I reached out, cupping the back of her head, and pulled her closer. I kissed her softly, needing to ground myself. Jillian's hand landed on my chest, her lips pressing against mine with just as much hunger.
And then I winced. "Fuck." I inhaled slowly as she leaned back, giving me a sympathetic smile. "Sorry."
I gave her a smile. "Worth it."
Chapter 20 - Jillian
Tension was high in the house for the next week. Maddox had several Council meetings to attend with the guys. He was gone for long hours and came home looking more stressed than when he went. With Maddox out of the house more, I started to feel like I was going stir crazy.
I sat outside, staring across the yard into the woods. I wondered how the man knew about the information he was telling the guys. Just how much did he know? What was he even planning?
The glass door opened, and I looked over my shoulder as Maddox stepped outside. He gave me a smile. "What are you doing?"
"Enjoying the weather," I said, giving him a smile in return. "How are you doing? Did you sleep okay last night?"
I often went to bed alone. Maddox came to be when he was ready, but he was always out of bed before me in the morning. The lamp was always on, and the blinds were always pulled up, soaking the room in light.
"I slept okay," he said, walking over and taking a seat next to me. "The Council is still fighting with us for more information, even though we have nothing to give them."
I frowned. "I'm sorry."
He gave me a smile and sighed. "Speaking of the Council, you have a meeting with them later about your house arrest, right?"
I nodded, hoping that everything that happened wasn't going to change their mind about letting me off of it.
"When we let you off, let's go out for dinner."
I made a face. "They could tell me no."
"They have no reason to."
I chuckled. "With the new information about this guy going around, I don't know if they will be eager to just let me out freely."
"Different circumstance."
"They might not view it that way." As much as I wanted to get excited about the idea of leaving the house, I wasn't trying to get myself worked up about it too much. They could disagree with it.
"There is a restaurant near the lake that has some excellent seafood."
I couldn't help but smirk at him. Maddox was so sure that I was going to get my freedom. It was touching, and I felt my heart skip a beat.
"Maybe," I said, leaning back in my chair. "Pending how much the Council feels like being generous."
Maddox laughed at me, and for the first time in days, I felt like maybe we could relax for a moment.
An hour later, Hope was driving me to my meeting with the Council. Hope had expressed that when it came to magic, she had a better understanding and would make sure that the Council wouldn't take advantage of me.
We headed inside, and Hope stood with me outside in the hallway. She glanced at the magic bracelet and frowned.
"I'm sorry you have to wear that."
"It's not that terrible."
She frowned. "Well, for someone that's used to having magic, it would suck to have it stripped from you."
I frowned, wondering if maybe she knew what it felt like. But before I could ask, the doors opened and we both headed inside. The Council was in their normal seats, looking annoyed to be here.
"Welcome back, Jillian. Hope I don't think we will be needing you."