Saving Jax

by L. M. Brown

Jax glared up at Lyndon. "No."

  Lyndon took his arm in a firm grip and hauled him to his feet. "I can see you're going to be difficult. Now, get on the bed."

  Jax cast a nervous glance at the door.

  "They aren't coming to rescue you," Lyndon whispered in his ear. "They've been held up."

  "What do you mean?"

  "Do you think I don't know all about your plotting?"

  "I don't know what you're talking about."

  "I followed your lovers as they slipped round to the servants' entrance instead of going about their errands."

  "What have you done to them?"

  Lyndon smirked. "I'm sure they'll tell you all about it later. Now, undress and get on the bed."

  Jax yanked himself free and bolted for the door. Lyndon blocked his escape before he made it out of the room.

  "On the bed," Lyndon ordered.

  Jax stumbled backwards, shaking his head.

  "Don't be difficult," Lyndon said. "You used to beg for my cock, remember?"

  "I was a fool."

  "Yes, but that doesn't change the fact that you're the best fuck on Furyne."

  Jax hissed at him, baring his teeth and his claws.

  Lyndon pounced and toppled Jax onto the bed. Jax kicked and clawed at any part of Lyndon he could reach.

  "Get off me!" Jax screamed.

  Lyndon laughed. "Yell all you like, no one can hear you."

  "Ty! Cal!"

  "They aren't coming," Lyndon said as he pushed Jax's legs apart with his knees. "That's it, Jax, spread your legs for me."

  Jax clawed at Lyndon, only to have him grab his arms and hold them out of his face. They wrestled, with Jax doing everything he could to buck Lyndon off him. But Lyndon was larger and stronger and had him trapped.

  A blow to Jax's face knocked him out, and when he came to, he found his hands tied to the bed rail above his head. Fuck!

  "Ah, you're awake," Lyndon commented, as though he hadn't just knocked him unconscious.

  "Untie me this minute," Jax ordered, wishing his voice didn't waver quite so much.

  Lyndon, unsurprisingly, ignored his request. He knelt between Jax's legs, which Jax now realised were also restrained, with thin cords stretching from his ankles to the corner posts.

  His stomach rolled and he thought he might be sick.

  "You used to beg for this," Lyndon said as he stroked his cock.

  "Please don't do this," Jax whispered. "If you want to hear me beg, I will. I'm begging you to think about what you're doing. You're not just taking me against my will, you'll be taking a claimed mate of a high noble. There'll be consequences."

  Lyndon laughed. "Haven't you learned yet? No one will believe the word of a depraved little slut over mine."

  "Ty and Cal will believe me."

  "It doesn't matter if they do, no one who matters will, and they won't be able to prove it."

  It was on the tip of his tongue to tell Lyndon about the recording device, but he knew if he did, Lyndon would turn it off and destroy the evidence, all before he untied Jax.

  Lyndon reached between Jax's legs and stroked over his entrance.

  Jax closed his eyes and willed his body not to react to the touch. Ty and Cal weren't coming to his rescue, and Lyndon hadn't fallen into their trap. He had turned the tables and it was Jax who was trapped instead.

  "So wet for me," Lyndon said as he slid his finger inside. "Is this what you want, Jax? My cock inside your slick pussy. Your body seems to be saying yes, even if your mouth says no."

  "Get your hands off my mate!"

  Jax's eyes flew open at the sound of Ty's furious voice. His mate was covered in mud and there was a nasty bruise on his temple. He had never looked so wonderful.

  Lyndon froze, his finger still inside Jax's vagina.

  Ty launched himself at Lyndon, tackling him to the ground, pounding him with his fists and raking him with his claws.

  Cal hurried into the room behind him and headed straight for Jax, cutting his bonds and releasing him. "Are you okay, baby?"

  Jax nodded.

  "Did he hurt you?" Cal touched his face gingerly and Jax winced.

  "I'm fine," Jax said. "You and Ty got here just in time. Another minute and I'd probably be carrying a third litter for that worthless feline."

  "I'm sorry we didn't get here sooner." Cal hugged him. "He must have spied us heading to the servants' entrance and doubled back through the palace. He was waiting for us round a corner. He punched Ty in the face and shoved us into an empty room. He locked the door and the only way for us to get out was climbing out of the window… from the second floor."

  Jax realised Cal was also covered in mud.

  Ty had finally stopped hitting Lyndon, but Jax suspected he might start again if Lyndon tried to move.

  Jax crawled to the end of the bed and into Ty's waiting arms. He clung to his mate and whimpered with relief. "I was so scared."

  Lyndon sat up, a nasty smile on his bruised face. "You'll all pay for this. I'll tell the authorities about how you've attacked me."

  Ty gave him a withering look. "And I'll tell them how I found you trying to rape my mate."

  "You can't rape the willing." Lyndon scrambled to his feet.

  Ty rounded on Lyndon and backed him into the corner. "You tied my mate to the bed, that's not exactly the sign of someone willing."

  "There are many felines who enjoy being restrained," Lyndon replied. "I'll just tell them that it was what Jax wanted. It's my word against yours, and we already know who everyone will believe."

  "Yes, we do," Cal agreed as he walked over to the bookcase and picked up the recording device. "They'll believe their own eyes."

  Lyndon stared at Cal for several long seconds. "You were recording this?"

  Cal smirked and Lyndon charged at him. Cal stepped out of his way with ease.

  "Get out of here," Ty said. "I would suggest you pack your bags ready to leave, because as soon as I've cleaned the mud off me, I intend to see my father and Orin about getting the contract amended to remove the clause that allows you to be anywhere near Jax."

  Lyndon gave them all another hostile glare as he stalked from the room.

  Jax breathed easy for the first time since Ty and Cal had left him to act as bait. "Where did the mud come from?" he asked.

  "The only way out of the room he locked us in was out the window," Cal reminded him. "That window was directly over the flowerbeds, all of which are very muddy thanks to all this rain."

  Jax smiled as he realised what his mates had done to get back to him before Lyndon could hurt him.

  "Are you sure you're okay?" Ty asked as he gently touched Jax's bruise, which mirrored his own.

  "Yes. I'm fine."

  Ty pulled Jax into his arms. "I was so angry when I walked in here. I wouldn't blame you if you were scared of me now."

  "Never."

  "I don't think I've ever lost control like that in my life."

  Jax hugged him, ignoring the drying mud that was getting into his own fur as well. "You were amazing, my very own hero." He grinned at Cal. "You too, Cal."

  Cal smiled back. "I think we should get cleaned up, then go straight to Ty's parents."

  Ty nodded. "Bring the recording device with you. I'm not letting that out of my sight. I wouldn't put it past Lyndon to try to sneak back in here to destroy the evidence."

  Cal agreed, and the three of them headed to their bathing chamber, Ty and Cal adding liberal amounts of mud to what was already on the floor from their entrance.

  Even though Jax wasn't as filthy as his mates, there was some mud on him, and even if there hadn't been, he needed to clean away any trace of Lyndon's touch.

  All the mud disappeared within moments of stepping into the waterless shower. For Jax, however, it wasn't enough and he headed to the sink, using actual water to wash every part of his body that Lyndon had touched.

  Cal seemed to understand what he was doing and took the damp cloth from him. "Let me help."
r />   Jax nodded as he let Cal gently clean between his legs. The tears fell before he could stop them.

  "I'm sorry," Cal said. "Am I hurting you?"

  "No, it's not that," Jax hurried to assure him. "It's just, no one has ever cared for me like you and Ty do. It's not that Lyndon even did that much to me today. All he did was touch me."

  Cal growled. "He touched you against your wishes. He shoved his fingers inside you in the most intimate way he could. Jax, he violated you. That's so much more than touching."

  Jax hung his head. "He didn't do anything that I hadn't let him do before—well, apart from the tying me up."

  "That's not the point," Ty said as he stepped out of the shower. "Just because you let him before, doesn't give him the right to take what he wants whenever he wants it. No one has that right, not even me and Cal."

  "Ty's right," Cal added. "You have the right to say no to anyone, including us."

  Jax sniffled as Cal finished cleaning him and tossed the cloth to one side.

  Ty grabbed a clean toga from the cupboard and wrapped it round his body. "Come on, let's go speak to my father and Orin."

  Jax quickly dressed and followed Ty and Cal. The sooner this was over, the better.

  *****

  Jax sat between Ty and Cal, fidgeting with nerves as Ty told his father and Orin what had happened.

  Orin shook his head several times and tutted loudly.

  Ty didn't mention the recording, intending to try to convince Orin without the need for everyone to actually see Jax being assaulted. When he was done he sat back and crossed his arms over his chest. "As you can see, it would be completely intolerable for us to have Lyndon remain a part of our household, and we want the contract amended to remove that clause."

  "Lyndon should be given a chance to defend himself against these spurious accusations," Orin said.

  "You don't believe us?" Ty asked.

  "You've made it abundantly clear that you don't want Lyndon to be a part of your household. You went off-world in an attempt to avoid honouring the contract. Now, you've not been back here a month and you're throwing around wild and damaging accusations."

  "Then get Lyndon and see what he has to say for himself," Ty suggested.

  Orin went to the door and summoned a passing servant to fetch Lyndon. He retook his seat and glared at them.

  Ty smiled. "While we're waiting for him, perhaps you'd like to watch this." He placed the holo-projector on the desk and gestured for Orin to activate it.

  "What is it?"

  "A holo-recording," Ty said. "Cal, why don't you and Jax step into the annex for a few minutes?"

  Cal stood, but Jax remained in his seat. "I'll stay," he said. He didn't really want to watch the holo-recording, but he did wish to see his uncle's reaction. When he realised Jax wasn't leaving, Cal sat back down.

  "Are you sure?" Ty whispered.

  "Yes," Jax replied, his gaze firmly on his uncle. "Play it, Orin." It was the first time in his life he hadn't called him uncle, but he no longer considered the older feline family. Ty and Cal were his family now. They believed him and trusted his word without his having to prove anything. They protected him, as his uncle should have done from the start. Maybe he couldn't have stopped Jax from his own foolish actions, but he could have believed him later, when he'd given birth to Lyndon's first litter.

  Orin gave them a look of impatience but hit the play command and the holo-recording started.

  Jax kept his eyes on Orin, gauging his reaction. At first he appeared bored, which he supposed was understandable, since the device had activated as soon as Jax had entered the room, and all he had done was sit at the window so far. Then Lyndon entered and his uncle started to take more note.

  When Lyndon made his comment about claiming Orin, the man almost choked on his tongue. Apparently, he had had no idea of the scale of Lyndon's ambition.

  By the time Lyndon had Jax tied to the bed, Orin was shaking his head and muttering under his breath.

  Ty held Jax's hand throughout the replay and his grip tightened as the hologram of Jax screamed for his help. "I'm sorry I didn't come faster, baby," he whispered.

  Jax squeezed his hand in response. Cal appeared just as upset at what they were watching and Jax reached out to him too.

  Finally, Ty and Cal arrived, dishevelled and livid. Jax switched the recording off as soon as Ty had pulled Lyndon off him and thrown him to the floor. He doubted it would help their case for his uncle to see Ty pummelling Lyndon into the ground.

  "Do you still doubt your nephew's word?" Timon asked.

  Jax glanced at Ty's father and saw he was shaken by what he had seen. It gave him faith that he would do everything he could to release Ty from the contract.

  Orin shook his head. "It would appear that I was mistaken in my trust of Lyndon."

  Jax let out a shaky and relieved breath.

  "Where is Lyndon?" Cal asked. "Surely someone has found him by now."

  Ty frowned and checked the door, as though he might have appeared there. "That's a good question. The holo-recording wasn't exactly short, especially considering how long Jax was alone in the room."

  "Why was he alone in the room?" Orin asked. "If you suspected Lyndon, as you claim, why leave your mate unprotected?"

  Ty grimaced. "We knew as soon as Jax was alone Lyndon would make his move. We hoped to stop him before he went that far, but he ambushed us before he went to Jax."

  "You mean you deliberately lured him to your mate?"

  "Yes," Jax replied. "I didn't wish to spend the next few cycles looking over my shoulder, waiting for Lyndon to show his true nature."

  Orin didn't respond and a knock on the door put an end to the conversation.

  "Come in," Timon called.

  Jax didn't recognise the servant who stepped into the room.

  "Yes?"

  The feline's eyes darted from one to another as she hopped from paw to paw. "Apologies, but Lyndon appears to have left the palace."

  "He didn't ask for my permission to leave," Orin said. "Are you sure?"

  "He knew we had the recording," Ty informed him. "He's no doubt concerned about being arrested."

  "You never said anything about arresting him."

  Ty gave him a hard stare. "He tried to rape my mate, my claimed mate. I'm sure I don't need to tell you that is a serious offence."

  "I would hope that this matter could be dealt with without the need to involve the authorities."

  "Are you saying that you don't believe Lyndon should be brought to justice for the attempted rape of your nephew?"

  "No, of course not," Orin blustered. "I just thought we could quietly amend the contract and I'll make sure that Lyndon doesn't cross paths with Jax and his mates again."

  "You intend to keep him in your service?" Timon stared at Orin incredulously.

  "I… I…"

  Timon gestured for the servant, still hovering at the door, to leave. Instead, she stepped forward and placed a folded piece of parchment on the desk. "He left this in his room."

  Everyone stared at the parchment as the feline darted from the room, clearly eager to get away from the tense atmosphere.

  No one seemed to want to see what it was, but Ty reached out and picked it up. He opened the paper and read the contents. Jax leaned over to read it too. As the words and their meaning sank in, he felt light-headed and the room swayed around him. "No!"

  "We must return to Kelon and Loris," Ty said. "Immediately."

  Timon stared at his son as though he had lost his mind. "What does the note say?"

  Ty tossed the note onto the desk. "Lyndon is heading there, presumably to steal away Jax's first litter for the second time."

  Jax was on his feet and out of the door before anyone else could react. He raced to the nursery near Ty's parents' quarters. Inside, he found the babies safe and sound. He didn't want to drag them back across Furyne, but he couldn't undertake the journey without them, either. They needed him close until they were w
eaned. Besides which, he couldn't bear to let them out of his sight, just in case Lyndon was still around, biding his time until he could snatch them away from him, too.

  "What is it, Jax?" Ty's mother asked. "Is something wrong?"

  Jax nodded. "Can you help me pack their belongings and get them into the carriages? We need to get to Kelon's as soon as possible."

  Demi didn't hesitate to order the servants to do Jax's bidding. By the time Ty and Cal caught up to him, they were almost done.

  Within an hour they were packed into a private sky car and on their way to Kelon's. Ty's parents and Jax's uncle insisted on going with them, which made the vehicle somewhat crowded.

  Jax kept one of his babies in his arms the whole journey. He hoped they made it to Kelon's in time. It was bad enough that he would never be able to raise his first litter as his own, but at least while they were with his brother he knew they would be safe and loved. If Lyndon intended to carry out his threat to claim the litter at long last, Jax would never see them again.

  "Why now?" Cal asked. He had a holo-projector on his lap and had been trying to establish a connection to Kelon or Loris from the moment they had left the palace. Unfortunately, they were travelling over an unpopulated area and getting a signal was almost impossible. They had sent a message from the palace, which would hopefully have made it to Kelon. At least they were travelling by private sky car, which was quick enough that they could shorten Lyndon's head start. He would be stopping at every town and village on the winding public route. With a bit of luck they might even overtake him and arrive at Kelon's first.

  "To punish me," Jax replied in answer to Cal's question. "He told the agency I gave them away, but didn't name himself as their other father. All he needs to do is claim them and demand their return to his care. With the legality of their adoption in question, he has every chance of succeeding in this." Jax glared at his uncle. He hadn't forgotten his part in the removal of his babies from his care. Orin shifted in his seat uncomfortably.

  "We'll get to them before Lyndon can do anything," Ty said. "If he intends to go through official channels, it'll take time. We can warn Kelon and Loris to be on their guard."

  "To what end?" Jax asked. "If Lyndon declares the adoption illegal and claims the litter, Kelon and Loris will have no choice except to hand them over, and none of us will ever see them again. I can't let that happen."