Page 21 of Stolen Choices

“No, you’re not insane. You’re the bravest woman I’ve ever known. I’m a coward and weak. I obeyed an order I knew was wrong, but no longer. We’re getting out of here. You have freedom of movement,” he told her and pulled her over to the bed, her shorter legs stumbling after him. He grabbed a blanket and wrapped it around her shoulders to shield her body from the view of others. He then looked down at her before pressing his lips against hers again.

“I’m sorry,” he breathed into her mouth and felt her swallow down his apology.

“I know. What happened wasn’t your fault.”

The pair of them must be going insane, he thought, for in that moment, staring down at Katia, Jackson knew that one day she would be his mate. He could already smell himself embedded in her soul. He’d fallen for the wrong person, but he wasn’t going to let her go. They’d figure out what would happen in the future when they were as far away from this place as they could possibly be.

“We need to go.” He took hold of her hand again, and they started toward the door. He reached out for the handle with his free hand, but the second he touched it, his whole body erupted in a pain so extreme he instantly collapsed onto the ground.

“Jackson.” Katia knelt down at his side, her tiny hands going to his brow and checking him. He could barely see or feel her because the pain was so blinding. He struggled for breath. Was this finally it? The moment of his death? “Jackson.” Katia tried again, and then as if she’d realized something, she scampered back across the room away from him and the door.

“Tell me to kneel and freeze,” she shouted from her spot away from him.

“No.” he writhed on the floor in agony.

“Please. It’s the only way to stop your pain.”

More bolts of agony shot through him. He curled up in a ball.

“Run, Katia. Get your freedom,” he instructed her before turning to his side and vomiting the contents of his breakfast onto the floor. He was going to lose consciousness soon—the pain was too great.

“Jackson, make the order. Do it. It’s ok.”

He shook his head, but he couldn’t cope with the pain anymore and Katia’s insistence. He finally succumbed to his uncontrollable need to stop the pain.

“Kneel. Don’t move,” he reluctantly shouted out.

He opened his eyes in time to see Katia fall to her knees and bow her head.

The pain resided, and after a few moments, he was able to get back to his feet. The room was silent except for the soft whimpers of Katia crying.

“What is happening to me?” He wanted to go back to Katia, but something kept him rooted to the spot. She was part of the source of his pain.

“I believe you are under a spell. It controls your mind, and when you do anything to countermand what the spell prescribes, it triggers the painful state you were just in.”

“Look at me, Katia,” he ordered, and she raised her head. Tears streamed down her cheeks, and it broke his heart. “Your witch? She did this to me as a punishment? How do I get her to stop it? Do I need to kill her? Has she done it to Nuka and Ciaran?”

Katia’s bottom lip wobbled, and her eyes dulled again.

“It wasn’t Jessica. This is dark magic, the same sort that controls me and my actions. It’s the calling card of only one person.”

“Who then?” Jackson searched his brain trying to decipher what Katia was talking about. He didn’t understand, but he did have murderous intentions toward whoever had been playing around with his head. He was in charge of his own destiny and wouldn’t be a puppet to anyone else.

“Ciaran.”

Jackson deflated. It had all been a trap, and he’d falling into it. Katia was crafty—he’d give her that. He let out a loud laugh.

“You, along with all the Glacial Blood pack, will do anything to turn me against Nuka and Ciaran. It’s not going to happen. They are the only people who’ve ever told me the truth in my life. They saved me, and I’ll be loyal to them until the day I die. God, I was foolish to think that you could have been my mate. You’re a manipulative bitch and deserve everything that’s coming to you.”

Jackson turned on his heels and left the room at a rapid pace. He wouldn’t be drawn into whatever trap the tigress was planning. It was time to leave her to her fate.

Chapter Thirteen

How could she have accused Nuka of those things. The polar bear had done nothing but help him since he’d rescued him on the day his parents were killed. Katia had a lot of nerve. He hoped she rotted in that hell she was in. His mate. Damn, these headaches had really made him go insane.

Jackson kept walking farther and farther away from the brothel with no idea where he was heading. Eventually, he came to a stop and looked around him. It took him a few moments to realize where he was…the Glacial Blood lands. Why had he come here? He could only imagine his mind, which he didn’t really own at the moment, had brought him here to kill the witch and free himself from the pain. Ciaran couldn’t have cast the spell. Surely, he’d have known if the druid was messing with his mind.

Laughter to his left caught his attention, and crouching down low, he prowled toward it. He hoped and prayed it was the witch on her own, so it would make his kill an easy one. Ciaran had always told him that Jessica was drawn to the black arts, and that’s why he’d split from her. The magic she did was wrong. She wouldn’t be a loss to the world.