Jaxson (River Pack Wolves 1) - New Adult Paranormal Romance (21 page)

“What can I do?” he begged the witch in a whisper filled with pain. “I’ll do anything. Just tell me what to do. I can’t let her… she can’t do this!”

The witch narrowed her eyes. “Anything?”

“Yes!”
 Olivia’s utter stillness drew his attention. For all he could tell, she was already dead. He thrust both wrists toward the witch. “Take my life! Give it to her. You’re a
witch.
You can do any goddamn thing.” He was fighting to keep back the tears because he knew that wasn’t really true. They had limits. Witches were insanely strong in magic, but they couldn’t conquer death. They couldn’t bring someone back if it was too late.

The witch was nodding and looking quickly between him and Olivia. “It might be possible,” she whispered. Then she grabbed hold of one of his wrists and took Olivia’s in the other. The witch fixed him with an intense look. “I can transfer some of your magic to her. The healing properties may be enough to save her.”

“Do it!” 
His eyes were wide. Was this really possible?

She mumbled a few words, briefly closed her eyes, and kept her grip on his wrist rock-hard. At first, he didn’t feel anything. Then it hit him like a white-hot poker had stabbed him in the back. He arched, holding in the scream that wanted to work loose, but he couldn’t help the groan that escaped. The pain went on and on, like a cleaving of his soul in two, half remaining howling inside his body, the other gushing in a stream through his wrist and the witch’s touch. After the shock of it passed, he welcomed the screaming pain, the gut-wrenching torment. It was only right that
he
be the one to pay for this. He would give all he had—
all in, all the time
—to save her. He prayed through the agony:
please God, let this work.

Suddenly the pain was gone, disappearing like a switch cutting off. Jaxson slumped on the floor, dizzy, but… he was still alive. He whipped his head back to Olivia. Her aunt was bent over her, and she was moving again, shaking her head, eyes still squeezed shut.

But she was alive.

Jaxson’s whole body sagged with relief.

Olivia’s aunt twisted to give Jaxson a hard look. “Do you love her?” It was a tight whisper, and Olivia was still fighting to wake up.

Jaxson straightened quickly. “Yes,” he said without hesitation.

“Good. The magic will take better that way.”

He frowned because he didn’t understand any of the details on this. And Olivia still wasn’t awake. “Is she all right?”

The witch released Olivia’s cheeks, conjured another ball of blue magic, and dripped it over her. “Yes, but she still has to fight her way back from the brink. I can help her with that. Boost her own magic, mixed with yours, to kill off the last of the poison magic.” The witch peered at him as her hands floated over Olivia. “She was near death, Jaxson. Your magic saved her.”

He let out a breath. “You’re sure?”

“I’m sure,” she said, her face serious. “But you need to know something before she wakes—she’ll forever have a connection to you now.”

“Because she carries my magic.” He looked at Olivia’s face with wonder. The gray of death was rapidly fading, replace by her normal rosy skin color.

“Yes. It’s not quite a mating bond, but…” She looked expectantly at him.

“But she’s a witch. They don’t bond… do they?” The wolf inside him had perked all the way up. This was… this was impossible and amazing and…
perfect.
If it were real.

“Not normally,” the witch said. “But Olivia was half witch, half human.”

Jaxson nodded. “Her human side can bond.”

“If you choose it.” Her eyes narrowed. “You’re still free to choose another mate. A shifter mate. And I hear your kind can mate more with more than one female.”

Jaxson snarled his disgust.
“My
kind mates for life. With one woman.”

Olivia was rousing, squinting her eyes, and sucking in a breath.

The witch nodded and whispered quickly, “No matter what, she’s forever connected to you. But if you don’t want her for a mate, tell me
now,
wolf. And
leave us.
I will tell her you’re free of the curse, off to seek your true mate, and then I’ll bring her back to my coven. Her sisters will give her a new home. We’ll care for her, give her everything she needs. We’ll teach her to be the witch she was always meant to be.”

Jaxson stared at her, mouth hanging open during her furtive offer. “I’m not going
anywhere.
If she’ll have me, I’m hers.
Already.
And now…” He gazed at her beautiful face as she opened her eyes. “Now she’s given me something I had never dared to dream was possible.”

The witch seemed to scan the air around his head—reading his aura, like Sybil used to. All she would find there was that he was telling the truth.

She smiled a little. “I was hoping that might be your answer.” The witch turned to help Olivia up to sitting, but Jaxson was instantly on the other side, lifting her up and pulling her into his lap.

“Jaxson.” Olivia’s voice was shaky and breathy. She peered up into his eyes. “Did it work?”

He brushed her disheveled hair back from her face. “Getting rid of the curse? Yes. Your attempt to die for me? No.” He couldn’t hold back his smile anymore, and it stretched his face with all the joy bursting out of him.

A shudder ran through her, the leftovers of the trauma. “Oh, thank God.” Her shaky hand found his shirt and bunched it in her fist. Then she leaned her head against his chest, still breathing hard. He closed his arms around her, holding her tight and safe. The feel of her in his arms was like nothing he’d ever felt in his life. Happiness. Gratitude. An unfathomable connection, even without the skin-to-skin contact that had been so magical before.

That probably
was
magic, now that he thought about it.

The woman who was Olivia’s aunt rose up from the floor. She gave Jaxson a tiny smile and an even more subtle tip of the head before she slipped out the door.

He would find a way to thank her… later.

For now, he was absorbed by the woman in his arms.

His true mate.

She was
alive.

Olivia could hardly believe it
. It worked!
As the final shakes of the battle against the poison left her body, she reveled in this closeness with Jaxson. It might be the last time she could have his arms so securely around her. He was grateful to her for releasing him from the curse, and she would take any hugs he might want to give for that. Happiness flooded her body like a drug, making her heart soar.
She had done good…
and she had used magic to do it. It was freeing, lifting the burden she’d carried all these years—and it was enough to permanently anchor that happiness in her heart. It would even be enough to float her through the coming time when Jaxson would move on. Now that he was free, it would take no time for him to find the perfect mate. And she would be happy for him. Heartbroken, but strangely…
truly
happy.

Because he would finally have all he would need to keep that smile forever on his face.

She untucked her head from his chest and peered up into his face.
He looked so happy!
It made her smile. She gently touched his cheek. There were healing scars and bruises on it, the badges of honor and courage he carried from saving his brother, no doubt. Because that was the kind of man Jaxson River was.

“I can hardly believe it worked,” she breathed. “Good thing Gwen was able to bring me back, though. I don’t think I would have made it without her.”

“Gwen didn’t bring you back.” He smirked, the joy still on his face. “I did.”

She frowned her confusion. “What do you mean?”

“Your aunt transferred some of my magic—the magic in my blood—to you.” His eyes shone as he said this.

Olivia straightened up and leaned away to get a better look at him. “You
what?
How is that… is that even possible?”

He shrugged. “She used some spell—I don’t know what it was—but believe me, I felt every second of it.” He bit his lip and raked his eyes over her body. “And now, there’s part of me that will forever be inside you.”

She frowned and worked her way out of his lap, scooting a couple feet away. She wanted to stand, get some distance from him, figure this thing out… but her legs were too shaky to trust. “What does that even mean?” Dread trickled through her heart. Had he foiled her attempt to free him with a last-ditch attempt to save her?

The joy fell off his face, but his eyes stayed glued to hers. “It means you’re forever bound, magically, to me. A part of
me
is inside of
you.”

The dread found its way to her face. “Like a
mating?”

Pain winced across his face. “It doesn’t have to be. It could be like the connection I have with my brothers. Or my pack. But we
are
connected… I guess you
could
be like a sister to me, if that’s what you want. But Olivia…” The pain doubled on his face. “I want so much more than sisterly love from you.”

Oh no.
 “No, no, no.” She backed away from him, shaking her finger at him. “You need to find a
real
mate. One who’s a shifter! One who can give you pups and bind your pack together and let you lead Riverwise!” Tears were working her way to her face, despite her effort to keep them buried. “That was the
whole point,
Jaxson! To free you to find your
true
mate!”

He blinked and dropped his gaze to the floor, not meeting her accusing look. “This is about the boyfriend, isn’t it?”

“No!”
 she cried. “This is about
you…
and giving you what you need to be happy!”

His head whipped up.
“You
are what makes me happy.” He crossed the floor between them, crawling on his hands and knees to reach her but stopping just short of touching her. His face was inches from hers.
“You,
Olivia Lilyfield, are everything I’ve always wanted in a mate. Everything I thought I would never have.”

“But you have to save your pack—”

“My pack will survive. Riverwise will go on. It’s
you
that I can’t live without.” Tears were glassing his eyes, and it nearly broke Olivia’s heart on the spot. “Tell me you love this boyfriend of yours. That you love him
more
than me. Because I
know
there’s some part of you that loves me. But if you tell me it’s not enough… if you tell me to leave… I’ll go.”

She was shaking again, but with a torment she could barely describe. Something inside her—something strong and magical and born of love—was crying out for her to take him in her arms. It took everything she had to hold herself back, but… the words slipped out without her permission.

“There is no boyfriend.” She sucked in a breath.

His eyes flashed, and suddenly she was flat on her back on the floor with Jaxson looming over her. He had that hungry look again, like he wanted to take her, consume her, claim her. It fired a visceral response through every part of her body, igniting her everywhere at once.

His chest was heaving. “Say you love me.”

“I love you.” She was equally breathless.

He lowered himself down to her, still not touching, but panting even harder. “Say you want me.”

“I want you.” She couldn’t help herself. It was true, and with him looking at her like that—

“Olivia Lilyfield, I want you for my mate. To hold and love and protect.
Forever.
Please, God, say yes.”

She swallowed. She could barely breathe. But she couldn’t say
no
to him, not like this. Not ever again. “Yes,” she breathed.

His lips and body crashed down on hers, claiming her with his urgent need to kiss her, touch her, have her for his own. Her heart soared again, and the magic inside her rejoiced at his nearness and his touch. That spark she had always felt racing across her skin whenever he touched her now thrilled through her entire body. Every molecule of her
belonged
to him.
With him.

He pulled back, breathless from their kiss, to gaze into her eyes. “Olivia, I want you so badly,” he whispered.

Her hands found his face, touched his cheeks, dug into his hair. “How does this even work?” she breathed. “I don’t understand what we’re doing.”

He flashed a smile. “That’s because we’re doing something entirely new.” He was still breathing hard. “But you’re truly my mate, in every real sense of the word. Our pups will be…
different…
but strong. I can feel it. Can you?”

“Yes.”
She nodded to back it up. Because she
could.
There was something inside her that
knew
—anything that came from their love would have
his
strength and
hers.
And she had a powerful magic inside her. One she no longer feared. It was given to her by her mother, and she would pass it on to their children. She would teach them how to use it—safely. And she would love them with the same bright, shining love she had for their father.

“Jaxson.” 
It was almost too much for her heart to contain. “Is it possible to die from happiness? Because I think I might.”

He grinned. “No one is dying tonight. But I’m going to claim you, Olivia Lilyfield, right here, right now. And I fully expect that to take both of us to heaven and back.”