Smoke sifted through the forest like a harbinger of death, and Jax locked his knees so they wouldn’t buckle. What if she didn’t make it?
Rustling leaves stirred behind him as two warriors came from the trees, carrying an unconscious body between them. Burnt flesh blackened the warrior’s arms and face.
Zander ran alongside. “Get him in an isolation chamber as soon as you can, and then get him out of here. We have a team waiting at the preserve.”
The males lumbered forward, keeping the burnt warrior’s arms around their necks while his feet dragged behind them. They trudged toward another vehicle a few hundred meters away.
Zander stopped next to Jax. “Crazy son of a bitch put up a helluva fight. Wanted to stay and die with his romni, but I figured your Princess shouldn’t lose both her parents on the same day.”
Numb, Jax stared ahead. “So, Gia didn’t make it out?”
“Killian thinks she never intended to. How’s your female?”
“I don’t know.” His gaze became tormented, hollow. “I ... if she doesn’t make it ... I can’t—”
Zander gripped the back of Jax’s neck, pulling him close, resting their foreheads together. It was a Tovaris tradition, a sign of ultimate respect and support. “Whether she lives or dies, we stand with you. And we don’t rest until she’s avenged.”
“She has to make it,” Jax whispered.
Zander’s thick arms came around him, pulling him against a wall of a chest. Jax tensed but then let himself go and hung on the Tova’s shoulders.
“I believe she will.” Zander’s voice became gruff. “And when she does, we hunt, and we won’t stop until we find what was stolen from her.” Stepping back, he cleared his throat, his meaty fist resting on the brand on Jax’s chest. “Tova, loyalnost, sila.”
“Tova, loyalnost, sila,” Jax muttered back.
A female rushed from the dark recess of the medic transport. “Nick, Doc needs you.”
Zander stepped back as Jax scrambled into the truck.
A medic held a mask over Nya’s face, pumping fresh air into her lungs. Tubes ran from an IV hanging overhead and into her arm. Her shirt had been ripped open, EKG leads dotting her chest and abdomen. Victor had cleaned off most of her face, but blood still trickled from her eyes and nose.
“What’s wrong?” Jax knelt by her side, grabbing her hand.
Victor dug through the medical supplies, desperately searching for something. “She started coming around. As soon as she opened her eyes, she struggled and then started seizing. We can’t get it to stop.”
Alarms sounded as a high-pitched beep turned into a scream, and Nya’s body jerked and twitched as if in the last throes of death.
Victor took a syringe and plunged it into the IV.
The alarm continued.
“We’re losing her.” He stood and beat on the roof of the transport, and the truck rumbled to life. The transport rocked and swayed as they started down the hill.
Jax leaned close, resting his lips against her ear. “Damn it, Vtachi. Don’t do this. You said you loved me. If you do, then fight.”
A gurgling sound bubbled from Nya’s throat. The twitching stopped.
His hand brushed the hair from her face. “You can’t leave me now. I’ve wanted you since the first moment I saw you, standing outside the arena. I’ll never forget the way you stood with your hands on your hips, so confident and proud. I couldn’t take my eyes off of you. Honestly, I wondered if you were even real.”
He brought her cold hand to his cheek, rubbing the rise of her knuckles across his bristly jaw. “And our first therapy session, when you refused to speak.” His voice broke as he took a deep breath. “God. I’ve never been so incredibly frustrated and turned on at the same time. That’s when I suggested we go hiking. It was either that, or I’d take you then and there.”
He placed her hand over his heart. “After four years, I can’t imagine a life without you in it. Come on, Vtachi. Fly back to me. I need you.”
The screaming alarm turned back to a beep.
Nya stirred. “Jax ...”
“I’m here.” He grazed her cheekbone with his thumb. “Thank God you’re back.”
A sob escaped her lips. “Take me home.”
“You got it, Vtachi.” He kissed her forehead. “You got it.”
Chapter Forty-Two
Jax lowered his axe, splitting a log in two, the sound echoing in the trees beyond.
The trip from Russia had been a nightmare. Victor and the medics stayed with them until they got to the Academy, where Cassius made sure Nya had around-the-clock care. Zander had ordered a squadron of Tova to secure the perimeter. But as soon as Nya was strong enough, Jax swept her away, to a place high in the Montana Mountains—a place he’d spent the past four years building with his own hands.
A place he desperately hoped they’d soon call home.
The surrounding rugged terrain made it difficult to get to by land and impossible to see by air. Better still, their cabin was off the Allos’ grid. Even though Penn’s death had thrown the Drahzda into disarray, they wouldn’t be down for long. Too many were more than willing to step into his shoes, which was why Jax was glad no one knew this place existed.
He put another log on the stump and raised the axe. Over the past few weeks, the woodpile had gone from a few leftover scraps to an overflowing stack. Victor’s insistence that Nya needed privacy during their sessions had Jax finding odd jobs to do outside their cabin, but he didn’t mind. Hell, he’d chop down the entire forest if it helped her heal.
Nya was most at ease surrounded by nature, which is why he bought the acreage to begin with. The past few weeks they’d spent endless hours exploring the new landscape, sometimes in silence, others in free-flowing conversation.
They’d grown closer emotionally, but Jax hadn’t pursued her physically. Even when he held her at night, chasing away her nightmares, he kept his touch comforting and not sexual.
The Tova in him demanded that he take her, shoulder her mark, and make her his in every way. But after Nya had asked about her parents, he knew the claiming would have to wait.
God, telling his Vtachi about her mother’s death had been the worst night of his life. Nya’s grief ripped his heart in two. Afterward, she seemed so fragile he wasn’t sure she’d recover. But after a few days, something sparked back to life, and she insisted they watch the Scythian news.
Every media outlet that had once questioned Gia’s worth as Ike’s equal now praised her as one of the greatest warriors of their time. The injustice of it had Nya wanting to hunt them down and beat them to a pulp, and honestly, Jax couldn’t blame her.
Scythian stem cell therapy had eventually healed Ike’s burns, but even in the beginning, he hadn’t allowed his injuries to slow him down. Still bandaged, he’d taken to the airwaves like a male obsessed. While he dodged personal questions, he was more than willing to talk about Alexandra’s disgrace, and Nya soon realized that her father was using the media like a whetstone to a blade, sharpening the Tovaris’ case against the former Chancellor. Within a week, the Senate had charged Alexandra with trial tampering and sedition. Ike’s heartfelt interviews caused an outpouring of support from compounds all over the world, and the Senate had little choice but to name him as the Society’s new leader.
Jax held Nya as they watched Ike’s impassioned acceptance speech, vowing he would not rest until the Drahzda organization had been completely destroyed.
Soon, all eyes turned to the one thing not yet resolved. When would Nya complete her Trials?
Giovanni, Luka, and Killian remained at the consulate, waiting for Nya’s return, but Aren left Carpathia after Ike’s induction. He openly stated that he believed Jax was the only male strong enough to be Nya’s equal, and so he withdrew from the competition. The racier channels speculated the East African Suveran no longer found Anya Thalestris desirable after learning of her history with Dmitri Sarkov’s son. Aren repeatedly refuted the claim, but no one see
med to be listening.
Jax finally insisted they stop watching after a scathing report that sent the Rovni Council into a closed session to decide if Nya should choose a fifth candidate or if she could finish her Trials with four.
Jax couldn’t stand the thought of taking her back to Carpathia to complete some ancient ritual, surrounded by the media while grieving for a mother she never really knew.
But the issue needed to be resolved, and soon.
Victor opened the back door, coat in hand. “Anya would like to see you now.”
Victor typically spent hours with Nya, often eating dinner with them before making his way back to the compound. Thanks to his intense therapy, most of the Phoenix’s after effects had been contained, although Nya would still need sessions for months, possibly years, to come.
“What’s your hurry?”
His bright blue eyes glittered as he smiled. “I think you’ll want to handle this one on your own. We’ll talk when you get back.”
Unease rippled through Jax as Victor clapped him on the back and started down the hill.
Back from where? He swung the axe, embedding it in the stump, and started toward the back door.
“Vtachi?” His voice rang through the silence. Jax stepped into the kitchen, sluffing off his boots and coat. He started through the open area that served as their living room.
“I’m up here.” Nya’s voice came from the loft above.
Jax took the stairs two at a time. “What’s up? Are you all right?”
He froze in the doorway as music softly played. Nya had her back turned to him, opening a dresser drawer on the other side of the room. Her hair ran like a river of silk down the length of her spine, her short red robe swinging and swaying over the tops of her thighs.
He swallowed as she turned, noticing the Scythian inking set in her hand.
“Dad finally called during my session.” Her voice grew thick. “The compound in Ireland is performing mom’s Nex ceremony in a few days, and he’d like for me to be there.”
Disappointment stung as he realized she was gathering her things to leave. He turned away. “I’ll book a flight.”
“No ... wait.”
Confused, he looked over his shoulder, watching her place the inking set on the bed.
Her fingers shook as she untied the sash of her robe. Red silk floated to the floor. His dragon arm cuff glittered in the evening light.
Jax walked across the room and threaded his hands through her hair, tilting her head back for a soft kiss.
“Talk to me, Vtachi. I need your words.”
She took a deep breath and slowly let it out. “I don’t care about the Rovni Council, or the Society, or what anyone else thinks. You’re mine, and I don’t want to leave here without shouldering your mark.”
Relief flashed in his eyes. “That’s all I needed to hear.”
He pulled off his shirt and wrapped his arms around her, loving the feel of her soft flesh pressing against his.
Nya leaned back so she could look into his eyes. “I love you, Jax.”
“I love you, too.” Jax groaned as he kissed her shoulder.
His fingers roamed along her tattoo that delicately trailed to her shoulder, his palm coming to rest on her upper arm. “I think I’ll start here.”
She sat on the bed while he opened the inking set, putting the sleek silver machine and little pods of color on the nightstand.
Nya shivered as he tugged the Scythian Dragon cuff downward, slipping it off her arm.
“I made this by hand, you know.” He set the cuff on the table and picked up the machine.
Her brow rose. “Really?”
“It’s the Tovaris Dragon, the strongest in Dacian lore, known for its ruthlessness. That’s why Tovas wear black.” Jax winked as he dipped the needles into dark ink and ran the first line of his heritage along the empty place on her arm.
“You are pretty tenacious.”
He dipped the needles again, keeping his focus. “Zander calls it being pig-headed, at least that’s what he said when I demanded he perform the Zvaz.”
He started for the ink again, but Nya put her hand over his. “I didn’t know. Why didn’t you tell me?”
Jax shrugged. “I didn’t want to pressure you or influence your decision. For this to work, you have to want me as much as I want you.”
She squeezed his hand before letting it go. “You really would have spent your life alone?”
Jax dipped the tip in ink, the machine buzzed to life as he curved another line. “I’ve been alone since I was eight.”
“Oh, Jax.”
He tucked a loose lock of her hair behind her ear, his gaze never leaving those lovely blue eyes, so filled with patience and understanding. She had looked at him that same way when he shared with her about his parents’ murder and the brutal way his uncle had raised him. They soothed him in a way nothing else ever had, and the past few days he’d found any excuse just to make eye contact.
She cleared her throat. “Well, you’re not alone anymore.”
He leaned in for a quick kiss. “When I built this cabin, I knew it would either serve as our home or be my sanctuary.”
“Can’t it be both?”
He grinned as he tore his gaze away from her face and started another line. “It can now.”
The machine droned on as he completed his mark.
Nya tilted her arm so she could see. “Looks good.”
“Yes, it does.” He sat back, and a sense of peace washed over him as he looked at his symbol, forever imprinted on her body. He cleaned the spot with a special solution before scooting closer. “One more and then it’s my turn.”
Nya closed her eyes and leaned back as he swiped a new cloth over the flesh guarding her heart. The machine buzzed to life again. “I’m so glad we’re doing this now.”
He smiled. “Me too.”
She concentrated on the music softly playing in the background as he continued inking, then wiping, over and over again.
“All right. I’m done. Take a look.”
She shook her head. “I want to wait until yours is done so we can see them together.”
Jax stood and helped her up. “Then it’s your turn.”
Nya changed the tip as he settled on the bed. She smiled as she rubbed cleaning solution across his chest and around his heritage mark. “Good thing I’ve practiced a thousand times growing up.”
Jax grinned. “I’m glad to hear it.”
She picked up the tool, dipping it in ink and then swirling the beginning of her design on his sternum. “I can’t believe you aren’t even flinching.”
“You kidding? You all over me while inking my skin? I’m in heaven.”
She switched inkpots and tips, and Jax kept his eyes on her, loving that she was so at ease without a stitch of clothes on. She scooted over, needing more room as she scrawled across his chest and around the mark on his arm. Finally, she sat back and wiped the ink and a little blood from the design.
Jax leaned up and kissed her before he stretched.
“One more.” She swiped the flesh over his heart with antiseptic.
“This one I’m looking forward to most of all.”
Nya grinned. “You say that now, but I’ve only sketched this design a few times.” She grabbed a felt marker and drew the image first, taking her time to get the lines just right. “I can’t believe you did your tattoo freehand.”
“I’ve been waiting for you for four years, Vtachi. I could do that tattoo in my sleep.”
Silence fell around them as she shaded in the design. Evening settled into night, and Jax kept still, watching that slight line appear between her brows as she concentrated on what she was doing.
“Okay.” The buzzing stopped as she sat up and stretched. “I think I’m done.”
“You think?” He smiled.
“Well, I’m not sure I got the bottom curve right. If you don’t like it, I can try and thicken the lines, or maybe add a shadow or something.�
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“I’m sure I’ll love it.” He held her hand as he stood. “No fixing anything.”
They shuffled from the bed, and Jax led her into their private bath.
He stood by the door. “You first.”
She stepped in front of the mirror, focusing on the tattoo centered over her heart.
“Oh, Jax. It’s beautiful.”
A small falcon soared in flight, its beak nipping at the tip of her lineage mark as if it had captured the ink midflight.
“The day I tracked you down, a Kestrel kept circling overhead, and it reminded me of you. You were smaller than me, yet fierce, a predator in your own right, and you were meant to soar—just like that Kestrel. But your past held you captive, and I wanted more than anything to set you free. I could only hope that you’d find your way back to me. That was the first time I called you Vtachi.”
Nya reached for him, pulling him into a hug. “I’ll always find my way back to you.”
Images of her, bloody and unconscious ran through his mind, and he pulled her closer. “God, I hope so.”
“Now it’s your turn.” She pulled away, but Jax kept hold of her hand, and together they stepped in front of the mirror.
He smiled at her heritage lacing across his chest and around his mark, but his eyes widened as he focused on the symbol over his heart. Centered in the middle of a triple-spired Dragon was the Scythian’s most sacred symbol, the Kedah. Rarely seen, the emblem encapsulated the very heart of love, it meant complete and utter respect and devotion. The original Amazon’s used the Kedah when their equal became more than a lover, more than a sire—more than a mate. It encapsulated the idea of a love so deeply ingrained that two souls became one.
“Vtachi,” Jax’s voice turned gruff. “I don’t know what to say.”
Nya’s eyes glittered as she wrapped her arm around his waist. “When I was trapped, and in pain with fire raging around me, I heard your voice, felt your presence. You were the reason I survived because we already have a connection most Scythians will never know. I look forward to creating an Intima bond with you.”
He picked her up and carried her to their bedroom. Jax settled her in the middle of the soft mattress before scooting off the bed. He stood, his eyes never leaving hers as he unbuttoned his jeans and slid them to the floor, taking his boxers with them.
The Scythian Trials Page 36