Ajax's Harpy Holiday: Dragofin Mated: Book 1 (A Dragon-Gyphon Shifter Curvy Paranormal-Fantasy-Scifi Romance Series) (Dragonfin Clan Mated)

by Mychal Daniels

  “And I’m fine with that. I don’t know why you refuse to believe me.”

  Jax paced back and forth in front of her in the bedroom of the cabin. “As I said before, if we have sex, that’s it. You’re mine for the rest of our days. This is what I was talking about on the roof Christmas night. Once we have sex and consummate the relationship, that’s it—we’re mated for the rest of our lives. I need to know that you understand and get what that means.”

  Hildy sat on the foot of the bed in one of Jax’s oversized hoodies. She took a moment to breathe, allowing the cycle of breathing to keep her from strangling him. When she was fairly certain not to assault him Hildy said, “Unless you want to pack up and go back to the gym, we’re going to stay here and get mated. I don’t know what else I can do to make you get it through your thick head; that I’m there.”

  “Where?”

  “Boy, don’t play with me. You know good and damn well what I’m trying to say. You don’t think Lucien practically kicked us out because he feared Mr. Scott would find me do you?”

  “He may have. There’s no telling with him. Luc can be a tad paranoid at times.”

  “Jax, for the last time, I’m ready. The question is, are you?”

  He came to sit on the foot of the bed next to her. Instead of speaking, he lifted her hand to his lips and kissed it. Hildy refused to say anything else, opting to feel her way through this pivotal stage of their relationship.

  “Okay, I’ll be the one to say it.” Hildy’s heart clenched at his choice of words. She caught herself holding her breath as he continued. “I’ve developed extremely deep feelings for you and I’m not sure you feel the same way. I know you’re fond of me, but I don’t want you to be saddled down with me if you are only here to satisfy some curiosity. I’m not made like the average man. I’m a one-woman man for the rest of my life.” He paused squeezing her hand. She squeezed back. “Good. Hildy, I’m not trying to get you to confess something that isn’t there. If you don’t feel the same way, let me know. But if you think you could grow to love me too, I want you to consider where you are and be honest with both of us. I’m willing to wait to give you enough time.”

  “Wait, go back. Did you say if I could love you too?”

  “Yes. I’m not kidding around here. Pay attention and keep up with this conversation. I’m being serious.”

  “I am and don’t talk to me like I’m a kid. Remember, I’m your equal. The next time I have to remind you of that, you’ll be on the receiving end of the worst tongue-lashing you’ve ever had. See how I’m attempting to refrain from so much violence toward you? That should show how much I love you.”

  “You love me too?” Jax asked, looking straight ahead.

  “Yeah, knucklehead. I don’t ever like spending this much time with anyone else but you. Plus, I’m sure you’re the best person to be with me. You don’t allow my temper to sideline you and I don’t have as many urges to punch you as before. It could be the fact that I don’t want to be abusive to the man I know I’m in love with.”

  “You are in love with me. That’s a great thing. Yeah,” he said, more to himself than her. “Oh, and abuse of any kind is horrible—horrible.”

  “Jax, you’re the reason I can handle my emotions now. You anchor and help me. When I first met you, it was like all my rage and anger rushed to the surface. I wanted to pummel you into the ground. Now that I look back on it, that pie was an excuse. It was you who brought out the beast in me.”

  “Aww, that’s so romantic.”

  “Hush up, no making fun of me when I’m trying to get my feelings out here. Each day I spend with you, I feel better equipped to handle my day. I don’t know any man who would be willing to keep his hands to himself for five nights straight with a naked woman pressed into him.”

  “Yes, that’s been extremely hard.”

  “That translates into love to me. I thought you hated me until the first night we shared a bed and you held me. I needed that. I needed you and you came through for me. I want to make this as plain as possible so we can get past the talking and get to the mating. Yes, Ajax Drake, I, Hildegard Newton, accept you as my mate for the rest of our lives. Don’t make me regret it.”

  “Haha, it’s not my plan to ever do that. You make it sound so formal and great. So here goes. I, Ajax Drake, thank the Goddess and accept you as my mate for the rest of our lives.”

  “Well—all right then. That’s done. Let’s go to bed!” she said, not caring if it wasn’t sexy or cool.

  Hildy was beyond ready for this. Jax had made her wait for days, treating her like a freaking porcelain doll until she’d had it. All it took was one little statement to Lucien, “Will you please talk to your brother?” and they were out of the gym and on their way here. Lucien promised her that the same wards, as he called them, that were on the gym were here as well. After she had that assurance, she had them packed up for a week and ready to go. Jax came into the room to break the news to her, only to find her sitting next to their packed bags.

  And here they were. A few days from the new year. It had been a week ago when they’d had that fight over the pie. Christmas had indeed brought her what she’d asked for and more. Now it was time to explore the most intimate and sacred part of any relationship with her mate. Hopping off the high bed, Hildy pulled the covers back. Jax watched her. She patted the bed, giving him the signal that she expected him to join her. He obeyed, climbing in as he stared her down.

  “For the love of all that’s holy, don’t answer that!” she yelled at him.

  Hildy watched in unbelief and sexual frustration as Jax reached for his buzzing cell phone. If she hadn’t made a personal promise to curb her violence toward him, she would have slapped the offensive thing out of his hand. Staring at the screen of his phone, Jax read a text. She waited as he took his sweet time reading it.

  When she couldn’t stand it any longer, Hildy asked, “Who is that and what does it say?”

  “Hold on, I need to respond.”

  “The hell you do. Who’s more important right now, me or that text message?”

  “You are. Hildy, look, this is about something that could be potentially dangerous.”

  “Then we discuss it. Danger involves both of us.”

  “I don’t want to get you involved. You’ve got to trust me on this.”

  Fury was the only thing Hildy could see, feel or function in right now. Not one to take no for an answer, she pressed in more. “So what about all that talk of us being mates? Don’t mates share everything?”

  His eyes had shifted to reflect that green ring around the hazel. Something had him riled up and she could see by the set of his facial features he wasn’t going to budge anytime soon.

  “Yes, being mated to you is my greatest honor and gift. Hildy, I love you. That’s why I have to take care of this on my own.”

  Before he could get another word out, Hildy snatched the phone out of his hand to read the text. Jax tried to take the phone back, but when she put up a finger and gave him her serious danger look he’d come to understand as back-the-hell-off, he relented.

  The text was from Matt and read:

  Hurry up & get back. Ur girl ran away & is here, asking 4 U. Not sure how long I can keep Luc calm about it.

  21

  “You have a girl!” Hildy couldn’t think straight. What had she almost gotten herself into? She didn’t care that he had a child. What she cared about was that he never mentioned it. “Jax, you didn’t—” He reached over to touch her. “Don’t touch me. You need to explain this. I’m not sure about the whole mating thing right now.” Hildy didn’t try to hide the moisture that was collecting in her eyes. Only Jax could make her run the gamut of emotions like this. She loved him and right now it hurt. “You were right. I think we need to slow things down a bit.”

  Jax pulled his hand back and stared down into his lap. If Hildy wasn’t so hurt, she would have pulled him into her. It hurt more to see him in pain too. Something about this little
girl had him in turmoil.

  He said, “She’s not my girl.”

  “Then why would Matt say something like that?”

  “Because she’s a troubled teenager I helped earlier this year.” He stopped and Hildy wanted to shake him.

  “Go on. I need you to tell me more about it.”

  “I can’t. It’s complicated and you wouldn’t understand.”

  “Yes, I would. I’m trying to be there for you. I’m your mate and—”

  “Are you? The first sign of struggle and you’re second-guessing everything. Instead of giving me privacy and trusting me, you snatched the phone, invaded my privacy and are currently sitting here judging me on what you think is going on. Instead of waiting until I shared what was happening, you jumped to the conclusion that I was some deplorable person, out to hide things from you. I don’t know how much more I can show you that I would never knowingly do anything to harm you. I’m an open book. You should know that by now. Hildy, I do love you, but I’m not sure I can deal with you right now. Your snap judgments about me are starting to weigh down my ability to bounce back. This, you and me, is great when it’s great. But right now, I’m reminded of how much work it is loving you and being around you. You can be difficult to love.”

  No pain, physical, emotional or mental had ever hurt as much as this did. Hildy now understood how words could be used as effective weapons. The searing pain to her heart was evidence of that. She sat back against the headboard of the bed to gain some composure. Maybe they had rushed more than either of them thought. A little over a week was insanity to think about sharing the rest of her life with anyone. They needed time to regroup and think this out. She needed to know a lot more about Jax before she did anything else.

  Finally, at a point where she could muster up enough energy and courage to speak her peace, she said, “I agree with you. I can be a bit much to handle. I also think that you’re right about me needing some time to think things through. The stuff I don’t know about you scares me. I don’t want to mistrust you or wonder about where or when the next shoe will drop. So, I’m going to make this easy and sleep out in the living room tonight. I’ll be ready to go back with you first thing in the morning.”

  She snatched her phone off the table next to her side of the bed and jumped out to get something to sleep on the couch. As she rummaged through a chest in a corner of the room, Jax spoke up.

  “Hildy, I’ll respect your decision to take things slower. Please don’t sleep out on the couch. Stay in here and I’ll sleep out there. You don’t have to do that to be comfortable. This is my mess to fix and I’ll take the couch.”

  She ignored him as she located a few blankets. Then Hildy was back to the bed. Jax’s eyes brightened as she came near and went over to her side of the bed. She grabbed the two pillows on her side and marched out of the room. Before she slammed the door, she said, “Don’t follow me. I’m tired and going to get some sleep.”

  Tears soaked her pillow as they freely ran. They were the only comfort she could find and Hildy didn’t have the will to restrain them. Although she’d told Jax not to follow her, something inside was hurt that he hadn’t. That was cuckoo, she knew, but it was real to her. She wanted him to know when to obey wishes and when not to. She wanted him to tell her about that girl but not listen to her when she had stormed out of the bedroom.

  Without a watch on, she had no idea how late it was or how long she’d been out here silently crying. This was one of those times when she wished she had a friend she could talk to. The only friend she had was in the other room, most likely sleeping without a care in the world. Here she was miserable and alone again. Too tired and hurt to sleep, she reached to grab her phone. It would let her know what time it was and how tired she’d be in the morning. Hildy would play a game until she fell off to sleep.

  When she woke up the screen, she had two text message notifications. Hildy had put the phone on silent when they left town and forgotten about it since then. It was a new phone and not many people had the number. Tension constricted her ability to take in full breaths. What if it was Mr. Scott and he’d found her new number? The only person who’d ever sent her text messages had been him. Dread with a dash of fear made the phone feel like a weight as she stared at the message notifications. She had to buck up and be brave. Keying in the code to access the messages, she held her breath and extended her hope that it wasn’t him.

  The first was from Matt. Immediate relief was followed by extreme curiosity. Not sure why he’d send a message, she opened and read it:

  FYI… asked Jax 2 come hm. Troubled teen w huge crush on him here. She’s dangerous. He’ll b cautious bringing U around her. Plz give him the support he needs & hope U 2 R enjoying being mated

  The thud of guilt landed in her stomach like a brick. Hildy looked to see that the text had been sent around the same time as the one Jax had received—almost three hours ago. The next text was from Jax. Her heart leapt at the sight of it. It read:

  Want you to come back to bed. Please forgive me. Let’s work this out. Promise to tell you all about it. Text me back, if you forgive me. I’m waiting (heart emoji).

  She was the biggest jerk of all. That text had been sent almost ninety minutes ago. Here she was engrossed in self-pity and brattiness, when Matt and Jax had given her all the information she’d needed to stay calm. She was indeed difficult and hard to love. The truth of that threatened to crush her. Jax was probably asleep now and thinking she’d ignored him again.

  Allowing the phone to slide out of her hands, she didn’t care when the thump of it hitting the rug sounded in the darkness. Her heart ached deep and long, like a wail that never ended. Staring up at the ceiling she heard the door to the bedroom open. Not wanting Jax to see her still awake, she played possum, shutting her eyes and pretending like she was asleep.

  Turning onto her side, into the couch, Hildy waited. Maybe he was getting some water from the fridge. She remained stiff and still. Another long moment and she felt him lifting her up from the couch. He cradled her in his arms in a bridal carry, dragging the blankets she’d hauled out there behind. It took everything in her not to smile when she felt his full, warm lips brush hers in a sweet kiss. He placed her back in the bed and brought the bed covers up to keep her warm. Stealing a peek, Hildy saw him preparing to go back out. She wouldn’t let another opportunity escape.

  “Jax, don’t leave me,” she said into the darkness. Able to make out his form in the bedroom, she watched on pins and needles as he stopped.

  He looked back over to her in the bed. That look took forever as Hildy waited to see what he’d do. Not leaving anything to chance, she got her hands free of the bed linens and raised her arms up to welcome him back. That must have been the right signal. He turned and came back to the bed.

  Hildy loved him and she adored seeing his smile in the darkness of the room. What she was most happy to see was his nudeness that also revealed his excitement over her. She tried hard not to focus on his cock as he climbed back into bed. Instead, she sat up and removed the oversized hoodie she’d worn. When he reached for her to snuggle like they’d grown accustomed to, she grabbed him, bringing his large body to rest on top of hers.

  His skin felt so damn good on hers. Hot, silky and firm.

  “I want you, Jax,” she whispered.

  “We can’t do this without clearing the air,” he said, bending down to kiss her forehead.

  “I know. Matt sent me a text as well. I know about that girl and I’m so sorry. You were trying to protect me and figure out what to do. I understand now and I feel like shit for not giving you the support I should have. I messed up. I should have trusted you and believed in your wisdom on how to handle this. I promise to work on my teamwork skills. We’re a team and I’ll stop acting like a deranged maverick.”

  He let out a breath and shifted his weight off her to land on his side. No, that was going the wrong way, she needed him back on top of her. Hildy knew enough about sex to know the parts had t
o line up.

  “She’s powerful and dangerous. Luc believes she’s a reincarnation of a powerful witch.”

  “What? Witchcraft is real?” Hildy asked, ashamed she didn’t know that.

  “Yes and so much more. That’s why I didn’t want to go into it. I didn’t want to frighten you. Remember when we showed up at that sex trafficker’s place? Well, I helped to save this girl from one like it. She mistook my kindness as a show of love and became infatuated with me. I couldn’t shake her and finally had to get child protective services involved. She didn’t want to accept that I wasn’t interested in her and attempted to kill me.”

  “She tried to kill you? Why isn’t she in jail then?”

  “Jail might only add to her issues. No, the Clan thought it best to have her put back into foster care and watched by contacts we know who’d be able to handle her.”

  “But they failed. Matt sent me a text explaining that she’d run away and was looking for you and the gym.”

  “Yeah. Her being able to locate the area where the… gym is located is dangerous by itself. Hildy, I don’t want her knowing anything about you. She’s very dangerous.”

  “Nothing’s going to happen to me. She’s just a kid and I can handle myself just fine. Why do you think she’s so bad?”

  “Julia is very troubled. Remember—she tried to kill me—with magic. Some of the injuries we originally thought had been done by that gang of traffickers had been inflicted by her on the others. It was ruled that she be sent to a home for troubled teens. I was told by her case worker that she was determined to find me. The fact that she could get past Luc’s wards to locate the gym is extremely troubling.” He ran a hand down the slope of her shoulder, pausing to draw little circles on her flesh with his thumb. “I don’t want to have to kill her, but I will if she tries to do anything to you. She believes that we’re fated to be together. She told me before they took her away that she would never allow me to be with any other woman.”