Chapter 554

When the bottle comes around to me I'm ready for it, taking my own long drink, but the boys have already moved on.

"Wait so," Jesse asks, eyes on Jackson, "how did you know how to do that?"noveldrama

Jackson sighs and gives a brief summary of his magic for Jesse's sake, and then elaborates for all of us. "When my magic first manifested as a kid, I just used to lay in bed with energy pounding through me - I couldn't sleep for weeks." He sighs, hanging his head and putting his forehead in his hand. "I got really skinny and was ravenous all the time - and no one had figured out what was up with my magic yet, so they didn't figure out that I needed a lot of food if I was going to burn energy like that. So, I just had to... work it out for myself. I would just lay in bed and focus on it and try to like...calm it down, talk nice to it like my friend Cristof did to me when I got upset."

He gulps a little then, hanging his head for a second, and I feel a wave of longing come across our bond. My heart breaks, my lips parting slightly when I realize that Jackson...misses his friend.

But my mate moves on quickly, raising his head again, not even looking at me or addressing the sudden, fleeting emotion.

"So," Jackson says with a shrug, looking at Jesse's gaze. "I know because I've been there. It's your magic though - just...keep in mind that it responds to you, and that you're in charge."

"I'm glad you were here, man," Jesse says, leaning back against the headboard and shaking his head. "These two," he says, pointing his thumb between Rafe and I, "were completely useless."

I squeak in protest, sitting up straight, even though he's right. Rafe just laughs, reaching for the whiskey bottle in my hands and raising it towards Jackson this time. "Seriously, man, thank the Goddess for you and your stupid obsession with my sister."

I squeak again before I scowl and try to snatch the whiskey away from him in revenge, but Jackson just smiles and nods to the two of them, clearly he glad he was here as well.

"So, is it going to happen again?" Jesse asks after a moment, looking anxiously down at his arms.

"Probably," Jackson sighs, taking the whiskey bottle from Rafe when he passes it and taking a swig. "But you'll get better and better at handling it." “Well, what if it happens in like...the middle of class..." Jesse murmurs, looking down at his limbs suspiciously like they might burst into shadow at any second.

"You'll deal," Jackson says with a shrug, easy and confident and unimaginative in the most useful way. I laugh a little, scootching closer to him and resting my head on his shoulder.

"Can you call it up now?" Rafe asks, curious.

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"Um, I think I'd rather not try," Jesse replies, still on edge. I take the bottle from Jackson's hands and hand it over to Jesse, who sends me a grateful flash of a smile. "I think want to... talk to my mom. If that's not the most pathetic thing you've ever heard."

"Your mom's a powerful sorceress," Rafe says with a happy shrug. "Much like my own. I think it makes a lot of sense - we can call them tomorrow."

"Yeah," Jesse says on a relieved

sigh. "I think that's...for the best." He

looks around at all of us. "Can you guys come for that call? It will be helpful to have you...help me explain."

"Of course we can," I say happily. "Why don't we skip breakfast, do that instead?"

Jackson's stomach grumbles a little already and I grin, looking up at him.

"Fine," I laugh. "We'll make a special request for breakfast to be sent up here, just this once."

"I'm sure they'll accommodate that," Rafe says, very assured that his princely demands will be obeyed. Our dads are everyone's bosses, anyway. "Cool," Jesse says on a deep exhale, looking down at his hands. "Okay. I feel...better."

We're all quiet for a long moment.

"Hey Jess?" I say quietly, leaning forward towards him, thinking that he might be a little more willing now to talk about it. "What do they...feel like? The shadows?"

He takes a moment and we all sit very still.

"It feels...very dark," Jesse murmurs.

"And I know that seems obvious

et

but... I don't know how else to describe it. But it feels...like an animal that's an extension of me. Not like my wolf – not sentient like that. But still an animal that it's my job to leash and control...like.a snake, or a panther, something that only comes out at night and is hungry and a little vicious." He shakes his head, frowning, trying to figure it out. "But it's also...soft and pliable. Like I can turn it into anything. And...warm?"