by Lexi C. Foss
“It’s not funny,” I groused and smacked him on the back. “Two orgasms—albeit mind-blowing—tonight and all of the sudden I’m a sex-crazed lunatic?”
Jax laughed harder and the movement rubbed his chest over my taut nipples, sending shivers of delight straight to my pussy, making me even wetter. Pretty soon it was going to seem like I’d dropped my underwear into a bucket of sticky water before I put them back on.
“It’s the mating instinct, baby,” Jax rumbled in my ear, his hot breath causing the small hairs to stand up. “It’s not going to ease up until we are fully bonded.”
“Are you kidding me?” I shouted, truly upset this time.
Jax pulled his head away and met my gaze. There was a hint of contrition in his eyes, but he mostly looked smug. The govnyuk.
“Our bodies were made for each other. It’s only natural.”
I scoffed. “Natural? You call going crazy with lust natural? I don’t have time to spend every waking minute of my life fucking you!” I was officially getting mad now, spurred on by the fact that my anger still wasn’t shutting down my arousal.
“Baby, as much as that idea appeals to me, I understand what you’re saying. Your sexy little body is wrapped around me and you’ve had two mind-blowing”—he grinned proudly making me roll my eyes—“orgasms in the last couple of hours. Give it a little time. The mating urge will still be strong, but it will subside some. It’s not as bad for mates who aren’t already shifters.”
“Already?” Was he suggesting that by mating, people would actually consider me a shifter? I’d heard of some breeds of wolf where the human or whatever type of non-shifter took on some of the qualities of their mate’s animal. Hmmm. I wasn’t sure how I felt about that.
“My point is that it’s worse for me, so you could have a little sympathy.” He gave me a sad puppy look, making me laugh. Then he kissed me softly and I melted, falling into his chest.
“Let’s head back to Asher’s and get some rest. We’ll go over the information and make some decisions in the morning.”
Jax picked me up and set me on my feet before curling his arm around my shoulders and tucking me into his side. Feelings of warmth and safety began to cocoon me again, and for the first time, I wondered if it was possible for me to let someone else in. I didn’t even know how to start. But Jax was the first person who’d ever made me want to try.
Our exit was uneventful, though I did receive a nod from Philippe, who was lounging in a booth, surrounded by beautiful women. Jax scowled at him and pulled me closer. Once we reached the corner of the block, we hailed a cab at the curb and returned to his friend’s apartment.
Emerald was sprawled on the sofa reading a book with Malfoy curled up on her stomach. She’d changed into bright pink sweats and had her silky green hair pulled up onto the top of her head. When we walked in, she tilted the book to the side and scrutinized us with eagle eyes that made me shift uncomfortably. Emerald was extremely talented at reading people—not like a witch, but more of a natural intuition about someone or a situation. Despite her eclectic appearance, dark and quirky personality, and her fantastically sarcastic mouth, she was also very good at charming people and convincing them to open up to her.
Seeing as how I already knew this about her, I expected it, but it still made me squirm when she set her sights on me. To be clear, expecting it and successfully avoiding it were two very different things.
“Hey slayer. What’s up?”
“You tell me?” Her eyes—not so subtle— darted to Jax.
I held back a laugh and glared at her. “Nothing is up.”
Emerald’s eyebrows rose nearly to her hairline, her eyes widening with faux shock. “I didn’t think shifters had that problem.”
Jax snorted, but clearly didn’t see a need to defend himself. He kissed the top of my head and murmured something about making me something to eat before sauntering off to the kitchen. I tried not to stare at his firm, muscular ass, but failed miserably.
“Oh, I see,” Emerald drawled as she set her book on the end table and sat up—displacing Malfoy, who hissed and stomped away in a snit. “It’s not up anymore…but it waaaaas,” she singsonged with a grin.
I rolled my eyes as I grabbed my bag and walked toward the bedroom I’d peeked in earlier. Emerald jumped up from the couch and hustled after me. I yanked out my ponytail and when I flipped my hair over one shoulder, she gasped. “Roskana Sokolov! Is that a fucking bite mark on your neck?”
I stiffened, having forgotten it was there, and a second later, relaxed because the truth was, I kind of liked it.
“You finally knocked boots—or paws— with Fido?”
“No.” One corner of my mouth quirked up and I gave her a sidelong look. “Lots of other stuff though.”
Emerald dramatically gasped again. “Ro, you hussy!”
A grin slid across my face and I shrugged. “You would be too if you’d had that man’s mouth on you.” The smile slid right off as I thought about anyone else being anywhere near Jax’s mouth.
“Damn. I didn’t think I’d ever see you gone over a guy.” She looked delighted to be wrong.
“I’m not ‘gone’ over him, Em. Don’t be ridiculous.”
“But you let him mark you, Rowan. Do you understand how serious that is to a shifter?”
I shrugged as I dug through my bag for something to wear to bed, but nothing looked comfy enough. “I get it, Em. I’m just saying, it’s too early for me to be head over heels.”
Lifting my head, I looked at her and double blinked, not sure what to think. “Right?”
She shrugged as she watched me scowl at the pathetic assortment of clothing. “I don’t think there’s a manual, babe.” Then she left the room without another word.
Weird. I sighed and removed my coat, throwing it on the bed, before sitting down to unlace my boots.
“Here.”
Something soft hit me in the face and I automatically snatched it before it fell to the ground. Emerald sauntered back into the room and flopped down onto the bed.
It was a T-shirt that looked like it would cover four of me and it smelled unbelievably incredible. It could only belong to Jax. “What’s this?” I asked as I held it to my nose and took another deep whiff.
“You’re so smart, Ro. And so very dumb.”
“Huh?”
Emerald sighed and gestured to my bag. “Nothing in there was going to relax you. And since you hadn’t figured out why, and even if you did, I wasn’t sure you’d do anything about it, I did it for you.”
I was used to Emerald’s crazy talk, but I was still a little confused. “Again, why am I holding Jax’s shirt?”
“Because in all the years since we left Russia, you’ve never truly been able to let down your guard, even to sleep deeply. This morning was the first time I’d seen you that well rested since 1918.”
I thought back over the night before and she had a point. When I’d been curled up with Wolfgang, I’d slept hard. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d slept like that. “Why?”
Emerald knew me well enough to follow. “He makes you feel safe and protected, Rowan. And somehow, he managed to find a crack in that thick as fuck wall you put around yourself.”
“You think his T-shirt is all I need to sleep like that?” I asked hopefully. If not, I was going to have a really hard time staying out of Jax’s bed…and if I was in Jax’s bed…
My friend snorted and rolled her eyes. “Good luck with that.”
I sighed, knowing she was right, but not ready to admit it out loud.
There was a pair of black yoga pants on top of the pile of clothes and I snatched them up before strolling to the bathroom to change. The shirt—tent—went to my knees and the sleeves were almost to my elbows. The biggest problem was the neckline. I had no issues with ample cleavage in an outfit, but my breasts were practically on display. I pulled on my pants and quickly retrieved my toiletry bag. A few rubber bands later and voila, the tent was now…a slig
htly smaller tent. But at least my breasts weren’t popping out.
The smell of something delicious drew me out of the bedroom and over to the bar that separated the kitchen from the living room. Emerald had returned to the couch and her book, but she moved it to the side for a second to wink at me. I smiled and shook my head as I crossed the room. I’d missed my friend so much. Despite the circumstances, I was happy to be with her again. People didn’t always get her, especially if they had no sense of humor. But she wasn’t just a deadly slayer—it was in her blood whether she ran away from it or not—a creative, tattoo artist, and a sassy mouth, she was wicked smart, had a wealth of compassion, and didn’t give a fuck what anyone thought about her. Emerald, Violet, Anastasia, and I had been as close as sisters and when I’d added my blood to the amulets, I’d bonded us in an even stronger way. It still made my heart ache to think about our dear lost friend, but I was grateful to have Emerald and Violet.
I sent up a prayer that after all this shit was over, Em and I still had Vi. If Cassius had hurt a hair on her head, I would not rest until I’d gutted him, ripped off his balls, and set fire to his pretty face before I tore off his head and let the fire take all of him.
“What’s on your mind, baby?” Jax asked as he smoothed a finger over the puckered skin between my eyebrows caused by my vicious expression.
“Worrying about Vi,” I told him honestly.
“If she’s anything like you, there’s nothing to worry about.” His hand cupped the back of my head, holding it still while he kissed my forehead, then my mouth.
“Yo-moyo, you are good with that mouth,” I sighed.
Jax chuckled. “English?”
I smiled and winked. “Rough translation is, daaaaaaaamn, you are good with that mouth.”
Jax threw his head back and laughed deeply, making my mouth spread even wider across my face. Then he gave me one more quick kiss before murmuring, “You look hot as fuck in my clothes, baby.”
Then he wrapped big hands around my waist and set me on a tall chair at the bar. He set a plate of food in front of me and my stomach growled while my mouth watered. I hadn’t realized I was so hungry, but I often forgot to eat when I was hyper-focused. He set out two more plates and called Emerald over. She sat in the chair next to me, but Jax stood across from us and slid over the folder Lucien had given us.
I flipped open the top and skimmed over the first sheet of information while I dug into my meal. It was a profile they’d created, and from the style and information collected, my guess was that they made these for each of their patrons. Mostly superficial things, but it did list the location of the nest he was staying with. It was immediately clear that he was being watched because they didn’t like or trust him and wanted to keep tabs in case he caused trouble. Since Dorian wasn’t from this realm, I hadn’t expected the file to be so thick, but as I moved along to the next page and the next, the deeper it dug into Dorian. The food in my stomach began to turn to a lead ball and I pushed away the remainder of my food.
“Does that say what I think it does?” Emerald asked incredulously.
“They know about the amulet.” Fuck a damn duck. They had noted about where he lived in the other reality, where he hung out, who he worked for and more.
I twisted the ends of my hair as I contemplated. “Lucien…he’s French nobility. They may not interfere in anyone else’s business, but they are still nosy as fuck. It doesn’t seem like a stretch for him to know about the amulets. Besides, France has their own slayer bloodlines and witch covens, so I’m sure they have something similar. What surprises me is that they are aware of the ability to traverse realms.”
“They could have figured it out simply by watching Dorian,” Jax offered. He had a point.
“Oh, shit,” Emerald swore as she stabbed her finger at something on the next page. “He’s not here.”
“What?” I scowled as I dropped my eyes to where her finger touched the paper. I really didn’t feel like realm-hopping every damn day and— “He’s in Russia? St. Petersburg. Nam pizdets.”
We’d been trying in vain to come up with possibilities as to how Dorian had known about Emerald’s amulet, and what it was he thought he would gain from it. If he was in Russia, in this universe, he was probably there to see whoever that contact was. If that person was in St. Petersburg, the chances were high that it was someone from the Vampire Dynasty or from the coven there, who controlled the council.
Emerald grabbed my hand and squeezed it so tight I was afraid the bones might break, but it also made me feel like I was holding onto a lifeline.
“You can’t"—she swallowed hard—“you can’t go back there, Ro.”
I bobbed my head. “I know.”
Jax had moved around the island and lifted me up before taking my seat and settling me in his lap. If I’d been in a lighter place, I would have laughed at how fragile the chair looked under his big, muscular frame.
“Clearly, there is a lot I don’t know,” he remarked. “I understand we only met a short time ago and we’ve been concentrating on that asshat. But I think it’s time to fill me in.”
“You deserve to know,” I mumbled as I snuggled into his warm, comforting embrace. “But I’m exhausted. Can we talk in the morning?”
He rubbed his chin over my hair and cuddled me even closer. “Sure, baby. Let’s get you to bed.”
“M’kay. Emerald and I took that room so—“
Jax laughed as he stood up. “You’re adorable.”
“Night, Ro!” Emerald sang as she jumped up and stalked to our room, chucking the whole way.
“What’s so funny?” I grumbled. My eyes left the door to the bedroom when I noticed Jax had taken a turn down a hallway.
“You, baby. It’s adorable that you think you are going to sleep without me.”
I frowned in exasperation, but he just kissed my nose and laughed again. Honestly, it was what I wanted, so I didn’t put up any more of a fight. My hesitation had been that I was afraid I wouldn’t be able to keep my hands to myself, but I was dead on my—well, on Jax’s feet. The second he placed me on the bed, I crawled under the covers and shut my eyes, but my mind wouldn’t shut down. It raced through all of the facts, popping out new theories and ideas. I’d just resigned myself to another night of shitty sleep when I was dragged into a warm cocoon that immediately put my whole body at ease. The next thing I knew, it was morning.
29
Jax
Waking up with Rowan plastered against me for the rest of my life was going to be no hardship—other than how fucking hard it made my morning wood. She was lying on top of me, her head tucked under my neck, her arms thrown out to the sides, and one leg hiked up, her knee dangerously close to my groin. I had one hand on her ass and the other had slipped up the hem of her shirt, resting on the silky smooth skin of her back.
But waking up this way—after only the first claiming bite—my body felt like it was burning from the inside out while being slowly clawed to shreds. Sweat trickled down from my temples and I sucked in a deep breath which turned out to be a gigantic fucking mistake. Lavender and vanilla assaulted my senses and the sweet, yet spicy scent of her arousal threw gasoline on the flames that were licking my skin.
My wolf growled in approval and butted his head, nudging me, wanting me to take this a step further. To slide my hands over her sexy derrière, hike her leg up a little more and grind my erection into her sex, cup her gorgeous breasts and make her moan when I brushed the pads of my thumbs over the sensitive peaks.
Shit. Shit. Shit. I was nearly gone, lost to the rabid desire to bury myself deep inside my mate. If I didn’t use every ounce of my control to leave the bed, she was going to find herself waking up to the thumping of the headboard while I pounded into her tight pussy.
I gently rolled her to the side and my wolf clawed at me when I let her go. Gingerly, trying not to gasp in pain every time my shaft moved, I sat up, scooted to the edge, and put my feet on the ground. As I made my way to the en su
ite bathroom, I assured my wolf that I only needed a little more time. He wasn’t happy, but he stopped trying to slice me open from the inside out.
After turning on the shower, I flipped the knob to the coldest setting and removed the sweats I’d worn to bed.
“Motherfucker!” I hissed when I stepped under the icy spray and it hit my warm skin like hail. At least it did the trick. A few minutes later, I’d softened enough to breathe with ease and relax my tense muscles. I didn’t warm up the water, though, in case my thoughts drifted back to the tiny, stubborn, crazy, insanely sexy she-devil that was fast burrowing her way into my heart. Once I was done, I toweled off and walked naked back into the bedroom where I’d left an overnight bag when I’d first arrived at Asher’s—it seemed like it had been weeks rather than days since I followed Rowan through that portal.
“Um, Jax?”
“Yeah, baby?” I answered without looking her way, rustling through the bag to grab a pair of track pants and a T-shirt.
“I’m not going to lie, you have a spectacular ass, but maybe you should put some clothes on since the bedroom door is open?”
I looked back over my shoulder and winked at her. “Is that what you really want?” I began to turn around and got hit in the face with a pillow, making me laugh. She was sitting up in bed, her hair wild all around her, looking completely edible.
“Yes! You can’t walk around naked.”
“Agree to disagree!” Emerald yelled from down the hall. “I could use some fresh bodies in my reverse harem fantasies.”
I was tempted to tease her a little longer with my nudity, but if the situation were reversed and it was her who was naked with Asher in the apartment, I’d be losing my ever loving shit. So, I just grinned and pulled on my pants.
Rowan’s smile turned a little wicked when she replied to her friend. “I’ll send you some pictures of Camden!” When there was only silence, Rowan smirked and flopped back onto the bed.
