14. Thea

Chapter 14

Thea

J ax gripped the doorframe, his fingers hooked over the edge as he leaned forward. "Your mum's a force of nature."

"Try growing up with her," Thea said, a death grip on her front door. She didn't want to let him in. No, she wanted to treat herself to a hot shower and then curl up in bed with a book. But his silent threat hung above her like a pendulum, slowly swinging closer.

Reaper yowled, ignoring her entirely to run at Jax's legs. But he didn't spare her cat a glance, his expression intense as he waited.

"I've already agreed to help," she said, wanting to shove him away. "You don't need to come in."

He tilted his head, cool gaze assessing.

"Do you do that on purpose?" she asked, unable to help herself. "Hide yourself?" He seemed to always tilt to the right, his dark hair brushing across the left half of his face to obscure the majority of his scar.

Jax took a moment to respond. "My face scares people."

"I think it's your general size, actually." She wrinkled her nose. "Seriously, what do you eat to get so large? It's unnecessary."

Jax sighed, but there was a glimpse of amusement there. Either that, or she'd drunk more than she'd thought. "Our conversation shouldn't be made in the hall, where anyone can overhear."

Thea chewed on her bottom lip, Reaper still screaming at their feet like the attention whore he was. "Do you promise to leave after? No creepily waiting for me on the sofa like last time?"

"Yes."

She narrowed her eyes at him. "Is that a yes to leaving? Or…"

He released his grip on her doorframe, and before she could respond, his hands encircled her waist. He picked her up as she squeaked, putting her to the side so he could gently close the door.

She stood, dumbstruck. He'd moved her like she was a doll.

The audacity of this man.

Reaper meowed until Jax finally bent down to scoop him up. He settled, smugly blinking at her with his yellow eyes.

"He acts like he knows you." Which was impossible. "He doesn't usually like anyone, especially men." She pulled Reaper from his arms, tugging his warm, fluffy body against her breast. His purring immediately stopped, and she'd be more offended if she wasn't so hyper aware of the man standing in her home.

Jax simply watched her. "Am I making you nervous?"

"No." She had the sudden urge to brush the hair from his face, to see the part he tries to hide, which was ludicrous.

Jax smirked, just the smallest curve to his lips. It changed his face from simply handsome to striking. "It's clear you don't bow to the Fae's rules."

Heat burned the top of her ears. He knew she'd lied, which was rule three. "The Fae are full of shit." She knew of the ridiculous rules she was supposed to follow, but she'd never felt compelled like other Fae she'd met. She blamed having human parents.

One: Names have power. A high Fae would never give you their true name.

Two: Never thank the Fae. They took it as an admission for a debt owed.

Three: Neither high nor low caste Fae could lie, but they were able to twist the truth.

Four: Fae didn't do anything for free.

Five: Be cautious of gifts given, Fae stuff had a mind of its own.

Six: Fae loved offerings, but be careful not to insult them.

Jax scoffed, his gaze sweeping over her piles of books and the clothes she's left at the foot of her bed. Her flat wasn't anything extravagant. It was small, and all one room apart from the bathroom, which was adjacent to the kitchen.

Jax moved to her bookshelf, eyes lingering on her marble dick for a few seconds before landing on her small crystal collection. He touched one, lifting the quartz up to the light.

"Do Fae use them to heal?" He put the quartz down, only to pick up the jasper.

"What am I, a Fae encyclopaedia?" Thea crossed her arms when he went to look at another. She knew Fae could use crystals to heal, but she couldn't. She just thought they were pretty. "That's amethyst. It's supposed to get rid of negative thoughts."

Jax picked up another crystal, pinching it between two fingers.

"That's obsidian," she said. "It's known for its strength and protection against negative energy."

He didn't say anything, simply studying the crystal intently with a frown marring his brow. Jax dwarfed her shelves, leaving barely enough gap between him and the back of the sofa. With him standing there, it really emphasised her lack of space.

"The document, if I get it back, they'll make me return the money." Her stomach dipped, like a block of ice had decided her insides were the perfect place to chill. "I need that money, Jax."

"I'll pay you the same," he commented, arm dropping away from her shelf. "How much?"

"It was…" Thea paused, and Jax's frown deepened. He didn't know how much she'd been paid, which meant she could ask for anything. "Eighty thousand."

Fuck it. Go big or go home. The worse he could do was say no.

"Fine."

Thea grinned, barely stopping herself from pumping her fist in victory. With the difference, she had enough to cover her father's next round of treatment. "You have to pay me first."

His lips pressed together. "No."

"It's non-negotiable." She gripped Reaper tighter, as if he was a shield.

Jax's irises flickered to silver, but he nodded.

Thea's grin widened like a maniac.

Look at her, asserting her dominance over the grumpy giant. "What's so important about the paper? I couldn't even read it."

His brow quirked. "I'm told you're the one that found the chalice for Harper."

Thea put Reaper gently onto the floor. "The golden cup of death? Yes, but – "

"The page you stole is tied to it." His hand reached out to tug a strand of hair, and she was suddenly aware of how close he was.

"I'll need to speak to Grey, the fence. Hope he hasn't moved it on yet," she said. "What if he doesn't help?"

"He will."

She narrowed her eyes, tugging her hair from his fingers. "He might not."

Reaper tangled in his legs, but Jax didn't look away. "Thea, let me make myself very clear. If he doesn't hand over the page, I will break every bone in his body until he does."

"What's with men beating each other up all the time?" She rolled her eyes. "Besides, he'll be at the Troll market, so he's protected under the wards."

"You're right." A muscle twitches in his jaw. "The Troll market isn't the place to interrogate someone."

"Woah, big guy. I never agreed to an interrogation."

"That piece of paper is important. Not a photocopy, the original."

She exhaled frustratedly. "I don't know him outside the market. I don't even know his real name."

He gazed down at her with an expression that made her both nervous, and a little turned on. Which was entirely inappropriate, unnecessary, and clearly the wine.

"Then get him to meet you outside the market."

Bloody hell .

"How, exactly?"

Jax pressed even closer, tension crackling the air and spiking her pulse when he lowered his head, lips brushing against her ear. "I'm sure you'll come up with something."