“But I would be living those years with Leif as my mate, right? And I would be a lot stronger than I am now.”
“Yes.”
“Then I want it. Call Roxie and do whatever you have to do to get her to turn me.”
When Saskia hesitated, Roan said, “I think we should let her. She and Leif are mated. If he sees his mate put in danger, he’ll be that more protective of her. He’ll claw through Miles and whatever men he has to get to her. Nothing will hold him back, especially after being separated from Jaden for so long.”
Saskia sighed. “All right, you have a point there. But what if there is a slim chance that Miles has seen Roxie from a distance? Jaden and Roxie have similar builds even though they aren’t the same height, but Jaden’s hair isn’t the same. She wouldn’t be able to fool him even from a distance.”
Ansley cleared her throat. “That’s where I come in. Remember, I’m Roxie’s hair stylist. I can color Jaden’s hair to match hers and cut it the same way. It may be a tad shorter, but it won’t make that much of a difference. As for the glasses, Jaden just won’t wear them.”
“I really can’t see all that well without them,” Jaden said.
“After you’re turned you’ll have perfect vision, I’m sure,” Roan assured her. “Since she was turned, Ansley’s eyesight and hearing are now as acute as any born werewolf.
The same will happen with you.” He looked at Saskia. “Well, sis, what do you say?”
Jaden looked at Saskia expectantly as did Ansley. Finally, Saskia nodded. “All right, we’ll do it. Let’s just hope Leif doesn’t kill me afterwards for putting his mate in danger.”
After one quick phone call, Roxie was on her way to the mansion with the Protectors who had been with her. Roan had taken Ansley out to an open late drug store to buy the hair coloring kit needed to dye Jaden’s brown hair to Roxie’s golden brown. They arrived back a short time after Jager and Daylen had returned home.
While waiting for Ansley to get back, Saskia had done her best to answer any questions Jaden had. She now had a better understanding of werewolves, as well as what being mated to one entailed. She still couldn’t get over the fact that Leif had known she was his mate from her scent right on that first day she’d seen him. After what Dirk had said about Leif being a lady’s man, it also didn’t surprise her to learn he’d fought the mating urge to claim her as his. It also explained why he had been so desperate to have her that night he’d come to her place.
Jaden wasn’t bothered that she hadn’t been given any choice when it came to their mating. Leif was the man for her. Her feelings for him had grown deeper faster than she’d ever experienced before. And now that she was separated from him, she realized she never wanted to live without him.
Ansley had died her hair, and Jaden had just come down from showering out the color when Roxie, Beowulf, Dirk, Skylar and Kye arrived. Everyone had congregated in the kitchen while Ansley set to work cutting Jaden’s hair. The men and Saskia had moved to one part of the kitchen while the other women had moved to where Ansley worked.
Roxie pulled a chair up across from Jaden and met her gaze. “Are you still sure you want to go through with this, Jaden?”
“Yes, I’m sure.” To distract herself from the rollercoaster of emotions she was almost constantly feeling because of not being with Leif, she asked, “How is the spell done?”
“It’s pretty simple. I inject you with some of my blood, say the words of the spell and then you’ll turn. That’s why I brought these with me.” Opening a paper bag, Roxie pulled out two small packages holding rubbing alcohol wipes and a new syringe, one that looked like the kind diabetics used.
“I can handle that.”
“Now I’m not going to lie to you, Jaden. Once I’ve said the words, it’s going to hurt like a bugger. But it doesn’t last for very long. Right, Ansley?”
“Roxie’s right,” Ansley said in return. “It only lasts a matter of seconds.”
“Just remember what the outcome will be,” Daylen said. “Once the pain is over, you’ll be Leif’s mate in every way.”
“I should be able to handle it then.” Jaden listened to the sound of Ansley’s scissors clipping away for a few seconds before she said, “While on the phone with Saskia, Miles called her sister but called Leif her brother-in-arms. Wouldn’t Leif be his brother too?”
Roxie shook her head. “The Protectors may call themselves brothers and sister, but they all aren’t natural siblings. Roan, Jager and Skylar are the only true siblings. They have been living together for centuries, so they’ve come to think of themselves as one big family. Saskia’s grandmother was the one who brought them all together, basically forming their own small pack with Saskia as pack leader. Miles is Saskia’s real brother and, at one time, was one of them until he went bad.”
“I get it now. And Miles needs you so he can rule the packs?”
“Basically. I rule them now since I’m the foretold one. Saskia’s grandmother had the sight and was the one who saw my coming, hence the title of the foretold one. Saskia also has the sight, and recently, we unfortunately learned Miles has a bit of it as well. That’s why he’s been able to keep one step ahead of the Protectors.”
“If he has the sight, why hasn’t he been able to see you in one of his visions?”
Saskia, who had come to join them, said, “That’s a good question. I haven’t been able to figure that one out. I had the vision that led me to Wulf’s Den where I knew the foretold would be found, but Miles obviously hasn’t been able to pick up on you.”
“Well,” Roxie said, “I may have an explanation for that. You know I’ve been playing around with my magic to see exactly what I can and can’t do. One of the things I’ve been doing ever since that night at the club, when you said how you found me, is to use my magic to shield myself. When you told me about Miles, I’ve been kind of specifically directing it to deflect him.”
“You’ve been doing it all this time and you never told me,” Saskia said.
“I didn’t know if it was actually working or not, but I have a feeling it must be.”
“All right. Let’s do a test. I know I can pick up your location if I concentrate hard enough, and a vision will come to me. Include me in this direct shielding you’re doing for Miles.”
Roxie closed her eyes for a few seconds, then opened them. “Okay, done.”
Saskia got a faraway look on her face. A full minute passed before she shook her head and smiled. “Well, I’ll be damned. I’m getting nothing but a blank.”
“Then I guess it’s working,” Roxie said with a large smile.
“At least we don’t have to worry about Miles learning your identity through a vision.”
Ansley put down her scissors and picked up the hairdryer. “I’m all done. Once I style it, it should look exactly like Roxie’s.”
Jaden closed her eyes as Ansley dried her hair. She’d let the others’ conversations wash over her. It was taking almost everything she had not to go out and look for Leif, even though doing so would be a complete waste of time. Miles had him hidden somewhere in the city. It would take an army and more hours than they had to be able to find him.
Shutting off the hairdryer, Ansley put it on the table and took off the cape she’d put around Jaden. “What do you think?” she asked the women.
“Perfect, as always,” Roxie said. “From a distance, Jaden will pass for me.”
Jaden opened her eyes. “I guess it’s spell time.”
Roxie met her gaze. “Are you ready for this?”
The men joined them as Jaden nodded and put her glasses on. She wanted to be able to see everything Roxie did. “Let’s do it.”