Jasmine

I feel a crackle of magic coming from behind me and have to make a split-second decision. I slam my hands into Benji's back, crying out from the sheer force of magic as I send him teleporting out of the room with a crack. If I did that right, he should land right in front of Liam and Josh where they wait for us outside the house. Exhausted, yes, but still alive.

"I'm sorry," I murmur into the blank space where he had just been.

A pop sounds behind me, and I turn, taking a step back. Evan is standing in front of me with a menacing scowl.

He glances over at Neira with a smile. "Well done, Neira. To be honest, we weren't sure if you would be able to hold up your end of the bargain. But, a deal’s a deal, so you may leave and take your sister with you."

Neira starts to drag her sister out through the door, while Sabine curses the whole time, fighting her.

Her screams echo through the house as she begs Neira to help me, and I frown, confused. She doesn't even know me, why is she so worried about what happens to me?

Evan watches me with those cold eyes of his, and I gather my magic, preparing to defend myself. I may have to fight my way out of here, and with the little magic I have left, I'm going to have to throw everything I can at him to even have a chance to escape.

I have to find a way to buy myself some time in order to build my power.

"Why did you go through all this just to get me here? Why not just kill me when you visited the pack?" I ask, hoping by now Benji has had enough time to reorient himself. I'm just praying that Liam and Josh had the good sense to drag his stubborn ass out of here and back to the pack.

My magic is still building, and I would bet anything that Evan can sense it, but still he humours me by responding. "My wife wanted you. To be honest, I couldn't care less, but when she wants something, you can’t exactly refuse her.”

He sighs dramatically, "As for taking you when we came by the pack, we couldn't. You know that. You bound the protection spell with your energy and that of your mates." At my gasp, he smirks with pleasure. "Yes, I know just who your mates are. I'm not stupid."

"Could have fooled me." My face pales; that just slipped out. I didn't want to antagonize him further, but to my surprise, he laughs.

"Oh, Jasmine. If I weren't already a taken man, I may have propositioned you myself."

I fight the urge not to gag. Sure I like my men older, but if my hunch is right based on those pictures I saw, Evan is at least six hundred years old. There is such a thing as too old.

When my power finishes building, I send a blast at Evan before he can react. He goes flying and hits the wall, but then gets up as if nothing happened.

"STOP!" Evan booms into the room.

The command rocks through me, and my magic drains out of me without my say so. What the fuck? I pull it again, trying to fight, but it’s no use. While my magic isn’t completely gone, I can’t seem to activate it, either.

Evan smirks as he sends me crashing to my knees with his magic. I hear the clacking of high heels walking up the stairs towards us. "You can't use your magic, unless I will it. You're cursed, Jasmine."

I shiver at the evil that resonates in his voice, and my heart begins racing. How the fuck am I cursed?

That's when I remember him putting his hands on me and his magic touching mine back at the pack house. That son of a bitch. Before I can shout obscenities at him, however, my mother suddenly appears in the doorway.

"Mom?! What are you doing here? You need to get out now!" I scream, just as Jessica appears behind her.

My mother whips around, snapping Jessica's neck with a flick of her wrist, and I sigh, relieved she took care of her. My mother, while only a level three, is still very capable. If anyone could keep Evan distracted long enough to help me escape, it’s her.

"He's crazy, Mom. You need to leave!"

Evan turns his gaze on my mother, and I watch in horror as she walks into the room, unaware of the danger she's putting herself in. It’s like she can't see him, but that can’t be right; she's walking straight towards him.

He smirks, seeming unbothered by her appearance. That’s when the wheels start turning in my mind.

I was sent to the packs, where I just happen to find my mates. The Order mysteriously appears right after I perform some spell that supposedly affected them. I should have fucking known something was off from the beginning.

The earth would have cut them off from its magic the moment their intentions turned dark. They wouldn’t have felt me use my magic, which means they’ve been watching us the whole time.

My body shuts down as I realize the inevitability of my fate. I was always going to end up here, trapped. It was just only a matter of when.

"You're my mother’s husband," I state. It’s all suddenly so clear, I don’t need to question whether I’m right. She kisses Evan passionately before they part. Her eyes, so much like my own, are shining with glee.

"Yes, Jasmine. Evan is my husband. And together, we're going to make the world tremble at our feet."

I roll my eyes at her dramatics. She has always been such a fucking drama queen. But I know despite her talk, she doesn’t have the power to do anything too dangerous on her own.

Evan takes three strides towards me, bending over to grab my head in his hands. I wait for the magic to soak into my mind the same way it had before when he did this at the pack house, but nothing happens.

My mother watches, her smile slowly dimming as she realizes nothing is happening to me.

"Well?" she demands, tapping her foot impatiently.

Evan looks into my eyes with confusion. "I don't know. When I tried to get into it the other day, it worked fine. Her magic rebelled at first, but then the curse took effect. Maybe binding her magic is affecting it somehow?" he suggests, his eyes worried.

If I were him, I would be more than just fucking worried. If my mother doesn't get what she wants, she will throw a hissy fit that could rival a three-year-old child.

After a few minutes with nothing happening, my mother sighs and waves her hand. Suddenly, iron shackles wrap around my wrists and ankles.

"Take her down to the basement and unbind her magic,” she orders him. “Those shackles will keep her bound, so I suggest you release her curse and keep trying to siphon her magic."

My mother walks away, leaving me alone with Evan. I sit here, restrained and feeling defeated. What a bitch!

Evan grabs the chains attached to my cuffs and pulls me to my feet roughly. “I will get your magic, whether you want to give it up willingly or not. Don't think you can keep it from me."

With that, he drags me down the stairs. I fight not to trip over each step, catching myself on the bannister a dozen times by the time we reach the kitchen.

When we get down the basement stairs, he shoves me in one of the cells. "I'll be back later to lift your curse. In the meantime," he kicks a bucket to my feet, "here's the bathroom."

He slams the door shut and walks up the stairs, leaving me to my own devices. I sit in the corner of the cell on the cool cement floor and put my head in my hands, somewhat limited in my movements by the chains holding me.

This day fucking sucks!