“Promise,” I said, hoping to put his mind at ease. “I’ll just wander around and see if I can find some of my friends.”
I included Jessa and her pack in that now, along with my bears. For someone who had been isolated for most of her adult life, I was actually doing okay in the friends department.
Louis disappeared into the crowd, but somehow it still felt like his eyes were on me.
“Lizzie!” I spun at the shout, and a smile ripped across my face as Jessa ran up to me. “You’re here!” she shouted again, wrapping her arms around me.
“Hey,” I said pulling back. “Yep, Louis and I just got here. He’s gone to chat with some council members, trying to convince the stubborn supes that they’re making a mistake with this plan to integrate the humans into our world.”
Jessa pulled a face. “Good luck with that. Brax has been at it all afternoon. I finally suggested he just turn into a dragon and eat them all.”
I laughed out loud. “And how did that proposal go down?”
She shrugged. “He wasn’t opposed, but he was concerned he’d have to take on even more responsibility in running councils around the world, so he’s giving the talking thing one more shot.”
We were silent for a moment, supes pushing around us as more of them arrived and hurried to find their friends and family. “The boys were just about to hand back their leadership roles,” Jessa said quietly, staring out in the distance. “And then this happened, and now they have to stay strong and united to protect Stratford. To keep our shields up.”
She finally turned back to me. “It’s a lot, you know, trying to keep the world safe all the time. I mean, I have to leave my children behind because these situations are so dangerous. I don’t want to keep doing this.”
In the time I’d known Jessa and her pack, she’d always been so strong, so secure and confident. I loved her fight and fire, the way she never took shit from any supe. But now she looked tired and a little beaten, and I hurt for her.
Before I could think about it, I reached out and wrapped my arms around her. “It’ll get better, Jess. I promise. Life always has seasons, you know, so I want you to just think of this as a hard season for you and your family. But there are better seasons coming, peaceful seasons when you’ll be so bored you’ll go out and actively look for trouble.”
This was the one thing my age had taught me, probably the only thing I knew better than Jessa. Nothing ever stayed the same.
She hugged me back fiercely, burying her head in my shoulder, and even though she was slightly taller than me, it felt like I was the one holding her together. “Thank you,” she whispered against my shirt. “I needed that pep talk.”
I patted her back. “It’s hard being the alpha. You have to be the tough one, the one that keeps it together for everyone else in your pack.”
She cleared her throat, but before she could say another word, a huge shadow washed over us, and I’d half pulled magic for a defensive spell when I realized it was only Braxton. I mean, not that there was anything “only” about Braxton Compass, but he wasn’t going to attack us, despite the hard and menacing lines of his face. He looked like an ancient god hell-bent on world destruction.
“Jessa babe?” His voice was a rumble, and his eyes were yellow. “Why are you crying? Why do you have me locked out of our bond?”
She pulled away from me, and I waited for her to sass him, because that was how they usually worked, but she just walked into his arms and wrapped herself so tightly around him that he actually let out a low huff of air.
The look on his face right then almost broke me, because his love for her was so strong that I wasn’t sure I’d ever seen anyone look at their mate like he was looking at Jessa.
“I’m okay,” she said, her voice low and soothing. “Just had a moment, you know. I miss our babies.”
Braxton gathered her up into his body, holding her like she weighed nothing. One of his hands started to trace up and down her body, and he was talking to her, but I couldn’t hear what he was saying.
Jessa grew more content in his arms, and the taste of her sorrow, which had been lingering in the air like the last drops of rain, disappeared.
Pressing a hand against my chest, I tried not to let my emotions run away anymore, but I was so sure I’d just witnessed something more than a true mate bond right there. That was … more.
They were more.
Thankfully, another distraction arrived before I could embarrass myself and cry. “Lizzie … about fucking time you arrived.”
Paulie had me up and in his arms in a heartbeat, and I hugged my friend tightly. “So glad you guys are here,” I said, pulling back so I could see him better. “This is absolute chaos, seriously.”
Paulie nodded, and then we were joined by James and Connor. Both of them hugged me close, and Connor spent a lot of time examining me as if trying to find injury on my person.
“I’m fine,” I said, slapping his arm. “Louis and I are… We’re good. We’ve been dealing with the past, and I think, maybe, there’s a chance at a future for us now.”
Connor crossed his arms over his massive chest, muscles bulging out everywhere. “That’s good, because I really didn’t want to have to kick his ass.”
A blast of power sent him shooting back then, his feet skidding about six feet across the ground. “You could try, bear,” Louis said casually, strolling in and wrapping his arms around me. “But I wouldn’t recommend it.”
