by Mikayla Lane
He watched her eyes widen just the tiniest bit, but it was enough to make him puff out even more. She had gotten only feet from him when he caught her scent on a breath of wind. Reven tried to tamp down the blush that he knew was staining his cheeks as another part of his anatomy began puffing up as well.
He quickly stepped behind the door, so she wouldn’t see the effect she had on him, as he did he caught her staring at his ass. Damn if Crator wasn’t right, he thought, fighting the grin that kept trying to spread across his face.
He couldn’t have been more surprised when Jax reached the vehicle, slid into the seat and looked at him strangely for a moment.
“Thanks.”
Reven just stood there as Jax pulled the door out of his loose grasp and shut it. Then he remembered his partial erection and hurried to the passenger door. He put on his seat belt and tried to ignore the curious stare she was giving him in the rearview mirror.
“Hell yeah! Let’s get out of here and find some babies!” Crator said, slapping his hand on the roof of the vehicle.
Jax yanked her eyes from perusing Reven’s body, pulled the gear and hit the gas on the vehicle a little too hard, sending everyone into their seats.
Damn! She thought. What the hell had the irritating man done? There was something different about him, she thought, trying to fight the urge to look at him again. He had always been sexy as hell in her mind, but right now he looked… like a prime rib to a starving woman.
He even smelled delicious, Jax thought as she tried to hide the deep breath she took. He smelled of the sandalwood soap he ordered from Gracie Durant in Dillon, and raw sex. Damn if the combination wasn’t driving her crazy, she thought with narrowed eyes.
Her eyes flew to the mirror, positive he’d be smirking at her, but he wasn’t. His gaze was trained on his comm. Jax felt sure he was up to some trick to get her attention and felt almost disappointed that it wasn’t. If he hadn’t done something to intentionally get her attention, then what the hell was so different about him that was?
“Our location is the next right, Jax!” Bree said urgently, causing Jax to slam on the brakes and take a hard right.
“Sorry!” Jax said sheepishly, giving brief apologetic glances to them. She tried hard not to stare at Reven’s curious look.
Ugh! Jax thought. She needed to put her head in the game. This wasn’t the time to be staring at or thinking about the infuriating man who, for some reason, seemed so much more appealing in his street clothes.
That must be it! Jax thought. She had never seen him in street clothes! She was a little startled to realize that. She’d never really noticed it before, but now that she was giving it some thought she realized she was right. She had only seen him in his Valendran tact gear or the gear they all wore that was made by Grai’s company.
Not wanting to give him the wrong idea, Jax kept her stares to herself as she found the parking lot they were going to park in, to search their sector.
In minutes, they were parked and grabbing their gear to hide the weapons they were strapping to their bodies in hidden sleeves and holsters.
Jax forced herself to keep her concentration on her task as she slid throwing knives into the sheath strapped to her forearm before pulling the sleeve back down. She repeated it on the other arm before putting a light leather jacket on.
She added a gun to her back, another one on her ankle and a Ka-Bar knife to the inside of her other boot before she heard the scream that rent the air, drawing her attention skyward.
All four of them watched as the majestic barn owl descended to the ground in a darker part of the parking lot a couple of dozen feet away from them. Once he was on the ground Jax hurried over to the beautiful bird.
Reven had turned back around to finish with his gear when Crator nudged him a little in the arm and nodded his head dramatically in Jax’s direction.
“Have you ever noticed how her face lights up? Almost from the inside whenever she speaks to them.” Crator said with a smirk through the Shengari’.
Although irritated at being disturbed, Reven turned to Jax and sucked in a deep breath. Crator was right. He’d always been so irritated at the attention she paid to the animals; he'd never actually watched what she did too closely. Her whole face seemed alight with her radiant smile as she kneeled on the ground to speak to the large bird.
For the first time, Reven noticed her posture. The way she knelt upon the ground, exposing herself to the animal in the same way the animal was exposing itself to her. It was a if there were a mutual trust and respect between them.
Even the bird seemed to act more relaxed and out of character as it excitedly hopped around her and fluttered its large wings. Instead of the scream it had used earlier, now the bird was using low screeches as if not to bother Jax’s ears.
Reven was surprised that his overall thought was that it was like watching old friends or family greet each other after being apart for a long time.
Where Jax was normally tense, private and vigilant, now she was relaxed on the ground. She leaned back with a beautiful smile on her upturned face and giggled happily at the bird. Instead of the jealousy that would normally rage through him by now at such a display, he felt pride and happiness for her.
He’d been such a fool; Reven thought with a sigh. He watched the smile begin to fade from her face as Jax stood up. Holding out her hand, Reven held his breath as the bird gently placed the tip of its wing in her open palm. They stared at each other for a moment before the bird shot into the sky, and Jax walked back to them.
“The lights, sounds and the humans are wreaking havoc on the birds. I don’t think they can help much here.” Jax said with a sigh as she reached the SUV.
Reven thought for a second of the beautiful bird that Jax felt such a friendship for and surprised even himself. “Get them out of here before one of them gets hurt. Are there not human pets or something else familiar with this city that would be safer to use?”
Jax knew her mouth was hanging open unattractively, but she couldn’t seem to close it. She could not believe those kind words had come out of Reven’s mouth. The man who usually made it clear how much he hated her animals, was trying to protect them.
Something was wrong damn it! Jax thought as she stared at the sexy stranger in front of her. That gorgeous and sweet guy could not be the same infuriating asshole Reven. It just wasn’t possible; she thought as she finally closed her mouth, still staring at his brilliant blue eyes.
“What’s the deal Jax? He has a point.” Bree told her on their private path through the Shengari’.
Jax was grateful that Bree jolted her out of her renewed perusal of the gorgeous man in front of her, and she turned to Crator and Bree.
“Give me a second while I try something else.” Jax said before jogging over to an alley off the parking lot.
Reven was going to follow, when he saw that she knelt at the ground at the opening to the alley and hadn’t slipped into the darkness. His breath caught in his throat when he saw the ugliest and meanest menagerie of animals he’d ever seen, come from the shadowy darkness and head towards her.
“What are all those things?” Crator asked with a grimace that Reven could well relate to.
Some of the creatures were nasty looking rats; others were beaten up looking cats of varying sizes and shapes, dogs that were injured and almost all were obviously starving. Some were even lacking most of their fur.
No matter what shape they were in, they came to help the sole human that wouldn’t harm them in any way. That would give them love and friendship without pain or fear. Watching one dog limp slowly to Jax with only three legs damn near brought tears to Reven’s eyes.
Cursing lowly, he looked around the parking lot they were in. Spotting what looked like a convenience store on the back side of the lot, he took long angry strides to it.
“Where are you going? She’s going to kill you! You aren’t helping your case Reven!” Crator said as he caught up to him.
Reve
n ignored him as he slammed into the store a little more forcefully than he intended, frightening the kid behind the clear plastic booth inside. Walking through the aisles full of miscellaneous items, he finally found what he was looking for and wiped out the entire shelf.
“Oh… ok man. I get it.” Crator said with a smile.
“Grab some water and those plastic bowl-like things.” Reven said as he dumped the bags on the counter and turned to the startled teen behind the flimsy plastic barrier.
“You have any more of these in the back?” Reven asked him.
At the boy's single, open mouthed nod, Reven looked around the store until he located the door that must lead to the back area where they had extra stock. Crator nodded and headed in there after putting several gallons of water and bags of bowls on the counter.
“Where is the nearest animal doctor?” Reven asked the still startled teen.
Reven just sighed when the boy didn’t answer or start totaling up their items either. Reven had begun totaling the items out loud for the kid when Crator dumped four more bags on the counter.
Although Reven had estimated only a hundred dollars or so, he put three hundred-dollar bills in the tray and pushed them towards the still silent teen before grabbing a load of bags and water and heading back out of the store.
He and Crator headed directly to the alley where Jax was still communicating with the starving and wounded animals. Reven flinched at the shocked look on Jax’s face when she saw the bags of dog and cat food that he carried.
Damn, he thought; he had never intended to make her think he hated her animals. He didn’t hate them at all. Even though he did consider popping the squirrels head. However, his misplaced jealousy sure as hell had given everyone that impression, he thought sadly.
He ignored her while he and Crator, along with Bree, began filling bowls with food and water and setting them down along the alley so that the animals could eat and drink.
Balling up the empty bags, they threw the trash in the dumpster while Jax and Bree helped the injured animals to food and water. Once everyone was gratefully filling empty bellies, the four stood quietly for a moment and watched.
“The injured can’t help, but the others will help us search and put the message out to the house pets and other strays they encounter as well…” Jax began when they were interrupted by a heartbreaking shriek that rent the air behind them.
Turning quickly, they watched in horror as a bleeding and broken dog half dragged, and half crawled its way across the parking lot to them.
Jax let out a cry of her own as she sprinted across the parking lot to the collapsing animal. She and Reven hit their knees as the dog let out a weak cry and dropped something into Jax’s hands, before drawing its last breath.
Jax screamed as if in pain and leaned down to hug the now-deceased dog. She pulled it gently to her chest, rocking it as if it were a child as she ignored the tears that streamed from her face and everyone around her.
It took several minutes for Jax to realize that Reven was trying to get her attention. She turned heartbroken eyes to him and tried to concentrate on what he was saying. Then she noticed the mewling sounds.
“Jax honey, be careful of the baby.” Reven said gently, blinking back his own tears at the last sacrifice of the dying mother.
Jax looked almost blankly at the small, wriggling body still in her hand. It took her only a moment to realize that the tiny puppy was trying to get to its mother.
She cuddled the little one up to its mother before speaking to it. “Can you speak yet?” She asked gently.
The tiny black and tan face turned to Jax, its pain, sorrow and fear overwhelming both Jax and Reven.
“Momma said you be my new momma. But I want my momma back!” The little one told Jax before emitting a cry of sorrow and fear as it nuzzled into its mother's neck to try to wake her back up.
Jax was going to allow it to grieve for its mother for a few moments, but Reven had another idea. Before she could stop him, he picked the puppy up into his large hands and walked away from the body of its mother.
Afraid of what Reven would do to the baby, she jumped to her feet and quickly rounded on him, expecting a fight for the life of the puppy. She was stunned at what she saw.
Reven stood there, cuddling the puppy to his neck and rocking slowly. “Shhh little one. It will be all right. I lost my momma when I was very young as well. I know how you feel, but I promise you; your momma put you with good people.”
Reven turned and saw Jax’s shocked expression. “He’s too little to have that be the last memory of his mother.”
Reven said by way of explanation before he walked away from the dog’s body and into the alley with the other animals.
Jax stood rooted where she was as she watched Reven walk away with the tiny puppy cradled tenderly in his arms. She was stunned as he kneeled down and let the puppy sniff and look at the other animals that were still eating and drinking.
She was even more shocked when she heard Grai through the Shengari’. “Reven said there are about a dozen badly injured animals at your location. I’m sending some of our Sibiox staff out to help. Their ETA is another twenty minutes if you can hold your position.”
“Yes, we’ll wait.” Jax responded woodenly.
Unable to leave the dead mother dog, Jax went to the back of the SUV to grab a towel or blanket to cover her body. By the time she got back to the body, it was gone.
Jax looked around frantically for the dog and couldn’t find her. She started to panic when Reven placed a hand on her shoulder.
“Crator is giving her a proper burial. Is the little one going to be all right?” Reven asked, his concern for the puppy evident in his voice.
Jax watched the man with a respect she never thought she would feel for him. The huge man stood there, gently swaying back and forth with the puppy nuzzled up against his neck. The first thing she thought was how wonderful he would be as a father, and immediately kicked herself. She had no business thinking about children or even him with children, she thought, mentally shaking herself.
“Let me see him.” Jax said, holding out her hands for the puppy.
Reven attempted to pull the little one away from his neck and the puppy immediately started crying and straining to stay with him. Reven cuddled him close again and shushed him.
“Shhh, it’s ok little one. I won’t let you go. You’re safe now.” Reven whispered gently as he rocked and swayed with the traumatized puppy.
Jax looked at Reven and the puppy curiously. It couldn’t be; she thought. Reaching out with her mind, she tried to speak to the little one again.
“What did your momma call you?” Jax asked gently.
The puppy didn’t even lift his head from Reven’s chest. “Momma called me Bartronellium, but you can’t call me that because you aren’t my momma!”
Jax sighed, unsure how to proceed. She’d never had this much trouble connecting with an injured or abandoned animal before. She tried a different tactic this time.
“The man holding you is named Reven. Do you like Reven?” Jax asked gently.
Again, the puppy refused to look at her. “I like my new Daddy. You go away now.”
Chapter Three
Jax was stunned. She’d never met an animal that didn’t want anything to do with her before. What surprised her the most was how quickly the puppy had taken to Reven, of all people.
“Your new daddy needs to know what to call you.” Jax said, trying again to get through to the puppy.
“My new daddy can call me anything he wants. You go away now!” The puppy said the last with a tiny little bark that did nothing to frighten Jax, who turned disbelieving eyes to Reven.
“Well, congratulation's big guy. You are now the new daddy of the baby. He refuses to let me near him, but he says you can name him anything you want.” Jax told a startled Reven.
“It’s a boy?” Reven asked with a smile, not bothering to look.
“Yes, he’s a boy. A
nd he’s determined that you are his new daddy.” Jax said, eyeing Reven curiously as she waited for the word daddy to sink in.
“Awww, the poor little thing. How big are you going to be little one? Damn, it’s a shame we can’t make him a collar like Gibly’s.” Reven said to the puppy as he held him up to his face.
The puppy reached out his tiny tongue and took a happy swipe at Reven’s nose, causing the large man to laugh. Jax thought she would melt when he turned those twinkling blue eyes to her.
“Do you know how big he will get? I don’t want to call him something like ‘Killer’ if he’s only going to be a little guy.” Reven asked, surprised that he and Jax seemed to be speaking without their typical digs at each other. He felt like he was walking a very fine line here and didn’t want to ruin the moment.
