Chapter 29
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
JAX
Nix is more agitated and angry than usual these past couple of days. So, while she didn’t ask me for it, I’m giving her some space.
As much as I can, obviously. Being stuck in the remote monastery in the middle of the mountains doesn’t give us that much.
Especially since we must share a bedroom.
Just as she demands, I resign myself to sleeping on the floor, in the makeshift cot the monks have provided for me.
Reminds me of good old prison days. But the mattress is much more comfortable. And my roomie is much better company.
Even in a bad mood.
I don’t complain. She needs space. I can handle the floor.
It’s complicated, the situation we find ourselves in. But while she seems to find it hard to make peace with it, I’m determined to make it work.
Soon, she’ll see it’s for the better.
I lean against the doorway and cross my arms over my chest just as Nix sends a powerful punch to Ezkai Emil’s cheek.
He takes it like a big boy. No complaints. He simply spits the blood out, and charges towards Nix.
She may be the Ezkai General, but her Ezkai don’t treat her differently when they spar.
If she wants to win, she must earn it.
I admire that. The honesty.
Nix huffs when her back hits the floor. Emil swooped his feet over her ankles to knock her down while pretending he was about to punch her in the face.
Emil is a wicked fox.
I like the guy.
My gaze slides to Nix’s second lackey, Ezkai Bjorn, stretching on the other side of the garden.
This guy, not so much.
He’s a broody bastard. Hasn’t said a single word to me. It’s always a growl, a grunt, or a hum with him.
I know why. He hates it that the General Slayer is now the Blood Sentineal.
I don’t blame him for it.
But even the gorgeous Ezkai Ravenna manages to speak to me, despite her disapproval of my existence.
A hand clasps my shoulder.
I turn my head to find Bloom grinning at me. “You just gonna stand there and watch?”
I flash her one of my charming smiles. “I do love to watch.”
Fern appears from behind Bloom and snorts. “I bet you do.”
Bloom’s eyes glitter with challenge. “Come on, pretty boy. When are you gonna find your balls and spar with us, huh?”
Here’s the thing…it’s not the lack of balls that prevents me from joining them on a sparring session.
It’s the probability I might win a sparring match.
I’m not sure either of these well-trained, highly dangerous Ezkai would enjoy losing to a street thug.
Emil’s cheek hits the ground, and he groans when Phoenix pushes her knee between his shoulder blades. She pulls one of his arms back and twists it with the most vicious look on her face.
That’s when he taps out.
Victorious, Phoenix lets go of him and stands. She offers Emil a hand, which he takes with a broad smile.
Damn, she’s hot when she fights.
When Nix’s gaze snaps to mine, I realize that thought may have traveled farther than I intended.
I don’t flinch. Nor do I look away.
Not until Bloom whistles as she walks past me. “I bet a hundred frade pretty boy right here won’t have the balls to take on Ezkai Bjorn.”
Bloom.
You little shit stirrer.
“Make it three,” Fern adds and sends me a wink. “No way an Emerian prince wins.”
Nix stills, watching her Ezkai with caution.
“Ha! I’ll match that,” Emil says.
I place a hand over my heart and in mock outrage say, “Not you! I would think you’d bet in my favor, friend.”
Grinning, Emil shrugs his shoulders. “Sorry, bud. Can’t resist a good wager.”
I tilt my chin and smirk.
Neither can I.
“Let’s hope you don’t regret your choice,” I say lightheartedly as I slide out of my white silk shirt. I jerk my chin at Ezkai Bjorn. “Wanna get a chance to kick my ass, boss?”
Ezkai Bjorn’s nostrils flare as he slowly rises to his feet. He cracks his fists and gives me a nod.
My pulse spikes, adrenaline coursing through me.
Jax. Phoenix’s voice is full of worry in my mind.
Oh, how sweet. She’s scared for my well-being.
It’s not about your well-being. These are my Ezkai. If you piss them off, you’ll put me in a very uncomfortable situation. Her worry turns to anger in a blink of an eye.
I roll my shoulders and my neck as I approach the sparring grounds, watching Ezkai Bjorn prowl towards me.
Don’t worry, darling. I cock my head to the side and wink at her.
Ezkai are brutal. Their whole Order is built on honor, sure. But it’s also built on prowess, strength, and proving one belongs.
Today, that’s me.
Ravenna, Emil, Bloom, and Fern all stand around us in a loose circle. Nix is the only one who remains a little farther away.
I don’t take it personally.
She has seen me fight. She knows I’m a worthy opponent for Bjorn.
But she has also been in my head, in my body. After this bond, we’re as close as two people can possibly be. She knows I’m a criminal. A thief, con artist, and a bluffer who rarely ever plays clean or fair.
So, of course, that’s what she expects from me.
For me to be the Jax she’s known since day one.
But I’m not the same man anymore.
Bjorn and I circle each other, neither one of us rushing to make the first move.
He’s surveying me, watching for a tell, a subtle hint at an injury or a weak spot. And I do the same.
Bjorn attacks quickly and brutally.
One second, he’s a good seven feet away, and the next, he’s right in front of me, huge fist swinging.
I barely manage to dodge the punch by ducking. I throw a punch at his side myself, but he blocks it and sends another blow right to my face.
It lands on my nose.
Painfully.
Stars explode behind my eyes as pain rocks through my skull. I waste no time retreating away from him.
The tension that seeps from the group watching us is thick in the air. They’re eating it up, Bloom and Fern chanting our names while Emil hoots like a damn owl.
My heartbeat stutters. It takes me a moment to realize, it’s not mine.
Bjorn leaves little time for me to recover. With a roar, he charges at me, fists swinging.
All I can do is deflect, dodge, and try to block as many of his punches as I can. My muscles scream at me, and my breathing turns labored pretty soon.
Bjorn does land a couple of punches to my ribs, and one more to my jaw.
Blood pours from my nose, over my lips. The taste of copper fills my mouth.
I retreat again and spit the blood out on the stone ground.
Bjorn remains in his spot. His naked broad chest rises and falls as he breathes. All this effort has cost him something.
Good.
The more tired he is, the more sloppy he’ll be.
I prowl the perimeter of our sparring circle, keeping an eye on my opponent.
He’s strong, and big. Despite his size, he’s pretty fast, too. But he’s not the most gracious of the fighters.
He relies on his strength most, the rest comes second.
And whenever he swings a punch, his left heel lifts from the ground and he twists his ankle sideways.
That is my opening.
When our gazes lock, I wink.
Nostrils flaring, Bjorn charges at me. I stand still until the very last second. When I see his heel lift, ankle twist, I duck low and with my leg, I swipe over his left ankle.
Bjorn falls on his back with a huff and I use the moment he’s disoriented by the unexpected move to roll over to him and lock my forearm around his throat.
Using my body weight, I roll us over so Bjorn is on his belly, still in a chokehold, and I twist one of his arms behind his back.
Our crowd of spectators fall silent.
The big fae under me huffs, testing to see if he can throw me off and wretch himself free.
It’s tempting, oh so tempting, to choke him a little harder.
To twist his arm just a little more until his shoulder dislocates and he has no other choice but to surrender.
But I do neither.
I simply hold him in the chokehold until he stills underneath me. As he lifts his free hand to tap out, I loosen the hold around his neck a little.
Tap, tap.
Immediately, I let go and rise. Panting, I offer my hand for Bjorn.
Slowly, he looks up at me.
For a moment, I think he’ll ignore me. But instead, he clasps his hand around my forearm and allows me to pull him up.
We remain locked in this position for a long heartbeat. Every fiber of my being is tense.
Finally, Bjorn breaks the tension between us with a curt dip of his chin. I return the nod.
And that’s it.
He lets go of my arm and retreats.
Bloom and Fern bark a laugh, and Emil whistles as he claps his hands. But what surprises me the most is Ravenna.
She approaches and takes my chin between her fingers.
Tsking, she swivels my head left, and then right. “You’re lucky he didn’t break the bone.”
I crack a smile. “Agreed. My face is my most precious asset.”
She graces me with a little smile and says, “Go sit down. You need to stop that bleeding.”
I do as she says and follow her to a nearby bench. She sits me down and goes to grab her mender supplies.
Nix remains rooted in place, eyes on me. The relief that floods from her over our bond makes goose bumps rise all over me.
She’s not looking at me like I won.
She’s looking at me like she’s seeing me for the first time.
For a beat, I think she may approach me. But she looks away, shakes her head, and walks back inside the monastery.
I ignore the way my chest stings.
Ravenna comes back with some bandages and a pouch full of mysterious potions. I sit still and grit my teeth while she works her magic to stop the bleeding, clean me up, and bandage the wounds Bjorn inflicted.
Bloom approaches me with a huge smile.
She holds a pouch full of frade for me. “Winner takes the spoils.”
I hold out my palm and she drops the money into it.
“Thanks, sweetheart,” I say. “You just made me a tad richer, just because you didn’t think I had the balls.”
“Oh, I knew you had them,” Bloom says as she walks away. Over her shoulder, she adds, “I just wanted to see that pretty face bloody.”
Ravenna chuckles.
Just as she’s done patching me up, a shadow falls over us.
I lift my eyes to see Elder Arcon. At first, I think he’s here for Ravenna, but he levels his steady gaze on me and says, “Blood Sentineal. Walk with me, will you?”
Startled, I blink at him. But when I realize he’s serious, I rise and follow him inside the monastery.