He turned toward his team as they entered the room after they finished sweeping the rest of the building and howled again, baring his teeth. Angel stopped just inside, looking around, her jaw clenched tightly. “Where’s Jinx?” Jaxson froze, his gaze following Angel’s. “Where’s my son?”
“He went with Ebony,” Jeremiah said, his large presence filling the room behind the others. “Slipped out through a hidden panel in the connecting room. She didn’t give him a choice.”
“I heard,” Angel whispered, shaking her head as her eyes misted over with tears. “I was just hoping I was wrong.”
Jaxson let out one more loud howl, this one more of misery as he realized his friend, the one reason he’d managed to get close to the man who had hurt his mate, was gone. Shifting, his chest heaving as he struggled to catch his breath, he snarled, “We’ll get him back, Angel. He’s family. He’s coming home.”
“Not right now,” Jeremiah said quietly. “You need to understand that everything has changed. Yes, you took out the General, but you just put into effect something I have been trying to prevent for months. Something even worse than the General’s reign of terror.”
“What the hell are you talking about, Jeremiah?” Angel demanded, glaring at him. “We’ve been looking for you, you asshole! You’ve been avoiding us!”
Angel was mad as hell, but it didn’t seem to affect the bear. He nodded, glancing down at where the General lay at his feet. “Yes, I have.” Sighing, he raked a hand through his hair and shook his head. “Do you really think I want to be away from my mate like this? She’s my fucking world. But with the General gone, you’ve just placed someone even worse in charge.”
“Who?” Angel demanded.
Jaxson silently accepted a pair of jogging pants from Nico, slipping them on as he watched the exchange. Had he fucked up? “Ebony shot the General,” he said, bringing the bear’s attention to him. “There’s a good chance he would have died anyway.”
“Ebony has been pulling the General’s strings for a long time,” Jeremiah told them. “She’s the one who really decides who comes and goes, who lives or dies. And now, she’s just moved up into his place, somewhere she’s always wanted to be, but hadn’t yet had the opportunity to snatch for herself. If you think the General was bad, she’s ten times worse.”
“Fuck,” Nico growled, slamming his fist into the wall next to him. “We are fighting an uphill battle, aren’t we?”
“Always,” Jeremiah said, turning away.
“Jeremiah, you need to come back with us,” Angel said, stepping toward him. “Rikki needs you.”
Jeremiah hung his head, then rasped, “I can’t, Angel. There is more at stake here than Rikki and I.”
“She’s in the hospital, Jeremiah. The General’s men almost killed her. She’s been in a coma for months.”
A loud roar ripped from the bear’s throat, and his claws shot through his fingertips.
“She won’t wake up. She needs you.”
“Is she…is she in pain?” Jeremiah demanded, his powerful shoulders shaking.
“No, not right now,” Angel admitted. “The doctor says she is in a healing sleep.” When Jeremiah didn’t respond, Angel took a step closer. “Jeremiah, I think if you were there, she would wake up. Please, come home.”
“Stop!” he ordered, holding up his hand, not looking at them. “I can’t come back. Not yet. That’s final. Please, take care of my mate until I can.”
Jaxson watched the man walk away from them, his shoulders slumped, the scent of his pain nearly suffocating them.
“He loves her so much,” Storm said, her eyes wide in wonder. “I don’t understand why he won’t go home to her.”
“He is staying for the same reason my son does,” Steele told her, reaching over to lace his fingers through hers. “As much as he loves Rikki, she’s safe right now, while so many others aren’t. They are trying to stop an all-out war.”
Angel nodded, sliding her Glock back into its holster as she went to leave the room, motioning them to follow. “Yes, and they need our help. So, instead of standing around talking, let’s get our asses home and start planning.”
“I think we may have another problem, Angel.”
Angel glanced back at Bane raising an eyebrow. “What?”
Inhaling deeply, he said, “I am assuming the scents in the room that I don’t know are the General’s and Ebony’s, correct? There are no others?”
“Yes,” she said, her eyes narrowing in confusion. “What’s going on, Bane?’
“When we rescued Raven, I picked up two scents there.”
“Ebony and Amber.”
“One was my mate.”
“Fuck,” Jaxson drawled, his eyes widening as understanding dawned. “Please, tell me that bitch Ebony is not your mate.”
Bane slowly shook his head, his dark eyes clouding with pain. “No, she’s not, which means Amber is.”
“Oh no!” Sapphire gasped through the comms. “She’s the one that’s missing.”
“Fuck,” Jaxson growled, his heart going out to the man. “We’ll find her, Bane.”
Bane didn’t reply. He just left the room, walking down the hall ahead of them.
“I refuse to lose anyone else to that son of a bitch or his daughter,” Jaxson snarled. “We will find her, Bane. I promise you that.”
Bane paused, his shoulders stiffening, and then he looked back. His eyes were a swirling mixture of dark brown and yellow, his fangs bared, as he growled, “Yes, we will.”
20
Raven sat on the edge of the bed, her head bowed, her arms wrapped tightly around one of Jaxson’s pillows. Inhaling deeply, she breathed his scent, letting it flow through her body. Tears filled her eyes, slowly sliding down her cheeks. She knew he was safe, knew he was on his way home to her, but she’d been so terrified that she had sent him to his death. Her mind was going crazy with different scenarios that could have happened, even though she knew what had taken place, but she couldn’t seem to stop it. She needed him home. Needed him to hold her and tell her everything was going to be okay.
Inhaling deeply again, a soft sob slipped out. She shoved her face into the pillow, hoping no one in the other room would hear her. Even with the threat from the General eliminated, they had all refused to leave until Jaxson came home to her.
“Raven?” She heard her sister’s voice, but just buried her head deeper into the pillow, feeling so weak and powerless. What had happened to her? How had she become so spineless? “It’s going to be all right, Sis,” Rubi promised, sitting down next to her. “Jaxson’s plane landed a while ago. He will be here soon.” Raven felt an arm slip around her, and then Rubi leaned her head on her shoulder. “I’ve missed you so much, Raven. I am so sorry.”
“I’ve missed you, too,” she mumbled into the pillow.
“I hate them so much for what they did to you,” Rubi whispered. “Sometimes, at night, I think about our parents’ part in everything, and I want them to suffer like you did. Worse than you did.”
Raven slowly raised her head and leaned it against the top of her sister’s.
“Does that make me a horrible person?” Rubi asked, swiping at the tears that ran down her cheeks.
“If it does, then it makes me one, too,” Raven confessed quietly. “I’ve felt that way since the very beginning.”
“You knew what our parents did?”
“Yes,” Raven replied, staring into the darkness of the bedroom. “Perez used to gloat about it. He thought it was funny that he could get someone to sell off their own child.”
“Oh, Raven.” She heard the sorrow in her sister’s voice and realized Rubi had suffered just as much as she had, only in a different way. “I wish it would have been me,” Rubi cried. “Every night I asked myself why they took you and not me. I would have gladly gone through all of it for you, Raven.”
And she would have. Raven didn’t need to scent the truth to know how Rubi felt. The bond they had was strong, stronger than m
ost siblings. Not only that, but she’d heard what Rubi said the other day, offering herself to the General in Raven’s place. “I have no idea why things turned out the way they did, Rubi, but I’m glad I was the one who was taken and not you.”
“You are?” Rubi sniffled. “Why?”
“Two reasons. First of all, I love you so much, and the thought of you out there somewhere, alone and defenseless, would have killed me.”
“It almost did me,” Rubi admitted. “I started training harder. I went to the warrior grounds every single day, and they let me. They helped me hone my skills and promised to help me rescue you if I ever found you, but none of them would believe me when I told them Dad and Mom sold you. That’s when I found out they had already talked to Dad, and he had them convinced that I was going insane because you were missing. Which meant they were just catering to me.” Rubi shrugged. “I didn’t care at that point. They were still training me, and that was all that mattered. Even if they didn’t help me when I found you, I was going to be able to rescue you myself.”
“You would have, too,” Raven said, sitting the pillow aside and reaching over to capture Rubi’s hand in her own. “I have no doubt you would have saved me.”
“What was your other reason?”
“What?”
“You said there were two reasons you were glad it was you who was taken and not me?”
Raven laughed, squeezing her sister’s hand gently. “Fate has a funny way of working things out sometimes.”
“Yeah?”
“I met Jaxson,” Raven whispered, a slow smile spreading across her lips. “That might not have happened if I wasn’t taken by Perez’s men. I went through hell for over a year, first with Perez, and then the General, but I would do it all again for that man. He’s my world.”
“As you are mine, sweet mate.”
Raven’s heart jumped at Jaxson’s words, her lips parting in a surprised gasp as she sprang from the bed. “You’re home!”
Rubi laughed, rising and giving Raven a quick hug. “I love you, Raven,” she said, running a hand gently down Raven’s hair. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Love you, too,” Raven said, her gaze never leaving Jaxson’s. He was home. Safe.
The minute Rubi was out of the room, the door clicking shut quietly behind her, Raven closed the distance between them and wrapped her arms around his neck, clinging to him tightly. “I was so worried.”
“I’m right here, baby. Nothing to worry about.”
Tugging on his hand, she guided him over to the bed. “Sit.”
A low growl slid up his throat at her order, but he did as she said.
Kneeling in front of him, Raven began to untie his shoelaces. “Tell me what happened.” She’d been given a quick rundown, but wanted details.
She listened carefully to his story as she slipped his shoes off, his socks following, pausing to interrupt him when he was only partway through. “I don’t understand. Who’s Jeremiah?”
Standing, Raven grasped his tee shirt and slid it up over his head, her eyes going hungrily to his bare skin.
“He’s Rikki’s mate.”
“Rikki?” Her brow furrowed as she tried to remember where she’d heard that name. She gasped when it came to her. “Your teammate who’s in the hospital? Jade told me about her. Is she going to be okay? And what is Jeremiah doing with the General if he’s Rikki’s mate?”
Unable to resist, Raven reached out and traced her fingers from his collarbone down the middle of his chest to his abdominal muscles. A low groan slipped from Jaxson’s lips, and he caught her hand in his. “You want the story or me, mate? You can’t have both right now. I don’t have the control.”
That was an easy question to answer. “You.”
Her eyes widened when she saw his gaze go wolf, and then his claws were slicing through the front of her shirt. She stood still as he went for her pants next, ridding her of her bra and underwear just as quickly. She stood naked before him in mere seconds, breathing heavily as her body strummed with excitement.
“You have too many clothes on,” she panted, her mouth watering as she watched his hands go to the snap of his jeans. “Mine!” she snarled, swatting his hands away and letting her own claws come out to play.
“Shit! Raven!”
A slow, sensual smile crossed her face as she ran the tip of one claw over his chest, slowly circling his beaded nipple before going to the other one. Leaning over, she licked at his nipple, biting down gently.
“Raven!” He hollered her name as his body jumped. “Baby, please.”
Ignoring him, she took her time, licking her way slowly down his treasure trail, sucking and nibbling along the way. Running the back of her claw over his fully erect cock, she growled in satisfaction as he arched into her. Sliding one of the sharp claws under the waistband on the side of his jeans, she ripped them open, easily tearing the cloth apart. Soon, she had the denim stripped away, but instead of taking him into her mouth the way she wanted to, she crawled up his body, her knees on the bed as she straddled his hips. “I want you inside me.”
“Hell yeah!”
When he would have grabbed her hips, she growled in warning, showing her fangs, wanting him to know she was in charge.
“Ah, shit, Raven. You don’t know how much that turns me on.”
She reached down and grasped his cock, and then slowly guided it to where she wanted him. At first, she just let the hard, velvety tip inside of her, then she slowly began to lower herself down on him.
“Raven,” he groaned, bucking his hips up into her. “You’re so tight, baby. So hot, wet.”
She let him move at first, then tightened her thighs, holding his hips still. His eyes darkened, and he threw his head back, his mouth open, his fangs long and large as he tried to push deeper into her. She wanted to feel them sink in her skin. Needed him to claim her again. But first, she was going to claim him.
Raven began to move, slowly at first, loving the growls and groans coming from her mate. He brought his hands up to rest them on her hips, but didn’t try to take over when she growled in warning. She wanted to be in charge. Needed to be.
“Raven. Move, dammit!”
Her eyes glued to where she’d left her mate bite on Jaxson’s shoulder, then ground down on his hard erection, beginning to move faster and faster. She felt her beast come closer to the surface and watched as a layer of fire flowed over her body, matching the one burning inside of her. “Won’t hurt you,” she gasped, as it slid over her skin to his.
“I know,” he rasped around his fangs. “Didn’t hurt last time.”
“Our fire never hurts our mates.”
Jaxson tightened his hold on Raven’s hips and thrust deep, his body shuddering. “I’m so close, Raven!”
So was she. Knowing she wasn’t going to last much longer, Raven opened her mouth, lowered her head, and sank her teeth deep into Jaxson’s skin, loving the way he shouted as he began to pulse deep inside her. Finding his own mate mark, he bit down, and she splintered apart on top of him.
“So, Jeremiah refused to come back?”
“Yeah,” Jaxson growled, anger filling him at the thought of Jeremiah leaving his mate alone. “Angel says it’s because he is trying to stop a war, but I don’t understand, Raven. If you were in trouble, there isn’t anything out there that could keep me from you.”
“That’s just it, my love,” she whispered, tracing her fingers over his temple, and then moving down to cup his jaw in her hand. “Rikki isn’t in trouble right now. You said yourself the doctor said she seems to be in a healing sleep.”
“Yes, but…”
“Jaxson, Rikki is safe. She’s here, with us, and Jeremiah knows we are her family. We will take care of her while he is out there doing everything he can to prevent any more harm from coming her way.”
Jaxson nodded, even though he was still pissed. “Yeah, we will.”
“From what you’ve said, it sounds like he loves Rikki very much.”
“Then, all we can do is respect his wishes and watch over his mate that he has trusted in our care.”
Sighing, Jaxson held Raven close. “How did you get to be so smart?”
Raven giggled, kissing him on the cheek. “Don’t tell my brother, but he might have had a hand in it.”
Jaxson threw his head back and laughed. “No way in hell will I tell that arrogant dragon anything you just said. He’s hard enough to live with now as it is.”
“Isn’t he wonderful?” Raven whispered, snuggling close.
“Yes, he is, baby.”
“Jaxson?”
“Yeah?”
“Do you think Amber is alive?” He heard the catch in his mate’s voice, and it tore him up knowing how much his answer meant to her right now. Unfortunately, he would always be honest with her, and he couldn’t give her the one he knew she wanted to hear.
“I don’t know, Raven. Ebony has her locked up tight somewhere, and no matter how hard we try, we haven’t been able to find her.”
“That’s what you’ve been doing when you go to your meetings with the team,” Raven realized.
“Yes,” he said. “I didn’t tell you because I didn’t want to get your hopes up.”
“You haven’t found anything at all?”
“No, we haven’t, but we won’t stop trying.”
“Thank you,” she whispered quietly, tracing a circle pattern on his chest. “She’s done so much for me, Jaxson. She’s my best friend, like a sister to me. I can’t stand the thought of her going through the things I did.”
Lowering his head, he closed his eyes and inhaled her scent deeply. “You know what you mean to me, Raven?”
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