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  “Why not?” she asked, confused.

  “I live here.”

  “Why?”

  “I belong here. This is my punishment.”

  Horror filled her at his words. What in all the planets could he be punishing himself for? “Punishment for what?”

  “I should have saved them,” he whispered, talking about when the Ilyium attacked and massacred their village.

  Her soul wept. “No, sweetie, you couldn’t have stopped the Ilyium, or saved anyone in the village. You would have died too.” She didn’t know how to help, and the thought of him holding onto the guilt of not being able to save their mothers, shredded her.

  Jax never talked about the massacre, and Tierney hated knowing he carried such a burden. “I’m so sorry you saw what happened that day, but if you’d been in the village, you wouldn’t have been able to save me when you did,” she said, trying again, “You saved me, remember?” Her voice broke. She wanted him to stop blaming himself, but he didn’t seem to be listening.

  She peered around, not knowing what else to say or do, when her eyes landed on the red box. She shivered. The red was not paint, but rather blood. “What’s in here?”

  Wide, haunted eyes gazed up at her. “It’s a secret. I can’t tell anyone, ever.”

  Tierney sighed, wondering what else he hid. Without realizing, she reached out and touched the top of the box. “Ah!” An incredible pain seized her and Tierney yanked her hand back.

  “What’d you do?”

  “I’m sorry, Jax,” she said, as something tugged at her—pulling her away. Her time was running out. “I don’t want to leave you here. Please, come with me.”

  “I can’t, I’ll hurt you.” He avoided her gaze once more.

  “What? No. Why would you think that?” When he didn’t answer, she frowned. “Did someone tell you that?”

  “Father told me. I’m poison. I’ll hurt anyone I love. I deserve to be alone, don’t deserve love, ever.”

  Marcius was at the top of Tierney’s ‘People I want to kill’ list. Fucking Asshole! “He was wrong, Jax. Wrong!” The pull was growing stronger. “You do deserve love, and you’re not alone.” She reached out and touched his brow. “Sweetie, I’ll always be here, even if you don’t see me. I want you to know I’m with you, and I love you.”

  Moisture shone in his eyes. “It’s okay. You need to go now.”

  No! I’m not ready. “I love you, Jax,” she repeated, as her body was sucked back the way she’d come. Her view of him grew smaller and smaller until he was gone.

  She woke up to find the connection closed. Emotions raw, she choked back tears, relieved to see that Jax still slept. Marcius had obviously brainwashed him into believing all that shit, and now he punished himself for what he thought he had failed to do.

  It broke her heart. Raising her shields, Tierney closed her eyes. Gods, she loved this man with her whole being and would do anything for him. She had never before realized the blame he placed on himself. The horror of all the death he witnessed, when he went to their village after the attack, combined with the damage his father did to him and Sami, was utterly unforgivable.

  That damage could never be fixed, and although she knew Jax took the brunt of Marcius’ wrath to shield Sami, they both suffered in different ways. She remembered when Marcius brought them back after a year. It was Jax’s eleventh birthday. Sami sat quiet and terrified by her side, while they waited as Jax hovered, unconscious, close to death.

  When Jax did awake, he shrank away from them, trembling in fear. His eyes looked wildly around the room and he shook in terror.

  ‘It’s okay, Jax,’ she and Sami tried to reassure him but he just shook his head.

  “This is just a dream,” he mumbled, over and over, while Sami ran to get Zander.

  “It’s me, Jax. It’s Tierney. I’m here. We’re all here for you,” she said, trying to reassure him, but he refused to believe.

  Tierney glanced up, face streaked with tears when her dad cautiously stepped into the room, with Sami close behind him. It took a long time before Jax finally accepted that he wasn’t dreaming, and they were really there. Tierney fought not to wail her sadness, as he cringed from all of them.

  “You’re not dreaming, Jax,” Sami said, tears streaming down his own face. “Little Toni found you, he brought you back and made—” He stopped speaking, unable to say their father’s name. Thankfully, Little Toni made Marcius bring both boys back to Tierney and Zander.

  “Little Toni?” Jax stared vacantly at Sami.

  “Yeah, he found you,” Sami said a catch in his voice.

  Jax turned his dazed gaze from Sami to Zander, then to Tierney. “T-Tiern?” He blinked.

  “Yes, it’s me. You’re safe now,” She said.

  Jax shuddered. “Tiern.” Then he surprised her when he threw himself into her arms. For the rest of that night he clung to her, afraid to let go.

  She would never-ever forget him later asking her why his father hated him so much. Back then, even though she was ten months younger than Jax, what Marcius did to his boys made her hate the male with blinding intensity. Now, she had to push the agony she wanted to inflict on Marcius away before she could drift off to sleep, snug in Jax’s arms.

  Chapter Eleven

  Son Of Fenrir

  TIERNEY, awakened by the warmth of the sun through the window, as it seeped over the horizon, opened her eyes to find Jax watching her. Sometime during the last few hours they’d drifted apart and now, uncertain but hopeful about what happened between them, she smiled. “Hey, how’re you feeling?”

  His scorching blue eyes made her squirm self-consciously. “Like I’ve been pummeled by the Hulk, and then spent a year chasing an elusive giant hammer of the gods through the universe,” he groaned, making her snort. Then he stunned her by snuggling up close again. Wrapping his arms around her, he tucked his head against her neck.

  Tierney’s heart soared as heat flooded her system. She blushed, thankful Jax couldn’t see her face. Hesitant, she ran her hand down his arm and towards his back, stopping when he tensed up. But a moment later he relaxed and sighed.

  Tierney’s heart rate accelerated at the different texture under her fingers. No longer covered in scars, his skin was smooth, and it pulsed with life. “What the—?” Leaning up, she peeled the blanket back to peer at his arm and part of his back, and grinned.

  “No. What are you—no.” Jax pulled away, and yanked the cover back over himself.

  The horrified, guarded expression on his face wrenched her heart. He thought she was looking at his scars.

  “Jax, your dragon,” she whispered, letting him hear the awe in her voice. Her dad had told them that during their Awakening, their dragon would appear on their body like a tattoo. Though raised a slight bit, the tattoo would cover most of them. He said it would glow around each tiny scale with a fluorescent light, more colorful than any human tattoo.

  Their dragon wasn’t a separate being, but rather it was a part of them. To humans it would seem cool to the touch, while immortals would experience the life within.

  Tierney waited while dubious eyes regarded her. “It’s okay, honestly.”

  Jax stared, and she could almost hear him pleading with her not to be messing with him. She hated the shame he felt at her seeing his scars and it saddened her. But a moment later, trusting her, he slowly lowered the blanket and craned his head to inspect his arm and side.

  “Holy shit.” The disbelief in his voice made her smile. “I really am a Dracones now.”

  “You always have been, Jax,” she said, watching his eyes fill with surprise as she ran her fingers over his arm. “It’s so cool, yet full of heat and life. So beautiful,” she murmured, drawn like a moth to a flame, to touch him. She leaned closer, grinning at the fluorescent blue light glowing from under each midnight blue scale. “It’s truly amazing.”

  She glanced up and met his gaze—the fire blazing in his eyes shocked her. Not realizing what she’d been doing, she
yanked her hand away. “Sorry.” She could feel a blush creeping up her face.

  “No, it feels … good.” He ducked his head and snuggled up beside her again. “You always make me feel better,” he murmured, while his arousal pressed against her, making her senses reel.

  Filled with a burning need, and thrilled at his words, Tierney felt his dragon calling to her. Instinctively, her fingers drifted once again to his back. Jax sighed, and a deep purring vibration started inside of her as her dragon responded to his. Hope, that she was afraid to believe in, started to bloom. Not wanting to think too hard about it, she continued to trail her fingers over him until his breathing evened out, then she almost laughed. Of course he was asleep again!

  A little later, she glanced up when Sami wandered in, wiping sleep from his eyes. “Hey, how is he?”

  “He’s going to be fine. His dragon tattoo came in,” she said with a smile.

  Startled, Sami’s eyes lit up. “It did? Cool.”

  “Yeah, it’s awesome.” She grinned, happy to see the old Sami back.

  Relieved, Sami made his way around to the other side of Jax’s bed. “How are you?”

  Not wanting to wake Jax, Tierney eased her arm out from under his neck and turned over to face Sami, careful to stay tucked in the circle of Jax’s arms.

  Grateful for their king beds, she waited while Sami climbed up beside her. “I’m tired, but I’ll live. At least I wasn’t beaten by the Hulk or chasing a god hammer.” She grinned.

  “What?” Sami asked, then shook his head. “Never mind. Obviously Jax humor. You get any sleep?”

  Tierney yawned and nodded. “A little.” It had been a long night and guilt rushed back in as she remembered everything that had happened. “What about you, are you okay?”

  “Yeah.” Sami nodded, but he looked tired as well.

  “How did you sleep?” she asked, hoping he hadn’t had any more nightmares.

  Sami shook his head, not wanting to talk about it.

  Guilt consumed her. “I’m sorry about taking off.”

  “It’s okay, I understand. Besides, you came back.”

  “Here, look.” Reaching back, she carefully eased the blanket off of Jax’s shoulder.

  “That is so freakin cool.” Sami’s eyes glowed with wonderment and envy at Jax’s dragon.

  “It’s pretty awesome. I can’t wait to tell Dad—” she said, but her happiness dimmed as she thought about Zander. She knew Sami would tell her if he had called, but she couldn’t help asking. “Any calls?”

  “No, sorry.”

  Tierney said nothing more, though thoughts of how to find Zander swirled around in her mind.

  They talked quietly for a while, and though she didn’t tell Sami about Jax’s request if he couldn’t control his dragon, she did tell him about Serena. About the magic the bitch had used on Jax, which led to talk about their own power and magic.

  Her fingers reached for the amethyst stones in the precious choker around her neck. Before she died, her mother gave them all magic chokers, each set with different numbers of precious stones matching their eyes. Sadly, Ahryanna died before teaching them how to use them.

  When Tierney woke up next, Sami was gone and she couldn’t resist running her fingers through Jax’s hair. She loved the shiny, midnight-blue highlights, but as much as she wanted to stay, she needed to get up, dress, and go make them something to eat.

  “Wha … Tiern?” Jax opened his eyes when she began to ease away from him.

  Well, I didn’t get far, did I? She smiled. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to wake you. How ya feeling?”

  “Still like I’ve went up against the Hulk and—”

  “Yeah, I get it, and it doesn’t surprise me.” She grinned. “I’m going to go dress and make you something to eat.”

  “Oh good. I’m hungry. I could eat a cow, or maybe the Hulk,” Jax groaned.

  Tierney chuckled, but as she started to slide away, his arms tightened around her, then realizing what he was doing, he let go. Tierney caught the faint hint of a blush on his cheeks. Aw! He’s so cute when he blushes. She grinned, hurrying to her room to clean up.

  Forty minutes later, she delivered a tray of food to him and turned to leave, needing to slip away before he stopped her and tried to get her to stay. It wasn’t easy, because she really just wanted to curl back up in bed with him. But, she needed to take care of some things first, and a few minutes alone to think wouldn’t hurt either.

  “Wait, you’re not staying?” Jax asked as he devoured his toast.

  “I can’t, I have stuff to do, and you need to eat and rest,” she said, though his reaction thrilled her. “And I expect you to eat all of it,” she threatened as she walked out of his room.

  “Ah, okay, but wait—” Jax called, but she’d already left.

  Tierney grabbed her jacket and phone from her room, and took off down the stairs.

  Sami sat at the counter in the kitchen.

  “Hey,” she said, slipping past him.

  “I checked messages and called Olympia PD, they still don’t have anything,” he informed her.

  This shit was getting old. They needed to find Zander. “Fuck! He needs to come home, or call, or something. We gotta do something!”

  Sami pursed his lips at her outburst. “Sorry. I don’t know what else to do. I feel like I’ve failed you and Zander.”

  Tierney sucked in her anger, horrified that he thought she blamed him. “No, Sami—no. It’s not your fault. You’ve done all you can, more than any of us. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to go off.” She rubbed her aching head.

  Sami stared at her, then his eyes narrowed as he glanced at the jacket in her hands. “You going somewhere?”

  She snorted. “Yeah, I’m going to go find me a wolf to talk to.”

  “What? No, wait—” he got up and followed her into the mud room. “I’ll come with you.”

  “No, you keep an eye on Jax. I don’t want him left alone.”

  Sami sighed in frustration and shook his head. “You shouldn’t go alone. What if he isn’t friendly?”

  Tierney smiled as she put her boots on. “I’ll be fine. He helped us last night. If it wasn’t for Kyrian—” She shuddered at the thought of where they’d be if the wolf hadn’t helped them.

  “I just don’t like it.” Sami stood ready to protect her, and she loved him for that.

  “I know.” She straightened up, stood on her tiptoes, and pulled his head down so she could give him a quick peck on the cheek. “Keep an eye on him,” she said, referring to Jax. “Yell if you need me, okay?”

  Sami nodded, but the worry in his eyes sparked her guilt.

  “I’ll be okay. Honestly.” She wanted to find out more about this wolf, learn how he knew that they’d needed help, and what to do.

  Still, guilt, anger, and helplessness weighed her down as she hurried past the raven spot and up the mountain. She felt like she should be out searching for her dad, if they just had any idea of where to look. The only bright part in all of this, was what she and Jax had done the night before. Gods, she came so close to losing him. The thought filled her with horror. She couldn’t imagine living without him in her life. Luckily, it had been hours since the last pain-episode, and she was pretty sure they were through the worst of it. Jax just needed to rest now. Her mind went back to the amazing mind sex. He seemed to want her so badly at the time, but what if it was the Awakening that made him react to her in that way?

  Guess I’ll just have to wait for him, however long he needs. The wait wouldn’t be easy. In fact, it would be painful, but she wouldn’t do stupid things anymore, and hopefully, one day, Jax would realize he loved her back.

  The path opened up and veered to the right, the steep drop on her left offering a fantastic view of the valley. Tierney easily sidestepped the drop and inhaled, reveling in the beauty before her. Am I crazy to be looking for a talking wolf? “Hey Kyrian?” she called, chuckling.

  Not even a second later, his voice popped into her
head. “Hello Tierney.”

  He sounded so … nice. Gah, poke me with a stick! “Ah, hi, I wanted to thank you for your help last night, and I have questions.”

  “You’re very welcome. Though I’m confident you’d have figured out what to do.”

  “Huh. Well, you have more confidence than I do.” She couldn’t think about how close they’d come to losing Jax. “So, who are you?”

  “I am Kyrian, son of Fenrir, leader of the Okami.”

  “Fenrir,” she repeated skeptically. “Thought he was a myth. Hey, isn’t Fenrir the son of Loki?”

  “Yes. We are Canis Lupus—The Wolf.”

  “You are so not just a wolf!” She rolled her eyes.

  “No. We are the Okami.” he said with pride.

  “Ah huh, so, are you sure you aren’t a Were-wolf?”

  Kyrian laughed.

  A laughing wolf? Am I losing my freaking mind?

  “No, not a Were-wolf—Okami.”

  “All righty then.” Tierney said and he chuckled. “Are there wolves that are just wolves? Or is it all a big cover up to fool everyone?” she asked.

  “Yes, there are other … just wolves.”

  “So, are Were-wolves real too?” She had to know.

  “They are our cousins, and not pure.”

  Tierney snorted. What a bizarre conversation. I want to meet this wolf. No sooner did the thought cross her mind, when thirty feet ahead of her, on the path, a large, beautiful wolf stepped out. Wow, this is the second wolf this large I’ve seen now.

  The day that her dad’s friend, Drakayeh, led them to the portal on Tartaria, Tierney caught a glimpse of his friend, a huge shimmery wolf. And while the wolf didn’t come near them or talk to her, Tierney had sensed her magic.

  “You’ve seen a wolf like me before?” Kyrian’s silver eyes glowed with surprise, and Tierney smirked as she gazed at him appreciatively. He’s beautiful-like a mirage, ghostly.

  “Beautiful!” Kyrian snorted, turned and headed back up the trail. “Come, please.”

  “Aye-aye, cap–I mean Kyrian, Son of Fenrir—leader of the Okami.” Tierney grinned as she followed him.