The Mate He Couldn’t Control (complete)

Chapter 2

I was the most comfortable I have ever been in my life. I cuddled into the warmth that surrounded me and tightened my arm around his neck. I was in the weird half awake-half asleep phase where I had the option of going back to sleep as long as I don’t open my eyes. Jaylon moved slightly above me and placed a kiss on my cheek before returning to a comfortable state. At that, my eyes shot awake and I realized how not normal this is. We were very cuddled. We were cuddling like a couple. No. No. No! Bad. This is my cousin's best friend. This is my other cousin's special friend. What am I doing? “Jaylon,” I mumbled tiredly to wake him up.

When it didn’t work, I moved a little under him and his head shot up off of my shoulder. At first his eyes were dark and full of possession, but then realization hit him and they softened as an awkward smile came to his lips. “Sorry Ali.”

“An experienced cuddler I see,” I joked with a smirk

“No, I’m not the cuddler type. You just got a rare opportunity,” Jaylon threw back as he rolled off of me and onto his side.

“I’ll cherish it forever.”

Jaylon breathed in tiredly before looking down at me. “Maybe you can be my exception,” he offered playfully.

“What?”

“I can sleep with you every night. You’ll sleep well and not disappear anywhere.”

“Jaylon, stop playing,” I rolled my eyes, sitting up.

“No, I’m serious. You will be safe.”

At that, I leaned in so that our faces were inches apart and looked into his eyes. “I’m not the cuddling type either,” I whispered with a smirk before climbing out of bed and up to my feet. “Now, since you slept with me you have to help make up the bed.”

“Your parents are right, you are a tease,” he mumbled. Because of that, I threw a pillow at him. I giggled as it hit him in the face and fell to his feet. An evil grin came to his lips as he immediately picked it back up and tried to throw it back. He’ll have to do better than that. A war started between the two of us as we began attacking each other with pillows. Eventually Jaylon made his way to my side of the bed and chased me around my room until he grabbed my waist and slammed me down on the bed. “You’re good,” he breathed.

“I’m competitive,” I explained proudly.

“I can see that.”

“Can’t handle the challenge?”

“Oh trust me I can,” he threw back as his icy eyes darkened above mine. Before I could come up with something to say, our heads snapped to the doorway that my mother stood in. She didn’t look surprised at all. The smile on her face was gentle and her eyes were piecing things together.

“You two come eat breakfast.”

She walked off and I watched as Jaylon looked over my room. “You still have to help make the bed,” I blurted out.

“Sorry, you lost the war.”

“No, you lost and attacked me because you're a sore loser.”

“That is not what happened.”

“If you say so, but you're still helping.” Jaylon’s eyes scanned my face before looking into mine. He froze there for a second before sighing and getting up. I smiled to myself and I picked up the pillows and talked to him about random things as we made the bed. He’s being nice this time around. It’s weird in a way, kind of like being around a stranger. But I remember how he was before he built an ego. He used to be like this all of the time. He’s back to his normal self. Maybe even better.

We walked into the kitchen to see my parents at the table with smiles on their faces. My mom was looking at magazines for the mall an hour up the road and my dad was looking at his emails. My father smirked at me and Jaylon as if he had just won a bet. He swears we’re soulmates or something. He thinks we are perfect for each other while my mother insists that Cole, a friend of her side of the family, is perfect for me. They have a bet going on of who I’ll end up with. In this bet is them, my siblings, and my aunts and uncles. I think they’re all crazy, but I guess this is the normal for my family. Now that they’re all married, they make bets on our future’s. Mine is their favorite to bet on. With actual money. Like I said, they’re absolutely insane.

I got my food as my nephews ran downstairs, waking up the house. I sat at the table, looking at my pancakes like I hadn’t eaten in days. “So how did you two sleep?” My father beamed, locking his phone and placing it on the table.

“Jaylon slept just fine on the couch,” I shot back at him.

“Sure he did.” Jaylon and my father were exchanging looks as if they were talking, but their lips didn’t move. It wouldn’t surprise me if they could communicate that way at this point. After the show last night, I’d say my blank out episodes are getting worse, or anything is possible.

“So, are you ready to explain?” I questioned eagerly. If I wasn’t so exhausted last night, I wouldn’t have gone down so easily. They can’t just ignore this. They have to tell me. Who swims to the bottom of the lake in their sleep? For a necklace? Who goes to bed without answers as if nothing happened? Apparently, I do.

“Honey, we will have this conversation when there aren't any little ears around,” my mother looked at me pleadingly.

My eyes sharpened looking down at her. “So, is that when you're also going to tell me that we're permanently moving here?” It felt good to finally get that out. I was supposed to do it last night but I never got the chance since my migraine was so bad. Everyone looked at me, but Jaylon kept quiet. Smart. My nephews were full of concern as they turned their attention to my parents.

“Who told you that?” my dad asked.

“I heard mom tell Martha that last night. I’m just curious why I am the last to know.”

“Well honey, we wanted to wait until after your birthday so you wouldn’t be upset about it the whole time,” my mom responded. This seemed to catch Jaylon’s attention because he glanced up at them and then back at me curiously.

“Mm-hmm, I’m sure.”

They thought I was done, but I had mental notes of every conversation we were having when there weren't “little ears” around. I sent glares between the two of them as they quickly changed the subject. Jaylon tried to talk to me about something random to distract me, but I knew what he was doing.

After breakfast I turned on a movie in the upstairs living room for my nephews that would distract them for ten minutes. The second I stepped foot in the downstairs living room, I started, leaving them no time to make up a stupid subject to talk about. “Explain. Now,” I demanded as Jaylon sat on one couch looking from them to me with wide eyes. How does he know and I don’t?

“Okay, well honey I think you should sit,” my mother stalled from the other couch. I quickly sat beside Jaylon, crossing my legs and arms with a raised eyebrow.

“I’m sitting.”

“Ever since you were a child, you’ve had special. . . abilities. We kept them hidden as much as possible, but now your grandmother is claiming you as her heir. So, as a gift, she has given you her amulet,” my mother explained. Excuse me? I squinted my eyes at her as my face reflected my confusion.

“You’re a white witch my love. I’m sorry for the way that you had to find out, but we’ve been trying to wait to tell you everything at once,” my father added. I looked at Jaylon, whose eyes were flipping in between my parents. He wasn’t lost, but something seemed off to him.

“So, all of the years that you joked about me believing in the supernatural. . . ? Wow,” I mumbled, now staring at the ground. “Hypocrites. I tell you,” I continued before looking up at them. Their faces lightened at my joke about it all. I’m upset they didn’t tell me, but I’m also beaming with excitement. Who doesn’t want to be special?

“Look honey, your mother and I are trying to find a way to suppress it,” my father added.

“Suppress it? Why?” There goes my light. . .

“Because you don’t know how to use it. You have no one to train you. You just need to try to remain as calm as possible at all times, until we can figure out what to do.” My soft smile turned into a cold glare as I looked between the two of them. This is like buying a kid a toy and never letting them touch it.

“Is that why we’re moving here?”

They looked between each other nervously. “Yes,” my mother replied.

I looked at Jaylon who straightened up beside me, confusion all over his face. “Are you-?” I asked quietly.

He turned to me with a serious face as he observed my expression. “No, but-”

“No one is. Only you. You are the only witch from around here. The rest have died off. You are the only white witch on this planet though. Which makes you extra rare. For your safety and all of us around you, it is essential that you do not give into your powers,” my father cut him off. I sat and looked at him blankly for a moment, reading their expressions. The looks my parents were exchanging between Jaylon and theirselves told me that there was more, but I’m guessing that won’t be coming out anytime soon.

If my powers come from my emotions, I should probably leave the room. “I need to unpack,” I replied quietly, the emotion draining from my face and voice. Jaylon shot up from his seat and gave them a protesting look, but their glares kept him quiet. Whatever it was, it really upset him.

He grabbed my wrist gently and I turned to look at him. “Do you want me to help you?” I shook my head no and went up the back staircase so that I wouldn’t pass my nephews. I love my mini me’s but right now I need to be alone. I need to unpack. I immediately grabbed my suitcases and dragged them into my closet.

This just doesn’t make sense. I’m a witch. I’m a rare witch. I just found this out and they want me to suppress it? They want me to stay calm but they have secrets? I’m a witch. We’re moving. What else are they going to tell me, Bridget’s a fairy and Dalton’s a bridge troll? How does Jaylon know any of this? Their logic behind this makes no sense. If I don’t have someone to teach me to use it, then who’s going to teach me to suppress it? I mean I was literally sleeping last night and I did whatever that was. Would they like me to suppress sleep too?

“Oh, and what about my clothes at the other house? Am I just supposed to leave those too? Just like my friends? My school? My nieces and nephews? My whole life!?” I ranted out loud in my closet for twenty minutes while I neatly organized my things by color.

“I’m sorry,” I heard from beside me and my head shot in Jaylon’s direction.

“You have nothing to be sorry for,” I mumbled with frustration clear in my voice. I shot up and threw a suitcase on top of the island, taking the jewelry out and placing it in the velvet drawers.

“I was going to help you, but now I’m scared what you’ll do if I put something in the wrong spot,” he joked from beside me.

“Yeah, now isn’t the time to piss me off over that. That’s a different type of anger.”

“I know how you are. What’s this?” he asked, picking up my Miss Ravenswood crown. I brought it because I knew I would have virtual meetings this summer. Damn.

“Another thing I’m leaving behind!” I complained loudly, before jumping at the loud bolt of lightning I heard hit outside. I froze and slowly looked up at Jaylon who was smiling down at me sadly.

“Come with me.”

“I need to unpack,” I protested.

“It’ll just be a minute.” I followed behind him as he walked me out onto the balcony. I stopped and watched as the once clear sky was now filled with dark, swirling clouds. Rain was pouring down into the lake as lightning danced around the clouds.

“I’m doing this?” I asked gently.

Jaylon smiled to himself for a second before turning to face me. His hands grabbed mine and he looked down at them. As he did that, the thunder started to quiet. “When we were younger and you were upset, you’d start these terrible storms. Of course you had no idea and neither did I at the time. Your parents kept it hidden from as many people as possible, for your own good. One day, a bolt came down so hard that all of the power blew and it scared the hell out of me. Out of reaction, I grabbed your hand and then it all stopped. That’s when I knew. All you needed was comfort and someone to remind you that it’s okay.”

I took in his words before looking into his eyes that were full of. . . love? Understanding, maybe? I don’t know the word. I smiled up at him pathetically before pulling him into a tight hug. I watched the rain dry and the sky clear as I clung to him. “You’ve always been my favorite person to talk to.”