“Here we go.” Marco grinned at Cole.
“Are we sure he handed over the book,” Melaina piped up. “Could have been a decoy.”
“I guess we’ll find out.” Cole winked at her in the mirror and deliberately bumped the car in front. Reaching down to open the door, he stepped out onto the street and walked towards the car in front. “What the fuck?”
“It’s a red light, do they not have those where you come from?” the other driver shot back.
“Are you kidding me? You slammed your breaks on with no fucking warning.” Cole involved the driver in an argument. Melaina watched, while Marco slid out of the passenger seat and casually walked along the street to the other car.
The driver, completely invested in his argument with Cole, didn’t notice when Marco sidled up alongside the car, opened the passenger door and reached in to grab the book that sat on the passenger seat. He silently closed the door and made his way back to the other car.
“You know what, here,” Cole handed over a card to the human man and walked back to his car, calling over his shoulder, “Just send me a bill.”
“That was easy,” Melaina remarked, when Cole got in and started the car again.
“Hmm, too easy, check that book,” he told Marco and turned the car around, heading back the way they had come.
“Blank!” Marco flicked through the pages of the book. “Every page is pissing blank!”
“Shit!” Cole hissed.
Meeting up with the rest of the team at the back exit of the museum, they found Zane had joined them. He hurled the gear they’d used in the other building into the boot of the car Cole was driving, while Hunter and Lykos, still in wolf form, crammed into the back seat with Melaina.
“Got the book?” Jax leaned into the passenger window and addressed Marco.
“Yeah, but you won’t like it,” Marco griped.
“What’s the problem?” Aurora asked. Jax stood, so as not to block her view.
“It was a decoy. Every page is blank,” Marco informed them.
“This whole thing was a set up,” she told them. “It was a ploy by Ambrosios to kill Lykos and get a place in this fucking tournament.”
“What tournament?” Marco asked.
“We’ll fill you in later, get to the airfield,” she instructed.
“Right. Got the dagger?”
“Of course.” Aurora smiled and flipped the blade in the air, catching it expertly by the shaft as it spun. She glanced into the back seat at Lykos. “Don’t let him shift until we’re on the jet, I want to make sure he’s healed first. Step on it, Beauty, we’ll meet you there.”
“As you wish, my queen.” Cole winked, leaning around Marco to answer.
“Where’s the other car?” Jax aimed at Zane as the car sped away.
“Had to ditch it, a bunch of rogues were all over it.” Zane looked around for other options.
“There,” Aurora began walking down the street to where a police car was idling at the curb.
“Much as I love your balls, we are not stealing a police car, Rory!” Jax warned.
“Not that one.” Aurora flashed a grin over her shoulder at him. The police officer had pulled over an Audi TT sports car. The driver was currently being scrutinised by the officer and made to walk the white lines that ran down the centre of the road.
“She won’t,” Zane breathed.
“She will,” Jax sighed, wondering how the hell he and Zane were going to fit in the sports car.
Aurora walked casually past the police officer and climbed into the driving seat through the open door. Through the windscreen, she lifted her eyes and cocked her head at Jax and Zane, revving the engine a few times. The two men shared a look, shrugged, and ran to throw their huge bodies into the tiny car as she spun it in the road, both doors open.
“Hey, that’s my car, they’re stealing my car!” the driver yelled, suddenly very sober. The police officer stood, rooted to the spot, astounded that anyone would steal a car in front of him.
“Ouch!” Jax shouted, as Zane shoved him through the gap between the front seats, into the bucket easts in the back of the car. “This isn’t right! I’ve got the longest legs.”
“And I’m the fucking commander,” Zane barked. Pulling out his phone, he dialled the number for the local branch of the Laignach Faelad to order a clean-up crew.
“You couldn’t steal a normal car, could you?” Jax moaned at Aurora.
“We needed fast not comfortable,” Aurora said.
“You stole a fucking hairdresser’s car!” Jax continued to complain as he tucked his legs up to his chin.
“We can go back for the cop car,” Aurora shot back. Jax didn’t respond. “Didn’t think so, dick!”
“What was that?” Jax piped up again. “You want my dick? I mean, it’s cramped back here, but we can make it work. Take the wheel will you, Zane?”
Aurora eyed the scene behind them in the rear-view mirror. Shifters were beginning to leave the museum and more police were arriving. Human police, who would ask questions nobody could answer. No doubt Ambrosios would have some shifter cops and a few vampires on his payroll to deal with the situation, but anyone still loyal to him would have got him out of there by now. Zane assured her the organisation would take care of everything and they should concentrate on getting out of the country. So, that’s what they did.
Chapter Fifteen
One who was loved,
will devastate in his betrayal.
Another airfield in the dead of night was the location for the team’s arrival in England. There wasn’t a landing site closer to the town of Frost Ford, so they flew the rest of the way to the safe house in a chopper that would come to be known as Dolly, as named by Aurora.
After Aurora ascertained that Lykos was clear of silver poison, she had punched him several times for the kisses and again for allowing himself to get hurt. The flight had been mostly silent afterwards, everyone was exhausted both mentally and physically. They sat quietly in their seats sorting through their own thoughts about the events of the last two days. Except for Jax, who spent the flight sulking that there wasn’t a shower on board for Aurora to rid herself of Lykos’s stench.
The Laignach Faelad safe house, as with all of them, had a helipad and enough acreage to house a small army. It was set in the heart of the English countryside, surrounded by woodland and undetectable from the road, unless you knew where to look. A trusted human, a local detective by the name of Lee Garvey, had met them at the house to hand over the keys. He hadn’t lingered, exchanging brief words with Zane before leaving.
“Why are they all so big?” Melaina wondered out loud.
“Any number of teams could be using a safe house at any given time. We have to make sure everyone can be accommodated,” Zane explained.
“I thought the Spanish house was yours?” Aurora asked.
“It is,” Zane told her. “Only our team uses that house, this one is used by the entire organisation.”
“Just how big is the Laignach Faelad?” she queried.
“We’re currently at around a thousand men.”
“Men?”
“Yes,” he answered. “Not intentional, it’s just the way it is.”
“I see,” Aurora nodded.
“It’s late, we all need to rest and recharge. A lot happened and we need to process. Let’s regroup in the morning to debrief and get a plan formed,” Zane suggested.
“Sounds good to me, come on, wild thing,” Jax bent and lifted Aurora over his shoulder. “I need to get that stench off you. You reek!”
“Fuck you, Jax,” she protested but allowed him to lift her. He carried her through the front door of the English manor house, heading for the stairs that greeted them in the vast entrance hall.
“Promises, promises,” Jax took the stairs at a run and disappeared with his mate, leaving the rest of the team in the entrance hall.
“Well, I don’t know about anyone else, but I’m going to take a room a
t the opposite end of the house to those two. I’ve got a feeling things could get pretty noisy in their room tonight.” Marco threw a smirk at Lykos who, mostly down to sheer exhaustion, ignored the jibe.
“Lucky fucker,” Hunter grumbled, following Marco. “It’s been weeks since I saw any action. There better be some women in this town.”
“We’re on a mission,” Zane reminded him, lifting his bag, and following, along with Cole.
“Oh, but it’s ok for Jax to get laid?” Hunter argued.
“He might not be getting laid, she’s still not happy with him.” Cole opened a door, disappeared inside to quickly sweep for bugs and returned to offer the room to Melaina. She sent him a grateful smiled, slipped inside and closed the door, eager to get away from the men’s banter.
“They’re mated,” Zane said, or at least they soon would be.
“So, I have to be mated to empty my nuts now? Who the fuck came up with that rule? I didn’t sign up for that!” Hunter opened the first door he saw and threw his bag inside, before turning to the other men. “Gentlemen, I have a date with my right hand, sleep well.”
“Goodnight, Hunter,” Zane said, with a laugh.
Cole, Marco, Zane and Lykos continued along the hallway, each taking rooms and bidding the others goodnight, until Zane arrived at the last room. He would have to tell Aurora and Marco what their father had done in the morning. Although they now had an idea, they would need the details Lykos had given him. He knew how Jax and Marco would react, but Aurora was a different matter. He paused to take a look back along the hallway. The house was quiet and still in the darkness, they might actually get a few hours rest before the next drama came their way.
Jax kicked the door shut with a flick of his foot and crossed the room in two long strides, to throw his mate on the king size bed. He hadn’t had to tell them, the team knew his intentions for the night, they wouldn’t be disturbed. First though, he needed to tame the wild thing.
She sat on the bed, eyes ablaze, watching him move around the room; turning on a lamp, checking the window locks, sweeping for bugs and all the usual things they did upon arrival at a safe house. They had to ensure the place hadn’t been compromised since the last team’s visit. The trusted human would have done his own checks, but the team made a habit of double checking everything and taking nobody’s word as gospel. When he was satisfied that the room was clean, he moved onto the bathroom. He flicked on the light and performed all the necessary checks before turning on the shower and going back to Aurora.
“Come on,” he held his hand out to her.
“Why?”
“I need that stink gone, Rory, don’t challenge me on this. My animal just sat in a confined space with his mate stinking of another wolf for four hours and he is not happy.” He felt his eyes darken to the ebony they became when he shifted as his anger flared.
“I like the way I smell,” she goaded him. “I thought you did too, you were so keen to have it happen.”
“You know why,” he stalked towards the bed. He’d known she was still angry with him. He’d known she would fight him, make him suffer before she relented, but it still got under his skin and threatened to burn him from the inside. He wasn’t submitting this time. It was his turn to dominate.
“It’s time you trusted me to take care of myself,” she told him. Toeing off the boots she’d insisted on wearing beneath the long dress, and raising to her knees, she moved to meet him at the edge of the bed.
“I do,” he ground out, his hands balled into fists at his sides, twitching with the desire to touch her.
“No, you think it’s your job, or the job of whichever one of the team you choose. I’m part of that team too, Jax. You need to acknowledge me as one of them, instead of some weakling mate in need of protection.”
He removed his suit jacket, throwing it over the back of a chair and began to undo the buttons of his shirt as he spoke, leaving the black-tie hanging undone, through the collar. “My instinct to protect you is natural. I can’t switch it off, it’s part of who I am, who my wolf is.”
“Just as my independence and ability to fight my own battles is part of me.”
They stilled, eyes locked, each mulling the other’s words until they couldn’t bear to be that close and not touching any longer. They moved in unison, her grabbing his shirt and tearing it from his back. Him pulling her into his arms and holding her body tight against him. Jax lifted Aurora and she enfolded her legs around him, allowing herself to be carried to the bathroom. Refusing her kiss, he stepped into the shower cubicle.
“You don’t get kisses until you’re clean, wild thing.”
The hot spray drenched their remaining clothing in seconds. The water flowed over the hard ridges of Jax’s body and her hands roamed his chest, his muscles tensing and flexing under her touch. The spark that ignited the air when they touched buzzed around them, electrifying his skin as her fingers danced over it. She pulled her lip into her mouth with her teeth, as she voiced her appreciation of her mate’s body with a breathy moan.
“Off!” Aurora tugged at his waistband, wanting his skin on hers.
“Not until you’re clean,” he growled, against her neck.
His body sought to react, he felt her lure, pulling him to her, demanding he give her everything. He refocused his mind, this was a moment he had spent four years waiting for. He would have his scent on her before he allowed passion to take over. Reaching down with one hand, he halted her wandering hands and snared both her wrists in his hold.
Aurora lowered her feet to the tiled floor and watched, hands bound, as Jax proceeded to strip every piece of clothing from her. His fingers crept over the neckline of her dress, lodging between her breasts and gripping the material. She felt his wolf’s need for control as he pulled, splitting the dress in two, from the top of her breasts to her waist. He snatched the soaked material away from her body, leaving her exposed to him. His eyes lifted to hers, then snapped back down, feasting on her wet skin. Lifting one finger, he traced the path of a water droplet from her collarbone to her nipple, circling the tip. Lost in the sensation, she pushed her chest out, demanding more. He stopped, pulling his finger away with a domineering glint in his eye. Their senses waged war on one another as he tore what remained of the dress and shoved the material down her wet legs.
“You’re not wearing underwear,” he growled, at the sight of her naked form.
“We’re shifters, none of us do,” she whispered, smiling.
“You were naked with him,” he ground out. “In that dress, with that fucking split!”
“So, punish me.” She blinked away the water from her eyes and sent him a challenging stare. Rage, that she had been naked underneath her dress, and the power of knowing Lykos would have known but couldn’t touch, came together to fuel Jax’s desire. He would punish her.
He raised her arms above her head and smirking, ran a finger from her navel, downwards. Her stomach muscles jumped as he got closer to where she wanted to be touched, then he stopped.
“Stay,” he snarled, pushing her hands against the wall, to make his point. She nodded, submissively, her eyes glittering with excitement.
Resuming his path, his finger moved lower, his body followed until he dropped to his knees. Wrapping both hands around her hips, he pulled them towards him and looked up at her, hungrily. Her eyes met his, as the water cascaded over her skin, granting him the permission he sought. Lifting her ankle, he began to worship her with his mouth. Licking, kissing, and nipping his way along her shin, over her knee, and up her thigh. His wolf needed to mark, own, possess every part of her and he would grant him that wish.
“Jax…” she gasped, when his kisses reached the apex of her thighs and he momentarily rested his forehead on her stomach. He curled his hands around the tops of her thighs and squeezed, pulling her towards him and inhaling.
“You smell good enough to eat,” he moaned, the scent of her arousal enveloping him.
The wolf urged him to stand an
d plunge into her right then but he wasn’t finished. He breathed deeply, it wasn’t a race, these minutes had to matter, they had to become moments to remember. He would leave his mark not only on her skin but on her heart and soul. He continued his charting of her body, up and over the taught muscle of her stomach, her toned arms and her softly rounded breasts, until she was breathless with anticipation. He stood, holding her hands above her head as he turned her, and gave his orders in short, sharp commands. She rewarded him with small, needful moans each time. She wanted to be dominated.
“Don’t move.” He reached for the shampoo bottle and lathered the foam into her hair.
His soapy hands lathered the shampoo into her scalp, then stroked over her shoulders and moved down to palm both breasts. He massaged and pinched the nipples, bringing them to tight peaks, until she pushed back against the hardness that strained inside his trousers.
“Jax…” she rasped again and he smiled against her shoulder.
“Relax, I’ve got what you need, wild thing,” he promised. “I’ll punish you, but I’ll also free you.”
Finally, losing his own clothing, they washed, and dried each other on the towels that hung in the bathroom. Then he carried her to the bedroom and lowered her to the bed.
“Am I clean now?” she teased, when he brought his body down above her.
“Clean, yes, but you still don’t smell right.” He caged her in with his arms.
“Well, what are you going to do about that?”
Aside from several gentle, and more than a few frantic, moments and sleeping in the same bed, Aurora hadn’t accepted Jax fully and allowed his wolf to mark her fully. Now that she was giving him the opportunity, he intended to enjoy every second and so would she. Succumbing and allowing their shared desire to own one another to consume them, was an act to be cherished by shifters.
Appeasing her need to take control for a brief moment, he held back and hovered over her, letting her kiss him this time. He savoured each second, getting lost in every sweep of her tongue, every shared breath. He felt every owning movement of her hands on his skin, drinking in her licking, pinching, nipping. She branded him in all the ways she could, memorising each freckle and inked mark on his body. Her hands were in his hair, gripping at the strands, her arousal growing with every movement. She dug her nails into his back as he ground his hips into hers. When her hands moved between them, he clutched her wrists and took back control, laying her arms either side of her.
The Raven Queen Page 37
