The Dragon & The Butterfly

Chapter 46

My morning started off normal. I was going through some of the papers on my desk. Some were requests for help, others were job offers. The normal day to day requests I get. My mind wanders to Yasmin. She went off the deep end to go to that club by herself. What was she thinking? Also how in the hell did she know about that glitch in the night realms magic?

I notice that I can still feel the bond to her. It's strong which is a good sign but it feels different. "Well I don't know if that's a good or bad thing." I mutter to my empty office. Since I can still feel her and the bond is strong I am not going to worry about it.

I go on and see if there are any of the requests that I can fill myself and find who else who be a good fit for what. I went to leave the house for the Enloch headquarters to find some of the other guardians to start handing out other assignments when I stop dead in my tracks. There is a blinding white hot anger raging through my system. "What the hell?" I mumble.

I have never experience such a strong emotion before. I know that wasn't coming from me so it had to from Yasmin. I am breathing hard, my hands are shaking and I can't see straight. I am hot all over. It feels as if I am fighting off a dangerously high fever.

I made it from my office to my kitchen sink. I grip the edge of the sink until my knuckles turned white. The strange wave of emotions pass and I feel as if I just did a major work out. I come back to my reality and let a long heavy sigh.

I grabbed my phone out of my back pocket and called Yasmin.

"Hello?"

"Are you okay?"

"I'm fine why do you ask?"

"I just experienced a very strange... something."

"Joseph, I am going to need more than a strange something to go on here."

"Well I was going through my papers and trying to sort out other guardian assignments when I had a white-hot anger flood my system. To the point where I couldn't breathe very well, I saw red, and my hands were shaking. Know anything about that?"

"Oh sorry about that. I think I am to blame for that."

"No kidding."

"Hey it's not like I did it on purpose you know."

"Something must have happened to cause you to have such a strong reaction so what happened."

"I may or may not have just gotten into a really huge fight with Liam."

"Liam? As in the Irrais of your clan?"

"Yep that's the one. Oh I forgot to mention we are soulmates."

"Well that explains it." I mumbled. Finally figuring out why the bond felt different. They must have either marked each other, or claimed the bond fully.

"Explains what?"

"You marked each other didn't you?" I asked answering her question with one of my own.

"Yes why?"

"Because I noticed a change in the way the bond felt."

"Can you sense him to?" I hear the panic in her voice at hat question.

"No thank the gods."

I heard her laugh and it made my heart do weird things. What the hell? I wondered to myself.

"But that also explains the visceral reaction from and why I felt it so strong. Judging from the bond you still aren't settled. Your antsy. Probably pacing or dancing from one foot to the other."

"No fair."

"Want me to come over?"

"Yes please." She answers quietly.

"I'll be there in 30 minutes." I said then hung up.

***Time Lapse***

I'm sitting across from Yasmin at her table. I can see the bonding mark that Liam left on her. The side of her neck and entire right shoulder is covered in crisscrossing red and emerald lines that resemble vines. For some reason seeing made uncomfortable, but I couldn't take my eyes away from it.

"So you wanna tell me what happened?"

"The short of it is I kicked Liam out of my apartment for being a jealous ass."

"And the long of it?"

"Are you sure you wanna hear it?"

"He must know we had sex."

"Yep."

"Tell me everything."

"We had sex last night. He asked me why I was still awake when he texted me. I told him. He got upset because I was there alone. He then got upset when he figure out you were there and he started going off. He pissed me off and I went off and kicked him out of my apartment."

"Don't hold it against him too much. He's just trying to protect his mate."

"Well he doesn't have to be a jealous ass to do it."

That made me laugh. She is a feisty one. That poor bastard. I thought to myself.

"Your turn." She said surprising me.

"What do you mean?"

"Tell me about Aleena."

"Theres nothing to tell."

"Joseph, don't male me throw you our to." She said her aggravation showing on her face and body language. Her eyes looked at me with frustration but also pleading.

"You don't have to tell me everything, but tell me something. You can't sit there and expect me to spill my guts to you and you not tell me something about you."

"Aleena was the ward I had before you."

"What happened to her?" She asks softly.

"A group of her fathers enemies came into the club shooting and I couldn't get to her in time."

I watch her face fall and tears fill her eyes along with a deep sadness. I feel her pain and sadness for a woman she never knew through the bond.

"Joseph it isn't your fault."

"It was my job as her guardian to protect her and I failed. How is that not my fault?"

"You can't be everywhere at once and you aren't faster than a bullet."

I watched as realization dawned on her face.

"Wait, is that why you insisted on being everywhere I was? Consistently by my side?"

"Yes." I answered simply trying to shut my emotions down."

"Joseph, you need to let the guilt go. It wasn't your fault."

"It is. She's dead because I couldn't do my job."

"Did you love her?" She asked me quietly and her voice sounded funny.

"She was my ward."

"Did you love her?" she asked me, and I swore I heard jealousy in her voice.

"No. I didn't have any romantic feelings for her."

"But." She said realizing I had more to say.

"But I do for you."