Chapter 18 #2
Then he was growling in pain and fury as he was thrown to the ground, landing hard on his back. The air was knocked from his lungs, but he didn’t care as he tried to scramble to his feet to chase down what was his.
Only he couldn’t move. Or, at least, he couldn’t move his limbs.
“Axel.”
The voice was far away, trying to break through his anger and bloodlust and want.
“Axel, look at me.”
He snarled again, and whatever was keeping him contained burned. The snarl morphed into a bellow of pain, but broke through the all-consuming need. He blinked, everything coming into focus.
Including his wife standing over him murmuring, “I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I’m sorry.”
Her hands were raised, flames in her palms while cords of shadows held him to the floor. She didn’t look fearful of him, even though she godsdamn should be. Unshed tears were glimmering, but she wouldn’t let them fall as she watched him.
“I’m sorry,” she said again. “Axel?”
“I’m back, kitten,” he said around the dry lump in his throat. “Let me up.”
She eyed him for another few seconds, clearly gauging the truth of that statement, and he was glad she did. He wanted her to take every precaution. This was exactly what he’d been afraid of, even if she didn’t appear shaken in the least.
Slowly, the shadows unwound, but she kept the flames in her hands as he got to his feet. He wanted to rush to her, but he moved slowly, giving her the time she needed to trust he was back in the right state of mind.
She was in one of his shirts, but it only hit her upper thighs now. He was shirtless, only in his undergarments, and he clenched his hands into fists, feeling the lingering burn at his wrists and ankles.
“I’m—”
“Do not apologize to me again, Kat,” he interrupted, his tone dark and commanding. “You did what you needed to do.”
“I know, but…”
“There are no buts. I told you this was what I was afraid of, and you said you could fight me off if needed. You did what you needed to do.”
She nodded, the flames waning but still at her fingertips as she watched him. “You’re not feeding enough.”
“I have to ration myself,” he said, forcing himself to stay rooted despite wanting to pull her into his arms.
“You have to drink enough to stay healthy, Axel,” she argued. “You fret around here about how much I’m eating and sleeping. You have to do the same for yourself.”
“When Theon comes back with more rations, it’ll be different.”
Her eyes narrowed, and the flames went out as she crossed her arms over her chest. “Did you contact him yet?”
“We just saw Miara a few days ago. I can’t simply call him. You know that.”
“I can send a fire message,” she argued.
“Just…give me some time to figure it out. This needs to be a conversation. Not passing notes back and forth like we’re in studies. He’s busy, and—”
“No, Axel,” Kat interrupted again. “I do not care what he is busy with. I want to talk to Tessa. Contact Luka if you don’t want to bother Theon.”
“Tessa wants to end our bloodline, Kat,” he said, trying not to raise his voice. “That includes our son.”
But she only glared back at him, unmoving in her resolve. He wasn’t going to win this battle, and he knew if he dragged this out any longer, she would make good on her promise to do so herself.
He sighed, shoving a hand through his hair. “I have to go to the Underground entrance to use a phone,” he said. “If I leave now I can hopefully be back late tonight provided there aren’t any surprises along the way.”
“I’ll come with you.”
“No,” he argued. “You will stay here and rest. You hardly got sleep tonight. I’ll send word to Miara to have a couple Witches come stay with you. I have some Legacy contacts in the District that owe me favors as well.”
“I think I’ve just proven I can defend myself,” she said wryly, but the underlying heaviness told him how accurate his assessment was. She was exhausted, and while she’d just expelled some power, it was draining on her too.
He left her standing there while he went to the large closet, quickly dressing and brushing his teeth. When he came back out, she stood in the same spot, arms still crossed.
Stopping a few feet from her, he asked, “Can I touch you yet?”
Her features softened, and she lowered her arms. “I’m sorry,” she whispered again as he pulled her into him, inhaling her scent for an entirely different reason now.
“Stop apologizing, Kat,” he sighed, resting his cheek atop her head. “If this is our new reality, we need to adjust. I’d rather you burn me every day as long as I still get to call you mine at the end of it.”
She pulled back, peering up at him. “It will be different when he’s here. You’ll never have to worry about having blood.”
“I’m not going to use you like that,” he replied, cupping her cheek.
“You mean you’ll feed from others?”
His brow furrowed. “No, I’ll get rations like I do now.”
“But…why? When I’m right here. Why would you take from someone else?”
“I’m not…” He paused, cocking his head at a realization that couldn’t possibly be true. But he couldn’t help the slow smirk that tilted on his lips when he said, “Are you jealous of me feeding from others, kitten? Even from a fucking glass bottle?”
“No,” she said quickly, eyes darting away.
He couldn’t swallow his huff of dark laughter quickly enough. He leaned in, his words fanning over her lips when he whispered, “Liar.”
His hands dropped to her hips, walking her backwards until she bumped into the wall. Her breathing was ragged once more, only this time he liked what he was doing to her. She tipped her head back, biting her bottom lip as she stared up at him.
“Tell me, kitten,” he said, his voice low and gruff. “Tell me you’re jealous at the idea of me feeding from another.”
Her amber eyes flared, that annoyance he loved to pull from her there, but something else he’d never quite processed was there too.
“I don’t know why you’re so surprised,” she retorted, her hands flat on his chest. “Fae are known to be as possessive as Legacy.”
“Is that so?” he taunted, reaching up to wrap a coil of hair around his finger.
“Yes,” she snapped, that irritation rising. “You want me to call you mine at the end of the day? I’ll call you mine every minute of it, Axel St. Orcas. You’re mine as much as I am yours, and you’d rip apart anyone who tried to provide something so vital for me.”
“Are you going to spill blood for me, kitten?” he asked with a smirk, not missing how her thighs clenched at his tone.
But her voice was steady and fierce when she pushed onto her toes to get closer as she replied, “No. I’ll burn them to nothing, and then I’ll burn the ashes to be sure they understand you’re mine.”
“Gods, you’re so fucking perfect,” he muttered before his mouth crashed into hers.
Her lips were already parted, and he wasted no time diving in, his tongue twisting and sliding against hers.
A moan rumbled from him, and he fully regretted getting dressed now.
There was a quiet fury behind her kiss that came out whenever he managed to rile her up enough. But this? This possessiveness?
It was a thousand times better.
Her teeth bit into his lower lip, and he nipped hers back in response, feeling her sharp gasp all the way down to his cock.
He pulled back, watching her chest rise and fall as he said, “I have to go, or we’re going to end up back in that bed.
” She started to protest, but he put a finger to her lips, watching her eyes flare again at the action.
“Someone wants me to contact my brother, and I can’t disappoint her.
She’s likely to start something on fire if I do. ”
“You’re such an ass sometimes,” she muttered, but it was followed by a yawn.
“And you’re exhausted,” he answered, brushing his lips to her temple before guiding her back to the bed.
“Yes, but now I’m also needy.”
And gods, it was almost a whine. He pulled the blankets up over her before leaning in close once more. “Rest, kitten,” he said in a low voice. “When I get back, you can possess me all you want.”
“Oh my gods,” she muttered, snuggling down into the blankets. “You can go now.”
He huffed another laugh, dropping another kiss to her brow before making his way out of the room.
Stopping in the kitchen, he winced as he grabbed a bottle of blood.
He hadn’t been lying. The stock was diminishing.
It maybe wasn’t a bad idea to be getting in touch with Theon.
Kat was right. He wasn’t drinking enough, and he couldn’t let anything like what happened earlier happen again.
And now, knowing how she felt, it made drinking this blood even harder than usual.
She didn’t realize how much he craved to taste her again.
How much the memory of her life force sliding down his throat haunted him.
Not because he’d almost killed her that day, but because it had been divine.
He didn’t particularly want to examine what that said about him as he grabbed a jacket from the hook near the lift and stepped inside, taking a long swallow from the bottle.
All he knew was she wanted this as much as he did, and that information somehow changed everything and nothing.
The trek to the main gates was uneventful, and he’d expected to run into Bohden when he got here.
The entire way he’d been preparing for the confrontation, but his father’s Commander-of-Forces was nowhere to be seen.
There were the usual Arius sentinels about, but they wouldn’t question him. Not without Bohden present.
He made his way into the main office, swiping an emergency cell phone before moving to a more private location, but he stayed outside. The clouds were blocking the sun, and if he wasn’t so pissed at Tessa, he’d almost thank her for being miserable today to provide the cloud cover.
“Who is this?” came Theon’s dark voice when he answered after the second ring.
“Who pissed in your coffee this morning?” Axel asked, watching the clouds drift across the sky. Taking it all in. Memorizing it.
“Axel? What’s wrong?” Theon asked immediately.
What isn’t at this point? he thought. But to Theon he said, “I need an update on a blood supply. Mine are almost gone, and…”
“And what?”
He sighed, rubbing at his brow. “It’s not enough, Theon. I tried to feed from Kat in my sleep. She had to use her magic to fend me off, and the babe is already taking all her energy. She doesn’t need to be expending it on this shit.”
“Is she all right?”
“Yes, but that isn’t the point. When are you able to come back?”
“I’m…not sure,” he ground out. “Things didn’t go as planned.”
“They never do when Tessa is involved.”
“Yeah…”
“There’s more.”
There was an audible sigh, but it wasn’t irritation. It was a palpable heaviness.
When he didn’t speak, Axel said, “Kat wants to talk to Tessa.”
“What? Why?” he asked, the surprise carrying down the line.
“We’ve been seeing Miara every week for the babe, and she mentioned some possible futures a few days ago.”
“Godsdammit,” Theon muttered. “The future can change. Visions are only possibilities.”
“I know, but she was pretty certain. Said we should talk to Cienna, which isn’t exactly possible right now.”
“Call Luka. He’s with her.”
“I’m calling you,” Axel retorted. “My wife wants to talk to Tessa, not Cienna. And while I hate the idea, and don’t want her anywhere near Kat, she’s insistent. If I don’t come through on this, she’s going to take matters into her own hands.”
“She’s smarter than that,” Theon argued.
“She’s a mother,” Axel said. “She’s logical about everything else, but the life of our son? Logic doesn’t exist when it comes to a mother protecting her child. That’s what it’s supposed to look like. Not what we grew up with.”
“Okay. Just…” Theon trailed off, and Axel could practically see him pacing wherever he was, shoving a hand through already disheveled hair. “I’m on a timeline here. I can’t leave for at least two weeks.”
“I won’t last that long, Theon. I can’t get any blood here.”
“I know,” he gritted out. “I’ll send Luka.”
“He’s not with you?” Axel asked in confusion. “I thought you were going to find Tessa, and Luka was with Tessa.”
“I found Tessa, but they aren’t together. And I haven’t been able to talk to Tessa alone. She’s at the Celeste Estate. Rordan is here. Her fucking friends from the Estate are here. But everything else is going fine there?”
“I’ve locked in some alliances,” he answered, scanning the area to make sure he was still alone. “The Witches are with us. I think we have the Shifters. We have a meeting with the Fae leaders in a few days.”
“You’re doing well, Axel,” Theon said. “I’ll make sure you get some blood.”
“And Tessa? What should I tell Kat?”
“I’ll bring her as soon as I can.”
“She’s not going to like that answer.”
“It’s the best I can do right now,” Theon said. “Tell her I swear I’ll be there as soon as I can.”
“Yeah, all right,” Axel grumbled, not convinced in the least.
“Axel.”
“What?”
“We’re almost there,” Theon said. “When I come there with Tessa, I’ll be the Arius Lord. Tell her that. Tell her we’re almost there.”
The line went dead, and Axel looked down at the phone.
He would be the Arius Lord? What the fuck did that mean?
He pondered the possibilities all the way back to the Charter District while also marveling at not having any trouble this entire trip.
It was unheard of in the Underground. But when he entered his building, he knew immediately something was wrong.
The doorman was inside, stationed where the building managers usually were.
Axel didn’t bother asking. He raced for the lift, jamming the button repeatedly, even while ascending to the penthouse.
The moment he stepped into the foyer, Kat was there.
Her face was pale, and there was genuine fear in her eyes as she clung to him, trembling.
She hadn’t feared him that morning. Had faced him without flinching. Whatever this was, it was bad.
“What the fuck happened?” he demanded, taking in everyone in the room. The building manager was here, yes, but so were the two Legacy he’d called in favors with and three Witches, including Miara.
“You had a delivery,” Ajax, one of the banished Legacy, said grimly.
“A delivery of what?”
“I think it was more of a message,” Miara said tightly, motioning to one of the other Witches.
The female stepped forward, a canvas bag in her fingers.
A canvas bag stained with blood on the bottom and dripping onto the marble floor.
She reached inside, and Axel pressed Kat farther into his chest, shielding her face.
Because that was Bohden’s severed head in the Witch’s hand.
And he had no doubts who had sent him the Commander-of-Force’s head.
Bree Fucking DelaCrux.