10. Jax

Chapter 10

Jax

H is boots pounded the pavement, Axel's shout echoing behind him. Jax followed the Shadow-Veyn on instinct, tracking the creature through the shadows. He left the remains with Lucifer, knowing he'd secure the numerous part-devoured bodies left behind before a civilian discovered them. Jax was sure his brother was following, the angry curses he could feel brushing his mind testament to that.

Rain pelted against his face, but he couldn't feel the cold. Not when he was on the hunt, his beast forcing him forward, faster, and harder. He felt eager to take down their prey, to feel the acidic blood against his skin.

A scrape of nails. A slap of flesh.

Jax turned right, following the skinny brick lanes until he met a dead end. Lungs pumping, he scanned the surrounding area, sensing the Shadow-Veyn close by. They were usually cowards, only attacking when they were in packs or cornered.

It was the perfect opportunity to release some of his excess frustration. It had been days, and Thea hadn't called him. He wasn't sure if he should be impressed she was ignoring him, or angry. Not many people could ignore him.

He heard a clash of teeth. The air shifted, oxygen forced from his lungs when a heavy weight connected to his chest. Brick crumbled against his back, the Veyn snarling and hissing as it jumped back out of reach. Blood feathered the air, an intense burning sensation building from where the Veyn's claws had pierced through his fighting leathers.

Thoughts of Thea had distracted him – a mistake he wouldn't make again.

‘Don't engage without me!' Axel snarled inside his mind, only for Jax's beast to roar his protest.

Jax grit his teeth, circling the Veyn while fighting for control, only for his beast to add pressure.

I FIGHT. YOU SLEEP.

Not now, he growled, but his skin still rippled, fur threatening to break through before he forced his beast back. Enough!

Jax shoved himself to the side, grunting when he landed harder on his shoulder than he'd intended. Another claw raked across his stomach, luckily only ripping his shirt.

The Veyn snarled, green spittle splattering the surrounding cobbles. It hissed as it landed against the brick and stone. Jax braced, hand gripping his sword tight as it stepped further into the light.

Fuck.

It wasn't a hound like he'd expected. The majority of its body was glamoured within the shadows, half braced against the brick wall with four legs each side. It was backed against an office building, at least twenty floors. So unless the Veyn could scale the wall like a spider, it was stuck.

Jax sent a mental image to his brother. " Where the fuck are you, pretty boy? "

"Is that a lizard?" came the quick reply. " Or a caterpillar?"

Jax didn't bother responding, not when he needed to concentrate.

Most of the Veyn were hellhounds, a canine shape with a few extras that made them far more dangerous than any wild wolf. He didn't even have a name for the new one, its body long, almost stretched. Its head was a little ursa shaped, with its jaws and slope of brow. There were no ears, or even holes like the other Veyn he'd taken down. Nothing but smooth obsidian scales with a few tufts of blackened fur, and spikes protruding along its spine.

Red eyes rolled freely in deep sockets, dark vapour floating across its skin like a protective mist. Unlike the others, Jax saw no exposed bones other than the spikes, the scales creating protective flaps over its vulnerable points like armour.

Heavy footsteps echoed, but Jax didn't turn to welcome his brother.

"Fuck me," Axel grunted. "Classification E?"

Jax shook his head. The Veyn had been caught at the dead-end, yet Jax hadn't immediately seen it. All the Guardians could see through their invisibility glamour, it was part of their strengths. One of the reasons the Archdruid negotiated their curse in the first place.

It was his beast that had sensed the Veyn, not the man.

"Classification F."

Axel's head whipped to the side. "You can't just make up classifications, J."

The Veyn watched them, a gentle hiss vibrating its throat. It didn't make a move, but it wasn't running away either. Its body was already halfway up the wall, the back four legs each side gripping the bricks .

Beast roared inside his mind, the pressure causing a headache.

Fangs flashed, and Jax brought up his sword just in time for the Veyn to clamp down on the blade rather than his arm. With all his strength he shoved, the sword barely grazing before he was tossed to the side like a doll, and not a man of six five.

He landed on his back with a grunt, but before Axel had even landed with a thud beside him, he was back on his feet, sword swinging. The sharpened blade caught the Veyn along its scaled flank, and shattered.

The Veyn's tongue flicked out, split like a snake's.

"Fuck!" he grunted, dropping what remained of his sword. He'd never had a weapon shatter, especially not one he'd made himself.

"You good?" Axel shouted, skidding beneath the Veyn to try and stab at its stomach. But even that seemed to be of no use, the blade unable to penetrate the scales.

Jax called arcane to his fist. The magic sparked, pulsating along with the lines of his tattoos. He felt his chi stretch, fuelled by the Ley Line that ran like veins throughout the city.

The Veyn turned, and Jax released the carefully constructed ball. It shot across the short space, collecting mass before it connected with the Veyn's snout. Blood spattered, his power breaking through the scales to score the flesh beneath. It went deep enough that bone flashed.

Axel moved to Jax's side. "Fuck, are you seeing this?"

Shadows crawled across the Veyn's body, hiding its back end while the two front claws dug into the ground. It released a sound like a howl, the shadows moving until nothing but its shoulders and elongated head were visible.

The dark vapour sought the fresh wound, swirling around until the skin appeared to heal layer by layer. Within seconds it was covered in armoured scales, the damage mended without a trace.

The shadows continued to crawl, and after another blink the Veyn disappeared entirely.

"What the fuck!" Axel cursed, turned to check behind him. "It's – "

Jax burst from his skin, allowing his beast to finally take shape, but not control. Shifting was both agony and ecstasy combined, but there was a familiarity as he settled on all fours. Jax stretched his paws, scratching the pavement beneath him with claws twice the size of a lions.

His eyesight changed, the textures becoming more defined. It made it easier to distinguish the different shades, to peer within the shadows. He found the Veyn crawling up the wall, nothing but a shimmery silhouette. So even in beast form the Shadow-Veyn was glamoured, which made it a big fucking problem.

Jax didn't give it a chance to escape, bouncing himself off the wall with enough momentum to launch himself up. His claws scraped against the Veyn's scaled back, unable to break through. With little grip Jax opened his jaws, and clamped down. Spikes tore through his gums and roof of his mouth, but he refused to let go. The Veyn barked in pain, its grip on the brick failing as it fell back to the ground.

There was a flash of fur in his peripheral, and then Axel joined the fight. There was a scramble, the Veyn trying to fight off Axel while violently rolling his body. Jax grunted as the weight landed on him, teeth clamping down hard enough to finally pierce through the scales. He felt his shoulder dislocate, the pain searing agony through his left arm. But he still kept the pressure.

Blood coated his coat, glistening against the scales beneath him. The vapour that floated against the Veyn's skin tried to heal the wounds, his teeth starting to tear and shred at the holes he'd made. The mist danced around his muzzle, so cold it was little pinpricks of ice.

‘What are you waiting for? Go for the throat!' he snarled to his brother, his jaw beginning to tire. But he couldn't let go, not when he felt it weakening. Muscles trembled while blood continued to gush between his teeth. The scales crunched, ripping at his gums while the fucking healing vapour continued with its frostbite.

Axel turned to snarl, his beast vicious. ‘What the fuck do you think I'm doing?' He was much smaller than Jax, but quicker. He dodged the Veyn, teeth bared as he waited for the opportunity to strike.

The Veyn rolled, this time pinning Jax against the wall with his entire weight. The momentum yanked Jax's fangs from its body, and as soon as it was free the vapour was there to heal.

Fuck's sake.

Careful not putting any weight on his left leg, Jax snapped his jaws. The Veyn hissed, backing away as they both stalked it toward the end of the alley. His mouth tasted of blood, both his and the Veyn's. It trickled from his muzzle, leaving little droplets behind.

Axel brushed along his side, claws scraping against the concrete. ‘Ready?'

Not giving the Veyn another chance he launched himself, this time aiming for its throat. His teeth sunk in, jaw aching with how hard he clamped down. The Veyn reared up in a screech, and that was when Axel caught the other side. Blood squirted, bleeding far faster than the vapour could even attempt to heal. Within minutes, it collapsed, and Jax tore at everything he could. Piece by piece fell away, and he didn't stop until he'd ripped straight through .

A hand dug into his scruff, yanking him back.

"Come on J, shift back," Axel said, having already returned to the man.

Jax shook himself free from his brother's grip, his mind becoming sluggish. He was falling asleep, and if he didn't change shape his beast would take full control.

‘ YOU GO NOW?' Beast asked with a happy purr. He was pumped from the fight, and Jax knew if he allowed him control he'd continue hunting.

How long has it been since Jax properly slept? Days? Weeks?

"I said shift." Axel shoved at him, causing pain along his dislocated shoulder.

Jax snarled, warning his brother to back off. Axel had no dominance over him, not when all the Guardians were equal. Everyone except for Riley.

"Seriously J, I need to take a look at your injuries."

Jax sat on his hind legs, panting. The front of his chest stung, the fur sticky.

"Aww, looks like I missed the party." Lucifer stalked over, and Jax's beast let out a little grumble. "Yeah, yeah. You want to eat me, but I've already told you, you're not my type."

"He won't shift back," Axel said, dragging a hand down his face and smearing blood across his skin.

"Yes he will, because if he doesn't, I'll go visit a certain faerie," Lucy warned. "Maybe I can retrieve your wallet…"

Jax snarled, calling to the power that changed him from one shape to the other. Within a single second he was the man.

His punch caught Lucy square in the jaw, hard enough it knocked him back, his teeth red when he turned back with a grin. "See, he's fine." He spat blood at his feet. "Same old cheery self. "

Jax really needed to stop sharing shit with Lucifer.

Axel stormed over, and before he could react he'd yanked at Jax's shoulder. The bone popped back into place, the dull ache immediately relieved.

"Thanks," Jax grunted.

"What the fuck was that about?" Axel hissed, getting in his face.

Jax stepped back, not wanting to argue with his brother. "Nothing."

"That's not fucking nothing, J! You've been in a foul fucking mood for days now, and now this?"

"It was nothing," Jax growled, taking out his frustrations on him. Thea hadn't called, and Riley was up his arse about the pages. He didn't have the patience to deal with Axel, too. It was an ongoing argument that Jax allowed his beast to take control too much.

"And what's Luce going on about a wallet?"

Lucifer chuckled behind, and Jax shot him a warning glare over his shoulder. "It's nothing." He wasn't sure why he'd allowed Thea to take his wallet from his back pocket. He was hyper aware of everything she did, and it had amused him at the time.

Most people quaked in their boots if he was in their face. But rather than be intimidated, his rainbow girl had stolen from him.

Why the fuck had that turned him on?

"I'd hate to break up this naked party thing you have going on," Lucy interrupted, his smirk growing. "But the cleaners are about to walk in and see everything ."

Jax simply crossed his arms while Axel scrambled through the scraps of their clothing. He didn't give a shit if the two witches saw him naked. He'd dealt with the cleaners on numerous occasions, and he was as wary of them as they were of him .

Little tapping of heels echoed, and all three of them turned as the witches appeared. They both wore all black, with Viktoria dressed in an ankle length tight dress, and her husband, Viktor, in a matching suit. Not a hair was out of place, a stain on their clothes, or a single smudge on their patent shoes.

"You," Viktoria barked, pointing a perfectly manicured nail toward Axel. "Tell me what happened." Her accent was that of the perfect upper class English.

Lucifer moved to stand beside Jax as Axel explained, holding a chunk of fabric in front of his groin. Jax's nose scrunched, the reek of ozone pouring from the witches so strong he wanted to sneeze.

"They give me the creeps," Lucifer muttered quietly, and Jax simply nodded.

Viktor turned, dark eyes narrowing on them both. Jax met his gaze, only looking away once Viktor dropped his attention to his briefcase. The only reason Riley had them on retainer was because they were the best, even if they were strange. They sold themselves as witches, but they had more characteristics of vampires. From pale skin and black eyes, to precise movements and pointed canines. Except vampires were once human, and didn't have access to their chi. The cleaners clearly practised magic, which meant they couldn't possibly be vampires.

With a click, the gold clasp of the briefcase opened, and Viktor rummaged inside the red velvet. Without a word he pulled out a cloth, holding it up toward his wife.

"Da," she said, waving her hand towards him without looking away from Axel. "You need to leave – all of you – before you make it worse." Her head turned, studying Lucifer, then Jax before returning quickly to Axel.

"We need to up our prices, Zayka ." Viktor muffled low in Russian. "Too often, we're called to deal with this mess. They do not take proper precautions."

"You can discuss that with Mr Storm," Jax answered in the same language. "If you're unsatisfied with the business, then we'll look elsewhere."

Viktor blinked in surprise, lips parting slightly.

"Ignore my husband," Viktoria snapped in English, shooting him a scowl. "We accept the job, and will send our usual invoice to Mr Storm. He is our most generous client."

Viktor looked disgruntled, but didn't comment.

Viktoria, while continuing to scowl at her husband, pulled out her phone and lifted it to her ear. "Da?" She turned to Jax, her boots clicking against the concrete as she closed the distance. She thrust the phone at him, only to immediately turn back toward her husband. "Be gone, we have work to do."

Axel bowed his head gently. "We appreciate your discretion as usual, Viktoria. Viktor."

Jax copied the bow, taking a step away before placing the phone to his ear.

"The Council's called an emergency meeting," Riley said without a greeting. "Seems they're finally showing concern for Gideon."

"Hmm, you can update them that we've just taken down a new classification of Veyn."

A muffled curse sounded at the end of the line. "Anyone hurt?"

Jax looked down at the slice that was already partially healed. "Nothing to worry about."

Axel flipped him the finger, so Jax turned his back.

"Good, let the cleaners deal with it. I need Axel and Luce back here."

"What do you need me to do?" He needed to go track down his fucking mate .

"You're with me."

Jax frowned. He wasn't one for politics. "Xee's more civil."

Riley laughed. "I don't disagree, but that doesn't change the fact you're my backup."

Fuck's sake.

"Fine," Jax said, resigned. "When's the meeting?"