Half-Blood Descendant: A Paranormal Series (Half-Bloods Book 1)

by Natasha Brown

  Jax popped the caps and handed one to her. She clinked the neck of her bottle to his. “To new friendships.”

  He added, “And freedom.”

  She shook her head and took a swig. “Are friends such a bad thing to have?”

  Jax shrugged and set his beer on the counter so he could prepare the patties. While he engaged his hands in busywork, the words poured from his lips. “I don’t know. For so long I’ve known I couldn’t be myself with anyone. You pair that with the constant urge to see new sights and my horrible anxiety when I stay put too long, well, I seem to be made for a solitary lifestyle.”

  Aerilyn pivoted in her seat, facing him. “I lived at home with my parents until two years ago, and I’m a grown woman. Pathetic, right?”

  “At least you had someone to take care of you,” he answered.

  “Maybe I don’t want someone to take care of me.” A sad smile hooked her lips into a crooked frown. “I need my own freedom and some distance, even if it’s only fifteen miles. Even though Dad’s overbearing at times, I wouldn’t trade my family for anything.”

  Jax turned on the burner and slid a ceramic pan onto it. “I wouldn’t know what that feels like.”

  “What happened with your mom?”

  Her question hung in the air. His instinct was to run away from it, but he checked her expression. She wasn’t looking at him with pity or scorn. Either she was manipulating him, or she really seemed to care.

  Jax placed the burgers in the pan one by one. They sizzled upon contact, filling the air with the smell of garlic. He inhaled deeply and closed his eyes. “I was young—ten when she just up and left. Rick was left to take care of me.”

  “Did he?”

  He watched the edges of the patties brown and leaned against the counter. “He kept me fed and got me to school most days, but then it got to the point where I was the one taking care of him because he was drunk off his ass. It was how I turned into a grease monkey. Someone had to fix things up to make money to buy food and pay the rent.”

  “I can’t imagine,” she said with a shake of her head.

  He didn’t want her feeling sorry for him or looking at him like he was less than any other man and grumbled, “It’s fine.”

  “When’s your birthday?”

  Jax was thrown off and glanced up at her awaiting, wide eyes. She seemed to have a line of questions ready for him. He scratched his head and hesitated to answer. “What’s happening here?”

  Aerilyn groaned and offered him an apologetic frown. “I’m sorry. I’m trying to gather as much information as I can about you to prove to my dad you’re not a threat.”

  Jax was confused. “And my birthday will help with that?”

  She adjusted in her seat and avoided looking him in the eye. “Emery told me she thinks we may not have much time before he ends this.”

  Aerilyn gestured at the two of them. She tapped the bottom of her bottle on the table. “Whenever it comes to me, he doesn’t think straight. He’s not being logical, so we need to make him face the facts. If it wasn’t you, it was someone.”

  Again, he needed clarification. He exhaled and crossed his arms. “You hardly know me. How do you know I’m not the kind of man your dad thinks I am?”

  She tilted her head as she looked at him. Aerilyn blinked her brown eyes and said, “Because every time I’m around you, I get to know you better. I get a better sense of you. I listen to my instincts, and they’re telling me you’re a good guy who never got a fair break.”

  As much as it went against the grain, Jax decided to trust her. He couldn’t understand why she cared so much about helping him, but with her father so suspicious of him, he needed whatever help he could get.

  He muttered, “June twenty-ninth.”

  “What?”

  Jax glanced at her. “My birthday. What else do you want to know?”

  She blinked at him in silence, then asked quietly, “Do you have your birth certificate or a social we can look up?”

  He shook his head.

  “How is that possible?” Her eyes widened. “Don’t you pay taxes?”

  Jax shrugged. “I’m good at finding jobs that pay me under the table. I’m not an official employee at KT’s shop.”

  The news seemed to confound her, and she said with a sigh, “It complicates things if you don’t exist in the eyes of the government.”

  He didn’t respond. He watched her rub her temple and sigh.

  Aerilyn moved on to another line of questions. “How old were you when you first shifted?”

  “Seventeen,” he said. “My stepdad had a parcel off the highway between Chadron and Pine Ridge, nearly touching the national park land. When he was half asleep watching TV, I’d sit outside enjoying the quiet. For weeks, I’d noticed this cougar stalking at dusk along the woods. It knew I was there, but it never threatened me, never came close. The size of it, even at a distance, I could tell was massive, powerful. I couldn’t imagine anything challenging it. It was the top of its food chain, free to do as it pleased. Wasn’t long after that the sweats and chills started, and I ruined my first set of clothes shifting.”

  Jax recalled the change he’d felt inside himself during that time. It was something he’d never put into words before. It felt strange being able to talk about it.

  When he looked up, Aerilyn’s lips were upturned ever so slightly. She raised her beer. “We all have our stories.”

  “What about yours?” he asked, still wondering what form she took.

  Aerilyn raised her eyebrow. “I’ll tell you later, promise. Looking forward to the outing?”

  Jax prepared the buns for their burgers and took out some potato salad he’d made last night before bed. He didn’t want to admit he’d been thinking about it for days. He had no idea what to expect.

  As if she could read his mind, she explained, “We set up different meeting locations throughout the mountains, secluded places twenty or so shifters can gather and go on a run, or flight if you’re of the feathered variety. There’s nothing worse than losing control and shifting when you’ve held off for too long.”

  He knew exactly what she was referring to. If he waited one too many weeks, energy built up inside him to the point he would shift if he wanted to or not. Similar to movies depicting werewolves turning at the sight of a full moon, except he didn’t need a moon to throw him over the edge. Countless times, he’d barely avoided being discovered from loss of control, which was why he was very careful to find a time to shift at least once every few weeks.

  “You can probably understand why we try our best to locate new shifters when they’re younglings,” she said. “It’s why it’s so important all shifters become registered members so we can track their offspring and teach them when they’re young. There aren’t many who pop up out of the blue these days, but it happens.”

  Jax plated their meals and set Aerilyn’s in front of her on the table. Her eyes widened, and she whistled. “Looks delicious!”

  They ate in silence, something Jax took as a compliment. He was pleased to see her clean her plate, leaving not even a crumb. When she was done, she got up, took her plate to the sink and started cleaning it.

  “Don’t worry about the dishes. I’ll take care of them later,” he said.

  She laughed. “That’s not how I was raised. You cook, I clean.”

  It was strange having someone else sharing his small space, appearing perfectly at home there. He reminded himself that it was merely a stepping stone to earning his freedom back. If he could keep it up, he would be on the open road once again.

  It took them half an hour to arrive on the Society’s private property on a secluded gravel road, deep in the foothills of the Rockies. Jax had offered to take his truck, and Aerilyn wanted to put him at ease, so she let him drive.

  When he pulled in beside one of many other vehicles to park, she gave him an encouraging smile, knowing how unhappy he was in social situations. It had been clear to her the other night when they’d sat i
n the middle of the Rusty Tack that he would’ve preferred to be anywhere but in a room full of people.

  This was different though. The group of silhouettes among the tree trunks were his people. His kind. He belonged with them, even if he didn’t think so.

  She touched his hand. “Ready?”

  “As I’ll ever be,” he mumbled and pulled the keys from the ignition.

  The sun had crept beneath the horizon over an hour ago, leaving the stars and moon to illuminate the earth. Shapes and textures stood out against the night like an oil painting. Aerilyn led her quiet and reserved companion through the trees until they reached the group of people talking in the dark.

  “Aerilyn!” a voice called out. “Haven’t seen you on an outing for some time.”

  She squinted through the dim and recognized Garren, one of her father’s enforcers. He was of her older brother’s generation, about seventy, though he looked no more than a year or two older than her. He’d taken to growing out a beard since the last time she’d seen him. She pointed at it and asked, “How long did that take?”

  He shrugged and rubbed it with a crooked smile. “A few weeks, but my girl likes it, so…”

  Jax stopped beside Aerilyn. Garren’s focus went to the new guy, and he gave her a quizzical frown. She introduced the two. “Garren, this is Jax. He’s new around here, thinking about joining the Society.”

  The unsure expression slid from Garren’s face as he pulled Jax closer to shake his hand and slap his shoulder in welcome. “Nice to meet you, brother. Come to see what fun we have on the weekends?”

  Jax answered, “Something like that.”

  Aerilyn explained to Jax, “Garren’s an enforcer like Emery and Deane.”

  Jax nodded and stepped back beside Aerilyn. He cast a furtive glance at the other silhouettes among the trees and asked, “What’s that involve?”

  A blonde walked up behind Garren, slid her arms around his waist and rested her chin on his shoulder. He turned his head to kiss her cheek and said, “I investigate shifters suspected of violating our laws and help keep the peace. I do what Alaric asks me to do.”

  “Hey, babe. You ready?” the blonde whispered to him.

  “Sure am.” Garren moved aside to put his arm around the woman and said to Jax, “Hope to see you around the lodge soon. Anything you need, let me know.”

  “Thanks.” Jax watched the couple walk away in silence.

  Aerilyn leaned in and muttered, “Garren’s my brother’s best friend, and he’s one of our best trackers.”

  “He’s… friendly.” Jax stared after him.

  She laughed. “It’ll clue you into his form. Want to guess what it is?”

  Aerilyn turned to look at Jax. He frowned and asked, “What, a dog?”

  “Bingo,” she answered. “Sometimes it’s easy to guess. Other times, not so much.”

  “I still don’t know what your form is.”

  She felt him looking at her in the dark, and she smirked in response. A certain amount of male bravado came into play for some male shifters when selecting a female mate. Akin to men not giving women the time of day if the women were taller or made more money than them, there were Society guys who wouldn’t consider a female with an animal form that threatened their masculinity.

  Aerilyn enjoyed the shock value when it came to revealing her form. She was fully aware she was a small-framed woman, and many narrow-minded people might judge her strength and abilities on that fact alone. She worked at proving everyone’s conceptions wrong. It would be great if she didn’t have to do it with everyone she met, but she was used to it and tried to turn her frustration into amusement.

  She pulled on his sleeve and led him past the congregation of people who were beginning to peel off their outer layers. She brought him to a large downed tree, where she sat down. Aerilyn patted the trunk, and he took a moment before lowering himself beside her.

  “Working with younglings, some of whom haven’t shifted yet, I am one of the first to find out what their animal form is. It’s quite fun, actually.” She put her hands against the rough tree trunk. “I’ve seen parents try to pressure their young into taking their own form, though it never works. It’s deeper than that. The animal reveals itself to you, and your soul knows when it’s met its match.”

  “Do families tend to share the same animal?”

  Aerilyn nodded. “Yeah, it can happen. Finn took Dad’s form, but they’re similar in personality.”

  He cleared his throat. “So, is it possible to learn more than one form?”

  “Good question,” she said. “It’s complicated. Most shifters will ever only know one form. Though some who’ve gone through trauma or changes in their lives can have a second form revealed to them.”

  A skunk and housecat scampered out from the clearing and passed them at their resting place. Jax turned his head to follow them out of sight between some bushy saplings. She saw the frown perched on his face and laughed. “Yes, those were two members.”

  “I’m not going to see an elephant go by with a crocodile next, am I?” he mumbled.

  “Well, I haven’t shifted yet.” He did a double take. She laughed at his reaction and waved her hands. “Joking.”

  She thought she detected the corners of his lips curling into a grin, something it raised her spirits to see. Rather than sitting around talking any longer, she thought it best to go have fun. Aerilyn began to unzip her jacket. The lower she drew down the zipper, the higher Jax’s eyebrows rose. She stood up and pointed to a nearby cluster of aspens. “I’ll leave you to undress in privacy.”

  “Uh, yeah. Sure.” He scratched the top of his head. “Should I meet you here?”

  She nodded and walked to the screen of trees. Aerilyn pulled off her jacket and set it on the ground. Next, she slipped off her shoes and unbuttoned her jeans. A cold breeze whistled through the valley, raising goosebumps on her arms as she pulled her V-neck off. She held the fabric to her chest and hunched away from the wind.

  When it died down, she dropped her shirt onto her growing pile of clothes. She rested her hand against one of the aspens to brace herself while she took off her socks and happened to glance back at her companion. Jax was down to his underwear, standing in the moonlight. Dark lines adorned his back, forming what appeared to be an intricate tattoo, one she couldn’t see well enough from her vantage point. She could, however, see how muscular he was. As he tugged at the waistband of his boxers, she blushed and looked away, reminding herself he would be gone as soon as her father allowed him to leave town.

  She didn’t waste any time removing the last of her clothing and stood among the pale aspen trunks, calling to the energy at her core. It surged through her pores, chasing away all visible marking of her humanity until none was left. Aerilyn took a deep breath and stepped out from behind the trees.

  Nine

  Jax watched her walk into the shadow of the aspens and had to tear his focus away. There was probably a very good reason behind assigning the beautiful young guardian to him. She seemed to be trying to sell the Genus Society pretty hard. The longer he spent around her, the more his inhibitions lowered, and he found himself wanting to spend more time with her. The only thing was, although he hated talking about his past and avoided entanglements, he had nothing to hide.

  She would soon find out at this pace. He’d actually invited her into his trailer, talked about his mom and cooked for her. He felt like a lovestruck teen again, salivating over a girl who was out of his league. She’d practically told him as much. Her father expected her to settle down with a pedigreed shifter, and he was a long way from that. He was so far removed from the shifter culture, he didn’t know what he didn’t know. He hated being at a disadvantage, and unfortunately, he didn’t think he could read a book about it.

  He sighed and pulled off his jacket, setting it on the trunk beside him. The rest of his clothing followed. A cold breeze blew in from the north, so he rubbed his arms. Movement caught his eye. Behind the long white trunk
s, he saw her exposed flesh, and his breath caught in his throat.

  Jax pinched his eyes shut and reminded himself it was time to shift. The last time he’d shed his human appearance and prowled the night as a cougar was the night of KT’s attack, a week ago. He cleared his mind of all things and focused on the energy buzzing within him, ready at his command. His skin pricked with a tingly sensation as he felt a thick coat of fur erupt over his body.

  He sank onto all fours and elongated his spine in a deep stretch. His breath hitched in his throat, making a purring rattle. No longer was his flesh exposed to the chill air. He was warm, his belly was full and he was ready for an evening run. He’d probably have to go slow for Aerilyn, he reminded himself. Something he’d never had to think about before.

  Ground cover rustled, drawing his attention, and he looked up. From behind the grove of trees emerged a large white shape. His eyes widened as he watched her move closer. His ears pointed forward while he held himself still and swallowed.

  He’d never seen anything quite so beautiful. The largest wolf he’d ever seen moved effortlessly toward him, leaping onto the log and stopping above him. He raised his jaw to stare up at her. Aerilyn’s size was impressive and her coat, white as fresh snow. If he weren’t in cougar form, he might have worried about his mouth hanging open. He licked his lips and clamped his jaw shut.

  Jax lifted his forelegs onto the log and dared to touch his nose to hers. With suddenness that surprised him, she raised a paw and dropped it onto his temple. Then she leaped from the downed trunk to circle around him. He eased back to the ground to meet her, mid-step.

  He was a large feline, all muscle and far larger than the average man. Aerilyn stood above his shoulder height, yet she was sleeker than him. Her brown eyes held his gaze as he sized her up. He flicked his tail in anticipation. Never had he stood beside another shifter like this. Never had he been given the opportunity to run wild alongside such a beautiful creature.

  Aerilyn must have had enough of him staring her down. She abruptly turned and leaped over the log and trotted away. The white wolf moved like an apparition in the night, a pale creature touching the dark pools of shadow beneath the trees. And without a second thought, he sprang after her. His instincts were thrown into gear as he engaged every muscle in his body to keep up.