SWNOVELS Chapter 35
DEACON
“You can do it, hotness!” I yell. My voice travels around the open training gym.
Jenny turns to me and shakes her head.
Sam stands with her hands on her hips. “Deacon. I get you want to support, but you need to cheerlead quietly or I’ll have to ask you to leave.”
I nod sharply. “Got it. Sorry. Lips sealed. Sorry…Sorry, baby…” I shut my mouth and make like I’m locking my lips. Having a magical girlfriend is so fucking sexy, I swear I’m barely able to contain my excitement over this. The fantasies I’ve had. Oh my God.
“It's OK.” She says as she turns back around.
“I love you.” I grin.
“I love you too.”
“Jenn. Take your crystal and try to hit the target.” Sam lines her up with a target at a distance and Jenny takes her red crystal in her hand. It glows and she concentrates.
“Do it…” I whisper as I wait in anticipation.
She raises her hand and focuses on the cut out of a man.
“Breathe, feel and release.” Sam instructs.
I watch a purple ball form in her hand and it fires out, blasting the cut out, tearing it to pieces.
“WOOO! YEAH!” I jump in the air.
“I did it!” She whips around, runs and jumps at me.
“Beautiful shot!” I hug her and spin her around. I grab her head and kiss her deep.
Sam clears her throat and we both turn to her. “It was good. More training will help with control and then we’ll work the speed. In a fight, you won’t have time to hesitate.”
“I don’t know about fighting.” She shakes her head.
Sam leans to her. “Training will also get that confidence back. You have it in you, I will help you find it.”
“Sure.” Jenny nods.
She doesn’t sound convinced at all.
“Baby, you’ll be the best damn fighter we have.” I wrap my arm around her shoulder. “With Sam teaching magic, and me teaching combat, you'll rock this place.” I grin.
“You think so?” She squeaks.
“I know so. Now, is she done?” I look to Sam.
“For today. I want you back after the moon. First thing.” Sam orders.
Jenny smiles. “Yes ma'am.” She gives the most precious salute I’ve ever seen.
“OK. After the moon. Let’s go.” I grab Jenny’s hand and walk out. “About the moon. I’m thinking…I want to introduce you to the pack at the ball.”
She stops. “The pack? Oh, I don’t think…”
I can feel her anxiety rising. “Baby, it will be fine. I’m right there with you and you don’t have to say a thing. Just look beautiful and I’ll tell them formally they have a new Luna. It’ll be 10 minutes, tops.”
“Um…Okay.” She turns and I hold her again.
“You will have absolutely nothing to worry about. This will be the most perfect night ever.” I grin to her and she gives a little smile.
“Where do you think you’re going?”
We stop dead as the 11 Lunas walk in the door with Lana at the head. She has a leg kicked out and her arms crossed. She smirks and Jenny gulps.
I lean to her. “I think you’re in trouble.”
Her eyes widen as she looks at me and I smile and nod to her.
****
JENNY
“Bye, Baby! I love you! Have fun!”
“Uh…OK…” I stammer as the Lunas kidnap me for what they call the traditional blue moon shopping trip.
I’m completely surrounded by high energy women and I’m extremely overwhelmed.
“OK. So you look like a summer. I’m thinking yellow or like a pale green.” Lana says as she flips through pictures on her phone.
“That sounds nice…”
“Yellow will drown her out. We want her to be radiant. She has to match Deacon.” Trinity says.
“Oh, I guess maybe…” I try to answer, but keep getting interrupted.
“With the color of her tan, blue might be nice. Maybe pink.” Saysha says.
“How about a nice beige.” Lainey says.
“Boring.” Taylor snorts. “No. It needs to be showy and sexy.”
“S-Showy?” I swallow.
“Black is sexy. Especially on blondes.” Lucy smirks.
“Actually, I have a…”
“Black is over done. She needs to be unique.” Lana says. “Aqua.”
“You always choose aqua.” Adeline says.
“It’s a fabulous color and reminds me of water.” She smiles.
“This is Jenny’s dress, not yours, Lana.” Sam tilts her head to her.
“I know, but we could be dress twins.” She grins.
“I know what I…” Getting a word in edgewise with these women is like pulling teeth!
“Lana. There’s nothing more tacky than showing up at a party in the same dress.” Trinity lifts her chin as he walk through the mall.
“It’s not tacky! It’s fun. Who cares what people think.” Lana snips.
“But…” I say as I hold a finger up.
“No. Look Deacon is energetic and fun. The dress Jenny chooses has to match that. Now, come on. Pick a color.” Lucy looks around the Lunas.
I feel a little bubble build in me and it’s being pushed up by frustration. I stop, close my eyes and let that bubble out.
“I know what I want!!” I open my eyes to 11 sets of eyes looking at me. I'm panting just a little as I fight my embarrassment for asserting myself.
Sam walks up to me. “OK. It’s OK.” She calms me down. “We're sorry, Jenny. Of course. It’s your dress, you tell us what you want.” She's really good at this calming thing.
I blow out a breath. “I want purple.”
“Purple.”
“Yes. It’s Dea’s favorite color.” I twist my fingers together as I cope with being the center of attention.
The Lunas circle me, look me over and look at each other.
“IT'S PERFECT!” They shout, making me yelp and jump. They all giggle, grab me and take me to the dress shop.
After trying on several, I finally found one I think Deacon will love. It’s a flowing, lavender purple dress with crystals lining under the bodice cups. It ties around my neck and has a very Greek look with pleated, fabric falling from in between my breasts.
“Well?” Lana says.
“I love it!” I bounce on the stool and clasp my hands together in front of my nose.
“Deacons gonna be putty in your hands.” Trinity smirks.
“Well, I wouldn’t go that far. I’m pretty much putty in his.” I chuckle.
“Trust me, Jenn. We bring the heat, not the other way around.” Lucy crosses her arms and bounces her brows. “With this dress, he’ll be on his knees.”
I giggle and twist my hips, flailing the dress out around me.
“You know what would be so cool with that dress?” Taylor says as she looks at her phone.
“What?”
She turns her phone to me. “These.”
I lean forward and fix my glasses. “Contacts?”
“Purple contacts.” She grins mischievously.
My eyes meet hers as she nods and the others nod in agreement.
“Do it.” Lana smirks.
“I…Really? I don’t know. That’s not exactly normal.” I point to the phone.
“Jenn, it’s the blue moon. The most special day of the year. It’s good to go all out. Deacon will love it.” Trinity reassures.
“Uh…OK…I’ve never worn contacts before.” I say as I step off the stool.
“Get that off and we’ll head to the glasses shop. They’ll tell you how to do it.” Sam instructs.
“OK. I’m trusting you guys.” I nervously look around the group.
Lana throws an arm around me. “This will be wicked!” She giggles like we’re about to do something bad.
“If you say so.” I gulp.
After shopping for shoes, getting my eyes fitted for contacts, and deciding hair and make up, we finally settle for food.
“So, another witch on the team. Awesome.” Lucy says as she sucks on her straw.
“Not witches. Sorcerers.” Sam corrects. “Jenn has the talent of natural magic.”
“It’s my sister’s magic. I just am able to integrate it into my body because she was my twin.” I pick at my salad.
“I’m sorry for you loss.” Lainey says in a monotone voice.
“Thank you. It does kind of hurt how it turned out. I wish I could’ve known her. I feel like if we grew up together, she wouldn’t have turned out the way she did.” I glance around the table.
“The circle isn’t a place for a non magical being. Trust me. There’s lots of enemies that would love to get their hands on you.” Sam informs.
“What? Now?” My brows shoot up.
Sam glances at me. “Now that you’re the keeper of the secret, I suppose you would be a target.”
“I don’t like that!” I drop my fork and feel panic set in.
Lana puts her hands on my arm and shoulder. “It’s OK. Look. All of us have skills to fight. Deacon is an awesome fighter. They would have to get through a wall of us to get to you.”
Sam leans on the table. “Exactly. Now that we have control back, the security around it will be immense. Azriel and the council won’t let what happened to Cedric occur again. Don’t worry. You’ll be safe and protected.” She sits back up. “Now that the Shaman has broken his accord with the council, he's lost all rights to the vault. It’s ours now.” The corner of her mouth ticks up.
“So I control it?” I ask.
“Yes. Being the keeper means you have all the control to say what happens to it and who has access. As long as you hold that key, no one can touch it. So, keep it safe.” She warns.
“I’ve never had this much responsibility before.” I mumble.
“The room wouldn’t have chosen you if it didn’t think you couldn’t protect it, Jenny. It trusts you.” Sam arches a brow.
“Well, I’ve always tried to protect books.” I say quietly.
“And who better to protect the world’s most special books, than a librarian.” Damica smiles.
“I guess I can’t argue with that.” I smile back.
“K. Enough about weird rooms. Tell us what Deacons like.” Lana bounces in her seat.
The table giggles and my cheeks heat.
“Deacons…different.” I say cautiously.
“They’re all different.” Lucy waves me off. “We want the dirt.”
I heat more. “Surprisingly, there’s not much. He’s fun and spontaneous, but he can really be soft and quiet when he wants to be.”
“Isn’t weird how that happens? It’s like they’re one way all day, but when they get home, it’s like they turn into this different person. At least, that’s what I feel like with Ash.” Adeline says.
“Ash babies you at work too. We see it.” Carmen says.
“He does. It’s hard believing I’m not helpless. I can’t fault him for caring.” Adeline sips her cup.
“I think when Dea realized who I was, it was like he knew how to handle me. I mean, at first, he was scary and loud, but then he was so attentive to how I was feeling, he always makes sure I’m as comfortable as I can be, but I do admit, I need to work on being scared all the time. I just have so many insecurities.” I sip my straw and avoid eye contact.
“You don’t have to be insecure with us. All of us have some sort of hang up.” Saysha says. “But we all respect and love each other. We help each other feel better.”
“I know you do. I just need time to adjust to all this.” I say.
“Guys.” Lucy leans in. “I don’t want to freak you out, but we’re being stared at.”
Sam looks around. “Who?”
“There’s a girl a few tables over. Ripped jeans and black crop top. She’s looked over at us like she’s watching us.” Lucy whispers.
I side eye the girl of maybe 20. She has long black hair and dark eyes. Even though she’s pretty, she gives me the chills. There’s something off about her. She has this look like she doesn’t belong here. I know I’m the last person to say something like that, but maybe that’s why I feel it from her.
She stands up and a chain falls out of her shirt. I can’t see properly, but there was something red hanging from it. She grabs it, looks around quickly and tucks it back in her shirt. She walks briskly out of the area disappears into the crowded mall.
“Weird.” I say low.
The Lunas get comfortable again.
“OK. So…Tell us. How’s Deacons ‘performance’?” Lucy smirks as she makes quotes with her fingers.
They all lean forward resting their chins in their hands. They blink at me as I turn redder than an apple.
“Uh…” I say with a shaky voice.