Outcast BoxSet

by Emilia Hartley

  Her blood pumped through her body, making her feel more alive than she had in years. She wasn’t sure she would ever want it to go back. Slowly, while she processed the shift, she brought her eyes up to Jax’s.

  Gone was the thin layer of sweat and the ashen color of his skin. His skin was dark and lustrous once more. He reached down and touched her cheek. She flinched away from the touch, her skin still tender.

  “I’m so sorry you got dragged into this,” Jax whispered.

  Sydney shot to her feet. She put her back against the door and folded her arms over her chest. “I wasn’t dragged into this. Finding the missing people is my job. Protecting people is what I signed up for, no matter what kind of people they are.”

  A small smile curved the corners of Jax’s mouth.

  “You still haven’t answered my question,” she countered.

  The smile slipped. He leaned forward and set his elbows on his knees, his eyes on the floor. His entire demeanor seemed to shift, the humor replaced by a weight she wanted to lift off his shoulders.

  This man and the creature living inside him had rescued her from what had most likely been a painful death. The man had intended on using her bat. Her stomach twisted to think of what that would have felt like. The wolf’s desire to put her first had stopped that.

  “Thank you,” she whispered. “I mean, tell the wolf thank you? I’m not sure how to go about this.”

  Jax laughed, a huff of a breath while the weight on him seemed to press him to the floor. Sydney couldn’t take it any longer. She pushed off the door and moved to kneel in front of him. Her dusty bath mat cushioned her knees as she looked up at him. His eyes grazed over the bruise spreading across her cheek, a foul anger passing through his gaze for a second.

  Her body moved of its own accord. Her hands reached for his face, palms dragging across the rough facial hair on his jaw. He leaned into her touch. She followed the line of his cheekbones with her thumbs. Her throat grew dry.

  The weight seemed to peel back, and desire filled his eyes. Relief flooded her chest. A small smile spread across her face. His lower lip was full and plump. She wanted to reach forward and take it with her own. She ached to know what his lips would feel like on her own.

  The touch was feather-light. He leaned in, fingers gently guiding her chin up so that his lips grazed hers. They were there and then gone, as if it never happened at all. Her stomach flipped, and her mind spun. She was left wanting more. Her fingers curled against the tile floor.

  “How do you do that?” he whispered.

  She pulled back. “Do what?”

  He sucked in a breath and reeled back. Her hands slipped away from his skin as he pulled out of her reach. Suddenly, he stood and stalked away.

  “What the hell?” she snapped, scrambling to her feet to follow him. He disappeared around a corner. “Why are you running away from me?”

  Just as she rounded the corner into the living room, she found a massive black wolf on her couch. Her sigh turned into a growl of frustration. Her heart and mind were chaos, and she knew only he could unravel it for her.

  If only he would talk to her.

  “Get out of my house,” she snapped, not really meaning it. She didn’t want to be alone again.

  The wolf sensed it and slipped off the couch. It followed her as she climbed the stairs to her bedroom. Even when she turned the light on, she could see the dark figures as if they were still there. Her house had been violated. Nothing felt safe.

  The wolf leaned into her hip. Her hand reached to burrow into her fur, almost automatically. Her fingers tightened the same way her stomach did when she thought of sleeping here.

  “Can we…” Her voice broke. She hated herself for it. She felt like she was running away, but she also knew there would be no sleeping here tonight. “Can we go back to your lodge room for the night?”

  The wolf nudged her hand with its cold nose. She didn’t know what that meant, but she would take it as a yes. Sydney shoved her feet into her work shoes, not bothering to tie them, and went into her office. She wasn’t leaving without her phone or her gun this time.

  On the way to the Lodge, she called Trisha’s number. Her boyfriend groggily answered the phone. She let out a sigh of relief knowing she’d woken him. She asked if they were alright. The boyfriend didn’t seem happy to be woken from his sleep, but he assured her Trisha was fine and thanked her for her concern.

  Sydney knew the world was a dangerous place, but she had no idea just how dangerous it was. An idea slipped through her mind when she looked at the blood still caked on her hands. She could…

  No, it was a silly and selfish idea.

  Sydney just needed a good night’s sleep and her mind would right itself again. That was all she needed. At the Lodge, she found Jax’s stashed room key and pushed the door open. She and the wolf climbed onto the messy mattress after she’d checked the door a half-dozen times to make sure it was truly locked.

  Chapter Eight

  Jax woke to the most beautiful woman beside him. Sydney’s small, upturned nose was scrunched as she slept, a furrow between her delicate brows. Her thin lips were pursed, and her fingers gripped the sheets. He wanted to wake her from whatever dream haunted her, but his own ghosts rose. They reminded him he wasn’t worthy of the woman laying beside him.

  Jax was not good enough for someone so strong and just.

  He rolled away from her and dragged himself toward the bathroom. His thigh still ached from the silver that’d been embedded in it the night before, but it was nothing like the burn that racked through his body when he’d been hit.

  Hot water cascaded over his skin. It washed away the blood and pain he’d endured, reminding him that it was nowhere near enough to make up for his mistakes. Jax had a long way to go to make reparations for his failures and he would not drag Sydney into that life.

  After a moment he shut off the water, and wrapped a towel around his waist. The sight when he opened the bathroom door made his heart stutter. His breath left him, and the world stopped moving.

  Sydney laid on her side on the mattress, her pants pooled on the floor. Her bright eyes pinned him, not filled with desire, but with questions. His blood still caked her hands, red fingers threaded through her blond tresses as she held her head up.

  Jax wanted to drop his towel and climb over her. He wanted to feel the brush of her bare legs against his hips as he buried himself inside her. The sight of the bruise blooming across her cheek threaded the lust with anger, a possessiveness overcoming him that he’d never felt before.

  Not even when he thought he was in love with Joanna.

  Whoever had hurt Sydney last night was going to pay. He was going to watch their last breath leave their body to make sure they could never hurt anyone the way they’d hurt her. The wolf growled in agreement, the sound escaping the spectral form and entering the world.

  Sydney’s brows rose, and she moved to pull the sheets up her body. Licking his lips, his feet pulled him forward. The pain that surrounded him in the shower fell away like the towel around his waist. Sydney rolled onto her back, her elbows beneath her and her eyes devouring his body. She swallowed.

  He put one knee on the edge of the bed, hardly understanding what he was doing. He climbed over her until his fingers wrapped around her skull in a soft, cradling gesture. There was a whisper of air between them, their bodies screaming to close the small distance. His chest vibrated with the hungry growls of his beast.

  Sydney might have been human, but she was braver than anyone he’d ever met. She’d looked death in the face to protect people who meant nothing to her. His thumb traced the line of the bruise along her cheek. Her eyes drifted closed as she leaned into his touch.

  “Do you seduce human women often?” she whispered.

  He snarled and yanked her body into his. A firestorm rose and consumed them. Her hands roved over the bare skin of his shoulders, nails dragging.

  Jax wanted to melt into her body, wanted to know her i
nside and out, but a small voice crept into his mind. This wasn’t his. He didn’t deserve anything the beautiful. His hands fisted, and his head dropped. The firestorm sensation of skin on skin still danced along his skin. Her thighs, silken and beautiful, rubbed against his hips. Before she could lock her ankles behind his back, he shoved himself away from her.

  “I don’t seduce anyone,” he muttered. Running one hand over his hair, Jax swallowed his frustration. His cock was alert and ready, but he knew this wasn’t right. “You should take a photo of that bruise. For evidence.”

  The hard length of his cock throbbed. It begged him to turn around, to take Sydney and make her scream his name. He gritted his teeth and stalked toward the bathroom, slamming the door behind him.

  ***

  A shiver raced through Sydney. She was left staring at the ceiling, her body suddenly cold. Her core throbbed with the anticipation that had been ripped away. Only seconds ago, Jax’s body had crashed into hers. It’d been unlike anything she’d ever felt. The sensation ripped through her and opened parts of her she’d never felt before.

  Then, without warning, he’d left. One moment, Jax had been there, his cock pressed against her abdomen, and the next he was gone. She jammed her fist into her mouth, biting down as she let out a smothered scream of frustration. Sydney wanted to throw pillows at the closed bathroom door. She wanted to pound on it with her fists and scream at him.

  Instead, she shoved back the aching throb and rolled toward her lost pants. She’d kicked them off in the night and now wanted to hide inside them again. Duty called, meaning she would have to turn back to the investigation. It would occupy her mind, she reasoned. It would shove aside whatever just happened between the two of them.

  Glancing over her shoulder, she glared at the bathroom door. She hated how much she wanted this man. He was not only nearly a stranger, but a monster. Not in the sense that he does monstrous things. No, Jax had proven himself to be a good man, even if he was a bit moody. He was only a monster in her mind because he’d revealed a part of the world she wasn’t sure she wanted to know about.

  A new door was opened, and she’d been yanked through it, no questions asked if she wanted to be a part of it. Now that she’d seen the truth, the horror of it all, Sydney couldn’t help but wonder if she could get more power. If she could become a, what was it called? Jax had called it something specific… a shifter. If she could become a shifter, then she would have more strength to fight against the specters that’d invaded her home.

  If she’d had it months ago… she would have been able to save him. Sydney was the queen of bad choices. Even if her stubborn resolve had been praised, she couldn’t help but remember the times it’d failed her. The last time had shredded her heart and broken her soul. In moments of silence, she could still hear the deafening ring in her ears, brought on by the gunshots.

  She couldn’t remember the sound of his voice as he fell to the ground. Hell, she could barely remember his voice before. It faded each time she shoved the memory back. Each time she refused to relive it, a bit more of her partner slipped away. She brought her fisted hand to her cheek and pressed on the aching bruise.

  Tears burned her eyes, from the pain, from the heartache. It’d been her stupid decision making that’d pulled her under. He’d been charming and enigmatic. He’d been good in bed, even if she shouldn’t have let him convince her to sleep with him at all. Inter-office relationships were strictly forbidden, but she’d done it.

  Then, the case crossed their desks. It seemed simple. It seemed a simple matter of collecting interviews ending in an arrest. But, the man hadn’t wanted to go quietly. When they arrived on the fanatic’s compound, he’d grabbed a hostage. Her partner negotiated for her release, letting the mislead girl run free.

  So stupid and brash, Sydney had rushed the man. While she’d tackled him to the ground, the gun went off. She’d been busy with the fanatic. She hadn’t noticed her partner bleeding out behind her. She hadn’t noticed his life slipping away.

  Sydney ran her hands through her hair and gave it a light tug. It brought her back to the present, the scene fading into darkness. She needed to move on. There was no way she could let go of what had happened. She needed to hold onto it, to learn and become a better person, because now she was doing the job of two people. It was up to her to make sure she brought the justice he would have on top of her own work.

  She had to work twice as hard.

  “So, what’s the plan for today?” Jax asked after finally opening the bathroom door.

  What happened between them had dissolved as if it never existed in the first place. She looked at him and felt a steel resolve fill her. It hardened like the expression on her face before she looked away.

  “I’m going home to grab some clean clothes – and to pay for Trisha a visit.”

  She went about gathering herself, slipping her feet into the shoes she’d worn the night before.

  “Wait,” Jax said, confusion in his voice. “What about me? What can I do to help?”

  She shook her head. “Nothing. Go back to your life.”

  “No. This isn’t how it’s going to work. Trisha won’t talk to you without me there.”

  She gritted her teeth. She wanted to tell him that if he stuck around she’d just get him hurt again. Once more, she’d gotten someone shot. His wound hadn’t been fatal, but what if the woman had hit an organ? The silver seemed to hurt worse than regular steel.

  She refused to endanger him any longer.

  Chapter Nine

  Sydney peeked out the door to make sure no one saw a detective leaving a Lodge room at the break of dawn. It was the last thing she needed, rumors of her promiscuity spreading around town. Her station would hate her even more than they already did.

  Once she was certain the coast was clear, she stepped out and hurried toward her SUV.

  “Oh, I didn’t realize he had visitors. I’ll just…”

  Her heart stopped. She looked to her left to see a man with sharp cheekbones and dark eyes backing away from her. He looked between her and the Lodge room door with hesitation.

  “Oh, no,” she tried to say. “I’m just… leaving. I’m leaving.”

  The door behind her swung open. Jax wore nothing more than a pair of dark jeans, the waistband of his boxer briefs exposed as they clung to his hips and hid the carve V in his lower abdomen. Even though she told herself to walk away, her mouth went dry.

  “You’re not going anywhere without me, woman.” Jax tugged a shirt over his head and jogged toward her.

  Sydney’s face warmed. The implication was clear. She glanced at the man standing beside her and cringed. She wanted to scream that it wasn’t what he thought. They weren’t sleeping together. Sydney wasn’t going to make that mistake again.

  Even though her body begged for Jax. The way he’d felt over her earlier had nearly destroyed her common sense. It’d been a stroke of luck that he’d changed his mind, saving her from her own fallibility.

  “Oh, hey,” Jax said to the mystery man. “You stood me up last night.”

  His face darkened. It turned a brick shade of red. He scratched the back of his head. “Yeah, I had some… issues turn up.” He glanced at Sydney with a question in his eyes. His nostrils flared, and her instincts tried to tell her something, but she couldn’t make out what it was.

  She caught the nearly imperceptible shake of Jax’s head before he looked down at her. He flashed her a smile, attempting to hide his gesture, but she’d caught it.

  “I’m afraid I can’t help you with the bike today. There’s something more important I have to tend to.”

  “Your presence isn’t necessary,” Sydney interjected. She pulled her spine straight and donned her cop face, an impartial and cold expression. “You should stay here. I’ll call you if I have more questions.”

  His lips tightened into a flat line. “There’s no way you’re leaving me out of this.”

  ***

  This was his chance. Help
ing Sydney catch the people responsible for kidnapping Theo and Becca could help him begin to make things right. Here was his chance to banish some of the ghosts whispering in his ears night and day. There was no way he was going to let this woman slip away from him and hide her findings.

  As long as he stayed close to her, he stayed close to the case. He’d almost screwed up earlier. He’d let his body, his carnal desires get in the way. As much as he admired her, he didn’t deserve her. Indulging himself when he didn’t deserve it was a foolproof way to ruin something before it began. When he did woo her, he would do it as his best self.

  That meant catching these people first.

  “I mean,” Jax began, “you’re going to need all the help you can get from someone like me.”

  He thought he’d played his trump card when she looked the other shifter square in the eye and asked him if he’d like to hunt down kidnappers with her.

  Jax’s heart stuttered. Could she tell he was also a shifter? Did she have eyes for him? His body inched closer to her, despite her glowering. He met the other man’s eyes and tried to show that Sydney was off the table. It was possessive and unlike him. What was wrong with him? What was it about this woman that threw him off balance?

  The man’s mouth flapped like a fish as he searched for something to say in response to her forward question. Jax filled the space, his hand settling on Sydney’s shoulder.

  “Don’t worry. We have everything under control.” He used the hand on her shoulder to steer her toward the SUV. While he regretted bailing on the other shifter, he knew there were things that were more important. This was one of those things.

  Sydney yanked open her door with a huff and hauled herself into the driver’s seat. Jax quickly rounded the front of the metal machine and pulled open the passenger door before she could lock it. He didn’t even try to hide his unnatural speed.