Magic Side: Wolf Bound Complete Series: Books 1-4, page 22
I couldn’t breathe. Flashbacks of last night swam before my eyes—the demon’s claws around my throat. I fought them down. Jaxson was a man, not a demon.
I elbowed him in the stomach and brought my heel down on his foot.
He released me, though I knew it wasn’t because of anything I’d done. He could probably take a knife to the chest without blinking an eye.
“Good. So you do know some basic self-defense.”
My mom had brought me up to be scrappy. After my parents were gone, I’d just been a kid in a new school with a kooky godmother, which had made me fair game for bullies. I’d had to learn a few moves. Nothing standard—I mainly fought dirty. Whatever worked.
“I thought you were going to show me some moves, not attack me,” I spat.
Without warning, he stepped forward and grabbed my neck. Heat pulsed through his palm and continued straight through me. His grip on my throat was gentle, but knowing that he could end me if he wanted to with just the faintest twist of his wrist sent a thrill through my body. Almost a turn-on, for some deranged reason.
What the hell was wrong with me?
I twisted and brought my elbow down on his arm hard, breaking his grip, then slipped behind him and struck him square in the back with my forearm.
Jaxson spun and grabbed my wrist, then yanked me backward into his chest in a bear hug. Heat flared where my form pressed against his, and my anger blossomed. Why was my body reacting this way?
I elbowed him in the ribs, and he growled in my ear as he pushed me forward. I stumbled on the rocks but stayed upright and twisted to face him. His eyes blazed a deep honey color, and his lips pulled into a twisted smile that was both a warning and an invitation.
Shivers raked my skin, and my pulse quickened. We circled each other. His stance was relaxed and loose, yet he was a predator waiting to strike.
When Jaxson lunged forward, I tried to dash to the side, but his arms wrapped around me, pulling me against his chest. His fingers were iron, digging into my flesh, and I knew that if he wanted, they could burst into claws. He leaned close and whispered, “You have fire.”
His breath was hot on my neck, and quivers arced down my spine. I couldn’t distinguish fear from desire.
He released his hold and gently pushed me away. “Relax your body and keep your knees bent. You have speed—use it to your advantage.”
I glared at him but relaxed my shoulders and bounced lightly on my knees.
“Good. Now raise your arms.” He positioned his body slightly askew and raised his fists. “One to block an attack, the other to strike.”
He showed me the movements, and I watched closely, memorizing the way his body moved with grace and precision. He was a natural fighter. It was easy to imagine him with claws bared, ripping into men and beasts. Savage. Lethal. Relentless.
Something about that bothered me in all the worst ways.
He’d fight for you. He did it last night.
My skin flushed, and I gritted my teeth, trying to focus on the moves that might save my life and not on all the ways that I wanted Jaxson. I could smell his sweat and power, a druglike combination I craved.
I stumbled, and Jaxson shot me a devilish grin and stepped back. “Focus, Savannah. I think your mind’s on other things.”
Oh, God, kill me now. What’s wrong with me? Blood rushed to my face, and I died a little inside as we began circling each other again.
He taunted me a few times, which was good, as it helped me focus on punching that arrogant grin off his face. He attacked, and I met his strike with my forearm, then stepped to the side and brought my fist to his jaw. Before it made contact, he turned and caught my fist. I lost my footing on the loose rocks, but he steadied me before I could fall.
“You’re a fast learner,” he purred.
I probably wasn’t much more than a toy in his hands. I steadied myself and pushed him away as my frustration bloomed. “What’s next, Laurent?”
The air between us sparked with electricity, and Jaxson’s eyes turned an even richer honey-gold.
He stepped forward slowly, like a predator stalking its prey, and leaned close. So close I could almost hear the rhythmic pulse of his heart. His breath caressed my skin. “I won’t hurt you…but you better run.”
Mid-sentence, his voice turned husky and almost bestial. My heart stalled for a couple beats.
What the fuck?
I bolted.
I knew Jaxson wouldn’t hurt me, but I wasn’t sure about the thing within him. The creature that I’d seen break a man in half.
Trees flew past. A root caught my foot, but I recovered.
Not too fast. Slow and steady wins the race.
Actually, I doubted that very much.
My feet thundered over the ground in a steady rhythm. I concentrated on each footstep, rebounding off solid logs and carefully dodging obstructions, trying not to faceplant into a tree.
A growl sounded behind me, and I glanced over my shoulder.
Jaxson was closing, fast.
He’d said he wouldn’t hurt me, but my heart hammered in my chest all the same. I turned onto a game trail and ratcheted up to high speed.
A howl echoed through the forest, sending quakes of fear through my body.
That bastard. I’d told him I wasn’t ready to meet his wolf, the monster I’d seen last night. Was Jaxson even in control?
Sam’s words replayed in my mind: When we’re in wolf form, our wolves are in the driver’s seat, so to speak, and can be unpredictable.
I jumped at movement on my right. A blur flashed by, and my heartbeat thundered in my skull as another growl came from bushes on my other flank.
I was being hunted.
A ravine appeared ahead. I jumped over the edge and slid down the embankment, then booked it in the opposite direction, toward the beach. The euphoria of freedom and power flashed through me.
How do you like me now, alpha wolf?
A crash rang out above me, and I screamed as a blur moved down the embankment. Stumbling, I caught myself before colliding with a boulder. I cast a quick glance sideways and saw Jaxson—not in wolf form—with a wide grin on his damn face.
Cocky bastard.
I raced toward the shore, running as fast as my boots would take me. There weren’t any trees in the ravine, so I only had to focus on the boulders and broken logs.
My adrenaline surged as the lake appeared a couple hundred feet ahead—the finish line.
Jaxson was on my heels, his feet ricocheting against the ground with impossible force. I swore I could feel his breath on my neck. My heart was thudding and my breathing ragged, and the thrill of the race coursed through my blood.
Suddenly, he was beside me. Startled, I caught my foot on a rock, and my thundering speed boots catapulted me into the air. I braced for impact, but instead of the ground, a hard body collided with mine, and arms wrapped around me. The air was driven from my lungs as we rolled several times, Jaxson’s body shielding me from the brunt of the impact.
With a thump, we came to a stop. The man beneath me was staring back with deep, honey-gold eyes. His heat melded with mine, and my chest tightened. I struggled for air, grasping at my throat, but my lungs wouldn’t respond.
Panic surged through me, but Jaxson gripped my hips and lifted me so that I was straddling him. “Breathe, Savannah.” His hands gently cradled my back. His voice was calm and low and filled with power. I felt my fear melt into his golden eyes, and the tension in my body released.
Chest heaving, I sucked in steady gasps of air until my lungs no longer ached and the panic left me. Then I realized just how close Jaxson and I were.
The tightness in my chest grew, like something was trying to claw its way out. Heat pulsed through me, settling at the apex of my thighs, and all I could think of was his strength beneath me and the tenderness of my skin.
I began to move.
“Savannah.” Jaxson’s voice was thick, and he slid one hand up my back. His touch left a trail of tingles rippling down my spine, and I gasped. “We can’t do this,” he growled. His eyes flashed honey, and he gripped my butt with his other hand.
I felt his hardness beneath me, and I tipped my head back and moaned as I ground my hips into him.
He pressed against me, following my rhythm, “We need to stop.”
Jaxson’s words were the exact opposite of what his body was telling me, and I didn’t care. My skin was flushed and sensitive, and I had the overwhelming urge to tear off my clothes. It made no sense at all, and yet there I was, pulling up the bottom of my shirt and—
Oh, my God. What was I doing?
My senses returned to me like a rogue wave slamming into the shore.
I looked down at the impossibly beautiful and dangerous man beneath me. Had I really been…grinding on him? Embarrassment, shock, and confusion rushed through me, and I scrambled off Jaxson’s lap. “What the hell just happened?”
It had been like my body was overcome by a fever, and I was stuck sitting in the passenger seat, watching it all unfold.
Jaxson’s shoulders rose and fell, and when he at last met my eyes, he looked just about as confused as I was. His silence spoke volumes.
Was there something he wasn’t telling me? He looked distraught about what had just happened, and unease flooded through me.
“We should go,” he said at last.
“Jaxson?”
It took him a second, and then he looked at me as if I’d just disturbed some deep inner thought. “I’m sorry. My wolf must have taken over back there. Are you all right?”
I nodded weakly as my mind reeled.
He forced a smile. “Everything is okay, I promise. It’s getting late, and we should go.”
He wasn’t the same man from moments before. I’d let my guard down and almost forgotten that he was a damn werewolf. Had I lost my mind?
There was another Jaxson locked away inside of him—a savage creature with animal instincts. A Jaxson that I didn’t know at all.
31
Savannah
I took a swig of Old Style, hoping the beer would relax me. Between our freak heat-filled encounter along the shore and the prospect of scrying again, I was on edge.
After our jaunt at Avery’s Point, things had been pretty awkward, and we’d barely spoken a word on the drive back. Jaxson hadn’t wanted to return to Eclipse, probably because he was afraid I’d make another scene, or maybe he was ashamed of what had just transpired between us. Probably both. I was just an unruly LaSalle, after all.
Ultimately, we needed somewhere private to scry, so we’d headed to The Boiler, a homely little corner bar in the southern part of Dockside. Jaxson had led me straight to a private room in the back like he owned the place. Maybe he did. Either way, no one asked a single question, and no one bothered us other than to drop off our drinks.
“Ready to give it another go?” Jaxson asked, nodding to the flask of silver and red liquid that I’d placed on the table between us.
I pushed the noxious scrying potion toward him. “Maybe you want to do it this time?”
He didn’t touch the flask. “I’m a wolf. Your blood in that potion attunes it exclusively to you, but even if it didn’t, our kind doesn’t have the innate magic necessary to control the effects. Moreover, scrying is forbidden.”
I crossed my arms and leaned back in the booth. “Forbidden? Or simply illegal and dangerous, which you neglected to tell me when you first asked.”
Jaxson flinched slightly, but he kept his eyes trained on me. “Forbidden. Dabbling in the occult is taboo in our pack. Knowing the future, far-seeing, they’re the domains of the moon-mother and not meant for mortals. She watches over us, and only she sees the future.”
I leaned forward. “But you went to a seer.”
“I was desperate. I needed answers.”
I wondered how that went over with the rest of his pack. “What did she tell you about our adversaries? About me?”
“My prophecy is my own, just as yours belongs to you.”
I scowled. “But you heard part of mine.”
“Not the prophecy, just the fortune teller’s interpretation of the cards. That’s different.”
I chewed on my lip and dug my nails into my palm to keep my frustration from boiling over. He was chintzier with information than Alma was with sweets. “Can’t you tell me anything?”
Jaxson released a low, exasperated rumble from his throat, then leaned toward me. “The seer helped me find you and told me to protect you. She said you would lead me to answers, and that if anything happens to you, it’ll mean ruin for my pack.”
Of course—that was why he was so interested in me. The wellbeing of his pack. And to think I’d begun to believe he saw something in me.
I scowled and hoped he could smell my annoyance. “Fine, let’s do this. By which I mean I’ll do it, seeing as you can’t or won’t.”
My palms were wet from the condensation on the beer bottle, so I rubbed them on my jeans and uncorked the flask. “Bottoms up.”
I screwed up my face as the bitter liquid burned my throat, making me feel slightly nauseated, and then I choked as I started laughing.
“What’s so funny?” Jaxson asked, his eyes narrowing in on me like lasers.
“Honestly? I was thinking of throwing up on you. This tastes so bad.”
He inclined his head, and a muscle in his jaw twitched. It was so easy to ruffle his fur. “Focus, Savannah. This is important.” His voice was sharp and impatient.
I took a breath and closed my eyes, concentrating on the picture of the she-wolf I’d drawn. The potion began working its way through me like the tingle of a low-voltage current. My arms became leaden, and my fingers felt like they were merging with the wood. Black shadows and forms swirled in the darkness, drawing me in.
“Tell me what you see.” Jaxson’s voice was far off, like a dream.
I tried to speak, but the darkness tugged me in all directions and muddled my mind. I clenched my eyes shut as hard as I could and imagined the face of the bitch from Belmont. Her rage. Her hatred.
The shadows behind my closed eyes began circling me like wolves. Hungry. Impatient. The hair on my neck rose, and I had the distinct sensation of being watched by unseen eyes.
“Savannah. Is it working?”
“Something’s different. I can’t…it’s not right. Very not right. I’m not alone…”
Jaxson’s hand pressed against my back, and warmth poured through me, awakening a power deep within. He spoke in honey tones. “You’re not alone. I’m here. Concentrate on the woman.”
His signature washed over my body, and I wanted to drink it in. It filled my senses, and suddenly, despite the darkness around me, I felt like I was running through a cold and snowy forest with crisp air on my face. The stalking shadows in my mind peeled away and fled through the darkness. Light appeared. Suddenly, the forest wasn’t just the scent of Jaxson’s signature. It was there, bathed in summer sunlight, all around me.
I was moving through the woods, following the woman.
My pulse began to slow. “I see her.”
“Tell me everything.”
The vision was blurry, and I could only catch snippets of the images.
“She’s entered a house, no, a cabin in the woods. It’s got wooden walls, and it’s really run-down. She’s messing with something. I can’t make it out—like red cables.”
What the hell were those?
“Describe every detail. Is there a demon summoning circle?”
“I can’t see, she’s moving around the cabin. There’s another person, but I can’t identify them. Wait, she’s picked something up and is heading outside. There’s lots of trees. Tall pines, but I can see blue. It’s a lake! She’s walking to a lake.”
“What’s she carrying?”
I didn’t have the right angle to see clearly. “A box of vials or bottles. Maybe potions? Okay, she’s down at the lakeshore. It’s all white limestone cobbles. There’s a boat with someone in it. She’s taking the box to a man in the boat!”
My heart pounded against my chest.
Jaxson’s voice was low and controlled. “Savannah, look for any landmarks. Could this be her home or a base of operations?”
I tried to look around, but I could barely control my vantage point, and my vision swirled like I was on a carousel. I suddenly felt sick to my stomach. Something caught my eyes, and I tried to focus. “There’s a lighthouse nearby.”
“Describe it, quick, before the vision ends.”
“It’s on a promontory or spit. I think it’s abandoned—the light might be broken. It’s tall, smooth, cylindrical…a white tower with a rusted red roof. There’s a fence around the top.”
“Excellent.” Jaxson pressed his hand on the small of my back and gently squeezed, and elation shot through me. “Do you see who she’s handed the box off to?
I pivoted my view, and the world spun. I felt myself sliding off my chair, but Jaxson’s hands caught me and held me upright. The spinning stopped, and finally, I was able to get a fix on the boat.
My attacker waded into the lake, picking her way carefully over the slippery, greenish, algae-covered stones. When she reached the edge of the waiting boat, she lifted the box up. I held my breath and strained my mind. I needed to see who was there.
A man reached down and took the box. “I see him, but…”
My stomach dropped, and horror trickled through me.
“But what? Tell me, Savannah.”
The man’s face was a black hole. Swirling darkness leaked around from the edges of his body, distorting the air like grease over water. Confusion and panic tore through me as my mind tried to make sense of what I was seeing.
“His face is a blank. It’s like he’s got no face. Just darkness.”
“He has an anti-scrying charm. Try to concentrate, try to break through. You can do this.” Jaxson’s breath was soft on my neck and sent power vibrating through my body. Every word of his was confident, cloaked in certainty. He believed in me without question.
I strained as hard as I could, imaging what my magic had felt like, trying to call the sensation forth, to force my way through the darkness. Suddenly, the man snapped his head up and looked directly at me with that horrifying, blurred-out face.
