Alpha Asher and Lola novel Chapter 198

Read Alpha Asher by Jane Doe Chapter 198

After personally apologizing and promising Kendrick a plate of grandma’s lavender cookies, we headed back into the living room and continued with the game.

Whether it was the blood, wine, or scaring the s**t out of Kendrick, Holly had finally loosened up and no longer fiddled with her fingers or picked at the hem of her pj’s. She chose Breyona next, who quickly picked ‘truth,’ and proceeded to ask her about her relationship with Giovanni. There was a light blush staining my half-sister’s cheeks as she asked about the ins and outs of their relationship.

Breyona, who answered Holly’s question gracefully, set her sights on Clara.

“Clara, truth or dare?”

The curly-haired witch set her glass of wine down and quickly l****d the residue off her lips before smirking.

“I’ll go with truth. I know you been chomping at the bit to ask me about my thing with Mason, so I’m giving you the chance for one question.”

My eager best-friend gasped, clasping her hands together while contorting her face into a look of careful contemplation. From the years of studying Breyona’s dramatic facial expressions, I could tell she was trying to figure out a way to get the most information possible.

“How would you describe your relationship with Mason?” She asked, a self-satisfied tilt to her lips.

Clara sat back on her haunches and took another sip of wine, putting as much consideration into her answer as Breyona had put into her question.

“Well, we’re not dating but I think we’re on our way to it. He’s been through a lot, but I’m sure you both already know all about that. I’ve been through my fair share of s**t that makes it hard to get close to people, but I like Mason. I’ve never been with a guy that’s sweet like him.” She confessed, pursing her lips. Through her tanned skin, I could see the clear heat of a blush staining her cheeks but decided not to comment on it.

There were plenty more questions I had, but I kept those at bay. She and Mason would talk about things when they were ready. Before moving on with the game, Breyona let her know that she had our full support, which seemed to relieve some of the tension in Clara’s shoulders.

As the game progressed, each of us taking turns and bouncing back and forth between silly dares and heavy truths, I found myself being asked ‘truth or dare’ by Cassidy.

She had eyeliner smeared down half her face and ruby-red lipstick on her jawline from where Clara had dared her to do a full face of make-up in a minute, making it impossible to take her seriously.

“Dare. Do your worst.” I smirked, tapping my nails on the side of my glass.

A devious grin overtook the soft curves of her face, and I knew Cassidy wouldn’t disappoint.

“I’ve been saving this one up since that little power display of yours. What you said about your magic not having any limits, it got me thinking.” She murmured, leaning in close to the four of us. “Can you influence other people?”

“Like, make them your slave?” Clara said, her face twisting into a grimace. “That don’t feel right to me.”

Cassidy shook her head, her eyes widening. “Goddess, no. I should’ve worded that better. I meant, I wondered if you could put a thought into someone’s head, or an idea of sorts. Like, if I had to choose between a piece of chocolate cake or a salad, could you nudge me towards the salad?”

The girls bobbed their heads up and down, making sounds of understanding. I wasn’t quite as convinced, though. The idea that I might be able to influence a person’s mind didn’t sit to well in my stomach, but I had to admit I was curious about the limits of my magic too.

“It’s not taking away their will, per say. More like planting a thought and watching it take root.” Cassidy explained.

I stared at the two of them. “I’m not sure. Is that your dare?”

Her lips twitched. “Well, it’s a bit more specific than that, but in essence, yeah.”

“As long as I’m not taking away anyone’s willpower, I’m game. I think I’d be more comfortable if we let the guys know first, though. Just to make sure everyone’s on board. We don’t have to tell them who the target is or what idea I’m putting in their head, but I feel like we should get permission before going forward with it.”

Everyone else seemed to agree, so I sent Asher a quick message over mind-link and got a reply back seconds later. The guys were still in the lounge drinking, and from the mental image Asher sent me, half of them were bordering on tipsy. Asher himself would never relinquish control enough to get intoxicated, which was exactly why he wasn’t tonight’s target.

“Sean asks you don’t mess with his hair again unless you’re going to give him a beard to match.” Asher grunted. “And yes, he made me say that.”

It took only a few minutes to choose the target and what thought I wanted to plant in their head. The act itself was all too easy, like with my magic alone a tether had been created between me and that person. Down that tether, I sent the thought and phrased it more as a suggestion than anything else. I still wasn’t comfortable taking away someone’s willpower, so there was a big chance this wouldn’t work.

To fight off the exhaustion that settled over my shoulders and tugged at my eyelids, working with the alcohol to make them heavy, Cassidy turned on some music. She began swaying her hips to the beat, letting her long blonde locks out of the clip they were twisted up in. Breyona was quick to follow, leaping off the couch and grabbing my hands before I could curl up on one of the plush cushions.

“Oh, no you don’t. When was the last time we danced?” She snorted her question at me, her raised eyebrow giving me my answer.

I groaned but let her pull me to my feet. Grinning like a cat, she bowed and held out her hand for me to take.

Lifting her chin, she asked. “May I have this dance, almighty Queen Luna Lola?”