Jaded

Chapter Seven

Luca stepped into the pool house; the air thick and intoxicating with the lingering warmth of vanilla and amber—the signature of Jade's presence. The scent seemed to cling to every surface: the cream-colored sofa she spent far too much money on. To the throw blanket draped carelessly over one armrest, to the coffee mug abandoned beside the sink, still bearing the faint imprint of rose-colored lipstick on the rim. The house felt unmistakably hers.

Lived in.

Comfortable.

The silence settled around him immediately. Not the peaceful sort. The heavy kind. The kind that came from knowing someone was sleeping only a few rooms away. The bedroom door remained shut. Beyond it, Jade slept, blissfully unaware that Walter had effectively sentenced Luca to remain within arm's reach of her.

A bitter laugh almost escaped him.

His father wasn't stupid. Walter understood exactly what he was doing. The old wolf had watched Luca for years. Watched every glance, every excuse. Every time he volunteered to accompany Jade somewhere; every time his attention followed her around a room despite his best efforts. No. Walter wasn't ignorant. Walter was cruel.

And this assignment felt suspiciously personal.

Luca scrubbed a hand down his face. The exhaustion from the last twenty-four hours settled heavily across his shoulders. Everything felt louder inside his own head lately. The worry, the frustration, the impossible situation neither he nor Jade knew how to escape.

Needing a distraction, he retreated toward the kitchen. The whiskey bottle caught his attention almost immediately. For several seconds, he simply stared at it. Then he reached for it. The familiar burn slid down his throat after the first swallow. It should have helped. It didn't. The alcohol barely registered.

His thoughts remained exactly where they had been before.

On Jade.

On her birthday.

On the panic he had seen behind her eyes earlier.

On the tears she had tried so desperately to hide.

With a grimace, he shoved the bottle back into the cabinet. Not today. Today he needed a clear head. Unfortunately, a clear head seemed to be making everything worse. He wandered into the living room and collapsed onto the sofa. The cushions sank beneath his weight. Across the room, sunlight filtered through the massive windows overlooking the pool. The water glittered softly. The entire pool house felt frozen in time., like the world had stopped the moment Jade went to sleep.

Luca pulled out his phone. Anything to occupy himself. Anything to keep his thoughts from drifting somewhere dangerous. His thumb moved automatically through social media.

Photographs.

Videos.

Advertisements.

None of it registered.

Then Jade's profile appeared. His thumb stopped moving. A photograph she had posted two days earlier filled the screen. The moon hung over a mountain range behind the mansion, luminous and impossibly bright against the darkness. No caption. No explanation. Just the moon.

Luca stared at it longer than he intended. A frown slowly settled onto his face. Does she really think the Moon Goddess is that cruel? The thought settled heavily in his chest.

To Jade, the bond represented everything she feared. It represented a loss of control, a theft of choice, and a future decided by someone else. He understood why, but understanding didn't make it easier. Because every time she spoke about the mating bond, she sounded as though she were discussing a prison sentence. And Luca… Luca would have given anything to have what she feared.

Anything.

The irony was almost enough to make him laugh. Instead, he tossed the phone onto the coffee table. The device landed with a sharp thud. Silence immediately rushed back in. He grabbed the television remote. The screen flickered to life. Muted commercials flashed across the room. Bright colors danced over the walls.

Over the furniture.

Over the closed bedroom door.

But even that wasn't enough, because his senses refused to leave him alone. A scent drifted through the room. Faint, stale, and very human.

Luca froze.

His jaw immediately tightened. The duffel bag sat exactly where Jade had left it. Innocent looking. Harmless. Yet the offensive scent still lingered there. Cheap cologne. Artificial. Overwhelming. The ghost of another man's presence.

A low growl threatened to form in his chest.

Ridiculous.

Completely ridiculous.

Yet the irritation remained.

Luca stood. Crossed the room. And snatched up the duffel bag. The smell intensified immediately. His expression darkened. "Oh, absolutely not." The words left him before he realized he had spoken them aloud.

A few minutes later, he stood in the laundry room, dumping the contents into the washing machine. Shirts, jeans, a dress, a sweater. Everything.

The detergent pod followed. Then he slammed the machine shut and started the cycle. Water rushed into the drum. The scent immediately began disappearing beneath soap and clean water. Only then did some of the tension ease from his shoulders. Only then did he feel marginally sane again. Returning to the living room, Luca lowered himself back onto the sofa. The television continued flashing silently. The washing machine hummed in the distance. Beyond the windows, the fountains sparkled beneath the afternoon sun. And beyond the closed bedroom door, Jade slept.

For a long moment, Luca simply sat there, watching, listening, waiting.

The pool house felt smaller now.

The silence thicker.

His eyes drifted once more toward the bedroom. Toward the female sleeping on the other side of that door. His assignment. His responsibility. His greatest weakness. Luca exhaled slowly and rested his head against the back of the couch. The world beyond the estate could burn for all he cared.

For tonight, nothing existed beyond these walls.

Not Julian.

Not Astrid.

Not Walter's orders.

Not even the approaching birthday hanging over all of them like a storm cloud. Just the steady hum of the washing machine. The quiet house. And Jade, sleeping safely a few rooms away.

Several hours later, Jade slowly surfaced from sleep. At first, she didn't open her eyes. She simply lay there beneath the blankets, warm and comfortable, drifting in that strange place between sleeping and waking. The emotional exhaustion from the morning had settled deep into her bones, leaving her feeling heavy and pleasantly sluggish.

For the first time in days, her mind wasn't racing.

No mates.

No birthday.

No Walter.

No future waiting around the corner like an executioner's blade.

Just warmth.

Silence.

Sleep.

A soft sigh escaped her as she stretched beneath the blankets. Then she frowned. Something smelled different. Her eyes slowly opened. Fresh laundry. The scent lingered throughout the room. Clean cotton. Soap. Fabric softener. Jade blinked at the ceiling. Why did her bedroom smell like a department store? Confused, she pushed herself upright and rubbed the sleep from her eyes.

Golden sunlight spilled through the curtains, bathing the room in warm afternoon light. Dust drifted lazily through the sunbeams. Judging by the position of the light alone, she had been asleep far longer than she had intended. Not that she regretted it. Her body had desperately needed the rest. Swinging her legs over the side of the bed, she sat there for a moment.

Listening.

The pool house was quiet.

Mostly.

Beneath the silence, she could hear something else, the occasional shift of furniture, movement.

Jade froze. Slowly, her eyes narrowed. "No." Her voice was rough from sleep, she already knew.

Walter. That sneaky, manipulative old wolf. The realization settled immediately.

Jade groaned. Throwing the blankets aside, she climbed out of bed and shuffled toward the bedroom door. Her hair was a complete disaster. Her oversized sleep shirt hung halfway off one shoulder. One side of her face still carried the faint imprint of a pillow crease. She looked absolutely ridiculous.

The bedroom door swung open. And there he was. Luca occupied nearly the entire couch. One arm stretched lazily across the back cushions. His long legs were spread comfortably in front of him. The muted television cast shifting colors across his face while he scrolled through his phone with the sort of bored patience only someone on unwanted guard duty could possess.

He looked entirely at home.

Which somehow made everything worse.

Jade stared.

Luca looked up. Their eyes met. Immediately, Luca sighed. A long, suffering sigh.

The kind usually reserved for people who knew trouble had just woken up. "Good afternoon, Jade."

Her eyes narrowed further. "You."

Luca glanced around the room. "As far as I know."

"You are in my house."

"I've become aware of that.”

Jade folded her arms. "You are still in my house.”

His expression remained perfectly neutral. "Unfortunately."

"Unfortunately?"

Luca gestured vaguely around himself. "Do you think I'm here voluntarily?”

That gave her pause. Only for a second. Then realization hit. "Walter." Jade pointed at him accusingly. "Oh, absolutely not."

Luca immediately pointed toward the main house. "Take it up with him."

"I am not twelve."

"I know."

"I do not require supervision.”

Luca lowered his phone.

The look he gave her was so skeptical it bordered on offensive.

Jade gasped. "Excuse you."

"Jade."

"No."

"Jade."

"I don’t like that tone.”

Luca sat forward slightly. "You once attempted to make homemade candles and somehow set your own sleeve on fire.”

Jade immediately pointed a finger. "That happened one time."

"You accidentally pepper sprayed yourself."

"I was testing it."

"You locked yourself inside the wine cellar."

"The lock malfunctioned."

"You climbed onto the roof."

Jade crossed her arms. "It was haunted.”

Luca closed his eyes. For several seconds, he simply sat there. Processing. Then he looked at her. "The roof was haunted."

"The chimney."

"It was a chimney."

"It was a suspicious chimney.”

A laugh escaped him. A genuine one. Short. Unexpected.

Jade's eyes immediately widened.

Luca visibly regretted everything.

"Did—Did you just laugh at me?"

"I did not."

"You absolutely laughed."

"I exhaled."

"You laughed.”

His head fell backward against the couch.

Jade smiled triumphantly. For the first time all day, she actually felt like herself again. Then her attention drifted elsewhere. Toward the laundry room. A faint humming sound reached her ears. Her smile slowly faded. A look of suspicion crossed her face. "Luca."

He immediately looked guilty.

Jade's eyes narrowed. That alone was enough. "What did you do?”

"Nothing." The answer came entirely too fast.

"What."

"Nothing important.”

Jade slowly turned toward him.

Luca suddenly found the television fascinating.

The suspicion deepened. Then she caught the scent again. Fresh detergent. Clean laundry. Jade blinked. Realization dawned. Slowly. Then all at once. Her mouth fell open. "You washed my clothes.”

Luca remained silent.

Jade stared. "You washed my clothes."

"They smelled." The response was immediate. Defensive. Almost offended.

Jade looked genuinely horrified. "My clothes smelled?"

"Yes."

"I smell delightful."

"You do.”

Jade blinked. The answer had come so quickly neither of them processed it. For a moment, silence filled the room.

Then Luca's eyes widened slightly.

Jade's grin spread. "Oh my God."

Luca immediately looked annoyed. "You know what I meant."

"No, no. Let's stay focused." She moved closer. Enjoying this far too much. "You think I smell delightful?"

"Jade."

"This is important."

"It isn't."

"It really is.”

Luca rubbed both hands over his face. The tips of his ears had turned slightly red, which only made it better.

Jade dropped onto the opposite couch. Her grin becoming impossible to contain. "You washed my clothes because you didn't like someone's cologne."

"It was offensive."

“It was cologne."

"It was chemical warfare.”

Jade burst out laughing. The sound filled the pool house. Bright. Warm. Unrestrained.

Luca glared at her from across the room.

Which somehow made her laugh even harder. She nearly doubled over as she made her way into the laundry room. "Oh, this is pathetic."

"It was bad cologne."

"You laundered an entire duffel bag!" she shouts from inside.

"It had spread." He hears her close the dryer.

Jade wiped tears from her eyes as she was exiting. "You sound insane.”

Luca crossed his arms. "I've accepted that.”

The laughter slowly faded. Not completely. Just enough for Jade to catch her breath. A smile still lingered on her face as she looked across the room at him. At the giant, intimidating wolf currently assigned to babysit her; at the male, who looked personally victimized by a bottle of cheap cologne, at the guard dog Walter had chained to her front door. And despite herself, Jade felt something in her chest ease.

The fear.

The anxiety.

The uncertainty.

None of it disappeared.

But for the first time that day, it felt lighter.

Luca noticed her staring. "What?"

Jade smiled. Nothing teasing this time. Nothing sarcastic. Just genuine affection. "Nothing."

His eyes narrowed immediately. "I don’t trust that answer.”

Jade laughed. "Good."

And somewhere across the estate, Walter would have been absolutely insufferable if he knew his plan was working.

"This is going to be so boring, having to be stuck in the house for days," Jade complains with a whine, her voice carrying a hint of genuine, childlike disappointment. She flops onto the couch beside Luca, the soft cushions giving a gentle sigh under her weight. She folds her legs beneath her, the fabric of her oversized shirt pulling taut across her thighs before she consciously tugs it down further, pulling it over her knees as if seeking comfort, and rests her cheek to her fist, a dramatic pose that Luca recognizes as her signature way of expressing a mild grievance.

Luca sets his phone onto the polished surface of the coffee table, the slight clink of metal on wood the only sound for a moment. "You do not have to party in order not to be bored, Jade." His tone is calm, a low rumble that seems to absorb her whine.

She glances over to Luca, her pale-green eyes flicking from his face to his phone, then back again. "What would you suggest then?" Her voice is laced with a touch of skepticism, as if expecting another uninspired suggestion.

Luca chuckles, a soft sound that seems to smooth the edges of the room. He leans back onto the couch, the worn leather creaking faintly beneath him. "We could watch a movie—”

Jade lulls her head back, the movement exposing the delicate curve of her throat. "Boring!" The word is light, dismissive, a puff of air.

Luca rolls his eyes, a familiar gesture. "You have a pool outside. Go suntan."

Jade twists her lips, a pout forming. "It is too late. The shade is over the pool now." She gestures her hand towards the window facing the pool, where the late afternoon sun is indeed beginning to cast long, inviting shadows. The water glints invitingly, but the warmth is starting to recede.

"Go back to sleep," he sighs, his voice laced with a weariness that is not entirely from lack of sleep, but from the sheer energy it takes to navigate her moods. He is exhausted with her already, but a deep-seated protectiveness keeps him tethered.

Jade rests her cheek back to her fist, her attention already drifting. She reaches for the remote beside them, her fingers brushing against the cool, smooth plastic. Her thumb unmutes the television, the sudden influx of canned laughter and dialogue jarring the quiet atmosphere, and starts flipping through the channels, the bright, fleeting images a kaleidoscope of options.

Luca reaches for his whiskey, the amber liquid swirling in the heavy glass.

He takes a slow, deliberate sip, the warmth spreading through him.

The pool house, a sanctuary of sorts despite its temporary confinement, has fallen silent once more, aside from the drone of the television.

Jade eventually decides on an old movie, something familiar, something comfortable.

The opening credits roll, a nostalgic melody filling the air.

As the movie draws on, Luca reaches to the back of the couch, a simple, almost unconscious movement to cover Jade. Really, he is covering her to keep his eyes from wandering, to provide a subtle barrier against the temptation she so effortlessly radiates. Her oversized shirt has ridden up high enough for him to see the delicate lace of her panties peeking from beneath her skirt, and the soft, alluring bottom curve of her rear. Jade does not pay it any attention, thankfully.

She is too caught up in her mild discontent about being bound to the mansion to notice it as anything more than a casual gesture of comfort. She laughs softly at a joke from the movie, a genuine, unguarded sound. The sound of it makes Luca smile faintly, a fleeting upward tug of his lips. He is happy that she is not complaining anymore, even happier that she is not making him pay for her current mood.

The afternoon sun sinks a little further behind the jagged, formidable mountains that cradle their estate, painting the sky in hues of orange and dusty rose.

As the movie progresses, Luca eventually gets up, the floorboards creaking softly under his weight. He moves with a quiet efficiency, heading to the kitchen to make them a bowl of popcorn, the buttery aroma soon filling the air, and prepares Jade a glass of crisp white wine. The last she needs tonight is red; he knows her preferences with an intimacy that unnerves him. While he settles back onto the couch, the warm bowl of popcorn nestled between them, Jade's friend Bonnie calls.

Immediately, Bonnie wants to know everything about her night at the club, her voice a rapid-fire cascade of questions eager for scandalous details.

Jade smirks, her eyes glinting with mischief as she glances over to Luca. She answered and immediately placed the call on speaker. "Bonnie."

"Jade, tell me everything."

Luca groaned before Bonnie had even finished the sentence.

Jade's grin widened. "Oh, this is going to be good."

Luca, having heard Bonnie’s boisterous voice clearly because Jade had her on speaker, lets out a low groan. "No, hell no," he says, already pushing himself up from the couch, the popcorn bowl wobbling precariously.

Bonnie's excited laughter exploded through the speaker. "Oh my God, Luca's there, isn't he?"

"I am leaving."

"Don't you dare. You were assigned to babysit me."

"Then consider this supervised freedom." Still hearing Bonnie's delighted cackling through the phone, Luca headed for the front door.

He needs air.

He needs distance.

He walks out the front door, the cool evening air a welcome balm against the simmering tension within, leaving Jade to her call, her movie, and her own oblivious world. He closes his eyes, exhaled slowly, and stared toward the mountains.

Whatever conversation was about to happen in that pool house, he wanted absolutely no part of it.

Leaning against the cool, smooth plaster of the wall beside the door, he lights a cigarette. The small flame flares for a second, illuminating the stubble on his jaw before he inhales, exhaling a thick, gray cloud of smoke that hangs heavy in the air. He can hear Jade laughing every now and then, a bright, carefree sound that slices through the tense quiet of the estate. Thankfully, he cannot hear the muffled conversation, the private jokes, the intimate details that would only serve to fuel his already precarious emotional state.

The estate stretched before him, peaceful beneath the fading light.

The pool sparkled.

The mountains loomed in the distance.

The sky was beginning to deepen into shades of purple and gold.

For a moment, everything felt strangely calm.

Suddenly, the door swings open, and Jade steps outside, phone still in hand, her voice carrying a sweet, almost saccharine tone. "Can Bonnie come over?" she asks, her pale-green eyes wide and innocent.

Luca’s shoulders slump. "Jade... No one is supposed to be here," he sighs, the words heavy with resignation.

He knows he is about to have his ass handed to him, not just by Jade's potential disappointment, but by the consequences of any breach in their security.

Jade twists her lips, a familiar gesture of mild petulance. But to his immense surprise, she doesn't push. Instead, she offers a small, almost apologetic smile and shuts the door back with a soft click.

He exhales again, this time a long, slow breath of pure relief, the tension draining from his chest like water from a burst dam. "Fuck..." he whispers, feeling as though he is experiencing whiplash, his emotions swinging wildly from dread to elation.

After his cigarette burns down to a filter, leaving a faint, acrid smell clinging to his clothes, the pool house had gone quiet inside once more. He slowly turns the knob, his hand trembling slightly, and peeks inside. Jade is on the couch, her phone discarded on the coffee table. He enters as if he is walking into a war zone, the air thick with unspoken tensions, carrying a bomb that is ready to explode.

Jade stares blankly at the television, her leg swinging idly over her knee, her arms crossed tightly to her chest. She looks deflated, the earlier spark of amusement seemingly extinguished.

"Jade, I am sorry." His voice is low, rough with sincerity, his gaze fixed on the flickering screen as if seeking solace in its banality.

She flicks her pale-green eyes to him briefly, a fleeting flicker of something unreadable–annoyance? Understanding?–before looking away, her gaze returning to the moving images on the screen. He sits back down beside her, the familiar creak of the couch a small comfort.

"It's just..." Luca begins, his voice hesitant, searching for the right words. "Lucian is about to be apprehended. We must keep a tight hand on this situation. There is no telling what they will do once they realize we are hot on their trail." He explains the gravity of their mission, the precariousness of their pursuit, the potential dangers that lurk just beyond the edges of their current safety.