Chapter 17

I enter a restaurant and look for a man with blonde hair and a leather jacket- just as described to me. I slide into the booth. He doesn't give me a second glance before he slides a file toward me. I open it without hesitation. As I read through the files, my confusion increased. "What the hell is this?" I ask him. "It's what you asked for. Not what you expected, huh? That's usually the reaction I get. People don't know others as well as they'd like to think," I don't look at him as I reread the file. 

"No, it's not that. I don't know Jason at all. I never needed to. The problem is that there technically doesn't seem to be one. I mean, there are a few suspicious things, but this is fairly simple and direct. I thought there would be a lot more complication to this," I finally spared the man a glance. "Tell me what you see," he says. I cock a brow, but I do as he says. 

"First off, Jason's adoption isn't a closed case at all. It gives his birth parents full names and his adoptive ones. The suspicious part is his birth parents' death. It says they were in a car accident and died on impact. Yet, there was no case or trial. There aren't any indications that the accident ever happened in the other file you gave me. 

--To make matters even more suspicious, his adoptive parents disappeared without a trace, yet there was never an investigation into that either. There aren't records dating back to any of his parents. It's as if they only existed for the adoption process and then vanished off the face of the earth. The basis of this file is fairly simple when you glance over it. But I don't understand. If none of this was an accident, which it clearly isn't, why wouldn't they cover their trail? Anybody can see straight through this. This process was clearly rushed. The latest thing that dates back to these folders is Jason's birth certificate.

-His mom gives birth, gives up days later, they die, and at the age of 18, his adoptive parents go missing and are never found. It's not even listed as a cold case. There's nothing else. I'm assuming you know how to get past this?"

He grins. "Of course," He throws me another paper. "Who is this?" I ask. "Trevor Benedict, a friend of Jason's adoptive parents. According to his records, he worked at the hospital where Jason's biological parents gave birth. Anything else on these people is either locked away or doesn't exist." He leans back and crosses his arms. "Of course, the other records exist. The government requires more records than that. For instance, their jobs. You can look deeper into this Trevor guy,"

He grins, "Of course I can. At a price," I scoff and roll my eyes. "This is you paying me back. There is no money exchange,"

"What you did for my other clients is equivalent to the information laid out in front of you. They paid for this. They've done their part. If you want more, you'll have to pay out of your own pocket." 

"How much?"

"One grand," my eyes practically fall out of my sockets. "You're joking," He stares at me expectantly. "The only way I'm paying that much money is if you get me everything on Trevor, figure out both of these fucking cases, and tell me where the fuck these people are. You and I both know that's not happening, so let's part ways right now," I take the files he gave me and stand to leave. "Let's not be hasty now," I pause and stare at him. "I didn't get laid tonight for this bullshit, so your next couple of words better make me gleam with joy or at least end my day on a good note," I glare at him. 

He pats the table, signaling me to sit back down. I do exactly that. "That could all be done at a lesser price, but that would also cost you," I don't say anything and wait. He continues, seeing I'm interested. "My parents are quite the naggers, and you're a respectable woman with a good-paying job. To get a nice cut of their money, I need a partner,"

"You've got to be fucking kidding me. What in the cliche plot is this? Hire somebody or some shit,"

"I need somebody I can trust. Who else can keep this secret and act it out other than someone reliant on me?" He smiles. "You could be part of the fucking mafia for all I know. I'm not agreeing to this blindly. But if I was hypothetically thinking about it: how much would you cut the pay?" His grin turns into a smile. "I'm not that devious, I can assure you. I'll take off 50%; 500 dollars."

That's very much in my pay range. "And how much info will I get out of 500 dollars?"

"Everything you asked for granted that you play this charade off for three months," This fucking man. "I will not be at your beck and call whenever you need a partner. I have a tight ass schedule."

"Is that a yes?"

"How did you get that out of everything I said? Anyway, it's not a definite no. I'll try other methods and then use you as a last resort."

"You've got a week. I need you in two. I'll be seeing you, Soren," he stands up and leaves. How the hell did I end up being the one left behind? How am I supposed to handle Jason, Sebastian, and the potential mafia dude? The question I have to ask myself is, how far am I willing to go for Jason? Does he deserve it? I groan and bang my head on the table, coming to terms with my decision. I'll have to tell Jason about this. I can't do this on my own. Somebody needs to know about this, and Jason is the only person I can talk supernatural to.

But he would never let me do this. I pull up my contacts and hover over Luke's. If there's anyone I can trust, it's Luke. I turn my phone off and decide to turn in for the night. I grab my things and leave.

-----

I walk into Jason's office and lock the door. I don't shut the blinds, so nobody thinks anything suspicious is happening. "We need to talk," Jason doesn't spare me a glance. "Not right now, Soren,"

"Ms. Heartfelt," I correct him. He pauses and gives me a long look before continuing his typing. "Send me a text when you're ready. It's important,"

"What is it about?" He asks. "I just wanted to share some information about the case with you. I'm still looking into it, but I've got a base. I also want to tell you something, but I'm unsure if I should."

"And why is that?" He continues to fiercely type. "Because you might get angry," he snickers. "When have you ever cared about that?"

"Good point. Let's say I happened to make a deal with a suspicious stranger to lessen the price on this case. What would you say?" I fiddle my fingers and await his response. He types for only a few more seconds before shutting his computer and giving me a death stare. "What the hell have you done?"

"Nothing! It was just a hypothetical situation. I don't want to go into this without backup. You don't want me to make stupid decisions, and I need somebody to talk to. Somebody that's not you because I need to be able to do things behind your back with a support system,"

Jason gives me a questioning stare. "There's so much happening in that sentence. What are you trying to get yourself into? Why are you doing anything behind my back?"

"That's not the point. The point is, can I tell Luke about everything?" Jason shortly and lowly growls at me. "Look, I'm going to go behind your back all the time anyway, so you might as well let me have someone to be my partner in crime,"

"I can protect you. If you would just tell me anything, we wouldn't be having this problem,"

"I would tell you things if you didn't tend to overreact and go all alpha male on me! We disagree on everything. So, to spare each other the headache, just let me do me,"

"If telling Luke will provide you comfort and relief, go ahead, but you are not to do anything without my say-so," I smile and gleam at him. "Perfect! I'll tell Luke everything. We'll make up a plan, and all of this will be over before you know it," Jason stands and quickly walks towards me. I hurriedly unlock the door. "That doesn't sound like you're going to consult me about anything," he locks the door again and traps me between him and the door. "I'll consult you when you're needed. Don't get your fur in a bunch. Luke is very responsible and sensible." Jason gives me a stare that says he doesn't believe a word I'm saying.

His gaze softens as it moves toward my neck. He reaches to touch the area where he left a mark but retracts his hand. I grab his hand before he settles it down. I put his hand on my neck. "The mark, it's gone," I nod my head. "It disappeared not too long after you left. It's as if the bite never happened. Do you... know why you did that?" I cautiously ask. Jason cups my neck and gives me a sorrowful look. "No, I wish I could give you a better answer. I just remember smelling something really good. I instinctively went to take a bite. The next thing I knew, you were under me, crying," His eyes look pained as he remembers that night.

"I never wanted to make you cry. I never wanted to hurt you. But I did, and you still stuck beside me. You calmed me down even when you were in so much pain. Even now, you're still looking into everything." He looks me in the eyes. I can't tell what he's thinking right now. A tingling feeling rolls down my neck where a bit me. I let out an unintentional moan. My heart flutters in my chest. My knees go weak and start to shake. "Are you okay?" Jason holds me up by my waist. "My neck, it's burning. Something is happening to me," I let out another breathy moan. My legs completely give out. Jason goes to carry me, but I stop him. "The blinds, they're open. We're in a blind spot right now. Just let me sink to the ground,"

Jason does as I say. He sits me on his lap and cradles me as a parent would a crying child. My face flushes, and I start to pant. "What are you feeling right now?" Jason asks me.

"Well, I'm definitely horny. That's for certain. I'm also in a lot of pain. Fuck, it's so damn hot." I whimper and start to fan myself. Jason's eyes widen as he stares at my neck. "Your neck, it's glowing," I instantly slap my hand on my neck and feel it heating up. "How bad does it look?" I cautiously ask him. "Too noticeable for you to leave. It's a bright red, outlining the bite I gave you," I grip Jason's shoulders and grit my teeth. I clench my thighs at the sudden ache between them.

"Jason, you need to leave," I strain to get the words out. He gives me an incredulous look. "You're too vulnerable right now. Not to mention, anything can happen to you," I groan in pain. I muffle my sounds in Jason's chest. "I'm literally going to jump your bones right now. It's very hard to resist my sexual urge right now. Clearly, this has something to do with this fucking bite. I don't know if you maybe injected me with some kind of toxin or whatever, but this is really bad." I look at Jason with pleading eyes. His eyes turn gold in almost an instant. I feel a raging boner on my thigh as Jason emits a low growl.

"Fuck, okay. Um, Jason, snap out of it!" I can't fight for both of us right now. I'm on the verge of collapsing. My body starts to hum. Jason's eyes flicker from deep blue to bright yellow. I clench my stomach and hunch over. A knock rams on the door. "I'm coming in!" Delilah's voice rings from the other side of the door. I'm about to deny her entry when I hear the door unlock. Delilah shoves her way into the room. "Shit, we need to get you out of here," Delilah is quick in her actions. Jason's iron-clad grip on me suddenly releases. Delilah grabs my hand and presses me against her. "This is going to feel weird," Jason jumps to capture us. The next thing I know, I'm in a bathroom stall. The burning sensation suddenly dies down, slowly but surely.

"What the fuck just happened?" I say after a momentary shock. Delilah ignores me and opens the stall door leading to the rest of the bathroom. "You tell me. Madden was about to devour you in a very sexy way, but not suitable for the office. If you guys are going to trigger the mate bond, try not to do it in the office before you expose the rest of us." She growls at me. Not in the same way Jason growls, but it's fierce nonetheless. "I'm sorry, what? Mate bond? And what do you mean by the rest of us? Do you mean supernatural creatures? Are you one? I mean, you just fucking teleported us, so I'm inclined to believe you're some type of witch which is fucking insane,"

Delilah gives me a confused stare. "Wait, you don't know?" I shake my head. "Fuck, you have no idea what you've just gotten yourself into."

"No, I don't. So if you could please explain, that would be nice," I pick myself up and splash my face with water from the sink. I jump on the counter and sit, waiting for Delilah to continue. "We're aren't doing this right now. I have shit to do. I only got you out of there because you were both radiating so much magic that I'm sure every supernatural in the area sensed it. We'll talk later, just be more careful. Oh, and stay away from the boss man, okay? Also, take a shower. You reek of an alpha male," Delilah gives me a disgusted look before she storms out of the bathroom. I'm stuck sitting on the counter, extremely confused and unaware of where I am. I let out a frustrated shout.

I whip out my phone and immediately call Luke. "Hey, bestie, what do you need?" Tears are brought to my eyes when I hear his voice. "You, I need you right now. I have no idea what the fuck I'm doing or what's going on, and I need my best friend," I let my tired tears fall from my face. "On my way, drop your location," Luke's carefree voice instantly turns serious. I drop my location as he says and wait for him. He stays on the phone, and silence falls between us.

--

Luke makes no hesitation when he busts through the women's restroom. My eyes water when I see him again. He instantly swoops me into his arms. "You're okay. I've got you," he says soothingly in my ear. "I'm not sad. I'm just majorly confused. I'm frustrated and don't know what to do," I say against Luke's shoulder. "Tell me everything." It's one of the few times Luke demands something of me. I gather myself and tell Luke to take us to his car before I say anything.

"What the fuck?" Is the first thing Luke says after my entire explanation. "I know," I lean back in the chair and yawn. I have so much work to do after this. "So, this all started with your sister asking you to come over to meet her fiance, who turns out to be our super hot boss. You both live together for a few days with some raging sexual tension between the both of you. You go to Jason's to deliver some work, and upon entering, you're attacked by a giant wolf who also happens to be our super hot boss. With a little bit more sexual tension mixed in with some trauma and bonding, you promise our super hot boss that you'll help him discover his secret past. Then we go to dinner, and that whole fiasco with Hayley happens- which I most certainly hope she got a beating for.

-Turns out she was right because you guys share a super-sexy-steamy moment in the woods. You make a deal with Sebastian, leading to you having a super hot date with him. Then, some creepy magical girl levitates you and throws you around like a doll. The gala ends after that, and then our super hot boss bites you, which is later known as marking. You have a super hot date with Sebastian, which ends when you have to meet a super-hot-sexy detective, who informs you that Jason's parents' case is fairly regular until closer inspection- which reveals a lot of underlying and shady things happening.

He then charges you a thousand dollars for a little bit more info, but you tell him to fuck off. This leads to him making you an offer to be his fake girlfriend to get the information for Jason's case for a half-reduced price. When informing Jason about this in a fairly vague way, your bite reappears after disappearing after he bit you. Your bite burns and makes you extremely horny, which excites Jason's wolf, leading to god knows what before Delilah comes in, who turns out to be a witch, and teleports you to the bathroom I found you breaking down in. "

Luke's tone shows he can barely believe what he's saying. "Wow, yes, that sums everything up. Now, I need to know if you can find out more about Jason's case since you are a tech guy. I didn't ask you at first because I figured a professional would give me more information. Clearly, I was wrong. If you can't get the information, should I take Mr. Detective's deal? I will obviously request more answers, but I'm on a time limit here. Should I even keep myself involved with Jason? I mean, I can't just leave now after everything I've said. Not to mention, if he's not there to save me, then who will?"

"Honestly, I'm still trying to process the fact that supernaturals exist. You know you're not leaving Jason, but you need someone else aside from yourself in case he becomes the person you need saving from. Clearly, Delilah knows a lot. She's definitely our first stop. Regarding Mr. Detective, you know nothing about him. He could be trying to sell you for all you know. I highly doubt that I'm going to get more information than he has, but I'll try. Besides, I know a guy who is a genius hacker,"

"While I would love a genius hacker on our side, I'd rather not let more people know about this. Besides, if he's as good as you say, he can easily turn on us. He's too much of a wild card. We need to keep this as hush-hush as possible. I'll ask Mr. Detective more when he texts me. I just need a friend right now. Everybody I'm involved with is practically a stranger. Even my family. You're the only one I'm familiar and comfortable with. I trust you completely." Luke leans in and places a kiss on my forehead. "Well, now you've got me, and my life has become ten times more interesting. Thank you for that. From now on, just stay away from super hot, sexy, steamy dudes,"

I chuckle at his diction. "They do seem to only bring trouble. I'll definitely keep that in mind,"