Taming Jax (First Wave Book 5) (31 page)

Reven looked at Melina, who shrugged at him before speaking to him privately through the Shengari’.

“The squirrels knew where the manual controls were and what buttons to push to bring down the containment field holding Cal in. Besides, they want to stop us from going to her. I want to see her. So does Bayla. So do you. Please.” Melina asked, begging to see the woman who had saved her.

Melina knew she could help. She didn’t know how, but she knew she could, and she wasn’t going to leave without trying something. With or without Reven’s help. In desperation, she cried out along the strange new path in her mind that had appeared when she’d awoken here.

Melina was shocked when there was an immediate response. “I have heard and I am coming. Hear me now little hunter, do not let them give up on Jax! We can help her!”

Melina knew it was Lara, and she trusted the instincts that told her to listen. Her instincts had kept her alive this long and brought her to Reven and Jax; she would trust them again. And the voice. For Jax.

Opening her mind, she allowed the shadows to form in her mind and expanded her energy to determine where everyone was located that could be a threat. She felt the disturbance in the two surrounding Reven and knew they were getting ready to do something. She needed to strike first.

Reven could feel Melina tense and felt her gather her energy. He felt her warning in his mind before she disappeared and slipped from his arms. Seconds later, she reappeared on Grai’s back with his own knife at his throat.

Disc and Decano gasped in surprise and started to panic when the door slammed open, and the huge white tiger roared in the doorway.  

Grai and the others watched in nervous shock as they looked out of the door to the MedLab and saw it was surrounded by snarling and growling animals that had pushed his people several feet away from the door. Led by the tiger Cal.

Small animals like rabbits, squirrels and gophers covered the floor of the hangar with various wild cats and even coyotes. Birds of every kind flew in circles and swoops throughout the large docking bay, dive bombing anyone who looked like they would move to the door of the MedLab.

Grai held himself perfectly still, so as not to startle or scare the child gripping onto his back. He was stunned when the baby in Reven’s arms, his son’s mate, turned to him with blazing dark eyes and growled at him. With her adorable two teeth showing.

He had to force himself to quell the laughter that bubbled in him at the crazy situation and the chaos going on around him. If Jax’s life wasn’t hanging in the balance he would let it go. Instead, he tried again to reason with Reven.

“Reven, look at this. This isn’t good for the kids or Jax. Amun and the techs need to work on her. They can’t do that effectively with all of this going on around them. Have them clear the room.” Grai said, trying not to react when the angry little girl pressed the knife tighter against his throat and growled at him.

Melina knew he was lying. She had felt his plans through his energy when she’d touched him. Reven needed to know.

“He’s lying. He was going to have the other two drug you and take us away.” Melina said with an angry snarl at the man, she was holding hostage.

Reven glared at Grai while he spoke to Melina. “Keep him there, little one. If anyone moves, have Bayla sic Cal on them.”

He ignored the gasps around them while he carried Bayla to the bed, where Jax was laying. Two of the med techs moved out of his way, so he could stand beside the bed. The second he saw her face; he fought to breathe.

Large tracks of blood surrounded her eyes, and her nose where it had obviously streamed out. Her hair was matted on both sides of her head where the blood from her eyes had joined with the blood that had come from her ears.

“What the fuck happened?” Reven croaked out as he reached out a shaking hand to touch hers.

He expected to feel her energy, even a small current. There was nothing. No hint that any energy was running through her body at all. That wasn’t possible, he thought numbly. Even humans had energy; it kept everything alive. Trying again, he again felt nothing.

His mind felt numb. As if unable to process the information that was staring him in the face. He turned confused eyes to Amun to explain it to him as Bayla began to cry harder in his arms.

Amun looked at the man he greatly respected and his heart broke for him. What he had to tell him wasn’t going to go well in any situation, and as he looked around the room at the knife at Grai’s throat and the tiger ready to kill Disc and Decano, he knew this was the worst of situations. But he had to tell him. He needed to know.

“Reven… I don’t know what happened to her. She has a few cracked ribs, bruises… but her brain…. Reven, she has no function of her brain at all. We are keeping her body alive artificially right now. She has suffered brain death.” Amun said the last on a choked whisper.  

He, like most of the first Valendrans who had come to the planet, greatly respected Jax. She had the courage of a warrior and the heart of the fiercest beast. Her loyalty to her friends was absolute, and she had saved many of their people at great sacrifice to herself.

Amun had tried everything to bring her back, but her brain was gone. Whatever had happened to her, the damage to her brain was permanent. Not even their technology could fix it. It was as if something had completely fried every single active connection in her brain. There was not even enough function left for her to keep her own body alive.

However, he wasn’t done giving the speechless man the worst of the news and Amun braced himself for what he knew was going to come before telling Reven the rest of her diagnosis.

“Reven…” Amun began as he put a comforting hand on the man’s arm to draw his attention from his mate.

Reven looked down at his beautiful and stubborn mate and couldn’t believe what Amun was telling him. There was no way in hell that his woman wasn’t getting off that bed on her own. She wouldn’t allow anything else. She was too strong, too stubborn to give up like this. He didn’t believe it. He wouldn’t believe it.

He turned fiery blue eyes to Amun and waited to hear how the doctor was going to fix her. Nothing could have prepared him for what the doctor said next.

“Reven, we’re keeping her body alive because of the baby.” Amun said as Disc and Decano gasped and Grai croaked out, “Oh Gods!”

Reven looked at Amun almost blankly. “What?”

Amun sighed. “Reven, she very recently became pregnant. The child is only days old, but it’s hanging in there. The med techs in the field got her on life support quickly enough to save the child.”

Reven just stared at Jax a moment before he moved a trembling hand from her hand and placed it on her stomach. It took him several seconds, but he finally found the small pulse of energy emanating from her stomach, and he choked back a gasp.

He didn’t even look up when Melina came up beside him and asked. “Is it true? Can I see?”

Reven turned tortured eyes to his daughter and nodded his head. He took her hand gently in his own and placed it over Jax’s belly, where he’d felt their child’s energy and held it there.

Melina felt the small strand of energy and smiled up at Reven through her tears. “She’s really strong, like her mommy. Bayla wants to feel her sister too.”

Reven nodded his head numbly and pulled the baby off of his hip and sat her next to Jax on the bed. Melina helped her place her small hand on Jax’s belly, while Reven tried to sort through the anger, fear, pain and happiness that were tearing him apart.

There wasn’t a dry eye in the room as Amun and the other techs stepped back from the bed to give the family some time to grieve for their loss. And come to terms with the new life inside the shell of their loved one.

Amun had no idea if the baby was a girl or not, it was far too young to tell yet, but he wouldn’t doubt the incredibly talented child who believed that it was. Pulling out his scanner, he returned to running different simulations, in the hope of finding something that could bring Jax back to them. Something that would repair all the damaged connections in her brain.

Grai looked out the doorway, past the field of animals who seemed to be not only protecting Reven and the children, but mourning themselves. At the edge, in the far back, he could see Ivint and his mate Sacara, who was trying to get through the animals to their lifelong friend.

Not thrilled at the prospect of having the little girl put his blade back at his throat, Grai knew he needed to get some emotional help and support in here for Reven. The man’s pain and confusion were pouring from him in waves so strongly it was affecting everyone in the room. Even the jittery tiger that was keeping Disc and Decano pinned near the opposite wall.

“Reven, Ivint and Sacara are here. Will you please allow them in?” Grai said softly, hoping he wouldn’t set off the little chameleon hunter.

Reven shook his head as he stared down at his mate. He knew she wouldn’t want all these people around her making a fuss when she awakened. Her skin was so pale and cool; he thought as he took her hand in his own and rubbed it against his cheek.

He watched as Bayla curled up beside Jax and cuddled close, while Melina laid down beside her on the opposite side, keeping her hand over his new daughter. The only gift greater that Jax could bestow on him now, was to open her eyes, Reven thought sadly.

He didn’t care if she ranted and raved at him, he would endure it with a smile just to have her back. Besides, he knew that she loved him. He had felt it, when he awakened. Vowing that it would not be the last time he felt her love, he poured his energy into her body, looking for the strands of energy that had bound them together so tightly only hours ago.

When Reven still felt nothing, he tried again and again, unwilling to give up on the only thing he’d ever truly wanted for himself.

When Melina put her small hand over his own, he turned his tortured gaze to her hers.

“We will find her together and bring her back to us.” Melina said as the silver dots in her eyes began to glow and widen until they took over the normal pale blue.

Reven nodded his head as he felt an incredible surge of energy shoot through his hand like a lightning bolt. His body arched backward, his spine going ramrod straight from the arc of power overtaking him as it pulled and joined with his own energy.

It expanded inside of him as Bayla placed her hand over Melina’s and added her own energy to the maelstrom of power already coursing through his body.

Reven barely registered it when Bayla reached out her other hand towards Cal, who roared so loudly the instruments rattled on the counters, and the walls shook. The cat turned his large head to the doorway and looking out at the other animals; he roared again before walking to the bed and laying his head against Reven’s side.

Amun watched, as Reven’s body began to tremble violently. Scared that something was wrong he turned his scanner on him and tried to make sense of the data scrolling across the screen. He turned wide eyes to Grai, who looked on in open mouthed amazement.

“They’re pulling energy from the animals… somehow they are pooling their energy through Melina to Reven.” Amun told Grai through the Shengari’, unable to believe it was possible to use the animals in such a way.

Grai nodded his head mutely as he looked out at the field of animals who were swaying slightly. Even the birds had all landed and were standing amongst the others, lending their energy to help save their friend.