by Mikayla Lane
*****
Melina woke to Bayla screaming from her crib. She ran over to the baby and picked her up as she tried to understand why she was crying. It took her a few minutes to realize the strange energy in herself, and she turned towards Reven and Jax in fear.
Reven was just waking up and Melina walked slowly, nervously towards him, wondering if he was also affected by the new energy.
He looked up at Melina blankly before he turned back to Jax to make sure she was all right. His breath left him as he saw the spots forming on her upper-right arm. He heard Melina gasp beside him and ask, “What is it?”
Reven shook his head as he pulled the sleeve of her gown up and saw that the spots had started at her shoulder and were working their way down her arm. He pulled up her other sleeve, but there were no spots, just her Ator-Ma.
Doing a quick check of her back and legs, he realized that only her right arm was being affected by the spotty discoloration rapidly forming and expanding on her arm and shoulder.
Reven began to panic and called out to Amun, who said he was already on his way to them. With a sigh of relief, he hugged Melina and Bayla to him.
“It will be all right. She will be fine.” He said hoarsely, trying to convince himself it was true.
Bayla had finally calmed down, and she grunted and lunged towards the bed until Reven chuckled and sat her beside Jax on the bed. The baby immediately put her head on Jax’s stomach and smiled while Melina shook her head in confusion.
“What is it?” Reven asked her as he looked around curiously, finally registering the muted sounds of the animals outside the door.
Melina looked up at him and shook her head. “Bayla said it’s Jax.”
Reven looked at his mate and saw that she was still comatose. The only thing responding on her body were the small dots that had now traveled past her elbow and were beginning to cover her lower arm.
He looked at Melina. “What do you mean?” He asked as he picked up Jax’s right hand in his own. He almost dropped it when the dots began popping up faster, moving quickly down Jax’s arm to her hand.
When the first dot popped up on his right hand, the one holding Jax’s, he turned to Melina and said calmly. “Take your sister and step back.”
Melina looked down at the dots that were now traveling so fast that they were now covering Reven’s lower arm too, and she grabbed Bayla into her arms and stepped back.
Bayla fought her, trying to get back to the bed, but Melina held her tightly and tried to soothe the agitated child as she stared at the dots on Jax’s arm. They were beginning to blend into different forms, shapes and swirls, while the dots continued up Reven’s arm.
Melina looked at a stoic Reven and asked, “Does it hurt?”
Reven turned to the frightened child and tried to ease her mind. “No honey, it doesn’t hurt. I’m sure it’s nothing, and Amun is on his way.”
Reven turned back to Jax and watched as the dots began to form an elaborate design almost exactly like the Ator-Ma they both wore on their left arm and shoulder.
Out of curiosity, Reven lifted up Jax’s left sleeve and was horrified to see that the sign of their mating was disappearing from her arm. Lifting up his own sleeve, he saw that it was disappearing from his arm as well.
His heart began to sink when Melina turned to him with excitement and grabbed his arm. “It’s Jax! She’s back!” Melina jumped up and down and put Bayla back on the bed with her mom before turning to hug Reven.
“What…” Reven began, until he lifted his right arm to hug Melina and saw the same swirls and intricate designs on Jax’s right arm, beginning to form on his as the dots expanded.
His heart skipped a beat before thumping hard in excitement. The new design forming was similar to the Ator-Ma, but different. He wasn’t sure what it meant, but he knew it was important. He took her hand in his own and turned it over, admiring the swirls and designs that tracked down the back of her fingers to his, continuing up his arm to his shoulder.
Melina looked up at Reven with tears in her eyes. She had finally traveled the strange energy inside of her and Bayla to the source.
“It’s Jax. Feel her.” Melina said as she pressed a hand to Reven’s stomach and helped him to feel the new energy inside of him as well.
Reven sucked in a sharp breathe the moment the energy hit him. “She did it…” Reven said in amazement and awe.
Bayla bounced up and down and cooed in happiness while Melina smiled brightly at her dad. “Yes she did.”
They were all startled when Cal roared and Wolfen yipped and ran in circles under the bed. It was then that the muted noise outside finally hit them, and Melina laughed.
“Bayla said they know she’s back. They are greeting her and celebrating.” Melina said as she ignored the tears streaming down her face.
Reven was mute as he felt the energy begin to expand as the dots exploded into form on his arm. He saw flashes of memories flit through his mind, unable to stop them.
The moment they rolled Jax though the docking bay to this room, while the animals and warriors had lined up on either side. Their first kiss. Finding the kids. On and on the images flashed until suddenly they stopped, and Reven felt almost bereft.
Looking down, the new Ator-Ma was done and the old one completely gone from both, he and Jax, save for a small star shaped mark on both of their left shoulders.
It took him a second to realize that dark-brown eyes, speckled with silver dots, were looking at him intently. He couldn’t breathe and gasped for breath, clutching his chest.
“Easy.” Jax said as she squeezed his hand and sent him some calming energy, helping him to get control of himself.
Reven squeezed her hand back and took a deep breath, not even trying to talk as he fought the tears of joy that were pushing at his eyes.
Jax gave him a moment and turned to Melina. “You’ve been so brave and strong. I could never have asked for a more precious child. Thank you.”
Reven let go of Jax’s hand, so she could catch Melina when she threw herself at her, hugging Jax tightly as she cried. Bayla soon joined in, and Reven held all three of his females as the tears finally spilled down his cheeks unchecked.
That was the first thing everyone saw when they burst in the door. Grai, Ivint and Traze stood there in surprise before Grai pushed everyone out of the door.
Amun turned towards him with angry eyes. “I need to check all of them!”
Grai looked at him strangely and held up his arms to the birds that were swooping and screeching through the air above them. “I have a feeling that everyone is going to be ok for the next ten minutes. This moment can never be given back to them. Let it be theirs and theirs alone.”
Amun looked around at the now active and excited animals and nodded his head. Ten minutes wouldn’t hurt; he thought as he pulled out his scanner. With a few clicks and swipes, he easily connected to the main computer in the room and began running the scans necessary to determine the health of the occupants.
Jax pulled back from her family and smiled through her own tears as she wiped Bayla’s face with the blanket. “I missed you guys too.”
Reven turned serious. “How do you feel? Are you all right?” He asked nervously.
Jax sighed. “I feel… weird. Like myself, but not like myself. How long have I been out?” She asked curiously. It was the only thing she didn’t know for sure.
“A week.” Reven said as he watched her every movement and expression for anything different or unusual.
Jax picked up Bayla and cuddled her close. It was obvious by the silence that Jax was speaking to the baby through a private path. One that hadn’t been there before, Reven thought as he looked at Bayla’s smiling face.
Jax turned her dark eyes to Reven and gave him a shy smile. “I know you’re worried. But, it really is me. Well, most of me anyway.” Jax said with a blush.
Reven just blinked away the sheen of tears and nodded his head. “What do you remember?” He asked, hop
ing that she would ease his fears somehow.
Jax laughed. “Wow that was specific! I’m teasing.” Jax assured Reven when he looked horrified that he’d pushed her too far. She was going to have to be more careful not to upset him.
She put her hand in his and squeezed it gently as she looked into his eyes. “I remember everything. R2 is filling in anything else I need. One thing I do recall very well is Lara digging in my head and trying to erase the image of that bast…,” Jax looked at the kids and stopped mid-word, before changing the rest of her sentence.
“Jerk. But, R2 put a copy pretty deep, so I remember his voice. His outline against the sun, approximate weight and height.” Jax said, making sure she’d never forget who was coming for her family. She was going to hunt him and kill him slowly.
Reven shook his head, thinking Jax must be confused or her memory had holes in it. “What is an R2?” He asked, almost afraid to hear the answer.
Jax grinned. “R2 is Ritan-2. Like me, he’s gone through a bit of an overhaul so it’s my way to specify the new Ritan. He loves it.” Jax added, just to annoy her beast.
She almost chuckled when Ritan said sarcastically in her mind, “Yeah, I love it. Twice the power and strength and you’re still a bitch.”
Reven shook his head, unsure what to think. Her casual attitude seemed a little strange, but he had no idea what changes to expect to begin with. He was scared, and called out to Amun.
Jax smiled. “It’s ok. I’m all right with him checking me out.” When Reven looked startled Jax blushed. “Sorry, I guess the evolution of the beast gave me Lara’s ability to hear the other paths on the Shengari’. I’ll have to work on controlling that.”
Reven just nodded his head, a little in shock over it all, as Amun, Grai and Ivint came in. Grai had ordered everyone else to remain outside, not only to give the family some privacy, but because he didn’t know what to expect.
Jax squeezed Reven’s hand and gave him a small smile as she looked at her friends. She could feel the worry and apprehension as they moved closer to the bed and wished she could ease their fear.
Amun had been running the scans from outside and already knew of her physical condition. His curiosity was for her mental status, and he ran her through a series of questions that he and Grai had pulled from looking through her files.
She aced every question, including those regarding past missions and team members. There didn’t seem to be any long-term memory loss and Jax had been able to stand and move without any physical problems or limitations.
It was Grai who decided to stop walking on eggshells. “Do you know who did this to you?”
Jax looked up at Grai with gratitude; she was tired of the crap questions. “No, but I can find him. I know his voice, height, weight and his scent. He was a Prime. I didn’t know it at the time, although I think a part of me suspected it.”
Grai wasn’t surprised. Jax had only confirmed what he had already figured out. He was getting ready to ask more when Amun interrupted.
“What is this? Do you know what happened?” Amun asked Jax as he lifted her right arm and studied the new markings on her arm, before turning to look at Reven’s matching marks.
Jax blushed and looked down at her lap. “The uh… old me was gone. Our bonds were broken and couldn’t be repaired… so I chose to recreate them. I didn’t realize the energy would go crazy with the markings though…” Jax said as she hid her hand under the blanket, beginning to feel embarrassed.
Reven’s voice cracked as he asked, “What do you mean; you chose to recreate them?”
Jax looked around at the others and blushed before answering Reven through their new bonds. “I found what little remained of our old bond, and I created a new, stronger bond. The new marks are a representation of the new bond you have with the new me. I thought… you would want that back too…” Jax said, wondering if she had done the wrong thing.
“You’re telling me that we were no longer bound together… that you could have lived your life no longer tied to me?” Reven asked aloud, his heart pounding.
Jax nodded her head and looked at her lap, waiting to see how Reven would react. She was surprised when he asked the one thing she didn’t want to answer with everyone in the room.
“Why?” Reven asked hoarsely.
Jax looked at Grai gratefully when he ushered everyone out of the room and closed the door behind them. She turned to Reven and looked him in the eyes.
“Because the one thing I remember more clearly than anything else, is how much I love you. And how…” Jax paused, trying to get control of herself before continuing.
“When I knew I was dying, my biggest regret, was all the time I wasted fighting it when the happiest moments of my life were the ones with you in them. I know it was selfish, but I wanted that back. I wanted the chance to do it right this time.”
Reven tried to choke back his tears, but he couldn’t do it and didn’t care. He let them fall as he grabbed his mate and held her tightly to him as she wrapped her arms around him.
Jax allowed her love for him to radiate from her energy, hoping he would have no doubt of her feelings for him. She looked into his shining blue eyes and asked, “Are you ok with that?”
Reven chuckled through his emotions. “Yes, I am more than ok with that.” What else could he say? He had never dreamed of having her back, but to know she loved him enough to re-bind them by her own choice was a little overwhelming.
Jax knew that Reven was not only tired, but emotionally fried at the moment. He and the children had been through so much while she had been recovering, and they needed time to sleep and adjust and learn that she didn’t come back much different that she had been before she’d been damaged.
The differences were not something that anyone other than a Prime would notice anyway. At some point, she would explain it to Reven, but for now, she just wanted to enjoy being with her family.
Jax hugged Reven close before asking, “Have you and the girls thought of a name for our baby yet?” She knew they hadn’t, but she really wanted to see them smile.
Reven grinned big, “You know?”
Jax laughed. “Of course, I know! It’s kind of hard to miss her when she’s so strong and determined. She reminds me of someone else I know…” Jax said, staring at Reven with playfully accusing eyes.
Reven laughed; this was definitely his mate; he thought as he enjoyed her teasing. “I think it’s safe to say she is exactly like her mom and her sisters.”
Melina and Bayla giggled when Jax swept them into her arms and squeezed them. “Then you will be outnumbered by us! I almost feel sorry for you…” Jax said with a wink and giggle as Cal and Wolfen tried to climb on the bed with them.
Reven turned serious. “I can’t imagine ever feeling luckier or happier, than I do right now.”
*****
Grai headed with the others back to the conference room, leaving the family to bond together. He was halfway there when Jax spoke to him through a new path he hadn’t realized was there. He was getting kind of tired of being surprised.
“I know what you are assuming, but Lara is not a traitor. She thinks to fight the enemy on her own in order to protect us. She will need our help with him.”
Grai shook his head. That was nice to hear, but he couldn’t keep his people safe with only feelings and assumptions to go on. Since Lara refused to explain, he would do what was necessary to protect those he loved.
With the human holidays coming and their own as well, people will be coming and going, and it will be more important than ever for them to be vigilant. Things were going to change; Grai thought sadly.
Epilogue
Two Weeks Later
Jax woke to the sound of Cal’s roar coming from the kitchen. Rolling over she patted the empty bed beside her and sighed before she sat up. She stood and stretched as the door was flung open and Reven came in with a bouncing puppy trailing behind him.
He gave her a beaming smile before he swung her into hi
s arms and planted a kiss on her lips. Jax sighed as she melted into him and was disappointed when he pulled away.
His eyes twinkled as he spoke. “Cal is demanding breakfast and the girls are awake. I need your help.”
Jax grinned. “What’s on the menu baby?”
“Pancakes!” Reven said as he swatted her on the ass before running out of the room before she could catch him.
Jax laughed, knowing she’d get even with him later. Grabbing her clothes, she headed into the shower in her room. She couldn’t be happier with the new house. Not only did she and Reven have their own bathroom, but they were able to get the only house that was in the middle of the animal sanctuary.
