At Year's End (The 12 Olympians)

by Gasq-Dion, Sandrine

  “We want you real bad, Elijah, but you’ve got the hots for a Salvatore and that just won’t do. I tried everything, even a love spell but even that didn’t work. You’ve got a boner for Jaxon that just won’t go away.”

  “A love spell?”

  “Don’t get excited; we both know what happens when you get excited or scared.”

  Elijah grabbed at the door handle and yanked, but to no avail. He fumbled for the lock and pain exploded in his neck again. He slumped against the door and tried to pull the handle again.

  “It won’t work,” Carl laughed. “I’ve got you so jacked up on ketamine; you’ll be out for at least a day.”

  “Fuck you,” Elijah mumbled.

  “I’m a rogue, sweetie. I get sex whenever I want it. I’m a werewolf who doesn’t give a shit. You have no idea what you’re capable of Elijah, and neither do we, but we are going to find out. By the time we’re done, you won’t remember any of your friends.”

  Elijah felt the pull of the drugs and the wetness of his own tears on his cheek. They were taking him away from everything and everyone, and there was nothing he could do about it.

  ~*~

  Jaxon returned to the bar, only to find that Elijah had left without him. Now he had been gone for at least five minutes, and Jaxon was really starting to worry.

  “Hey, Jaxon. Where’s Elijah?”

  Ice trickled through his veins at the sound of Skylar’s voice. He turned slowly.

  “What do you mean? He said he was going outside with you!”

  Skylar’s eyes widened.

  It took a fraction of a second before both of them raced for the exit. Justice fell in step with them as they flew out the back doors into the alley.

  “Split up!” Jaxon shouted.

  The scent on the air was Elijah’s — and Carl’s. Jaxon flew into a panic because Elijah’s scent indicated terror. He combed the parking lot, looking through car windows. Justice came around the side of the building with Skylar. Just looking at their faces, he knew.

  Elijah was gone.

  ~*~

  The team descended on the club in full force. Caden and Kellan paced back and forth. Jaxon sat on the ground, dazed. Someone crouched beside him and Jaxon lifted his head.

  “We’ll find him, Jaxon. I swear we will.”

  Jaxon nodded at James and closed his eyes. Hot tears ran down his cheeks and Jaxon didn’t even bother to wipe them away.

  They had to find Elijah.

  They had to.

  Over the next few weeks, they set up a command center. Everyone who was available joined in the search for Elijah. Ross printed out more flyers as the guys began taking piles of them off the printer. They had been spreading them throughout the neighborhoods and going door to door.

  A group of men came through the door and Ross caught sight of Cole Ryker. The guy was pale and looked like he hadn’t slept. Cole walked over to him and Ross prepared himself for their usual swapping of sexual innuendos.

  “Are those almost done?” Cole motioned to the copier.

  “Um, almost.” Ross eyed Cole carefully. “Have you slept?”

  “I caught about three hours. I’m good.”

  “Have you eaten?”

  “Yeah, we grabbed some sandwiches.”

  “You look pale.” Ross reached a hand out to Cole’s face.

  Cole took Ross’ hand and smiled. “I’m fine. I just need to be doing something. Sitting around while Elijah’s missing isn’t an option.”

  Ross nodded and grabbed a handful of flyers from the copier. He handed them to Cole and took his other hand.

  “Take care of yourself.”

  Cole left and Ross turned his attention to Jaxon. The man was completely broken; he hadn’t slept or eaten in days. Ross approached him and took his hand.

  “You’ve got to sleep and eat, Jaxon. You can’t help Elijah if you’re half-dead.

  “I will.” Jaxon turned and ran out the door.

  Ross leaned against the wall with a sigh. With every available person looking for Elijah, surely they would find him.

  “Hey, you okay?”

  Ross rolled his head to the side and tried to smile at Noah.

  “I will be, when we find Elijah.”

  ~*~

  February turned into March, and March turned into April and still there was no sign of Elijah. They had tried and failed to get information on his whereabouts from countless rogues. Day by day, Jaxon’s will to live lessened. He was on every rogue hunt, chased every lead they got. He was in more countries in the last two months than he’d ever been in his whole life. The key they had found in Elijah’s adoptive parents’ house was a skeleton key. But, so far, they hadn’t found out what it matched.

  The one thing Jaxon wanted was to find Elijah and bring him home. Sleep evaded him and he wasn’t hungry. His sole purpose was to find Elijah.

  Period.

  But today he’d been dragged to the outreach center to celebrate Nate Valentine’s birthday. Sitting in the corner, Jaxon eyed everyone around him. They tried to be cheerful for Nate, but it was obvious everyone had been affected by Elijah’s kidnapping.

  Caden looked like he hadn’t slept in years. Jaxon and Caden had bonded over the past month, as both of them, and Kellan, missed the light of their lives. As Nate opened his presents, Jaxon took a long look around the room. It wasn’t the same without Elijah, and everyone knew it.

  Nate stood and regarded all the people in the room.

  “We’re missing someone today, and it’s just not the same without him. Please pick up your candle and light it for Elijah. Let’s all send good thoughts his way.”

  Jaxon pushed off the wall and headed for the back door of the center. He slammed it open and walked into the brisk Seattle air. The water seemed angry today, crashing against the rocks as the wind whipped at the surf.

  “We’ll keep looking, Jaxon.”

  Jaxon glanced over his shoulder to find James Jacobs.

  “I’m not giving up. I know he’s alive and I won’t stop until I find him.”

  “We won’t either,” James walked forward. “You have my word.”

  “What I want is Elijah.”

  ~*~

  Maggie and Matty Flynn-Esposito turned one in May. The Esposito twins were walking and talking. Well, kind of. Kane Waters, son of Sam and Dakota, was the new alpha of the created ones and also turned a year old. All three had been born on the same day in Ireland.

  Jaxon was drooped in one of the chairs, staring at the floor. He didn’t want to be here. He didn’t care about anything anymore except finding Elijah, and the longer they went without finding him, the weaker Jaxon became. A tiny hand landed on his leg and he peered up to see Matty eyeing him. Jaxon tried to smile at the toddler.

  “Jaxon?” Matty tilted his head.

  “Hey, little man. Happy birthday.”

  “Sad?” Matty climbed into Jaxon’s lap.

  “Yeah, bud. I am.” Jaxon held Matty close to him. Being the child of a female werewolf with the created line gave Matty the gift of sight — the gift of seeing the future. “I don’t suppose you could tell me if Elijah’s okay and where he is, huh?”

  Matty frowned and tightened his grip on Jaxon.

  Jaxon really wished Matty could form complete sentences and give him something — anything to go on.

  “Talk to him.”

  Jaxon almost fell off the chair. His eyes widened at Matty. The kid had just talked to him telepathically.

  “I’ve tried,” he whispered. “He can’t hear me.”

  “Keep trying.”

  Jaxon squeezed his eyes shut as tears threatened to fall. “I will.”

  “Hey.”

  Jaxon opened his eyes and found Mateo Esposito crouched down in front of him.

  “He talked to me,” Jaxon whispered.

  Mateo nodded.

  “He’s been doing that more and more now. I’m glad he spoke to you.”

  Jaxon handed Matty back to his fathe
r. It was cute how Matty looked exactly like his dad, one of the best snipers in the country and a changed werewolf who preferred to rely on his human skills.

  “We’re not giving up, Jaxon.” Mateo tried to smile.

  “I never will.”

  The end of May brought graduation day. Justice and Jesse sat on either side of Jaxon in the crowded stands of the football stadium. Stone Marinos, Ryder Winters and Dasan Black were graduating today. Elijah would have been graduating with them. A silence fell on the crowd as the headmaster took the podium. A gentle breeze cooled the people gathered to see their loved ones take the next step in life.

  “You all know we are missing a student today. Elijah Newman was abducted in February, and although he is not physically with us today, he will always be in our hearts. Let us say a prayer for his safe return.”

  Jaxon bowed his head as they had a moment of silence for Elijah’s safe return.

  As the names were called, Jaxon’s heart twisted in his chest. Elijah should be here to accept what he’d worked so hard to achieve. He’d had plenty of credits to graduate, so missing two months of school hadn’t affected his GPA at all.

  As Dasan accepted his diploma, shouts and whistles came from Hayden and Jude. The youngster had graduated early. Dasan was smart as a whip and excelled in all his classes, pushing him to an advanced diploma. Stone’s name was called and Justice and Skylar stood to clap and cheer.

  “Elijah Newman.”

  Jaxon stood and made his way to the podium. The headmaster handed him Elijah’s diploma. They shook hands and Jaxon nodded to the crowd that was on its feet, clapping. More students made their way up to the podium as Jaxon took his seat.

  “Ryder Winters.”

  Jaxon closed his eyes as more clapping surrounded him. The only thing he wanted was to hold Elijah again. He held the diploma in his hand a bit tighter and wished for something, anything to help him.

  “I miss you.”

  ~*~

  Justice kicked the door down and stomped into the bedroom. The curtains were drawn and Jaxon was on his side, curled up in a ball. He ripped the blankets off as Jesse opened the curtains and blinds. It was the beginning of June and Jaxon hadn’t so much as left his room in the weeks since graduation.

  “Get up!” Justice bellowed.

  “Leave me alone.” Jaxon rolled away from his brother and covered his eyes from the light with his arm.

  The sun brightened the dank room and Justice finally got a good look at his brother. What he saw made his heart break. Jaxon was white as a sheet, black rings surrounded his eyes and his cheeks were sallow. He looked sick and frail.

  “Oh my God,” Justice whispered. “What is wrong with you?”

  “He’s gone,” Jaxon rasped. “That’s what’s wrong.”

  “You have to get up.” Jesse sat down on the bed and placed a hand on his brother’s shoulder. The skin was freezing cold.

  “I don’t want to get up,” Jaxon said quietly.

  “You can’t stay in here, Jaxon. You’re slowly withering away! I can’t watch you do this.”

  “Then don’t watch,” Jaxon shoved Justice. “Leave me alone!”

  “I can’t do that! You’re acting like — ”

  “I’m acting like what? Like Elijah’s my mate? Well here’s a little secret, Justice — it’s because he is!”

  Justice’s mouth dropped open. “W-what?”

  Jaxon stumbled out of the bed and out of their reach.

  “I’ve known all along that he’s mine! The minute I set eyes on him at Camp Pride, I knew! But I’ve heard the story of Wyatt and Preston, and why Preston did what he did in waiting years for Wyatt to grow up before telling him that they were mates. I wanted Elijah to be sure I was whom he wanted, so I backed off. I waited — and now he’s gone!”

  “Why didn’t you tell us?” Jesse asked quietly.

  “Why? So you guys could push me? He was sixteen! God, he needed to concentrate at school, make friends, be a kid! I wanted to give him time to have some kind of normal life before I dragged him into ours!”

  “He’s a child of the gods, Jaxon. How normal do you think his life was, even without him knowing he was special?” Justice stood up and took Jaxon by his shoulders. “You need to get up and get your ass in shape.”

  “We have no idea where he is! I’m trying to rest while I can so that when we get the right intel, I’ll be ready. In the meantime, with every day that passes, I can feel him getting further and further from my reach,” Jaxon sighed and sat down on the bed. “I can’t breathe without him. Every cell in my body hurts. And he’s my mate — I’m feeling every single thing he’s going through!”

  “That just tells me you have to get up, shower and get your ass moving!” Justice said pointedly, grabbing Jaxon by his bicep and hauling him to his feet. “We’re going to the source.”

  “The source?”

  “Greece. Mount Olympus. Get your ass ready to go in one hour.” Justice left the room, slamming the door.

  “Well?” Jesse narrowed his eyes. “You heard him.”

  ~*~

  By the time they landed in Litochoro, Greece, Jaxon was a nervous wreck. Elijah had been missing for months, months for the rogues to do whatever they wanted to him. The thought made him sick to his stomach.

  Previous intel they had gotten had led them nowhere. Justice got a cab and they found a nearby hotel. Jaxon dropped his bag on the floor and looked out the window. Life was going on for everyone but him. His life had stopped the moment his mate had been kidnapped. The irony was not lost on him. He’d wanted to protect Elijah from this life, and he’d gotten yanked right into the fire.

  They’d gotten one tiny bit of information from one rogue: The kids had all been adopted from an orphanage in Greece, which had led them here.

  “Jaxon?”

  Jaxon turned to find Jesse eyeing him.

  “I’m going to the mountain,” Jaxon announced.

  “Justice and I are going to the orphanage in town. Please keep your thoughts on.”

  Jaxon nodded. He grabbed clothing and stuffed it into a smaller bag. Justice stood in his way at the door.

  “Justice.” Jaxon met his brother’s glare.

  “Promise me you’ll keep them on.”

  “I will. Let me know what you find out in town.” Jaxon hugged his brother and opened the door.

  “We will find him, Jaxon,” Jesse assured him.

  “We have to.” Jaxon walked out, shutting the door behind him.

  Making the trek in wolf form didn’t take long. Mount Olympus wasn’t exactly small, though, and by the time he reached the summit he was breathing hard and exhausted due to his weakened state. Jaxon shifted and threw on his clothes. He eyed the beauty around him. God how he wished Elijah could see it.

  Jaxon balled his fists and looked toward the heavens.

  “You guys enjoy pain and suffering, don’t you! Well, Elijah has endured enough! So if you want to pick on someone, pick on me! I am so sick and tired of everyone saying how you are all knowing. You don’t know shit!”

  The ground shook beneath his feet and Jaxon narrowed his eyes.

  “You really think I care if you strike me down? I’m dead already! You let them take the one thing I can’t live without! So come on! Strike me down! Put me out of my fucking misery, you sons of bitches!”

  A crack of lightning hit right next to him and another tremor rocked the mountain.

  “Good! I’m glad you’re pissed! Maybe now you’ll get off your asses and find Elijah — or do you not care that your power is in question? Your child, Hephaestus, is gone! Just like that! He was taken by Crius and Atlas. Right. Under. Your. Nose! Olympians my ass; you haven’t done jack shit!”

  Jaxon braced himself as another crack of lightning shook the ground right next to him. A ball of fire appeared before him and Jaxon put his hands on his hips, snarling.

  “You really think I’m scared of you? The only thing I’m scared of is that Elijah is suffering!�
��

  The ball of fire pulsed, and grew larger and larger. Jaxon kept his feet planted on the spot and readied himself for the anger that was coming.

  “He is MY child! How dare you presume to know so much!”

  Jaxon stepped forward. “He is MY mate! How dare you allow him to suffer!”

  The ball of flames extinguished immediately and Jaxon found himself staring into the fiery eyes of a very pissed-off god.

  “You dare to come here and speak to us in such a way?”

  “If it gets the job done, I’ll call you an asshole.”

  Jaxon swore he heard a gasp from above him, but kept his stance. He had nothing to lose.

  A ball of fire hit him square in the chest, but the pendant deflected it. Jaxon stood, mouth agape, as the god in front of him actually looked surprised.

  “You have been blessed with love.”

  “What?” Jaxon stammered. Elijah was gone; the only thing he could hope for was a quick death.

  “I’m not going to kill you, idiot,” Hephaestus sighed.

  Jaxon blinked. “You can hear my thoughts?” He got a glare and closed his mouth.

  “You are Elijah’s mate, his best chance at survival. Why would I strike down what my boy loves so much?”

  “He…loves me?”

  An exasperated sigh came from above him.

  “Are all werewolves this stupid?”

  Hephaestus groaned. “Gaea, not now.”

  He turned to regard the werewolf who had captured his son’s heart. Jaxon Salvatore was indeed a warrior.

  “You remind me of Zeus.”

  Jaxon tilted his head. “Is that a good thing?”

  “It can be. You seek a weapon, as well as Elijah.”

  Jaxon nodded. “The sickle.”

  “Go to Cyprus; we have learned it is still there.”

  “Cape Drepanum,” Jaxon nodded.

  “Well now — you have been doing your homework.”

  “I’ll do what it takes to save Elijah. I know he’s still alive. I can feel it.”

  “It is because you love him.”

  “I should have told him!” Jaxon shouted and began pacing back and forth. “Why didn’t I just tell him?” He stopped pacing and looked up. “You were going to fry me?”