
out in unison. My father turns and motions with his head to the
other empty seats.

“You two might as well take a
seat. Seeing as my daughter is in love with one of you fools, you
need to know what’s been going on.” I don’t miss the grimace that
comes from Tyler as my father says this.

If only you
knew the truth
, Dad… It isn’t
just the one man I’m in love with
.

“I told your father about my
mother and how I was destined to be a witch. He knows everything.
There are no more secrets between us.” She gives me a small smile
then looks across me at my father, he nods his head smiling.

“Do you think that I survived
Mom’s pregnancy because she was supposed to be a witch?” I look
between my parents.

“It could be a possibility,” my
mother says.

“And what about the other
magic?”

“When Noelle
healed you, she called upon our ancestors for help, that could have
almost
kick-started
your powers. You may have adopted
your ability to heal from Noelle healing you; she said it felt like
you were absorbing her powers,” she says.

“Healing powers?” Tyler asks.
“What the hell is going on?”

My father speaks for me, “Angel
has the ability to heal.”

“Not only
that,
” I blurt out and all
eyes are back on me.

“I have the ability to hurt
too.”

“What?” Alex exclaims.

“I didn’t know what was
happening to me, I was so frightened of all the changes that was
going on with my body. I was confused and wanted to know how to
control that power before I got any of you involved. That’s why I
went to see Noelle.”

The room is quiet for a few
moments before Johnny opens his mouth, nods his head then speaks,
“Has Noelle been helping you? Has she given you the answers you
were looking for?”

Johnny sounds genuinely
concerned and interested in my response; there’s no hostility
towards Noelle in his words.

“Yeah, she’s helped me so much.
She’s not teaching me directly though. I have a friend, her name’s
Phoenix, she’s going to teach me how to control my power. She’s a
brilliant witch. We’ve just started, I hope that… I hope you’ll
allow me to continue,” I say reluctantly.

He nods his head, his one
dimple showing. “Okay, your friend can help you but I want to meet
her first, and I want to speak to Noelle as well.” He looks up at
Alex, she seems surprised by this. Smiling, she nods her head in
agreement.

There’s still some tension
floating around the house, I know not all our issues are gonna be
resolved after one conversation. Many words have been said and
feelings hurt. It’s going to take time to get back to the place we
all used to be in, but I’m willing to forgive if it means I get my
family back together again. The twins seemed stunned into silence
about my involvement with the witches. They left my father’s office
very quickly and I haven’t seen them since. Alex pulled me into the
kitchen and she cooked up a storm. I ate and ate until I nearly
passed out on the kitchen counter, Johnny had to eventually help me
up the stairs to my bed.

“Can you leave the curtains
open, please?” I mumble, pulling the blankets over me and snuggling
up to my pillow. Johnny pushes them open again and sits down on the
bed in front of me. The huge man looks so fragile as he sits down
on my bed looking at his hands.

“I feel terrible about the way
I spoke to you. I don’t think I’ll ever get over the hateful look
you gave me. Don’t get me wrong though. I totally deserved it,” he
says, letting out a nervous laugh.

“I’m sorry your mate rejected
you, honey.” He utters softly.

I reach out my hand,
grabbing his larger one. He wraps both of his rough hands around
mine. “Don’t be sorry, Dad. Everything worked out for the best. I’m
back with the pack I belong with, alongside you, Mom, Talon and
Tyler.” He smiles as I say this.

He
chuckles.
“I like to hear
that. You do belong here, honey… And Talon? You love
him?”

“I do.”

He’s quiet for a few
seconds until he nods his head and looks at me. “He’ll make a great
Alpha… and you my dear, will be a strong Luna. I know I don’t tell
you this enough, but I’m so very proud of you, sweetie. You’re one
tough cookie, I couldn’t have asked for a better daughter. I love
you, my Angel. Don’t ever forget that.” His words bring tears to my
eyes.

“I love you
too, D
ad,” I say, giving him a
hug.

He pulls away, tucking the
bedding beneath my chin.

Before he leaves the room
he stops at my door and looks back at me. “Your mother’s taking it
really hard. She thinks you hate her. I know it’s going to take
time for you to build up your trust in us, but please… Just… Just
don’t be too tough on her.”

I nod my head, too tired
to even form words.

He flips off the light switch
and I close my eyes.

Chapter 2
2

The warm sun reflecting on my
face is absolute heaven. I blink then shield my eyes from the harsh
light flooding through my open curtains. I hear chuckling and turn
to find Talon laying on top of the covers facing me, leaning on his
side with his hand holding his head up. When my eyes meet his he
stops chuckling and tilts his head to the side staring at me.

“How are you feeling today?” He
says in a soft voice, pushing a piece of hair away from my
face.

“A little stiff.” I stretch my
neck and let out a big yawn then wince rubbing my eyes. “Damn, I’ve
still got a headache too, other than that… I’m good.” I lean in
closer to his warmth, breathing in his scent. He pulls me close
against him, my head underneath his chin, my nose close to his bare
chest.

He rubs his lips against my
forehead and I feel his chest inhale and exhale as he breathes me
in. “God, I’ve missed this. I’ve missed you so much.”

Butterflies circle in my
stomach from both the affection coming my way, and because I’m
laying here, in bed with Talon. This alone has me feel really
nervous.

“I’ve missed you too,” I say
softly. I tuck my hands underneath my chin as I cuddle into his
chest. Talon’s hand moves from my hair, down my back taking the
blanket down as well. His warm hands find the gap where my shirt
ends and my pants start, and he gently rubs his thumb back and
forth on my hip.

Moving my shirt higher, he
leaves a kiss on my forehead. I feel him move and then feel his
lips on my temple, closing my eyes I delight in his affection.

“You should have told me about
the witch thing,” he whispers, suddenly sounding withdrawn. I lift
my head up to look him in the eyes.

“I know. I’m sorry I didn’t,
but I had so much going on in my head. No more secrets, Talon. I
promise.” I lean up and kiss his cheek, but he grabs the back of my
head gently keeping it in place.

“And I promise to keep
you safe. Always.” He whispers the last word and then his lips are
on mine. Gentle and soft and oh-so-fucking incredible. I place my
hand on his chest and feel the quick beats of his heart underneath
my palms. Running my hand up to the back of his neck, I feel his
tongue meeting mine. He removes his hand from where he holds my
head in place and I drop my head to my pillow, his lips not leaving
mine. I feel air on my legs as the blanket lifts and he climbs
underneath, all whilst keeping his lips to mine and his tongue
moving in a steady rhythm.

He leans against me, his leg
between mine. His right elbow rests alongside my head, his other
hand back at my hip. Goosebumps take hold of my body and I arch my
back, forcing my breasts to push against his chest as he rests his
palm over my scars. I need a breath so I pull my lips and turn my
head to the side, his lips then find my neck and I let out a soft
moan when I feel his teeth against my sensitive skin. I run my
hands down the ripples on his stomach, causing him to let out a
soft growl in my ear.

My wolf wants him and I
can practically hear his wolf calling out to me. I can feel just
how much he wants me from the bulge nudging my stomach. I could so
freely give him my virginity right here, right now, but in the pit
of my stomach something is brewing and it doesn’t feel
right.