Jasmine

Liam grabbed a second bottle of wine and met me on the couch, refilling my glass before sitting beside me. I cradle it, unsure where to begin.

"Has Benji told you anything about me?" I ask, needing to understand where to start. I imagine he might have told Liam some things while I was out, if he hadn’t already before that. If they discussed the possibility of both dating me, then who knows what all they may have talked about?

His face is serious as he answers me. "He mentioned your past wasn't exactly happy and that he wanted to rip your mother’s head off, so I came to the conclusion she isn’t a very nice woman. He also told me about the time he spent with you and how much he hated leaving you."

I chuckle before taking a swig of wine, now knowing exactly where to start. "He's right to want to rip my mother’s head off. You probably already know this, but when a witch is born, they aren't as treasured as wolves. The only reason I'm alive today is because the members of the Order back then felt my power. They suspected I would be born a level three or two, so they forbade her from aborting me."

I gulp down the rest of my glass and hold it out for a refill before I continue. "I grew up with a mother who despised my existence. She has no idea who my father is, so she couldn't exactly dump me on his doorstep. So I was stuck in her care, unless she palmed me off to other witches so she could go off and sleep with any man who would have her.

"Which was how I met Benji. He came to our place intending to have sex with my mother." I pause as Liam shudders, revulsion in his eyes. I smirk. "Don't worry, he told me nothing happened between them once he realized I was his mate. In fact, he told my mother just who I was to him right before he left for good."

I think back to that time and my mother’s words when she found me crying over him. She sat down on my bed, patting me on the back as if she actually cared. She said Benji had left us because he didn't care for us and had just been using my mother for sex. Considering how close Benji and I got, I had been devastated to hear this and it only made me cry even harder. It felt like the feelings I had developed had been all for nothing. The whole time he had just faked it. That's why being here and seeing him again feels like a dream. I had thought he was gone from my life forever.

As I'm lost in my memories, thinking about the past, I realize the feelings I had back then are still there. I may have buried them deep, but I still love him.

I pull myself from my thoughts to continue my story. "After I got here, Benji filled me in on my mother's devious acts and I realized she’d lied to me about everything. When he had left, he’d asked my mother to explain everything to me, which she didn't. Not only that, she didn't tell me that the entire time he was with us, she had been charging him to see me, like I was some kind of horse he could buy or a goddamn prostitute!" I'll never forgive her for that. If I had known then what I do now, I would have left her much earlier. And who knows, maybe I would have run off and become Benji's mate years ago.

"Motherfucker! She charged him to spend time with you, his mate? No offense, Jasmine, but your mother sounds like a fucking nutcase!"

I snort wine out of my nose, laughing so hard it takes a moment to regain control of myself. Liam chuckles and walks into the kitchen, coming back out with a few napkins so I can clean myself up. "You're right, though, nutcase seems too tame for my mother. She is... psychotic."

He shakes his head, meeting my eyes with sad violet ones. "I'm sorry you had to go through that, but I take it you still did well for yourself. After all, you're here and seem to be pretty sane." He winks, making me feel a little proud that it’s not obvious how being raised by her affected me.

While it may not be easily visible on the outside, I do have major trust issues, and I'm quick to anger. A ball of rage sits inside me at all times, just waiting to be unleashed.

"I was vindictive enough that I chose to stay with her until the day of my nineteenth birthday. Every day, I made her life a living hell because of the way she treated me. I learned magic without her help, preferring to teach myself or ask the coven members I visited with. When I turned nineteen, I packed up my stuff and moved out. She didn't even know what was coming. She petitioned the Order to make me stay, saying I was unable to live out in the world by myself because my magic was too volatile, when the reality was she was just worried about losing out of her monthly paycheck for taking care of me. Thankfully, the Order denied her because I'd done all my testing and all of them came back clear, saying my magic was stable."

I smile, thinking back to that day. I'd never been more proud of myself. She had absolutely no idea I had already done my tests and I knew she hoped that would keep me under her thumb a little longer, but I was a free woman. "It was absolutely priceless to see the look on her face. She came home to my room empty and the last of my boxes on the front step. She couldn't comprehend that I had saved enough money to actually buy my own place."

"At nineteen you had enough cash to buy a place?" he asks, impressed.

I grin in response. "Yep! My mother thought I was so weak, that she didn't even consider that I'd learned to sell my magic like she did. I offered my services to humans and other witches alike, whether it was to cast spells, make potions, or just see into the future. One of my clients actually became a very good friend, and as it turned out, an invaluable asset, seeing as she was a realtor. She took me house hunting until I found the perfect place and helped me negotiate a good deal.

My thoughts drift back to that day. Harry took me to six houses before she got a call about what I would soon call my paradise. We went and checked it out, and I just knew it was mine.

"Wait, you told humans about our existence? Do you have a death wish?"

I sigh at the judgement in his voice. Most supernaturals don’t approve of us using our magic to help the humans. Since the issues with the vampires, we've all been careful, but I didn't see the harm in it if it wasn’t hurting anybody. The Soldiers were more than okay with it when I called and asked permission to begin working. Their only stipulation was to keep the magic hidden from anyone who wasn’t already aware witches were still alive.

See, after our existence was revealed due to the vampires’ stupidity, we had no choice but to bury all knowledge of our species after the clean-up, at the insistence of the Soldiers. While they still have records of us, most of the rest of humankind is oblivious to the continued existence of witches and wolves.

"I'm not stupid, Liam, and you'd better remember that before speaking to me like some errant child. I never performed magic in front of my clients. I was basically nothing more than a glorified fortune teller to most. The majority of the things I did were simple, like assisting a couple to be more honest with each other, or small helpful healing potions for people who had health issues. In the case of incurable diseases, all I did was offer a potion that eased the pain."

He nods as I speak, digesting the information as I tell him and looking contrite. I hate when people judge someone before they have all the facts, yet I know I am guilty of doing the same thing in many cases. Chalk it all up to my trust issues.

"The things I did would never upset the earth. I respect the balance too much to let anything happen that could throw the world into chaos. Besides, the Soldiers had okayed my work, saying as long as I respected the balance and kept most of the humans who came to me oblivious of my true nature, then they saw no harm in it. The humans only wanted what they couldn't have–happiness, money, and love. I gave them what they wanted in the way of potions that simulated happiness. Those who wanted love, I gave them a potion to help build their confidence. And for those who wanted money, I gave them a potion for luck. Something that was only guaranteed to work that month. It would only continue to bring them luck if they remained selfless. If they became too self-absorbed, the magic would stop working. Just a little catch I like to include in most of my spells and potions," I say, smiling lazily.

I look down at my empty glass with a frown. I snap my fingers, watching as the glass refills and the bottle on the table goes from half full to almost empty. That will never get old. Some days having magic is absolutely amazing.

Liam chuckles and refills his own glass the normal way, draining the last of the bottle. "Handy little trick to have," he smirks as he leans back with his own glass, sipping it slowly. I watch as he pulls the glass away, leaving his lips moistened. I feel the sudden urge to lean forward and lick the wine from his lips.

My face goes pink from the vivid image in my mind, and I pinch myself subtly, trying to regain a little control.

I nod with a small smile, my face feeling flushed. I look down at my almost empty glass and frown. How fast did I drink that? Maybe I should stop. I've never been too good with wine. Two glasses and it either knocks me on my ass, or I let loose in a way no one needs to see.

"You okay, Jasmine?" Liam's voice is concerned, but his eyes are heated as if he knows exactly the effect he’s having on me.

I nod slowly and put my glass down with a yawn. "Yeah, I think I should stop drinking, though. I've lost track of how much I've had, and drunk Jasmine has a habit of not thinking things through before acting. Plus, I need rest; the drain is still affecting me. Maybe a good night’s sleep is just what I need," I murmur sleepily with another yawn to prove my point.

I stand up, preparing for my body to sway but only feeling a small rush as the wine spreads through my veins like a drug.

Liam smiles and stands, offering me a hand as we walk back to my room. The whole time I weigh the pros and cons of what I want to do, knowing if I act on my feelings, there's no going back.

Liam opens my bedroom door, and before I can talk myself out of it, I lean up and kiss him. When he doesn't respond, I pull away, doubting myself. Maybe I made the wrong choice. But as soon as I think that, he growls and pushes me further into the room and my heart races with excitement. Looks like maybe I will get what I want after all.