The Witch and Her Second Chance

15 | In between

"What is that?" Verin asked, startled. His hand drew Jo to him. There was a different quality to where her skin touched his. His heartbeat picked up speed in line with the shallow nature of his breath.

She shook her head and whispered in disbelief. "No, no, no."

"Oh Goddess," he breathed, his brain finally working out what he was feeling. She was his. He thought he'd known it deep down all along. He just hadn't sensed the cosmic connection–their fated bond–until now.

His need to kiss her was strong, but she was pulling away from him.

"What's wrong?" He was shocked at her sadness when he felt so elated. Why didn't she feel like he did?

"I can't!" She cried. "Jackie is my chosen mate. I can't do this."

He absorbed her words. "I have no issue with your human mate. I had guessed fated mates always wanted just each other, but having two mates is not unheard of."

His frank words took her aback. "I can't have you as a mate as well."

He frowned, "Why not?"

"You're–" she stopped. "We told you. Jackie and I are committed to each other."

"You want to reject me?" Verin tried to keep his tone impassive, but he couldn't help the hurt that crept in. His emotion-wiping treatment took him only so far. He hadn't imagined he'd find his mate, but in his fantasies, when he had thought about it happening, Verin hadn't thought he'd be rejected.

His hands dropped to his sides.

Jos' face twisted. "I don't know. I should go."

He sat, frozen in place, as she got up to leave. She was halfway to the door by the time he was moving.

"I can't–" he tried to speak as he turned her. She looked at him expectantly. His whole world narrowed to her, her eyes. He caught her, cupping the side of her face as he kissed her. He dotted her with soft kisses on her lips, waiting for her mouth to open before taking it deeper. He moaned when she granted him access.

Her body fit perfectly against his. He lifted her, inviting her to wrap her legs around him, which she did the second her feet left the floor.

He drew his mouth across hers, taking her tongue and sucking it. "I want to take you to bed."

She ran her hand through his hair, "I think we should stop."

He smiled ruefully, feeling how she was rubbing against him. "No, you don't."

"I can't. It's against the rules," Jo knew she was talking on autopilot, her mind saying words she understood but didn't feel.

"You were coming here tomorrow anyway."

"This is different."

"Okay," he set her back down. He licked his lips, feeling her absence as she stepped out of his embrace. He understood they had an agreement, but this was different from him having a silly crush on her and taking things too far.

Feeling uncertain and awkward, he stood where he was as Jo made her way to the door.

"I'll see you tomorrow?"

She just looked back at him with sad eyes. "I don't know…"

He stood there for a long time after she left. He found his emotional disconnection on the fritz. He felt calm and understanding one second and anxious and uncertain the next. He closed his eyes tightly, rubbing the center of his chest, where he felt a bubble of pregnant emptiness opening in him.

He took the few uneasy steps to the couch and sank down, shaking his head at the looping within him–he could feel his anxiety twisting only to float away and then come back, constricting him. He rode out the panic attack, coming to a long time later, sweating and feeling tears on his face.

~*~

Jo slunk back into their apartment. She felt wrong. She knew she shouldn't have gone to see Verin and was lucky he hadn't pursued her any further. That had been her last straw. She'd been almost disappointed when he backed off.

She needed to speak with Jackie but didn't know how to approach it.

"Hello, precious. I'm just cooking up some pasta. Have you eaten yet?"

"I haven't. I'd love some," Jo called back.

She braced herself and entered the kitchen. The space was warm and full of the rich aroma of the creamy sauce Jackie was stirring spaghetti through.

"Perfect timing. How was–" Jackie cut off as she saw her face. "Oh, hey." Jackie came around the bench and hugged her. "I'm guessing it was a rough day?"

Jo returned the hug gratefully. No one made her feel like Jackie did. "I love you so much."

Jackie sat her at the table and returned to get their dinner. "I love you too. Is Missy okay?"

Jo nodded, letting omission be the lie. After her stomach was full and sipping a glass of wine, Jo felt almost ready to tell Jackie. "I thought we could talk about Verin again."

Jackie nodded as she swallowed her food. She took a sip of wine. "Shoot."

"You're still feeling good about it?"

Jackie nodded. "You?"

Jo paused. She was unsure how to phrase this. Should she explain everything or keep it simple?

"I still have concerns…"

Jackie nodded to let her know she was listening.

"It has been very intense–we've even seen him more frequently than other guys we'd been with. I'm worried it's getting too serious."

Jackie set her cutlery down. "I have been thinking about that– and I'm not saying we go crazy here and have him move in– but," she rushed on, seeing the look of shock on Jo's face, "but if he was a longer-term option for a guy to share our bed, I don't think that'd be a bad thing."

Jo shook her head, "what are you suggesting?"

Jackie shrugged, "We've never been able to get the balance right. This seems to work. I don't want him living with us, but as I said–I could stand to spend more time with the two of you together."

"And you don't mind your time with him either," Jo commented.

Jackie drank some more wine, "Well, yeah, but you love it. We can both feel it. You don't understand what you do to the two of us."

"But what if he's more into me?"

Jackie laughed, "Of course, he's more into you. I'm more into you."

Jo could only shake her head. She wondered if Jackie knew about mates, she'd think differently.

"What if I fall in love with him?"

Jackie sat back. "Have you already?"

Jo's lip trembled.

"Hey…" Jackie came around and kneeled by her, turning her chair. She touched Jo's face. "You still love me?"

"Of course," Jo cried, horrified Jackie would question it.

"Well, then, we're all good." Jackie stood and kissed the tip of her nose.

Jo sat dumbstruck. She still didn't understand how Verin would fit into their lives. He couldn't think he'd be happy with this arrangement once he felt their matebond grow as they spent more time together. She knew what the feeling was like.

She didn't think she could reject him. That felt too terrible a fate for her to think about. She thought back to her first mate–her beautiful Oliver. He'd been so full of life, both eighteen–ready to take on the world. He'd been a redhead, too, more of a deeper red than her copper. He was tall and willowy, not yet filled out. Jackie knew she'd been "married" before and that he'd died. Jo had told her they were witches, and Jackie had just glossed over it. Humans had a knack for doing that.

Jo always figured she'd have to lay it all out for her one day, guessing it was now approaching. She thought of how she'd explain Verin. A warlock. He's not even from this world. Her people were more or less allies of warlocks. However, it was mainly a promise to leave each other alone.

She'd heard a lot of crazy stories about them, but she couldn't think of Verin like that, though she didn't really know him. There was only so much she could question him if Jackie was with her, but she couldn't see him without her again. She felt torn, wanting to tell Jackie but not sure where to start or where it would end.

~*~