Instead, dread consumed her as ice began to travel up her arm. Tierney yanked her hand away and stood when the raven flickered. Like a hologram, the face of a young, blond, golden-eyed boy appeared. “Blood Sky approaches. Please, unbind my soul from Val Je—” The hologram whispered before it flickered back into a bird.
Holy mother. What was that? Tierney scrambled backwards. Frosty mist rose in tendrils from the ground surrounding the raven, before it disintegrated into thin air. She shivered, and stared at the empty spot. Not even an imprint showed where the feathered freak had lain. Filled with unease, her gaze skittered everywhere. Everything looked normal again. Turning, she hurried into the house.
“Sami!” Tierney pulled her helmet off and shook out her tangled hair as she strode through the mud room and into the kitchen. “Hey, the strangest thing just happened. This raven—” Her mouth dropped open at the sight of Sami looking like sheer hell.
He hunched tensely on a stool at the counter, with a half-empty bottle of vodka in his hand. His shaggy, golden hair stuck out everywhere—which was normal. However, the lack of sparkle in his emerald eyes, now dull and bloodshot, along with his scowl and the booze in his hand, alarmed her. “What?” he growled.
Sami might get annoyed, but he was rarely ever angry with her. In fact, he was the one who they could count on to be calm and mild mannered, and he was usually the happiest of them all. And while he’d been quiet and withdrawn lately, she just figured it was due to Zander missing and Jax being gone. But now she wondered, and decided to shelf her crazy story for the moment.
“What’s wrong?” Her heart raced as she took a seat beside him.
“Nothing.” Sami swigged straight from the bottle. Something was definitely wrong. Surely he isn’t this angry over me being late, is he?
“Sami, I’m sorry I missed supper.”
He stood with a fluid grace no one would have expected given his intimidating size, and shrugged. His brown tee and faded blue jeans showed off every well-defined muscle, as he strode over to the oven. He pulled a plate out and set it in front of her along with some cutlery. “Eat,” he said, his six foot-five body towering over her five-five frame. Tierney obeyed and Sami settled back beside her on his stool.
“Sami, what’s the matter?” she asked again, worried.
With a scowl, he averted his eyes. “I told you, nothing. Now eat.”
Tierney studied him as she ate. His mental shields were tight, preventing her from getting into his head. “Right, well, anything new on Dad?” she asked, changing the subject.
“No.” Sami took another swig.
“Shit.” Tierney set her fork down, and blew out a breath while acid churned in her gut.
Sami sighed and his expression softened as he gazed at her. “Sorry.”
“Nothing new from Olympia PD?” she asked.
Sami shook his head.
“And we still can’t track his car?”
“I told you, I tried—” Sami, the techie, always found something on the computer to help in their search, but not this time.
“Yeah, I hoped it came back online or something.” Tierney absently pushed a messy strand of hair, that had fallen into her face, back behind her ear.
“No, I told you, the Lo-Jack’s been disabled. Now eat.” He nodded at her food.
Scrunching up her face, Tierney picked up her fork and took a couple more bites before putting it down again. “And his phone?”
Sami sighed and Tierney knew she was testing his patience, but she just couldn’t help it.
“Nothing,” he said.
Tierney fought her panic. “Shit.”
“Yeah.” Sami grimaced before glancing up at the clock on the wall. “On a different note, Jax should be here soon.”
“Right.” Tierney ran a hand through her tangled hair, anxiety eating at her.
“I’m sure Zander’s okay. He’s gotten out of tough situations before,” Sami said, then cleared his throat and changed the subject at her stare. “Did you find Shay?”
“I found her and Daniel at his dad’s hunting shack. I gave her until noon tomorrow to contact her parents.” Tierney pushed her plate away, too upset to eat.
“Well, good.” Sami ignored her unfinished meal as he rubbed the back of his neck.
“Shit, you look like crap. What’s going on?” Tierney pressed, knowing there was something he wasn’t telling her. But Sami just shook his head, and without looking at her, he tilted the vodka to his lips, taking a long swallow as a car pulled up outside the house.
“Jax’s here,” he said, stating the obvious as he lowered the bottle and set it on the counter.
Tension radiated through her at the familiar sound of Jax’s Impala. Gah! It had been six weeks since they fought, and Jax left to work out of their family apartment in Spokane.
The fight had been so stupid. He’d been pissed at her recklessness, and she accused him of being controlling, claimed he didn’t care about her. Jax blew up and said he cared. Then she blurted out that they were soul mates, and she was tired of waiting on him to admit how he felt about her. And she was. After years of waiting, every time she tried to get close to him, he pushed her away and kept his distance. In fact, he continued to grow more distant every day. She couldn’t wait forever—forever for them, was a very long time.
She’d never be able to erase from her mind his expression of shock, followed by fear at her words. His look pierced her deep inside. He blinked and shook his head. “No, I’m not,” he finally said before turning and walking towards his car. “You need to forget about me, find someone else.”
She’d pushed things too far, and now she regretted it. She should never have said what she did, and though she really believed they were soul mates, Jax didn’t agree, or wasn’t ready to accept it. Maybe he never would. The thought sent a lance of pain, along with sadness, straight to her very soul.
Now, the bees in her gut were stirring. “I need some of that.” She snatched the vodka from Sami. “You add Nectar to it?”
“No.”
Due to their metabolism, any buzz they got from alcohol lasted mere minutes, but add a few drops of Nectar from Tartaria and wowzer. Getting ripped became super easy. So, when they infused their liquor with the stuff, it was only a few drops at a time.
Relieved, since she didn’t need to get drunk, Tierney chugged the last bit, and winced at the fiery burn in her throat. Sami snorted and rolled his eyes. Though desperate to see Jax, Tierney also dreaded it. What if he hated her now?
They used to be so close that Jax wouldn’t even sleep unless she was beside him, but that changed a few months after she turned fourteen and Jax fifteen. He’d begun to muscle up and fill out, going from scrawny to a super-hot guy. Her attraction to him grew, making her ache to be around him, but in return, he became distant and evasive.
Once, when she grabbed his arm to tell him something, his eyes flared dark blue and he jumped, reacting as if scalded. Afterwards, he made sure they never touched, and they became like strangers. His reaction hurt. She did her best to hide it, until he stopped talking to her.
Oh sure, he talked to her about work, the weather, that kind of stuff. But unable to handle his rejection, she soon became angry with everyone, and began to act recklessly. She quickly learned that the adrenaline from taking crazy-assed risks, felt freaking-amazing, and it quickly became her escape.
Now, she tried not to panic at the thought of seeing Jax.
Chapter Four
Tension
TIERNEY TURNED TO SEE Jax standing in the doorway.
“Hey,” he said and his husky voice sent a tingle straight to her core. Heart pounding, she gave him an uncertain smile. Her dark mood brightened, though the bees continued to buzz. Six feet of sexy filled the doorway, making her heart race even faster and knees weaken as Jax raked her with scorching blue eyes filled with the pain of his past.
Tierney ached to wrap her arms tight around him and feel his warmth and closeness. She wanted to run
her hands through his short black hair and pull his sweet sexy lips down to hers. Instead she smirked at the faint stubble on his face. Though he shaved daily, within a few hours the shadow of a beard always appeared, making him even sexier.
His brown leather jacket hung open, revealing a black tee stretched taut across a well-defined six-pack. Blue jeans hugged lean, muscular legs, which Tierney imagined wrapped around her. Desire swirled low in her belly. A pair of worn hiking boots added an extra inch to his six feet, as he walked into the kitchen.
“Whose crotch rocket?” His eyes darkened as they traveled over her body, making her shiver. Then his brows pulled into a severe scowl, and his eyes narrowed in anger at the sight of her helmet. “Yours?”
“About time you came home,” Sami piped up and gave his brother a tight smile, changing the subject.
“Yes, mine—” Then she caught sight of the well-endowed blonde behind Jax. Pain swamped her. He brought a date home?
“Hey, this is Cassandra. Cassie that’s my brother Sami, and ah … sister, Tierney.” Jax introduced them to the smiling blonde with big blue eyes.
Sister? What the fuck? Suddenly angry, Tierney glared at Jax. He did not just say we are siblings! “Really? I’m your sister, now?”
Cassie rushed forward with a huge smile. “Oh, I love your eyes! Are those contacts?” she gushed.
Demons, Blondie makes me want to hurl. Angry and hurt, Tierney turned away and practically flew from the room.
“Tiern!”
“Fuck off, Jax,” she yelled, striding through the great room to the stairs leading to their bedroom suites.
What the hell? Was he trying to prove he wasn’t her soul mate, or did he care about Blondie? “Suck it up!” she muttered, refusing to let the threatening tears fall as she hurried into her room. She stalked past the cream couch in front of the small fireplace, dropped her phone on the bed, and made her way to her dresser.
She snatched up her brush with a growl, and pulled it through her mess of curls, yanking harder when the bristles snagged. Angry and frustrated, she tossed the brush down, and studied her reflection in the mirror. Her one unique feature—amethyst eyes. Nothing more.
She may be immortal, and when her dragon awakened she’d be kick-ass, but there was no way to change how plain she appeared in human form. With an unappealing face, average boobs and more muscles than curves, it was no wonder she didn’t attract Jax. Oh, get a grip. You should be used to seeing him with other girls. In school, Tierney ignored the girls who chased him because he never got too involved, which made her happy, though the reason he didn’t did sadden her.
A year after he took them, Marcius returned the boys back to Tierney and her dad. The sight of Sami’s neglect, and Jax’s mangled body made her cry. Though it wasn’t clear what happened, the horrible abuse inflicted on them was painfully obvious.
Zander, enraged, had nearly killed Marcius. But instead, he let the male go, threatening his life if he ever set eyes on him again. Tierney suspected her dad relented because Marcius was the boy’s father and Zander cared for the boys. Otherwise, she knew he wouldn’t have hesitated to kill the bastard.
Together, Tierney and her dad cared for Sami and Jax. Sami was painfully thin, withdrawn, and obviously worried about his brother who hovered on the brink of death. Tierney liked to think it was due to their care and love that made Jax pull through. With the healing ability of an immortal, Dracones aren’t supposed to scar, but not all scars are always visible. For some reason, not only did Jax scar, but he healed much slower than the rest of them. Over the years his constant nightmares, and inability to sleep served as a reminder of the hell he survived. After they came back, Jax allowed no one but her to touch him, though that ended when he turned fifteen. Now, she wondered if he’d overcome his aversion.
SAMI GLARED AT JAX as they followed Cassie into the great room. “What the hell?” he asked telepathically.
“What?” Jax feigned ignorance as Cassie eagerly checked everything out.
The great room, with its high-beamed ceiling, contained only comfortable furniture now, none of the uncomfortable fancy stuff that it originally did. Cassie bounced from one spot to the next, stopping to admire Zander’s beautiful angel sword resting above the mantle of the large stone fireplace.
Sami’s gaze followed her as she went over and knocked a couple of pool balls together, before sashaying over to the French doors. “What the hell you doing, bringing her here?”
“What’s the problem? She’s a date,” Jax said, though he kept his gaze averted.
“Either you’re an idiot, or a complete ass. And I don’t believe you’re an idiot.” Sami shook his head. He hated how Jax always pushed them away, but at his wistful glance toward the stairs, Sami’s anger turned to guilt. Oh Jax, why? Sami’s heart ached for his messed-up brother. Jax had done his best to protect Sami from Marcius’ brutality in the year they’d lived with their father, and it had cost him dearly. “Go. Talk to her. She’s been waiting for you,” he encouraged.
“I can’t.” Though Jax tried to hide it, Sami glimpsed the pain in his eyes.
“Yeah, you can.”
JAX KNEW HE fucked up big time bringing Cassie home. He had hoped she’d distract him from Tierney, keep him from doing something stupid. Yeah, brilliant idea—not! What the hell did he think would happen? Oh right, he hadn’t thought. Well, not of anything except Tierney. Her, he couldn’t keep his mind off of, and instead, he ended up hurting her. He should’ve thought everything through better.
Tierney’s smile always brightened his day. With her, he felt like he could do anything. But his attraction to her when he turned fifteen was like a light bulb being turned on. He already knew he loved her, but when she began to change from a gawky teenager into a sexy woman, his feelings intensified.
Her appearance, combined with her touch and pure soul, never failed to drive the darkness inside him away. She always filled him with light, making him forget his past. His desire for her grew so strong he started to avoid her, which only made it worse. Like an alcoholic craving the bottle, he ached to get close to her but was afraid if he gave in, he wouldn’t be able to tear himself away. And she deserved more than a piece of shit like him who couldn’t even control his emotions.
Now, over six years later, he still had a hard on for her, making it near impossible to concentrate on anything else. Her declaration the last time he saw her, had scared the hell out of him, and like a piece of crap sissy, he took off. But nothing had changed. He’d never be good enough for her and as much as it killed him, he needed to let her find someone else.
Tierney deserved someone who could give her kids, something he’d never be able to do, and yet, she never even so much as looked at anyone else. Granted, there were only humans around, but even so, at least with a human she had a chance of a family of her own.
The next best choice would be his brother. Sure, Sami couldn’t have kids either, but he was good, kind, decent and smart. Most of all, he wasn’t messed up like Jax. He’d make a decent mate for Tierney. So, Jax hid his desire and kept his distance. Their fight turned into a perfect opportunity to get out of the way and give her and Sami a chance.
That didn’t mean he didn’t miss her like crazy, even if all they did lately was fight.
Seconds later, unable to stop himself, Jax took Sami’s advice and ignoring Cassie, headed upstairs to Tierney’s room. He stopped just outside her open doorway and stared. Desire tore through him as his eyes devoured her. He ached to pull her into his arms, run his fingers through her long, curly black hair, and never let her go. A frown marred her features as she cursed at the phone in her hands, and if he hadn’t known how worried she was, he’d have smiled.
Damn, whether happy, frustrated or angry, she was always just so beautiful. Her toned, willowy body that curved in all the right places, only added to her attraction, and never failed to make his blood run hot. Jax swallowed as he caught her fresh scent of wildflowers. He tried to control his breathi
ng as his cock stiffened, pushing against his jeans. Fierce need ripped through him like wildfire. Tierney always affected him like that. Dressed all in black, her tight leather pants defined her hips and shapely legs like a second skin. To peel those off her. Stop it, asshole! Jax reprimanded himself as he continued to gaze at her with longing.
Under her black biker jacket, she wore a tight black tank top, with a scooped neckline, showing off a perfect swell of breasts. Breasts he dreamed of tasting. Jax licked his lips and swallowed a groan. His eyes swept up and down, and he imagined her kicking his ass in her sexy motorcycle boots.
However, the fear on her face finally drove all sexual thoughts away, making him cringe. Sami sure pegged him, when he called Jax an ass. “Hey, Tiern, how ya doing?” He stepped through the door, his heart racing as he fought the need to go to her and offer comfort. Her brilliant amethyst eyes met his, and his breath caught in his throat, paralyzing him.
“Jax.”
His name on her tongue filled him with arousal and he stared at her inviting lips. Would they be as delectable and sweet as they seemed? Guilt consumed him as he caught the hurt in her eyes, before they darkened with anger. He ached to pull her into his arms and tell her everything would be okay. Yet if he did, he wouldn’t be able to stop himself from wanting more.
Eyes narrowed, her anger scorched him. “What do you want?”
What did he want? Damn. What a loaded question. You, of course! He wanted to touch—kiss—every inch of her. He wanted to feel her arms around him, forget the darkness that was steadily overtaking his soul. “I just wanted to make sure you’re okay,” he said, suddenly uncomfortable under her scrutiny. Her glare stung him deep in a part of himself he tried to forget even existed.
“No, I’m not okay. Dad’s missing and you—you obviously don’t care, or you’d have come home sooner.”
The bitterness in her voice made him flinch. He did care. Staying away from her damn near killed him, though he couldn’t tell her that. Frustration—then anger—that she’d think otherwise, filled him. “Look, I’m sorry. I do care about you, and you know Zander is like a dad to me.” Jax glared, hurt that she’d even say such a thing.
Bk 1 Dracones Awakening Page 3
