22. Thea

Chapter 22

Thea

T hea couldn't let go of the knife, her hand clamped so tightly her fingers seemed locked to the metal. If Jax had noticed his blade, he hadn't said anything. Not that he could, being a large, fluffy beast and all.

Thea chuckled to herself, which got her a puzzled look from the witch, Faye.

"Looks like the spell's kicked in." She pulled out a few glass vials from a pocket in her dress. "She's delirious."

"Am not," Thea said with an impressive snort, which only made her laugh harder.

Faye looked over Thea's shoulder. "I need her to stop moving."

Jax grumbled at her back, two of his tails tightening around her waist and pulling her deeper against his fluffy chest.

Why the fuck does he need so many tails? she thought, side eyeing the great beast that stood like an overprotective bear at her back. His size ate up the space, posture aggressive as he stood over her with giant paws holding each side of her hips. His head was canine, but twice the size of any shifter wolf she'd ever met. He had an identical scar cutting through his left eye, slicing across his muzzle to finish at the bottom right, slightly distorting his lip to reveal large fangs.

Did wolf-like creatures have lips?

Jax cocked his head, the silver in his irises glinting even in the limited light. It wasn't the first time she'd seen Jax in his alternative form, but there was a subtle difference that had her wanting to frown.

He held more intelligence in his eyes, an awareness that definitely wasn't there the first time he stood as a fluffy beast in front of her. As if this was Jax, and the other time, it wasn't.

The thought made her curious until his blue/black fur ruffled in the wind, forcing her attention down to trace the pale, silvery lines that seemed similar to the tattoos he had as a man.

He was beautiful, as well as absolutely fucking terrifying in a ‘why, what big teeth you have,' kind of way.

So pretty, she thought, only for Jax to stiffen slightly. "Wait, did I say that out loud?"

Faye nodded hesitantly. "There may be some side effects to the pain relief."

"Side effects?" Thea frowned, remembering her shoulder had been swiped by some nasty claws. It had hurt like hell, but since Faye had muttered a strange word over the wound, it wasn't so sharp, just a dull ache. "Your spell sucks," she muttered beneath her breath before realising she'd said that out loud, too. "Shit, sorry."

"It's fine." Faye dipped into her pocket dress once more, and Thea decided she needed the same dress in every colour of the rainbow.

Because who doesn't want pockets?

"The majority of the damage was done by claws," she said, continuing to explain to Jax, rather than her. "The fang must have only grazed, but even so, most people would be already dead."

"I'm right here, you know," Thea said with a little rumble of her own. "Talk to me, not Mr Grumpy."

Faye frowned. "You shouldn't even be conscious."

Thea nodded, the movement much more dramatic than she'd intended. "Well, clearly I..." She sucked in a breath, the sting radiating down her shoulder when Faye touched a particularly sensitive part.

Jax growled, vibrating against her. It was like a chainsaw, the sound somehow both threatening and soothing at the same time.

Flinching, Faye's skin paled, highlighting the nasty red burns on her face. It was as if someone had tried to remove her eye with a hot poker, leaving behind very little in the socket. What was left was clouded white.

Trying not to speak every thought, Thea licked along her bottom lip. "Ignore him; he's really a big cuddly teddy bear."

Jax huffed, and Thea smirked as he nudged her with his nose. She wanted to turn, to wrap her arms around his neck and bury her face in his fur. For an animal, he didn't smell like one. More leather and spices with just a hint of dog.

Jax's ear twitched, and Thea frowned, wondering if she'd spoken that aloud, too.

"I need you to stay still." Faye's hand on her arm tightened a little, warmth spreading from where they touched.

"I'm trying." She wasn't, not when her butt was starting to numb from where she'd sat on the cold, hard concrete for too long.

Jax's tails tightened until she couldn't turn anymore, pinning her upper arms to her torso. In any other situation, she would've reacted, but he was so comfortably warm against the bitter cold. The wind brushed against all her exposed skin, leaving goosebumps, and only then did Thea remember she was in a short dress. And she wasn't wearing underwear.

"Your face flushed red." Faye palmed her forehead, slightly panicked. "Are you feeling sick?"

"Fine," Thea blurted. "It's just I'm not wearing anything underneath, and I respectfully don't want to flash you my vagina."

Fuck! She wasn't supposed to say that.

Faye's eyes widened slightly, and while Thea was sure she was the colour of a tomato, Faye's cheeks weren't much different.

"Like you're cute and all, but you're not my type," she continued like word vomit. "It seems tall, dark, and emotionally incompetent is my type."

Shut the fuck up, Thea!

Jax draped his remaining tails over her lap and she would be more thankful if she wasn't in this predicament because of him in the first place.

Faye cleared her throat, her attention intent on Thea's shoulder. "Don't worry, it's just the spell."

Thea bit her tongue, terrified of what else would come out. Having to concentrate on not speaking, she found herself staring, eyes blurring before she blinked rapidly. Grey's body came into focus against the opposite wall, his features barely recognisable. "Grey's dead. Like dead, dead," she said. "That's really sad."

Why did vampires shrivel?

"Should I be more emotional?" She turned to Faye. "Am I in shock? I feel like I'm in shock."

"You're fine," she said. "Probably the spell."

"Okay. That's good, I guess," she said, trying desperately to distract herself from the decomposing body that no one else seemed bothered by. "So, what was the thing that tried to eat me?"

The man moved to block her line of sight, and Thea would be more thankful if he wasn't so creepy.

"Unhallowed," he replied, anxiety and stress radiating from him in waves. His red eyes darted from Faye to Jax, then back again. "I think your Guardian would call them Shadow-Veyn. Or even a hellhound."

Thea kept trying to meet the man's gaze, curious. But he was too busy glaring at Jax. She'd never met a man with red eyes, and she was pretty sure it wasn't glamour or a charm.

"Leo won't hurt you," Faye said, and the man finally looked over. His features were sharp, his nose a little too pointed. There was something about him that made her uncomfortable. "He's different from the other Daemons."

A Daemon that was clearly upsetting Jax. But then again, Jax didn't like anyone.

Also, what the fuck was a Daemon?

"My coven abandoned me when a summoning went wrong. Without him, I would have been tortured worse than I already was," she continued, her voice softer. "Or killed."

"Faye," Leo warned, but Faye simply shook her head.

"I need him not to see you as a threat." She nodded to Jax before dabbing at the edge of the cuts on Thea's shoulder. Thea was too chicken shit to look down and see the damage, but she was grateful she wouldn't have to call Molly. Although, she wasn't sure Faye was much older.

"I'm old enough," she replied, and Thea wanted to bite her tongue off completely.

Stupid fucking spell, she thought.

"Trust me, it's worse without the spell." Faye hummed low in her throat. "I still can't believe you're conscious. Even with the pain muted. "

"Why would he see you as a threat?" Thea asked, her skin tingling, as if her whole body was touching iron. It had started when Faye had first poked at her shoulder and had slowly grown.

"Because of what Leo is." Faye seemed careful with her words. "But he – "

"Jax."

"Jax," she quickly corrected, "needs to know he wasn't the one to call the Unhallowed, or the Lesser."

Thea blinked, her eyesight blurring. "Lesser, as in the Skull-face?"

Leo grunted, his arcane puffing out as he crossed his arms. "Gideon's getting impatient. Lessers have been spotted throughout the city, growing in numbers. It's getting harder to hide."

Jax made a sound, and Leo nodded as if he understood.

"Why would you need to hide?"

Leo took his time to reply. "Because not all of us agree with him. Some of us just want to live peacefully, free and without the threat of war."

Faye grabbed one of the vials, breaking the glass. Leo stepped forward without a word, ignoring Jax's growl as he used the broken shard to cut along his wrist. Blood swelled, and Faye caught a few drops in the other part of the vial, mixing the liquids.

"We need to go. The hound may attract others," he said.

"I'm almost done." Faye's touch was gentle, fingers cold as she brushed along Thea's cheek. "Now, this is going to hurt," she said, and before Thea could explain she was feeling pretty good, Faye dug her fingers into her shoulder.