Jaxson slid Billy into the bed, then stepped around and opened the back passenger door. I looked away but could feel his eyes on me.
So now he was going to be polite? Asshole.
Ignoring him, I stepped up and slid onto the back seat. Tony looked at me in the rearview mirror as Jaxson shut the door and climbed in the front. Sam got in the back with me but didn’t spare a glance my way, just clicked on her seatbelt.
Was everyone going to give me the cold shoulder now because I’d killed Billy?
I killed him. Just like I’d killed the shifter at the Taphouse. And the one at the sanatorium. My hands trembled, so I slid them under my thighs. I was a murderer, how many times over?
Oh, my God.
An image of my reflection in the water—with glowing honey eyes—flashed through my mind.
Nausea overwhelmed me, and before Tony could drive off, I opened my door and threw up on the road. The others waited as I retched, and once my spasming had subsided, I sat up and closed the door again, wishing I had a bottle of pop. “Sorry,” I muttered.
Without a word, Sam handed me a piece of gum. I took it, unwrapped the silver paper, shoved the stick in my mouth, and chewed aggressively. Minty fresh. If only there was something that would take away the stench of death just as quickly as bad breath.
Jaxson’s shoulders were tense in the front seat, but he said nothing. Tony pulled a U-turn, and we drove in silence.
My nerves were shot, and everything hurt, especially my back. I hadn’t seen it yet, but I was pretty sure it was going to scar. Jaxson had touched it, and then we’d kissed, and…everything went to shit.
That kiss. Kill me now. Never mind the fact that I was scratched to hell and exhausted—or that I’d just killed freaking Billy—I’d never shared a more intense kiss with any guy. Well, not that I’d kissed many guys before, but none of them had tasted as good as Jaxson had.
Heat pooled in my center, and I shifted awkwardly. How could I be horny at a time like this?
Jaxson gripped the oh-shit handle, his knuckles white.
Damn it all to hell, he’d definitely noticed. That meant Tony and Sam had noticed, too. I was getting turned on while we were driving around with a dead man in the back. My cheeks burned, and I silently cursed.
I had to get away from these damned werewolves.
To clear my mind, I concentrated on the look of shame and horror I’d seen on Sam’s face when she’d caught us kissing. That was enough to kill whatever desire had been on my mind.
They all hated me.
Ten eternally long minutes later, Billy’s cabin appeared. The place looked like a war zone. Smoke still wafted through the trees, and bodies were strewn across the ground. I pried my eyes away. I’d seen enough death in the past week to last me a lifetime.
Tony parked, and we climbed out of the car. Jaxson’s gaze was on me, but I stared ahead, silent and cold.
Regina appeared on the porch. She shared a look with Jaxson and then tensed. “Who did it?”
I was guessing Jaxson had just told her in wolf talk that Billy was dead.
“Me,” I snapped. “I killed him, and I’d do it again. He was a psychopath.”
My words came out in a torrent. I was just so tired of everyone silently scrutinizing and blaming me for his death. What did they expect? He was either going to kill me or hand me over to an even bigger psycho.
I shivered and suddenly felt sick again. Billy was a goddamned monster. My family may have driven him to it, but that didn’t give him a pass. Evil was evil.
Regina shot daggers at me with her eyes as I climbed the front stairs. Brushing past her, I opened the screen door and strode into the cabin. I’d come here for answers about who was hunting me, and I was going to get some with or without their help.
46
Savannah
I stepped into Billy’s cabin with Jaxson and the others on my heels.
The scent of cigarettes burned my nose. Maps and newspaper clippings were tacked to the walls of the dingy living room. Apart from a table and stained white couch, the place was devoid of furniture, though I spotted the canisters of wolfsbane stacked in the corner and the piles of guns scattered about.
It was an operations room. An armory.
My pulse quickened as I drew my gaze across the walls. There had to be a clue here pointing toward the sorcerer…
I froze.
Taped to the wooden boards were a series of photographs. Casey, Aunt Laurel, Uncle Pete, and a lot of people I didn’t know, all arranged in a web chart like a family tree. A photograph of me eating at Eclipse had recently been added, and fear buried me like an avalanche.
Billy’s words from earlier echoed through my mind: We’ll slaughter them all.
“What is this?” I murmured, dragging my eyes to the half dozen house plans and the map of the Indies.
I’d assumed Billy had been taunting me when he’d said, You’ll be their undoing. I never thought he’d actually had a carefully executed plan to take out every last one of us.
I ripped the photo of myself off the wall and turned. “Did you know about this?”
Jaxson was staring at Billy’s plans, his expression hardened. He scrubbed a hand through his hair. “Fuck.”
“I’ll ask one more time,” I snapped. “Did any of you know that Billy was planning to massacre my entire family?”
I scanned their faces for answers, but Tony and Sam looked uncomfortable and avoided my eyes. Regina was the only one who stared at me, her expression cold.
Anger and betrayal simmered within me. These wolves weren’t my friends. If Billy had been telling the truth, then members of their pack were planning to use me—somehow—to murder the LaSalles.
“We didn’t know. We knew he hated the LaSalles, but I never…I never imagined this,” Jaxson said. His voice was icy and sharp. He was telling the truth, but that didn’t make this all right.
I wanted to scream, to tear the cabin to the ground. “How could you let this happen? How could you not know? I was around Billy…hell, I’m lucky to be alive! You had to know how much he hated me and my family.”
“Is it any wonder?” Regina retorted. “Your family murdered his wife. They were true mates. You can’t recover from that bond. They broke him.” She’d planted herself in front of the door, her fists clenched and gaze locked on me.
“Do you all hate my family so much that you’d just turn a blind eye to what was obviously going on?”
“Watch your words,” she said. “No one had any idea it was this bad, or what he was planning.”
“This is my fault,” Jaxson interjected, picking up a canister of wolfsbane. “I should have suspected. But when someone is your family, it’s easy to turn a blind eye to their flaws. You know that as well as anyone, Savannah.”
Heat crept up my neck. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
I knew what he meant—that my family were monsters who had killed his sister, and that I was okay with it. But that had happened years ago, and I didn’t have the full story.
Regina crossed her arms. “It means nobody is blameless here. Not you, for sure.”
“How am I to blame? I was waiting tables and minding my own business when werewolves showed up and tried to kill me!”
“Right, and then you started killing them.” She spun on Jaxson. “One of whom was your brother-in-law.”
Regina actually blamed me for fighting back?
“In self-defense! Are you crazy? Billy attacked me and was either going to kill me or hand me over to some psycho blood sorcerer to complete his plan of murdering my family. I’m the victim here, not Billy, and certainly not that sociopath I ran down in Belmont.”
Regina’s body trembled, and she lowered her eyebrows. “You didn’t have to come here. And you didn’t have to chase down Billy on your own. That was Jaxson’s business, pack business, but you stuck your nose in where it didn’t belong. Again. You made your choices and killed one of our wolves, so you should stand trial before the pack under
the Old Laws.”
Her threat hit me square in the jaw, and I flinched. I’d do no such thing.
“You’re right,” I shot back. “Maybe somebody should stand trial for all this. Billy planned these abductions and murders, and he had help. Maybe I should call the Order right now and let them know what I’ve learned about your operations. Let them know about the pack’s involvement in these crimes.”
Regina’s claws came out, and her eyes flashed. “You’re threatening our whole pack now, LaSalle?”
“Enough!” Jaxson’s voice boomed through the room and made us all shrink back. “There will be no trial for Savannah. Or the pack. And as far as anyone outside the inner circle knows, I’m the one who killed Billy. Never speak of Savannah’s role in this again.”
He shot Regina and me a look that had us withering in place. His alpha signature settled over me, making my pulse skyrocket and my palms sweat. I tore my gaze from his, even angrier that he had this effect on me.
I wasn’t the only one, though. Regina had submitted, and Sam’s and Tony’s eyes were on the ground. I could almost taste the cocktail of fear and submission that mixed within the cabin air.
“I’m assuming you three have already scoured the cabin. Any indication of who Billy was working with?” Jaxson asked his wolves.
“None. He kept his dealings with his affiliate quiet. There’s nothing here but his plans for the LaSalles,” Sam said, eyeing me.
Frustration mixed with my anger, and I felt like I was going to explode. I had to get out of here. Get back to Magic Side so I could warn Casey about how close the pack had come to taking his whole family out. My family.
I crossed to the door and stepped around Regina, who glared at me. “I’m leaving.”
The screen door banged as Jaxson followed me out. “Where are you going?”
I hurried down the wooden steps, trying to get a little distance between us. “Back to Magic Side. To my family. As far away from you people as possible.”
I wasn’t sure how I’d get back there. Maybe I’d steal Tony’s Jeep.
“It’s not safe. The sorcerer is still out there, and there may be others in the pack after you. You should stay with me on pack lands.”
I spun on Jaxson. He was inches from me, and his pine scent clouded my senses. God, why did he smell so good? I dragged my eyes from his lips. How could I be so affected by him when I knew how dangerous he was? When he despised who I was? When he was ashamed of me?
My cheeks blazed. “No. And don’t pull that alpha bullshit on me. I helped you find out who was behind the abductions, and now I’m done. Stay away from me, Jaxson, and get your wolves in line.”
The screen door creaked, and I noticed that Sam, Regina, and Tony were on the porch watching us.
Jaxson’s eyes narrowed, and his body tensed. Fear hit me like a brick, and I took a step back, praying that his wolf didn’t come bursting out.
Something flashed across his face, and it looked like he was about to say something but then decided against it. “Sam, make sure Savannah gets home safely.”
My shoulders eased, and I let out an unsteady breath. I’d seen it over and over, and I couldn’t let myself forget it—beneath the rugged exterior, Jaxson was also a monster.
Tony handed Sam his keys, and she headed to the Jeep, casting me a look over her shoulder as she slid into the driver’s seat.
I gave one last glance at Jaxson and turned, retrieving my bag from his truck. His anger was palpable, and his eyes burned into my back, sending shivers down my spine. My chest tightened as I climbed into the Jeep, but I didn’t look back.
I clicked on my seatbelt and felt Sam’s eyes on me. “What?”
She started the Jeep and turned up the radio so Jaxson and the others couldn’t hear us. “You Wreck Me” by Tom Petty blared from the speakers, and I silently swore.
“I saw you two in the forest,” she said. “That ends here. You and Jaxson can’t ever be a thing. It would break him and tear the pack apart. Understand?”
My cheeks blazed. “What you saw was a mistake. Heat of the moment. There isn’t anything between Jaxson and me, got it?”
“Mm-hm.” She arched an eyebrow. “One more word of advice: don’t tell anyone about it, and just stay away.”
A deep ache lodged under my ribs, and I couldn’t help but feel Jaxson’s embarrassment and disgrace that Sam had seen our kiss.
My feelings for Jaxson—whatever they were—had clouded my judgement. Jaxson was dangerous. Werewolves were dangerous. The fact that he could instill such terror in me with a single look was a sign in and of itself.
I had to get as far away from him as I could.
As the Jeep bounced down the dirt driveway, I looked in the side mirror. Jaxson stood under the porch light with his fists clenched and honey-gold eyes burning.
I left the beautiful predator in my wake.
47
Savannah
“You okay?” Casey glanced at me as we pulled up in front of Monster Girls auto body shop.
I’d gotten back to the LaSalles’ last night. They’d made me chug one of Uncle Pete’s healing potions, and I was so nauseated afterward that I’d gone to bed and passed out until noon. Nightmares of wolves, blood demons, and the sorcerer had kept me tossing and turning, and I’d felt like death when I woke.
“Yup. Fine and dandy,” I lied. I took a sip of my latte, enjoying the zing on my tongue that vaguely reminded me of licking the terminals on a battery, yet was weirdly delicious.
We’d stopped at Magic Grounds of Being on the way because Casey had said I looked like a zombie, to which I’d replied, What do you expect? Once there, he’d insisted that I try the coffee shop’s signature drink, the Jump-starter.
Caffeine coursed through my veins, or maybe it was magic, because I suddenly felt full of bubbly energy. I hopped out of the car and sighed as the sunshine warmed my face.
Things were dire, probably even more so than when I’d arrived in Magic Side five days ago, but the sun was shining, and I was getting my Fury back. Those were reasons enough to be happy.
A voice rang out as we stepped into the shadow of the shop. “Hiya, sexy!”
Looking for the source, I found an attractive woman with horns and a tail grinning at Casey. “Zara’s in the garage.”
I did a double take as she strode into the office, her tail swishing behind her. “Who is that?” I muttered.
“That, my dear, is Rayne. Hottest she-devil in town.” Casey smirked as he watched her disappear into the shop.
I blinked twice at him and choked out a laugh. Not because there was anything wrong with Rayne—she was wicked hot—but because Casey looked love-stricken.
“Come on, Romeo, let’s get my ride,” I said, clapping him on the shoulder.
Zara was under the car on a red mechanic’s creeper, her legs sticking out from beneath the front bumper. My eyes rounded with shock. The Fury had never looked so good. Its deep reddish-brown paint looked like it had been detailed, though the claw marks were still visible on the hood. They added character, I decided.
“What up, Zar?” Casey said, knocking loudly on the hood of my Fury.
I shot him a glare as Zara rolled out from under the car. “Hey, you two. Your baby is ready to go,” she told me. “I was just double-checking everything. It was a lot of work for a rush job.”
As she got up and wiped her stained black hands on a rag, I took in her attire: gray skinny jeans, a black crop top, and biker boots. The smudge of grease on her forehead completed the look. She was beautiful in a biker chic way, and I was sure she could kick some ass with those boots.
It seemed like she’d done a lot more than just install the magic regulator, and she didn’t seem the type to hand things out for free. Worry twisted in my gut. “How much do I owe you for…?”
I didn’t even know what all she’d done. What if I couldn’t pay for it? Would she just keep my car?
“Your tab’s been paid,” Zara said dryly.
/> “What? How?” My mind reeled, but I knew the answer as soon as I asked. Jaxson fricking Laurent. It had to be.
“Jaxson ponied up. He told me not to tell you and to just say that I’d fixed it for free—but that would set a bad precedent. I don’t give friends discounts, so if you need more stuff done, you’ll have to pay full price. Triple if I have to steal the car first.”
“Of course he paid,” I hissed, feeling a scowl cut across my face. I wasn’t averse to handouts—hell, I was poor and currently unemployed—but not from Jaxson. For whatever reason, he couldn’t keep his meddling paws away from my ride. I already knew it was just one more way he’d weasel himself back into my life to exert his power over me. “I’d actually like to pay for it myself,” I said, trying to hold my voice steady.
Zara cocked a brow and frowned. “Not possible. Money’s already been exchanged, and I don’t want the pack sniffing around here. I’ve had my share of wolves, and though they’re dynamite in the bedroom, they’re bastards.”
An image of Jaxson in my bedroom flashed through my mind, and my cheeks burned.
Casey smirked. “Don’t get any thoughts, Cuz. I think you’ve already got enough scratch marks on you.” As he snickered, I fought the urge to crawl under my car and die.
Zara laughed and put her kit away as I tried to regain my composure.
Fine. Let him pay. Jaxson was an asshole, and he’d dragged me through hell and back, so I might as well milk the situation for all it was worth. And really, I just wanted my car. I’d worry about the strings another time. “What all did you do?”
Zara threw me the keys. “I fixed the busted taillight and replaced the tranny. This baby is a classic and tough as nails—though when I brought her in, I was surprised she would even run. That was, until I popped the hood. You’ve got some wicked good enchantments on her.”
“Wait a second, what?” I gaped at her.
“You didn’t know?” Zara laughed. “Check this out.”
She lifted the hood and pulled out a little flashlight, which glowed purple when she flicked it on. She shone it over my engine, and wherever the light fell, lines of tiny, glowing symbols appeared running over the components, like the miniscule printing on medicine bottles.
Wolf Marked (Magic Side: Wolf Bound Book 1) Page 32