“Ready?” he asked, slipping it into the lock.
Rattling breaths poured from the tiger’s mouth, and a rush of adrenaline pumped through Jax’s veins. Emery nodded and shook out her hands and stretched her neck.
The moment had come.
Alaric opened the door in silence and stood back so Deane could prowl into the house first. The tiger went through the darkened entry, leading them deeper inside. Voices filtered out from the living room.
“She didn’t answer,” a man’s voice said in disappointment.
“I don’t know why you care about her,” a young woman said. “Shouldn’t you call Lycos instead?”
The man responded after a pause, “This is the sort of news you deliver in person. I’ll bring her to him so he can see and have a taste for himself.”
Jax looked through the threshold into the room. Riley was slumped in a cushioned armchair beside a floor-to-ceiling fireplace. A dark-haired woman was standing near him. Heavy makeup lined her eyes. She was speaking to someone at the other end of the room. “I want a taste. Why can’t we try her?”
A deep voice answered in agitation, “Look at your little brother, Marika. He should have the first sip so he doesn’t waste away.”
Jax scanned the room from where he stood, desperate to find Aerilyn. Where was she?
Just at that moment the girl turned to face the doorway and her eyes widened. “What the—”
Deane didn’t waste another second but leaped into the living room, climbing onto the back of one of the couches. A young man rolled off the cushions in surprise, swearing under his breath and scurrying backward across the rug.
Alaric, Emery and Jax walked into the spacious living room. Nearby, Ramsay was standing beside a card table. An elderly couple were slumped with blind, unseeing eyes. They were hooked up to IVs and seemed somewhere between life and death. It reminded Jax of the condition they’d found Garren in, and anger tightened the muscles in his chest and arms. He balled his hands into fists.
“Well, hello,” Ramsay said with a raised brow. His icy blue eyes traveled between the group of people standing a few strides away to the tiger growling on the couch. “Nice pet.”
Alaric stared him down and ignored his comment. “Where is she?”
“I’m sorry?” Ramsay feigned innocence with wide eyes.
“Where’s the woman you brought here?” Jax went forward, ready to pound the truth out of him.
Ramsay reached out and took hold of a bamboo pole that was resting against the wall. With alarming speed, he swung it out so its end hovered an inch from Jax’s face. “That’s far enough.”
Jax stopped in place and swallowed. Alaric glanced at him, then at Ramsey. The lodge leader clenched his jaw and said tersely, “We aren’t leaving without her.”
“I guess you’re staying then.” Ramsay turned his head to speak to Marika, “Don’t let their pet get into the basement.”
The young woman nodded with a twinkle in her eye. She sidestepped away with her focus resting on the tiger. Loud rattling breaths came from Deane as he watched her move from the room. He leaped over the stuffed chair Riley was passed out on. Marika let out a squeal and hurried away with him giving chase. A door hung open in the hall leading out of the living room. She raced to reach it, but the tiger slid past her and rushed through the doorway.
Instead of disappearing after him into the basement, the woman swung the door shut and flipped the deadlock with a giggle. A loud bang came from the other side of the solid wood followed by a roar that reverberated in Jax’s ears. The pounding continued, but the door held fast.
Emery started toward the door just as a man walked past Marika into the living room. In his hands was a glass filled with a crimson liquid. Jax recognized him immediately. It was the man who’d attacked Emery earlier that night in Ramsay’s home.
Emery broke into a run and launched at him. She spun to the side, swinging her leg in an arc, knocking the cup from his hand and hitting him in the jaw. The blond stumbled in surprise and regained his balance in time to punch her in the stomach. Marika tried to grab her around the neck, but Emery was too fast for her. She flung the dark-haired girl over her shoulder and onto the floor.
Then all hell broke loose.
Alaric grabbed a pewter plate from a shelf on the wall and held it up to shield himself before moving closer to Ramsay, who was spinning the bamboo pole so fast, it was a blur. The blood-sucker swung his weapon at Alaric, smacking him on the leg and abdomen, rendering the shield useless.
Jax’s focus was ripped away when the young man at the other side of the room ran at him. He held up his fists to protect his head and swung out when his dark-haired attacker was close enough, landing the shot on his attacker’s cheekbone.
Marika shrieked at the young man too late, “Look out, Dustin!”
She returned to trying to grab hold of Emery’s leg with her mouth open. All she got was a kick in the face for her efforts, which didn’t seem to deter her from trying again.
Dustin shook off the punch and reached for him with sudden speed. He grabbed Jax’s arm, pulling him into a knee to the gut. The blow took away his breath, and he hunched over to recover. His attacker stood back and grinned at him.
Alaric slid across the floor on his back, his cheek bloodied. Jax inhaled slowly, inflating his lungs with air when Dustin’s foot swung into his ribs.
“Ah!” Jax felt his bones crack. A rush of adrenaline flooded his body, holding off the rush of pain that was sure to follow. He reacted quickly, holding onto the boy’s calf and pushing against him, knocking him off balance. Dustin fell to the ground.
Jax jumped onto his attacker and started punching. Dustin’s face was bloodied and flushed, his eyes pinched shut. After a series of punches, his head lolled to the side. Jax grabbed a handful of Dustin’s shirt, lifting his upper body from the ground, and pulled his fist back for another blow.
A high-pitched whipping sound came from nearby. Alaric was holding up a fireplace poker, blocking Ramsay’s bamboo rod. He called over to Jax, “Aerilyn—find Aerilyn.”
Jax glanced down at Dustin, who was hanging limply in his hands, and dropped him to the ground. He got to his feet, looking down the hallway out of the living room where Ramsay’s thug had appeared with the glass of blood. Emery was doing her best against two attackers, one of which was now holding a knife. Marika was wiping the side of her mouth with her hand and had just gotten to her feet. Behind her, loud pounding came from the locked basement door. If only he could release Deane, they’d have the upper hand.
Jax exhaled sharply and took off at a run. He tucked his head, led with his shoulder and bowled right into the girl. She yelped as she flew through the air and landed with a thud on the wood floor. “Quinn—help!”
Jax took the opportunity to turn and reach for the deadbolted door when a painful sting immobilized the back of his shoulder. “Ah!”
He spun around to find Ramsay’s thug pulling a knife blade from his flesh. His shirt felt wet, and a trickle of warm fluid traveled down his back and under his arm. Quinn lifted his hand again to plunge the weapon into Jax when Emery threw her arm around Quinn’s neck, yanking him backward.
Marika had already gotten to her feet again and had a sour expression on her face. She made for Jax, muttering, “Bastard.”
He’d had enough of this. He’d seen Quinn come from the back of the house carrying a glass of blood. With no sight of Aerilyn, he was anxious to find her. She’d better be unharmed, or these blood-suckers would find out what kind of damage a cougar could do when blinded with fury.
Jax didn’t care Marika appeared to be so young. She was keeping him from Aerilyn. Jax threw a lopsided punch as soon as Marika was in range, connecting just barely with her jaw. Her head rocked back, and her eyes widened. She held her ground. Her lips parted, revealing her elongated ivory fangs, and she smiled at him. “Come closer.”
He shook his head. “Hell no.”
Emery collided with Jax. He g
rabbed onto her, steadying her. Quinn started for Emery. Jax put his hands against the blood-sucker’s chest and pushed him away from the enforcer while Emery went for Marika’s hair and yanked her down to the ground, placing her shoe on the girl’s neck to restrain her without having to go near her pointed fangs.
“Where’s Aerilyn?” Jax demanded as he clenched his jaw in Quinn’s direction.
The blonde thug smirked, his lips parting to reveal his own set of dangerous teeth. “Alive, but she’s staying here with us.”
To hell she was. Jax clenched his fists and ran at Quinn. He didn’t care the man was still holding a knife. Jax threw all his weight into a punch aimed at the man’s nose. Pain radiated through his hand when it connected, and a loud crunch met his ears. Quinn’s free hand lifted to cradle his damaged face in time for Jax to see a stream of blood funneling over the man’s swollen lips.
Quinn’s eyes seemed bleary as he tried focusing on Jax. Emery stepped off Marika to stand beside Jax. She held up her hands, ready to continue fighting Quinn. She looked at Jax and gestured down the hall. “Find her!”
With a backward glance at Emery, he jogged away, trying to ignore the bursts of pain radiating from his back, ribs and hand. He threw open every door he passed, looking inside, finding no trace of Aerilyn.
Finally, Jax entered the last door into the washroom. A florescent light bathed the linoleum in a yellow tint. Lying on the floor was an enormous wolf. Her white fur was stained red at her neck and leg. Jax couldn’t breathe as he stared at her limp body. His heartbeat thundered in his ears, and his mind circled one fear. Losing her.
Then he noticed the rise and fall of her abdomen. She was breathing. Thank God.
A series of crashing noises and shouts came from down the hall, and then it grew quiet. Jax squinted down the darkened hallway, feeling torn. He wanted to stay with her, but the others needed his help. It was an unfair fight.
Jax squatted to stroke her fur. His voice came out in a pinched whisper, “I’m here. We’ll get you out of here, just hold on.”
A thunderous growl erupted from outside. Jax cocked his head, stood up and looked out the window. With the lights on in the washroom, he couldn’t see outside. He gave one last glance at Aerilyn before opening the back door and stepping into the night.
The front floodlights of the home were on, illuminating the drive and meadow, creating long stretched shadows. Another loud bellow filled the air. A black bear stood on its haunches and swung its clublike paws at Quinn, who dodged the attack. Jax sucked in a quick breath. Was that Emery?
On the front path were Alaric and Ramsay. Alaric’s face was pinched, his mouth gaping for air as Ramsay stood behind him with his bamboo staff braced across Alaric’s neck, choking him out.
Now was the time to act. Jax pulled off his bloodstained shirt and unzipped his jeans before calling to his powers. He dropped onto all fours, ignoring the pain radiating from his stab wound and broken ribs. The cold air against his skin muted as fur grew from his pores. Jax slipped out of his pants and launched to help Alaric in cougar form.
He sped across the driveway and leaped through the air, connecting with both men, knocking them off balance and onto the ground. Ramsay lost his grip on the bamboo pole, releasing his chokehold on Alaric, who rolled onto his side, coughing. His face was swollen and battered, but he seemed just as determined as Jax to fight until the bitter end. He met Jax’s eye and gave a nod as if to tell him he was okay.
Ramsay got onto his hands and knees and reached for his staff. Jax stepped toward him, lifting his lip. A deep, guttural growl poured from Jax’s lips. He parted his jaw to reveal his sharp teeth. Rather than recoiling in fear, Ramsay did the same. His mouth opened, displaying his pointed canines, which appeared to lengthen with the action.
Alaric was given the time he needed to stumble to his feet. He looked like a he’d been beaten by a prizefighter, which made it all the more impressive he was actually standing.
With sudden speed, Ramsay jumped up, his bamboo rod in hand. He swung it toward Jax and caught his foreleg. Jax’s bones reverberated from the blow. His flesh throbbed, and he limped back from the swinging weapon.
Alaric thundered toward Ramsay with his arms out like an offensive lineman, taking the blood-sucker by surprise. Alaric grabbed the bamboo rod, held its end diagonally on the ground and stomped against it, cracking it apart. He threw its splintered halves to the ground. “Now what will you do without your big stick?”
Faster than expected, Ramsay raced around Alaric, sweeping up one of the pieces in his hands. Alaric started to move away, but too late. Ramsay whipped his staff around Alaric, catching him by the neck yet again. Jax stumbled forward and growled in warning. But Ramsay was too quick for them. He leaned his mouth forward, cupping it around Alaric’s neck, and bit down.
“Save her,” Alaric’s garbled whisper made it to Jax’s ears before the effects of the venom took hold and he crumpled to the ground. Ramsay stood back with a bloody smile on his lips and held up his arms in victory.
The next words seemed to come from the ether, bodiless and eerie. Jax cocked his head as he heard, “You killed her—the only person who ever loved me.”
A brittle, jagged point thrust through Ramsay’s neck. His eyes widened in utter shock. As if he were held by a puppeteer’s strings, he stood, defying the mortal blow. Ramsay, the bloody bamboo staff still lodged in his flesh, pivoted in place to look at Riley standing behind him.
With tears in his eyes, Riley whispered with spite, “I will never be anything like you.”
A strangely mask-like smile twisted Ramsay’s lips. “Well then, you’re off to a bad start.”
Ramsay’s laughter echoed across the meadow as he touched the pointed end of the bamboo. A dark stain spread down his shirt, and he sank to his knees.
From the entrance of the house, Marika and Dustin appeared. Their screams rang out, piercing the night.
“Father!” Marika yelled breathlessly.
Ramsay tipped onto his hands with a groan, then collapsed to the ground. Marika ran to her father’s side and rolled him over while Dustin punched Riley, sending him onto his back.
Quinn raced across the field with the bear close on his heels. His eyes lingered on the crumpled form of his uncle. A renewal of anger and fury erupted from him. He spun around and dove against the black bear, thrusting his knife into its fur with a scream.
Despite the pain, Jax thundered into Dustin’s side just as he was lifting his foot to stomp on Riley’s head. The blood-sucker tumbled over and jumped to his feet with surprising ease. He leaned over and picked up a rock from the walkway’s landscaping and threw it at Jax.
It hit his wounded shoulder and tumbled away. A hiss escaped Jax’s mouth, and he shuffled aside. Dustin bent down to pick up yet another rock and lobbed it at him. Jax tried to avoid getting hit, though it was hard with his injured foreleg.
With the flames of hell in her eyes, Marika left her father’s body. She ran to a water spigot and grabbed a length of hose. Then she spun around and fixed her gaze on the bear. She raced over and looped the rubber hose around its neck from behind and pulled with all of her strength.
The bear was startled and stumbled back. Quinn, taking his opportunity to avoid its flailing claws, thrust his knife into the animal’s stomach. A melancholy bellow rang out, echoing across the meadow.
Just then, headlights came racing up the drive and stopped. A door shut, and a dark silhouette moved in front of the vehicle and hurried toward them.
Twenty-Four
A long-haired man raced up to the clearing with purpose and intent. His eyes were focused on the bear’s attackers, and he struck Quinn’s neck with the side of his hand. The blood-sucker ducked in reaction and spun around, knife in hand.
A rock whizzed by Jax’s head. He half limped and ran off the pathway and into the meadow. He didn’t know if the blond man’s sudden arrival was a good thing or not. Jax didn’t think Alaric or Deane had phoned anyone for back
up, but he wasn’t sure if they’d messaged anyone. Jax thought the man looked familiar and presumed he’d seen him at the Genus Society’s Thanksgiving party.
The long-haired man continued to fight Quinn as if the blood-sucker were a five-year-old. The bear stood still, appearing just as surprised as the rest of them until she turned on Marika. Her black fur was matted and wet on her belly. Emery groaned as she lifted a paw and swiped full force at the young woman.
Another stone tumbled across the long grass a few strides away from Jax. He spun around to look at the young man standing near the front of the house. Dustin bent over to pick up yet another rock, and Jax raced toward him, ignoring the pain in his leg. Before Dustin could straighten up, Jax pounced against his shoulders, sending him backward through the air. Dustin landed with a thud against the gravel walkway.
Jax stood panting on top of him, prepared to take a bite and lowered his muzzle to his still face. Dustin lay unmoving. It wasn’t until Jax stepped off of him that he noticed the rock that had broken Dustin’s fall at the back of his head. A narrow rivulet of blood traveled down the pathway.
A roar drew Jax’s attention. Marika had since let go of the rubber hose and was running circles around the bear. Her laughter bounced across the drive. The long-haired man was holding Quinn in a headlock, who was trying to bite his attacker’s arm.
Somewhere behind the headlights of the vehicle, a woman’s voice called out, “Tovin!”
The man looked over his shoulder and sighed. He took hold of Quinn’s head and gave it a quick and sudden twist. He dropped the blood-sucker to the ground without a care and paused to observe the young woman dancing around the bear. She slowed to a stop and gazed around the clearing at all of the still bodies. Horror and disbelief contorted her face as she backed away.
“Come away, Tovin,” a woman’s voice demanded from the running car. “We cannot get involved.”
Half-Blood Descendant: A Paranormal Series (Half-Bloods Book 1) Page 23
