Janie's Salvation

by Dawn Sullivan

  She saw Doc Josie’s eyes widened in surprise at the direction the conversation had taken.

  “I was working at a small diner as a waitress,” Janie continued, her voice low. “I was alone, kicked out of my pack. I had no one.”

  Janie began to tremble, and she took several deep breaths to try and calm herself. Josie stood, coming around the desk to sit in the chair beside her. The doctor’s hands covered hers as she asked quietly, “Would you like me to get Jade?”

  “No,” Janie whispered. “Please, I trust you.” It wasn’t that she didn’t trust Jade. But Doc Josie had been there from the day she first arrived at the compound. And right now, she was the only one Janie wanted to share her story with.

  “Are you sure?”

  Janie began to tremble harder, her whole body shaking as the memories slammed into her, one after another. No, she didn’t want Jade there, but there was someone that she needed. Raising her eyes to meet the doctor’s, Janie whispered, “Xavier. Please, call Xavier.”

  Josie nodded, quickly taking out her cell phone and placing the call. Then she sat with Janie in silence until Xavier appeared in the doorway just a few minutes later. He was at her side instantly, kneeling to take her hand in his. “Sweetheart, what’s wrong?”

  Janie looked into his deep brown eyes, eyes so full of love, even if he hadn’t said the words to her just yet. He was everything that she had always dreamed of in a mate, and so much more. Reaching out, she slowly brushed a lock of his hair back from his forehead as she whispered, “It was so dark that night when they came to the diner where I was working. I knew right away that something was wrong with them.” She felt Xavier stiffen, his hand tightening on hers, but she could not stop the words from falling out of her mouth now. “They followed me home. I couldn’t get away. I tried. I never stopped trying. The General paired me with Brent. He hurt me, Xavier. He took from me everything that should have been yours. Over and over and over again. It got to be that I would pray that the General would send him away on an assignment. I’m such a horrible person. I didn’t even care where he was going or who he might hurt. I just wanted him gone.”

  “You are not a horrible person, my sweet mate,” Xavier rasped, his hand coming up to gently stroke her cheek.

  “I thought it would finally stop when I got pregnant,” Janie went on, pushing the words out. “I thought it would be over because I was finally going to have a baby, which was what they wanted, but I was wrong. It only got worse. He moved me to that place in Mexico. There, it wasn’t just Brent that took me. I was pregnant, but none of them cared. They just hurt me over and over again.”

  Xavier swore darkly, moving closer to pull her into his arms. Janie laid her head on his shoulder and cried as he gently stroked her back, placing soft kisses on the top of her head. “Nobody will ever hurt you again,” he promised. “I will fucking kill anybody who lays a hand on you. I promise you that, baby.”

  A cry tore from Janie’s throat, deep heart-wrenching sobs coming from deep within her chest. “It seemed like the pain never went away, Xavier. Not until they brought me here.” She cried for several minutes, until she had no more tears left. Then she leaned back and looked at him. Cradling his face in the palms of her hands, she whispered, “I felt lost and alone for so long, Xavier. Terrified of my own shadow. And then I had Alayna, and I knew I had to become the person that I used to be. I had to take care of her, protect her. I couldn’t let myself be the weak, pitiful version of who I was after the General took me.” She stared deeply into his eyes as a tremulous smile crossed her lips. “Each day I fought to become stronger for Alayna, but I was still so alone. Even surrounded by everyone here at the compound. And then, one day, I ran into you.”

  Xavier leaned forward and gently kissed the tears from her cheeks. “I remember that day clearly,” he said softly. “Your hair was down, with big curls I wanted to wrap around my fingers. Your eyes were so sad, and I wanted to chase away all of your demons. You were so beautiful, and I wanted nothing more than to talk to you, but you turned and ran.”

  Janie blushed, ducking her head shyly. “I knew who you were, but I had nothing to offer you then, Xavier. I watched you, though. I even asked Flame about you. And I knew that you were there for me, every night when you were home, underneath my window. I hated it when you were gone. I couldn’t sleep.”

  “I’m so sorry,” Xavier said.

  “It’s not your fault. It’s your job. I just…I missed you. Each day after that, the loneliness began to fade away, and my heart began to fill.” Janie was aware that Doc Josie rose and left the room then, shutting the door quietly behind her. But she never took her gaze from the man who still knelt in front of her. “You hold my heart in your hands, Xavier Andrews. You saved me when I didn’t think I could ever be saved. You are my light, my love, my salvation. My heart belongs to you.”

  Xavier closed the distance between them, gently covering her lips with his. She felt a shudder run through his body as he held her close. Finally, he pulled back, their eyes meeting as he told her, “You have owned my heart since the first day I saw you, Janie. I love you so much, baby.”

  Janie slid her arms around Xavier’s neck, tugging him close, sighing softly. “I love you, too.”

  10

  Jinx jumped into the air, grasping one of the lower tree branches and swinging himself up onto it. Quickly, he climbed higher, scaling one branch after another, until he was just over halfway up the tree. When he found the one he wanted, he sat, letting his legs dangle over the side. Raising an eyebrow, he glanced at the makeshift campsite below. Four sleeping bags were positioned around a fire pit, empty beer cans and trash littering the area. There were a couple of duffle bags near two coolers, open with clothes falling out. Fucking pigs.

  Taking out his phone, Jinx sent a quick text to his person on the inside, following up on the General’s medical status. After being nearly mauled to death just weeks before by Chase, the General was slowly beginning to recover. As much as Jinx hated the man, it made his life easier to keep him alive right now. He was trying to find out who the head prick in charge was, and with the General injured, it was proving to be even more difficult than when he was running around throwing out asshole orders left and right. Jinx waited impatiently until the response came back. The same. Good, at least he wasn’t dead just yet. He would be one day though, after his neck met Jinx’s sword.

  Quickly shoving the phone back into his pocket at the sound of voices heading his way, Jinx stared at the forest floor below. It hadn’t taken him long to find Brent and his band of dumbasses. They were hiding out in the mountains not far from the White River Wolves compound. It was further than Chase’s enforcers would have looked, which was why their trackers weren’t able to scent them, but Jinx had his own way of tracking his prey. And he always found what he was hunting.

  “How much longer do we have to stay up here, Brent?” one of the men grumbled, following Brent into the small clearing.

  “Until I tell you we don’t,” Brent snapped, walking under the tree Jinx was in.

  “Fuck, I say we go into town tonight,” another guy said, stalking over to where one of the sleeping bags lay out on the ground. One hand clutching a rifle tightly, he turned around to look at the rest of them as he crudely grabbed his dick. “It’s been a long time since I’ve had a good steak and a sweet piece of ass.”

  “And it is going to be even longer,” Brent snarled. “Nobody is leaving this fucking mountain until I get what I came for.”

  Jinx pushed off the branch and landed lightly on his feet, just inches from one of the men. “You have part of that right,” he commented dryly, drawing his sword from its scabbard at his back. “None of you are leaving this mountain.”

  11

  Xavier swore softly when there was a loud knock on his apartment door. He had just finished packing a bag, and was getting ready to head over to Janie’s place to stay with her. She’d finally let him in, allowing him to see a part of her that she had
never shared before, and he refused to leave her alone tonight after the way she bared her soul. Whoever was on the other side of that door wasn’t staying long.

  “I got it,” Aiden said, as he walked past Xavier’s bedroom in just a pair of loose shorts. His brother was going to take his place at the bottom of Janie’s window. Xavier didn’t fully trust anyone except Aiden to protect them while they slept.

  Grabbing his duffle bag, Xavier took one last look around his room. If things went the way he wanted them to, he would only be back to collect the rest of his things. He didn’t plan on waiting much longer to claim his mate, and once he did, there was no way he was going to be apart from her again.

  Xavier quickly scanned the living room when he walked in, unable to stop the smile that appeared when he saw Janie sitting on the couch. She’d come to the apartment with him to get his things, but insisted on waiting in the front room, not wanting to invade Aiden’s space. “You ready, sweetheart?” he asked quietly, closing the distance between them and leaning down to place a soft kiss on her lips. Her quiet response was drowned out by his alpha’s voice.

  “I’m glad you are here, Janie. I need to speak to both you and Xavier.”

  Janie turned to look at Chase, and Xavier stiffened when he saw her eyes widen in surprise as she reached out to grab his hand. Dropping his bag, he sat down beside her and slipped his arm around her, drawing her close before looking over at his alpha. Standing next to Chase was Angel’s son, Jinx. A low growl built in his throat when he felt Janie begin to tremble in his arms.

  “Stand down, Xavier,” Chase growled, his clear blue eyes darkening in anger. “You will treat my son with respect.”

  “He’s scaring my mate,” Xavier snarled, baring his teeth.

  “No,” Janie whispered, grasping his arm tightly, “Jinx doesn’t scare me.”

  Xavier looked down in confusion, anger still flowing through him. “You’re shaking, Janie. I can smell your fear.”

  “I’m not afraid of him,” Janie insisted, raising a hand to rest it on his chest. “It’s just hard to separate him from the General sometimes,” she admitted, looking over at Jinx. “I’m sorry. We never met when I was being held captive, but I heard about you. Some of the women would whisper about the man who helped them without the General knowing. Going so far as to rescue a few of the lucky ones.” Lowering her eyes, she whispered, “Sometimes I wished it was me that you helped, but I knew you couldn’t save all of us.”

  “I would if I could,” Jinx said, slowly walking over to kneel in front of her. “I can’t let the General find out what I do. If too many women go missing, he will start asking questions.”

  Janie nodded, “I know.”

  “I did help you though, Janie,” Jinx told her, “and with your mate’s permission, I would like to show you.”

  Xavier’s eyes narrowed on the man, his arm tightening around his mate. “What do you mean?”

  “Janie will only believe me if she sees it for herself,” Jinx told him calmly. “I can show her, if you would allow it. I promise, no harm will come to her.”

  Xavier looked down at Janie, a silent question in his eyes. He didn’t have all of the facts, but he knew that some of the new members of his pack had special abilities, psychic gifts they used to help others. Could Jinx have some of the same gifts?

  Janie’s eyes met his and she nodded. Taking a deep breath, Xavier muttered, “Do it.”

  Janie’s gaze never left Jinx as he slowly lifted his hands and cupped her face in his palms. “Close your eyes, sweet wolf,” he said softly. “I am going to show you that you are finally free to spend the rest of your life without fear.”

  “Wolf?”

  Jinx smiled, “She’s in there just waiting to come out,” he said. “You know it, too. She will show herself to everyone soon.” Nodding toward Xavier, he said, “She has a very good reason now.”

  Janie’s lips trembled as she returned Jinx’s smile. Then she gasped as images started to flood her mind. Closing her eyes, she shuddered, moaning softly when she saw Jinx wielding a sword as it sliced through a man’s neck. Then a knife flew from Jinx’s hand, and was embedded into another man’s chest. “You bastard! The General will hear about this!”

  “Oh, God,” Janie whimpered, trying to pull free of the vision. It was Brent. He felt so close.

  Hush, little one. Jinx’s voice broke through her terror. He will never hurt you again. Watch.

  Janie forced herself to become calm, small whimpers escaping her throat as she watched the scene play out before her.

  “Who’s going to tell him?” Jinx asked, raising an eyebrow as a slow grin crossed his lips. “You?” Shaking his head, Jinx raised his sword and pointed it at Brent. “You won’t be around to tell him anything, Brent. You will never threaten another person, never hurt another woman. Janie will be free of you.”

  “Why the fuck do you care about that little bitch?” Brent said, swiftly pulling a gun from the back of his jeans. “Who is she to you?”

  Jinx seemed to pause for a moment, before he replied, “She’s of the same pack, which makes her family. No one will ever touch her again.”

  A shot rang out, but it was too late. The bullet went wide as Jinx swung his sword.

  Janie slowly came back to herself, opening eyes that were wet with tears. She was aware of Xavier’s arm around her, but she only had eyes for Jinx. “So many times I prayed you would save me…and you did.”

  Jinx let his hands drop from her cheeks, his dark brown eyes guarded as he sat back on his heels. He gave her a short nod.

  “Will the General be coming for me?” she asked cautiously, moving to the edge of the couch, closer to him.

  “No,” Jinx promised, and she could tell that it was the truth. “The General isn’t going after anyone right now. And when he is ready to, you won’t be on his list to hunt down.”

  Janie didn’t bother trying to hide the tears streaming down her face as she leaned forward and wrapped her arms around the man in front of her, burying her face in his neck as she clung to him. “You told him no one would ever hurt me again,” she whispered, “and you meant it. I heard it in your voice. You said we are of the same pack. Family.”

  She felt Jinx run a hand gently down her hair before pulling back. “The White River Wolves are the closest thing I have to a pack,” he admitted. “And my dad always told me that everyone in a pack watches over each other.”

  “Your dad was right,” Chase said, as he came to stand near them. “And you are a part of this pack, Jinx.”

  Jinx stood, but not before Janie saw what she swore was a sheen of tears in his eyes. “I have to go,” he told them. “I have a mission I need to fulfill before I go back.”

  “Thank you,” Janie said, rising from the couch. “You don’t know what you have done for me. For my daughter.”

  Jinx gave her one last small smile before turning to leave. Aiden moved to block his way. Standing tall and proud, he said, “My brother’s mate has lived here for over a year, terrified that the General and his men were going to come for her. Today, you did something none of us have been able to do. You wiped that terror from her eyes. My family is indebted to you, my friend. If you ever need anything, and I mean anything, you call me. I will be there.”

  “That goes for me, too,” Xavier said gruffly from beside her.

  Jinx looked down at the hand Aiden held out to him, then back at Xavier. Swallowing hard, he reached out and accepted the handshake. “I will accept your friendship, but there is no debt to repay.”

  “You call,” Aiden said again, “and we will be there, Jinx. As friends and as pack.”

  Janie clasped Xavier’s hand tightly in hers as she watched Jinx nod, then leave without a backward glance. He had just saved her life, and the life of her child. She did not care what he said, she owed him a debt that she could never hope to repay.

  12

  After leaving Xavier’s apartment the hour before, Xavier and Janie had arrived at hers to
find Flame’s bags packed and sitting by the front door. Against Janie’s objections, Flame told them she was moving out to give them more room. She had been offered one of the empty places just two doors down, but Flame said she had refused, deciding to stay out at Angel’s house instead. It stood empty since Angel moved in with Chase, and Flame insisted she wanted the privacy. She would be back the following evening for the rest of her things, but for now, Xavier and Janie were alone. She just needed to get her daughter to bed, and then they would have a chance to talk…or something.

  Janie took a deep breath as she looked around the dimly lit room. Alayna snored softly in her crib, oblivious to the tension running through her mother. It was her daughter’s first night in her new bedroom, and Janie was finding it so hard to leave her alone, even though she knew the threat to their lives had been removed.

  “Everything okay?” Xavier asked quietly from behind her. Janie turned to look at him, unsure how to respond. His eyes narrowed, and he took a step toward her. “Sweetheart, nothing has to happen tonight. I can sleep in the living room if you would like? I will even change into my wolf if it would make you feel more comfortable.”

  “It’s not that,” Janie interrupted.

  “Then what is it?” he asked, reaching out to slip a piece of her long hair behind her ear. “You can tell me anything, Janie.”

  “I know,” she whispered, looking back at Alayna. The moon shone through the blinds, resting on her daughter’s small features. “It’s just that I have never been without her at night,” she finally said. “What if something happens?”

  “Baby,” Xavier said, sliding his arms around her waist and pulling her close, “nothing is going to happen. She is right next to our room. We will hear her if she needs us.”

  “I know,” Janie sighed, looking up at him through lowered lids. “I just worry.”