by Mikayla Lane
Melina was taken aback by the strength of his emotions, and the energy carried with them. Even though she knew he wasn’t lying, she’d been through far too much to blindly trust anyone. She decided to test the boy.
“Tell me about this place? Where are we?” Melina asked as she quickly dressed herself. She couldn’t help but admire the feel of the soft clothes as she pulled them on. And to her surprise, they fit her!
She was so stunned that she stood in front of the mirror and admired the light pink, soft and fuzzy long sleeved top and the bottoms that went all the way to her ankles. She was a little surprised at the boy’s chuckle in her mind, and she bristled with anger.
“Don’t make fun of me!” Melina said, as she stepped away from the mirror in embarrassment.
“No! I swear I am not! I’m glad you like your sleeping clothes, and I’m laughing because you’re a girl, and you like pink. I know that seems stupid of me, but I don’t have many girl friends. You’re my first one. I’m sorry if I don’t really know how to act…” The sadness in his voice as he spoke, touched Melina in a way she had never felt before, and she felt bad for the boy.
“It’s ok. I’m not really sure how you’re supposed to act with anyone, much less a friend.” Melina admitted, wishing she’d said anything but that. It made her sound weak, and she never wanted anyone to make the mistake of thinking she was weak.
“Well… we can always figure it out together. I promise to try not to say stupid things if you’ll forgive me when I screw up?” Traze asked hopefully.
Melina narrowed her eyes slightly as she cleaned up the mess they had made in the bathroom. She stood and pulled the energy towards her again before sending it out. This time when it came back she saw him sitting on the ground behind the same tree he’d been at earlier. She could see that his head was in his hands in the shimmering golden waves and felt his hope… and his fears.
She sighed as she picked up a clean and happy Bayla and used her fingers to clear the energy map from the air around them. “I don’t have any friends to know how to act either so maybe we can try it…”
Melina paused when she became overwhelmed by the hope and excitement that began rushing over her, until she pulled back a little from his energy. She was more than a little surprised at how happy those few words had made the guy.
For reasons she couldn’t seem to name, she was drawn to him. The shy, almost fearful way that he spoke, and the hope he projected were sweet. Melina could see a lot of Bayla’s wounded animal friends in the boy’s behavior and couldn’t seem to push him out of her mind. And realized she didn’t want to.
Chapter Eight
Jax paced around the guest room in between the boxes that were crowding it as Reven stared at one of the instruction manuals that he had pulled out of the crib box.
“Calm your mind, they are doing well.” Reven said off-handedly as he kneeled down to pull a few wooden pieces out of the box to inspect.
Jax turned to him with a sarcastic gaze. “I’m not worried.”
Reven snorted in disbelief as he turned his attention back to the instructions. “Do you have any of the tools mentioned in here that we need?” He asked as he scratched his head.
Normally, Jax would be incredibly grateful that the annoying man was so distracted and basically ignoring her presence. But in her house, with so much going on around her that was leaving her nervous and on edge, she found it to be almost… hurtful. And that pissed her off.
“I have a ton of tools, because I’m pretty damn good at taking care of myself. Give me those.” Jax said as she walked up to him and snatched the instructions out of his hand. She had no idea he had been holding them so tight, so when they tore completely in half, she kind of lost it.
“What the fuck is wrong with you? How the hell, do you expect us to put this shit together if you tear the damn instructions?” Jax asked as she shook her torn half of the instructions at him.
Reven was stressed enough and not in the mood for her unreasonable emotions. He reached her in two strides. Throwing his half of the papers on the floor, he grabbed her by the shoulders and drew her into his arms before she could argue with him.
He easily fought off her half-hearted attempt to push him away and sat on the floor, pulling her tightly into his lap as he did. With one hand holding her head against his shoulder, he used the other to press her body closer to his.
“Shhh… you are just tired and upset. There is a lot going on and a lot has happened. It is normal to feel a little overwhelmed. Everything will be ok.” Reven said gently as his body reveled in the joy of holding her, even if she did fight him.
He marveled at her muscles as they bunched and tightened beneath her soft skin as she put up a half-fight before she finally relaxed in his arms. He felt like he had won a long, hard battle and crushed the urge to shout his happiness.
“You don’t know everything will be ok.” Jax whispered quietly against his neck as she breathed in the delicious sandalwood scent that he wore. The way he smelled could easily drive the worry and any other thoughts from her mind, she thought as she took another deep breath.
Reven tightened his hands on her and squeezed her gently. “I know there is nothing we cannot accomplish if we try, and we want it bad enough.” He said quietly as he tried to control the urge to take her where they sat.
The feel of her in his arms was driving him crazy, and it was taking all of his self-control to keep his hands from freely wandering her body. Something told him she’d be fighting pretty damn hard if he tried, and he didn’t want to disturb the peaceful truce between them. Or get thrown out.
Jax let out a heavy sigh as she relaxed into Reven’s arms. The man may be the most annoying creature on the planet, but he was also sweet when he wanted to be, she thought as she closed her eyes.
Reven could feel the exhaustion taking hold of Jax’s body and knew that she was much more tired than he was. When Melina tentatively cracked open the bathroom door and Jax tried to jump out of his arms, he tightened them further, preventing her from escaping.
“How was your bath?” Reven asked with a smile as Jax tried to pretend like she wasn’t fighting to get out of his lap.
“It was nice. Thank you.” Melina said as she struggled to keep the squirming Bayla on her hip.
“Good! You guys must be tired. How about you let Jax tuck you in and read you a story while I try to make heads or tails of this furniture? That way maybe you can sleep in your new beds tomorrow night?” Reven asked with a smile as Melina’s face lit up when she looked at the box with the picture of her bed on it.
“Is that really going to be my bed?” Melina asked as she tried to contain her excitement. She’d never had a real bed before and wondered what it would be like to sleep in such a beautiful one.
“Yes, it is. And there’s a matching crib for Bayla. Now you guys need to head off to bed so I can get to work.” Reven said with a mischievous grin as he pushed Jax to her feet and then smacked her lightly on the butt to get her moving.
The look she threw at him would have incinerated a lesser man, but he grinned back at her with such a beautiful smile that Jax was left speechless. She stood there in confusion for a moment as her body tingled from their physical contact and her mind tried to process the rush of feelings that bombarded her.
It didn’t help that Reven stared at her with those piercing blue eyes as if daring her to deny that she felt something for him. Wait… that freaking Neanderthal actually smacked her in the ass! With her emotions feeling like she was being put through a meat grinder, Jax decided to concentrate on the one emotion she could understand. Her anger.
She tried to work herself up into a tizzy over it but with her body humming from their contact and her mind slightly numbed from lack of sleep and the riot of emotions she was going through, she couldn’t seem to do it. What surprised her more was that she didn’t care.
Jax met Reven’s curious stare with a smile and nod before she turned to the children. “Ok guys
! We are going to let you sleep in my bed tonight! Only because it is the most beautiful room in the house!”
Jax tried to pull off excitement, but even she knew her voice sounded kind of flat. The look Melina gave her told her she wasn’t fooling anyone with her false happiness either. She sighed and shrugged her shoulders at the two little girls as she picked her way to the doorway.
“I’m tired guys, cut me some slack. If you think that was bad wait until you hear my stories. We gotta go shopping and buy some books too.” Jax said giving Melina a grin and a wink. That at least made the child smile.
Reven watched Jax intently as she moved to the doorway. Her usually graceful movements were stilted and unsure, as if she were distracted. He wanted to think that she hadn’t yelled at him or even slapped him because she was finally feeling something for him, but he was too afraid to get his hopes up.
He looked back around the room when the girls turned the corner down the hallway and sighed heavily. Even with tools, he had no damn idea what he was doing, and he had a room full of furniture to assemble. If he didn’t do something or get some help, he was going to look like a failure. Not only to Jax but to that little girl hoping for her bed. There was no way in hell, he was going to let any of his girls down.
Reven went to the doorway and peeked out to make sure that Jax, and the girls were in her room. With the door cracked open slightly he could hear Jax telling them something about a princess as she put Wolfen into bed with the girls.
Feeling pretty sure that they were occupied, he crept out of the house and onto the back deck. He could see the light on in Jax’s bedroom from the back of the house and hear her muffled voice as she spoke to the children. He ignored her as he released his breath and took a deep one and nearly choked on it.
In a show of true strength, Reven leaped the back deck railing in one leap and was almost to his target before the boy even knew it. Just as he reached for Traze, the boy held his hands up in surrender.
Laying on his back, on the ground outside of the window with his arms up in the air made Reven think of one of those bugs that got flipped on its back, for some reason. It wasn’t a good look for a grown man; Reven thought with a heavy sigh. Nor was it conducive to staying angry at the boy when he looked so damn pathetic.
“I’m assuming your brother has no idea you are here?” Reven asked the boy quietly, so he wouldn’t frighten the girls.
The boy looked down sadly and shook his head slowly as if he were in great emotional pain. Damn if the kid couldn’t make you feel just awful for him; Reven thought with a shake of his head.
“Do you plan on stalking the poor girl like this?” Reven asked, trying to gather some anger at the boy.
“No. I would never want to scare them. I just wanted to see what she looks like, what color her eyes are… is she going to be ok? They didn’t… they didn’t…” Traze looked up at Reven with tears glistening in his eyes, and his worry and pain for the girl radiated from his energy.
With a heavy sigh, Reven sat down in the grass beside Traze. “I think she’s going to be ok. And no, they didn’t. We got to them in time. Amun said she would heal. She will always be petite, but that just means you will have to learn to be gentle with her.” Reven said warningly while Traze nodded his head sadly.
“I know I have a lot to learn, and I want to. More than anything in this world or any other, I want to learn to be what she needs.” Traze said as his honesty, and his need bled through his energy to Reven.
Both men turned to the sound of David coming out of the woods from behind the house. He walked right up to Traze and Reven and sat down on the other side of the boy.
“You’re here to take me away aren’t you? Why? Why are you doing this? I haven’t done anything to hurt her, and I never would. You know that Reven, you know I’m not capable of hurting her. How can I learn how to be what she needs if I can’t even be near her? Everyone else is allowed near their mate, why do I have to be treated differently? I’m not my father’s son! What do I have to do to prove that?” Traze said as the tears slipped silently down his face.
David and Reven looked at each other over the boy’s head and by the look David gave Reven, he agreed with Traze. Reven looked at the stick he picked up off the ground and tried to think of what he would do in Traze’s situation. The answer surprised him.
“You’ve already spoken to her.” Reven said when it finally dawned on him.
Traze nodded his head. “I swear I didn’t scare her! I just told her I was a friend and that she, and her sister were safe with you and Jax. I didn’t tell her we are mates; she's too little for that. I’m not stupid.” Traze said sadly as he rested his arms on his knees, then his head on his arms before staring up at Jax’s bedroom window.
The three men were wrapped in their own thoughts for a moment before hearing the footsteps that made no attempt to hide their approach. Reven wasn’t sure if he was happy about the new late-night visitor or not. The damn yard was getting crowded.
Lara looked up at the illuminated window before smiling at the three male faces that didn’t look all that thrilled to see her. “The three of them are asleep.” She said before using her left hand to release a stream of golden energy towards the window.
When Reven and Traze tensed, she quickly explained to ease their worry. “I sent them energy to deepen their sleep and prevent them from waking while you build their furniture.”
Reven and Traze both nodded their heads in relief until they saw Grai walking up behind Lara. David and Reven were immediately alert to any attempt Traze might make to run, but the boy just sat there sadly. His behavior was starting to worry Reven, and he looked to David to see if he was the only one noticing it. When he saw David’s concerned look, he knew it wasn’t just him. The boy was really in bad shape.
Grai came into the light of Jax’s bedroom window and there was no mistaking the look of thunderous anger on his face. The look was intimidating enough that he would have cowed a lesser man, and Traze looked crestfallen. Damn if the stupid kid couldn’t get to you, Reven thought with irritation as he began to feel sorry for him.
Reven had no idea what possessed him to open his mouth; his own words shocked him as much as everyone else. “Let the boy alone Grai. I don’t know how we will work this out, but we’ll find a way.”
Reven almost laughed at the comical expression that crossed Grai’s face. He’d gone from furious to a surprised ‘What?’ look in the span of seconds.
“That is a very wise suggestion, Reven. Your instincts are always to first err on the side of caution, mostly with those you love. At least until you can think clearly and see the benefits.” Lara said with a gentle smile.
Reven couldn’t see any benefits of allowing the boy near Melina, but he knew damn well that Jax was going to try to remove his balls for it. The thought didn’t amuse him at all.
“I remember as a little girl, wishing that I had someone that I could talk to besides my parents. Someone I could trust. I’m sure Grai knows what I’m talking about.” Lara said, giving Grai a smile as he nodded his head.
Grai knew exactly what she was talking about. He had been so terrified of his father and paranoid about everyone, that he hadn’t even told his brothers about his mate and child until a few months ago. Grai would have loved to have had someone that he could have confided in for the hundreds of years that he tried to protect his brothers and his family.
Reven thought back to his own childhood and how if he hadn’t met Ivint, how very differently his life may have been. But surely, with all the kids around this place there had to be someone else that Melina would become friends with besides Traze, Reven thought with a shake of his head. A female would be great, but somehow he knew that wouldn’t be his luck.
“I have a room full of furniture, and I can’t even understand the instruction manual. Either half the pieces are missing or the people who printed them did not understand the English alphabet.” Reven said before he turned to Traze.
&nbs
p; “I have every intention of ensuring my daughter can sleep in that bed tomorrow night. So if you’re going to just stand out here, you can at least have the courtesy to come inside and help me build the stuff.” Reven said, hoping he wouldn’t be sorry for it later.
He could feel the boy’s energy go from sadness to hope before he stood quickly and looked down at Reven with a huge smile. “I’m pretty good at deciphering human manuals. We can get it all built by morning. I promise. Thank you.” Traze said the last a little choked up, and David stood and slapped his shoulder.
“I’m pretty good at building human furniture from boxes as well. Living in and out of military housing does that to you. And I happen to have a few hours with nothing to do. Where are the tools?” David said as he squeezed Traze’s shoulder and gave him a rare grin.
Lara laughed. “Don’t look at me, I suck at this stuff, and Viper is waiting for me. Jax’s tools are on the floor of the hall closet though.” She said before she disappeared back into the trees the way she’d come.
