Jax (Immortals of New Orleans Book 7) (31 page)

“It’s making me hard just thinking about it. Tell me, ah shit, yes,” Jax cried as she fisted his cock.

“My Alpha,” she growled, her tongue laving his chest. “You really want to hear about it? All right. I’d fantasize that I’d be at a museum. Maybe a party. I’d see you across the dance floor.”

“Dancing is good. Foreplay.”

“Hmm…but soon I’d be the only one there, and you’d…” She giggled.

“Don’t stop,” Jax breathed, unsure whether he was referring to her story or the fact that she’d tightened her grip.

“You’d undress me right there. No one would be there, but it was the thrill of knowing that anyone could see us.”

“What happens next?” He smiled.

“Nothing,” she lied.

“Do we need another lesson, my little wolf?” he questioned, sensing she hadn’t told him the truth.

“We’d run away together and fall madly in love.” Her voice trailed into a whisper as the words lingered in the silence of the night. Still unsure of Jax’s feelings, her heart crushed, exposing her raw emotions.

Love.
It had once seemed as elusive as catching a ray of a rainbow. Yet as she opened to Jax, becoming more vulnerable than she’d ever let herself be, she discovered the freedom in speaking the secret she’d never told anyone. In the bed of her mate, she no longer dreamed of making love. She dreamed of Jax loving her the way she’d fallen for him.

Jax delighted in Katrina’s playful squeal as he turned the tables on his mate, rolling her onto her back. As he lay between her legs, supporting his weight on his forearms, his steel-hard shaft prodded her core. If only for a few heated seconds, he resisted burying himself deep inside her.

Katrina’s sensual confession had turned heartfelt, revealing more than a passing lust. It exposed an exceptional future, one he craved more than the air he breathed. Jax couldn’t say he ever thought he’d fall in love. But the raging emotion taking hold of his heart healed his broken world.

“I like your fantasy.” Jax gazed into her eyes, a smile crossing his face.

“Jax…I…what about yours?” She blinked.

“You’re it, baby. I’m living mine.” Jax’s lips captured Katrina’s as he thrust inside her.

Her mouth parted, gasping for breath, as his cock speared inside her. They gazed into each other’s eyes, the sensual urgency palpable. With every ounce of passion he possessed, his lips caressed hers, and she responded in kind. His simple kiss spoke the intense emotions he couldn’t yet articulate. Rocking in and out of Katrina, he grazed her pelvis against his. As she arched upward, taking him deeper, he increased the pressure against her clit.

“That’s it, Kat. Just feel me…feel how much you mean to me,” he told her, his lips hovering above hers.

“Jax…yes…there…” Her eyes widened as her head tilted back toward the headboard.

Never had he made love with a woman the way he’d done with Katrina. The passion in her eyes as she reached climax tore at his heart, the raw intimacy exposed. Her breath was ragged as she came, her gaze focused on Jax. Fingernails stabbed his shoulders, and he reveled in the pain, her body shuddering underneath his.

As her pussy fisted his cock, the quivering vise ripped his orgasm from his soul. He stiffened against her, whispering her name. Jax’s mouth grazed her temple, the salt of her tears on his lips.

Katrina completed his life, and the great Alpha knew that his beast had, in its own way submitted, to nature, to his mate. Falling for the little wolf, a new Alpha was born, and he would give his own life to protect her.

Jax scanned the courtyard, pleased that he’d purchased the Vieux Carré mansion. Gas lamp sconces flickered alongside hundreds of tiny white lights that ran up the side of a massive wall of ivy. In the corner, an iconic three-tiered fountain sat majestically, its gentle stream of water babbled, the calming waterfall echoing through the silence. Potted Palmetto palms lined a brick walkway that ran along the perimeter of the outdoor space. He glanced to Katrina, who enjoyed a swim in the large rectangular pool, and dreamed of a day when their vacation home would be filled with only joy.

Jax’s attention was drawn to Jake’s voice. They’d been sitting outdoors, discussing the contents of the tin box they’d discovered.
Blood ring. Destroy the siphon.

“So what do you think it means?” he asked.

“I think we do what it says. I haven’t even brought this up with Katrina, but I’m pretty sure she has to do something with that damn ring. My best guess is that she uses the boline to bleed onto it. But honestly, it looks like a piece of junk. I just don’t get how this is going to do anything at all.”

“Let me see it.” Jake picked up the antique piece of jewelry. He ran his finger over its octagonal crown, scraping bits of dirt away from the top, revealing a dark blue sapphire. “Ah, look at Daddy’s little pretty.”

“Humans are particularly vulnerable to poison. Think about it. Going all the way back in time, nature has always provided means of death long before weapons were designed.” Jax studied the object as Jake rolled it in his fingers. “Leaves. Berries. Naturally occurring substances to chemical derivatives. Modern drugs, even.”

“This baby makes it easy to commit murder. Suicide, too. It’s easily concealed and often undetectable. But there’s a catch, using a ring.” He held up the object to the candlelight. “If you’re going to kill, you have to get close to your victim.”

“True. The murderer would have to dispense it into a drink. But that’s not possible with a supernatural. When we confront these things, they aren’t going to just drink it.”

“Maybe it has to go into them another way. It seems to me that all these things are basically living on borrowed time. They’re essentially dead, using the same black magick to shift and get around.”

“So what are you thinking? You get one, you get them all?” Jax’s lip tugged to the side in thought, and he pinched the bridge of his nose. “But still, what do you do with it?”

“Not sure.”

“The whole purpose of a poison ring is to use it. To conceal the murder weapon. Throughout time people have used all kinds of things to poison people. Darts. Knives.”

“Really anything can be used if you’re injecting it.” Jake flicked the side of the ring. “There’s something here. Here, feel this.”

“I don’t want to break it by forcing it open.” Jax took it from Jake, and skimmed his thumb along its surface.

“Or worse, spill whatever is in it out.”

“Grab me a glass off that tray, would ya?” Jax picked at the rust until it revealed a tiny ridge. As he inspected it, the fine lines of a hinge appeared.

Jake retrieved one and set it in front of Jax.

“Thanks.” His eyes went to Jake’s as he flicked the small attached lever. “If it releases the poison, we’ll catch it.”

Jax held his breath as he worked, giving it a strong shove with his finger. The metal popped as a tiny lancet ejected.

“And the plot thickens,” Jake mused.

“Yes it does. So maybe you don’t drink anything,” Jax surmised. “Maybe you put the poison on this and stab the person. A little bit will do ya, as they say.”

“The question is, how is the blood used? Let’s assume it’s Kat’s blood, because let’s face it, she’s the one who has the craft flowing through her like a river. Does she just open the ring? Mix her blood with the poison?”

“Well, until she actually opens it, I’m going to go with all of the above. I’m curious about what’s inside, but I really don’t think we should open it here. Instinct tells me that it’s best we leave it closed until it’s time for the show.”

“Yeah, I hear you. It’s like opening a tube of toothpaste. Whatever’s in there could be much more than just powder. Might not be able to get it back in. Knowin’ Ilsbeth, she’s got a surprise stuffed in here.”

“Let’s just keep this under wraps for a while, okay? Tomorrow we’ll jet home and talk about it to Kat on the plane. Right now, I just want her to relax.” Jax’s focus went to his mate, who rested her arms and head on the edge of the pool.

“Is she okay? You guys didn’t get up until late.”

“She doesn’t remember what happened at the dock,” Jax disclosed. “And we’re not going to tell her.”

When Katrina asked him if he’d seen another creature under the dock, he hadn’t completely told her the truth. While he’d seen something that appeared as if it were Dominique, what he hadn’t shared was how Katrina had changed. Transforming from solid into a mass of splintered lights, she’d convulsed in a translucent state.

He hadn’t thought twice about running to her, and by the time she’d fully materialized, she jolted violently toward the ground. If he hadn’t been there to catch her, she’d have cracked her head open on the rocks. She’d remained unconscious until they returned home, scaring the shit out of him. Exhausted, she’d only spoken a few words, before falling into a deep slumber. After sleeping most of the day, she’d finally awoken, but seemed to have no recollection of the entire incident.

“You sure about not telling her what we saw?” Jake tilted his head in question.

“As much as I hate keeping secrets from Kat, I don’t see any benefit in telling her tonight. She’s already upset that she saw something we didn’t. She says she saw some kind of demon thing. Last night, it shook me up seeing her like that.”

“Yeah, that was kind of fucked up. Scared me, too.”

“We’re gonna have to work as a team. I want to get home and get this shit done. We’ll bring the pack. I’m going to call Quint in too.” Jax reached for his beer. “Tonight we rest. Tomorrow we fight.”

“I have to say that Katrina looks no worse for wear. She actually looks happy,” Jake observed.

“Yeah, she does. It’s not that she doesn’t know what’s going down, she’s just centered.” Jax watched as Katrina swam back and forth in the pool, her creamy bottom breaching the surface.

“A late night swim is most definitely a good idea.” Jake gave Jax a devious smile.

“She’s pretty amazing, huh?” Jax still couldn’t believe how hard he was falling for Katrina. The sight of his beautiful mate caused his heart to pause. Katrina completed his life, made him whole. If he died today, this would be enough.

“Look at you,” Jake teased.

“What?”

“Hey, I don’t blame you. Kat, she’s a terrific person.” Jake picked up his glass and took a swig of the ale. “You don’t know. When she first came down here. She’d been in Philly a good part of the past hundred years. But she fit right in, ya know? Just like she’d never left. Marcel? If anyone messed with his sister, look the fuck out. He didn’t fool around when it came to her. When he died, she was devastated. The past couple of years haven’t been easy on her.”

“She’s resilient.”

“It’s gotta be scary for her to have all this shit going down with her magick, but she doesn’t give up. A lot of wolves would have just said, ‘fuck it’. But she’s tough. She’s got that Alpha blood in her, all right.”

“Yeah, she does,” Jax agreed.

“I just have to ask you something.” Jake hesitated and scrubbed his fingers over his hair. “I know it’s none of my business, but when it comes to Kat…I can see she’s falling for you. So I don’t know what your intentions are, but you were kind of a playboy in New York. It’s not like some guys just give up that lifestyle. Some wolves, even after they’re mated, act like bastards.”

“What are you trying to get at?”

“Don’t hurt her. It’s as simple as that.” Jake stared out over the veranda to the cabana on the far side of the pool. “If you do…hey, I know we’ve kind of become,” he half coughed and gave a smirk, “what I think I’d say is friends, but I’ll kick your ass all the same.”

“I imagine you think you will.” Jax laughed. He found it humorous to hear Jake challenge him in such an affectionate manner.

“I’m not kidding.”

“I know you’re not.” Jax took a deep breath and considered his next words. “Jake…I think we need to talk about something.”

“Yeah.”

“You and I. Remember the first time we met? How you felt about me?”

“Do I need to get a box of tissues for this convo? I’m starting to get the feels.” Jake smiled.

“Do you need to be such a jackass? Don’t answer that. I already know the answer.” Jax shot him a side glance and mindlessly dragged his thumb over the raised lettering on his beer bottle. “I’m trying to be serious here. Do you remember?”

“What about it? We met in New Orleans. You were an asshole. We fought. Saw you again in New York. Still kind of an asshole.” He laughed. “Okay, maybe less of an asshole, but still. That kind of makes a nice fairytale, huh?”

“Fuck you.”

“I’m still looking for my happy ending.” He winked. “What do you say, Alpha?”

“Can you be serious for one fucking second?”

“What?”

“Did you ever stop and consider why you have this incessant need to challenge me?”

“Um, was I not clear about the asshole part?” he joked.

Jax shook his head and glared at him.

“Come on, Jax. What? I don’t know. You’re just kind of different than most Alphas I’ve been around.”

“You’ve been around who? Marcel? Tristan? Logan? Am I right?”

“Yeah.”

“Tell me what happened in San Diego.”

“Why are you asking me this?” Jake’s expression turned somber. He rimmed the edge of his glass with his finger.