by Mikayla Lane
Melina’s Prime abilities were much more prominent than just her camouflage abilities; Jax thought. She quickly debated informing Lara of it, but decided it could wait. Instead, she turned a smile on the adorable baby and nervous child.
“First, it’s not nice to invade someone’s thoughts. However, I think Bayla is probably right. I will try to make an effort not to be so quick to judge him. Now let’s go; we have a lot to do today!” Jax said, waving her arms for them to head down the hallway with a sigh.
Jax tried to keep her mind blank as she followed the children down the short hallway to the living room. Reven was busy speaking to one of the vet techs, and she took a moment to openly stare at him.
He had chosen his normal tact team pants, like she had, along with a black T-shirt that fit him like a glove. The sleeves looked like they were barely containing the muscles straining around them as he gently held Wolfen in his strong hands.
Damn, she was really gone; she thought. She’d never forgotten an animal under her protection before, and here she’d forgotten about the poor little puppy that had also claimed Reven as Daddy. However, he hadn’t.
Reven had already called the vet tech to care for the puppy while they were gone, and he was explaining to the Tezarian how the puppy had fared through the night. Between the furniture and the puppy, Jax didn’t think he would have been able to sleep at all, and she tried to ignore the pang of guilt that hit her.
She sighed at the girl's pet and loved the puppy while Reven, and the tech grinned at them patiently. She was starting to feel like a real bitch and didn’t like it at all. It was one thing to be strong and independent and another to be a bitch; Jax thought.
Instead of paying lip service to Melina about giving him a shot, maybe she should actually give this a try. Maybe she should stop looking for the bad motive behind his actions and try to see them for what they were.
Hell, she thought, if they were going to be stuck together for the next eighteen years or more raising these kids, then she should at least make an effort to see if this could be less than miserable for them.
Chapter Eleven
Four hours later, Jax was ready to rip his hair out. The damnable man was making it really hard to like him. At least consistently anyway.
One moment he would do something truly sweet and wonderful. Like thinking of Wolfen’s needs when she’d forgotten. Then piss her off the next with his arrogance. Like now.
Jax silently seethed while Reven agreed with the Tezarian teacher that Melina needed special classes, away from the other children, while they caught her up to the others. It was bullshit.
Throughout the two hours that Melina and Bayla had been tested, Jax had thought that both children had done beautifully. Even Reven had smiled proudly at the scores they received on every test they had taken.
Granted, Melina was pretty far behind on the basics like reading and writing. However, she had a natural talent for math, sciences, anatomy and her motor skills were off the charts. The child could easily catch up to the other kids, and she wasn’t going to have the little girl separated like she was contagious.
“Wait a damn minute!” Jax said, interrupting the pretty Tezarian woman, who was leaning a little too closely to Reven as they spoke.
Once she had their attention, Jax continued. “She does not need to be kept from the other children. What she needs is private lessons to catch her up, but she needs to be with the others the rest of the time.”
“If you single her out like this right now, she’s going to think she’s not good enough to be around the others, or that we think there’s something wrong with her. It will be hard enough for her being the only Prime here!” Jax said, staring a hole through Reven’s eyes, conveying just how pissed and disappointed she was with him.
“I really don’t think…” The Tezarian began before Jax cut her off again.
Jax stood and leaned threateningly across the desk, drawing the Tezarian’s attention quickly. The woman leaned as far back in her chair as she could to put as much space between them as possible.
“I don’t give a shit what you think. You may think you know everything, but she is different, and nothing like you or anyone else has ever seen before. You can’t apply the same thinking to her, and I won’t let your ignorance harm her chances at feeling normal. Like she belongs somewhere.”
Jax felt Reven’s hands gently pulling her back towards her chair as he spoke. “Hey, hey… we all want what is best for Melina. I agree with you; she cannot be separated like that. It would only hurt her.”
Jax continued to glare at the shaken woman as Reven sat her in her chair and pulled his own closer to her and held her hands in his own. He tried to convince himself if was only to protect the Tezarian, but he had to admit it felt good to hold her like a real mate.
Reven cleared his throat and tried to calm the now agitated Vice Principal of the Hybrid Academy. “I agree with Jax. Melina has been on her own for so long that she needs to be around the others to learn how to form bonds. Her social development in this case is just as important as her academic development and that needs to be taken into consideration.”
“She is a remarkable girl, and I think once she begins learning she will catch up quickly. It is her ability to feel part of this community that we need to work on. She needs to know she can trust us and depend on us, as her family. As friends.”
“We will return tomorrow to review the new plan you will create for her. I trust that this new plan will help her achieve the balance she needs. I’m sure if you have any questions, Lara fle’ te’ Trugh will be more than happy to help you tailor something for her.”
At the mention of Lara’s name, the Tezarian looked almost awestruck, and she sat up straighter. “My apologies to you both. I see now that I’ve gone about this the wrong way. You are correct Jax; Melina is unique, and that must be taken into consideration. I will get with Lara immediately to help develop a more acceptable plan for her.”
The tall, thin woman stood and bowed slightly to them. Realizing they were finally done, Jax stood quickly and returned her bow before storming out of the office door and into the gym area where Melina and Bayla were playing quietly by themselves while the other kids played farther away.
It broke her heart to see the little girl so wary of the others. She was a child and needed to learn how to play and do normal kid things; Jax thought sadly. She knew how the girl felt.
Melina desperately wanted to fit in and be around kids her own age, but she was terrified of them at the same time. Jax had been just like that when Banatar first found her.
“Hey guys!” Jax said with a forced smile as she scooped Bayla off the floor and held out her other hand for Melina. Melina took her hand, and Jax led them to the door while Reven easily strode beside them.
“Do I have to come back here?” Melina asked quietly, not looking at Jax or Reven.
Jax stopped in the middle of the hallway and handed Bayla to a stunned Reven before leaning down to look in Melina’s pale blue eyes.
“I know… Bayla heard,” Jax said, lying about knowing who was listening in on private thoughts to ease her mind. “Everything that was said. But, you listen to me. I’ve been where you are, I know exactly how you feel. I know you’re scared and worried. About Bayla.”
Jax put a gentle hand on the girl's shoulder and continued. “You don’t have a reason to be. You are strong and brave. And you cared so much about protecting Bayla you got caught. Yet, you still managed to save both of you. That is an amazing thing, and you are an amazing child. Those kids will be proud to know you and will learn as much from you as you will learn from them. Trust me, I know.” Jax said with a smile and a wink at the little girl.
“I don’t think they will like me.” Melina whispered worriedly as she looked at the floor in embarrassment.
Reven couldn’t bear the child’s fear and worry and scooped her up into his arms and carried her on his other hip, opposite Bayla. He was so large he made the little
girl appear even smaller than she was.
“Hey, look at me.” Reven said to the little girl, drawing her attention. He waited until she turned pale eyes to him.
“These kids will like you fine because you’re a great kid. Not only that, a lot of those children were found in circumstances similar to yours and Bayla’s. They were just as scared and nervous when they came here as you are. These kids are gifted like you and Bayla, so they understand how you feel and wouldn’t do anything to hurt you.”
Reven gave the nervous child a hug to help comfort her even though he couldn’t feel any of her energy and didn’t know how upset she was. There had been no mistaking the look of fear in Melina’s eyes though, and he couldn’t stand to see it there.
Melina looked behind him wistfully as she watched the other children play and giggle with one another. She knew she would never fit in with them. No matter how different they were, they would never understand just how different she really was, and she never wanted anyone to know. Unlike Reven and Jax, who she did trust, she knew that not all of their kind could be trusted. Some were no better than the ones who had taken Bayla. And her.
“I think we all need some new clothes and a full stomach!” Jax said, trying to pick up the down spirits of the little girl she was quickly becoming attached to.
“Food?” Melina turned to Jax and asked hopefully.
Damn, Jax thought, how could one simple word cause her heart to twist in pain? Choking back the memory of the starving little girl they found, Jax plastered a grin on her face.
“Definitely food. There’s no way we’re going to be able to shop for hours if we don’t get something in our bellies.” Jax gave a genuine smile when Reven groaned as if in pain. It served him right; she thought, still angry at him for agreeing with that idiot Tezarian.
“More clothes?” Melina asked curiously.
She had a whole bag of clothes at the house; Melina thought. Which was more than she had ever owned before. What was she supposed to do with more? There were only so many you could wear at once, she wondered.
Jax laughed heartily. “Oh honey, you have a lot to learn, and I will happily teach you! Do you remember that big dresser in your room?” Jax asked the girl as Reven carried her and Bayla to his SUV.
Melina nodded her head, and Jax continued. “Well there is also a closet in your room. The way this works is we buy enough clothes for you and Bayla to fill both dressers and the closet!”
Melina looked almost horrified and Jax immediately became concerned. “What’s wrong honey?”
“Do I throw them away after I wear them? I don’t understand why I would want so many.” Melina asked in confusion. It seemed a waste to have so many things when she could only wear a few items at a time.
She’d never had anything as nice as the pajamas, she had worn last night and the clothes she was wearing now. She was going to take really good care of her and Bayla’s things to make sure they stayed nice. She just couldn’t imagine trying to wash that many clothes in the small sink in the bathroom.
Jax laughed as they reached the SUV, and she helped Reven get the girls buckled in. “Girls are supposed to have tons of clothes to choose from. I should have shown you my closet and drawers!” Jax said as she got in the passenger seat.
Melina turned to look out the window guiltily. She’d done much more than look through Jax’s things while she’d been asleep, and she felt terrible about it. Her actions were automatic, something that she no longer seemed to control. As if a different part of her mind would take over. She’d spent over an hour mapping the location of every item in the room.
Melina catalogued, which would make the best weapons and which would be useless to her. Her mind was so thorough and detailed that she could pull up a perfect replica of the room in her mind and practice fighting and grabbing different weapons to defend Bayla. And Jax if she needed to.
She’d done the same thing in every room in the house. Except Reven’s room. Only because he’d been up all night. She would get to it today though, she thought. This was one time that she was grateful for the crazy things she did.
These two people, who obviously had their own personal problems with one another, were truly good people. Some of only a handful she had ever met in her short life. She would allow no one to hurt them or her sister; she thought.
Unlike them, Melina knew that not all of their kind could be trusted. She knew there were those that were bad, really bad, and she hoped that he didn’t find her. Again. Not here. Where there were so many that he could hurt.
As if she’d conjured him in her mind, Melina looked in stunned amazement at the man in the diner with his back to them. She could only see the back of him, his dark, almost black hair gleaming in the artificial lights in the room.
His shoulders were just as wide as the man she remembered and although Melina had immediately invaded his energy and knew the man was not the same, when Jax passed by him with Bayla, and she saw the knife flash in his hand; she lost it.
The child had moved so silently, so unnaturally fast; no one knew she’d moved until she stood in the booth seat behind him with his knife piercing his jugular vein with just enough force to draw a single drop of blood.
Balduen sat across from Niklosi, his mind almost numb as he watched a tiny girl hold his best friend at knifepoint. With his own dinner knife, He couldn’t help it. He burst out laughing.
Niklosi had no idea who the fuck had yanked his knife out of his hand and was piercing his throat with it, but when Balduen started laughing, he knew he was going to be humiliated. Again. Coming so fast on the heels of having his ass handed to him by Lara, his pride was still trying to recover. He felt sure this was not going to help at all.
Jax and Reven turned at the warning through the Shengari’ and saw their little girl on the verge of killing Niklosi in front of the humans and panicked.
Working perfectly as a team, Jax turned to the startled waitress and began explaining to her about finding Melina in an abusive home while Reven tried to calm the frightened child.
“Melina honey, I don’t know who you think he is, but this is Niklosi. He’s a friend of mine and Jax. He’s a good man. Please put down the knife honey.”
Niklosi sighed and wondered if he should go ahead and thrust his throat on the knife now. He and everyone else had heard about the Prime child, Melina and having his ass kicked by both Prime females, one a mere child, was going to be something he would never live down.
Balduen outright laughing at him, wasn’t helping Niklosi’s mood any at all. The idiot was rolling around in his seat, with tears tracking down his face as he fought to laugh and breathe at the same time.
“I know. I’m so sorry. I saw him raise his knife. I thought… I thought… he’d hurt Jax or Bayla.” Melina said as her hand holding the knife began to shake as if she were fighting herself to keep from driving it into his throat.
Reven didn’t miss the movement of her hand, and he took a chance and placed his own over hers and pulled it away from Niklosi’s neck, surprised at the strength in the child.
The second the knife was clear of his throat, Niklosi bolted from the booth and stood near his idiot friend. Who was still laughing at him. He was tempted to smack the hell out of him, but was afraid of instigating the child further.
“Hey, I have a better idea. Let’s go have a picnic, and you can show me how you did that.” Jax said nervously as she glanced around the diner at the stunned humans and the aliens who were trying to explain away the child’s actions.
Reven placed the knife on the table and helped Jax lead the little girl out of the diner and into the SUV. He’d traveled less than a block before he heard the tell-tale sniffles of a child crying and pulled the vehicle over. Jax jumped out of the door and had Melina in her arms before he had put the car in park and turned in his seat.
“Shhh honey, it’s ok. It is. Niklosi knows you didn’t mean it. So does everyone else. Honey, you were protecting me and your sister, which is an
amazing thing for someone so young to do. Trust me, they are not only impressed with your abilities; they are proud of you. So are me and Reven.” Jax said as she looked helplessly at Reven to help her soothe the child.
Reven’s heart broke at the look on Jax’s face and Melina’s tears, and would have walked through fire to make them both happy. He ignored Grai’s order through the Shengari’ to bring Melina to the MedLab immediately and undid his seatbelt.
Leaning forward as far as he could, he hugged both Jax and Melina to him. “It’s alright little one. No one is angry at you for trying to protect us. There is no need to be upset. We are strong and tough warriors, and Niklosi will want to learn how you did that. You were amazing little one. I would also like to see that.” Reven said as light-heartedly as he could even though he was worried about the little girl.
