Eternal Embrace

by Billi Jean

  With a low menacing growl, Evan latched onto his shoulder. Fangs pierced Jaxon’s muscle and he punched Evan in the head, repeatedly hitting him as hard as he could to get him off. Not that the bastard seemed to notice.

  “Jaxon!”

  “The knife. Get the knife, Joey!”

  “I’m on it. Jaxon! Get him off you! Don’t you dare die trying to save Evan. He’s lost to us now. Don’t you dare—”

  “I’m trying to get him off. Get the knife. Now!”

  He sensed Joey leave. Instantly, the vibrations of power that surged through the room from Gerald hit near him. He ducked and searched the room for Hunter, spotting her down by the couch. He couldn’t get a read off her, and that worry layered on top of the millions of others crowding him.

  Evan hit him hard in the kidney, drawing his attention back to the fight. Evan followed the first with another in the same spot, making Jax growl out a curse. With a massive thrust of his feet into Evan’s stomach, he managed to dislodge the guy enough to shift out from under him. He landed a foot away, turned with the fireplace poker and bashed Evan in the head. The hit was true, but Evan shook his head and licked the flow of blood off his lips.

  “Fuck, Jaxon, get the hell out of the way!” Agni shouted.

  Jaxon shifted to the couch, turning in time to see Agni tackle Gerald around the middle and toss him down. Gerald got back up before Agni could get a hold on him, and stunned them all with a blow to Agni that sent the demon back against the mantel. Agni snarled and attacked again, his eyes blackening in rage and his features turning sharper.

  Evan drew his attention off the quick fight long enough for Jaxon to shove Evan over a chair. Jaxon turned back to see Gerald still taking everything Agni dished out, a sick laugh coming from him.

  “Don’t hit him directly. Use something else! Gain us some time!” Jaxon grabbed a lamp and slammed it down on Evan’s head when he drew close again, dropkicking him in the head right after, and watched the big bastard sink to the ground. As soon as he did, Jaxon spun to see Joey materialise right next to him, the satchel gone but the knife out and wrapped in the protective covering. They had their time and a chance, now. He took it from her and turned to close in on Gerald.

  Gerald hissed like a cat, but Agni suddenly had his own knife and stabbed Gerald in the chest, holding the blade in place after to keep the guy grounded to the room, Jaxon guessed, and unable to shift away.

  “Now, now, Jaxon!” Agni shouted, trying to keep the Gerald from getting free.

  Suddenly, Gerald stilled and his expression turned into a mask of evil. Bloody spittle flecked his unnatural red lips and he snarled. “You fool, that blade will give me unlimited powers. Powers you have never dreamt existed. I will rule this world. You think this pathetic pet is something to fear. Wait until I have your woman on my leash. Wait until I have her on her knees.”

  Jaxon launched himself towards them and nodded to Agni. The demon twisted the thrashing, hissing Gerald to the side, exposing his back. Jaxon let the leather fall from the blade’s hilt and struck the man in the back, right through his ribs and into his heart.

  A whoosh of air exploded like a bomb through the room, knocking Jaxon back and away from Gerald. Agni dropped him as if he’d been burned, then raced to Hunter’s unconscious body.

  As Jaxon watched, bits of black appeared above Gerald and he started to convulse. Foam and blood bubbled from the corners of his lips, running down his ghastly face.

  Joey appeared at Jaxon’s side, holding him up or holding onto him, Jaxon wasn’t sure. His hand ached as if he’d reached in the fire and fisted it around a burning coal instead of the cool hilt of the knife.

  A sudden rush of heat and fire hit them, making him squint into the debris flying around the room. He hunkered over Joey. She clung to him, and he lifted a hand to ease some of the sudden glare coming from the knife stuck in Gerald’s back.

  With another abrupt shift, the wind died and a blonde woman in an ancient brocade green dress stood over Gerald’s convulsing body. All around her bits of paper and ash settled as the wind that had swept through disappeared.

  She slowly bent and pulled the knife from Gerald’s back. Immediately, Gerald’s body fell in on itself, caving in until only dust remained then that too disappeared from the flagstones in front of the mantel. Without a sound, the woman rose and walked over. With each step she took, her form became lighter and lighter until she reached Jaxon and a brush of something cool eased the burn in his hand. As if satisfied she nodded, and turned to Hunter, moving her palm over her once, then turned to Evan and bent to touch her nearly transparent hand to his forehead. Then she was gone.

  “Holy fuck,” Jaxon breathed. Before he could move an inch, Joey hugged him so hard he could barely breathe. “Joey, it’s okay, baby. It’s over. He’s gone.”

  “I know. I know. Just hold me, Jaxon.”

  Even in their mind link, he could hear the tears in her voice. She trembled against him, and all the doubts, worries, and fears she’d tried so hard to keep from him poured through their connection. He held her closer, soothing her with his strength.

  “Sonofabitch, he’s gone,” Agni said in the sudden quiet of the room.

  Jaxon looked over and saw Hunter trying to get up. Agni helped her to her feet and she grimaced and touched her forehead. Next to them, Evan stirred.

  “Looks like she sent him back to hell, huh?” Joey asked from where she still held him tightly around the waist.

  Agni nodded absently, his attention on Evan. Jaxon watched the man, too, amazed by how damn strong the guy had been. Evan shook his head then turned slowly to take in the room, then them, looking shocked at recognising Joey.

  “What—” He stopped and touched his throat, then shook his head again. “Joey? What the hell is going on? Where are we? What’s going on?”

  Joey stiffened in his arms. “What do I tell him?”

  “Ask him what he remembers. He’s not human—not any longer. But I’m not sure what he is.”

  Jaxon settled them back against the couch, still sitting on the floor, but for the moment, he needed to hold Joey and breathe without worry for the first time since he’d met her.

  “I love you, Jaxon.”

  “I loved you from the first glimpse of your sexy eyes, baby.”

  “Oh, Jaxon…”

  “Well, what do you remember, Evan? Let’s start there…” Joey said quietly. From their connection, he sensed her mind clear of her fears, and her love for him burst along his senses.

  He squeezed her tight, and contented himself with explaining to the newly changed immortal what the world would be like for him. Evan began to relate what he did remember, hesitantly at first, but with more confidence as he went on.

  Agni met his eyes and nodded, a slight smile tipping his arrogant mouth. Next to him, Hunter grinned, let out a heavy sigh and tilted her head, listening to Evan’s story.

  Life was full of battles, Jaxon knew that, but right now, in the wake of meeting the biggest threat of his life and conquering it, with his bonded in his embrace, he knew he could endure anything—anyone—as long as Joey faced that eternity in his arms.

  “Always, Jaxon.”

  “Always. I like the sound of that, wildcat.”

  The burst of love they shared filled their bond, colouring everything in the magic that was Joey.

  His woman. His love. Now, his life.

  Also available from Totally Bound Publishing:

  Love’s Command: Safe in His Arms

  Billi Jean

  Excerpt

  Chapter One

  Mac practically ran down the luxurious hotel hallway. He slowed to a fast walk when an old couple came out of their room, but each step brought him closer to where he needed to be.

  Near Mandy.

  He still couldn’t believe Lacey had given him Mandy’s room number. Clearly Lacey was all about everyone being happy now that she was here, in Hawaii and getting married. Him chomping at the bit to get hold o
f Mandy must have been the key to convincing her he wasn’t going to blow this chance. Not with Mandy this close. That or she really believed Ace could kick his ass if he hurt Mandy, but still, he was seconds from seeing Mandy again.

  Shit freaked him out. He was supposed to be one of the toughest, meanest guys out there, but the reality of it was he’d let Ace kick his ass if he hurt Mandy again.

  He slowed down and saw the room across from hers first, ‘four-five-six-two’, then hers.

  Fuck. He froze. After five years, that door was all that kept him from the one woman on this planet who owned his heart. He rubbed his hand through his hair and back over his neck.

  Buck up, asshole, and face her.

  He reached up and knocked on Mandy’s door, and waited, keeping in mind everything Lacey had said about Mandy needing time and his own promise to go slow. She’d been in Africa. Africa for nearly the entire five years. Helping victims of the wars there.

  His heartbeat raced and he raised his hand to knock again when he saw the doorknob twist downward. A second later, Mandy stood there with a grin, already saying, “Hey, I thought—”

  She cut off with a soft ‘Oh’ and backed up. Her big grey eyes rounded out. He couldn’t take in the details of her quickly enough. She seemed to soak him in, too. He watched her swallow, feeling suddenly dry-throated as well. How was it possible she was more beautiful now than she’d been five years ago?

  “Hello, sugar. Miss me?”

  She blinked, then seemed to realise he was pushing her back into her room because she tried to stop him with a hand on his chest. He used it to pull her into his arms, letting the door close behind them. Sensations too wild to make sense of rushed him. Both her hands were on his chest burning through the material of his T-shirt. Her pink lips were inches from his, open in shock, sure, but, still, they were right there. He soaked her up. Her grey eyes caught him, stealing his breath like a sucker punch to the gut. With a little hiss, she narrowed her gaze, hiding the flash of emotion he’d not had time to decipher with an angry glare.

  “Mac, let me go!”

  Grinning, he tightened his arms around her wiggling little body. “Damn, baby, the least you could do is say hello before you fall into my arms.”

  She froze and rolled her eyes. “Give me a break.”

  “We need to talk, huh?” he asked, slowly relaxing his arms. She quickly stepped away. When she reached the patio windows, she reached up nervously and tucked her shorter curls off her face, turning to the side when she did so she didn’t have to face him. He could see her pulse thundering along the slender column of her neck from where he stood two feet from her. Her body was tight, stress showing in the way she clenched her hands together and in the lines of stiff posture.

  He did this to her?

  She took a deep breath and let it out slowly, turning with her arms crossed under her lush breasts to face him. “Wolf, Lacey is waiting for me.”

  She never called him Wolf. She always called him Mac. Shit pissed him off.

  “Mac.”

  She squinted at him. “What?”

  “Don’t call me Wolf. It’s Mac,” he murmured. “It’s always been Mac.”

  “Okay,” she drawled, dragging the two syllables out with such sarcasm he felt his body tighten with the challenge.

  “We need to talk,” he said. He watched the tension in her shoulders tighten. She scanned the room with an impatient look. She was going to argue with him. Mandy never, ever fought anyone. She avoided confrontations. She got around people, managed the hell out of them, but she never directly argued with anyone.

  After a second of turning her back on him, she faced him. “Talk? Why should I? Besides, give me a break! You can’t just barge in here and make demands. Now—” She took a deep breath, adding to the battle he had controlling his reactions by practically taunting him with her barely covered breasts in some kind of hot bikini top, and continued, “If you don’t mind, I’d like to go. Lacey is waiting and I know you don’t want Ace up here.”

  She thought she could scare him off with Ace? He settled against the wall and lifted a shoulder.

  “Ace doesn’t scare me, Mandy. And you aren’t leaving this room, not until you tell me what I want. Like where you’ve been, why you hid, and how you hid for the past five years. You and I are going to talk, sugar. Now.” As he spoke, he couldn’t stay still and ended up stalking towards her, letting some of his anger show in his face. She surprised him again by standing her ground, her fists tight at her hips but she faced him down.

  “Oh yeah? Well, you’re in for a surprise, Mac, it sucks to want. I should know, right?” The way she said his name, with enough sour sarcasm to curdle milk, had him drawing up to a complete stop. “Now, we can talk later, but right now, no, not possible,” she said in a rush.

  He backed her up by simply walking towards her. She landed in a chair by the bed, breathing hard, her fists tight, clearly wanting to hit him. He squatted down in front of her and carefully took one of her hands. “Look, Mandy, we’re going to start this over, okay? You’re going to tell me what I want to know—”

  “No, I’m not. I’m not one of your missions, Wolf.”

  “Mac.”

  He didn’t know why, but he always wanted Mandy to call him Mac. Never Wolf. Wolf was a killer. She had once loved Mac, loved him enough to see beyond the killer.

  She huffed out a breath and looked away from him, but not quick enough to hide the tears shimmering in her eyes.

  “Whatever,” she whispered.

  He loosened his hand on hers and rocked back on the balls of his feet to give her some space. If she cried, he’d be lost. He’d cut out his own damn heart if it would make it better. He’d kick anyone’s ass that made her cry, but how would he get in a fist fight with himself?

  “Mandy, come on, sugar, look at me. Talk to me.”

  Still not looking at him, she tossed her sun-bleached hair off her face and exhaled. Her hair was lighter than he’d ever seen it before. She’d cut it, too. The long, golden curls had once reached past her shoulder blades, but he found himself liking this new style more than the old. He had a clear view of her face, slender throat and the delicate line of her jaw. The longer bangs hid her expression at times, but the way she anchored her hair behind her ear sent an odd nip of pain to his heart.

  She inhaled sharply and the curve of her breasts rose enticingly against the white bikini top she wore. He could clearly see the rounded shape of her nipples under that fabric. His blood heated. Hell, he was a man—whether she wanted him right now or not, he wanted her. He fought with himself to keep his hands off her. This was Mandy. Mandy. He’d never meant to hurt her, but he had. He wasn’t adding to that by making any stupid moves.

  “Just tell me where you’ve been,” he finally managed.

  “I’ve been in Africa.”

  He knew that but still demanded, “And how did you do that?”

  She flashed him a confused frown and tilted her head. “What do you mean?”

  Finally, at least she was willing to start somewhere. He let out a deep breath he’d not known he’d been holding. “I mean, how did you get out of the US? I mean, how did you hide from me?”

  She narrowed her eyes again, but she stayed silent, letting him try to get his head on straight, but finally she gave him a look like he was insane and said, “I booked a flight, got on it, landed in London and went to Africa from there. I didn’t hide.”

  “Liar. You hid from me.”

  She laughed. “You’re the liar. You didn’t even look for me!”

  “What? Are you fucking kidding me? I used every means I could to find your pretty little ass. You hid.”

  Instead of saying anything, she simply stared at him. Fuck. Was she telling the truth? He’d traced her flight to Hawaii and discovered she’d used a fake ID. She was lying. Someone helped her get a new identity—to hide from him—and he wanted to know who.

  “How did you change your name?”

  “Cha
nge my name? What are you talking about?”

  She was pissed off now, clearly ready to tear his head off. But why? Her face had flushed again, and her grey eyes were bright with anger and hurt. She sounded like he’d let her down. Like he’d hurt her because he hadn’t been able to find her. He had looked for her. He’d never stopped looking for her.

  “Sugar, if I could have found you, I would have and you’d have been with me all this time, not wherever the fuck you’ve been. Trust me, Mandy.”

  “Oh, yeah, how could I forget, you never break a promise—”

  He cut her fit off merely by pressing closer and getting right in her face. “Who is Elisa Gonzales? Who the hell is that?”

  Mandy blinked quickly, realising Mac was serious. “That’s me, you idiot!”

  Mac stared at her in confusion. “How the hell is that you? I’ve known you since you were a kid, and no way is that your name.”

  She smirked just to see him tighten his jaw. Really, Mac had always been quick to anger, but he’d changed, in ways she couldn’t keep up with but, for some reason, thrilled her. Simply sparring with him like this was more than she’d ever dreamt she’d be able to do. He’d been absent from her life much longer than the five lonely years she’d been in Africa. Now, he’d practically torn her door down to get to her?

  If she wasn’t absolutely certain she’d not fallen asleep, she’d have believed this was some kind of dream.

  He snorted sexy as heck through his nose, and she went all tingly.

  No! No tingly. Anger. Anger is much, much better. He was a jerk to you!

  “Oh? Well, can you please tell the hospital where I was born ‘cause that—”

  “Elisa?”

  She winced. That name was so not her. “Okay, so I don’t use that. Amanda is my middle name.”

  His brow lowered at the confession like she’d given him some lead he was now going to nail her for. She nearly smiled, but held it in.

  “And? Gonzales?”

  She stared at him for a bit before shrugging. “Yeah, so?”