“You can’t be serious. You’re taking her from the pack? I can’t tell if this is sleep deprivation or if your brain just isn’t capable of calculating the risks,” Ash seethed and slammed his forehead in a gesture of Jax’s apparent stupidity.
“I’m doing what I think is right for my wife,” he explained and dropped the files into his bag.
Ash grabbed his cousin’s arm and pulled him around.
“You’re being selfish! You two out there alone, with a clan of vampires out to get her. Do you not see how stupid this is?” Ash spat.
Jax stepped closer and pushed his chest out as he raised his head.
“What I see is that you have a misguided sense of protection. Or was it not you who told Lola yesterday
Lola cleared her throat, and Melissa waited eagerly to hear the story that, in some way, connected to her best friend.“Once upon a time, in a village covered in ash, a woman stepped out of her house. She looked in despair at what the fire had caused and then looked further at the backs of the disappearing guards. They rode on their horses back to their king, who wallowed in sorrow over the loss of his son. The guards told their king of yet another village they had plundered. They had burnt their homes in front of the villagers’ eyes.‘We told them, my King, how to make it stop, but none stepped forward ready to pay the price.’The king had sent guards to plunder village after village and bring back his heir.The king rose from his throne and lifted his sword in the air.‘I will go to the village and talk to the people, with the promise of gold and new homes.’‘My King, if they resist, what then?’‘If they resist, I give the kingdom my word that I will burn their starving bones.’The
“Naw!” Melissa said in the back. She pouted and looked between the two.Lola rolled her eyes and pressed Melissa back into her seat, all the while laughing at her best friend’s hopelessly romantic side shining through.“Hey, Jax,” Melissa said. “Do you have a friend you can fix me up with?” She placed her chin on the top of his seat.Jax laughed and shook his head.“None that I would feel good fixing you up with,” he said and looked at her through the rearview mirror.Melissa shrugged her shoulders and fell back in the seat. Jax had no human friends and Melissa didn’t need a werewolf boyfriend to complicate things further.“Where are we going exactly?” Lola asked, looking at the streets they passed.“Ash and I managed to find a living relative to the book’s author. We’re going to visit her.” Jax clenched his jaw, his eyes narrowed on the road, and darkness engulfed them.“I just don’t know what to expect. Whoever wrote the book has a connection to the Doe. Her relative may know the an
“Tell me why you’re here,” she said. Her brows raised to her hairline. Her eyes were round and eager.Lola shifted next to Jax, and she saw Melissa in the corner of the couch, wrinkling her nose and looking around the room.“We wanted to ask you about this story,” Jax said, opening the book to the first page.Elwina’s face lit up.“Ahh, the story of the Doe. Remarkable, isn’t it?” she said and dragged her plain nails over the text. Lola would’ve thought that Ewlina’s nails would scream as loud as her jewelry, but she was mistaken.They were rather rough and torn.“It’s lovely, but we were wondering what you could tell us about it apart from what is already written,” Lola said as her brows pinched together.“How do you mean?” Elwina asked sweetly.Lola and Jax shared a look.“The story behind the Doe, where did it originate from?” Jax asked and leaned his elbows on his knees.Eliwna started laughing.“Its origin? It’s a story. It originated in one person’s mind, and that person was cra
They were back at the mansion with more questions than answers, but they still had the pendant.The three of them stepped into the mansion and were greeted by a crowd of warriors in uniform. Ash’s head rose in the crowd, and he pushed past the warriors and reached Jax in a hurry.“Tell me you found something,” Ash said in a deep tone. His eyes pierced into Jax’s, and he closed his fingers around the crystal glass. The smell of cologne and pastries was thick around the house with anticipation ringing loud.“Nothing,” Jax spat and put his hands on his sides. “What’s going on in here?” he asked and looked around.The dining room was filled with more warriors, and some pack members who were present sat in the living room and talked.They held pieces of paper in their hands. The women were eagerly discussing whatever was written and others were fanning themselves with the envelopes.Jax stepped closer and listened. He heard the conversations around him. The women discussed gowns, and the u
Jax and Ash had left the girls to their discussion of gowns for the upcoming event. However, gowns were now the last thing on their minds.“His ex will be there?” Lola shrieked and grabbed her head.The pictures in Lola’s mind were creating a beautiful woman, strong and brave, just like Jax and much more adapted to this life than Lola was.“Stop freaking out. It’s his ex for a reason, right?” Melissa said in hopes of calming her down.Lola scoffed and looked dumbfounded at the floor in a blank stare.“Look at me.” Melissa grabbed Lola’s shoulder and gave her a light shake.“It doesn’t matter who she is because Jax has chosen to be with you. Now you’re gonna find a dress that will put all others to shame, and you’re going to hold your head high when you walk in there tomorrow,” she said as her eyes glinted with a belief that Lola didn’t share.“Mell, I know nothing about fundraisers or galas or anything else fancy and I mean holy shit—” she said and started swatting her hands in front
The music played from the speaker, filling the room with the girls’ singing voices. They walked around in their robes and took a seat at the different stations that had been arranged for the pre-party preparations. One woman did their makeup, another did their hair, and the final one was laying out their clothes and picking out matching jewelry and shoes to go with the outfits.“How are you feeling?” Melissa asked.Her hair was being braided in two thin braids that would wrap around her head like a crown. They curled her hair and made it wavy as it fell down her back.“Nervous, but I’m glad you’re here,” Lola said. She reached out her hand and grabbed Melissa’s to gain some comfort.Lola’s hair was straight and fell down her back. The woman grabbed her hair and spun it before putting several pins with crystal beading underneath to lift it. Her hair now looked half the length. Two small locks fell in front of her face, framing it nicely.The event was in a few hours. Everyone was getti
The door to the study slammed shut behind Jax. He pulled Lola in front of him and released her hand.“What is up with you?” she asked.“You’re not wearing that,” he said coldly and scanned her body.Her brows shot up, and she crossed her arms over her chest, pressing her breasts together. Jax groaned huskily.“Excuse me?” she asked as her anger rose.“It’s too revealing,”Lola looked at the dress. It only exposed her back and went down just below the middle of her chest.“You’re joking, right?” she asked, hoping he would say yes.His eyes rose and pinned her down. They were dark still but not in anger. They were lustfully gazing at her with something dangerous swirling in their depths.Jax walked over to her and lifted her chin.“No other man needs to you like this,” he said. His voice got impossibly darker, and the words rasped.“No other man’s attention is of importance to me,” she whispered.His eyes flickered over her lips. Her chin rested on his fingers as he continued holding he
It took them less than an hour to arrive at the chateau in the neighboring town. Jack opened the door for them, and Lola was the first to get out. She looked down the road they had driven on. Each side was lined with trees that bowed at the top, making a tunnel for the cars to drive up through.When she turned around to look at the house, she was struck by its beauty. In the middle, behind a grass-filled roundabout with a statue of a woman, was a mansion the size of Jax’s. What was taking her breath away was the towers that went up behind the main building. There were more floors than she could count from the outside, with three towers of different heights.Two more buildings were attached to the mansion on either side, both were big and part of the main building. The lamps along the exterior were lit up, shining a bright, warm light over the front yard.