Jasmine

The chains rattle as I make my way over to the small bucket they left for me to do my business in.

It’s been two days since they locked me up down here. My magic is bound by whatever it is that Evan cursed me with, and there's no way out. Trust me, I’ve tried.

Part of me holds out hope that Benji or Liam will come back for me. Hell, even Neira would be a welcome sight right about now, but I doubt any of them will come. Josh would stop them before they even left the pack. He may not be Alpha, but he has enough drive to make them see sense, and that my situation is a hopeless one.

The door upstairs opens, and I pull my pants up, preparing myself for Evan. He tries to siphon my magic as often as he can, but so far, he's had no luck.

He unlocks my cell and opens the door, glaring at me as he steps inside the small space. I do the same thing I do every time he comes in, and move over to the small bench, sitting down as I wait for him to get this over with. He's trying to steal my magic. At least, that's what it feels like he's doing. He lets his magic play in my mind, and I'm powerless to stop him. For all I know, he could actually be draining my magic, a little bit at a time, until I finally die.

I wait patiently as he works, knowing it won’t do me any good to struggle. If anything it will hurt me more. The longer he spends trying, the more frustrated he gets until he gives up, pushing my head away. When I turn back to him, he slaps me across the cheek. "How are you doing it?"

"Doing what? I have no fucking idea what you're doing to me! You cursed my magic. How do you know whatever it is you're trying to do wasn't affected by that, you fucking imbecile?!" I scream at him, my anger finally breaking the surface. If I wasn't chained in these magical cuffs, I would rip his pathetic excuse for a dick from his body and then feed it to him!

He turns on his heel and slams the door behind me, leaving me alone in this dank cell, yet again, but I know he'll try it again soon. He always does.

Instead of focusing on that however, I choose to think about the time I spent with my mates, knowing that if I die here, at least I got the chance to get to know them first. I know some people don't even get that luxury of finding their mate.

"Pssst."

My head whips around at the sudden noise in my otherwise quiet cell. An older looking man is looking down at me through the window, the same window I used to get in here ironically enough. I guess Evan and my mother weren't smart enough to get that fixed.

"Who are you?" I whisper, not wanting to be heard. Sound travels easily in this old rickety house. I'd rather not summon Evan any sooner than he needs to come down. My mother, meanwhile, hasn't been down at all, something which I'm thankful for. I doubt I could control my rage in her presence, and I think they both know that.

Brown eyes sparkle through the broken window. "The name's Jenkins. Josh sent me to help free you."

I frown. Why would Josh send some stranger to me? It seems more likely he'd come himself, or with Benji and Liam.

My mind runs through all the possible reasons that Josh would send some random to help me and come to the conclusion that he wouldn’t. This must be some sort of test from my mother.

I turn my head, ignoring him, refusing to allow myself to fall for such trickery.

I hear a frustrated sigh, followed by a soft thud as he drops from the window onto the basement floor.

My heart races as I turn toward him. I watch as he waves his hand, opening my cell and approaching me. Maybe it isn't a trick? Or maybe, he's been sent to kill me?

"Josh said you may not believe me, so he told me a few things he said only you would know. The sign he held up when he greeted you at the airport read 'Jasmine the witch,' didn't it?" I don't answer, but my mouth opens in shock before I close it. Someone at the airport could have easily told him that. "Not good enough? What about the fact that just recently you used magic so powerful that it knocked you out for days, eleven days to be exact? Or that during your time in said magical coma, you ate chocolate in your sleep and muttered about flying on a fairy. Want me to go on?"

I shake my head, not needing more proof. For the first time since being placed down here, I think I might actually have a chance to escape.

"Wait, where's Josh? Why didn't he come himself?" I ask as the man takes a look at my shackles, studying them intently.

"He'll be here soon, but he had something else to attend to before he could get here," he murmurs, running his hands over the cuffs. He looks intrigued as they light up with symbols I've never seen before.

"Shit! Okay, so I thought it was going to be easy to break you out, but I guess not. They've put ancient chains on you. The only way to get out of them is to use your magic, but they've bound yours. That means I’ll have to unbind you."

"Do it!" I don't even hesitate. I’d do anything to be freed of these stupid things.

He smirks, his eyes crinkling with the movement. "It’s going to hurt like fucking crazy, and you'll probably start seizing from the overload of power."

I nod emphatically, not caring in the slightest about the possible side effects. "Just get me out of them!"

"Alright then. I have to put my hands on you. Basically, I'm just opening the connection back to the earth by force, hence the pain. When the earth recognises you, the chains will release you, and then power will push into your body. I may have to carry you out of here after, though."

I open my mouth to tell him to shut the fuck up and free me already when he places a finger to my lips, sending a zap of electricity straight to my toes. "I just want to be upfront. I don't like doing magic on someone without full disclosure," he murmurs, and I feel myself relaxing under his gaze.

He places his cool hands in the same position that Evan does when he makes his attempts, moving his thumbs to my temples while his palms hold my head in place.

I don't know how long we stay connected before I black out. When I come to, my body is shaking uncontrollably, but the chains are no longer restraining me. As I look around me, I realize I'm no longer in the basement.

I scream as pain overwhelms my body, and the arms holding me set me down gently on the forest floor. At least, I assume we're in a forest based the many trees surrounding me and the scent of pine and dirt.

Josh's face appears above me, as does Jenkins’. Even through the fog of pain, I remember he was the reason I was freed from that basement.

"Jas, babe, you need to quiet down. If you don't, Evan and your mother will find us." I bite my tongue at Josh's words and try to contain the screams that are bubbling up in my throat. Jenkins leans closer, pressing a hand down onto my chest, directly over my heart, and feeds me magic which soothes the pain running through me.

I gasp as the last tendrils of agony disappear and look up at him in awe. "How did you do that?"

"Yeah, Jenks, how did you do that? My magic wouldn't work on her," Josh says with a frown of confusion.

Jenkins looks down at me with his own expression of uncertainty. "I don't know. I felt her pain in my heart and just knew I had to ease it somehow. The earth guided my actions."

I lay on the cool forest floor, and Josh holds out a hand to help me to my feet. "Do you think you can walk? We have another hour or so to go before we get back to the pack."

I nod hesitantly. "Yeah, I should be okay. I feel suddenly energised," I admit, now feeling strangely better than I had before I was locked up.

The two men place me between them as we walk, their steps guiding me in the direction we need to go. “So, why did you come back for me?" I say, slugging Josh in the arm.

"Hey! We saved you! I had to get you out of that bitch’s hold before she did something we couldn't fix. I’m actually surprised you have any magic left with how long you were there. They should have siphoned you completely and disposed of your dead body. How did you last so long?”

I shrug, completely perplexed. “No idea. They seemed to be just as confused as you are but no matter how much they tried, nothing happened,” I say, kicking a rock, feeling like some kind of freak. The fact that they couldn’t access my magic worries me and it leads me to wonder if there’s something wrong with me. I pull up short, Josh’s earlier words penetrating my mind. “What did you mean by magic? And why aren’t Benji and Liam with you?” I ask, feeling hurt my own mates weren’t part of my rescue mission. I would kill to see them right now.

“I had to put your bloody mates under a spell. Once I got them back to the pack house, Benji started losing his shit, smashing everything he could in a fit of rage. And Liam, well I don’t quite know how to tell you this, Jas, but I think he’s under some kind of spell. He started out acting just as angry as Benji, but when Neira or Sabine were in close proximity, he calmed. I’m not sure if they’re the ones who caused it, but either way, I didn’t trust him in such an unusual state. So I cast a spell locking them in the house, ensuring no one will be able to enter or leave until I lift the spell.”

"Wait, hold up,” I say, stopping and trying to process his words. “Let me get this straight, you have magic? And you spelled my mates to keep them from coming to get me?"

"Surprise!" he exclaims, sending a ball of fire flying into the nearest tree.

“And Liam, my mate, is under some kind of spell, most likely from Neira and Sabine, who you’ve implied are now at the pack with him?”

Anger rages through me at the thought of my mate being spelled. Josh widens his eyes, taking a hesitant step away from me. “Uh, maybe…”

Oh, hell fucking no! I narrow my eyes and glare at him, my fury towards Neira rising beyond its boiling point. “Let's get back. It seems I have to throw out the trash.” I smirk cruelly, embracing the anger and magic as it rages within me. Time to show that bitch what fucking happens when she messes with what’s mine.