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

by Natasha Brown

  His frame was formidable, but he moved like any other feline predator, with intent and power. Just as he nearly caught her shadow, she raced ahead and into a vast mountain prairie. The hills were carpeted with grass turned gold. Dry stalks moved and rustled in the breeze, brushing against their neighbors as if whispering and sharing a secret. One only Jax and Aerilyn could hear.

  Once on the open field, he tried even harder to overtake her, yet she pranced just out of reach. It turned into a game, one any observer might have found amusement in, a cat chasing a dog in the moonlight. She would zigzag over the land, and he would leap to cut her off. The amount of energy he burned far surpassed the quarter pound of meat he’d ingested earlier that night.

  He didn’t want to stop. He felt like a child racing for the fun of it, just to feel the wind lifting the hair from around his face, to feel weightless for that one moment his feet left the ground. The pleasure he found running free scratched at the edges of his mind. Memories buried by hurt and time were stirred. His mother, standing in an open field, called to him. He ran to her, giggling and laughing, and she called louder, “Let your legs carry you away!”

  Jax paused mid-movement, allowing Aerilyn to rush out of sight as the memory faded. With much of his energy depleted and feeling more than a little confused, he stopped to catch his breath. He didn’t know what it meant. Since he’d met Aerilyn, he’d had more flashbacks from his past than he liked. For decades, he’d tried to bury all memories of his mother. It hurt too much, thinking about the loving way she’d gaze at him.

  Movement caught his eye while he stood, panting in place. The graceful apparition wove down the curved slope until she stopped before him. This time, it was her nose that touched his. Her whiskers tickled his muzzle, and he closed his eyes, fighting the war waging inside his heart. It felt good being himself with another being. Yet he knew it wouldn’t last.

  Aerilyn moved away and stared at him. He could picture her in her human form, standing there with her eyebrow cocked. He exhaled and took a step forward.

  As if she’d sensed his mood, she walked toward the trees with him by her side. The time for playfulness was done. They moved at the same pace like silent partners in the night.

  A noise, or maybe just his sixth sense, gave him pause, and he stopped. Beside him Aerilyn held still, tilting her ears to the forest. Jax’s eyes combed the jagged shadows for movement or shapes that didn’t belong until he spotted it. He dashed in front of his companion and lowered his head.

  Rounded shoulders and a hooded head broke the pattern of vertical trunks in the distance. Jax thought of the man who’d attacked KT and sniffed the air, searching for his metallic scent. A deep growl dripped from between his fangs. He would be damned if he’d let anyone else get hurt when he should have ended it right then and there, that night. He never should have let him get away.

  Startled, Aerilyn brushed right by him and trotted through the underbrush, straight for the hooded figure. Jax catapulted forward to head her off. But as he got closer, he realized an upright charred tree trunk with softened edges had fooled him. A twig snapped, and a German shepherd came around the blackened shape with a fox close behind.

  The dog barked once and wagged its tail. Aerilyn greeted the canine nonchalantly and blinked back at Jax, who’d slowed his approach. The other odd animal couple hurried off without a second look.

  Aerilyn continued through the forest slowly with Jax beside her. It didn’t take long to make their way back to their clothes near the clearing. She left him by the log to scamper behind the aspens.

  His clothes were just as he’d left them, strewn on the tree trunk. He glanced around before channeling his energy into shifting back into a man. It took everything he had left to do so. He was tired. Far more than he’d expected to be.

  Jax pulled on his underwear and jeans and was working on his socks and shoes when Aerilyn came out from behind the thin, pale trunks. She held her jacket in her hand and was brushing her fingers through her hair.

  He picked up his flannel, prepared to pull it on as she wound her way around the log and stopped a few feet away. She offered him a half smile. “How’d you like it?”

  “It was like nothing I’ve ever experienced,” he answered honestly.

  “I couldn’t tell if something was wrong,” she said and glanced up at him. “Out in the field.”

  She was more perceptive than he was prepared for. He stared at the shirt clutched in his hands.

  Aerilyn stepped closer to him, closing the distance between them. “I’m sorry. It’s a lot to take in—that you’re not alone anymore. I shouldn’t have suggested going on an outing so soon. I just thought—”

  “No,” he interrupted. “It was good. Really. Just brought up some old memories is all.”

  She frowned at him. He didn’t want her worrying. It wasn’t her burden to carry.

  Aerilyn rested her hand on his arm, and his mind went blank. Her fingers were warm and soft on his bare skin. It had been in Des Moines, a year and a half ago, that he’d last been with a woman. He’d tried to stay strong. To keep himself from breaking down and seeking such comforts.

  “You aren’t quite what I expected,” he murmured to her.

  She raised an eyebrow. “I didn’t intimidate you, did I? No matter how much I try, I just can’t let anyone take the lead.”

  He laughed, struck by the thought. “You shouldn’t be ashamed of who or what you are.”

  “I’m not.” She tilted her head and looked at him sideways. “It’s just that I’m used to being underestimated. I’m just a pocket-sized woman, who—”

  “Who can get the drop on anyone.” He shook his head and muttered once again, “Very unexpected.”

  “That a bad thing?” she asked and stared into his eyes.

  “Not sure yet.” He slipped his hand to the low of her back and leaned down, staring into her eyes. He waited, not wanting to overstep her boundaries.

  Aerilyn blinked and raised her face to his. Her lips, thin and delicate, brushed against his mouth gently at first, then as a shared hunger passed between them, she pressed herself against him with an intensity that surprised him.

  The sound of a car door shutting beyond the wooded clearing cut the silence. Aerilyn broke away from him with a guilty expression. Her hand went to her lips, and she muttered, “We should go.”

  Sunday went by painfully slow. Jax finished the book he was reading and offered to help KT with anything she needed, which turned into a garage clean-out. He didn’t care. Anything to keep his mind off of Aerilyn and all the questions banging around in his head.

  Even when his thoughts were otherwise engaged at the shop the following day, the image of Aerilyn as the white wolf danced through his mind. He recalled their quiet drive home following their outing in the forest. Neither of them had said much. When he’d dropped her at her driveway, she’d told him she’d be in touch, that she’d be sure to update her father so he was aware of the strides Jax was making to clear his name. Then she’d turned and walked away.

  He shouldn’t have leaned down to kiss her. It had been a mistake. He’d misread the moment. His head hadn’t been in the right place after their excursion into the wilderness. His guard had been down.

  Jax just wished everything would resolve soon so he could leave. Then he wouldn’t have to worry about a woman he had no chance with. He was beginning to understand the angst his stepdad must have gone through when Jax’s mom left. Her departure had ruined them both.

  Wednesday after work when he drove home, he slowed while he passed her house. Her car wasn’t alone on the driveway, and the lights were on inside. A dark silhouette was visible from one of the windows. He returned his focus to the gravel road and continued home.

  The floodlight on the corner of KT’s garage switched on as he rolled to a stop on the driveway. KT hadn’t needed his help now that she was getting back to her old self. She’d been threatening to come by the shop to make sure the guys weren’t sleeping on the
job, but Jax assured her they were hard at work. Only a few more days, and she’d be able to return to the place she loved more than anything—the auto shop she’d opened with her husband over fifty years ago.

  Jax flipped his keys around his finger as he walked between the garage and house to his trailer parked in the clearing. When he got to his door, he found a folded piece of paper sticking out beside the handle. He plucked it out and opened it.

  Seeing Dad tonight, will let you know how that goes. How are you?

  Let’s meet soon—A

  He raised an eyebrow. She’d been by earlier to drop this off. She must have known he wouldn’t be there.

  Jax opened his door and went inside, dropping the note on the counter. He was dirty from work and smelled like grease. So he peeled off his clothes and took a quick shower. After slipping on a pair of sweats and a cotton T-shirt, he opened his fridge and considered his options for dinner.

  A soft knock came from outside his door. He lifted his head to peer out his window, but only saw the edge of a dark jacket. Maybe it was KT, on her feet and needing help with something.

  Jax opened the door, not expecting who he saw. Deane stood with his hand at the breast of his wool pea coat, looking up at him. He rubbed the side of his head and asked, “Can I come in?”

  It took Jax a moment to respond. He didn’t think he could get away with answering no, so he nodded and went to sit at his table. Deane shut the door behind him, following Jax into the enclosed space and sat across from him.

  Deane exhaled and folded his hands on the table. “I thought it was time we had a talk.”

  Jax tilted his head and eyed the drawer of knives nearby. He couldn’t think of any conversation that could end well after that lead-in.

  “Ye look nervous. I’m not here to rough ye up or anything,” Deane said with his buttery accent and a serious expression.

  Jax didn’t buy it. “Get on with it, then.”

  The dark-haired man sitting across from him drummed the table with his knuckles. “Ye remind me of myself an age ago when I was angry and alone. Thought I was better off then, just like ye.”

  Jax leaned back, wondering where this was going.

  Deane clenched his jaw before continuing, “Listen, it’s smart to be careful when it comes to who ye trust. I get that.”

  “Is this when you tell me I should trust you?” Jax asked with a sigh.

  “Lord, no.” Deane raised his eyebrow. “I’m not here to tell ye who ye should trust. Though I think it would be wise to consider becoming a member of Genus Society. But that’s a choice ye have to make on your own.”

  “You trust them?” Jax stared at the enforcer closely.

  At this, Deane breathed in deeply, and his features seemed to darken. “Listen, mate. Nothing’s wholly good and right. There are things to be wary of, I won’t lie. But the people at this lodge are like family to me. We look out for each other, which’s better than ye can say of living a solitary life.”

  Jax stared at him through narrowed eyes. “What’s changed? Nearly two weeks ago you were here accusing me of attacking KT, and I hear your boss isn’t sold on my innocence. Now you want me to join the Society? Is this some kind of pyramid scheme?”

  “No kickback’s involved, mate.” A faint smile broke across Deane’s lips, and he drummed the table again. “I never accused ye of hurting that old bird, I was doing my job, keeping our community safe in anonymity. I’m an enforcer. I can look at the facts and see them for what they are, and they tell me it wasn’t ye who bit her. Plus, Aerilyn’s on your side, and I trust her instincts.”

  There was no way Aerilyn had told him about the wounds on KT’s neck, or Deane might not be so convinced of his innocence. Jax raised his brow. “Yeah? What’s she said?”

  Deane’s expression was unreadable. “She informs me of yer interactions together and seems to think a lot of ye—don’t know why.”

  Asking anything more on the subject would have appeared desperate, so Jax reluctantly let the subject drop.

  “Aerilyn’s a kind-hearted lass,” Deane muttered.

  Jax spoke up. “Woman, you mean?”

  The shifter sitting across the table from him shrugged. “I remember cradling her in my arms when she was just a wee thing—she’ll always be a girl in my eyes. She’s my family, and I wouldn’t want to see anything happen to her.”

  Now things were coming clear. Jax grimaced and looked around his place. It may not have seemed like a lot, but he was proud of it. He knew he was as good as a mutt in their eyes, to shifters who’d been raised by the generations that came before them.

  “Alaric ask you to talk to me?” Jax said through stiffened lips.

  Deane didn’t answer. “I wouldn’t want to see her hurt is all. Or ye for that matter.”

  “Neither would I,” Jax agreed. “I’m only looking to clear my name so I can go back onto the open road.”

  “Keep your nose clean and that might just happen.” Deane put his hands on the table, palms down, and stood up. “Alaric just wants us to track down where the failure was in the system. He wants to know how ye slipped through the cracks.”

  Jax stared up at him as he prepared to leave and asked, “Have you found anything?”

  Deane shook his head and rested his hand against the wall. “It’s Aerilyn’s job to track down yer parents. If I were ye, I’d tell her anything ye can think of that could help the search. Alaric might think better of ye if we knew ye weren’t just a mutt.”

  Why would Jax be anything but that? He considered the possibility that he could see his mother again and whether he’d even want to. His first instinct was a resounding no. That woman had left him. If she cared so much for him, wouldn’t she have brought him with her?

  The questions that had haunted his thoughts since the age of seventeen crept into his mind. Did she know he could shapeshift, and was that why she’d abandoned him? And the even more intriguing question, was she like him? Did he inherit the ability from her? He wanted answers.

  “I’ve seen trouble before, and ye’re not it. Just try not to be giving Alaric any reason to hate ye—that won’t get ye out of here the way ye’re wantin’, mate.” Deane tapped the wall before letting himself out.

  Jax was left staring into space, feeling uneasy.

  Ten

  “I hear you took him out for an outing, Saturday night?”

  Aerilyn didn’t want to sit down so her father could loom over her as he did when she was a child and being lectured. She walked beside the front windows and leaned against the sill. She didn’t look at Alaric when she answered, “Yeah, I thought it would be good to take him out, so he could really see he’s not alone. He’s so used to having no one but himself to rely on, I thought if he saw other members on an outing it would help him see the Society in a positive light.”

  Her father’s voice surrounded her. “You’re getting close to him then?”

  “Of course,” she sighed. “That’s what happens when you spend time with another person. I’m doing what guardians do—making sure the transition into his membership is smooth. I don’t want to scare him off. It must be alarming discovering you’re not alone under these circumstances.”

  She was glad she wasn’t alone with her father. Even if Emery wasn’t saying anything, she was sitting at the dining table with her laptop, her face aglow.

  Alaric slipped his hand into his slacks pocket and said, “Speaking of which, you risked your safety being alone with him. You’re presuming he’s innocent.”

  Aerilyn glared at her friend, whose eyes darted in her direction and widened. Aerilyn had expected this from her father. She crossed her arms and faced him as he stared at her from across the room. “I don’t presume he’s innocent. I know he is. I’ve seen him with KT—there’s no way he’d hurt her. I may have been a little off at first, but my instincts tell me he’s a good guy.”

  “Do they?” her father’s eyes narrowed as he rubbed his chin. “I know I taught you to listen to you
r instincts, but you’re acting like a lovesick puppy.”

  “Really?” she challenged him.

  Alaric’s eyes flashed with anger. “You’re risking your safety over a stray.”

  “Dad!” Aerilyn threw her hands in the air and groaned. “What about you? You could be risking the safety of others by not taking his story seriously. What if there really is some other kind of breed of being out there biting people?”

  Emery cleared her throat. She tucked a few stray hairs under her red bandana and spoke up. “Ryker sent over the old police files involving fang marks.”

  Alaric raised an eyebrow. “And?”

  Aerilyn walked over to the table and leaned down to look at the laptop. Images of dead bodies filled the screen. She swallowed the bile that rose in her throat and squinted at the bite marks. A chill traced down her spine. “It’s just like KT’s wound.”

  The words slipped out before she’d realized what she’d said.

  Her father stared at the laptop’s screen, then scowled at her. “I don’t remember hearing about you seeing KT’s bite. Those look like animal bites to me—like the kind of puncture wounds a feline might leave.”

  Aerilyn felt Emery’s and her father’s attention fall on her. She said hastily, “Look how small the jaw is. It couldn’t have been left from a cougar Jax’s size.”

  “I cannot believe what I’m hearing,” Alaric said with so much venom, spittle flew from his lips. “If you’re so sure he’s innocent, then why have you been hiding evidence from us? I’m ready to be done with your mutt.”

  “I don’t care if he is a mutt. I know he’s innocent, and he deserves the same privileges as any youngling gets who first learns of our world,” she answered, trying to push away the memory of their kiss. If her father knew they’d shared an intimate moment, she’d hate to know how he’d react. “With a little more time, we might just find the evidence that proves his innocence.”