she sobbed against me.
"Thank you, thank you, thank you," she whispered over and over.
Well, fuck.
20
Justice Winter
My head was a mess. More messy than usual and that was saying something. My first instinct at Jacob’s news was to call him a liar. What he'd said he did for me was huge. So huge that it was hard for me to even comprehend the truth of it.
But that was the "human" side of my brain, the one that still thought in the realms of human limitations. Supernaturals were not bound by such restrictions, and there was no reason to believe that single-handedly he hadn't ended those men and their whole entire operation.
And if that was the truth, I could finally let go. Every single part of it.
It was over.
But who was I without that to hold on to? To keep me up at night? To agonize over day after day and stress that my weakness had caused others suffering and pain? Who the fuck was I?
"You're thinking hard and it's worrying me,” Jacob said, his voice filled with forced lightness. “Never has it ended well when you get that look on your face."
I hadn't forgotten he was there, far from it actually, but it still almost stunned me to hear his smooth dulcet tones. "I—" I cleared my throat, words not coming. Taking a second, I used my magic to clean my mouth and tongue from the lingering taste of vomit. All of which made me feel a little better.
"I’m at a loss,” I finally admitted, “and that's not something that happens to me. I don't really know how to process what you did, and it's messing with my brain."
Not the best when I needed to be focused—I really should be entering my home to celebrate the bonding to the stones, and yet I couldn’t bring myself to move.
"Maybe I can help," Jacob said softly, and as his hand brushed across my cheek, I had to admit, it did clear some of the confusion, replacing it with a deep-seated longing for him.
I wasn't sure that was any better.
"How can you help? You've already done so much; this is just mental stuff I need to work through." Mental battles were often fought alone—I’d learned that many years ago.
"Do you trust me?" he asked, and I blinked.
“Yes.”
Funnily enough, I had no doubts that I did. You know him in your soul.
With each passing day, I was turning more and more into a Hallmark movie.
Jacob chuckled, his lips curving in this sinful way that drew every ounce of my attention, and just like that I was picturing him naked, his head buried between my thighs as he smiled up at me, right before he…
"Uh, I'm … so—" I broke off.
Jacob actually threw his head back and laughed, and it was so soothing and melodic that it calmed some of my ragged edges. "I trust you too, Ruby. This is not a fleeting bond for me.” His humor faded, and his eyes met mine. “If you’ll allow me, I have a way that will calm your mind."
"Okay," I said quickly, so worked up that I'd try anything. "I'm willing to give it a shot?"
Why the fuck was I talking so fast? Just ... why?
He opened his mouth and I expected a spell or chant ... or maybe he was going to tell me about an herb to try.
Then he started to sing.
My knees actually buckled, and I gulped to try and catch my breath. Jacob caught me in his arms, all but holding me up, and I couldn't remember the last time I hadn't been able to support my own weight except when I was badly hurt.
But that song … his voice. It did more than just fill my ears, it drifted into every crevice of my body and overflowed through my soul, soothing, loving, gently caressing the parts of me that were hurting.
Tears silently slipped down my cheeks, the cleansing kind of tears that leaked pain from the darkness inside, painting lines of sorrow on cheeks.
When he was done, I was breathless, my heart pounding hard…
"It's an ancient fey song," he said softly, and the melodic nature of his voice made sense now. He had a voice like a raspy, sexy, soothing angel. It was the most incredible sound I'd ever heard come from vocal cords—it would take a thousand instruments to sound like that, and yet Jacob did it all with just his voice.
"We are true mates," I said, as sure as I’d ever