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I carried her down the street, and she clung to me the whole way, sobbing against my chest. There was no reason for anyone to spray pesticides in that field. Unless whoever owned it was finally going to do something with the place, and they’d used some kind of weed killer to clear the field? That was the most likely scenario. I needed to find out who owned that land. This couldn’t happen again. I wouldn’t let it.

When we reached the house, the front door opened and Else limped out, her face etched with worry. “Is she hurt?”

I shook my head. “Someone used poison in her field.”

Else made a pained sound. I didn’t need to explain, she knew what that would mean for Jaz’s tiny familiars.

“Take her up to her room. I’ll get one of my calming elixirs,” she said and headed to her and Magnolia’s workroom.

I carried on upstairs to Jaz’s bedroom and looked at the bed. I didn’t want to put her down. I wanted to keep her in my arms, but I promised to guard her field. I doubted anyone was coming back, but I wouldn’t let her down again. If it gave her peace of mind, I’d fucking stay there every night.

Pressing a kiss to the top of her head, because I fucking had to, I laid her on the quilt. She curled in on herself, and all I wanted to do was get onto that bed with her and hold her in my arms. Else walked in, and I crouched down in front of Jasmine. “I’ll make sure no more of your familiars are hurt, Jaz. I promise.”

She stared blindly ahead, lost deep in her pain.

Else moved in, and I forced myself to step back, to turn and leave.

It was getting harder and harder every day.

What the fuck was I going to do?

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Chapter 24

Jasmine

* * *

“How you doing?” Mags said, easing the bedroom door open.

I looked up from my phone. Xavier had texted, asking me out again, but I wasn’t sure I wanted to. No, I knew I didn’t. He was a nice guy, handsome, but I just wasn’t feeling it. I was also still feeing emotionally drained and fragile after yesterday. I’d spent the night with my magic focused inward, healing the wounds yesterday had left me with. It’d taken hours. A wound that deep needed a lot of work and still wasn’t completely healed, that kind of pain never was, but it was at least bearable. Even so, I definitely wasn’t in the mood to be around anyone who wasn’t family. “I should be used to the pain of losing them by now, but it never gets any easier. And yesterday, what happened…with so many of them at once…” I swallowed the lump forming in my throat.

It was early morning and I was sitting on the end of the bed. I needed to get up and get my shit together. Tonight we were going after a soul-eating demon, and right now I was struggling to work up the energy to go downstairs and eat breakfast. Magnolia climbed up beside me. “I can’t imagine what it’s like for you. Why the hell did the mother do that?” She shook her head. “It’s fucking cruel.” Her gaze went to the comma butterfly on my hand. “And who’s this?”

“He was at my window this morning. Like the mourning cloak, his species can handle the cooler weather a lot better than some.” I looked up at my cousin. “Somehow, he found me.”

“He’s beautiful,” Mags said, her gaze searching mine. “Else said Ren brought you home?”

“Yeah.” He’d carried me the entire way.

“He’s at your field now, you know. He’s been there all night.”

Warmth curled in my belly. “He said he would, but I didn’t think he’d…” What did I think? “That was nice of him.”

Mags smiled gently. “You think he’s just doing it to be kind? He obviously cares about you, Jazzy, a lot. You don’t stay up all night in a field for just anyone.”

“We’re friends,” I said, and I guessed that was true now.

“You sure it’s not more than that?” she said, studying me closely.

“It’s really not more than that,” I said.

“If I had a friend who looked at me the way Ren looks at you, Bram would gut him.” Her eyes danced, her lips curling deeper. “You like him, Jaz, I know you do. You’ve had a thing for Ren for forever. This is a good thing, right?”

I hadn’t planned to tell anyone what’d happened between Ren and me, but this was Mags. She loved me and Ren, and if she got involved now, thinking she was helping, things could get seriously messy. “We kissed,” I said to her. “Several times. I made it clear I wanted more, he made it clear he didn’t. Yes, he’s protective of me right now, attentive, and despite what he says…and does, things that might suggest he feels otherwise, it’s not what you think, it’s my power making him act this way, not me. You know I’ve had other clients misinterpret their feelings toward me. He’s started healing, and his emotions are all over the place. He didn’t want me before we started, and once I’m done and everything calms down, whatever it is he thinks he’s feeling will fade away, just like it did with the others.”

She blinked several times. “You hooked up,” she shrieked. “And you’re only telling me now?”