Holiday with an Assassin

by Stephani Hecht

  “How do you know so much about this?” Ava demanded.

  “When you first told me, I looked up some support groups on the internet. They were all geared toward humans, but we do share the same emotions with them,” Jax replied.

  “I’m so lucky you’re my best friend.”

  “I tell myself the same thing every day.”

  Ava gave a soft laugh as they sat there. No words were spoken for the longest time. It wasn’t awkward at all, though. He and Ava had known each other for too long for that to happen.

  “Who’s ready for breakfast?” Trevor asked from the door.

  Jax jumped in shock. He hadn’t heard Trevor approach at all. It would seem Shane wasn’t the only one who was good at sneaking up on others.

  “I’m starved,” Jax answered.

  “Well, you better eat up. I have a big day planned for us. First up, we’re going for a tree,” Trevor said.

  “Really?” Jax felt a burst of excitement.

  “With the way you’re acting, I would think you’ve never decorated before.” Trevor chuckled.

  “That’s because I haven’t,” Jax admitted.

  “What? Your parents never had a tree?” Ava’s eyes grew wide, as if that was a mortal sin.

  “They did, but my mother never let us touch it. She was super controlling when it came to them. They had to look like they came straight out of a magazine or something,” Jax told her.

  “What fun is that?” Ava scoffed.

  “Not much at all,” Jax admitted.

  “Well, that’s changing today.” Trevor clapped his hands together. “You and Ava can be in charge of it. I’ll even let you pick out the tree.”

  “Really?” Jax grinned. “What if you don’t like what we choose?”

  “Then I’ll have to get over it. Families compromise. Since you’re part of this one now, it applies to you too,” Trevor said.

  Wow, when he put it that way, Jax believed him. While he still felt uncomfortable with all they were offering him, suddenly he wasn’t so nervous about picking the wrong tree. At that moment, he couldn’t get to the lot fast enough.

  “Okay, we’ll get dressed and meet you in the kitchen,” Ava said to Trevor.

  “Yeah, we need to get going. Tomorrow is Christmas Eve, and I don’t want them to run out of all the good ones,” Trevor informed them.

  “You go ahead, Ava,” Jax said. “I’ll just wear what I have on.”

  “But it’s your sweats.” Ava frowned. “Will they be warm enough? It’s pretty cold outside. The Michigan winter has hit hard.”

  Jax ducked his head so they wouldn’t see the shame in his gaze. A heat spread over his cheeks as he struggled to come up with an excuse. There was no way he wanted to admit he didn’t have anything else to change into. Sure, Trevor might say they were family and all, but Jax still had his pride. In fact, that was about all he possessed anymore.

  “I’m sure he’ll be fine,” Trevor cut in. “Plus, he’s on vacation and sweats are comfy. I think it’s a great idea.”

  Jax sighed as relief washed over him. Trevor might not realize it, but he’d just saved the day. Now Jax could get excited about the tree again. At least he had the hat and gloves the Academy passed out. They would help keep him warm.

  “Let’s get going,” Trevor urged them.

  Ava sprang to her feet then ran to her room. Jax laughed as he watched her race away. It looked as if he wasn’t the only excited one. He loved how pure her reactions always were. It was one of her best traits.

  He knew then he’d made the right decision to come to her place for the holiday. He shook his head. To think he almost talked himself out of it. Now, Jax was glad for another one of her traits—the ability to out-nag anybody. Ava was a true gift.

  Chapter Five

  Jax lay in the living room, the only light coming from the tree. While he and Ava had gone to bed hours ago, he still couldn’t sleep. It almost reminded him of the time right after the attack—almost. Actually, the only thing the situations had in common was his insomnia. Before, it’d been due to his nightmares, which was a bad thing. This time it was because he was so excited, which was a great circumstance.

  The past two days had been amazing. First, they’d done the tree, but they had done so much more. He’d helped Trevor bake a bunch of cookies. Then Trevor had taken Jax out back and had given him a shooting lesson. Trevor had slyly confided he was a much better marksman than his mate, which came as a bit of a shock. Jax always assumed Shane was the best at every kind of weapon. Then again, Trevor did have a great reputation among the soldiers, so that must mean he wasn’t any slouch.

  Then Shane had taken them to the mall. Jax had made a bit of money tutoring some of the fellow students. He knew he should use it for clothes, but he’d always loved giving more than receiving. He’d bought gifts for Trevor, Shane, Ava, Alvus, and Phillip. Plus, he’d managed to get some small items for his weekend crew. He’d even had enough left over to get Mitchell something.

  It was the least Jax could do for the leader. Mitchell had given so much to Jax and was like a father figure to him. Jax felt sure Michell received all kinds of gifts during the holiday season. Most of them were probably expensive or extravagant too. While some might see what Jax bought him, a paper organizer, as stupid, there was a special reason behind it. Every time Jax went to the leader’s office he noticed how messy Mitchell’s desk always was. Mitchell’s mate, Dean, was forever trying to find something that had been lost in the disaster. Jax decided what he got would be perfect for sorting everything out. Even Ava agreed with him.

  The best activity had been what they’d done earlier that day. Shane and Trevor had driven them to downtown Detroit. The city decorated the streets and buildings with millions of lights. There’d been carolers and live music. Plus, food carts were parked all over the place, which seemed to offer up every option imaginable. The best parts had been the giant tree and ice-rink. He and Ava had gone skating then finished off with some hot chocolate. It’d been the most fun Jax had in a long time.

  The whole time, never once had Trevor or Shane acted like Jax was a bother. Even when Trevor had been busy in the kitchen, he’d only tossed Jax an apron and asked him to help. He’d been so nice about it too. Shane had been the same way. He’d even taken some time out to give Jax some extra sparring lessons. Jax had learned some cool moves too. Jax couldn’t wait to show them off to Alvus once training began again. He bet even Logan would be impressed, and it took a lot to surprise that instructor.

  Jax smiled into the semi-darkness. Yeah, he’d made the right decision to come for the break. He even felt stupid for being so worried. He was even looking forward to Christmas day, something he’d never dreamed possible.

  He turned over on his side and scrunched up his pillow. He was just about to close his eyes, when he heard it—the unmistakable sounds of somebody creeping across the floor. He didn’t know how he was able to pick up the noise. It was just the hint of a creak, but it was there nonetheless. Then a smell hit him. Actually, it was a mixture of scents: rotten garbage, bad meat, oil, and oak.

  His heart began to beat hard in his chest as goosebumps broke out over his body. Oh, shit. Somebody was in the home. It wasn’t one of the family members either. For one, they would have no reason to sneak around. Second, their smell was off. It was something Jax never sniffed before. It just screamed danger to him too, which was odd. But he wasn’t about to question that at the moment.

  He froze, not out of fear, but because he didn’t want to alert the intruder that he knew they were there. That wasn’t to say Jax wasn’t terrified. His body hummed from it, but he shoved that to the back of his mind. He was the only one who knew danger was in the house, and it was up to him to deal with it. He was not about to let whoever it was in there to hurt his family.

  Jax’s mind raced as he thought about his options. He didn’t want the bad guy to get too far in. Then he might be able to strike out at Ava. While she could handle herself aga
inst their classmates, this was different. It was probably a trained adult they were up against. Plus, Ava was still asleep, and her reaction time would be off.

  Then he remembered Shane had been cleaning some weapons earlier. If Jax recalled right, they were still in the living room against the side of the couch, a mere foot from Jax’s head. He would have to move quickly, but he was positive he could inflict some damage.

  Shit, okay, he couldn’t deny it any longer. He was frigging terrified. He’d even begun to tremble. All he could think about was the last time he’d been in this kind of situation. Sure, he’d managed to escape, but he’d almost died because of it. He didn’t want to repeat that kind of performance.

  Still, he forced his hands to slowly plant themselves on the floor. Then he heard another sound. The sound of a blade being pulled out of its sheath. Not only did it let Jax know he was right about an intruder, but it let him know the intruder’s general location.

  He pushed off the ground, twisting his body forward at the same time. To his shock, it actually worked and he landed on his feet. That was the second time he’d been able to pull off a fancy move like that. Not bad for a dork. Not taking the time to do a victory dance, he lunged forward and grabbed the first weapon his fingers brushed against.

  He cursed low when he saw it was a short sword. He’d only had one lesson on that type of weapon. Even then it’d only been in defense, just like all of their training had been so far. It wouldn’t have been his first choice by far, but he would have to make it work.

  He lunged into the direction of the noise and swung the blade down, but all it met was air. Then a low chuckle filled the room. It sounded so ominous and evil a chill raced down Jax’s spine. Fudge! His one chance, and he’d messed it up.

  “Nice try, Little Lion. I admire your bravery. It’s almost a shame I have to kill you,” a voice said.

  Jax gasped, his stomach dropping. He spun around and found himself facing an Assassin. This one didn’t dress like the ones who worked for Mitchell, though. His cloak was brown and frayed at the ends. It made Jax wonder if the guy had found it in a bargain bin or something. He could almost see the label on it, Dirt Cheap Cloaks! Five for Five Dollars!

  When he took in the intruder’s greasy, dark hair, super-pale skin and black eyes, Jax felt a fresh wave of terror. There was only one kind of shifter who had those distinctive features, Ravens.

  Jax was in a whole new world of trouble. An Assassin alone would be bad, but Ravens were natural-born killers. This shifter would not only murder Jax, but it would take pleasure in it too. Plus, Jax knew for sure he would move on to the rest of the family. It wouldn’t matter to him if they had bounties on their heads or not. Well, Jax was pretty sure Shane did indeed have one on him. Jax heard enough tales about the Leopard to know he’d pissed off a ton of individuals.

  “I almost want to let you go, but I can’t pass up all that money, especially since your dad just raised the payout,” the Assassin said as he took a couple of steps closer.

  Jax raised his own weapon in a threatening manner. He wasn’t shocked when it didn’t seem to impress the Assassin. But why would it? Jax knew what kind of picture he presented—a scrawny teen who was trembling and just standing there.

  He knew he needed to get help. If he screamed now, he may not make it out alive, but it would give Shane and Trevor a heads up. If they were awake then the two of them should be able to take on one Assassin. Jax might be killed in the process, but at least the others would make it out okay. He really didn’t want to die, but it was his fault the attacker was even there to begin with. The others didn’t deserve to be murdered all because Jax’s dad was an asshole.

  “I’ll make sure everybody knows you died bravely,” the Raven said as he pulled out a gun.

  A shot rang through the air, making Jax’s ears hurt. He flinched, waiting for a burning pain. He’d been shot before, so he knew what it felt like. When he felt nothing, at first he thought maybe it was because it was a fatal wound. For all he knew, one didn’t hurt from those kind.

  But a shocked expression crossed the Assassin’s face. Then as Jax looked on is horror, a river of blood began to pool at the Assassin’s feet onto the floor. The only reason Jax hadn’t noticed it before was because of how large and dark the Raven’s cloak was.

  As the Raven dropped to the ground, Jax let out a shuddering breath. He then spun around and saw Shane and Trevor standing at the door to the living room. Shane held his own gun in his hand, and there was some smoke coming from it.

  “I usually hate it when they make some big speech, but it actually helped this time,” Shane drawled. “We just got here in time.”

  “How did you know he was in here?” Trevor asked.

  “I heard the floor creak and then I smelled him,” Jax replied.

  “You scented him?” Trevor asked, slowly as his brows creased.

  “Yeah.” Jax nodded, not seeing what the big deal was.

  “We can talk to Mitchell about that after break,” Shane growled. “We need to get the others.”

  “The others?” Jax echoed, his heart stuttering.

  “Yeah, there’s four more outside. Judging by the way they’re moving, they’re Assassins too,” Shane confirmed.

  Panic billowed up inside Jax. While Trevor and Shane may be good, he didn’t know if they could take out four enemies. He glanced around to see if Ava was awake. Duh, like she could have slept through all that noise. Sure enough, she was on her feet. Her eyes glinted dangerously, and she let out a low hissing sound. Jax realized she wasn’t scared at all. No, she was pissed.

  Shane came over and handed Jax two daggers taking away the sword. Trevor did the same with Ava. Jax looked down at the weapons in confusion before glancing back up at Shane. Surely, they didn’t expect Jax and Ava to help? They’d only joined the Academy that year. They didn’t have much training at all.

  “I know you feel like you’re not ready for this,” Shane said, as if he had a direct line to Jax’s brain. “But you can do this. I believe in you.”

  “I do too,” Trevor added.

  Just hearing those words boosted Jax one-hundred percent. He adjusted his grip on the weapons then gave them a nod. They positioned themselves in a circle, their backs pressed against one another as they prepared for the attack.

  Make no mistake, Jax was still terrified, so much so, his entire body hummed for it. Yet at the same time, he felt emboldened. He was no longer in the fight alone. He had some of the best warriors at his back. He felt their support in more ways than one.

  They didn’t have to wait for long. A loud crashing sound filled the room as several windows were blown out at once. Explosions filled the air, along with battle screams from their attackers.

  Jax crouched down in a defensive gesture. He’d done it so many times in training, but this time it was for real. If he messed up, there would be no re-dos. Logan wasn’t there to show him his mistakes and guide him in correcting them. No, this was real. If Jax messed up he could pay the ultimate price.

  Four Assassins came rushing in. Some of them came through the door, while the others surged through the now open windows. When Jax saw how huge they were, his breath hitched in his throat. A fresh wave of nerves coursed through him, and he wondered how in the hell he was going to fight against even one of them.

  “You’ve got this,” Shane growled. “Remember, size isn’t everything. Just remember everything you were taught and you’ll be fine. All you need to do is hold one of them off long enough for me and Trevor to defeat the others.”

  Shane made is sound so easy, but Jax knew it would be anything-but. Maybe it’d been a breeze for Shane when he’d been younger, but he’d been raised to kill. Meanwhile, all Jax had was a few months of classes, and even then, it’d only been on defensive skills. Jax knew he wouldn’t be able to hold any of them off for long.

  Still, he didn’t have a choice. He didn’t want to see Ava or her fathers getting hurt. It was up to Jax to do his part. They
’d never let him down, and he was determined to do the same for them. Besides, from what he’d heard about Shane, it wouldn’t take him long to finish off these guys. Or at least Jax hoped so.

  The Assassins began to slowly advance. While they looked intimidating, Jax started to notice other things. For example, their cloaks looked shabby as hell. Most of them had holes in them, and they were smudged with dirt and other gross things. None of them were close-shaven. Their hair looked shaggy and unkempt. Jax almost gagged as they drew closer, and he was hit with the stench of unwashed bodies.

  “Dudes, you reek,” Shane said, echoing Jax’s thoughts. “Our shower is in the other room. Please, I beg you, use it. We’ll wait here until you’re finished. We can have our little fight then.”

  Jax bit the inside of his cheek to stop himself from laughing. He couldn’t believe Shane was actually joking in the middle of the battle, but Jax had to admit, it did relieve some of his nervousness.

  “No, no, no,” Trevor added. “We can’t let them do that. I have the good shampoo in there. I don’t want them to use it if we’re just going to kill them. It would be a huge waste. That shit is expensive.”

  “I guess you have a point.” Shane sighed. “I’ll just have to put up with the reek. Come on then, come and get murdered.”

  Jax didn’t dare glace over, but he had an image of Shane using the come hither gesture at the Assassins. Whatever he did worked, because they rushed forward. They all had various blades, and they were in the attack position.

  For a moment, Jax wondered why the Assassin just didn’t get out some guns. It seemed as if it would be a lot easier, but he didn’t have time to think about it long. One of the smaller ones, if six-foot-plus could be called small, rushed Jax. He barely had time to get himself ready for the attack.

  When the Assassin brought down his sword, Jax shocked himself. He brought his own blades up and neatly deflected the blow. He hadn’t expected that out of himself. He also hadn’t expected the surge of pain that went down his arms from the force of the steel colliding.