Nax

by Carter, Sadie

  “I want to go home,” her mom cried. “I don’t like him.”

  “I know. Me neither.”

  “Killer’s heart is breaking,” Killer said sarcastically.

  “Where are your friends?” she asked, suddenly worried that she was about to be ambushed from behind. One asshole was enough to contend with.

  “Those fuckers weren’t Killer’s friends. Killer doesn’t have friends. He has associates he sometimes works with and cunts he likes to fuck.”

  Jesus.

  “Let me take her home and I’ll go with you,” she promised.

  “Gonna come with Killer anyway, bitch.” He moved forward suddenly and grabbed hold of her arm before shoving her mother away. Her mother fell back, hit the ground with a pained cry.

  “Mom!”

  Killer brought out a switchblade, held it up to her neck. “Quiet, bitch, or I slice you right now and then I have some fun with dear old mom.”

  “You sick fuckwad! Dipshit, scumsucking asshole.”

  “Shut. Up.” He tightened his hold on her arm until she cried out in pain. “Now, bitch, you and Killer are gonna head out for some fun.”

  “But my mom,” she cried out as he forced her down the alley.

  “Fuck your mother, and shut the fuck up before you both bring someone down on us. Shit!” he cried out as she kicked back at him, hitting his shin. She reached up and dug her teeth into his forearm. He shoved her away from him.

  “Fuck! Fuck!”

  She scrambled into the dark alley, towards her mother. Something heavy fell against her, sending her to the ground with a thump. Her breath whooshed from her lungs and she lay there, dazed with a heavy body lying on top of her. She managed one shallow breath then kind of wished she hadn’t as the scent of sweat and piss hit her.

  “Bitch, you’re not getting away from Killer that easy.”

  He moved away and she drew a full breath but before she could move, he had her flipped over and was straddling her. She punched at his chest, scratched his arms, but nothing would dissuade him. She pushed up with her hips, but he was too heavy. She drew in a breath to scream again and he slammed his hand over her mouth.

  “Scream, bitch, and after Killer’s done you he’ll go find dear old mom and give her the same treatment.

  Oh God. Oh God.

  He leaned back, moving his hand away from her mouth. “Thought that might shut you up. Now it’s time for you and Killer to have some fun.” He grabbed her jacket, pulling. But even though it was cheap, he wasn’t the freaking hulk and didn’t have a chance of ripping it apart. Dick.

  “Let me go you fucking asshole!” She balled her hand into a fist, smacking it into the side of his jaw, then froze as he drew back his own fist. She flinched, closing her eyes in preparation for the blow when an unearthly fury-filled yell came down the alley.

  Suddenly, he was pulled off her and she could only lie there in shock, watching as Nax drew Killer up into the air then threw him through the air. He landed next to a dumpster and lay there. Nax jumped after him. She blinked, certain her eyesight must be failing her because he must have leapt more than fifteen feet. She gaped as Nax picked up Killer, who was not a small guy, and flung him against the wall.

  Oh fuck. He was going to kill him.

  Killer lay sprawled on the ground, unmoving. She pulled herself up, made her shaking legs move as she stumbled her way over to Killer, then stood between him and Nax.

  “Move.”

  Nax didn’t look at her, didn’t take his focus off his prey. And that was exactly what he looked like. A predator.

  She stood there, swaying, wondering when she’d gotten hit on the head. “I must have a concussion. I’m hallucinating.” She held her hand up to her forehead, feeling around for a lump. “Unless you were going to a fancy-dress party? Was that it?”

  She felt kind of hurt he hadn’t invited her. All right, that was a little silly. She was standing in an alleyway, in front of an avenging angel with Satan’s devil lying on the ground behind her while her mom ran around dressed in a white nightgown.

  Her mom. “Must get to her.”

  She had to be in shock. Or hallucinating. ’Cause he didn’t have wings. That was something she definitely would have noticed. She giggled to herself.

  “Something I always check for. Extra appendages. Like wings. Would be pretty noticeable, right?” she muttered to herself.

  “Crista. Move. Now.”

  “Did you know you always go to one-word sentences when you’re upset or angry? Right now, I’m guessing it’s both.” She swayed. “Got to find Mom.”

  “Ioin has her.”

  “Good. Good. Do you know you’ve got wings?”

  “I know.”

  “Also good.”

  “Crista. Move out of the way.”

  “Nope.” She shook her head. She couldn’t move. Of course, she couldn’t exactly remember why. She just knew she had to stand here for some reason. She shivered, looked down at herself and realized her jacket and shirt were both open.

  “How’d that happen?”

  “She is in shock, Nax,” a voice said from down the alleyway. “She needs attention. And you need to bring yourself under control.”

  She cried out, jumping to look at who had spoken. It was one of his brothers. His face was tense as he looked from Nax to her to a spot behind her. Why was he looking behind her?

  She turned and let out a frightened cry, stepping back and nearly tumbling right into Nax when she saw Killer lying on the ground.

  “Take care of your mate, Nax. We will deal with him.”

  “He hurt her.”

  “I know. I will take care of him. If he is still breathing, that is.”

  “He hurt her.” Nax pulled her closer, wrapping his arms around her trembling body. That felt nice. She was so cold and he was like a furnace.

  Get a grip on yourself, Crista.

  “I’m okay. Just bruises. He’s Killer. He attacked me.”

  “I saw,” Nax growled.

  “No, before. He’s the one who attacked me before. Must have also been watching me. I thought I was imagining it. But it was him. He knew Mom was my mom.” She giggled slightly. The streetlights seemed overly bright and she winced. She rubbed her hands over her eyes. They still trembled, but she was starting to feel more with it.

  She removed her hands as Nax started walking along the street. She looked over his shoulder to check. “No wings.”

  “No.”

  “I guess shock was making me see weird things.” She shook and bit down on her lip to stop from whimpering. “Mom?”

  “Ioin has her. She is fine.”

  “Right. Right. Killer. What if he wakes up and attacks your brother? He had a knife.”

  “Tecan will be fine.”

  “Are you mad at me?” she whispered.

  He stopped, and for the first time since he’d appeared in the alleyway, he looked at her. Really looked at her. There was a tic in his cheek. His face was cold, his eyes dark and stormy, and while he held her gently, she could feel the tension inside him.

  “Mad?”

  “Yes. You seem angry. Is it because I didn’t wait for you?”

  “I am not happy with you.”

  She bit her lip. “Got that. But I couldn’t wait. I had to try and find her.”

  “And you got attacked.”

  “Yes. But he was hurting Mom, I couldn’t just stand by and do nothing.”

  That tic kept going. Shit. She knew that wasn’t good.

  “He hurt you.”

  “But you rescued me. I knew you were coming. I just had to hold on.” She took a breath in, but it sounded more like a sob. “He was going to…going to…”

  “I came. I stopped him.”

  “Yeah. Yeah. You stopped him. I want to go home. I want to see Mom. What will Tecan do with him?”

  He stared down at her. “You do not wish to know.”

  He kept walking down the street. No one else was around and she real
ized how lucky she was that he’d found her. She would have been on her own otherwise. Despite the warmth of his body, she started to shake. The trembles grew so bad that he had to tighten his hold around her.

  “Nearly there.”

  “S-sorry, d-don’t know w-what’s wrong w-with me.”

  “Shock. You were attacked.”

  “He was g-going to use m-mom to get t-to me. He m-must have s-seen me with—”

  “Shh,” he told her as they reached her apartment building. “Do not speak.”

  She nodded and buried her face into his chest as he started up the stairs. Probably she should insist that he set her down. He’d just walked several blocks with her in his arms, and now he was climbing the stairs. She knew he was strong, but no doubt she had to be getting heavy.

  But she didn’t say a word. Truth was, she didn’t think she was capable of walking. And secondly, she didn’t want him to let her go. She felt safe here in his arms, as though he wouldn’t let anyone harm her.

  And she didn’t want that feeling to disappear.

  He knocked on her apartment door and she heard the scrape of the lock; it opened to reveal Ioin. His face grew cold as he stared down at her. She had always gotten the feeling he didn’t like her much. He’d always acted kind of indifferent, uninterested. Now he just looked plain disgusted. Maybe a little angry.

  She flinched back. “I’m s-sorry.”

  Ioin’s gaze flew to Nax’s face. “Why is she sorry?”

  “I do not know. Her mother?”

  “Fine. Asleep. A few bruises and small burn marks. Not sure what form.”

  “C-cigarette burns. He b-burnt her with the end of a-a cigarette.”

  Oh God. Oh God. She was going to lose it.

  “P-put me down.”

  “No.”

  She closed her eyes for a moment. She needed to find some calm. To figure out some way through this without having a meltdown. One breath. Another.

  “Nax, please put me d-down. I want t-to check on her.” She didn’t dare look at either of them. If she did, she would probably lose it.

  Nax walked towards the bedroom, then over to the bed where her mom was sleeping. Peacefully. He set her down to sit on the bed beside her. But he crouched down, kept his arms on the bed on either side of her, as though prepared to catch her should she fall.

  “Dressed the burns. She was tired. Thought sleep the best thing she could have,” Ioin explained.

  “Thank you. T-that was very kind.”

  “Kind?” Ioin sounded insulted, and she quickly glanced over at him then to Nax.

  Nax stood and swung her up into his arms once more. It felt so right to be in his arms and all she wanted to do was rest her head against his chest and just let him take charge. Let him figure all of this out.

  But she couldn’t do that. This was her shit. She had to own it. Clean it up. Deal with it. And first item on the agenda was standing on her own two feet. Even if her legs did feel rather shaky and she’d rather curl up into a ball and bawl like a baby.

  “Nax, put me down.”

  “No.”

  She ground her teeth together. “You can’t just s-say no.”

  Drat, she’d thought she’d gotten hold of the trembling.

  “I can.” He moved to the sofa and sat, arranging her on his lap. Suddenly a blanket landed around her and she looked up at Ioin in shock as he arranged it over her.

  “Thank you,” she whispered quietly.

  He nodded his head once. Sharply. “You are cold. And scared. You need care.” He gave Nax a look.

  “I have it handled.”

  “You are not known for your tenderness.”

  Nax let out a low, warning rumble. She gasped, stiffening and tried to move off his lap.

  “Crista. Stay where you are. Ioin, you have no more tenderness I do. So do not try to lecture to me.”

  Ioin nodded. “Got more tact than you.”

  “Son of a Jurgen, I can care for my mate without instruction.”

  She tensed then felt Nax do the same. Ioin just watched her with interest.

  “Mate?”

  What the heck did that mean? Did it mean they were friends? Or did it mean something else? Like an animal finding its mate. Where did these guys come from? The damn jungle? Huh, she could actually kind of see it.

  “Swinging from the trees, dressed in some animal skin, yeah can see that.”

  “Why is she talking of this?” Ioin asked Nax.

  “She talks to herself when she is upset or stressed.”

  “I do? Yeah, guess I do.” She blushed. “Guess we’re opposites in that way. You talk less when upset. I talk more.”

  “I do not get upset.”

  “Stressed, then.”

  He looked equally as unimpressed by that. “I’m sorry to ruin your evening,” she said to them both. “I’m fine if you want to leave.”

  Fine. Right. She thought she might burst into tears at any moment. The adrenaline was wearing off, so now she was feeling every ache and pain, and she really, really needed a bath, only her stupid apartment came with just a shower.

  Ioin nodded. “Contact us if you need anything. I will go and meet with Tecan and Brogan.”

  “W-will you let me know what happens with K-Killer?”

  “Killer?” Ioin’s gaze grew sharp.

  “The guy who attacked me. That’s what he called himself. Obviously not his first name. Well, not unless his parents had a really weird sense of humor. Will you call the police? They’ll need my statement.” She started trembling again, she wasn’t sure she was able to cope with all of this. “Oh God, he could have hurt Mom.”

  Nax moved and she realized with a jolt of shock that he was softly rocking her. Ioin was right, tenderness and understanding weren’t words she’d use to describe him. Yet here he was, rocking her to soothe her.

  “Do not worry about the police,” Ioin reassured her. “You will not need to speak to them.” He then surprised her by crouching down and reaching out to grasp hold of her chin gently.

  Nax made a warning noise but he just flicked his gaze up to the man holding her so carefully, and Nax nodded.

  “Crista, next time, wait for your mate. Understand?”

  He then stood and left the apartment. She blinked a few times. “That’s why I was thinking of jungle men. Mates. We’re not mates.”

  “We are. You just do not understand that yet. And tonight is not the night to discuss it.”

  “It’s not?”

  “No.”

  She thought about that for a moment. She’d quite like to discuss it.

  “No,” he repeated calmly.

  She sighed. “I’m talking to myself again, aren’t I?”

  “Yes. You are.”

  “Do you think it’s weird? That I do that?”

  “I think it is strange.”

  Yeah. Wonderful. That’s how she wanted to be known, as that strange girl.

  “But not weird.” He kissed the top of her head and her insides melted.

  “I want to know why people keep calling me your mate.”

  “I will explain. Just not right now. You are not ready.”

  “I am,” she insisted. Then she remembered why she was cuddled up in his arms, feeling like she’d been run over by truck. She’d just been attacked.

  “I need to examine you.”

  She snuggled her cheek in against his chest. “Don’t wanna move.”

  She should get up. Let him go. Last thing he wanted was to sit here all night with her on his lap.

  “Crista. I need to check for injuries. And you need to get out of those clothes.”

  She shuddered. She could still feel Killer touching her, pawing her. Yeah, she needed out of these clothes.

  “Burn them.”

  “What?”

  “Want to burn them. And have a really hot shower. Wish I had a bath. I miss taking baths. All the bubbles. The way it relaxes you.”

  “I have a bath.”

 
“That’s a point in your favor.”

  “If you resided with me, you could take as many baths as you desire.”

  She sighed. “Don’t tempt me.”

  “I am trying to tempt you. I could set up a security system for your mother so we would know when she left her room.”

  “Security systems aren’t foolproof.”

  “It will be much better than what you have. Plus, there are more people to take care of her. And me to care for you.”

  Oh God. She could just feel that shell around her heart cracking even more. She couldn’t, though. She couldn’t do it. She wanted to. She really did. And she didn’t much care that she hadn’t known him long and that it would be stupid to move in with him so quickly. Those weren’t her reasons for saying no. If it had just been her she’d probably be in that bath of his right now, soaking her worries away.

  But it wasn’t just her.

  “I can’t.”

  “Why not?” he growled.

  “Because it’s not fair.”

  “To you?”

  “To you.”

  He stiffened. “What do you mean?”

  “My shit isn’t your shit to take on, Nax.”

  “I do not understand this reference to shit.”

  She thought about that for a moment, then giggled. “Sorry, should explain that better.” She closed her eyes as she leaned her head back against him. She was so tired. Bone deep tired.

  “Crista? You need to rest.”

  He stood, holding her in his arms.

  “Can’t move in with you because of Mom.”

  He walked into the small bathroom and set her down on the counter, blanket and all, then leaned over to turn on the shower. He turned back to her, put his hands on either side of the counter, boxing her in. He leaned in, his face close to hers.

  “What do you mean because of your mother? She will come with you. Have her own room. Have all the care she requires.”

  “I have no doubts you’ll provide all of that. The thing is, you shouldn’t have to.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Mom is mine to take care of. Sometimes it’s not easy. Sometimes it feels like I have no idea what I’m doing. I feel worried and stressed all the time. I never know when she’ll have a bad day. It’s a constant rollercoaster and it never stops.”

  “It is hard on your own.”

  “Yes, but I have to. Because she’s my mom. But she’s not yours.”