by Kym Grosso
“I’ll push you further,” Jax responded. Katrina may not have been with many others but he suspected his little wolf enjoyed experimenting as much as he did.
“Seeing you with that other woman tonight…I’m hanging on by a thread. We need to find answers, because, Jax,” her eyes fell, sorrow washing across her face, “I almost lost control tonight and bit you.”
“It’s natural. She wants to claim her Alpha. I know it took a little lesson to get you there, but…” His cock hardened as he recalled how she’d screamed his name as he slammed into her pussy.
“No, Jax. Not just mark you. My wolf…she wants your blood…to complete the bond.”
Jax smiled, his chest tightening with emotion at her statement. Their connection grew stronger, weaving itself together. The way she’d protested bonding, he hadn’t considered how strongly the instinct to mate would affect her. She’d restrained her beast for too long, denying it the craving it sought.
“I keep going back to this, Kat. And I know it’s hard for you to just blindly trust me, but you have to learn, or at least try.” Katrina flashed her eyes at him, her cheeks still flushed from lovemaking. Jax cupped her chin, tracing his thumb under her swollen lower lip. “I wasn’t fooling around when I told you about instincts. It’s one of the benefits of being an Alpha. The chemistry involved in mating is strong, and I’d be naïve to think it isn’t influencing my desire to keep you in my life. I know what these things told you, but I don’t want you to be afraid of mating, completing the bond. I’m telling you, when I’m around you, I’ve never felt stronger in my life. Whatever power or energy you’re getting from me, I don’t know…maybe it’s just that we somehow are working together. But the longer you hold off on marking me, the harder it will be for you. It’s natural that your wolf is not just going to want to mark me, but bond with me. But no matter how I feel about this, I’m not going to force you. Your wolf, on the other hand, she may have the last word.”
“I want to believe you. To have a chance at a life with you? To be mated? You don’t know how many times I had to stop myself from dreaming about it. It just hurts too much.”
“It’s okay to dream, baby.” Jax leaned toward Katrina. His eyes went to her lips and then met her gaze. Every second he spent with her, he grew more determined that he needed her in his life. “We’re going to find answers in New Orleans. If I have to search every inch of this earth to find that damn witch, I will.”
She gave him a small smile, and it was enough to tell him that a seed of hope had been planted. Trust would come in time and so would her submission to their mating. If he could keep them both alive and destroy the evil that came for them, they’d have a future together.
Jax peered up at the once majestic Garden District mansion. The clean slate staircase had been obscured by overgrown Oleander hedges. Although it had been nearly two months since Ilsbeth had gone missing, the coven home had quickly fallen into disrepair. The enormous pentagram perched above the main entrance was draped in fine white webbing. It was as if death itself emanated from the house.
Jax had crossed paths with the infamous witch a few times over the years. He’d been wise not to ask for any favors, aware that she always expected a greater one in return. Over the years Ilsbeth had grown powerful, establishing her influential coven. Until recently, the witch had been relatively benevolent to most creatures. However, her bitter jealousy led to dark magick and lies. Believing she was deeply in love with Dimitri, she’d become convinced that if he was no longer a wolf, he’d never mate. The despicable act had nearly cost Dimitri his life.
Jax called Logan on the flight down to New Orleans. Rumors of shape shifters had twisted through supernatural circles but no one had actually claimed to have seen one. Although Dimitri and Gillian had insisted on coming with him to Ilsbeth’s home, he’d refused, and had sought Logan’s order to keep them at home. Whatever information Jax sought was his responsibility alone. He would not risk the life of his sister and her mate.
Luca stood waiting on their arrival. His wife, Samantha, who belonged to Ilsbeth’s coven, had agreed to assist them in their search for the manipulative sorceress.
A squeeze to his hand brought his focus to Katrina. She gave him a warm smile, and crossed her long slender legs. Tucking a stray hair into her casual bun, she removed the sunglasses that had been pushed up onto her head. He inwardly laughed, thinking about how ridiculous it was that they were about to go into a dangerous situation and all he could think about was fucking his mate. Her black cotton dress rode up her thigh tempting him further, and he reasoned he’d be lucky if he didn’t bond with her before the week was through.
His eyes darted to Jake, who watched them in the rearview mirror. The car came to a stop and he turned his attention back to his little wolf.
“You ready to do this?”
“I think so. I know I’m ready to get answers, that’s for sure.” Her eyes lit up as she caught sight of Luca and Samantha. “They’re here.”
“Gilly wanted to come but there was no way I was letting her get hurt. Not after last time,” he told her, his focus distracted by the vampire.
Jax observed Luca’s expression. The corners of his mouth had been drawn tight with tension. He didn’t blame him for not wanting to be in the middle of witchcraft central. But Jax suspected that the vampire’s cool demeanor had more to do with his presence.
“Hey, are you going to be okay?” Her voice softened as she ran her hand over Jax’s cheek.
“Yes.” Jax buried his emotions, taking notice as Katrina smiled at Luca through the glass.
Although she’d told him about their relationship, their silent interaction gnawed at his gut. This man had been with his mate, tasted of her blood. Until Katrina, he’d never been possessive of a woman. He didn’t want to ask, but couldn’t stop the question before it left his lips. “Are you and Luca still good friends?”
“Well, yes, somewhat, but he’s…” The engine cut off, and Katrina was silenced as the door swung open, and a large masculine hand reached to assist her.
“You don’t know how to stay out of trouble, do you?” a deep Australian accent asked.
Jax tensed as she exited, falling into the arms of the imposing vampire. He exchanged glances with a petite redheaded woman who was burgeoning with child. Katrina, as if realizing her actions, broke free of the embrace and extended a hand to the witch.
“Samantha. You look beautiful.”
“Thank you.” Samantha smiled warmly.
“Luca. Samantha. This is Jax Chandler.” Katrina hesitated and looked up into his eyes. “My mate.”
“Oh my. Congratulations,” Samantha exclaimed.
“When I heard you were coming, and with who,” Luca said, his tone serious, “I know you’ve wanted this, but Kat, are you sure? Did you complete the bond?”
“Luca,” Samantha reprimanded him, a gentle slap to his arm. “What kind of question is that? They’re wolves. I may not have been around very long but even I know how it works. They have no choice.”
“Not true,” Jake interjected.
“Jake.” Luca nodded.
“It’s so good to see you again.” Samantha took his hand in hers and gave it a squeeze.
“Hey, Luca. I’d say it’s nice to see you…but yeah, I know you’re not exactly a fan. No offense, Sam, but the big guy here can be a bit…particular.”
Samantha and Katrina laughed in response.
“What you call particular, I call civilized. Stripping off my clothes and turning into an animal for fun? Let me just say I can think of a hundred other things I’d like to do.” Luca sniffed.
“As I was saying,” Jake continued, ignoring the cantankerous vampire. “Although wolves are given a mate, the ultimate choice is ours and ours alone. Should we choose to ignore fate, it’s painful, nearly impossible, but it can be done. That being said, I’ve known a few wolves who managed to refuse the mating. Wasn’t pretty.”
“Sometimes we learn through pain,�
�� Luca commented, giving Jax a hard stare.
“It’s none of your concern,” the Alpha replied.
“That’s where you’re wrong. You listen to me, Kat here is my…”
“Luca, please.” Katrina placed her hand onto his arm and kept her voice soft. “So many years. Goddess knows I wouldn’t be here without you, but you must let us try. You know what I did was wrong.”
“You survived. How is that wrong? Jesus, we both lied to Tristan.”
“We didn’t lie. Granted, we could have tried to tell him otherwise. But you and I both know that Tristan never liked Jax. My brother’s smart. It’s possible he even knew the rumors weren’t true, and thought it best that I stay away from him for other reasons. Tristan knew and we both knew that sending me to New Orleans was the right decision at the time. What’s done is done.”
“Maybe you’re right, but you and I…”
“This isn’t the place to talk about this.” Katrina’s eyes went to Samantha, who gave her a sympathetic smile. “We don’t need to rehash history.”
“Samantha knows everything. There’re no secrets between us.” Luca glared at Jax. “Can you say the same about you and the wolf?”
“It’s not that simple. You know that it’s not. Jax and I have only been together a few days.” Katrina closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Opening them, she pinned her eyes on Luca. “I love you, you know that, right?”
“Yeah,” he agreed with a heavy sigh.
“I’ve been alone forever. You need to let me have this.” Katrina’s voice wavered as moisture brimmed her eyes. “As much as I tried to deny what’s going on between Jax and me to protect him, it’s simple, I don’t want to anymore. I want him in my life. Every second I’m with Jax, I’m more convinced that he’s the only one who can save me. These things are trying to kill me. It’s not just about them stealing my magick. This is about my life. Please understand,” she begged.
“The bottom line here is that you have no say in our relationship. Discussion’s over,” Jax interrupted, glaring at Luca. He didn’t wish to hurt him, especially considering he was expecting a child, but neither would he tolerate another male interfering with their bond. Without giving him time to argue further, he took Katrina’s hand in his and stepped toward the mansion. “Let’s get going. We need to get in the house. Samantha? Did you open up the wards?”
“I removed them temporarily. But once you leave, you won’t be able to get back in the house. The wards will go back in place, and it’ll be locked up,” Samantha warned.
“Wasn’t this a coven house?” Katrina asked, glancing up to the huge stone mansion. “Where are all the witches?”
Samantha’s gaze went to Luca. He nodded and she turned her attention back to Jax and Katrina.
“After Ilsbeth disappeared, there was a bit of infighting. There’s another house in the French Quarter. It’s where I trained. This place,” Samantha gestured to the porch, “this was Ilsbeth’s home. She held parties here for special occasions and holidays. She usually only let a couple of others stay with her.”
“So you just closed it up?” Jax asked. “Has anyone else been inside?”
“Not exactly. There’s a warlock. He’s taken over.”
“Goes by the name of Mick Germaine,” Luca added.
“He asked me to set wards to keep others out. I figured since this belonged to Ilsbeth, it was the right thing to do.”
“I can’t imagine the other witches are happy about that,” Jax speculated.
“Well, yes, some weren’t pleased. But they had no choice. Mick…he’s very powerful.” Samantha nervously stroked a hand over her belly as Luca wrapped a protective arm around her.
“A few of the witches still live in the Quarter but most have moved out of the city. Mick’s got a setup there.” Luca hesitated, his eyes darted to the mother of his child and back to Jax. “Look, I’m not saying the guy’s evil, but you should know he’s being watched. Kade and I keep tabs on him.”
“I try to stay away from the conflict. Negativity isn’t good for the baby. She needs peace,” Samantha told them.
“When are you due?” Jax asked. He caught a glint of pain in Katrina’s eyes, and he took note to explore that further.
“This month. Any day.” She laughed. “Honestly not many people know vampires who’ve had children. So we’re kind of playing this by ear.”
“Anything else we should know about this place?”
“I’d go in with you but…” Samantha shrugged.
“No way,” Luca growled.
“Thank you for doing this.” Katrina smiled. “We really appreciate you coming today, helping us.”
“I’m glad to help.” Samantha reached for Katrina’s palm. Her eyes widened as she wrapped her fingers around her hand. She gasped, refusing to release Katrina. “What happened to you?”
“Oh God…let me go. I don’t want to hurt you.” Katrina’s voice rose with panic as Samantha’s grip tightened.
“What the hell?” Luca grabbed both of their wrists and attempted to separate them, but Samantha held up a silencing hand.
“No. I’m fine. Leave me be.”
Jax rushed behind Katrina, and slid his hands around her waist. The irises of Samantha’s eyes swirled in shades of silver and he grew concerned that whatever had taken Katrina was hurting the witch.
“Your magick…it’s not like a wolf. No, no, no…how can this be?” Samantha sucked a deep breath and blew it out.
“I…they did something to me,” Katrina admitted softly. As Samantha released her arm, she snapped it into her chest. “Did I hurt you?”
“No, not at all. But Kat…I’ve never felt anything like you. You’re almost like a…but no…that can’t be.” She shook her head in confusion.
“Almost like a what?” Jax asked.
“Her magick, it’s so strong. But not like a wolf. Whatever these things are doing…they’re changing you. Your hair.” Samantha brushed her hand over Katrina’s head. “This isn’t of your doing.”
“No. The last time…well, if Luca told you everything, you know…they’re taking my magick. Once it comes back, they take me again. Something about this last time. I don’t know. It felt different. I didn’t recognize Jax. I didn’t know who I was.”
“I think it’s best we let you look through the house.” Samantha slowly backed away from Katrina, holding onto Luca. “I’ve got to go call Mick and let him know you’re here.”
Jax studied the witch, aware she’d sensed something about Katrina that frightened her. It worried him that she’d suggested his mate was anything other than wolf. Aside from the incident in the woods, her difficulty shifting, she’d been stronger than ever. With his mark on her skin, even her scent grew more like his. Despite his desire to ignore the witch, deny her suspicion, instinct told him that she had no motive to lie. He glanced over to Jake, who scrubbed his chin in worry, and he knew he wasn’t alone in his thoughts.
Luca and Samantha gave them a parting wave before they settled into their car, and Jax’s attention went to Katrina, who appeared preoccupied.
“You sure you want to do this?” he asked, gently brushing his hand over the small of her back. “You don’t need to go in. Jake and I can handle this.”
“No.” She took a deep breath and exhaled. Driving her fingers into the back of her hair, she grimaced. “Samantha knew something just now. Don’t tell me you didn’t believe her, either. I don’t know what the hell’s going on but I’ll be damned if I’m going to lie back and take this shit. No way. If Ilsbeth sent Quintus to that prison, she had to have known something. She’s tied in with these things. She fed him to them. We have to find her and make her tell us what she knows.”
“Let’s do this, then.” Jax weaved his fingers into hers and brought the back of her hands to his lips.
As they made their way up the stairs, Jax prayed like hell there weren’t any surprises inside Ilsbeth’s funhouse. He wrapped his fingers around the cold metal door knob, th
e loud click confirming the home was unlocked. Jake flanked Katrina and pushed the door wide open.
The musty air rushed outside, causing them to cover their noses with their hands. A streak of light shone through the doorway, illuminating dancing specks of dust that swirled in its stream. Jax reached for Katrina as she rushed to enter, but she slipped through his fingertips. Both he and Jake followed in after her, but stopped dead in their tracks. The loud screech forced them to put their hands over their ears. Jax wore a confused expression as he glanced to Jake, who shrugged in response.
“Do you hear it?” Katrina asked. She spun in a circle, her hands outward as if she was catching the luminous rays. “It’s beautiful.”
Chapter Fourteen
Katrina’s magick ruptured, flowing through her fingertips as the classical music filled her chest. She twirled in the midst of the symphony around her. Caught up in the wave, she reveled in the cacophony.
“Where is it coming from?” she yelled. Katrina turned to find both Jax and Jake on their knees, holding their palms over their ears. They grunted, doubled over as the music grew louder.
Katrina couldn’t fathom why the concerto wasn’t affecting her in kind. Her wolf threatened to shift as her mate agonized on the floor, and she attempted to calm her own magick. Closing her eyes, she concentrated, absorbing the harmonic tones. The sweet melody continued and she suspected that Ilsbeth had set a spell. A scream tore out of her lungs, calling on the witch who had set the trap. “Stop it, now!”
“Holy shit,” Jax exclaimed.
“Fuck me.” Racked with dizziness, Jake tumbled over, and the Alpha caught him in his arms.
“Jax! Are you okay?” Katrina knelt and put a hand to Jax’s forehead, his skin heating her palm.
“Yeah, but he doesn’t look too good. What did you do?” Jax coughed and inspected Jake’s eyes.
“I didn’t do anything. I think it was a spell or something. It was…it sounded magnificent.”