Taming Jax (First Wave Book 5) (33 page)

Lara leaned back and stretched her aching muscles before looking into Grai’s eyes and answering the question she knew he was asking.

“They are fine, just exhausted. It took far more than I ever anticipated to help her. The damage was extensive.” Lara said with a sigh.

Amun interrupted. “She’s right; they are just passed out. But Jax… how the hell did you do that to her?” Amun whispered in awe.

Lara chuckled. “It took a lot of work and there is much that is missing that she will never be able to regain. Most of which we won’t know of until she awakens.”

Lara explained for Grai and the others. “We had to pull memories from all of you, in order to help rebuild her mind. What she will have is copies of your memories of events that you shared with her. Moments of friendship, battles and conversations… the things and the moments that mattered to her.”

“The residual energy that remained of her, will fill in the emotions she retained of those memories. It is not perfect, but it is better than the emptiness that was there.” Lara said as she tamped down her guilt.

Amun ran the scans again before looking to Lara and asking, “What happened to her beast?”

“He was in bad shape, and he could not recover in his previous state. I had to assist in his evolution in order for him to survive in the new pathways that had to be created in her brain.” Lara said simply, unwilling to admit to them the extent of the evolution required to ensure the survival of her beast. And Jax.

It wasn’t only her residual emotions and memories that would fill in the blanks in Jax’s mind. The new abilities of her beast would allow him to pull the energy and memories from others to help his host to rebuild what was lost.

Since they would only copy the memories and not take them, there was no reason that Lara could see to tell anyone the specifics of how it would work. She would make more detailed explanations to Jax alone when she awakened.

Grai hated the thought of taking Tristan from Bayla, especially when his son was caring for his young mate so tenderly. But Tricia and he both were exhausted, and Grai knew at some point that they would both be passed out like Bayla and Reven.

Grai waited until Ivint, and Disc were able to pull Reven’s prone body onto another bed that they moved up next to Jax’s before he leaned down to Tristan.

“Son, we must allow them to rest and regain their energy. Your brave mate is tired. I promise you will see her again later. Let’s get you and your mother to bed.” Grai said softly as he stroked Tristan’s hair back from his forehead.

Tristan lifted his head to his father then turned to Reven, who was slumped over the side of the bed, resting near Jax. With a flick of Tristan’s hand, Reven awakened with a start.

Looking around, Reven stared into Melina’s silvery blue eyes and noted the exhaustion in her face before seeing Bayla passed out in Tristan’s lap.

He looked to Amun and asked, “Are they all right?”

When Amun nodded his head, Reven looked at his mate and tried to form the words over the lump of emotion choking him. Instead, he rested his hand on hers and sent out his energy to find his love.

The tears flowed down his cheeks unchecked as he felt the strong pulse of energy running through Jax, and he looked up at Amun and Lara with hope.

Lara nodded her head before explaining it to Reven. “She will be fine. There are gaps in her memory that we may never be able to fill, but she is well and her memories of you, and her children are very much intact.”

“She may have problems with some things, but it is nothing that the patience and love of her family cannot fix.” Lara said as she gently squeezed Reven’s hand before trying to slip out of the door.

She wasn’t surprised when she was stopped by Grai, who turned his blazing gaze on her outside of the MedLab. “You and I are not done. I want answers.”

Lara sighed and nodded her head. “Not here and not now. I find I also need some rest. I will meet with you in a few hours.” Lara said before she walked past the animals now sleeping on the floor of the docking bay.

Grai shook his head as he walked back inside and saw that Tricia was gathering Tristan into her arms. Reven had left Melina and Bayla to sleep beside Jax, and he’d covered the three of them with blankets, before taking a seat beside the bed.

Grai put a hand on Reven’s shoulder and squeezed, looking into the man’s exhausted and tortured face; he vowed he would get answers as to what the hell had happened to Jax. There was much more to this than the bullshit that Lara had tried to feed them, he thought. He didn’t care what her abilities were, he would get some damn answers as to what had happened and who had done this.

Ivint nodded to Grai and spoke to him through the Shengari’ so he wouldn’t disturb Reven. “We will remain here with him, as long as he needs us.” Ivint vowed as Sacara sat next to Reven and held his other hand.

Grai nodded his head before holding his hand out for Tricia. He pulled her unresisting body close and the moment her exhaustion hit him; he leaned down and scooped her and Tristan into his arms.

He smiled when Tricia didn’t even try to argue and instead sighed against his neck. That more than anything told him just how exhausted she was. Tristan must have given the last of his energy to awaken Reven, because the boy didn’t move at all, even when Grai finally laid him in his bed.

Tricia collapsed on the bed before Grai covered her gently with the blanket and kissed her forehead. He looked into her beautiful face as he knelt on the floor beside the bed.

“I have to go.” He said sadly, even though he knew she would understand. The Gods had surely blessed him with the most patient and loving woman they could find.

Tricia looked into his concerned gaze. “I know. We will be fine. Don’t be too hard on Lara, there is much pain inside her over this.”

Grai shook his head as he stood up. “Sleep, my love. I will return soon.”

Grai headed back down to the MedLab and wasn’t the least surprised to see Reven sitting silently beside Jax with his hand holding hers.

Ivint and Sacara sat close by as Disc and Decano took up chairs near the passed out tiger. Grai shook his head, trying to think of how to get the tiger back into his enclosure without the damn squirrels letting him loose again.

The security of the sanctuary was now going to have to be overhauled in order to prevent the damn wildlife from running amok in town; he thought with frustration.

“It’s a lot more of a challenge than you ever expected isn’t it?” Reven said quietly, never taking his eyes off of his mate or children.

Grai wasn’t sure Reven was speaking to him until he turned his head to stare at him. Unsure what he was referring to or what to say, Grai just nodded his head and sat in the chair on the other side of the bed.

“I can feel her, but she’s different now. What happened to my mate? Where was everyone else while my mate was destroying her own mind to protect her children?” Reven asked, fiery anger glowing in his eyes as he looked across the bed at Grai.

Grai shook his head and looked away, unable to hold Reven’s accusing gaze. He had run the mission through his mind so many times; he knew it by heart, and yet he still did not know what had gone wrong. How they hadn’t known they were walking into a trap.

Grai looked up into Reven’s eyes and told him the truth. The man deserved it. “It was a trap. We were pinned in by fire. Jax made it around the building, and we thought that she was fine. There were no calls, no sound, or warning until we heard her scream. When we got to her…” Grai said, unable to finish over the lump in his throat.

The image of Jax laying on the ground, the blood pooling under her head had shaken him to his core. He’d seen far too many of his own die in battle, but seeing the vibrant and fearless warrior laying broken and motionless on the ground had cut him far more than he had expected.

“Who did this to her?” Reven asked through gritted teeth.

Grai looked into Reven’s blazing blue eyes and nodded his head in understanding. “He is yours when we find him. In fact, I need to leave. It appears the person with the answer to that question is attempting to slip through the portal, and that is unacceptable to me.” Grai said with a growl before he disappeared out the door and broke into a run towards the portal room.

*****

Hours later, Bayla and Melina finally woke up. Although they were still a little groggy and tired, they were also starving and Sacara offered to take the children to the dining room to get some food.

Melina looked at the woman warily and shook her head. “We’re not leaving Jax.” Melina said, determined to be there when she awakened.   

Sacara smiled gently at the loyal and tenacious girls before winking at Reven. “Sounds like someone else I used to know. I think I’ll go see what I can bring back from the dining room that everyone might like.”

Ivint stood to help her, but Sacara shook her head gently and looked towards Reven. Ivint understood and sat back down, to wait with his friend and be there if he was needed. It was long minutes later when Reven looked down at the floor and spoke for the first time in hours.

“Do you rem…” Reven looked up and shook his head as he fought to control his emotions before trying again. “Remember when we were young, and we had all these hopes and dreams for the future? How we would imagine… all these wonderful things that would happen in our lives?”

Ivint smiled sadly and nodded his head, afraid if he interrupted, his friend would never release the pain and fear roaring through his energy as he waited for his mate to awaken.  

“I spent a thousand years watching every single one of those dreams come true for you. I remember the joy I felt for you when you first saw Sacara in the Calardrian market and knew she was your mate. When Scaden came, I felt as if he were my own. I couldn’t be happier and more proud of him and the man he’s grown into.”  

“But when I saw Jax…” Reven choked up again and paused for a moment while Ivint put a comforting hand on his shoulder. Reven angrily shrugged it off and continued.

“When I first saw her, she was all I could think of… day and night, no matter what I was doing or what mission I was on, she was always there in the back of my mind. That smile that is so beautiful you can’t help but smile with her…” Reven paused again, trying to control himself as he kept choking on his own boiling emotions. He laughed hollowly before he turned his devastated gaze to Ivint.

“I was jealous of the loyalty and love she felt for her friends and all those animals… then I realized that once I won her over, I would be a part of that love and loyalty. I was so close…” Reven said before he stood and roared in pain.

Ivint stood abruptly and pulled his friend into a tight hug, refusing to let go even as Reven fought him half-heartedly. His heart broke for Reven, and he ignored the tears gathering in his own eyes over the pain he felt. This couldn’t go on; he thought as he pulled Reven’s head back and made him look into his eyes.

“Listen to me. This is not over. She is not gone. You still have the chance for those dreams, my friend. Do not give up hope. You above all people here, know just how stubborn she is, do not discount her from the fight yet.” Ivint said roughly, trying to control his own fears for his friend and his friend’s mate.