Emery winked at the woman’s long-haired companion standing behind her. He stood with a confused expression on his face and simply blinked back at her. The redhead cast a quick glance over her shoulder at him, then returned her attention to Jax and gave him a pointed look. “I believe there was an animal attack on these hills in the recent passage of time. I would like to record your account if you know anything about it—to share with others so it does not occur again.”
“Ye’re a reporter?” Deane chimed in, leaning forward with narrowed eyes. He shot a warning glare at Jax, who avoided eye contact.
The redhead studied the Irishman for a moment and nodded, lifting her long, flowing hair over her shoulder.
The last thing Jax wanted was to be interviewed by anyone. He’d just been forced into an uncomfortable situation with the Genus Society and had revealed more about himself than he’d liked. The memories of the other night were still fresh in his mind. If he was going to share anything with anyone, it would be with someone who could actually help him get to the bottom of it. Someone he could trust. And right now, the only person on that list was himself.
He caught Aerilyn’s eye. She seemed to be holding her breath. Maybe she was just caught off guard by the question. Or maybe she was worried he would spill all the details about the existence of shifters. Before he’d learned about the Society and their laws, he’d lived by the same primary rule—keep all magical and unexplainable abilities hidden from everyone. Period. So as far as he was concerned, it was business as usual from that perspective.
Jax lifted his beer to his lips and took a sip before answering, “Just passing through town. You say there was an attack?”
The tension drained from Deane and Aerilyn’s faces. He wouldn’t have survived this long if he didn’t have any self-preservation skills. They must have thought him stupid if they really thought he’d say anything about the attack.
“That is what I understand,” the reporter said in return. A wide smile spread across her lips. It was beautiful perched on her mouth, but no pretty thing had caused him to lose all sanity yet. She would have to move to the next table because he wasn’t about to spill anything about what had occurred in KT’s darkened garage. Even if she was as stunning as an angel.
Deane turned away from the woman and faced the glass window. “We’ll be careful walking about then, won’t we? Thank ye for the warning.”
“No,” the woman said. “Thank you.”
She turned around to face the man standing behind her and muttered something in another language. That, or she spoke so quickly Jax couldn’t understand what was said. When they stepped away from their table, the well-dressed man smiled for the first time and said with a thick accent, “Wonder is wisdom.”
Emery squealed and said into the crowd of people into which the man had disappeared, “I want to have your baby.”
Though the man was hidden from view, a number of patrons turned to stare at her. Jax turned to look at Emery. He couldn’t imagine how she’d been placed in a position of authority when she didn’t seem to take anything seriously.
Emery sighed, reached over to sneak one of the fries from his plate and raised her brow at him. “You can speak crazy to me all you want, but if you’re as fine as that man and you know how to use what God gave you...”
Deane shook his head and slid out from the seating. “All right, rookie. How about I buy ye a drink at the bar now that all the horny toads ’round here have been alerted to your promiscuity. We have a few scheduling details to discuss.”
Wordlessly, Jax watched as Emery followed Deane to the bar. Aerilyn took a deep breath and muttered into her drink, “That woman’s my best friend, but I don’t know how I’m going to live with her.”
Jax nodded. “That’s why I live alone.”
Aerilyn crossed her arms on the table and gazed at the two enforcers at the bar. “Her heart’s in the right place.”
“Is his heart in the right place?” Jax asked before he could stop himself. It came out gruffer than he’d intended.
“Deane?” Her brows furrowed in confusion, then she held up her hand. “I’ve known him since I was born. He’s like an uncle to me.”
“Oh,” Jax muttered, backpedaling. “The way he was talking to you, I wasn’t sure if you two were a thing.”
“Us? Definitely not.” She lifted her beer and drained it in her mouth. “No, I’m not dating anyone right now. It’s… complicated.”
Jax didn’t want her to think he was interested, but he was curious to find out more. “Is it a shifter thing?”
She blushed. “It’s just… a breeding thing. Dad wants me to settle down with a pure bred—someone who can trace their ancestors back through the Society for generations. Ten to be exact.”
He swallowed his disappointment with another swig of beer. She was every bit the spoiled, rich baby doll he’d sized her up to be. Jax knew one thing for sure. If he was anything, he was a mutt. A mangy stray who was best left to himself.
Seven
Jax drove along the gravel road. The sun had gone down behind the mountains, and it was already dark out despite the fact that it was still early in the evening. Gaining some distance from town helped sooth his nerves, which were ragged after being surrounded by people he was unfamiliar with last night. He was eager to put his feet up in his trailer and try to process the information he’d learned from his ‘guardian,’ a woman who appeared too small to guard anything.
His phone sat in his center console, and its screen lit up with a text. His foot eased off the accelerator as he checked the message. KT needed help rebandaging her neck. She hadn’t returned to work and was taking it easy at home as she still wasn’t at full capacity, something she griped about every time he saw her. The moment he’d met the elderly woman, he’d liked her. She reminded him in many ways of himself. He wasn’t the type to ask for help and neither was she. So he knew just how unpleasant it was for her to rely on him during her time of need. He respected that fact and tried not to make a big deal out of it for both their sakes.
He thought of the man hunched over her still body, his mouth pressed to her neck, her blood puddling on the cement floor. Then it dawned on him. There was no way the injury sustained to her neck would look like a cougar’s bite. It could be the proof he needed to truly clear his name with the Society. But he wasn’t so sure KT would allow him to take a picture when she hated being the center of attention.
As Jax continued to her property, he considered the possibilities. Since his word wasn’t good for anything with Alaric, he knew he needed something more. His headlights lit up the pine trees he was passing and finally settled on the garage door when he pulled to a stop.
He picked up his phone and skimmed through his few contacts, finding the one he was looking for. Jax pressed his finger to the screen and put it on speakerphone. The sound of ringing filled the cab of his truck until Aerilyn’s voice silenced it.
“What’s up?” she asked.
He cleared his throat. “If I were to provide proof that I didn’t attack KT, would I be off the hook with your father? Would I be free to leave town?”
“Is that all you care about? Clearing your name?”
Her question hung in the air, taunting him to be a better man. But he was born to roam free—it was in his DNA. Aerilyn had as much as told him so. It was all he cared to protect—his freedom.
When he didn’t answer, she responded, “What do you have?”
“It’s KT—her neck wounds.” His eyes went to his landlord’s deck and front door. “She asked me to help change her bandages, but if you swung by to check on her, you could see for yourself.”
“When?”
Jax pulled the keys from the ignition and reached for his door. “Now.”
She paused for a moment. “I’ll be there in a few.”
The line went dead. He pocketed his phone after getting out of the cab of his truck and waited, standing beneath the garage floodlights. He listened to the soft sou
nds that were easily overlooked if you didn’t know how to stand in silence, a skill perfected by nighttime predators.
Jax expected to see headlights coming around the bend of KT’s driveway, so when he sensed movement and spotted Aerilyn’s dark silhouette walking near, he called out, “Is it safe for you to be walking by yourself?”
She moved closer, coming out of the shadow with a thick knit scarf wrapped around her neck and shoulders. “It’s a close enough walk, and I know how to protect myself. Why—worried about me?”
It was said in jest, though it felt more like a challenge. He rolled his head back to lift his chin. “I wouldn’t want your dad thinking I’m the danger.”
Aerilyn raised her eyebrow. “Yeah well, we wouldn’t want you growing attached to anyone, or it would disturb the whole ‘I don’t care about anyone but myself’ thing you’ve got going on.”
“Well, Miss Priss, maybe you wouldn’t be so ready to trust people if your mother had abandoned you with a drunk who was too depressed to resemble anything like a father,” he sniped back.
Her eyes widened in surprise, and he realized he’d overshot his response. It didn’t matter. He was in a bad mood and didn’t care. She just didn’t get it.
Aerilyn crossed her arms and raised a brow. “Wow, it sounds like you’ve had it tough. I can see trust doesn’t come easy for you. You can try to push me away, but the sooner you understand I’m here to help, the better it’ll be for the both of us.”
Her brown eyes caught and held his gaze. She was small, but maybe she was tougher than he’d presumed. Aerilyn took him by surprise when she stepped close to take hold of his hands. Her touch was soft, her fingers delicate. “Listen, I can help you try to track down your birth mother and father and try to clear your name. But seriously, don’t you think it’s time to stop being such dick to the one person who went out on a limb to help you? Now, if we’re done out here, let’s go see what’s hiding under KT’s bandages.”
When she let go and turned to walk to KT’s front deck, he rubbed his hands together to chase off the warmth and tingling sensation that remained in her wake. A memory surged through his thoughts, taking him off guard. Something he hadn’t remembered in a long time. His mother, taking up his hand in hers and leading him down a country road. Her sun-kissed face turned to look down at him with a smile on her lips as she hummed a tune under her breath.
The feeling of happiness and love in that moment took him up short. Anger and pain gripped his heart, adding another layer to his armor. He exhaled sharply, pushing aside the unwanted memory. The only way he’d want to track down his mother would be to give her a piece of his mind and walk away from her like she had from him. He couldn’t care less about the woman.
Jax rubbed his nose and cleared his throat before hurrying to join Aerilyn at the door. He knocked and let them inside. A light was on in the living room, and the sound of the television filled the air. KT wasn’t lying on the couch like she had been that morning when he’d left for work.
Jax called out, “Hey, KT—you around?”
From around the corner in the kitchen, he heard a clank and KT’s raspy voice. “Just heating up some chili. Got tired of sitting on my arse all day.”
“I bet,” he said and gestured for Aerilyn to follow him through the house. “I ran into your neighbor Aerilyn outside. I invited her in.”
KT moved into view, holding an empty can of chili and wearing an irritated expression. “I’m not worth the fuss, really. I’m feeling more like myself every hour.”
“I’m glad to hear it,” Aerilyn answered with a grin. “I knew you’d recover fast—no one’s tougher than you.”
The elderly woman nodded once and tossed the can into the trash beside her. She returned to the kitchen to stir the sizzling chili, tamping down the cylinder shape of meat and beans into the pot.
Jax followed her to the stove and held his hand out for the spoon she was using. “Have a seat. The doctor said for you to rest.”
KT sighed and thrust the spoon into his hand then went to sit on the barstool at the wood-hewn island counter. Aerilyn started to help her onto the stool but was swatted away.
KT mumbled, “Only because I find the sight of a man in a kitchen sexy. Did I ever tell you what a good cook Howard was?”
“All the time,” Jax said, unable to hide his smile.
“He could cook in more than the kitchen, if you know what I mean,” KT whispered to Aerilyn.
A laugh broke from Aerilyn’s lips. “I think I do.”
Jax stirred the chili a little more and turned down the heat so it wouldn’t burn. He said over his shoulder, “I wanted Aerilyn to come in so she could help you with your bandages. I’m not a very good nursemaid. I’d probably hurt you with my fat fingers.”
“Psh, I’ve seen you repair a transmission.” KT adjusted on her seat and sighed. “Very well. The gauze and tape are in the bathroom there.”
Aerilyn walked into the powder room off the kitchen and returned with the supplies in her hands. Jax had seen the wounds on KT’s neck briefly before he’d pressed his flannel against them to tamp the flow of blood. Although he would have liked to get a good look, it was more important for Aerilyn observe them herself. As a witness.
Maybe then the Society would be satisfied with the proof that he couldn’t have attacked KT.
Aerilyn used the edge of her fingernail to begin peeling off the tape that held KT’s bandages to her neck. The elderly woman sucked in a ragged breath but didn’t say a word. Finally, she had removed the last of the tape and was able to lift off the gauze one layer at a time.
Once she got down to the absorbent pad, KT murmured, “Best get it done. Quick, now.”
Aerilyn rested her hand on the woman’s shoulder and waited for her to nod to indicate she was ready before peeling away the last of the first aid padding. It tugged at her flesh where the blood had dried to the wrappings, but at least it was finally free.
Aerilyn wasn’t one for the sight of blood. Though her belly flipflopped at her first sight of it, she had to admit it wasn’t as ghastly as she’d imagined it would be. She was no expert when it came to bites, but what she saw only confused her. Jax had claimed a man bit KT’s neck, not him. The puncture marks weren’t widely spaced. She was fairly confident a human’s bite was oval where each tooth left a grooved indent, but there were four fang marks. There was no way a human could have done this damage. It had to have been an animal.
“Take a picture, it’ll last longer,” KT muttered and folded her hands on the counter.
“Sorry about that,” Aerilyn said and reached for a fresh pack of gauze.
Jax set a steaming bowl down beside her and placed a napkin and spoon beside it. He moved to Aerilyn’s side and stared at the woman’s neck. When he turned his distressed gaze to Aerilyn, she met it with a confused frown.
“Don’t forget the ointment.” KT reached for a tube sitting on the counter. “So it doesn’t get infected. A cougar’s mouth is a dirty place.”
Aerilyn tried to keep a straight face. “It sure is.”
She accepted the medicine and removed the cap, carefully avoiding Jax’s gaze. She did her best bandaging up KT’s neck and reapplying the tape. When she was done, the woman slid her food closer and took a bite. “Ah, just right.”
“Have you taken your meds?” Jax asked and folded his arms.
KT took two more bites. “Before bed I will. Stop nagging.”
He shook his head and sighed. “The fastest way back to the shop is following the doctor’s instructions. Don’t stay up watching The Late Show.”
Aerilyn watched the woman grumble as she continued to eat, but she thought she detected subtle warmth radiating from KT’s gaze as she looked at Jax. The prickly widow had a heavily protected heart but a heart just the same.
“I don’t want to keep you from your food.” Aerilyn gathered up the dirty wrappings and tossed them in the trash. “Let me know if you need anything more.”
KT peer
ed at her out of the corner of her eye and took another bite of chili. “I have this drifter to take care of me, but thanks.”
“I’ll walk her out,” Jax said, thrusting his hands into his pockets and looking away.
An innocent question slipped from KT’s lips. “See you in the morning?”
He nodded. “Before I leave for work.”
“Good,” she said into her bowl and gave them no further attention as they walked out of the kitchen.
Aerilyn moved through the living room and stepped outside with Jax behind her. He shut the door securely, and they stood under the porch light in silence for a moment before they walked to the end of the deck and onto the gravel driveway.
“I don’t understand. That wound looked like an animal bite, although I know what I saw,” he muttered in bewilderment. “A man was biting her neck, but humans don’t have fangs.”
She studied his face and reached out her senses, searching for a hint of deception. She observed confusion and frustration and took a deep breath in relief. “Maybe I should wait to tell Emery and Deane about the bite mark. My dad, too,” she said. “It doesn’t look good. For what it’s worth, I believe you. Maybe some evidence will surface that will put you in the clear, and you’ll have your freedom.”
Jax glanced at her briefly before looking away. “Right.”
It was getting late, and she still had some papers to grade before school tomorrow. Aerilyn pulled up the edge of her knitted scarf around her ears. “I need to get home.”
She was more than a little surprised when he moved down the driveway. “I’ll walk you. I don’t care how tough you are. It wouldn’t be right letting you go alone.”
Aerilyn hid her astonishment and began walking. She’d sensed there was more to him than his aloof defenses, but he was no youngling. He was a grown man with years of habits and experiences, which had pieced together the person he now was—a distrusting loner. What she saw as he turned to look back at her was a person who’d avoided putting down roots because he was afraid of getting hurt. And she had no intention of bringing him pain.
Half-Blood Descendant: A Paranormal Series (Half-Bloods Book 1) Page 6
