24. Thea

Chapter 24

Thea

G roaning, Thea tightened her hold on the soft pillow, not ready to wake up. Her head pounded, a wave of queasiness rolling through her stomach before finally settling.

How much did I drink? she thought, groaning. Rolling, she buried her face into the warm fluff, leather and spice surrounding her in a pleasant scent.

The pillow rumbled, vibrating against her face. Blinking her eyes awake, it took her a second for her brain to catch up with what she was seeing.

"What the – !" Jumping back, she rolled off the sheets and onto the carpet with a thump. The bed creaked, Jax in his beastly form cocking his head at her, splayed naked on the floor.

The beast stretched his claws, almost kneading the edge of the mattress as he watched her with those silver eyes. She'd forgotten just how big he was, swallowing the oversized bed easily as he lay spread. He stared, dropping his head to rest on his paws.

"Jax, what the fuck?" Her brain hurt, not to mention the pain radiating from her shoulder from when she'd flung herself from the bed. With a frown, she touched the white bandage on her skin, pulling up the edge to see beneath. Her memory was foggy, the dizziness lingering as she tried to remember what had happened.

Grey's death.

Hellhound.

Skull face.

Witch.

Carried to a strange hotel room by Jax, and then waking up to him all fluffy.

Fucking great.

Reaching up, she grabbed a spare pillow to cover her modesty. The room itself was fancy, the carpet beneath her butt so soft she could happily curl into a ball and fall back to sleep. That was if she wasn't being stared down by a wolf/lion creature that watched her as if she was a yummy gazelle.

Scooting back slightly on her bum, Jax tensed as if ready to pounce.

"Stop," she said, holding up her hand. Her tongue felt heavy in her mouth, lips so dry she'd drink about anything offered right then.

She heard a knock, loud and persistent.

"Get off," she growled at Jax, tugging the sheets from beneath him so she could wrap it around her. Shuffling across the room to the door, she looked out the little eyehole with a frown. "Hello?"

A woman dressed all in black stood there with a tray, slipping into the room as soon as the door was opened. She silently placed the vase of sunflowers, the cloche and the mug on the vanity before leaving without a single word.

"Why sunflowers?" she asked Jax, who obviously couldn't answer her. They were so bright and happy, and she couldn't help but smile. Reaching for the mug, that smile turned into a full blown happy dance. It was hot chocolate, and she drank the entire thing before placing it back onto the marble coaster. Which was unnecessarily bougie, in her opinion.

The cloche was next, revealing a plate of fresh fruit and yogurt. Picking up a strawberry, she shoved it in her mouth before studying the room. All the furniture was dark woods edged with gold, little accents that screamed " look at me, I'm rich," but in a tasteful way. The wallpaper was cream, as was the carpet.

She found her dress, a pair of jeans covered in blood and a stretched T-shirt neatly folded on the Chesterfield armchair, along with her bag.

She knew for a fact she'd left her dress screwed up on the floor, that memory crystal clear. She also remembered the way Jax had watched her in the mirror, his eyes burning as they dragged down her body. Pulling the sheet tighter to her breasts, she turned to the man in question. Well, wolf-thing.

"Stay," she demanded in her most authoritative tone.

Of course, he ignored her, jumping from the bed to pad behind her toward the bathroom. With a scowl she threw the sheets down so she could take a better look at her shoulder in the mirror above the sink.

"Hey, fluffy-butt, you need to move." She glared at Jax, who'd sat himself as close as possible. With him sitting on his back legs, the top of his head almost reached her shoulder, which made him fucking huge. Up close she could really make out the silver-grey lines decorating his dark fur. "Fine," she muttered, returning to the mirror.

Her hand reached up to touch the edge, and her eyes were drawn to the golden cuff around her wrist. She couldn't even feel them against her skin, and had completely forgotten Jax had locked them on her .

"Such an arsehole," she hissed, trying to find the latch to unlock them. Except there wasn't one. Her fingers rubbed against the metal, clearly coated with something because it wasn't irritating her skin. A delicate design was engraved around the entire band, florals and gentle lines that were beautiful. Not that she would ever admit that to him, not when he'd stamped the fucking design with his stylised ‘J', the same as his knife. "Is that a…"

Thea brought one of the bands closer, laughter exploding from her lips once she realised what it was: penises. Lots of them, all hidden within the flowers. Much like the pillow she'd bought him.

He'd locked golden bands around her wrists, covered in dicks.

And she thought he was without a sense of humour.

"It's not funny," she said to Jax in the reflection, only for him to lick at his own nose. Shaking her head, she peeled off the bandage on her shoulder, cringing at the fresh scratches beneath. They'd been sewed closed, the lines neat and tidy, but likely to scar. It seemed she was collecting a lot of those lately.

"I need to pee," she said, Jax's ears twitching, but otherwise no response. "Which means you need to leave."

He sat down, his tails wrapping around one another until it thickened into a single appendage. It thumped against the tiled floor heavily.

"Fine," she hissed, sitting down on the toilet. "But only because I'm desperate."

Jax blinked at her, stretching across the space until he rested the end of his muzzle on her lap. His ears perked up, throat rumbling against her thighs when she scratched her nails on his head.

Thea studied him, his tail swishing with contentment.

"You're not Jax," she whispered, realising there was no evidence of the man in his eyes. There was intelligence, enough for the beast to acknowledge her, but it wasn't him. She was sure of it, despite sharing similar features. The lines on the fur were mirrored to Jax's tattoos, and then there was the scar that split his face. That too was mirrored, staring on the opposite side than the man's.

The beast's tongue rolled out the side, almost goofy in such a terrifying creature. It reminded her when she'd just been shot, and Jax was barking commands at her. She was hit from the side, and in a single moment Jax had shifted in a burst of light. She hadn't realised then the beast wasn't Jax, assuming he was a type of shifter. Shifters were one with their animal, the same person regardless of their shape. But what was looking at her with a wolfish grin was something else entirely.

"Jax calls you his beast," she muttered, his fur thick yet silky soft beneath her fingertips. "But you're not him, are you?"

His tail thumped once more against the tiles, and she studied the fur along his back. Thicker strands lay flat against his spine, darker in colour and pointed as if spikes. They looked similar to the hellhound that had attacked her, and the closer she looked, the more alike they became.

"Do you remember me? I can sure as hell remember you," she whispered gently, stroking along his face. "I want to call you Fluffy, just to piss him off. But that doesn't seem right."

There were no exposed bones like the hellhound, his beast covered in thick fur and pure muscle. It was as if he was built for strength as well as speed, his paws and legs thick and powerful like a lion, and with a sleek body like a wolf. But there were also similarities to the hound, from the serrated claws to the spikes along his spine. It was as if they were distant relatives .

"I can't just call you beast; that's rude." He watched her intently, her image reflected in his silver eyes. "What about…Titan? No? Brutus? Okay, what about Thunder?"

He wiggled his tails.

"Yeah? You like the name Thunder, huh?" It suited him. A beast that moved silently until he struck. "Well, Thunder, I can't seem to pee with you here." Clearly, she had a shy bladder.

He sat back, cocking his head. Rolling her eyes, Thea moved to the large walk-in shower, reaching for the taps. The water came out immediately hissing, steaming up the glass partition.

"Jax better not be in there," she said, testing the temperature with her palm. "He doesn't get a free show."

‘Let him see how fucking beautiful you are when you come for me .'

Thea cleared her throat, wanting to disappear beneath the water. How could she let him touch her like that in public? How could she like it so much?

Resting her head on the tile, she welcomed the water washing against her back, carefully angling her body so it wouldn't directly hit her stitches.

Something hot and scratchy rubbed against her bum, and turning around, she found Thunder licking at her skin.

"Stop it!" she screeched, only for him to squeeze himself into the shower with her. His tongue lapped at the water, forcing her body to press against the freezing cold glass. She squealed, trying to shove at the great beast with little energy. Having to keep herself pressed to the freezing glass, she slipped herself out of the shower. She glared at him, muzzle turned towards the showerhead with his tongue catching the water straight from the source. "Okay, I need you to shift back now." If Thunder understood her words, he'd decided to ignore her .

Wrapping a big towel around her, she turned off the taps. He growled, pinning her with those unusual eyes.

"Don't you dare growl at me," she hissed. "Bring back Jax. Right now."

Instead, he shook, water droplets hitting her like little bullets, soaking the towel.

"Well, that was uncalled for." She dropped the sodden fabric, reaching for another when Thunder reared up and licked across her stitches.

Thea tried to move back, but couldn't get out of the way before his tongue hit her again. It burned slightly against her skin, but was quickly followed by a pleasant numbing sensation.

"Stop!" She shoved at him, and after a third lick, he settled back down. Reaching for a fresh towel, she dried herself before moving back into the bedroom. "Bad boy!"

He grinned at her, tongue hanging out.

"Might I suggest an attitude change?" Yanking on her dress, Thea checked her reflection, only just realising her breast was hanging out, the fabric ripped. Grabbing Jax's shirt she pulled it over her head. It almost covered the dress entirely, which was arguably better than a ripped, dirty dress. Yanking at her hair, she tried to tame the mess. She failed, but at least it was still pink, thankful her toe ring survived.

Thunder sneezed, spitting all over her.

"Thanks," she muttered, opening her bag to find her phone, but it was dead. Searching the drawers didn't help. "This room probably costs more than my rent, and it doesn't have a single phone charger?"

Frustrated, she grabbed Jax's boots, hoping they laced up tight because her heels were nowhere to be found, and she didn't fancy walking around in bare feet.

"What am I supposed to do with you?" She eyed the giant beast. "I'll get arrested if I take you on the tube." Grabbing her bag, Jax's jeans and keys, she opened the door. The hall was decorated in a similar fashion, the lift already open with a small woman standing waiting. It was large enough for ten adults, but the doors couldn't close with Thunder's butt hanging out.

"Sorry," she muttered to the assistant, shoving Thunder into the corner. She reached down to pick up his tails, still wrapped into a single, thick rope. Up close, the fur blended together in an illusion of one tail, and she hadn't realised before that the tips were pointed, each one ending with a spike. Those same tails had wrapped around her, and not once had she felt anything sharp.

"Lobby, please," she said, the assistant not even flinching at the great beast crammed into the corner. It made her wonder who their usual clientele were.

The doors closed silently, and Thea waited with Thunder's hot breath brushing the side of her face. Luckily, it didn't smell like she'd assumed it would, more like a concentration of spices and smoke.

After a moment, the lift came to a stop, and Thea kept her head down as she tried to make her way to the exit, Thunder walking by her side.

"Will you be checking out, ma'am?"

Thea looked up to find a woman dressed in a sharp black suit waiting for her to answer. She stood by a white desk, strangely completely empty. Not even a pen or piece of paper.

"Oh, I'm not really – "

"Room card, please." The woman didn't smile, her dark eyes glancing at Thunder for the barest second before she held out her hand.

Thea pursed her lips. "I left it in the room. "

A single nod. "I hope your stay was to your satisfaction. Would you like me to charge the usual account?"

Thank fuck. "Yes please. Charge it to his account, and add a little tip for yourself, too."

Another nod, the movement perfectly practised. "We thank you for choosing the Conservatory for your stay. We hope to see you again soon."

Forcing a smile, Thea tapped the top of Thunder's head. He followed her out the door, walking so close it made it difficult to move straight. The boots were too big, and the only reason she wasn't kicking them off with each step was because she'd double knotted the laces. Shuffling the jeans onto her other arm, Thea clicked the button on Jax's car keys. A large SUV beeped.

"How are you going to fit?"

Thunder grumbled, pawing at the door.

Shaking her head, Thea opened the driver's side, throwing in her bag and Jax's jeans. Before she could move, Thunder squished past, knocking against the steering wheel while he tried to fit himself into the space. The wipers went off, followed by the horn.

"Bloody hell," she muttered, waiting until Thunder manoeuvred his fat butt into the back, his head and paws pressing at the front passenger seat until there was a crunch. The seat flattened, and she was pretty confident he'd broken it with his weight.

Glaring at him – as if it would help the situation – she climbed in, having to shove at his fluffy side to fit. He immediately settled his head on her left thigh.

"Come on, I need to get changed, and you need to shift back so I can have a strong conversation with your man-half regarding hotels and near-death experiences."