by Billi Jean
“Uh, not paw, and no, different hand.”
“Smartass,” he whispered against her soft fur. She nuzzled his jaw, but he could tell she was anxious and tired. She’d missed two risings, he realised. She had to be exhausted, yet she’d stayed awake throughout both. Settling her more firmly in his arms, he looked at Viktor’s expectant wolf face. “I have to let her bleed once more then give her more blood, that’s where you come in. Either me, or her.”
Viktor snorted, shook his head, then finally nudged Joey, gently Jax noticed, and nodded with exaggerated movements of his head.
“Fine, then. But I’ll have to cut your throat.” He laughed at the look he got from the wolf. “And when we get that collar off, you can tell everyone all about it over bottles of that nasty vodka you try to push on everyone.”
“You like him.”
“He’s a good man. He saved our lives.”
“He did, didn’t he?”
After three more drains, Joey sighed that she thought that would do it. Jaxon tried not to panic, but when nothing happened, when she remained a small, if not beautiful, wildcat, he shook her shoulder lightly.
“I thought this would work!”
Viktor lay nearby, recovering from the blood loss with a wild hare the changelings had brought him. The other wolf was sleeping, he guessed. Both Lykae had donated, and for that, he owed them a huge debt.
The changelings seemed to grow tense around him, and in his arms, Joey started to stir.
“Oh, shit, I can’t quite remember what I looked like!”
“What? How is that fuckin’ possible? Here, just remember your body, how it felt, what it looked like. It’s like stealing all those things, darlin’. You simply will it so. Fix an image of you firmly in your mind and will it. Or use my image of you.”
She concentrated on him, and through their bond, he sensed only the lightest touch of her mind to his. He grinned, and rubbed her back when she thought to him, “Well, your image of me is nice, my love, I think I’ll use that, but I don’t think you should focus on my breasts so much, huh?”
“Those are my breasts. Make sure you get them right.”
“Jaxon!”
“Shift, damn it! Now!”
In his arms, she shivered, then slowly grew lightweight and before he could panic, she was in his arms, hugging him tight and crying. Naked, he realised after only a second. “Shit, you’re naked!”
Clothes appeared on her, but she didn’t stop crying and he held her, unable to stop the flow of his own tears from screwing with him. “I thought I’d lost you. I couldn’t fucking think of it, but it was there, always there.”
“I’m so glad you didn’t. I’m so glad you did what I asked. I’m sorry I had to ask you to do that, Jaxon, I really am. If that woman is still around, I can kill her for you if you like.”
“I already did, wildcat.”
“Oh, Jaxon!” She hugged him harder, and the tears she’d managed to slow grew again until he feared she’d get sick. Over him.
“Stop now, Viktor is looking pained, and he’s a big gossip. No doubt he’ll tell Hunter first thing.”
“Stop it, you liar.” She sniffed, though, and rubbed her hand over her eyes, reminding him of a kitten.
“I’m never calling you wildcat again.”
“I liked that,” she managed, sounding like she barely held in another cry.
“All right, wildcat, please stop, because I don’t know how to deal with tears. Break me in a bit slower here, okay?”
“Okay,” she whispered and pressed her face to his neck. “I love you.”
“I love you, too. I always will, but right now, you need to explain to the crowd how you did that, because I think they’re anxious.”
She hugged him harder but nodded, and brushed her fingers through the back of his hair. She froze with a gasp and looked at him.
“What?”
“There’s something in your neck, at your hairline. Bend down, let me see!”
He reached back and touched his neck and sure enough, there was something there. A button-type thing, not flush with his neck, but ridged about a centimetre out from his skin, he thought. Whatever it was, it was circular and alien and clearly not meant to be there. “What is it?”
Around him, the changelings shifted, and even Viktor inspected his neck.
Joey huffed at Vik and the wolf stepped back. As soon as he did, Joey sucked in a shocked breath. “An implant, something…oh, Jaxon this is what is stopping you from shifting. What should we do?”
“Take it fucking out,” he said, giving her a ‘what the fuck’ look.
She scowled at him. “If I do that, it might…hurt you. This thing could go all the way to your brain! Think.”
“Vampire, Joey. I’m a vampire. Say it with me, baby, vampire.”
Joey sat back on her butt and stared at him for two seconds, then started laughing so hard, she hugged her stomach. “Wise ass. How’s that? Did I say it right?”
“If you’re quite done laughing at my expense, you could take this out.”
“Okay, but it’s going to hurt, I just know it. So far, everything down this rabbit hole has hurt. Even the stupid run through the labyrinth of hell hurt,” she grumbled.
He grinned at Viktor, but kept his mouth shut. She was rightly pissed. He’d dragged her into this world, bonded her under pressure, got her shot then hit with a tiger-wolf drug.
“Joey, just remain focused here and pull the fucker out.”
“Okay, okay, cool your jets, I’m doing it,” she said. She stroked her soft fingers along his neck, tenderly rubbing the muscles to try to ease him, he thought.
“I’m calm, baby, just take it out.”
She gripped the button and her nails rubbed against his skin for a moment, then she yanked, and searing pain flashed down his back and up to the top of his head. Her mouth suddenly settled over the spot and her warm, wet tongue eased the pain, soothing it to a dull throb. She continued to use her mouth, and thoughts of where else he wanted those lips had him stilling her with a hand on hers.
“Good, I’m good.”
“Well, if you get us out of here, you will be. Naughty boy, you want me to pour some of that lovely cherry burgundy on your hard stomach and lick it all the way to your—”
“Joey! Christ!”
“Oh, sorry, are you all better now, vampire?”
“Hard as a rock, so no, not all better.”
“Can you shift?”
He sat forward and pulled her over his shoulder onto his lap. She laughed and perched herself on his leg, happy as he’d ever seen her. “You’re amazing. Let’s see what I can do.” He called to mind his home and a second later, they landed in his bed.
“Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you!” She hugged him tight and rolled to her side, kissing the sheets. Then shot to her knees before he could kiss her. “We can’t stay, we need to go back and get the others.”
“On it. Let me get my extra phone and off we go. Watch me shift this time, next time I might let you try.”
“Oh…” She blinked. “I can’t wait to make love to you, Jaxon.”
“Darlin’, I’m going to make love to you all night, and then we’re going to renew those vows, the right way.”
“Oh, Jaxon,” she murmured.
Just a bit longer, he told himself. Just a bit longer and you’ll hear that soft, sweet sound in your ear while you rock her world.
Chapter Eighteen
Jax took hold of Joey’s hand and shifted them back to the cavern. In his mind, he sensed her examine what he’d done and her surprise at how simple shifting distance actually was. “Distance doesn’t matter, baby. You keep the picture of where you want to go in your mind, and then move your body there.”
“It’s still freaky.”
“Most things are,” he told her with a grin.
Viktor stood as if waiting for them, but the other Lykae had gone farther inside the cave and only moved when Viktor swung his head around and y
ipped at him. Only then did he jump down from a ledge and walk over, giving Viktor a quick glance as he passed. If Jax had to guess, he thought the other wolf had doubted they’d return and had no doubt relayed that to Vik.
The changelings also appeared uneasy, but instead of standing, they remained where they’d been.
“Look, we need to get out of here, Vik. I can go to the council, reach Hunter and see if these collars can come off. She can also help out with all of you,” he added, including the changelings in the conversation. “But we need to know if that’s what you want.” Jaxon motioned to Joey. “Joey broke the spell, but we aren’t certain if draining your blood will work for all of you or if it’s because we’re vampires or because we’re bonded. There are too many unknowns at this point, but we should move out of this area and soon.”
Joey stepped closer to his side and squeezed his hand. “That’s true. I’m not sure how I knew that whatever they gave me could be taken out by draining my blood, I just knew.” She paused and tilted her head—thinking, he could tell from the bond they now shared. After only a second she continued. “I guess I felt something, the wrongness of my blood, as if whatever was in that syringe was killing my blood and replacing it with something else…or someone else.”
Two of the largest beasts rose from where they’d taken positions in front of most of the other changelings and stepped forward. Both acted as leaders. When Jaxon examined how the changelings had positioned themselves around the cave, he realised they were in two distinct groups, except for one lone lynx-type changeling who sat apart from the others.
“Can you understand that?” Joey asked the two changelings.
Both beasts nodded regally.
“So that would mean…testing, I suppose. But not like that place.” She pointed off outside the cave and grimaced.
“No, absolutely not. I can give you my word no cages, nothing like that will happen to you, but here’s the deal. Gerald is still out there. I need to call in and get reinforcements, and I need to know if you all are on board or want out.”
The two leaders turned and paced back to their separate groups. He watched them for a while, not seeing anything to indicate that they mind-spoke, but what would that look like anyway? The outsider stood, moving closer to the ones that resembled cats rather than the more like wolf-tigers. Joey moved closer to his side, leaning into him for support. He wrapped an arm around her waist and waited.
“They can communicate, like us, but not so directly, I’m guessing,” she murmured. “It was like that for me at least, sorta like a low hum.”
“Can you still sense them?” he asked.
She shook her head. “No, and even then it was a sensation more than actual communication like we have through our mind speech.”
Jaxon nodded. It made sense, in a way. If the changelings were of the same species, it might also help them. Animals communicated non-verbally, why not immortals changed into animals? “What about you, Vik? Can you hear them?”
Viktor shook his head.
“We should work on that collar again,” Joey offered.
The beasts settled and Jax sensed they’d come to a decision. All but the two larger ones and the small, lynx, eased out of the cave.
“So, you two are on board, and you’ll go find them if this works?” he guessed.
“Have I told you how hot your mind makes me?”
“Shit, wait until I get you home, would you?”
“I’m tired, Jaxon. Really tired.”
“You missed two days of sleep. You should be tired. I’m amazed you’ve not fallen into at least the first sleep.”
“First sleep?”
“Damn, I can’t believe the things you can do just on pure instinct, and the things you don’t know. I need to get you home,” he said, watching her smile.
“First, call Hunter, and I guess your other immortal…buddies?” She scrunched her nose at that and he ruffled her gorgeous hair.
“No worries, I’m here for you. No one will touch you.”
“Oh, I don’t doubt it, but Viktor and Hunter were tough enough to deal with…”
Viktor yipped and walked over to rub against her leg. Clearly, he was impressed with her. “Well, Vik approves, and the Russian bastard hardly likes anyone.”
Vik growled, but Jax grinned. Viktor wasn’t exactly Russian, but close enough that Jax always got a rise out of the lone wolf every time he said that.
“Make the call, then, okay? I’m afraid I’m going to fall down any minute.” Joey yawned then laughed, covering her mouth. “Yeah, a bit tired.”
He flipped his phone open and scrolled to Torque’s number, then decided to call Hunter instead. The witch would be worried. “All right, Hunter. She’ll call everyone else, and that witch can probably place us by our phone.”
“Place us?”
“Find us. She’s good with electronics,” he said, then grimaced remembering what she’d done to his last iPhone. “Don’t let her touch any of our computers,” he said, hitting Hunter’s number.
She answered on the second ring. “Jaxon, tell me you’ve not been kicked back all this time on a mini-vacation!”
“Hey, hello to you too—” He broke off when the pink-haired witch stumbled into the cave. She tossed her hair out of her eyes and scanned the area. “Yeah, not kicking back much,” he finished.
“Holy shit, we’re in, like, Russia. What’s with the wolves?”
“That’s Viktor and another Lykae we don’t know, and these are two changelings we’ve found, but maybe we can cure, because I was changed and now look at me,” Joey rapid-fired at the witch. She spluttered to a stop, covered her mouth and her eyes grew round. “Oh, was I supposed to tell her?”
Hunter’s mouth fell open until she shut it with a snap, then said, “Holy Danu, what was that? You were—”
“Not now,” Jaxon cut her off. “Just call in some of the crew. Let them know there’s another cell around two miles from here, in a valley and mostly underground. Around three miles north of that, you’ll find—”
“Wait, wait, you’re leaving? What’s up with that?” Hunter demanded.
“I’m tired, I’ve had a rough two days, or”—Joey broke off and looked at him—“six months and I want to go home. Now.”
“You heard her. We’re out of here. Vik, take care, and Hunter—that collar needs to come off.”
“Wait, you can’t go. I called Aidan, he’s…”
“Aidan?” Jaxon stood taller. If Aidan arrived and saw Joey, there’d be hell to pay and he wasn’t sure Aidan wouldn’t be the one paying. There was no way he was giving Joey up and no one, absolutely no one was taking her from him.
“Jax, what is it? What’s wrong now?”
“Aidan—”
Jaxon shut down their chat and spun, placing Joey behind him just as Aidan shifted into the cave.
“Jaxon, what the fuck is going on? Hunter, why the short message? If you’re going to bother leaving a message, explain the fucking thing.”
Aidan looked pissed off, as if Hunter had woken him from a sleep.
Hunter huffed her hair off her face and gave him a ‘duh’ look. “Sorry, geesh. I thought you were looking for Jaxon, and after he was taken, I thought you’d want to know he’s here, safe, kinda sound.”
“I’m fine. There was no need for you—”
“No?” Aidan drawled, crossing his arms and narrowing his eyes on Jaxon’s face, then shifted his intense stare to Joey before looking back at Jaxon with an even angrier expression. “So, the rumours are true, then?”
Jax didn’t even bother to deny it, but he didn’t confirm it either.
“Jaxon, I asked you a question,” Aidan said after several seconds of silence.
Jax broadened his stance, preparing his body for a fight. Joey was his. No one, not Aidan, not Gerald would change that. “Did ya? I didn’t hear one, Aidan.”
Aidan’s dark brow creased and he snorted. He stalked to the side of the cave and examined Joey, then
lifted a hand and beckoned to her. The hairs on Jaxon’s neck rose and his fangs lengthened at the threat to his mate.
“Come here, woman.”
Jaxon fisted his hands, ready to launch into a battle he was going to win against a man he’d called king for more centuries than either of them could probably remember.
Joey nudged him in the back, shocking him so badly he twisted to stare at her, then at Aidan. She’d not obeyed Aidan. The king of the vampires was more than a title. Aidan had power over others if he chose to use it. Jaxon checked in on his old buddy and wanted to grin.
Aidan appeared just as shocked as he’d been that his command was ignored. Well, not exactly ignored Jaxon realised taking stock of his mate. Joey was fuming. The ‘woman’ reference had set her completely off.
She dismissed Aidan with a snort, and turned to give him a cool look, too. “Who is this guy and what’s with the oh-so-subtle pissed vibe going on?”
“I gave you an order, woman. Come here. Now.” The power in that voice hit Jaxon hard, but Joey frowned over at Aidan, then him.
“Jaxon, who is this jerk?”
“Wildcat, don’t you feel the need to do as he says?”
“Uh, no, why?”
“Woman!” Aidan growled.
“Hold on, just hold it, what’s going on?” Hunter demanded, stepping in front of Joey and facing Aidan.
Aidan frowned at her. “Out of my way. Jaxon, have you broken the laws? Tell me you—”
Joey gripped his wrist and yanked hard, getting his full attention with the frustration pouring off her. “That’s about enough of this! Jaxon, let’s go. I’m tired, I hurt and this guy is pissing me off, so let’s go before I’m forced to get my pipe and knock some manners into his thick skull,” she said, then under her breath muttered, “Come here, woman? Who says that?”
No one said a word for a long intense moment, then Viktor snorted and shook his head, giving him a ‘what the fuck’ look only a wolf could manage.
“We’re going, calm down. Aidan just needs to learn that what’s mine is mine and not up for debate.” Jaxon met Aidan’s hard look with one of his own. He owed this man his life, but he’d more than paid him back over the centuries. Aidan had Jaxon’s loyalty, but not the right to dictate Jaxon’s happiness. Joey did. She wanted home. And he wanted to give her anything she wanted, let alone needed. King or not, Aidan would have to understand that. Better now than later.