Table of Contents
Blood Doesn’t Decide
Copyright Acknowledgement
Trademarks Acknowledgment
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
About the Author
Blood Doesn’t Decide
Coalition Training Academy #2
Stephani Hecht
Copyright Acknowledgement
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
Copyright 2017 by Stephani Hecht
All rights reserved, including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form.
Published by
C&J Publishing
Cover Art by Kris Jacen
Editing by Kris Jacen
ebook format
Issued 2017
This book is licensed to the original purchaser only. Duplication or distribution via any means is illegal and a violation of International Copyright Law, subject to criminal prosecution and upon conviction, fines and/or imprisonment. This eBook cannot be legally loaned or given to others. No part of this eBook can be shared or reproduced without the express permission of the publisher.
Trademarks Acknowledgment
The author acknowledges the trademark status and trademark owners of the following wordmarks mentioned in this work of fiction:
Orange is the New Black: Lionsgate Television; Tilted Productions; Netflix
Pizza Hut: Pizza Hut, LLC
American Horror Story: 20th Century Fox Television; Ryan Murphy Productions; Brad Falchuk Teley-Vision
Hulk: DC Comics
Chapter One
It was late, so late it had actually become the early morning if one wanted to be technically correct. While that seemed to be a stupid thing to debate, it mattered a lot to Jax. He hadn’t been able to sleep at all, so each passing hour meant sixty more minutes of misery for him. He didn’t have any fantasies of drifting off anytime soon, either.
Jax sat up then turned so his feet were dangling off the edge of the mattress. He was so damn tired. He should be. This wasn’t his first night with little to no slumber. He did a quick calculation in his head and realized he’d had a combined eight hours of sleep over the past week.
He ran a hand through his hair. He needed to get a grip on the situation. If he didn’t, it would begin to affect his schoolwork. As it was, he already felt like a walking zombie. He idly wondered if he would ever be able to have a good night again or if it was possible to fall over dead from exhaustion.
Jax let out a sigh. He might as well go down to the cafeteria. They would have food out for the early, early breakfast rush. While his friends wouldn’t be there yet, some of the teachers would. Maybe being around some strong, capable soldiers would make him feel safe again.
He lightly scoffed, as if he would every truly feel that way. That had been torn from him a month ago when an Assassin had broken into the building and tried to kill Jax. The bastard had almost succeeded, too.
Jax stood then got dressed in his uniform. Once finished, he quietly left the dorm room. He tried to not resent his fellow classmates who were still asleep. They weren’t disturbed with nightmares and troubled thoughts like he was. How he wished he could be like that again.
No sense in pining for something that was never going to happen. The past couldn’t be changed. That was one thing Jax learned the hard way. It had been a brutal lesson for which he was nowhere near ready, but it had been forced on him, and he was going to have to learn a way to deal with it. At least he hoped he could, otherwise, he may soon become a full-fledged basket case. Then again, since he was seeing the head doctor, maybe he already was one.
When he walked into the cafeteria, he found it nearly deserted. It would appear he made it there before even the teachers. No biggie. The food was there, and that was all that mattered to Jax. He’d brought along his history textbook, so he could get some studying in. They had a test on Raven ancient politics later that day, and he wanted to do well on it.
He loaded his tray then looked around for a seat. When he saw Shane sitting alone, Jax hesitated. Shane was the Coalition’s lead Assassin. He was also scary as hell, yet on the other hand he was one of Jax’s best friend’s fathers so Jax felt like they had some connection.
Part of Jax yearned to sit as far away from Shane as possible, but Jax didn’t want to be rude. So, he stood there like an idiot, as if the answer would suddenly appear to him in form of a text or something.
Shane finally looked up. He locked gazes with Jax. Jax sucked in a breath. Oh, shit. Now what should he do? Then Shane made a beckoning gesture with his hand. He even pulled the chair out next to him.
“Well, I guess that decision was made for me,” Jax muttered under his breath.
He mustered up a smile then walked over to the table. He sat down, then ducked his head. He didn’t have anything to hide. Just bone-numbing fear. Sure, Shane had always been nice to Jax, but the guy was a trained killer, one who took out others at a regular basis. He also appeared to enjoy his job.
“How much sleep have you been getting?” Shane asked.
For a moment, Jax thought about lying, but he knew that wouldn’t be a good idea.
“About an hour or two each night,” he admitted, still not looking up.
“Have you been going to your shrink appointments?” Shane demanded.
“Yes, but Dr. North doesn’t like to be called that.”
Shane laughed. “I know. Why do you think I make a point to always slap that label on him?”
Jax frowned. “You don’t like him?”
“Actually, I consider him a good friend. I just like to give him a hard time. Is he helping you at all?”
“I guess. I just started going to him, so it’s hard to tell if it will work or not.” Jax shrugged.
“Don’t give up. Dr. North is good. If he can help me get through my issues, then he can help anybody.”
Jax sure hoped so. He was sick of being such an emotional mess. He just wanted things to go back to the way they were before the attack, where his only worries were if he would be able to keep up with his training and studies, not to the place where he was now. He was sick of always looking over his shoulder, always afraid another attacker would be coming for him.
“Have you had any luck finding my dad yet?” Jax asked.
“We have some leads. Don’t worry. We’ll get him, and then he’ll have to answer for putting that hit on you. I’ll make sure of that personally,” Shane promised, his eyes taking on a frightening glare.
Jax shivered. He should be happy to hear that, yet part of him didn’t want his dad to get hurt, which was stupid. After all, he’d tried to have Jax killed, all because Jax had refused to be the obedient son. It was such a trivial crime. Kids disappointed their parents all the time, but none of those adults tried to murder their kids because of it. To say his father had overreacted was a huge understatement.
“What are you going to do to him once you catch him?” Jax asked, a lump forming in his throat.
Even after all the shit his dad had done to him, Jax knew it was stupid and weak to not want him hurt, but there was a part of Jax that still cared for the man. Worse, he still craved his approval. Jax hated h
imself for that. He should be strong, wanting to have his revenge. After all, wouldn’t that be how a soldier would react? Yet Jax still had that childlike connection to his parents.
“What do you want to happen?” Shane asked, his eyes narrowing thoughtfully.
“Are you saying that it’s up to me to decide how he’s punished?”
The words came out more harshly than Jax intended. He didn’t want to be smart with any instructor, let alone the king of Assassins, but Jax couldn’t help it.
“No, I would never do that to you. You’re only fifteen, too young to be making such life-changing decisions like that.”
“I was the one who decided to join the Academy,” Jax argued. “That changed my life forever, so why should this be different?”
Secretly he was glad he didn’t have to dole out his dad’s punishment, but Shane’s reasoning seemed a bit skewed. Once Jax joined the Academy there had been no going back. He now lived there full time. It was his entire life. He lived, slept, and ate the place, but nobody had questioned him when he’d joined up.
“There’s a huge difference between deciding to be in the Academy and doling out your dad’s punishment. If you gave him a death sentence, it would haunt you for the rest of your life,” Shane said. “I don’t know what Ava told you about my past. I was sold to my master when I was just a baby. He wasn’t a very nice male, but he was the one who trained me to be what I am today. One day I got tired of his abuse, so I killed him.”
A jolt of shock went through Jax, which was stupid. He already knew Shane was a killer, yet it seemed so personal for him to murder the male who raised him, even if the guy had been mean.
Shane cleared his throat. “I’m going to tell you something I’ve only told my mate, so I would appreciate it if you promise not to tell anybody.”
“I won’t say a world. I swear.”
“It haunted me, killing him like that. Sure, he was a mean son of a bitch, but he was the only father I ever knew. I carried that guilt for a long time. It made me angry, and I did things I still regret. For a while, I even became the sadistic fucker he always wanted me to be.”
Jax stayed silent, unsure of how he should react. He just sat there like a dumb rabbit that had caught somebody staring at it, all stiff and wide-eyed. He was even sure his heart was beating a bit too fast.
“It wasn’t until I met Trevor I was finally able to break free of those demons. I like you Jax, not just because you’re such a good friend to my daughter, but because you’re a good kid. You have a pure heart, even after all the shit that’s been thrown your way. I don’t want you to end up like me,” Shane continued.
“I’m so sorry you had to go through that,” Jax said in a low voice. “I thought I had it bad, but you went through a lot worse. I can’t imagine having to be a slave all my childhood. It must have been awful.”
“Maybe someday when you’re older I’ll tell you more about it. Right now you have enough on your mind without worrying about me. I have Trevor for that.”
That made Jax wonder who he could turn to. He didn’t have any family left. His father wanted him dead. His mother was actually siding with the asshat. He used to have his grandfather, but he’d died a couple of years ago. Jax was left with a big, fat zero.
“As for you,” Shane said, reaching over to grab Jax’s hand. “You have all of us to worry about you. I’m not just saying that because you’re Ava’s friend, either. You’re a great student, and I know you’ll make for an excellent soldier. We’re lucky to have you.”
“Thanks,” Jax replied, too emotional to say anything else.
“Now, go,” Shane urged. “I see some of your friends are here. I’m sure you’d much rather be with them than the scary Assassin.”
Funny, a few moments ago, Jax would have agreed, yet Shane didn’t seem so terrifying anymore. He’d even managed to comfort Jax, something that hadn’t happened in the past week.
“Ava’s lucky to have you,” Jax said.
Shane smiled. “And she’s lucky to have you as a friend. Before you came along, nobody would even talk to her, much less hang around with her. She scared them. Not you, though. You saw her for who she actually was, and she’s so much happier now.”
“I guess you can say we saved each other. I didn’t have any real friends before her, either. Nobody wants to hang around with a scrawny, nerdy Lion.”
Shane cocked a brow. “Yet, you seem to be making a lot of buddies since you joined the Academy. Maybe all the jerks were sorted out when they decided to stay civilians instead of joining up like you did?”
Jax laughed. “It could be.”
“Go, have fun. Get into some trouble. Try not to study all the time.”
“Okay.”
Jax got up. He spotted Willow and Kira sitting nearby and joined them. They were older than him, but he already felt close to them, which was odd since that type of girl usually didn’t like Jax and not just because he was gay. They were both good looking and popular. Kira was Asian and had long, dark hair with purple streaks in it. Willow was tall, blonde and oozed self-confidence. Both were the type who instantly became popular. The fact they gave Jax a second look, let alone liked him, was a miracle in his book.
“What did Shane have to say?” Kira asked, her eyes going wide.
“Are you in trouble or something?” Willow added.
“No, he just wanted to see how I was doing,” Jax said.
He didn’t add all the stuff about Ava. She was his closest friend, and he would never betray her trust that way. Plus, he didn’t know if Shane would appreciate some of those details getting out. Shane had trusted him, and Jax wasn’t going to destroy that.
“What is he like?” Kira asked.
“He’s not bad at all. He’s actually really nice,” Jax replied.
“He’s an Assassin, though,” Willow said.
“Yeah, but that doesn’t make him evil. He’s just doing it to help the Coalition,” Jax said in a slightly defensive tone.
Willow held up her hands. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to be disrespectful. If you say he’s good, then I believe you. You’re a good judge of character. After all, you like us.”
Jax laughed. “Yes, I do. So, what are we going to do this weekend?”
They all belonged to the weekend club. Since they didn’t have any real home to go to at the end of the week, they all hung out together. The other two members, Erin and Ben, must have been sleeping in, which was kind of a good thing. Jax really didn’t feel like hearing their opinion of Shane.
“I was thinking we could binge the new season of Orange is the New Black,” Willow said. “I heard it’s really good.”
“I haven’t watched any season before,” Jax admitted.
Kira let out a gasp. “Oh, no. We’ll have to watch all of them, then. We can’t have you miss out on all that goodness. Sure, it may take two weekends, and we’ll have to go without sleep, but you’re worth it.”
Jax grinned. “I’d like that.”
“We have to order in pizza, too. Sure, the cafeteria has it, but I am dying to get some from Pizza Hut. I love their breadsticks,” Willow added.
“Yes!” Kira exclaimed. “That and tons of chips. I want to eat until I’m sick.”
“Don’t forget candy,” Jax added.
Kira playfully rolled her eyes. “How could we when you’re involved? We all know what a sweet tooth you have.”
“Yes.” Willow pinched his cheek. “Are you sure you’re not part Sugar Glider shifter?”
“Wait,” Jax said. “There are actually Sugar Gliders?”
“You still have so much to learn.” Willow laughed.
“I heard they have two Sugar Gliders at the Assassin Loyalty. If you want, maybe we can take a field trip to their headquarters,” Kira added.
Jax shook his head. “A place that’s full of Assassins? No thank you. I just learned how to talk to Shane. I don’t think I’m ready for that big of a leap.”
They got back to eating. Jax
allowed himself to relax a bit. It looked as if things were finally getting back to normal—well…as normal as things could be when one was in the Academy.
Chapter Two
“I am so hungry,” Philip groaned as he put a hand to his stomach.
Jax shook his head at the Jaguar. “Maybe you should learn to get up early so you can go to breakfast with me.”
“That would mean I have to shag my butt out of bed an hour sooner. No thank you,” Philip shot back.
They were standing in the hall, getting ready to go to morning classes. Ava and Philip’s twin, Alvus, were still getting dressed, so Jax decided to take advantage of their moment of semi-privacy.
“How is Alvus doing?” Jax asked.
“Fine. His head doesn’t hurt him at all anymore, just the same as the past two weeks when you’ve asked me that.”
“Is he…mad at me?” Jax hedged.
Philip shot him a confused expression. “Why would he be?”
“Well, I’m the entire reason he got hit in the skull in the first place. The Assassin was trying to get to me, not him. Plus, we had that huge argument before everything went down.”
“Didn’t you guys already make up?” Philip asked. “After all, you shared a room in the infirmary while you were both recovering. Plus, it’s been a whole month since everything happened. I would have thought you would have hashed this all out with him already.”
“He said everything was okay, but I don’t know if he was just saying that to make me feel better.”
“We both know my brother is painfully blunt. If he had an issue with you, then you’d know.”
“Are you sure?” Jax pressed.
“Yes, now stop beating yourself up over it. Everybody knows it’s your father’s fault. Nobody hates you for it.”
Jax really hoped that was the case. He liked Alvus and didn’t want to see his friendship ruined because of his dad’s stupidity. Alvus had even been taking time out to help Jax with the physical part of his training, before everything had gone to crap. Since Jax needed all the help he could get in that area, he really valued it.
Blood Doesn't Decide (Coalition Training Academy Book 2) Page 1