37. Jax

Chapter 37

Jax

T hea had tightened the mating bond, the loss of the warmth causing Thunder to pace.

"Are you able to read it?" Riley asked, seemingly unaware of Jax's struggle.

He'd already read what he could on the plane, but without the rest, the text meant nothing. "The pages interconnect, and as they're separate, whatever instructions there are, are incomplete. Gideon has one, and Cassiel has the other."

Xander leaned back in his chair, seated to the right of Riley. "Cassiel's suddenly become uncontactable."

WHERE'S MATE? Thunder asked, pressing for control Jax wouldn't give.

Riley looked up from the page. "Before or after Gideon made a direct threat to the Council?"

Jax crossed his arms, having only just heard that when the Council refused Gideon's meeting, he'd sent his Skulls into public as a warning.

"Before." Xander turned to Sythe, who leaned against the wall to the side. "Any word from your network? "

Sythe pursed his lips. "The Undercity has heard whispers of a new beginning, but nothing concrete."

An impatient snarl echoed between his ears, and Jax forced Thunder to the back of his mind.

NEED MATE.

"Seems Gideon's pushing his narrative with force," Lucifer said, looking uncharacteristically serious despite cradling a decapitated head in his lap. "I didn't recognise those Daemons, but I can tell you they're freshies."

Riley's eyes shifted to silver. "How new?"

Lucifer paused. "A year, maybe less."

"Which means he's been successfully recruiting." Jax glanced down at the table to look at his brothers, as well as a couple of their mates. Alice was to Riley's left, with Kyra, Xander's mate directly behind.

Rae sat on Ti's lap, her fingers tapping against the long table. "I was under the impression that Daemon ascensions were beyond rare," she said. "And yet there happens to be two new ones?"

"That we know of," Titus added, pulling her tighter against him. "Either there's been some druids who've slipped between the cracks, or Archdruid Edwards has been keeping secrets."

"If they're fresh, then they're weak," Sythe said, ignoring the mention of his father.

"Also, are we seriously going to ignore the fucking head?"

"I've named him John." Lucy placed the head on the table. "And we have more pressing matters than my new buddy, here. What's happening with Kace and Axel?"

"They've destroyed ten Skulls," Riley said. "All targeting specific areas related to a Councilman."

Xander scowled. "The cleaners have been called, but Gideon's statement has made the news. Every councilman seems to have gone into hiding."

The Council was supposed to protect the population, and yet they were nothing but dictators content to watch others fall at the first sign of war. It wasn't the first time, either.

"K and Axel need any help?" Jax asked, having to concentrate on his words because Thunder was still throwing his tantrum.

NEED MATE!

"Kace's reported some damage," Riley added, looking directly at Jax. "He may need a repair."

Jax simply nodded. He was the one that dealt with injuries that required extra attention, unless it was his own. He wondered if Thea would find his medical journals as amusing as his foreign titles. Her face had brightened at the sight of his bookshelves, her smile so wide her entire soul shone from her eyes.

‘I can hear your beast,' Riley growled inside his head.

Jax blinked, finding his Alpha staring at him from across the table.

‘He's not a problem,' he replied the same way, tightening the connection so none of his other brothers could pick up the conversation.

‘Your mating isn't complete; it's distracting him.'

Jax gritted his teeth. ‘I'm working on it.'

‘As a Guardian, I need you to stay focused until the situation has been dealt with.' Riley raised his brows. ‘But as your friend, I hope she's making it difficult. You need a stubborn woman to anchor you to this world. Too many years you've been fading, brother.'

The statement caught him off guard, his skin prickling with knowledge that Riley saw him through the darkness he'd wrapped around himself like a shield. He and his brothers struggled to understand their existence as children, forced to bond with a beast and then tortured and trained to become warriors capable of destroying Daemons. Jax had watched them grow into powerful men, ones who found partners capable of understanding them, while Jax was content to disappear into the background.

‘She makes me feel more than I thought I was capable of.'

Jax believed his mother had broken him emotionally. Other than his brothers, he'd never been able to connect with any other person on any level other than physical. The women he'd fucked were faceless, and nothing more than warm bodies. He'd never wanted anything more, until Thea. She'd snarled at him with her pink hair, tattoos and attitude, and from the first moment, there'd been a spark that had ignited in his blood. A fire that spread through his veins and brought him to life.

She may be suppressing their mating, but they were inevitable. Luckily, he had the patience to wait, because she was always supposed to be his, and he was never letting her go.

Sythe jerked away from the wall, head turning to the doorway seconds before Harper appeared. Her face was ashen, her cheeks wet.

Jax immediately stood, his chair crashing to the floor behind him. "Where is she?"