Chapter 496

Ariel moves ahead of Jesse, quietly opening the bedroom door and then the front door, clearing the way. Jesse passively bids Jackson and Marigold goodnight as he goes, but his mind is distracted. He doesn’t even see if Marigold is still awake.

Instead, he just keeps his eyes on the grass in front of him, aiming for Midnight’s new little cabin, wondering what the hell he’s supposed to do now – what he can say to convince his little mate to trust them, to free her wolf of the darkness.

“Oh!” says a surprised voice.

Jesse whips his head up and stops in his tracks, his eyes fastening on the red-headed young woman standing in the path before him, a basket over her arm.

Midnight opens her eyes, turning her gaze towards the girl, a growl sounding in her chest.

Jesse just…freezes. Completely without anything to say for one of the first times in his life.

“Um,” Daphne says, her worried eyes flicking between Jesse’s face and the sad little demon in his arms. “I’m so sorry – I didn’t mean to intrude – I was just…Cora asked me to leave some prototype designs in her new house so I…I’m…I’m so sorry…”

She blushes furiously, her shoulders going up around her ears as she looks down at her basket.

“Be gone, whore,” Midnight snarls, her voice deep and vicious.

“Midnight!” Jesse gasps, coming back to himself, hoisting her higher in his arms and snapping his eyes down to see that she’s gone full shadow ghoul again, with pits for eyes and that hollow of a mouth leaking clouds of shadow. “Apologize, right now! You’re being so rude –“

Daphne gives a little squeak of terror and turns, rushing off for the castle.

“Hey!” Jesse barks out, glaring down at Midnight, his arms tightening around her. “You are not allowed to be mean to her –“

Midnight’s shadows fade, her face turning back to normal, and she turns her grief-filled little face up to him. “But she’s a whooore.”

He glares down at her, livid. “She’s lovely. And an employee of this Academy! You are not allowed to terrorize her just because you’re –“

He cuts himself off abruptly, his wolf nipping him in his soul, angry in turn that he’d be so cruel to his tiny mate when she’s having such a rough time already.

Midnight sighs, a few tears leaking from her eyes, and rests her head back against his chest. “I’m sorry,” she whispers. “My instinct is to hate the whores.”

“She’s not a whore,” Jesse sighs, shaking his head as he continues on the path to the little cottage, his wolf howling and sniffing the air, searching for more traces of Daphne. But still, he knows that even if she was frightened that she’ll be all right. Right now, he needs to get Midnight to bed. “At least we know your shadows still work, even when you’ve had a little of your corruption cleared.”

“Oh,” Midnight says, going a bit stiff with surprise in his arms, her eyes going wide. “I…I guess we do.”

Midnight barely sleeps, tossing and turning in the bed, her wolf’s sad and desperate little howls echoing in her mind. She groans, pressing the heels of her palms in against her eyes, wrapping her shadows around her for comfort as she’s always done. Still, she doesn’t allow herself to slam the mental door on her wolf’s pain, forcing herself to witness it.

Her wolf sinks deeper and deeper in the corruption, devastated and afraid, her pretty white fur soaking up the darkness like a feather in ink.

Midnight bites her lip at this, horrified because…

Well, because she never even knew her wolf had white fur. Always, always that fur has been black.

But…had she been born that way?

Or has she always been a beautiful cream-colored wolf, only stained with years and years of corruption in darkness?

Finally, after hours of tossing, when her wolf finally loses her last grip and sinks back into the oil, Midnight sits straight up in bed and whips the blanket off.

Jesse, asleep curled up in an arm chair in the corner with a pillow tucked beneath his head, gasps awake at the sudden noise. “What?” he asks, frantic, looking around. “What’s wrong?”

“Jesse,” Midnight says, her voice trembling and scared. “I – we need to go to Ariel. Right now.”

Jesse goes still for a moment but then reaches out his hand. “All right,” he says, steady and serious. “Let’s go.”

A few minutes later, Jesse and Midnight push open the door to Ariel and Jackson’s new little house, the hinges creaking just a little. Jesse stands straight in surprise when he sees Jackson curled on the couch, Marigold sleeping peacefully tucked in next to him, a book open in his hands. “What the hell are you doing up?” Jesse asks, his brow wrinkling.

Jackson just looks at him with equal confusion. “What the hell are you doing here?”

Jesse just stares at him for a second and then nods down at Midnight. “She wants to see Ari.”

“Ari’s asleep,” Jackson says, frowning a little and folding the book shut. Jesse smirks when he sees the upside down title: From Bond to Baby: A Month-by-Month Guide to Wolf Pregnancy. “Can it wait till morning? She needs more sleep now.” Jackson taps the cover.

“Um,” Midnight says, her voice high and humming. “No, please. I mean. I don’t want to hurt the pups but…” she bites her lip. “I think…I think my wolf needs her now.”

Jesse reaches an arm out, wrapping it around Midnight’s shoulders and tugging her close. “It won’t hurt the pups.” He looks up at Jackson, eyes pleading.

Jackson nods, lifting his chin towards the bedroom door.

Jesse and Midnight nod their thanks to Jackson and then pass into the bedroom. Jesse leans close to Ariel as Midnight presses the door shut behind them, giving her a little nudge on the shoulder. “Ari,” he whispers.

Ariel gasps and then shrieks, whipping up an arm and smacking him hard in the face. Jesse groans, clutching his jaw, turning away.

“Jesse!” Ariel hisses, sitting up amongst the pillows, pressing a hand to her fast-beating heart. “What the hell are you doing here!?”

Jesse just groans, pointing at Midnight.

Midnight comes close, her hands balled up into fists and pressed to her chest. “Please, Ariel,” she says, her eyes round and brilliant with tears. “I – I need you to clear my wolf. Please, she’s so sad – she just wants to be warm.”

Ariel groans in turn, smoothing a hand over Midnight’s hair and nodding to her. “All right, kid,” she whispers, patting the bed. “Climb up here. We’ll do it right now.”

A few minutes later, safely in Jesse’s soul, Ariel looks up at the man in question, who still clutches his jaw. “You know I know that doesn’t hurt here, right?” she says, poking at his hand. “Our bodies are just metaphorical here.”

Jesse grumbles but drops his hand, sending her a little glare before setting off towards the edge of his soul, where he knows Midnight is waiting. Ariel smiles a little, forgiving Jesse his bad temper, knowing he’s just worried for his mate.

When they reach the edge of his soul, both Midnight and her wolf are waiting, her wolf sunk deep into the muck but her eyes just as bright and eager as the girl’s.

“You’ve thought about this, Mids?” Ariel calls, hands on her hips. “Because, I mean…there’s no going back, I think.”

“I – I think that I’m sure,” Midnight says, glancing down at her wolf, who gargles a little growl of consent. “You cleared a little of the oil before, and I was still able to use my shadows completely – scared the crap out of Daphne –“

“What!?” Ariel gasps, whipping her head to glare at Jesse.

“Please, can we discuss that another time?” Jesse asks, looking down at his cousin with a great deal of exhaustion in his eyes. “I’m not defending her but yes, her shadows seemed…on full display.”

“Okay,” Ariel says, shrugging and conjuring up her fire, letting it grow fast and brilliant. “Let’s get this started.”

When the fire is big enough Ariel presses it out towards the darkness between their souls. As before, Midnight’s wolf gives an eager howl, pressing forward towards the light and the warmth, wanting it badly. And as before, the oil starts to fade from her fur, drying up and flaking off or evaporating, revealing the creamy fur beneath.

Midnight watches eagerly, happiness ringing through, warmth starting to make itself known in her soul for the first time since…well, ever, she supposes. She just…didn’t know it was supposed to feel like this.

But eventually, the progress stops. The wolf continues to press forward, wanting the warmth, but the large pit of oil remains, and the oil stops drying just at the back of her little ears. The wolf gives a howl of regret, wanting more.

“What is it?” Midnight asks, suddenly afraid, looking between her wolf and Ariel, at the fire between them. “What’s wrong?”

“Mids,” Ariel calls, hesitating. “I – I’m not sure I can get further or make it burn any hotter. I mean, I’m not in your soul with you – I was in Gabriel’s soul when I cleared him.”

Ariel bites her lip, anxious and a little panicked, wanting to help Midnight and not knowing what to do.

Midnight starts to cry, little tears slipping down her cheeks.

A beat passes in silence.

Jesse steps forward.

“Here, Ari,” Jesse says, his voice firm and steady. “Can you pass the fire to me?”

“What?” she asks. But seeing the determination in him, Ariel stops hesitating and does as he asks, first shrinking the flame down to about the side of a basketball and then passing it into his hands, their unique bond allowing her to share.

Jesse gives her a little smile and then turns back to Midnight. “Okay, Mids,” he calls. “Get ready. I’m coming over.”

Ariel sucks in a deep breath as a silvery bridge begins to appear in the darkness between Jesse’s soul and Midnight’s. As Jesse accepts the bond.

Midnight cries harder as the bond snaps into place, relief swelling through her.

Jesse exhales slowly as he steps onto the solid bond, beginning to cross.