Chapter 30
“What are you doing here, Jaxom Steven Bane?” Hazel demanded in a huff.
Rubin leaned on the door near Asher. He’d dyed his hair metallic blue on one side and white at the part on the other.
The guy had some sort of fascination with hair color that Jaxom couldn’t figure out.
He didn’t talk much and never explained anything.
His eyes were always on his mate, his little witch.
He never said much but his body language said everything.
Hazel belonged to Rubin, and Rubin would do anything to protect her, whether she wanted the help or not.
Jaxom leaned back in the library chair and eyed her. He didn’t need another prophecy slapped in his head. What he needed was a break and solitude. Asher was in the library with him but had the good graces to face the opposite direction with noise canceling headphones on.
Hayden had just endured another attack. He’d been through six in the past week.
One a day. Every attack wrung him out. Drake and Jaxom weren’t much better afterwards either.
They’d both taken time to get out and walk, or in this case, escape to the library while Hayden slept.
They didn’t want to be away when he was awake. The mate-bond was growing strong.
Drake was right. The mating and marking would just be a formality of what was happening right now.
The 14th of Aun was a week away. Jaxom needed to be with Hayden on the 15th, his birthday.
He needed to mate and mark Hayden to keep him safe.
According to Drake’s dream, that event would happen.
According to Renz, he would be at war with the kingling that very day.
He already was at war with Renz, it just wasn’t official yet.
Whatever else happened, he had to make sure his mates were safe.
“Hazel, I really don’t have time for you right now.”
“But, you do.” Hazel was actually hesitant when she said that. Hazel was never hesitant. Why couldn’t she have learned that trait years ago?
“That bad?” Jaxom asked.
“That bad,” Hazel confirmed. A tear, a real tear actually slipped down her face. He’d never seen her cry before. Rubin shifted restlessly, like he wanted to comfort her but wasn’t going to interfere.
“You found me when you knew I wouldn’t be around Hayden or Drake.” Jaxom wasn’t asking a question. He was making a statement of the obvious. She never did anything without a reason.
“They can’t know. No one can know,” she whispered into the quiet.
“That bad?” he asked again because he really didn’t want to know.
“That bad. You should be with Drake and Hayden. Being in here, researching old sloppy prose is pointless. There’s nothing here, now, that will help you.”
Jaxom sighed and nodded. “Because I chose to follow prophecy so the path is set?”
Hazel wiped more tears for her eyes. “Yes. Do you love them?”
“I do. Deeply.”
“Don’t tell them about this conversation. Enjoy the time you have left so they can have the memories, too.”
Jaxom spun the pen lying on the table. It didn’t have much momentum and petered out.
He had to ask, needed to know what she was reluctant to tell him.
But, Drake would be furious for keeping another secret.
Not that he had kept many, just that one about their incredibly inappropriate King having an obsession with him.
Just that big secret. And, not wanting to tell Hayden everything about his health. Just those two secrets.
“If I tell them about it, what you have to tell me will still happen regardless?”
“Yes. Them sitting around freaking out won’t help any of you. Especially you. You need to know because you need to be prepared.”
“Ah.”
Hazel was ramping up, getting ready to tell him whether he wanted to know or not.
Whatever it was, it was bad. Her green, glowing eyes swam in her grief for him.
He was shaken to realize how much she actually cared.
He’d never realized before. What could have been different if he had?
Maybe this was Rubin’s influence on her.
Hazel’s eyes glowed green, capturing him. “He will take you. Do NOT fight him. They will put you in silver. Torture you. You’ll find her there. Bring her home.”
Hazel covered her face with her hands and wept. Jaxom slumped to lay his head on the table as her glowing eyes swam with tears in his vision. He wasn’t so far gone that he couldn’t talk. The trance wasn’t as powerful as it used to be.
“The ‘he’ is Renz,” Jaxom whispered.
“Jaxom,” Hazel gasped, “go be with your boys. Take the memories with you.”
Jaxom couldn’t even lift his head off the table. “Drake said the same thing. A living dream.”
“He’s closer to the spirit world than most wolves. He’ll learn the way.”
“I’ll see them again, after?”
“Yes,” The defeat in her voice was not reassuring. Just as long as he got to say goodbye. He could do it if he got to see them one more time. One more week to go.
Jaxom’s dad had been furious about the letters Renz had sent. He’d assumed the affair was handled four years ago. The dressing down he’d given Jaxom had been epic. He did at least recognize there would have been no avenue to take when King Silas died. Renz was Alpha King with ultimate power now.
The worst part was his dad and Drake feeling betrayed by Jaxom for not talking to them.
Jaxom had never seen it as betrayal. But as his dad kept saying, at the very least, forewarned was forearmed.
His dad also said the only reason he wasn’t completely mad at Jaxom was Hazel.
She’d sensed a potion on the letters stopping Jaxom from talking.
Even so, Jaxom should have been strong enough to fight some stupid potion.
At least that knowledge had helped Drake calm down.
Alpha Steven had put his lawyers to work on the letters as soon as he got them. They had to have an answer to whatever play Renz would take next. As his dad so pithily put it, they could have been working on it for the past year, not just the past few hours.
“I have to tell my dad Renz is coming and not to fight.”
“I know.”
“That won’t break your rules?”
“No.”
Now, Jaxom knew his worst fears were going to come true.
Renz was coming for him and soon. He’d take Jaxom.
That taking would not just be jail or time spent in a dungeon.
Renz was going to take him in every way possible.
The kingling was going to try to break the mate-bond.
That damnable fear was going to come true.
The only question was whether or not Jaxom could stop himself from fighting Renz physically.
Mentally, he’d fight with every ounce of strength he had. Of that, he was certain.
“Can I stop Renz from breaking the mate-bond?”
“I don’t know for certain, but I think so. It all depends on who is more powerful in that moment. You’ll not allow it to be broken willingly. He knows that and won’t even bother asking.”
Jaxom could feel the effects of Hazel’s trance lifting. He was able to lift his head off the table. Asher hadn’t moved since the trance began. Rubin looked angry. Jaxom could only imagine how talk of Renz made the guy feel. Rubin knew the depth of Renz’ depravity better than anyone else.
“Did you put Asher into a trance?”
“No, blew fairy dust in his face. He’ll be awake in three more minutes.”
Jaxom squirmed in his chair. Hazel was being unusually chatty and he had to know. This wouldn’t be worth it otherwise.
“Will my mates be safe?” For the first time ever, he pinned her down with his own gaze. Her eyes got wide. Then, the most brilliant smile he’d ever seen on her face broke out. There was hope there finally. All because he looked hard at her?
“When is a wolf ever actually safe? Especially a male wolf?” she asked. A feral smile changed her features to something approaching victory. “Those mates of yours are going to surprise you. I think you’ll surprise yourself, too. Bring her home, Jaxom. We all need her.”
Jaxom gave her a little smile. “So, what you’re saying is that I need to keep my eye on the prize.”
“The rest is just window dressing.”
Jaxom grunted. “That’s one way to put it, I guess.”
Hazel got up and walked toward the door where Rubin kept his guard. Just before she left, she turned to stare at him. Slowly, she and Rubin raised their clenched right fists, placed them over their hearts and bowed. Then, they were gone.
Jaxom’s jaw hit the floor.
Asher stretched and turned to look at him. He slipped his headphones off and gave him a quizzical smile, “You okay?”
Jaxom picked his jaw back up and shrugged, “Um, no, not really.”
“Read something disturbing? You looked shocked.”
“That’s one way to put it. Hazel.”
“Hazel’s here?” Asher twisted around in his seat to lay eyes the witch. He looked like a ghost was pursuing him.
“She left already,” Jaxom laughed as he got up and left the library.
Hazel did that to people. Jaxom used to think it was because she enjoyed harassing them.
Now, he knew differently. Hazel had her own idea of what it took to protect those she loved, even it if meant throwing them into the fire.
As a warrior, a leader of wolves, he could understand the pain and fine line it took to walk that road.
Hayden was awake by the time Jaxom got back.
He blushed as Jaxom stepped up on the couch to sit behind him and hold him.
His mate snuggled into his embrace. He’d only held him this way during attacks.
There was no more time left, only a week.
Hayden was going to know what it felt like to be held by Jaxom just for the fun of it and not just because he was burning.
“I thought only hand holding,” Drake said in surprise as he came out of the bathroom.
“Can’t resist.” Jaxom grinned in relief at letting go of one guardrail. They couldn’t let them all down, but this felt amazing.
“I’ve been feeling tingles since the first attack,” Hayden said. He was running his hand up and down Jaxom’s forearm, leaving his own wash of tingles.
“Any scents yet?” he asked.