Chapter 653

Daphne grins at Jesse, laughing at something else he's said and reaching for the last cookie in the sleeve when...

She turns, a little shocked, towards the little tiny clock on the mantlepiece in the room that rings three times.

"No way," she whispers, her mouth falling open as she turns wide eyes back to Jesse. "There's no way we stayed up until three in the morning."

"I am very fascinating, Daphne," Jesse murmurs, sleepy and smug, stretching his hands behind his head and lacing his fingers there. "Do not doubt my powers of keeping someone up late into the night talking about...absolutely nothing."

She laughs, shaking her head at him, but also sighs and stands, stretching her own arms.noveldrama

"Don't do it, Daph," Jesse murmurs, sighing and dropping his hands, reaching for his backpack. "I've probably got more cookies in here - we can pretend its ten o'clock."

“Jesse,” she says, laughing and shaking her head, putting her hands on her hips. "You have to sleep too."

"No I don't, Jackson has this cool new thing where he can just jolt energy into you," Jesse says, jabbing a finger into the air to demonstrate the method. "I'll just stay up all night -"

"Oh yeah?" Daphne asks, raising an eyebrow. "And does that work for mere mortals too, or just you magical types?"

Jesse scowls, staring up at her, but then sighs and gets to his feet. "Fine fine, woman, you win," he mutters, disappointed to see the night end. "Hey Jess," Daphne says, taking a step closer to him and folding her arms anxiously across her stomach. He turns to her in surprise, looking down into her face. "Um," she says, letting her eyes fall, "this was...really nice. Maybe we should do it again some -"

But suddenly she frowns, her head snapping to the right as she peers over the balustrade. "Did you hear that?

Jesse just stares at her, not giving a damn what's happening on the ground below, desperately wanting her to finish her question.

"No, seriously," Daphne says, glancing up at him and then moving to peer over the balustrade. "Is that..." she leans far forward, narrowing her eyes. "Is that Luca and Ariel? Coming in this late?"

"What?" Jesse asks, moving to stand next to her and looking himself. "Oh damn. I think it is."

"What on earth are they doing out there so late?"

"They might have the same question for us, if they knew we were spying on them like this," Jesse murmurs.

"Well, her skirt is all muddy," Daphne says with a smirk. "So, not too many questions about what they were doing all night."

Jesse just scoffs and then laughs, standing up straight to look at Daphne in surprise. "With Luca? No way."

"What are you talking about?" she asks, straightening and turning to him in turn.

"Ari is going to pick Jacks," Jesse says, crossing his arms over his chest. "It would kill him if he know she was out fooling around with Luca in the woods. She wouldn't do that to him."

"No way," Daphne says, leaning closer to peer into Jesse's face. "Luca and Ari have been in my room twice lately and they're so close - whenever she's with Jacks it's so... platonic! He barely touches or acknowledges her!"

"Because you only see them in the big group!" Jesse says, grinning at her, "when Jackson's on his best behavior!"

"Well, when is he not on his best behavior!?" Daphne counters.

“When he sleeps in her bed every night," Jesse says, his smile deepening as he plays his trump card. Daphne's mouth falls open, scandalized, as she turns back to the two figures walking quietly across the Castle lawn, Luca's arm around Ariel's shoulders and hers around his waist. "Well damn, Ari," Daphne murmurs, shaking her head. "Good for you, girl."

"I don't know," Jesse murmurs, shaking his head. "She still has to choose one. I thought Jackson had it locked but..." he shrugs, again casting out a hand towards the pair below.

"This whole choice thing is so stupid anyway," Daphne murmurs. "The goddess fated her both. She should get to keep both." She shrugs and turns away, remembering how late it is and the call to bed.

"Yeah, I think you're over-estimating how possible that is," Jesse says with a sigh. "Jacks and Luca are on okay terms right now but...forever?" he shrugs. "I don't see it happening."

"What, you couldn't share?" Daphne asks, mischief in her voice as she turns to Jesse at the door, watching as he puts what's left of the whiskey into his backpack and then lifts it over his shoulder.

"Share my mate?" Jesse asks,

pausing. And then, perhaps not meaning to he lets his eyes drift all

the way down Daphne's form and

back up in a way that makes bet

blush, imagining a very vivid scenario of precisely whom he would be sharing. "No," he says, locking eyes with hers at last.

"Absolutely not."

"Even if she - your mate - asked you? As a personal favor?" Daphne smirks here, playful. "Fulfilling the will of the Goddess?'

"You and your personal favors,

Daphne," Jesse murmurs, stepping

close

close enough for her to

et

catch a heavy whiff of his scent, which makes her eyes flutter half shut. Do me a favor, Jesse, and don't hit on me - just be my friend! Dome a favor, mate, and let me have a side piece! Honestly, Daph, do the demands never cease?"

Daphne bursts out laughing at this, blushing and turning towards the little glass door into the royal suite, pulling her keys out of her pocket and swiftly unlocking it. "Yeah, well, a girl only gets what she wants when she asks for it," Daphne murmurs, wondering for the millionth time what it really is that she wants.

Jesse nods, conceding the point, and follows Daphne across the suite, both of them silent and tired but still not wanting the night to end - not really. When they get to the wooden door that opens to the rest of the castle, though, Daphne pauses, sorting through her keys.

"Jesse,” she says quietly when he arrives next to her in the dark. She fiddles anxiously with her keys.

"Yeah?"

"Um."

When Daphne looks up at him, biting her lip, Jesse's wolf's legs go weak, his head lolling to the side as he gives a tender little howl - because they both know that they'll give her whatever she wants right now, any single god damn thing she asks for and he'll run to the end of the earth to get it. But Jesse doesn't let this show. Instead he just smiles and nods to her, encouraging her to ask.

"What if..." her cheeks flush bright red and she looks down at the keys in her hands. "What if I...retracted that particular personal favor?"

Jesse's heart stops dead in his chest.

She peeks up at him through his lashes. "What if I said...that...you know, if you wanted to, if you felt like it...you could...hit on me again. If...if you wanted to? Even just as a joke, like it was before."