Outcast BoxSet

by Emilia Hartley

  Either they didn’t know about the cabin or didn’t care. It was most likely the second. The group seemed far too organized, too well equipped to let this fall under their radar.

  “What do you think we’re tracking?” Sydney spoke from her nest of blankets and pillows, sad eyes glued to the floor. “Do you think these are humans or something else?”

  Jax let her question hang in the air while he mulled it over. “I’ve heard stories of humans who harnessed dark things to rid the world of what they deemed unnatural. We call them Hunters. I couldn’t tell you what they call themselves. All we know is that there are very few of them, but if you see one, run in the other direction.”

  “And, here I have you running toward them.” Her voice was sad, dragging her deeper into the mattress.

  He pushed away from the chair and crawled over the mattress, laying his body behind hers. The thick quilt laid between them, a barrier he wasn’t sure he was allowed to cross. He couldn’t resist the temptation of her scent, the sound of her voice. All of her beckoned him. It begged him to wrap himself around her. To bury himself inside her.

  He settled for laying his arm over her body and tugging her into his frame. To his surprise, she snuggled into him. His heart did a small flip, and a smile crossed his face as he laid his head down.

  “I do this of my own free will,” he reminded her.

  She shivered as his breath washed over her ear. His cock soared to attention at her response. It begged for touch, for love, but Jax swallowed and held back. He didn’t deserve anything like love. He certainly didn’t deserve Sydney.

  ***

  With Jax at her back, she slipped into sleep far easier than she ever had before. Her dreams were fluffy and, when she woke, she didn’t remember a thing. All she knew was that something had woke her.

  The room was dark, void of light in the night. No, that wasn’t right. There should have been a small bit of light from the gibbous moon outside. But, there was nothing inside the cabin. She couldn’t even see her hands before her face.

  Her heart did a flip. She gripped the sheets beneath her and strained to listen. Her ears were probably nothing compared to Jax, but he was lost in a deep sleep that worried her. She wanted to rustle him and shake him awake, but she also didn’t want to give away the fact that she was awake if there was someone in the room.

  There was a heavy cabinet shoved against the door, but the window had been left unguarded. Could one of the hunters have slipped in through the portal and cast their darkness through the room?

  “Please don’t panic,” a soft, female voice begged.

  Sydney shot upright, but Jax still didn’t wake. “What have you done to him?”

  “He’s fine. I won’t hurt him.”

  Sydney felt a growl rise through him. She wished for her own wolf, for a sense of smell to lead her toward the intruder lurking in their room. She wished for claws to tear the person to shreds. It was vicious, but she was done with them harming people. Who paid for this enchantment? Whose soul was forfeit for this?

  “I wanted to warn you. By the time you wake in the morning, Trisha will be dead. I couldn’t help her, but I hope I can help you.”

  Sydney let out a cry, a sob that stabbed its way through her throat.

  The voice hesitated before speaking again. “I wish I could have saved her. I’m starting to see the wrong of our ways.” She paused. “I wish I’d seen sooner, but I cannot go back in time and change what has been. I can only move forward.”

  “Why are you here?”

  Silence prickled along Sydney’s skin. She thought the woman left, but the darkness still lingered in the room.

  “I came to warn you. My family is on their way here. The shifters they have in their possession, the ones you know about, are about to expire and they will need a new source of power.”

  Sydney’s hand moved to Jax, as if her small touch could shield him from the horror he feared. The hunters came for his soul and the magic it would give them.

  “Why?” Sydney asked. “Why come to us? How do I know this isn’t a farce?”

  “You don’t, I guess. I thought my warning would be enough to convince you of my honesty, but I understand if you still won’t trust me. All I can say is that I’ve… I’ve experienced something I never thought would happen and I have to make it right.”

  “None of this makes any sense,” Sydney cried.

  “I’m running out of time,” the female voice exclaimed, exasperated. “Go back to town tomorrow. Leave before my family finds you and your mate.”

  Chapter Thirteen

  Sydney woke with a start. She snapped up, gasping for breath. The room was flooded with the light of morning, glowing orange and pure. The events of the night seemed hazy in her mind as if they were a dream. She ran her fingers through her hair, tugging as if it would pull the dream to the surface.

  Twisting, she looked down at Jax. He lay on his back, watching her with a soft smile on his lips. Her cheeks warmed, and she worked to finger comb her wild hair.

  “Don’t bother,” he said. “I kind of like it.”

  She rolled her eyes, even though his words secretly pleased her. She couldn’t help the way her body responded to him, but he was also growing on her in other ways. She enjoyed the way he smiled when he looked in her direction, the way his eyes crinkled with concern for her. Who was the last person to look at her like that? Had her partner looked at her that way? As if his world might have fallen apart if she disappeared?

  Sydney swallowed and turned away. The bed groaned and moved as he sat up. His fingers touched her shoulder; the featherlight touch sending chills down her spine. Her head fell back, and she leaned into him.

  He growled a sound that rippled through her like a stone in a lake. It made a splash and changed her. She gasped and spun toward him. His eyes burned, a mixture of brown and gold that seemed to devour her soul in a way she’d never felt before.

  “What is this?” she whispered, leaning toward his lips. They drew her, the center of gravity in her small world.

  He didn’t respond. Instead, he closed the space between them, and claimed her mouth as his own. His tongue parted her lips and plunged inside her. The fire that roared in response was only an echo of what she might feel had other parts dove inside her.

  Sydney leaned back, and Jax followed as she pulled him. Her nails bit into the skin of his bare shoulders, his shirt lost somewhere in the night. Had he even put a shirt on to begin with? She never wanted him to wear one again. She loved the look of his skin, the feel of it beneath her hands. Her fingers bounced over the ripple of his muscles as she ran her hands down his chest and stomach in search of a belt buckle. Jax groaned into her mouth. Was it the taste of her or the anticipation that brought that sound to the surface?

  His hands plucked the buttons on the front of her blouse, popping them free without breaking a single one. She would have been impressed had his hands not immediately gone in search of skin. It distracted her from every thought going through her mind until all she could focus on was the way he felt against her.

  “I need you,” Jax whispered into her neck as he held her. “I’ve never needed anything like this in my life.”

  She didn’t respond. Sydney didn’t know what words were anymore. She’d devolved into nothing more than skin on skin and the fire between them. She wanted to drown in it. Her hands became desperate. She tugged and yanked the belt from around his waist, tossing it across the room so the thing could no longer impede her desire.

  Jax let out a sound of triumph, having found the front closure of her bra and unhinged it. Her breasts were freed, and his head descended. His mouth found a nipple, and she cried out at the sensation of it, her hands’ mission momentarily delayed. His tongue flicked the sensitive flesh, and her head fell back.

  She needed him inside her. She needed everything he could give. Nothing had ever felt this intense, this strong. It was as if the universe itself bound them tighter and tighter as their bodies c
ame together. She should have been afraid. She should have fought against the unknown force propelling them toward one another, but she sank into it.

  Sydney let the force pull her into Jax. She drowned in him as he suckled at her breast. A massive, warm hand slid down the front of her. It pulled the waist of her pants away from her skin and disappeared inside. He lifted questioning eyes to meet hers. She arched her hips into his hand in response.

  His smile was wolfish. His eyes sparkled, wild and free. He rose and nipped the skin of her neck just as his fingers parted her thin folds. Her lips fell apart in response, a soft moan escaping her when a finger found the throbbing part of her that begged for him.

  She gripped his shoulders. What did she know about this man? She’d met him at a damned hotel, a vagrant passing through town. However, he was more than that to her already. Jax was a man on a mission, a heart dedicated to helping others the way she fought to every day. He had his own story, one she still planned on digging for once her body was pleased and sated.

  His fingers rubbed lazy circles, making her moan and beg. She wanted more. She needed more.

  “Fuck me,” she growled into his skin.

  She felt his beast rise and direct him. It desired her, too. Jax and his beast wanted her the same way she wanted him. It warmed her, made her core throb, unlike anything she’d ever felt before.

  What was this? Would she be consumed by the fire between them, or would it forge her into a new kind of being?

  He tore impatiently at the button on her pants. She didn’t need them. Not right now. She needed them off – NOW! She coveted the feel of her bare legs wrapped around his waist. Him buried deep inside her. It made her cry out with frustration. Surely everything for miles could hear their growls and groans.

  His teeth closed around her neck just as his fingers slipped inside her. It was too much. Her body exploded with sensation. It rocked her from head to toe, nearly consuming her. Her eyes drifted shut as she fell into the sensation.

  “This isn’t half of what I can make you feel,” Jax whispered into her ear. He nipped the soft lobe, making her writhe even more in his arms.

  Her hips pumped against his hand, aching, begging for more.

  More.

  More.

  More.

  Hands. Lips. Cock.

  She wanted it all. Her body begged for it. She writhed for it.

  Above her, Jax laughed. It was a deep sound that moved through her. It was pleasure and possession. It was protection and satisfaction. She wanted to hear it again.

  Her hand slipped between them, between his skin and his waistband. Soft hair greeted her fingers, silk beneath her touch. Her fingers wrapped around his cock that was hard yet silken. She reveled in the touch of it, her throat tightening with desire as she stroked back and forth. Long strokes, limited by the confines of his pants.

  With a grunt, he ripped them lower and leaned into her touch. His eyes drifted closed, lashes fluttering. Pride and pleasure washed through her chest. Leaning into him, she stroked. She let her hand work fast, let it work in lazy motions.

  He snarled, revealing teeth while he fell into a primal need. Licking her lips, she leaned forward. The tip of his cock entered her mouth. It was already salty with the evidence of his need. She licked it away and smiled up at him. He let out a sound that was half pain and half pleasure. It brought a possessive growl through her.

  She spent far too much time around him recently. There was an animal inside her when he was around. The animal stretched and begged, presenting itself to him, luring him in. So, she took his cock deeper. It touched the back of her throat. It slid further while her hand made small circles around his balls.

  The sound he made brought her pleasure. To think she had this kind of control over a man with inhuman strength and speed made her mind spin. It was a heady feeling, bringing him to his knees like this. She sucked and pulled, her head bobbing until she thought he was near.

  Then she pulled back.

  He let out a cry of dismay.

  She smiled, knowing she was in control until he reached for her. Sydney let out a cry as her hand fell away from his cock and he flipped her over.

  He reached between her legs, feeling the wet need that gathered there. His cock touched her next, sliding along the lines of her butt, teasing and taunting. Sydney moaned into the sheets. She was ready. She wanted it.

  The tip of his cock rubbed against her opening, there but only barely. He played back and forth the same way she had with his cock. It made her growl and beg. It made her writhe against the sheets. The room filled with the scent of their longing. It was heavy and wrapped around them.

  Then, just as she was about to turn, he slid inside her. She let out a cry, a loud sound that could barely be muffled by the pillow beneath her mouth. He felt so good, too good. His cock filled every available inch of space and even more. He was massive and oh so satisfying as she spasmed around him.

  He thrust, slowly pulling back before slamming into her. His hand reached around and found the small bead of pleasure hidden in the front. As he met home, he flicked his fingers and brought more cries from her mouth.

  She was close. As close as she’d brought him with her mouth. The feeling built and built, heavy as it throbbed around Jax’s cock. With each pulse, she thought it would break. She thought the orgasm would rumble through her, but it held as he slowly coaxed her with his cock. She thought it couldn’t get any greater, couldn’t get any larger, and he proved her wrong.

  She held her breath and buried her fingers in the sheets. She wanted release. She needed it. She could barely breathe, could barely tell where she ended, and he began.

  Then, he crashed inside of her, a small grunt escaping his lips as his cock throbbed. The sensation of it brought her. The sensation exploded. It sent waves rocking through her, one after another. They shook through her limbs and made her toes curl, dancing like electricity through her body and leaving her twitching in its wake.

  He pulled out, the small motion sending more ripples of pleasure through her body. She laughed, the only way she could handle the sensations still flooding through her. Her limbs tingled, pulsing with the remnants of the orgasm as she clung to Jax’s shoulders. He pulled back, rising above her. She could get lost in the earthen depths of his eyes. The shadows had been peeled back, revealing warmth and desire. The kind that would last an eternity.

  Her ears began to ring. She couldn’t lose anyone else. There was no way she could lead Jax into the mess that was her life. It would only be a matter of time before she got him killed, too.

  The thought filled her with cold fear, washing away the orgasm and leaving her empty.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Sydney’s throat tightened like her fingers on his shoulders. His arms around her waist held her in place. “I don’t know if I can make this… permanent.”

  Jax growled into the skin of her stomach, sending vibrations through her. His grip on her tightened as if he might never let her go. “I don’t know if we have a choice.” His voice was muffled by her skin.

  “Of course, we do.” Her brow furrowed. She let her head fall back, eyes darting from star to star above her. “We can let this play out and then walk away. No one gets hurt. No one dies.”

  “I can’t let you go,” he whispered.

  Her throat tightened to the point of pain. Tears gathered in the corners of her eyes. “You have to. I’ll only get you killed.”

  His head snapped up. “Where did that come from?”

  The tears threatened to take her over. She could see his face in the shape of the morning clouds, as if he was looking down at her from above. His face returned to her, clear like he was standing before her. Then the ringing in her ears started.

  “Syd.” Jax rose, gently touching her jaw with his knuckles. “Syd, what’s wrong?”

  She swallowed and prepared herself. He deserved to know. If he wanted to hang around her any longer, Jax deserved to know she could get him killed. He
ll, she’d already gotten him shot.

  The story unfolded, with stops and starts interjected here and there. Sobs threatened to overtake her voice, but she managed to hold them back. All the while, Jax held her tight. He listened with open ears, nodding for her to go on whenever she faltered. At the mention of sleeping with her old partner, his hands tightened possessively. She clung to them, returning the gesture almost out of instinct.

  Finally, when it was all said and over, Jax spoke. “You didn’t kill him, Syd.”

  His word stung. They fought against everything she’d told herself over the past couple of years. With a single sentence, he’d reached inside her and ripped out the pain she’d let fester. It stung and prickled, but she could feel it slowly beginning to heal over. There would be a scar, she was sure of it.

  Jax’s head fell into her lap. She ran her hand over the tight curls close to his scalp and reveled in the feel of them against her palm. Slowly, she realized there was a tension building in his shoulders. They tightened until she thought he might snap in half. It was her turn to lift his head. She looked him in the eye, studying the dark look there.

  “Tell me your horror story,” she commanded.

  He swallowed. The story was stuck in his throat, she realized. Her fingers drifted down his cheeks, along his jaw, to the lump building in his throat. Running her thumbs up and down the length of his skin, she gently coaxed the truth from him.

  “How do you steal my ghosts from me?” Jax whispered, the words almost lost they were so feather light.

  “What haunts you?”

  He sucked in a long and ragged breath, refusing to meet her eyes at first. “I was part of a Pack. My Alpha was a strong man who led his family with his heart. There’d been a time when I thought I would grow up to marry his daughter, truly become a part of that happy family. They were perfect.”

  Silence dragged. She could hear the steady ticking of water droplets hitting the sink basin. When he spoke again, his voice was strained. His eyes were distant, a memory playing out like a horror movie she couldn’t see.