Most Wanted - A Fantasy Romance Novel (The Shadow Blade Series)

by E. L Friel

  ‘You’re amazing,’ he whispered in her ear, kissing her cheek.

  Finally, when he felt some feeling return to his legs and thought he might be at last able to stand, Jax lifted Ariel off his lap and stood. She pouted up at him. ‘Where are you going?’ she asked as he did up his fly.

  ‘I’m going to sort out this bounty problem,’ he told her, ‘and then we’re going to find Rikon Fayette.’

  She was on her feet immediately. ‘What?’ she demanded.

  He wrapped his hand around her neck, pulled her close and kissed her. ‘I’m going to go see Jimmy, cut a deal with him, and then we’re going to find Rikon Fayette.’

  Ariel blinked at him, still shaking her head in confusion. ‘What?’

  ‘He’s the guy who killed Saul right?’ Jax asked.

  She nodded and he took her face in his hands again, brushing her hair behind her ears with his thumbs. He stared into her sea-green eyes and smiled. He hadn’t felt this way about a woman in five years. Not since Neve had died. They had only been married three years and the loss of her had almost destroyed him. He thought about her now though and smiled. She had told him before she died that she wanted him to move on, to find someone new, stop being a Blade and have a family. He would have done all of that and more for her. But she was gone, and here he was, finally ready to move on and do what he had promised her he would.

  ‘Why would you want to kill Rikon though?’ Ariel asked. ‘He’s not your problem.’

  ‘Ariel,’ Jax said softly. ‘It’s important to you, if it’s your problem, it’s my problem too. And one thing I do know about is closure. I don’t think you’ll ever fully be able to move on until you have that.’ He paused and watched the knowledge of what he’d said hit her. He pressed his lips against her forehead and held her close. ‘Ariel I want you to be able to move on. I want you to be mine. Completely mine. I don’t want either of us living in the past any more. I want us to be here, right now, in every moment, with each other. I think we might have a shot at a future. But only if we put the past to rest.’

  He felt Ariel press against him and he heard what sounded like a sob. He wrapped his arms around her, feeling an overwhelming need to protect her, to keep her safe from everything bad in the world.

  As Jax held her, Ariel thought about Saul. It had been eight long, lonely years without him. Sure there had been the occasional lover to break the gloom but nobody like Jax, nobody who’d made her heart leap in her chest and hope filter through her darkest thoughts. When Jax held her she felt like anything was possible. The future didn’t just contain a dirty apartment overrun with cockroaches, an endless tide of bounties to hunt down and the dismal awareness that she was alone. With Jax at her side she felt stronger, more capable and without a doubt, happy. Happier than she’d ever felt in fact.

  ‘He’s in Europe,’ she said softly.

  Jax held her by the top of her arms and gently prized her from his chest. ‘Who’s in Europe?’

  ‘Rikon,’ she said.

  Jax studied her for several seconds then he smiled. ‘I’ve always wanted to go back to Europe.’

  Ariel narrowed her eyes at him. Was he serious? ‘What about your job here? You can’t just walk away from it,’ she said. ‘I thought you Blades all had your quadrants and sectors to manage.’

  Jax shrugged. ‘I’ll handle that,’ he said. ‘I’ll get some help to cover my area for a week or two. It can be managed. There are Blades in Europe. Maybe I can make it a recruitment trip. It’s been done in the past.’

  Ariel cocked an eyebrow at him.

  ‘Come on,’ he said, nudging her in the ribs. ‘It’ll be fun.’ He was daring her, his eyes sparking with adventure.

  She felt the answering call in her blood. It did sound fun; exotic locations, hot sex, revenge. She grinned and reached up on tiptoe to kiss him.

  Chapter 24

  Jax ran upstairs to pack a bag and Ariel wandered into the kitchen for a glass of water. She felt like she was riding a huge high; her adrenaline was pumping, her skin was tingling. She felt more wide-awake and alive than she had in years, possibly ever. She imagined herself and Jax in Europe and smiled to herself.

  They would sort this thing out with Jimmy – she would go back to him and pay the six hundred thousand and he would call off the hit. And, though it went against her better instinct to do a deal like that with a two-faced bastard like Jimmy, it would mean she and Jax wouldn’t always be looking over their shoulders for the rest of their lives. Her only fear was that Jimmy would try to screw her over some how, would ask for more money, or keep on asking, but it was a risk they had to take. And besides, they would be in Europe. Jimmy’s reach didn’t stretch that far. One day she’d come back and get her revenge on Jimmy. One day when he’d forgotten all about her.

  Ariel set her glass down on the pristine draining board and walked to the window. Through the tree line she saw the lights of LA sparkling, looking like an MRI image of a body; the arterial red and white of the freeways and the pinprick yellow bursts multiplying cells. She rested her palm against the glass. She wasn’t going to miss this place one bit.

  In the dark glass of the window she caught a flash of movement and saw Jax approaching her from behind. He wrapped his arms around her waist and nuzzled into her neck. Ariel let out a sigh, relaxing backwards against him. They needed to get out of here. It was past midnight and she was concerned that it wouldn’t be long before one of the bounty hunters found them, but when Jax swept her up like that, when he pressed his lips to her neck, she found it almost impossible to summon the will. She wanted to stand there with him watching the sun rise and the dawn light the sky.

  But then she froze, her stomach muscles locking and her blood turning nitrogen cold. Her eyes met Jax’s dark gaze in the glass. He was sneering at her, his lip curled upwards. She watched in disbelief as his hand slipped to the blade at his thigh. In the split second where Ariel took all this in, she realized exactly what her senses had picked up the moment Jax walked into the kitchen. It wasn’t him.

  It was Aaron. He had shifted, turned himself into Jax, and he was here to kill them. Ariel computed this in the second it took him to pull his blade from its sheath and for his other hand to grip her by the jaw.

  A scream burst out of her throat but was cut instantly off by the cold press of steel against her skin. Her heart burst in her chest, a thousand thoughts scattering; where was her own blade? Where was Jax? How had Aaron got in?

  Out the corner of her eye she saw her Shadow blade lying where she’d left it on the side by the refrigerator. Shit. She stared into Aaron’s eyes. How had she mistaken him for Jax? There was no warmth there, no desire, nothing but pure bone-chilling evil.

  The blade bit into her skin. She struggled against his grip, letting out a whimper as she felt blood start to trickle down her neck. In the glass she saw herself reflected, the whites of her eyes bright with fear, her hands gripping the arm that held the knife. Jax’s arm, but not Jax’s arm.

  ‘Where is he?’ Aaron whispered in her ear and his voice was Jax’s voice but not. It was rasping and vicious rather than soft and low, and she flinched at the sound of it.

  She shook her head. She wasn’t about to give him up.

  Aaron wrenched her tighter against his chest. The knife bit deeper and Ariel hissed through her teeth as she felt it sting and more blood start to trickle down her neck. Rage burst electric in every cell of her body. She wasn’t going to die like this. She refused to.

  Just then a sound made Aaron whip around, holding her still in his arms, the blade pressed to her throat. Jax was standing in the doorway to the kitchen. He was holding a bag in one hand, his jacket in the other. His eyes flew to Ariel and she saw the cold anger flicker across his face as he took in the blade against her neck and the trail of blood running down her neck.

  Jax moved his gaze slowly to Aaron. If he was surprised to see his doppelganger he didn’t show it. His expression was stony and hard, his eyes glinting with menace.
Ariel watched the tendons in his shoulders and neck become taut. He dropped the bag gently to the floor and laid his jacket on the side.

  ‘Let her go,’ he said, his voice managing to be both soft and threatening at the same time.

  Aaron made a grunting sound in the back of his throat – a sneer? A laugh?

  ‘Let her go and I’ll come with you,’ Jax said.

  ‘No!’ Ariel screamed.

  Jax took his eyes off Aaron’s face just briefly to glance at her. He gave her what she guessed was meant to be a reassuring smile, his eyes burning into hers as though telling her everything was going to be OK but Ariel still struggled in Aaron’s arms. What was he doing? He couldn’t just hand himself over like that?

  ‘I won’t fight you,’ Jax said now, looking at Aaron talking softly and gently, as though trying to coax a wild animal into a cage. ‘I’ll come with you and let you hand me in to the Brothers. They want me alive right? I’m worth a million alive.’

  Ariel felt Aaron’s grip loosen slightly on her neck.

  ‘If you hurt her,’ Jax said, sighing and giving him a slight shrug, ‘then I’m just going to have to kill you.’

  Jax stared at the creature holding Ariel – it was weird to be looking at a carbon copy of himself, but he barely registered it. All he could focus on was the bright red trail of blood oozing down Ariel’s neck. The sight of it ignited a rage in him that burned so deep it was taking all his willpower to keep control of his voice and act calm. He didn’t know who this demon was, what his strength was, whether he would actually hurt Ariel, or if he was just using her to threaten him. Jax was fairly sure it was the same guy who they’d met the other night, hunting the Original – that bounty hunter who’d been pissed that they beat him to it. He cursed himself for having no weapon on him, though he wasn’t sure what good a weapon would do right now, not with Ariel in the way of any kill shot.

  The guy was contemplating the offer Jax had made. He could see the cold calculations taking place in his eyes. Jax felt the very conflicted emotion of wanting to punch his own reflection in the face repeatedly.

  ‘I don’t think you’re in a position to negotiate,’ the guy rasped.

  He noted Ariel’s chest was rising and falling rapidly, her hands were clutching at the guy’s arm, trying to hold the knife away from her throat, but then her right hand dropped to her side. Jax frowned and then caught the slight movement she was making, her finger pointing towards something. He didn’t want to take his eyes off the guy but did, glancing at where Ariel was pointing. Straightaway he saw the hilt of her Shadow blade resting on the side, hidden slightly behind the refrigerator door.

  When he looked back at Ariel he saw the fire in her eyes and recognized what she was trying to tell him. He gave her an almost imperceptible nod. Her eyes blazed. The knife was several strides away from him. He wouldn’t have time to reach it, not without risking Ariel’s life. She would need to distract him. Which was exactly what she had planned. After he nodded at her he saw her take in a deep breath and close her eyes. In the next second she disappeared right in front of his eyes.

  Ariel faded, but it meant nothing. Aaron was still holding her tightly, the blade was still pressed against her skin. But she was able to move her arms without him seeing. She moved one hand behind the arm that was holding the knife to her neck and the other palm she brought under his chin. In one brutal movement she slammed Aaron’s chin up with all the force she could muster. His head went snapping up, his other hand jerking, trying to slice the blade across her throat. But she was prepared for that. She held the arm, trying to wrestle the blade from his grip. She stamped down with all her weight on his foot and heard him let out a bellow, and suddenly the fight was in her, blazing through her veins. She was wind and fire and air, something elemental powering her movements.

  She moved with animal grace and strength, punching his elbow, hearing the blade clatter finally to the floor. She spun from his grasping hands and slammed her heel into his solar plexus. Aaron flew back against the glass, his body splayed.

  ‘Ariel!’

  She turned, materializing and saw Jax, her blade in his hand. Seeing what he meant to do Ariel rolled and ducked.

  Jax threw the blade. It embedded itself up to the hilt in Aaron’s chest, punching through the ribs and piercing his heart. Ariel heard it beat one final time and watched as Aaron’s hands moved to grasp the blade before falling uselessly to his sides. He glanced up at her, shock on his face, an expression that quickly transformed into terror. And then, a second later, his eyes went blank and he sank to the floor.

  Ariel let go of the breath she had been holding, all the energy and fire she’d been feeling suddenly extinguished like a candle being snuffed out. She stared at the body on the floor – at Jax on the floor – and then she felt arms come around her. Jax’s scent enfolded her, filled her nostrils and she twisted around, clinging to his strong frame, burying her head in his shoulder and inhaling him, wanting to never let got. His hands were in her hair, his lips pressed to the top of her head.

  He drew her away from his embrace and stared down at her. ‘Are you OK?’ he asked, his voice quaking with emotion.

  Ariel couldn’t muster the words so she just nodded. Was she OK? Yes. Yes. She stared at the body on the floor and shuddered. ‘I’m fine,’ she said.

  Jax winced at something then turned away, grabbing a towel from the side. ‘The bastard,’ he muttered, ‘pressing it to her throat.’

  Ouch. She was bleeding. Suddenly she started trembling violently as the adrenaline leached out of her body and the shock started to set in. Jax held the towel gently against her neck, his expression almost as fierce as it had been when he walked into the kitchen and saw Aaron holding her hostage.

  Ariel placed her hands over his and waited for him to lock eyes with her. When he did she inhaled slowly and saw him slowly recover his calm. She tried to smile but her neck was stinging too much. She turned her head to look at the body on the floor. It was unsettling to see Jax lying there, propped against the window, with her blade sticking out of his chest.

  Prizing herself from Jax’s arms, Ariel walked towards the body, knelt down and tugged her blade free. It came easily and she stopped to wipe the blood off on Aaron’s shirt.

  She stared into the deep brown of Jax’s eyes, empty and dulled by death and then stood slowly, an idea starting to form in her mind.

  Chapter 25

  Jax stared at the head. His head. It was bizarre to contemplate his body-less self but he had to admit Ariel’s plan was a good one. It had been a little strange to watch her hacking his head off. His hand had closed around his own throat as he watched Ariel carve through the muscle, sinew and spinal cord, freeing it from Aaron’s body with seeming relish.

  Once she was done Ariel had held the head up and grinned at him. ‘Let’s go get ourselves a bounty,’ she’d said with a devilish look on her face.

  The head now sat on the seat beside her in the van, the skin already starting to turn pale, the lips blue, and the eyes to sink into the skull. Jax dragged his eyes off it and looked at Ariel. She was revving the engine. He leaned in through the window and kissed her.

  ‘Be careful,’ he said, feeling the heat of her lips and aching for more.

  She drew back smiling. ‘Always,’ she said. ‘I’ll see you in two hours.’

  He watched her drive away before swinging his leg over his bike and heading back into the house. He had a headless body to bury.

  Ariel pulled up outside the seemingly derelict building that housed Jimmy’s pawn and betting emporium and cut the engine. She could tell by the reddish light filtering through the boards at the front of the store and the humming energy that seemed to emanate from the building that the place was full. The news of the bounty on Jax must have spread and people were probably fired up on the betting. She gathered herself, ran her hands through her hair, and got out of the van, reaching across to pick up the head.

  It was heavier than a bowling ball an
d she hefted it into her arms, trying not to look at it, and slammed the van door with her hip. She strode towards the door but before she could even get close it flew open. Felix stood wide-eyed on the threshold. It was almost as if he’d been waiting for her. He stared at the head and then his eyes flicked to her face.

  ‘You killed him?’ He seemed confused.

  Ariel nodded.

  ‘But I thought….’

  Ariel cut him off. ‘You thought wrong. The day I take a man over a half million dollars is the day I hang up my bounty hunting boots.’

  ‘You could have brought him in alive and got a million though,’ Felix said, following her inside.

  ‘He put up a fight,’ Ariel said. ‘I didn’t have any other option.’

  Felix edged past her, flashing her his teeth. She felt a twinge of remorse for lying to him but also a rush of happiness that this was the last time she’d ever have to step foot in Jimmy’s emporium.

  ‘Jimmy here?’ she asked.

  Felix suddenly leaped into action, ushering her down the flickering corridor towards Jimmy’s office. At the sight of Ariel Jimmy’s bodyguard snickered, but the moment Ariel stepped into the light and showed him what she was carrying the snicker vanished. He opened the door without a word and Ariel marched into the office.

  Jimmy was sitting behind his desk, a stack of papers piled in front of him. He wasn’t tapping on his trusty calculator this time, he was rooting through a box of cigars instead. He glanced up when the door opened and frowned with annoyance at the sight of her. But then his beady eyes narrowed as he took in the gift she had brought him.

  He shot her a quizzical look, a look that transformed into distaste as she dropped the head with a thud onto the table. The table splintered and cracked. Ariel propped her hand on her hip. ‘Jax Sayer’s head,’ she said, examining the nails of her other hand. ‘Pay up.’