27. River
Iwas surprised to see Jax leaning against my car, waiting for me. I still couldn’t believe this beautiful car was mine. It felt too good to be true, and I was waiting for the other shoe to drop.
Jax’s smile was intoxicating and soon I had a smile of my own that mirrored his.
“Are you ready to take this baby for a ride?” He asked, opening my door for me when I clicked the fob to unlock the car.
“I was born ready,” I told him before he closed the door after I climbed in. I watched as he slid across the hood. Giggling at the crazy man, trying to act like a badass, but he looked like a penguin that lost its footing on the ice.
“Smooth,” I chuckled as he climbed into the passenger side.
“That went a whole lot better in my head,” he scoffed.
I smiled as I started up the car. It hummed under my fingers as I gripped the steering wheel. The interior was a gorgeous midnight blue, it looked so much like the color of my dragon it was astonishing. I trailed my fingers over the dash and connected my phone, Bad Omens ‘Take Me First’ started blasting through the speakers. Unable to wait a second longer, I slammed the car into gear and flew out of the parking lot.
This stingray drove like a dream. It was the smoothest car I’ve ever had the pleasure of driving. I wanted to test the limits of the beautiful machine, though. So, I decided to turn onto Snake Road.
Jax’s sharp inhale as I made my way around the first bend made me laugh. He didn’t have a fast car like the rest of us did. I couldn’t fathom why anyone would want a truck instead, yet Jax had that ugly brown one.
I slowed down slightly, not wanting him to piss his pants in my new vehicle. He looked scared shitless, and I pondered over the fact that this dragon wasn’t an adrenaline junkie like the rest of the dragons I’ve met. I know I was always chasing the high that danger brought my way. It’s why I was taking this road at an insane speed.
“Is it my driving that scares you?” I blurted out, downshifting to slow the stingray around the next bend.
I glanced over at him, he was opening and closing his mouth, but no words were coming out. I slowed the car more, driving just above the recommended speed limit. Finally, words tumbled from his lips.
“It”s not you’re driving. It’s the fact of falling to my death if you make a wrong move,” he told me, glancing over at me before looking back at the road.
His body was stiff, his face twisted with fear. He gripped the dash in front of him so hard his knuckles were white.
“Jax, I’m sorry. I assumed all dragons enjoyed the excitement of fear.” I slowed more, watching closely as his body began to relax more.
I really scared him, now I feel like shit. Not even Nat was that afraid when she was riding with me. I glided the car to a stop at the top of the mountain, setting the emergency break and shutting off the engine.
I turned in my seat to look at him, pressing my back against the window. He mirrored my action, pressing his back against the opposite window and angling his body to face me.
“Want to talk about it?”
He hesitated a moment before answering. “I have eleven brothers and one sister. Even though I’m the oldest, three of my younger brothers” dragons emerged before mine. My father thought I was weak and tried to force my dragon out of me. He told my brothers to do whatever it took to get me to shift.”
I gasped. I knew Killigan was awful, but to treat his own son that way was horrible.
“They thought extreme terror would bring my dragon out, for eight months I endured them torturing me until my dragon finally had enough. The only reason why he was keeping himself hidden away was because of the class of dragon I am. The rest of my family are different elemental dragons, whether it be air, earth, or water.”
He stopped, taking a moment to clear his throat before continuing. He didn’t look at me, but I could see the pain twisting in his features. “They would throw me off the roof, hoping I could fly. Drop me in the middle of the woods and chase me down in their shifted forms. They used to lock me in a closet for days without any food or water.”
I grabbed his hands in mine, squeezing lightly until he met my eyes. I saw the hurt and betrayal deep in them, no wonder he hated his father. Killigan is the worst kind of man to allow that to happen to his child and do nothing to stop it.
“Jax…” I had no words to express how sorry I was.
He took a deep breath, banishing the tears that were swelling at his waterline.
“When my dragon finally showed himself, everything changed. Killigan put me back at the head of the family, the next one to take over the Kailua Horde. He was suddenly proud of me again, but it wasn’t because of me…it was because of my beast.”
“What class is your dragon, Jax?” I asked in a shaky tone. If his dragon caused a switch to flip, just like that, I didn’t know if I wanted to know.
“I’m a shadow dragon.”
He studied me intently, looking for any sign of rejection. He wouldn’t find it though, instead I asked him to tell me more. “I don’t know much about the different classes, can you explain it to me?”
He released the breath he was holding, the fear in his eyes morphing into hope. “I can wield shadows, have them do my bidding. I can kill a man with them without ever lifting a finger. They can hide me from sight and spy for me. Wherever there is a shadow, I can command it.”
“Holy shit, that’s pretty badass.” A small smile stretched across my face. I didn’t know there were so many different things a dragon could do. I was amazed, learning about it all.
“Show me?” I asked, barely above a whisper. His eyes lit up at the request.
It was dark, the only light coming from the dash, so there were plenty of shadows ripe for the picking.
A moment passed before I felt the featherlight touch on my cheek. I jumped slightly at the sudden feeling.
“It’s alright,” Jax said, squeezing my hands.
I took a deep breath and nodded at him. The touch returned, more prominent this time. I closed my eyes and leaned in against it. It was soft, like fingers trailing up and down my cheek. The shadow gently tucked a piece of hair behind my ear before disappearing.
“That is so cool,” I told him, opening my eyes to meet his amber ones.
He was looking at me like I was the most precious thing in the world. I ran my tongue over my bottom lip and watched as his eyes darted down to watch the action.
“Tell me more about you?” My tone made it sound more like a question than a statement. I didn’t want to push him if he didn’t want to share more.
He pondered my question for a moment before answering.
“My mom came over here from France in the hopes of finding a better life. Instead, she found Killigan. I don’t even know if he is her true mate with the way he treats her. He only wants her to pop out baby dragons for him. I would never treat you the way he treats my mom. My whole life I tried to get her out, but she refuses. She believes my father will kill her and her other four mates.”
“Killigan is a real piece of work. We will find a way to help your mom.”
“It’s my sister I fear more for. She”s only eight, and my father has already found a dragon to impregnate her when she goes into her first heat cycle.” The raw anger in his eyes had my breath hitching.
How could a man be so cruel to his children? “We won’t let that happen.”
His eyes bounced back and forth between mine. If he was looking for a lie, he wouldn’t find it. Killigan needed to be stopped.
I gasped as Jax lunged for me, he grabbed my hair in a strong hold and smashed his mouth against mine. He ran his tongue across my lips, silently asking for permission. I opened willingly, and he didn’t hesitate. Our tongues tangled together in a fight for dominance.
I whimpered into his mouth. If you told me last week I would be in this situation, I would have laughed. Yet, here I am, tangling my tongue with my enemy”s son and loving every second of it. I wanted more from him, needed more from him. I cried as he pulled away from me.
“I’m sorry, I don’t know what overcame me. I just felt like I couldn’t breathe until I had your lips on mine.” His voice was breathless, much like my own.
I stared stunned at the man, not knowing what to say. Deep down I think I felt the same way. It was a confusing feeling to have with the three men who were fated to be my mates. It felt like the air was being forced from my lungs unless they were near.
“Will it get easier?” I asked, hoping he understood my question. When he looked at me in confusion, I decided to elaborate. “The ache I feel in my chest when none of my mates are around. The feeling of not being able to breathe unless I’m touching one of you. I feel like I’m going to explode when I’m away from all of you. Like there”s an itch under my skin that”s only relieved when my mates are near.”
He smirked at me, placing a kiss on my lips before resting his forehead against mine. I took in a deep breath, and his stormy smell was intoxicating. I stared into his amber eyes, watching as black swirled in his irises.
“Gods I hope not. I never want this feeling to go away. I want to be consumed by you. Just the thought of being apart drives me insane.” His words were like a sweet caress against my skin.
“We should go.” The words sounded all wrong falling from my lips, I didn’t want to leave. I wanted to climb into his lap and show him what I thought about his words. My core clenched at the thought, and Jax took a deep inhale, no doubt smelling my arousal. So, the smart thing to do was leave. I wasn’t ready to forgive him yet, and I was dangerously close to doing just that.
“I guess I should get you back before Nikolai decides to punch me in the face again.” He released me and sat back in his seat. I instantly missed the feeling of his touch.
He noticed my hesitation and slid his hand over my thigh, sliding his fingers into the tear of my jeans to rub against my skin.
We rode in silence the entire way home while Jax traced his fingers against my bare skin through the rip. I relished the feeling of him simply touching me. It sent goosebumps over my skin. I had to fight the urge to pull the car over and climb him like a tree.