Eternal Embrace (25 page)

“Gotcha. Hunter will call and you’ll come running,” Agni stood and saluted him with his middle finger.

“Damn, I don’t know what I did to deserve you,” Markee grumbled.

“You, my young pup, have been a very, very bad boy,” Agni said, hitting Markee on the back when the wolf groaned and looked sick to his stomach.

“Shit, you’re twisted,” Markee said with a low growl at the demon’s leer and joke. “Jax, call us if you end up back at that warehouse. I doubt the guy will go near the place, but it’s what we sometimes doubt that bites us in the ass. Besides, I’d like to see what else we can find there. The place still reeked of death, but under that, I don’t know, something else was going on.”

Jax frowned, remembering he’d sensed the same. Something else dangerous was there, which meant Joey wasn’t going within a hundred miles of the place. “Maybe we should blow it up.”

Agni rubbed his head and grimaced. “Not a bad idea, Jax my man. I’ll run that by Torque. See what the council thinks of that.”

“Hey, what happened to that human?”

Both men stopped halfway down his steps. Markee frowned and Agni shared a look with the wolf. “He’s gone. Him and the other humans. Broke out of the compound even. Torque is one lit dude over it. Hunter, though, let’s just say, the little witch had on a too-bright smile. I think she bugged them.”

“Bugged them? Like wired them?” Jax laughed at the grin Markee and Agni shot him. “Fucking little witch. They won’t know what hit them, huh?”

“Yeah, rumour is, Trouble just might be around their corner.” Agni’s grin grew. “I might feel sorry for the dumb bastards, you know?”

Markee shook his head, clearly not willing to tangle with one of the wickedest witches in the Western Hemisphere.

Jax agreed. Trouble was an awesome force to have at your back, but one hell of a tough woman if you wronged her. Or hers. “Shit, man, I kinda do now. How’d they get on Trouble’s shit list?”

Agni stabbed finger at him like a gun and winked. “Now that, I’d love to know.”

“Ah, don’t get him started,” Markee groaned.

Jax shook his head, grinning at the way Agni playfully popped the young wolf on the shoulder.

“I have no idea why you go anywhere with this guy. I’m going to be busy though, training Joey. You two and anyone else who thinks they can’t live without me—learn to.”

“You do that, man. Just make sure to save some of that for the mats, right?” Agni said.

He didn’t even bother with the ‘fuck you’ he wanted to throw at Agni.

“Congrats, man,” Markee murmured. “We’ll be in touch if Agni discovers what this guy is.”

Jax nodded, already closing the door on them, his mind on Joey and the different ways he wanted to wake her up. He shot most of them down as he stripped, settled behind her on the couch, already half asleep, knowing no matter what he did, he’d make her toes curl.

Chapter Twenty-One

“Jaxon?”

Joey’s soft call made him surge up out of his first sleep, already calling his sword.

“Whoa there, big boy, it’s me!”

Joey, smiling at him with a cup of coffee in her hand, brought him to a full stop. “How did you do that? You should be asleep,” he demanded, then softened his tone to say, “You freaking amaze me. You shouldn’t be able to do this stuff!”

She sat back on her heels, handed him the coffee and leaned in to kiss his jaw. “I’m sorry. I thought I’d wake you with a better good morning than that.”

He cradled her neck and rubbed his thumbs over the slender column. “
You
are the best good morning. I just planned on waking
you
after our nap.”

“Oh, I had quite enough of your good morning. If I had more, I would need that ice pack. Now, when did you get an espresso machine?”

He set his cup down and grinned at her. She’d dressed in one of his button-down shirts, he noticed with pride. He reached up and parted the white material, moulding his hand to her lush breasts. She had the most wonderful breasts, so full and round he couldn’t keep his hands off them. Her narrow ribs underneath the heavy globes drove him a little nuts, too.

“Jaxon…”

He grinned and settled her more firmly near him. “Well, I got it for you, but I never thought I could give it to you, so…I had it in the box still until we got back here.”

“I love you,” she burst out, then blushed and ducked her head into his chest. “It just builds up sometimes and has to come out, you know?”

His throat burned and he had to swallow a few times before he reassured her. “I do. I never want to go a day without hearing that from you, though.” He kissed her small nose. “You’re so amazing. I wanted to renew our vows, but we got busy, didn’t we?”

“Mmm, I love busy, I really do, but…what about my horses and my cat and…Evan?”

“Evan was your friend?”

“Yes. Since we were kids, you know?”

He nodded and she continued. “He was killed, I suppose, by that disgusting freak, but we never did discover if that was the case.”

“We may never know for sure, darlin’,” Jaxon said, kissing her forehead. “We can go check on your horses and things at the hospital, but we’ll have to be secretive about it. If Gerald works a cell there, it won’t be safe.”

She nodded and moved over to sit on his lap. He thought she couldn’t resist going long without being close to him. He knew he couldn’t bear to be apart from her—even in his sleep he always kept their bond close.
So how did she get up without you knowing?
“How did you wake before me?”

“What?” She stopped rubbing circles on his chest to squint at him. “I wanted to make you some coffee before you woke.”

He nodded and took a sip of the steaming coffee. She’d made him a latte with vanilla in it. The warmth flooding his chest had nothing to do with the hot brew, though. She warmed him—her caring and love. She rested her head on his chest and started rubbing circles over his stomach, content, he could tell, to be near him.

“Well, it shouldn’t work that way, but I guess with you, nothing would surprise me. Shit, you told the king of the vampires off, why wouldn’t you be able to rise without me knowing?”

She cuffed him lightly in the stomach for that, but grinned at him, pulling the mischievous redhead look on him. “Is that so? King of the Vampires, huh? Sounds like a tough guy. Good thing you’re meaner, huh?”

He chuckled. “I’m not meaner, baby, just not willing to let anyone between us.”

“Good, because I will kick his butt if he tries that ordering me around thing again. ‘Woman’. Who calls a woman that? Duh, did he think I’d just walk over?”

“Uh, yeah, he thought you’d walk over. Aidan has some serious power, Joey. Let’s calm the tough act with him, okay?”

“Tough
act
?”

He captured her hand when she inched lower than his stomach and rolled, pinning her under him, and took half a second to set his cup on the table before kissing her smiling lips. She arched under him like a cat, rubbing all over his body in ways that drove him nuts. But instead of letting him start the morning off right, she pulled his hair until he got the hint to let up on kissing her breath away. She narrowed her eyes at him. It might have worked on taming his desires, if her face wasn’t flushed with her own need.

“Act, huh?”

He laughed. What else could he do? Joey was small, but such a firecracker she was probably right, Aidan didn’t stand a chance with her. She wrapped her slender arms around his neck, ran her lips over his jaw and sent him thoughts on how mean he was for making fun of her, and how her poor horses were probably starving.

“Fine. Do you want me to call Hunter, find out about your horses, or should we head over to the States?”

She fell back on the bed and looked at him with a soft expression. “How long have we been gone?”

He thought about it before adding it up aloud. “We were gone thirty-six hours give or take. Then back here for a few days. Not long. That’s why you being up is…unusual.”

“Bad unusual?”

He kissed her worried pout. “No, not bad, nothing is wrong or bad, you’re just unique. Why should that surprise me though? You want me, and that’s surprising enough.”

“I want you because you’re a part of me,” she said quietly, but her words rang with such truth, they settled firmly in his soul. “I’m not whole without you, Jaxon. Don’t forget that,” she added with a serious little frown.

The silent vibration of their alarm scared Joey so badly she dug her nails into his shoulder.

“Ouch, girl, that’s my shoulder.”

“What is that?” Joey demanded right on top of his joke.

“Calm, calm, that’s just my warning someone is on the grounds.”

“Geesh, Jaxon, that feels like someone tickling me from the inside out!”

He tried not to grin at the way she shivered and made a face. “Well, better than not knowing. The vibration is the first warning. The next,” he triggered the sharp screech of his second alarm and got a punch to the arm from Joey after she jumped. He quickly shut the alarm off and grinned. “That’s the second alarm, which means shit is bad and someone is going to get an ass kicking.”

“Oh,” she breathed, looking around their home with a quick glance. “But the other viby thing is just a warning someone might be selling vacuums?”

He laughed at that and pulled her close for a kiss. “Not exactly, but link with me, and I’ll show you how to check who is out there.”

She pressed her hand to his chest, calming her breathing.

“Perfect, wildcat, now watch how I expand my senses, encompassing our home so I can see outside myself.”

“Oh…this is our home.”

“Yes, as my bonded, this too, is your home. You can let others in, or not.”

“I choose not.”

“Ah, you were meant for me, but first let’s see who has come to call…”

He sent his mind outward and spotted Agni at the gate. The demon’s face was creased in an impatient frown, his normal shit-eating grin completely missing. As if sensing the attention, Agni glanced up, lifted a golden eyebrow and gave him the ‘fucking hurry up’ look.

“Who is that?”

Jaxon coughed on a laugh. Joey didn’t hide her dislike very well, but she definitely didn’t think much of the ladykiller demon.
Good.
He liked that immensely.

“That is a demon. I’m glad you’re not impressed.”

She laughed and nipped at his throat. “The only man I’m impressed with, hot over and in need of for the rest of my life is you.”

“Ah, hell, and now we have to let him in.”

“How did he know you were scoping him out?”

He kissed her throat, loving how she immediately arched her neck to give him more skin to taste. “Nosey demons. But he’s a good guy, really, Joey. And he’d not be here if it weren’t important. He’s a good man to have at your back.”

“What about that demon we fried, will he be upset about that?”

Jax laughed until she lightly hit him in the shoulder. “No, no, he will not be upset. Come on, put some clothes on. We’d better let him in before he starts calling.”

“Okay, but then we call Hunter and make sure she remembered my kitten, and I would like to go see Evan one last time, okay?”

“Anything you want.”

“Mmm, anything? I was thinking we could have a bubble bath in that lovely Jacuzzi tub when we got home,” she murmured and stepped back to reveal a hot charcoal-grey turtleneck, soft leggings and a silver belt looped around her shapely hips. She’d even put on those tiny slipper shoes all the women wore now. “Like?”

“Fuck, you look edible.”

“I am,” she said in husky whisper that set him off all over again. She concentrated on her fingers and he watched her short pretty nails turn dark black.

“Damn, I like that,” he murmured, kissing her lips when she looked up. “And this,” he added, shifting a gold ring to her tiny finger.

“Oh, Jaxon, I love it.” She examined the ring and then him closely. “Why?”

“Why?” he demanded, picking her up, and grinned when she squealed happily and hugged his neck. “Because I want you to have this until we exchange our vows again. Then I want us to get matching rings.”

“Like marriage rings?”

“Bonding rings,” he corrected. “Forever, darlin’, remember?”

“Oh, yes, I remember,” she purred at him, nearly making him ignore Agni and press her against the wall to have her once more. She had to wrap her legs around his waist and laughed. “Down, boy, first we deal with a demon. Get dressed!”

He lowered her so her feet could touch the floor, agreeing even if he wasn’t happy about it. First Agni, then her.

“Shit,” he muttered, calling jeans, a shirt and sweater from his closet. “I’m going commando though, because as soon as he leaves…” He sized her up with one look.

“I get my happy ending?” She grinned and kissed him once more, rubbing her hands all over his chest. “I like this on you.”

He twirled her around, grinning at her happy squeal. “I like you on me,” he told her, feeling as if the demon might require more time than he wanted to spend before he tasted her again. Still, he put her down and headed to the door, with Joey only a step away. “He’s got a bit of a punch, but he’s a good guy.”

“Okay.” She pressed under his arm and he hugged her tight to his side. “I’ll just stay close.”

“Always,” he murmured, kissing her once more before he opened the door to Agni’s frowning face.

“Yo, dude, that—whoa, I see,” Agni said, bowing low to Joey and giving her a shit-eating grin. “I can see why you would take so long. It’s a pleasure, I’m Agni and you are…”

“Oh, come on, you know who I am, I bet Hunter spilt the second she got everyone out.”

Jax held in his laughter in by sheer willpower, and the fact that Joey was serious.

Agni regrouped rather well, better than Aidan had, Jaxon thought with a sudden memory of his woman standing up to the king of vampires. He’d have to mend that fence soon, but not too soon. Aidan had been an asshole after all.

“Damn, girl, slow down. All right, I fess up, you’re Joey.”

Joey nodded and pressed her hand into Jaxon’s back pocket. “Yep, and you want in, huh?”

Agni blinked, nodded and gave Jax an envious look. Jax gripped Joey tighter around her waist and sent her a silent kiss through their link.