Jaxon (Blood Angel Chronicles Book 1)

by Jennifer Field

  I hear slight movement coming from behind me, and my body begins to tremble in fear.

  “Hello,” I whisper, not even trying to hide the tremble in my voice. I’m only hoping no one will answer.

  The sound is distinct. It’s the scrape of nails against a concrete floor moving toward me, slow and calculating. I hear the nails walking around the table I’m leaning against and stopping to my left.

  A guard dog. Of course, they didn’t leave me alone. They have me in here with a vicious guard dog.

  Whatever type of dog it is, it must be enormous. I might not be able to see anything, but I can hear it breathing, and I can feel it staring at me through the blackness.

  “Good doggy,” I whisper. “Ni… nice puppy.”

  My breathing is so erratic, I’m afraid I might pass out, and being eaten alive by dogs isn’t high on my to-do list. My grip tightens on the edge of what I think is a table.

  Whatever animal they have trapped in here with me takes another step forward until its massive body leans against my hip. I feel its body start to vibrate and a low…purr resonates through the room.

  “Oh, fuck.” I pet the massive creatures back. Its fur is short and a bit coarse against my hand, and I can feel muscles move as I rub its back. As I stroke my hand one more, it nudges me with its immense head. “Good kitty.”

  Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God. I’m locked in the dark with a giant cat. I’ve heard of people keeping exotic pets—lions, tigers, even bobcats. Whatever this is, it’s friendly. Well… so far.

  My mind races to the dream I had the other night, the dream with the… with the giant white cat. No, not a cat—a white leopard.

  I close my eyes and shake my head. “This is crazy.” My heart is still pounding in my chest, but the fear that was consuming me is gone. “Detective?”

  The cat nudges me harder, nearly knocking me off balance. There is no fucking way this is real. “This has to be a dream.”

  The feline nudges me again, using its body to move me. With the size of it, I can’t help but take a step to the side. It continues pushing and guiding me back until I feel the wall and the entrance to the hallway. “Smart kitty.”

  I move much quicker down the hall now that I know it’s just a giant cat and me. I know I should be petrified, but somehow, I’m not. I’m aware that this animal has no intention of hurting me.

  When I reach the switch, I debate turning on the light in my room. It means I’ll be forced to see what’s down here with me, and I’m not sure I’m ready for that. I stand, debating with myself for what seems like a lifetime.

  With a deep breath in, I close my eyes and flick the switch. Even though I have my eyes shut tight, I can see the change in the darkness as light seeps through my closed lids. Slowly, I open them, yet I’m reluctant to turn to the side.

  When I do, I’m not sure I could have prepared myself for what lay at the end of the hallway staring back at me. It’s… large and beautiful with spotted white fur, bright blue eyes, and a sizeable thick tail that thumps against the floor. If I have to make a guess, I think it’s a snow leopard.

  Cautiously, I crouch down, facing the animal. I still have a hard time believing this isn’t a dream. But as I hold my hand out, he rises, and he’s even more massive than I imagined. He stalks toward my outstretched hand, head-butting my palm and nuzzling his cheek against my fingers.

  He reminds me of a stuffed snow leopard toy my mother bought for me when I was young. I carried it with me everywhere for years.

  “Mason?” I question as I scratch behind his ears. “I must be going insane.”

  But when the large animal shakes his head, I’m not so sure. I’m not even sure what to think anymore. My heart is telling me this animal understands me, but in my head, there’s just no way any of this can be real.

  Yet, I continue. “R…Ridge.” He nuzzles his face against mine, and a low, powerful purr resonates from his chest. “Oh, my God.”

  I lower myself to the ground and sit leaning against the wall, petting the most majestic creature I have ever seen. “How is this even possible?” Ridge looks up at me, eyes wide with understanding. “Please, don’t speak if you can. I don’t think I’m ready for that.”

  He rests his head on my leg with a deep sigh. “Did they lock you down here too?” A massive paw lands on my leg.

  We sit for a few minutes until he gets up stretches and walks into my small room. If I have any doubt about the leopard being Ridge, they are all put to rest when he walks out of the room. His touch on my shoulder startles me, and I look up to see Ridge—the man—standing in the doorway.

  “How?” The only word I can utter.

  He kneels next to me. “Too long of a story to get into right now. But I need you to know that… I’m sorry.”

  I nod, not really knowing what to say to his apology. While he was kind to me since I woke a week ago, he helped get me here, and I can’t forgive that.

  Stretching, I stand, the dim light illuminating the hallway. But the light doesn’t reach the room at the end. “Is there a way out?”

  He just shakes his head. “Locked from the other side.”

  “You’re locked in too?” I ask.

  “They don’t trust me. I called Sky. He’s a tracker for my Pride. I let him know where they are keeping you. I think Neil and his father found out.”

  I have so many questions for him, but I can’t bring myself to look in his direction. I am more hurt by his actions than anyone else. He came to my home as a detective, a member of law enforcement, and yet he was the one to knock me out. I can’t bring myself to feel bad for what they may have planned for him.

  “So you’re pretty fucked then,” I mutter as I walk down the hall. I’m not sure where we are, but it’s below ground, that’s for damn sure. There isn’t a window anywhere, and I can just about make out the outline of a set of rickety-looking stairs going up. “Are they upstairs?”

  When I look back, he’s leaning against the wall, arms crossed over his chest, and a solemn look has crossed his face. “No.”

  “So, they lock you down here with me every night?”

  He shakes his head. “No, only tonight. The door was locked while I brought you dinner. I already tried to open it. Its solid metal bolted shut from the other side. We’re not getting it open tonight.”

  I’m so angry I want to scream, so I do, although it doesn’t make me feel any better. “I hate you!” I yell at Ridge, who hasn’t moved from the wall in the hallway. “You could have stopped this.”

  “I know I was just so…It doesn’t matter. You weren’t supposed to be hurt. I would never have agreed if I knew what they had planned. But Sky will come.”

  I look around to see if there might be something I can use as a weapon when the rest return. But the room at the end of the hall only has a table and four chairs in the middle, nothing of any use.

  In frustration, I pull out a chair and flop down. “So, now what? We just sit and wait for them to come back, and then what? We die?” I don’t like the probability that tonight might be my last night. Ridge seems to be convinced that this Sky character is going to sweep in and save the day. I’m so sure I believe him. After all, he is with them.

  “So why does everyone hate Jaxon?” I question.

  “Neil and his father hate him over property acquisitions and building rights. Some shit like that. Dannella, I think she wants a relationship with him, and that hasn’t exactly happened.”

  “And you?”

  I hear him let out a sigh, not unlike he did when he was a leopard resting his head on my lap. “His kind killed my mate a few years ago.”

  “I’m so sorry.” I let the silence seep into the room, but there is a single question that nags at me. “Is Jaxon like you?”

  The laugh he lets out confuses me. It’s not the reaction I anticipated him having at the question.

  “No, Jaxon is most certainly not like me.”

  “So, he doesn’t.” I’m at a loss for words. Neve
r in my life have I ever suspected that I would be having a conversation where I’m asking if someone shifts into another species. “Shift? Is that what you do? Is… Is Detective Stone like you too?”

  I watch as Ridge's head falls forward in remorse. “He’s my brother, so, yeah, he does. Leif’s our youngest brother.”

  “Leif? Really? Well, if we get out of here, he and I are going to have some serious conversations. You guys don’t look anything like brothers.” And they don’t. Leif has blond hair and deep brown eyes, Ridge has dark black hair and brown eyes, and Ridge has chestnut hair and light blue eyes.

  He moves from his spot, leaning against the wall and comes to sit with me at the table. He hasn’t turned on any additional lights, but my eyes have adjusted enough that I can see him with only the dim lighting coming from down the hallway.

  “We have the same father, different mothers.”

  “Oh…” I’m curious to ask more. Ridge and Mason seem to be very close in age, and Leif can’t be more than a year or two younger.

  Before I can ask about their mothers, he continues, “Our father is Pride leader, the Alpha male. Ridge and I are only two months apart and Leif only eleven months younger. As the Alpha male and leader, he needed to ensure his line, and that meant having sons.” He holds up his hands as if to say ta-da.

  “No sisters?”

  Even in the dim light, I can see the sadness in his features and know it’s not going to be good, even before he speaks.

  His words are full of raw emotion, and I can see his eyes hold unshed tears as he speaks. “My mother had a baby girl about a year after I was born. She died giving birth, and the baby died a few days later.”

  My heart breaks even more, just hearing the pain he still has for a sister he never knew. I want to ask him more about his family, how they shift, are there more — so many questions. But the distinct sound of footsteps echoing from above us makes both of us freeze.

  He brings his finger to his lips in the international symbol for shut the fuck up. “You need to go back to your room, quickly and quietly,” he whispers so low I’m surprised I can even hear him.

  I don’t say a word, I simply nod and scurry back to my room, shutting the door behind me. When I hear it lock, I quickly get back into bed and pull the blanket up over my head. I try to concentrate on my breathing and calming myself down.

  The lock clicks and the door opens.

  “Wakey, wakey.” Dannella’s voice is sickeningly sweet as she “wakes” me.

  I roll over and stretch, trying to make a show of waking up. Every morning that I’ve been here, she’s come in with a chipper smile and breakfast, and today is no different. I don’t open my eyes until I hear her move the chair and place my breakfast on it.

  “Better wake up.” Her voice is much less chipper as she demands I awaken. “Today is going to be a big day.”

  JAXON

  We have a plan.

  Leif, Mason, and I sit in the Presidential Suite of The Encore, waiting for nightfall. Story of my fucking life waiting for the sun to set. Sky and Cole have gone out to scope out the location where Sky believes they are keeping Maitlin.

  It is a run-down building scheduled for demolition to make way for one of my new hotels along the waterfront. The demo is slated for tomorrow afternoon at one, a time when Neiland knows I won’t be available to save her.

  It seems as if the sun won’t set, and the clocks won’t move. I pace the length of the suite, trying to figure out a way I can get to her without endangering everyone else. This is the longest day in the history of days.

  I have a meeting set up with my GC tonight at eleven to go over the issues with the permitting. A complete ruse, Kap silently cleared up all our building issues a few days ago. This meeting is just to publicly let Colebrook know I’m in town and have a meeting time that we control.

  Kap already called several times for an update, not that there’s anything to tell her. I didn’t allow her to come, and it was one of the few times she listened to me. She made me tell her why, and I was honest with her. There would be no way I would survive if both her life and Maitlin’s were in danger.

  We know we are walking into a trap, but there is no other way to get to Maitlin. Ridge assured Sky that he wouldn’t allow harm to come to her. I can only hope he is a man of his word.

  I am going out of my fucking mind needing information. I wonder why Mason isn’t losing his mind as much as I am. If she were my mate, well, I’m not sure I can be more on edge. But if I know she is mine, nothing will stop me from making sure she is safe. I also would have already killed Neiland and his son, that’s for damn sure.

  “Where the fuck are they?” I yell out as I continue my endless, helpless trek through the suite. “Have you heard from your brother or Sky?” I ask Mason, who barely glances at me as he sits scrolling through his fucking phone.

  “What are you doing?” I snap at him, grabbing his phone out of his hand and tossing it across the room.

  “What the fuck, Jaxon.” The high back chair he sitting on skids across the floor and tips over as he stands. “What is your fucking problem with me?”

  Yeah, this is what I need. I need to feel my fist colliding with Mason's jaw. “Don’t you fucking care about her? How can you just sit here on your fucking phone when they’ve had her for a fucking week?” I stalk toward him, my fist balled at my side, ready to take the first swing. “Don’t you even fucking care about her?”

  I regret the last words. I don’t fucking want to know that he cares for her. I want to know what the hell I’m going to do when I can’t hold her when I can’t tell her how I feel.

  Mason is inches away from my face as he yells back, poking me in the chest? “You think I don’t fucking love her. I love her more than you could ever possibly feel!”

  His words bite, and they are just the venom I need to strike. My fist connects with his face before he can say anything else before he even has time to register my reaction. He had to see it coming, but he does not attempt to block the punch that most likely breaks his nose. I hear the crunch of cartilage and bone as blood spews from his face.

  He stumbles back a few feet then rushes me in a full-on tackle, sending both of us flying back into the couch, which flips over with a loud crash. Fists fly, and I feel my cheek explode in pain. I smile, glad for the rush of adrenaline and hurt. It’s the first thing I feel besides regret in a week.

  I barely hear Leif yelling for us to stop before someone downstairs calls security. Fuck security. For the amount I’m paying, I’ll do what the fuck I want. Neither of us bothers to listen. I turn to tell Leif to shut the fuck up when Mason lands another shot to my ribs, taking my breath. I lunge back and land a few kidney blows on him as he’s orienting himself. A dirty shot, I know, but I don’t fucking care.

  The fight doesn’t last more than a few minutes when Cole and Sky finally rush into the room, pulling us apart. We are both bloody and out of breath as we shake them off.

  Both of us will heal quickly, but I can still see the rage in his eyes, and I can feel the anger pulsing through my veins. If Sky and Cole hadn’t pulled us apart, we most likely would have destroyed the entire suite.

  We glare at each other as we wipe the blood from our faces. The businessman in me says not to ruin the five thousand dollar suit with my own blood, but the predator in me doesn’t give a shit as I wipe my face with my sleeve. I run my tongue over my split lip and taste the copper tang of my own blood.

  “What the fuck is wrong with the two of you?” Sky demands. Neither of us answers as we both tend to our own superficial wounds. “I found her.”

  Those three words get my attention. I drop down into one of the only upright chairs. “Is she safe? Did you see her?”

  Sky rights a chair and sits as do Leif, Cole, and Mason, our fight momentarily behind us.

  He lets out a long sigh and looks between Leif and Mason. “They have Ridge locked in the basement of the abandoned building with her. I think they found o
ut somehow that he was in contact with the Pride and me.”

  “He contacted the Pride, why?” Leif asks.

  I don’t know much about their Pride or the politics that govern it, but I do know that the three of them are brothers and in succession to take over as Alpha when their father steps down.

  “He spoke to your father, said he was sorry for what he did and that he was ready to be with his mate again.”

  I watch as the color drains from Mason's face. “What the fuck is he planning on doing?” He knows we’re coming, doesn’t he?” I can hear the worry in his voice. He knows Ridge better than anyone, and what he’s capable of handling. “Fuck, we can’t lose him too.”

  “Where is his mate?” I ask, knowing that a man who has something to fight for will do so until he takes his last breath. I shoot Mason a glare. I’ll fight to the death for Maitlin. Will he? I don’t expect his answer.

  “She’s dead, five years now,” he deadpans as he stares me down and continues. “Murdered by a strung-out vamp. The bloodsucker said he didn’t know what he was doing because of the methamphetamine in his system from some junkie’s blood. Ryver was pregnant at the time.”

  My stomach tightens at the mention of some strung-out vampire killing a woman and her unborn baby. I think back to the state I found Zach in only a week before. He was high on cocaine-laced blood, and I wonder if he’ll stop there. He’s walking a dangerous path, but there is nothing I can do until Maitlin is safe.

  The more puzzling question is why I didn’t hear about the killing. Even the slightest mention of a vampire losing control with drug-laced blood, feeding, or even attempted turnings gone wrong, and the council is made aware. And something as heinous as this is dealt with swiftly.

  “I didn’t know. Was the council been made aware?” I ask.

  Across from me, a low growl permeates the tension in the air. I’m not sure who it came from, Leif, Mason, or both — but it’s not surprising Mason answers. “The Pride dealt with the vampire who killed her swiftly and mercilessly.”