Chapter 18

**Jinx Willow's P.O.V.**

I sit up, breathing heavily from the nightmares, once again. It's a nightly ritual and yet, I still wake up, searching for them in the corners of my room. A soft tap on the door jars me from my thoughts and I throw off my blankets, getting up out of the bed. I readjust my fitted grey tank top that's soaked through with sweat, opening the door to find Derric. His eyes are rimmed with red, his pupils flashing between colors.

"I felt you," Derric murmurs "Why were you so frightened? What's wrong?"

"Just a nightmare," I say tiredly "I'm okay. Go back to bed. I was planning on getting up anyhow."

"That's ridiculous," Derric says softly "It's only midnight. You only slept an hour."

"It's okay," I say softly, shrugging my shoulders "It wouldn't be the first time. I'll survive."

"Not happening," Derric murmurs "Grab some clean pajamas."

I stare at him and Derric crosses his arms.

"Now," Derric murmurs "Come on."

I huff, turning and retreating back into my room. Derric follows, watching as I grab a clean bra, underwear, sweats, and a tank top. He wraps his arm around my waist, guiding me to his room. Once in his room, he flicks on the bedroom light and disappears into a door off to the left. I look around the room, peering at the grey sheets and black comforter. I look at a picture of a wolf surrounded by fog with wolves of various colors trailing behind it.

"A witch I saved painted it for me," Derric says "You wouldn't think she'd be so accepting of werewolves after being tortured by them for years but when I saved her, she remained close to the pack. She created a coven on the boundaries and her coven actually helps with concealing us from other werewolves."

"Really," I say softly "So, she's technically a High Priestess?"

"Per se," Derric says, shrugging "She's coming tomorrow to help with the gigantic mess we're in. Apparently, witches are going missing, too. She's been attempting to get in touch with the vampire's Sire's to find out if they're experiencing the same issues but getting in touch with vampires tends to be very challenging."

"Makes sense," I say softly "Does she have a mate?"

"Witches call it their other half," Derric says "And not yet. She stays relatively concealed so she doesn't get out much unless it's to come help here with something or within her coven."

"Oh," I say softly "How often do you see her?"

"Every week," Derric says, shrugging "She gives me advice on how to deal with the rapidly increasing numbers of my pack."

I nod, returning my gaze to the painting.

"Come," Derric says "I ran a bath for you. Take your time, relax. Come out when you're ready."

I nod as he guides me into the bathroom, exiting and closing the door behind himself. I strip out of my sweat soaked pajamas and sit down in the bathtub, sighing as the hot water soothes over my skin, relaxing me. I lean back, closing my eyes as I allow my mind to wander. I think about the endless nights of praying to the Moon Goddess and the voices inside my mind, begging me to help them, to save them. I allow myself to relax, sliding under the water and soaking my hair. Once the water has turned cold, I step out, wrapping a towel around my hair and drying off my body. Once I've dried off, I put on the black sweatpants, the grey fitted tank top, and the black lace boyshorts and matching bra. I open the door, releasing my hair from the towel and rubbing it dry before pulling it all to the side.

"Leave it," Derric says, rolling on his stomach to look at me "It looks good like that."

I blush, smiling shyly and releasing my hair from the start of a braid.

"Come here," Derric says "Feel better?"

"A little," I say "It was calming to know I was safe. I relaxed and just thought."

"Good," Derric says "What did you think about?"

"My prayers to the Moon Goddess," I say "And the hellhounds voices in my mind."

Derric sits up on the edge of the bed, holding out his arms.

"You hear their voices," Derric says, curiously "I thought they could only hear yours, not the other way around."

I shake my head.

"Nope," I say "I can hear yours, too. And the bloodhounds and the hounds. It's how I converse with them all and know what they're worried about before they voice it. It helps when it comes to bloodhounds or hellhounds."

"Wow," Derric says "So, you hear all of their voices?"

"Every single one," I say "When I first started coming into my abilities, I thought I was going crazy. But the night that I shifted, it's like something in me snapped and I knew what to do and how to do it. I knew my connection with you was different, though. Whenever you were angry, I would start to feel anxious and I'd just keep saying "it's okay, it's okay" until I calmed down."

"I would hear it," Derric says, smiling "It always calmed me down."

I smile.

"So," Derric says "Did you know my name or anything?"

"No," I say, shaking my head "I only knew that the connection with you was different from my connection to the hellhounds, bloodhounds and hounds."

"Wow," Derric says "How different is it?"

"They can't calm me down for one," I say "When I get angry, they feel fear. When they get angry, it's like there's this alarm that goes off inside my head and I automatically seek out the voice of the one that is angry and calm it down."

Derric looks shocked, not having known the information. I stifle a yawn.

"Come on," Derric says "Go to sleep."

"Derric," I say "I wake up screaming or vomiting. I don't think you want to see or hear that so I'll just go back to my ro-"

"Jinx," Derric says "You're my mate, not my pack member. I want you with me. So, stay."

I stare at him before relenting, nodding my head. Derric pulls back the comforter and I crawl onto his gigantic bed. He follows suit, pulling the blanket over the top of us and then wrapping his arms around me, tugging me into his large frame and surrounding me with warmth and a sense of safety that I've never felt before.