The Blood Witch

Chapter : 06

                                                                                         six

                                                                                           ☾

The kitchen was huge all stainless steel and magnificence, it was also empty. Jax found some leftover pancakes from breakfast, heated it up and we were in the middle of wolfing down a stack and practically drinking the syrup when Maddie strolled in.

I wiped my mouth with the back of my hand and waved her over. "Hey, Maddie!" 

Jax's head snapped up.

"Lois, I was just going to find you," Maddie said coming over. Then her eyes fell on Jax and she paused for a fraction of a second. 

I could hear her heart speed up in her chest with my wolf hearing. She slid into the seat beside me on the breakfast bar not taking her eyes of my best friend.  Do they know each other? 

"Um... Maddie this is my friend Jax, Jax this is Maddie." Maddie continued to gape at Jax as if he was her dead uncle come back from the grave to say hi. I could see pain, longing and something else in the way she was looking at him but I couldn't figure it out.

Okay, what the hell?

Jax's jaw clenched and he made a show of looking down at his phone seeming to find whatever on it a hundred times more interesting. 

Maddie's hands were clenched into fists and she looked on the verge of banging someone's head against the wall... and if the lasers shooting out of her eyes said anything, Jax's ass was screwed. 

"Can someone tell me what's going on. The tension is giving me hives. Do you know each other?"

"No!" They both said in unison, rather quickly I might add.

I put up my hand in surrender. "It was just a question, jeez. So what's with the dirty looks?"

Maddie bit her lip and looked away, Jax just continued texting on his phone as if I didn't just ask a bloody question. 

Prick!

Something is seriously up with these two and they obviously don't want me to know. But I'm gonna find out. You mark my words I will find out!

Jax got up all of a sudden. "Caleb just texted me that he needs something. Raincheck on the hell-raising today, buttercup?" 

"Okay." He nodded, pecked me on the cheek and left. 

Maddie's eyes followed him to the door. She didn't look at me when she asked, "Are you two seeing each other?"

I was caught off guard. "Me and Jax?" I burst out laughing not able to control myself.  "I'd have a better chance at f*****g a chainsaw in my ass and it not ripping me in two." I had to take a sip of water because I was practically choking at this point and it wasn't cute. "Jax doesn't date," I said finally when my laughter died down.

"Oh." 

"Wait, you're not interested in him, are you?" 

Now I feel bad for laughing.

"No! No, no, no," She said quickly. "I mean. You guys just seem close."

"Yeah, he's my brother's best friend. We practically grew up together." There were genuine emotions swimming in her honey brown eyes and I just knew something was wrong. "Are you okay, Maddie? I know we just met but you could talk to me if you want. I'm a good listener."

She looked up at me and offered a smile. It didn't go unnoticed that it was forced. "Yeah, everything's awesome. Speaking of awesome, you found a dress for Rival's Feast tomorrow night?"

"What?! Rival's Feast is tomorrow?"

"Duh. The Games is supposed to start the day after tomorrow. The Feast is the last night to wish the competitors good luck before some of them get murdered by psychopaths in chest plates. It is also one of the biggest social events of the century and... you forgot."

"I didn't forget, I just had a minor brain fart."

Maddie rolled her eyes. "So I'll take that as an 'I don't have a dress and I need the help of the most genius, incredibly beautiful Maddie to take me shopping to find a dress' and of course my response would be 'Anything to help the less fortunate'."

I flipped her the bird for the last part. She laughed.

 "Let me just tell my brother I'm going out." I texted Caleb that I was leaving to go sightseeing, he hadn't texted back. He was still probably in the meeting with the King. That means Mason was probably there too and I wouldn't get to see him until it was over. 

I felt a low yearning for him in the pit of my stomach ever since he left this morning. I wanted to be wrapped up in his arms, his scent all over me. I just needed to be close to him somehow.

 Is that normal? 

Why does having a mate have to be so freaking complicated and weird.  "Let's go," I urged Maddie before I start itching to go find him. That would be too creepy.

                                                                  _____________________________

We took a cab into the city. Massive buildings loomed over us as busy pedestrians pushed each other around trying to get to work or rushing to the stores with the blinking 'Sale' signs on it's front. Maddie paid the driver and locked arms with me, ignoring the electrical shocks erupting over our skin every time our bare skin touched. 

She steered me into a street where everywhere you turn there were freaky mannequins modelling stylish clothes in wide showcases.

We went into four different dress stores before Maddie found two dresses she said would make every guy at the Feast drop their balls. She shoved me into the changing room. 

The first dress was a silk green fitted dress that hugged my curves in all the right placed. The second was a black ensemble with a deep neckline that would make any virgin blush.

When I stepped out of the dressing room in the first dress, Maddie turned up her nose. "Hmm. It's cute but we're looking to get laid not a long-term relationship. You look like some preacher's second wife. Next!" 

A preacher's wife? In this dress?

I thought the dress was fine but I'd have to be honest with myself, green is not my colour.

When I pulled on my second dress I decided to untie my hair from my usual high ponytail. My ink-black hair came down in dark swirls past my shoulders all the way to my small waist. I stole a peek at myself in the mirror and I went a little slack-jawed.

That was me?

Damn, I look fine.

The dress pushed up my boobies and made it looked fuller and my waist narrower.

"I'm not getting any younger here, Lois. Oh, free Martinis!" I rolled my eyes and stepped out then.

Maddie's eyes widened as she whistled appreciatively. "Goddamn girl, you got me over here questioning my sexuality."

I laughed. "You think this is the one."

"If you don't get it I will." She grabbed a dress off a rack and waved it at me. "You think this would look good on me?"

I glanced at the tag on the pink sequenced dress and raised an eyebrow. "But the price isn't all that amazing."

"I'm taking it out of the card the Witches Council loaned to me for emergencies. This counts as an emergency, right? I'm risking having to go to the Feast butt naked and having those poor suckers going out of their minds unable to resist all this sexiness."

I chuckled. "I don't think that's what they meant by an emergency, Mads."

"Well, that's on them. They can't give a lady a credit card and say it's for emergencies only. Everything would be an emergency. You wanna get a burger, emergency. You need new braids, emergency." We laughed aloud and gained some dirty looks from the store clerk but that only made us laugh harder.

I went back into the dressing room and stripped out of the black dress. I could feel my excitement build just by the prospect of going to the Feast. I've never been to Rival's Feast. Dad never took us with him whenever he had to go into the capitol for the meetings. I just heard stories about it, about mates finding each other there.

I slipped out the dressing room and Maddie shoved me aside in her excitement to get into her dress.

I laid mines on the back of a chair ignoring some guy eyeing me from across the store and the sounds of his girlfriend asking him who he was looking at and took a sip of the martini Maddie left out. 

Then I heard a ripping sound coming from inside Maddie's dressing room.

"Mads, what was that?"

"Um..." She trailed off. "I think I ripped my panties."

 "What do you mean?"

"I mean, I f*****g ripped my panties in half," She whisper-yelled through the door.

"How?" I was trying so hard not to laugh.

"There's a f*****g nail sticking out of the stupid door. I was leaning against it because surprisingly I have a fat ass and I need to put extra effort to get out of my jeans and the little s**t ripped my panties!"

"Calm down. People are starting to look over."

"f**k the people! I'm not wearing any drawers! I didn't even get to try on my dress. Maybe I should try it on anyway."

I snorted. "I don't think the store would appreciate you rubbing your bare v****a on their dress."

"I'm gonna pay for it anyway, it's already in my size. I just wanted to see if I looked as fine in it as I thought I would."

I rolled my eyes and three minutes later she came out with the dress over her shoulder, her usual clothes on and her ripped, lacey red panties between her fingers.

I folded my arms over my chest and gave her a hard look. "Am I gonna see you in the dress?"

"Of course you will. Tomorrow night. When I'm getting ready at your place." She grinned at me, stuffed her underwear in her purse and we moved to get the dresses checked out. I paid with Jax's credit card. I've had his card for a while now and he doesn't seem to mind because he hadn't asked for it back yet. Maybe I should give it back to him out of the kindness in my heart.

Hell no!

A fruity smoothie and some gossiping later, we were back at the castle.

Apparently the meeting had just ended. Some of the Alpha's were scattered about the foyer discussing capital-s**t with each other. I spotted Caleb and Jax in the corner discussing something with someone else. He was broad-shouldered with dark hair and he seemed familiar. I racked my brain trying to figure out who this guy was when he turned around and I let out a high pitched shriek.

"Kaden!"

Then I jumped on him. 

"Jesus, Lois."

He hugged me back tightly then gently put me back down on the ground.

"Dude, it's been so long."

"I saw you like two months ago, Lois," he said with a grin.

I slapped him on his chest and glared up at him. "I don't see any limps missing so I really don't understand why I didn't hear from you in two months, asshole?"

Kaden flinched. He looked at Jax and Caleb. "When did she get this scary?"

"Ever since she started training she thinks she's new Jet Lee or some s**t. At least you're getting the tamed version of Lois. A few days ago she jumped kicked me in my throat over a f*****g Snickers. Who does that?" Jax told him and they burst out laughing at me.

Kaden, Caleb and Jax were the three amigos. They've been best friends since they were toddlers so Kaden was always over at our house. I had a huge crush on him when I was a kid and would always try to join in their games. Caleb usually said no but Kaden was surprisingly nice to me and let me play with them against my brother's protests. 

He got even hotter. He was all muscle, green eyes and a sharp jaw. He was beautiful as he was powerful. He became the Alpha of the South Crescent Pack when Caleb became Alpha himself but unlike Caleb, he hadn't found his mate yet. At least I think so.

 He hasn't spoken to me in two months- not like I'm in my feels about it or anything.

I realized that Kaden's arm was still wrapped around me from our hug and I was about to step out of it when I heard a loud growl echo across the foyer. Everyone's head swiveled around and my eyes found Mason's. His eyes were gold and it was locked on Kaden's arm around me.

He was furious and he was coming for me.