Chapter 14
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
JAX
“Sixty,” I huff.
Sweat drips down over my eyes. I blink the sting away.
“Sixty-one.”
The black iron pipe that runs along the ceiling that I have my feet hooked on groans. I don’t stop, though.
“Sixty-two.”
More sweat trickles down my neck, jaw, and over my eyes.
I can imagine my cell doesn’t smell too pleasant with me sweating profusely.
“Sixty-three,” I huff, my abs and core screaming.
I count out loud to distract from the pain, even though I welcome it.
Never before had I realized how many hours there are in a day. How many hours one must fill with something—anything—to not go insane.
Apparently, I used to be a busy man. Boredom was a stranger I’ve heard about from others, but never encountered myself.
Until now.
“Sixty-four,” I growl.
Ladies love abs.
So, having all this time to myself and filling it with workouts will do me good.
Hopefully Phoenix loves abs, too.
Has she ever checked me out? I think she has. That time I played Caetra to steal from Nobleman Uringi for her.
I’m a hundred percent certain I’ve seen her looking me up and down, stunned, as if she couldn’t believe she herself liked what she saw.
A satisfied smirk curls my mouth. “Sixty-five.”
Steps echo in the distance, I hear them even through my cell door. Immediately, I freeze, listening.
It’s her.
But she’s not alone.
She’s never alone anymore. Which is probably not a surprise considering she’s the Ezkai General.
Most powerful woman in Ekios.
Most stunning, too.
Just as I reach for the pipe to try to get a good grip so I can unhook my feet, the key turns in my cell’s lock and it creaks open. The good thing about being only half fae is that touching iron doesn’t hurt as much. It feels more like an annoying tickle than a painful burn.
“Stay outside,” Phoenix barks at her Ezkai guards when they try to follow her inside, and then she slams the door shut behind her.
I hang from the ceiling for a beat, taking her in.
She exhales deeply and leans against the door. Only when the back of her head rests against it does she look up.
At first, her gaze catches my naked abs, then rises to my chest. Her eyes widen a fraction, lips part a bit.
She’s lost in whatever thoughts run in that pretty head of hers.
Gotchoo.
Satisfaction fills my chest.
“I’m happy to see you too, darling,” I coo.
My words snap her out of it. Blinking rapidly, she looks away and clears her throat.
“What the fuck are you doing?”
Her words are harsh, but there’s no heat in them.
Now that I see her better…she looks paler than usual. A thin coat of sweat covers her face. She swallows and licks her lips before pushing off the door.
I let go of the pipes. “Are you okay? What happened?”
Phoenix waves her hand dismissively at me and approaches. “I’m fine. It doesn’t matter. I came here because we need to talk.”
I spread my arms, welcoming her. “Please, I’m all ears.”
She looks up at me and our eyes meet. She tries, I can see she does, but her gaze keeps slipping down before snapping back up.
When I smirk, she shakes her head and frowns. “This is serious, Jax.”
“I’m always serious.”
She gives me a pointed look. My smirk grows into a smile.
I know I shouldn’t tease her all the time. But I just can’t help myself.
It’s too much fun.
“Come on, Nix.” I pout. “I can call you Nix, right?”
“Whatever,” she mumbles. “Your bruises are healing up nicely.”
“Perks of my superior lineage.” I wink. “Being half fae, half dwarven has benefits.”
She nods, absentmindedly. Sways a little on her feet.
Alarm rings in my mind, and I take a step closer. “You sure you’re okay? You’re awfully pale.”
Nix frowns, winces, but shakes her head. “I’m fine. Listen, I talked with Noire about your…situation.”
My eyebrows hike all the way to my hairline. “Okay. What about it?”
For a moment, she looks at me while worrying her bottom lip between her teeth.
I wait for her to speak.
I’ve made my peace with my situation. I know how deep into shit I am.
Best-case scenario, I spend the rest of my days locked in this cell. Rotting away.
Maybe Talbot’s Caligos lackeys will get to me sooner or later, ending it quickly.
Or, my dear Nix will execute me for my crimes.
Her gaze turns panicked the more time passes.
“It’s okay, darling,” I say with a casual smile I hope will put her at ease. “I know there’s no way out of it for me, alive. I’ve made my peace.”
In a blink of an eye, Nix’s eyes turn molten lava. “Have I told you yet what a fucking ass you are?”
I lift my palms in front of her and shrug.
Before I can even open my mouth to answer, she yells at me, “You should have fucking thought about what will happen before you assassinated the General! At least for five fucking minutes! Did you really think you’d be free when it’s the only unforgivable crime in this damn country?
! How could you believe that the Talbots wouldn’t turn you in when it’s convenient for them? !”
I’m stunned into silence for a minute.
Damn. She’s seriously angry.
She growls and turns her back to me. Her shoulders rise and fall as she takes deep breaths. When she whirls around to face me again, she’s a bit more collected.
I scratch the back of my neck. “No point in turning back the pages now. Besides, if I hadn’t assassinated the late Ezkai General, our paths would have never crossed.”
Nix looks ready to murder me again, but then she places her hand over her stomach and winces.
In a heartbeat, I’m at her side. I wrap one hand around her waist, pulling her to lean against me. “What’s the matter? You look sick. You’re a Decarios. You’re not supposed to be sick.”
“I’m fine,” she says, but leans against me a little more. “I participated in a ritual just moments ago.”
“What sort of ritual?”
Cold sweat covers her skin, and now that her body is against mine, I can feel her trembling slightly.
“The Ashen Oath. It’s a ritualized sterilization, essentially. To ensure I don’t continue my lineage as the Ezkai General.” She slaps her hand over her mouth and mumbles against it. “I’m gonna puke.”
Without a second thought, I swoop her off her feet and turn to go. “Your Ezkai. They need to take you to the healer or something.”
Nix grabs my arm, eyes wide. “No! It’s fine, I won’t die or anything. It’s just temporary discomfort.” I look down at her in my arms, unconvinced. She shakes her head. “Please, Jax. Don’t. I don’t want them to see me like this. Weak.”
“You’re not weak, darling. Far from it.”
She sighs and rests her head on my shoulder. A wave of fuzzy warmth rushes through me.
I could spend the rest of my life like this, with her in my arms, and I wouldn’t complain.
Before my mind can spiral any further, I snap out of it.
This line of thinking is dangerous.
“Okay, then,” I say, lightly. “Let’s sit you down on my humble cot and you can tell me what’s so important that it couldn’t wait until you feel better.”
Gently, I lower her onto my bare cot and kneel next to it. Nix lies still for a moment, breathing deeply.
I watch her like a hawk, tracing the lines of her face with my eyes.
I wish I could do it with my fingers instead.
Pushing my thumbs into my eyes, I shake my head.
Snap out of it.
She’s the Ezkai General.
I’m the General Slayer.
Without opening her eyes, Nix says, “Vera’s alive.”
Relief hits me like a ton of bricks. “You’ve found her?”
Nix’s eyes snap open. She glares at the dark, dirty ceiling. “No. But the Talbots sent another message.” Her head turns and our gazes meet. She swallows hard. “A finger.”
My stomach drops.
Caligos have Vera and they’re torturing her.
“I wish I could say I was surprised.” My voice is void of any emotions.
Nix scoffs. “Same. We need to find her and get her back.”
I nod. “I assume you have a plan.”
“Barely. I have a direction. Remember the dragon I fought during the Trial of Wisdom?” I nod. “Well, I’m going to go find it, and bond it. Once I’m the Ezkai General with the dragon, I’m gonna bring Talbots to their knees.”
When I say nothing to that, Nix snaps at me, “Why are you looking like that at me?”
“Nothing,” I say, shaking my head. “That’s an ambitious plan.”
“Yeah, well, it’s not like I have many options.” She sighs. “Now, the reason why I’m here is because I need to get you out to help me. I’ve found a way.” After a pause, she adds, “Sort of.”
I don’t let myself get excited just yet.
I frown. “There’s a way out of death or imprisonment for me?”
She nods, and says again, “Sort of.”
Silence stretches between us.
“Phoenix darling, you have to give me a little more than that.”
She grimaces, and very slowly rolls over onto her side. I sit down on the floor next to the cot. We’re face-to-face. So close I feel her breath on my cheek from time to time.
“Sorry.” She manages to get the word out. “It’s a little hard to concentrate when it feels like something is trying to claw its way out of my womb. And I’m so cold.”
I toss the thin blanket over her and tuck it around her. She’s shivering worse than before, despite the sweating, and when I briefly touch her forehead, I realize she’s burning up.
“You sure you don’t want to call for Noire?” I ask, unable to keep the worry out of my voice.
Nix shakes her head. “I’m fine. He said there will be uncomfortable side effects while the draught they gave me burns my womb to ash.”
Before I can help myself, I brush a couple of loose strands away from her face. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know the Ezkai General had to give up having children.”
Nix shrugs, her eyes glistering. “Nothing to be sorry about. Being Ezkai General is stressful enough. Can you imagine adding children on top of that?”
My lips twitch at her attempt to lighten up the mood, but my heart is heavy.
My dear Nix doesn’t let herself live beyond her desire for vengeance. As if there won’t be a life to live once she claims the blood debt she’s owed.
“So, what’s this sort of plan of yours to get me out of prison?” I ask after a moment.
Her eyes roam my face, as if she’s weighing the options of whether she should tell me or not.
“I can’t pardon you, even as the new Ezkai General. Ekions are serious about their laws and traditions, and there’s no way for me to pardon the unforgivable crime,” she says quietly. I nod and swallow the ball lodged in my throat. “The only way out is to sacrifice your life.”
I frown. “So, no more prison time for me? I’m due for an execution?”
Knowing it’s a possibility feels very different from knowing it’s happening.
And soon.
Nix’s eyes widen and she shakes her head.
“No, no. That’s not what I meant! I mean yes, that’s one way…
but I spoke with Noire and he told me the alternative, which is you binding your life to mine in an ancient ritual so that if I were ever at risk of dying, the spirits of the gods would take you instead. ”
“Oh?”
“Yeah. I know it’s not ideal. You’ve done all this to gain your freedom, and you’re as far from getting it back as you can be…”
“I’ll do it,” I say without hesitation.
Nix frowns. “No. Think about it first.” She scoffs. “Jax! You’ll be bound to me until the end of your days. Do you understand how serious that is? And if I were to ever get injured seriously, you’d have to die for me.”
I would gladly die for you now. Words dance at the tip of my tongue, but I don’t say them out loud.
Instead, I take Nix’s hand in mine and bring the back of her palm to my lips. Her eyelids drop, her long eyelashes casting a shadow on her cheeks.
“I’ll gladly serve you until the end of my days, General,” I say and wink.
With a scoff, Nix pulls her hand out of mine and rolls her eyes. “Do you ever take anything seriously?”
“Oh, absolutely, darling.” My gaze slides down her body. “I’d be happy to show you just how serious I take—”
Before I can finish the sentence, she slaps a hand over my mouth. “No, thank you.”
I chuckle against her gloved palm.
“So you sure about this?” Nix asks, face serious.
“Absolutely. A thousand percent.”
Humming, she nods. “Okay. Tomorrow we’ll hold a trial in front of House Dzuni and present this solution as punishment. If they approve, I’ll have you out in a couple of days. I’ll go inform Noire.”
She tries to sit up, but groans and falls back onto her side. Grimacing she curls into a ball, hugging her knees to her chest.
“I hate this so much,” she mumbles. “I guess I’ll speak with Noire later.”
I hate seeing her in so much pain and not being able to do anything.
“Do you want me to ask for water?”
She shakes her head.
I pull the blanket higher up her body, hating just how thin and dirty it is. “Anything to make this better?”
Nix closes her eyes and shakes her head. “Just give me a moment.” I nod, even if she doesn’t see it. So quietly I almost miss it, she adds, “Stay with me, please.”
When I answer, the word is a mere whisper. “Always.”