by Mikayla Lane
Funny that it was the only house no one else wanted, Jax thought with a laugh, even though it had five bedrooms and three bathrooms. Reven and the kids couldn’t be happier. It seems, while she was recovering, Reven had formed his own, unique bond with the animals. Not only was he accepted as family by them, he loved them in return.
Although he couldn’t speak to them the way that Jax and Bayla could, he had developed his own way of communicating with them. He even had his own fan club, Jax thought as she sent her energy through the house and saw Zat, Sid, Gam and May in the kitchen with Cal and Wolfen.
Like the amazing commander that he was, Reven flitted between the animals and the children, paying attention to each and keeping things running smoothly. Jax smiled at the images in her mind.
By the time she joined them in the kitchen, Reven and Melina had breakfast on the table, while Cal’s bowl (it was a roasting pan that Jax, and the girls had decorated for him) sat on the floor between Melina and Bayla. Zat and May had a place at the table, while Sid and Gam ate between her and Reven on the floor. Everyone had a heaping pile of pancakes, even the animals.
Kintaq had assured them that giving them people food once in a while wasn’t bad, as long as they kept up their regular diet, and Reven’s pancakes were everyone’s weakness.
He used three griddles to make enough for everyone so Jax was a little surprised that Reven had made the effort on a weekday. She gave him a curious smile as he came over to her and kissed the top of her head.
“It is merely a way to start your new job off to a good start.” Reven said, answering her question in her eyes.
Jax growled playfully. “It’s my temporary job until after our daughter arrives. You better remember that.”
Reven laughed and held up his hands in surrender. “I have no doubt you will not allow me to forget it.” He sat down and gave a wink to Melina before continuing.
“I heard the teams are pretty worried. Especially since they have no idea what, if any, new abilities you may have.”
Jax laughed, which was Reven’s intent. “Yeah, yeah go ahead, mock me. But, I can still kick your ass. Well, I could before too… but I can really kick it now.”
Reven grabbed his chest in pretend fear, not the least bit afraid of his beautiful mate. Even though, she really could kick his ass now. He could put up a hell of a fight and get in some good shots, but she had become much faster than she was before and there was no one who could keep up with her. Except Melina, he thought, smiling at his daughter.
A lot of things had changed; Reven thought with a sad smile. Some things, like Jax’s questionable taste in colors around the home, had changed completely and weren’t missed at all. Even by the kids, who finally admitted the previous, annoyingly bright colors were terrible.
Other things were more subtle, like how she would sometimes just stare at someone for long moments. Only a handful of people knew that R2 was pulling the memories from their mind and copying them for Jax, so she could remember their previous interactions.
The one thing that had changed the most was the way she was with him and the children. Jax had always held a little of herself back before, now she was much more affectionate, and she didn’t care who saw it either.
Reven had been floored when she left the makeshift MedLab in a short-sleeve shirt, showing her new Ator-Ma to everyone who had lined the entrance to cheer that she was back.
Oh, she had some mad skills; Reven thought, beside her speed. Amun assumed that some of her new skills had to do with the mass of energy transfer that Lara had used to heal her.
She seemed to take some of the qualities of the healers, all of them except for Tristan, who was unique and whose skills weren’t based in this realm.
Jax had the energy abilities of Lara, the deadly killing skills of Melina, the compassion and understanding of Tricia and the tracking skills of David. Only copies, but you wouldn’t know it if you watched her in action, Reven thought with a proud smile. She was beautiful and looked as if born to her new abilities.
He knew there were a few she was struggling with, ones that she still hadn’t told him about, but he trusted her and knew she would tell him when she was ready.
Jax grinned, trying not to show how nervous she was. She had heard the rumors and whispers through the Shengari’ and knew that a lot of teams were concerned if she was ready to come back in a combat training role. But, she was more than ready.
Bayla banged on her high chair, drawing everyone’s attention. Jax and Melina started tearing off pieces of their pancakes for the baby when Zat stole one off of Reven’s plate and dropped it on Bayla’s tray.
“Hey!” Reven said with a laugh while Jax and Melina winked at each other.
They finally finished breakfast and were getting ready to go when Cal and Wolfen started acting depressed. Jax leaned down to hug them both while she spoke to them.
“You both know what is out there, looking for our girl. You stay here and protect our home. Keep an ear out for anything and contact me immediately if you think there’s something to worry about, and I will be here.” Jax said before giving them both another hug.
Standing, Jax looked to May and warned, “No letting them out today. You keep that new code to yourself, unless we need it, ok?” Jax smiled when May chittered and shook her long tail in response.
Reven looked at Melina, “Can you finish getting Bayla ready?” When she shook her head, he picked Jax up into his arms and walked down the long hall to their bedroom before dumping her on the bed and following her down.
He pulled her into his arms and held her close to him. “If you’re going to hand out rules, then we have decided that we have a few for you too. No sneaking off on a mission. No trying to do too much on your first day back. And the kids are demanding that you have lunch with all of us today in the main dining hall.”
Reven grinned and continued. “They don’t trust you to listen to rules one and two, so if you agree to have lunch with us and don’t show up, we won’t be too far behind you this time.”
Jax laughed. “I have no intention of sneaking off somewhere. Besides, Grai is still looking for Lara and there are no other leads on the Prime bastard who tried to kill me. So I think you guys are over reacting a bit.”
Jax turned serious and cuddled closer to Reven. “I promise not to scare you guys like that again.”
Reven squeezed her tight and pushed back all the pain and fear he’d felt when he thought she was gone from him. “Well, you better not. I can’t promise that Zat won’t peck your eyes out, or that May won’t chew off your toes. You wore out your fear quota with them already.”
Jax pulled back and kissed him soundly. “I promise to behave.” For now, Jax thought to herself.
She had no desire to scare him further. Especially now that she knew his past and the reason he was so intense about her and the girls. It had been Lara’s gift to her. When she had asked Lara to find out what was in his files, she had never expected Lara to give her the actual memories. But, she was glad that Lara had.
Nothing prepared her for what she had seen. How the young boy Reven, watched as his mother and infant sister succumbed to the virus that had swept the Valendran females. His father had been killed in an accident months before, and Reven was so young. Starving and afraid, he tried his best to care for them, waiting for someone to come and help.
Weeks later, a young Ivint got lost hunting with his father, and he stumbled across the dirty and hungry boy who was trying to dig the graves for his mother and sister, with his bare hands.
By the time that Ivint’s father had found them, Ivint had already decided that they would adopt the boy, and he would become his friend and companion. He too, had recently lost his mother, and he knew how Reven felt.
Impressed by Reven’s courage and strength, Ivint’s father agreed. Reven never forgot the pain, the helplessness that he felt when he had been unable to help his mother and his sister. And being left alone and afraid. Jax never wanted him to feel that way agai
n. She’d put him through enough already; she thought.
Reven held her head in his hands and kissed her lips tenderly before pulling back. “I love you.” Reven said as he looked into her dark eyes, with silver dots that twinkled at him.
Jax thought her heart would burst when she felt the truth of his words as he said them. Reaching up she caressed his face and smiled through the tears that had formed behind her eyes.
“I love you too, my annoying and wonderful man.” Jax said before Cal pushed the door open and knocked into her and Reven.
Reven laughed. “Cal, you never interrupt when I’m about ready to get a kiss!” Reven complained with a chuckle as Melina came in with Bayla.
“We’re going to be late.” Melina complained, excited to get to school and her new friends.
Jax laid back and laughed. This was her life. New combat training instructor, adopted mom, animal wrangler and mate. She couldn’t be happier.
It wasn’t the wrecking of her mind or the new Prime in her brain that changed her mind though. It was the man who never gave up on her, believed in her and loved her. The children who thought she was worthy of caring for them and who loved her unconditionally. And her animals, who would have made any sacrifice to save her.
Jax felt the rush of energy and quickly amended her perfect life to include the strong and determined daughter who refused to be excluded. She placed her hand over her stomach and sent her baby loving energy to soothe her before sitting up.
“Let’s go, my love. Our kids need to get to school, and you have work.” Jax said as she held out a hand to him.
Reven didn’t hesitate and took it, even though he didn’t use it to get up. He leaned down and gave her a kiss before smacking her ass and running down the hall to the front door. “Let’s go, let’s go.” He called out while Melina smiled and rolled her eyes at Jax.
Jax just laughed and ushered the girls out of the room before turning back to Cal. “Don’t break the bed this time.” She said while Cal grunted and turned away guiltily.
Yeah, Jax thought; her life wasn’t what she thought it would be. It had turned out better than she ever could have hoped for.
Grai’s Greetings
Chapter One
Two Weeks before Christmas
Sacara, Jax and Tricia shared a large bowl of popcorn while they watched their men make asses of themselves. Jax flinched a little when Reven smacked the back of his head on the ladder and cursed.
He turned frustrated eyes to Jax as he rubbed his head and shouted. “Why did we get involved in this again?” It didn’t make him feel any better when all three women laughed at him.
Grai looked down at Reven from the chimney. “Would you shut up and get working? Hand me those lights.” Grai said as he held out his hand for the box laying on the roof beside Reven.
Hearing loud laughter from the roof next door, Reven, Grai and Ivint looked over to see Balduen, Niklosi and Disc pointing at their house. Grai flipped them off, causing them to laugh even harder.
Grai sighed. “Whose damn idea was this?” He asked as Ivint and Reven glared at him.
Grai defended himself. “You volunteered to help and I didn’t come up with the idea. My asshole cousin thought this would be a good way to assimilate with the locals.”
And it had been a good idea, Grai thought. At least when it was spoken aloud. It was the implementation that was the problem. Who could have thought that putting some lights on the house could be such a pain in the ass?
Grai had no delusions that his house would win the town-wide decorating contest they were sponsoring, but Tricia had assured him that Tristan would love it and they wouldn’t be the only house on the block not decorated.
It was his cousin, Baldy who had made it personal by saying his house would beat Grai’s. Unable to pass up the challenge, Grai had bought more decorations than he knew what to do with. Which was obvious by the drooping strings of mismatched lights that were haphazardly attached to the house.
Ivint stood and stretched as he looked at Baldy’s house and the others on the street. It was real easy to see that they weren’t doing it like everyone else and he couldn’t see it looking as nice as the others when it was lit.
He turned to Grai. “Uh, you think we’re attaching them to the house wrong?” Ivint asked as a string of lights slid off the roof and hit the ground, making everyone watching at both houses, laugh even harder.
Grai turned to flip off Baldy again and yelled down to Tricia. “It’s lights, how bad can it look? Turn them on and let’s see where we need to fix things.”
Tricia snickered as she hit the switch. She was unable to stop the laughter that bubbled up and took over when she saw what her home looked like.
“What?” Grai asked, trying to see what was so funny.
Reven looked around and shook his head. Yeah, he thought, this really sucked. Long strings extended from the ground to the roof, some only partially lit. None were in the straight, neat rows, like the other houses. Or like Balduen’s, who looked like he measured every inch as he put them up.
Reven couldn’t help but say, “It looks really bad.”
Grai huffed and looked at the lit up mess. “It’s… don’t we have a category for unique?”
Ivint and Reven laughed with Grai. Unique was definitely not what this place looked like. Balduen, Niklosi and Disc agreed since they were still laughing.
Balduen called over. “It looks like all of Santa’s reindeer took a dump on your house in lights.”
When Ivint and Reven snickered, Grai shot them a scathing look until they wiped the humor from their faces. He turned to face them like the battle commander that he was.
“We need to stop thinking about how bad it is and start thinking about how to…” Grai began when he heard shouts from next door and watched as each of the men jumped from the roof and ran into the house.
He smiled at Reven and Ivint. “I think we’ve just been saved. Let’s go!”
He ran to the edge of the roof and jumped down as the news came through the Shengari’ that Dare’s water broke. Ivint and Reven quickly followed him, glad to be off the roof and done dealing with the frustrating lights.
They collected their mates and went to the driveway to get in their vehicles when Balduen sped by yelling “Woo Hoo!” as he shook his fist excitedly out the window. Dare looked ready to hit him. Their vehicle was quickly followed by Niklosi and Disc who honked on the horn and slapped the roof of the car as they went by.
Ivint and Reven shook their heads at the antics of the young ones, calmly piled into their vehicles and drove to the headquarters building where Amun was waiting for Dare.
By the time they got there, a large group had already formed outside of the MedLab door. Dare’s family, True, Risk and Banatar paced nervously while their friends chatted happily about what their son would look like.
Reven hugged Jax close to him and spoke on their private path. “This will be us soon.” He said as he kissed the top of her head.
Jax grinned. “If you try to drive me here screaming and acting like that, I’ll have Melina help me bind and gag you in the trunk.” She teased with a bright smile.
More people began to gather as the news spread throughout their people that Dare was in labor. Not only was a birth always a special occasion among them, but this birth was the first of any known kind and everyone was curious about the baby that would be born with two beasts.
Grai looked up as his aunt and cousin came running up to him. “How is she?” Vilaria asked with concern while his cousin Cassianna hugged Tricia.
Grai quickly checked with Amun before answering. “It seems our children grow too large. Amun is preparing her for a caesarian. Mother and child are doing very well.” He told them with relief.
Everyone seemed to exhale at the same time before going back to their excited chattering. Vilaria smiled her gratitude to Grai for his update before hugging Tricia close while Cassianna went over to Dare’s family.
Exci
tement radiated through the crowd when they heard the first cry of the baby. Several minutes later Amun came out of the room and faced Dare and Balduen’s families.
“Dare and the baby are doing wonderful and are perfectly healthy. You can go in now.” Amun said.
He moved out of the way as Banatar ran to the door to check on his daughter. He was followed quickly by True, Vilaria and Cassianna. Risk shrugged his shoulders and headed in more slowly, pretending not to care, even though he was excited as well.
Grai waited outside nervously, unsure of his welcome when the proof of his beast was there, in their child, for his cousin and his mate to see.
He was stunned when he heard Balduen through their private path. “What the hell is taking you so long? Man, you have to come in and see my son.”
