Jax (Astral Mates #7)

Chapter 10

Ten

Despite the amazing, breathtaking sex they had last night, Elara’s heart ached.

When they returned to the captain’s quarters after defiling the ring, Jax was his usual, distant self. He spoke little. He gave her the bed, and refused to elaborate.

It was all very confusing, and it confirmed what Elara had always known: You shouldn’t let men get close to you.

Especially not alien men.

And especially not your hot, alien boss.

He just wanted to bust his load inside of her, and that’s it. Jax didn’t care about her. Not really. He was a smug asshole, and she had been foolish to allow him inside of her.

To think she begged for it! Ugh .

That morning, she kicked Jax out of the room. She couldn’t stand to look at him, and she needed a moment alone.

Elara needed to shower in peace, without having to hold back her moans because Jax was three feet away, thank you very much.

The alien waited outside, his back pressed against the door.

Elara remained a complete mystery to him. She had gotten what she wanted, right? Why was she so upset this morning?

Last night, she was begging for it. He had taken her, given her pleasure, and roughly claimed her body. Afterwards, he gave her the bed.

What more did she want?

There was no understanding human women. Kai, Tyr, Yvar, all of them were fools to bond with these creatures.

To think there were still weeks to go before Elara finally left again, and he could sleep in peace, without her scent filling his room and driving him mad…

Kylie Peters walked down the hall, saw Jax, and whirled back around as if she saw a ghost.

“Too late, Peters,” Jax said. “Come here.”

Kylie let her shoulders drop and approached her boss.

“Why are you wandering the halls? Shouldn’t you be in the hangar?” Jax asked.

“I could ask you the same thing, boss.”

Jax raised his eyebrow. “Are you going to give me attitude as well? Is Elara’s influence spreading?”

“No, sir!” Kylie said. “It’s just… well, no one really knows what we ought to be doing without you around to give orders, so everyone’s just been kinda… chilling. I thought I’d go for a quick walk and I just… happened to walk by here.”

“Sure,” Jax said. “You just ‘happened’ to walk past the Dragan living spaces that you have no business being in. Are you spying on me, Peters?”

“No sir! I just needed to check if my best friend needed to talk to me, okay?” Kylie said. “That’s not a crime!”

“No, but not doing your duties is . There are plenty of other Dragans in the hanger, or there damn well should be. Zythar, or Vexel. Aren’t they in charge?”

Kylie bit the inside of her cheek. “You didn’t hear this from me, boss, but with you busy with Elara and all, the other pilots have just been playing Dragan Triple Draw all morning.”

“By Dzana’s beard,” Jax growled.

He was not supposed to leave Elara alone for even a moment — but he also had duties as a captain. Suddenly, these two obligations clashed.

His duties as a warrior and protector were the most important right now, despite the general’s strict orders.

“Tell Elara to find me as soon as she is able!” He commanded Kylie.

“Uhm, yes sir!”

Jax stormed off. He was angry with his seconds, Zythar and Vexel, and not only because they should always be battle-ready instead of playing cards.

No. He also was bristling with rage because they were keeping him from Elara’s side. That’s where he belonged, where he should be.

At all times.

“Yes, yes, I’m coming! Geez! Stop knocking!”

Elara mumbled under her breath as she opened the door, fully expecting an angry, heaving, tall alien warrior.

Instead, her best friend was at the door. “Hi!”

“Kylie?” Elara stammered. “What are you doing here?”

“I’m filling in for the big guy!” Kylie said as she entered Jax’s quarters uninvited. “So this is where the magic happens, hm?”

She flung herself onto Jax’s messy, unmade bed. “Ooh, soft,” she said, running her hands across the jet-black covers. “A little small for the both of you, though…”

“Kylie,” Elara said as she dried her hair. “Stop talking nonsense for a moment. Where’s Jax?”

“Oh, I told him that the Dragan pilots were all gambling, so he stormed off to set them straight. You’re supposed to follow him right away, but we can chill for a moment. So. How are you holding up?”

“I don’t even know how to answer that question,” Elara answered.

Her body still vividly remembered the way the alien man had touched her, but she wasn’t going to tell her best friend that.

Kylie had a way of pulling every lurid detail out of Elara, and she wasn’t ready to relive all of it. Not yet.

“One moment he’s driving me crazy, and the next… It's not so bad. But the moment after that, he’s infuriating .”

“Maybe the general knew what he was doing, getting you both to shack up,” Kylie teased.

“Will you stop insinuating that?” Elara said, exasperated. “Do you want to swap places or something?”

The moment the words left Elara’s lips, she felt a strange feeling come over her. She recognized it right away, and that made her feel even worse.

That feeling was jealousy .

It gnawed at her insides, making her stomach feel crazy. The thought of Kylie, her best friend, in that bed she was now sitting on, with Jax…

It made her see green.

“No, thank you,” Kylie said. “The captain has zero interest in me, and the feeling is mutual. He’s handsome, don’t get me wrong, but he’s not meant for me. You, on the other hand, have been pressing his buttons since day one.”

“I just want to be taken seriously as a pilot,” Elara huffed. “That’s all I’ve been trying to do.”

“You just want to be taken . Seriously,” Kylie repeated. “We agree on that part.”

Elara grabbed a pillow and threw it at her best friend. She received one right back, and suddenly the two were in a pillow fight, thrashing the captain’s room, laughing and shouting — until Elara knocked over an obsidian statue of the Dragan goddess on Jax’s desk as she swung her pillow.

It fell on the floor with a heavy thud.

“Oh shit ,” Elara said.

“Crap,” Kylie said. “That looked expensive.”

“Yeah.” Elara picked it up, and her heart sank when she realized the goddess statue had broken into several pieces.

She placed the various pieces on the desk and tidied the room as much as possible.

“Let’s find Jax and try to do some actual work for a chance.”

“And the statue?” Kylie asked softly.

“That’s my fault. Don’t worry, I won’t mention your name. You’re safe. I’m already being punished, what’s he going to do, punish me more?”

As she said those words, several mental images flooded into Elara’s mind. There were many, many ways a bratty human could be punished, after all.

Many.