Retiring

Damon decided to have a funeral dinner at his home, and so, after each person was satisfied with their goodbyes to Loren, they began to meet up with London and Amber who waited at the entrance of the cemetery. But I was not ready to leave just yet, and so Damon asked London and Amber to take everyone back to his home while he waited with me. She said something sassy at first, but after an argument, and a sad look from me, she agreed.
"You look like you have a lot on your mind." He said once we were completely alone.
I nodded yes, paused for a moment, and then asked, "Did you... Know. About Macy, that is?"
He shook his head no and said sincerely, "Honestly, Macy had been human all her life. I'm just as stunned as you are. Do you think Andrew might have turned her or something?"
I shook my head no and looked up at him. "I don't think so, no. Otherwise, she would have attacked everyone there, from Landon to Jared. Instead, she only went after Loren. Besides, she didn't smell like she was a werewolf when she arrived. My guess is that she's been a werewolf for quite some time, and she's been hiding it this whole time with suppressants which must have worn off after we took her from Andrew."
He then brought up the most crucial question yet: why Macy did it.
I paused for a while, scratch the back of my neck and then said, "I suspect she's been working with the man who sent Andrew after me... The man who made me a Vixen."
Damon's eyes widened and he said, "So, Loren was right. Who is he?"
And when he asked that I stared up at him terrified, and almost shaking. I never spoke his name out loud, and I was not sure I was ready to come clean to Damon about everything regarding my past, heck, I didn't even know what he and I were at this moment. So, I just looked down and said, "The devil himself."
Damon caught on by my soft, shaky voice that I did not wish to talk further about him. "Well, I'm sure we can all help you catch him."
I bit at my lip and sighed. "No, because I am retiring."
"What?!" He seemed to be beyond shocked as he lifted my chin to look at him.
"I'll speak about it when we get back to the others," I said, taking one last glance at the patch of soil.
"Let's go back to them." And then I began walking. But Damon did not seem satisfied and grabbed onto my hand, forcing me to turn back to him.
"Don't tell me you're leaving me again? After all of this, Jasmine? Haven't we cleared the air yet and had enough experimental space from each other? This mess is as much mine as it is yours, Macy is my friend to, and if she's after you, then that automatically means she's after me to. I have as much right to avenge Loren as you do, even more so. So, don't shut me out again and go off on your own." He was, at first, quite stern and firm as he spoke and then, suddenly, his tone changed. "Look, Jasmine. I will not get involved at all in places you don't want me to be involved. I will keep away from the man who turned you into a Vixen. But one thing I have to be involved in is finding Macy. So please, I'm not asking for you to do anything drastic, I'm just asking if you'll allow me to help you. I want us to do this together."
I stared at him, stunned for a moment. I had not expected such words from him at all. Especially because they seemed quite logical and mature, and because for once in his life, he actually had a point. Macy was as much his problem as she was mine, and he did have a valid reason to seek vengeance for Loren's death. Besides, Andrew was gone which meant I'd only need to focus on the two. If Damon focused on Macy, it gave me a better chance on trying to focus on Lucien.
And so, after much contemplation, I agreed.
Damon smiled and said, "Miss Spectra, you will not be disappointed."
He then paused, as if he wanted to say something more, but decided against it, shaking his head and holding a hand out for me. I took it in mine, and we walked away from the cemetery back to his home. The walk was silent, but comforting, and by the time we reached the gates of his extraordinary mansion, I found myself regretful that we would now have to be around so many people.
When we reached the door, I was surprised to see a familiar old man standing in the doorway with a small smile on his wrinkled face. It was the same butler who'd opened the door for me the day I'd come here as per Landon's request.
"Master Michaels, it is a pleasure to have you back." He said warmly.
"Thank you, Chester."
The butler I now discovered was Chester turned to me. He seemed as though he were about to greet me, when my eyes caught his. Immediately his brows furrowed in realization. "Goodness! Your eyes... Forgive me if I'm mistaken but, are you the young lady dressed in black who came here to visit the Master all those years ago? What did you address yourself as again," he then placed his finger under his chin in contemplation for a moment before uttering, "ah yes, a Vixen?"
Immediately I smiled and nodded. "You have great eyes, and an outstanding memory sir! I can't believe you'd recognise me after all these years."
He chuckled and stepped to the side, allowing us to enter before saying, "Eyes as beautiful as yours are quite difficult to forget."
Damon shook his head as he led me into the house and said, quite sternly to the old man, "Chester, I'd appreciate it if you did not flirt with my mate."
Chester stared at us both in amazement and gasped, "Your mate, sir. She is your mate? That's splendid! And apologies for my words, sir."
It seemed that Chester, although human, knew about the little secret Damon kept.
As soon as we reached the stunning dining room my eyes caught sight of Landon and Jared who conversed as they sat next to each other.
"That was fast," I whispered to Damon and then subtly pointed towards Landon and Jared.
He chuckled and led me to a seat next to him. "Landon was never one for holding grudges. And I guess with the death of Loren, Jared has figured out that it's better to have your loved one near than keep them a distance away, even if it is to protect them."
So that was the reason Jared rejected Landon? I couldn't say that I did not understand the concept. I was, however, glad to see that the two were beginning to turn over a new leaf. It seemed promising, especially from the gorgeous goofy little smiled they wore. In fact, I swore I'd never seen a couple as absolutely goofy and perfect as they were, and they had the entire table ogling at the clear chemistry bouncing between them.
The food arrived after a while, brought in by numerous men and women who set the silver platters upon the grand mahogany table. Within the next few minutes, the table was filled with everything from roast chicken and potatoes to grilled fish and glazed apples. It looked like a feast fit for an entire royal family, and once again, I was in awe of the wealth Damon possessed.
However, unlike everyone who gobbled and scoffed down the food, I found myself without an appetite as I prepared myself for the announcement I was to make at the end of dinner.
"What's the matter?" Damon asked, after taking a sip of wine from a glass rimmed with a gold band.
"Nothing... I'll eat later." I said.
He didn't seem convinced, but made no move to question me.
Once dinner was over and everyone at the table looked just about ready to roll over, I cleared my throat and tugged at the cuff of Damon's shirt. He looked at me, and nodded, so I stood up, and yelled loudly, "Can I have your attention, please?"
Soon, everyone had their eyes fixed on me in anticipation, and I looked down nervously, took a breath, then began.
"The first time I met you all I was still a naive girl who knew nothing about being a werewolf. But you all helped me every step of the way. You gave me a home, a family and a purpose and opened my eyes to helping other people. For that, I will be eternally grateful. I've loved every moment being a part of your group and being 'The Vixen'." I then paused a moment, collecting myself, before continuing. "But unfortunately, I am going to have to figuratively hang up my cape."
As soon as I said this, the entire room went in uproar with a series of "what!", "no, you can't!" and "what are we supposed to do without you!"
I smirked and said, "Look, everyone, this has now shifted from your responsibility to mine. Andrew is now dead and out of your lives, but unfortunately for me, it seems the man who hired him was someone I once knew. And now that he has revealed himself to me, he and Macy, I suspect, will be coming solely after me. So, I don't want you all getting yourself involved in this unnecessarily. The man after me is truly a force not to be reckoned with, and he does have the resources and the ability to end you all. So, for your sake, and the sake of the continuation of this organisation, I urge you to move on from this. You all do such meaningful work. You are truly making a difference to the lives of others, and I want you to continue to do so."
Jared then stood up; sadness clear on his face. "So, are you asking us all to just forget you?"
I shook my head no and gave a smile. "No, what I'm asking is for you to all allow me to retire in peace, so that I can finally end this game between me and the devil I once made a deal with. And then maybe when it's all over... just maybe I can put on my cape again. But for now, I need to keep it hidden away."
Jared stayed silent for a while, and then asked another question, "But what if you need help?"
"She has me." Damon said sternly. This seemed to be enough for Jared, and he nodded and then sat back next to Landon who gave a sly glance between the two of us.
"So then... does that mean we'll need to find replacements for both Loren and Jasmine?" Cody asked curiously.
"Not replacements," said Yuki, warningly. Cody held his hands up in surrender.
"But yes," she continued, "we will need to recruit two other members worthy enough to fill the absence of our greatest seductress, and our ruthless slaughterer. They need to be werewolves dedicated to bring pride to what we do, just as Loren and Jasmine did." She shot me a smile, which I returned warmly.
"Well then it's settled. This will be our last meal with Jasmine... for now!" Viktor said, raising a mug of beer. The others soon joined in with all of us, London and Amber included, raising their glasses. Even I raised a glass of water.
"To Jasmine and Loren. Two amazing women who did us all proud and gave us all a run for our money with regards to their lethal skill sets. May Loren's soul be granted eternal peace and may Jasmine finally find the son of a bitch who keeps on destroying her life and give him fucking hell!" Viktor yelled this out, clearly almost drunk out of his head. We all let out a howl, and then smashed our glasses together. Many of them shattered, spilling all of the contents onto the table and eventually onto the smooth, beige carpeted floors. Damon chuckled- I suspected he too was drunk- and so did London while the rest of us stared quietly at the mess that was made.
"The fucking carpets!" Both siblings yelled simultaneously, and then burst into laughter, falling to the ground eventually. Everyone shot Landon a questioning look, hoping he could shed some light on the odd little performance that was taking place. He sighed and placed his fingers on the bridge of his nose as he shook his head. "It's an inside joke... let's just say, their father loved these carpets dearly. Every time someone spilled anything on them, he'd growl and yell out, 'The fucking carpets!’"
Although no one truly did understand the humor of the inside joke, it did its job to lighten the mood and, in a matter of seconds everyone had joined in the fit of laughter Damon and London were in. As I stared around at the happy faces, all I could do was think to myself what a miracle it was that although we had all just suffered incredible loss and sorrow, we still managed to laugh like this... as though we all had a chance to pick ourselves back up and try living just one more time. Perhaps living would not kill us just yet...
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A big hello, and a belated Happy Halloween to all of you! This chapter had its fair share of ups and downs and even featured a 100% approved, semi-drunk Damon. All-in-all I think I did a decent job and hope you enjoyed reading this chapter as much as I did writing it!
Sending you all my love! Stay safe and healthy!