Chapter 28

28

S omething was wrong, Mikhail thought, watching Jinx interact with Mercy and his husband, Heath. Something about the last gift she’d opened had dulled her shine. He wanted to respect her right to privacy, but his fear for her well-being was greater. Before he could sneak outside, Brax waylaid him.

“I thought we could introduce Jinx to a family birthday tradition.”

Mikhail had no idea what his brother was talking about. “What birthday tradition?”

Brax’s amber eyes lit up. “Dodgeball.”

Mikhail’s stomach plummeted. “No.”

“Yes,” Brax fired back. “Don’t you remember how we would play it every birthday? No matter whose it was, we always played.”

“We haven’t done that for years,” Mikhail exclaimed. “And it’s not a tradition I’m going to subject Jinx to, that’s for sure.”

Sabre rolled her eyes from her position next to Brax. “Don’t be such a baby.”

“A baby? Last time we played, you gave me a concussion,” Mikhail reminded her. “And it was just the two of us. Which meant I was your only target.”

“Correction: the ball gave you a concussion. Not me,” Sabre retorted primly.

Mikhail thrust a finger in her face. “That’s semantics, and you know it. Besides, who uses a cannonball for dodgeball?”

Sabre huffed as if he was the frustrating one. “It taught you how to dodge, didn’t it?”

Mikhail couldn’t argue with that. It had, in fact, made him an expert in evasion tactics. He remained silent, crossing his arms over his chest and doing his best to look intimidating. When Sabre smiled smugly, saying, “See, you should be thanking me. Not whining,” he shook his head, his mouth quirking. He should have known better. Nothing intimidated the angel.

“So, that’s a no to dodgeball?” Eric asked, looking between Mikhail and Sabre.

“It’s a no,” Mikhail grumbled.

“It’s a yes,” Brax said at the same time.

“Well, I’m in,” Sabre declared. “Tomorrow will come soon enough. And it’s likely to suck. We may as well enjoy ourselves while we can.”

“Any excuse to launch a projectile at Sabre is my kind of game,” Draven spoke up. “I’ll play.”

Sabre sneered at the other angel. “Oh please, as if you have any chance of hitting me.”

Mikhail was mortified as, one by one, his maniac friends agreed to a childish game of dodgeball. Well, they can do what they want, he decided. It didn’t mean he had to participate. But then, he heard Jinx’s wonderful voice.

“I happen to like dodgeball,” she said. “I’m in.”

He spun around. “You do?”

“I’m a tiger,” she reminded him. “My reflexes are unmatched.”

“I take it this means you’re playing?” Lucifer asked with a smirk. He was holding the pearl that Sabre stole from Heaven and had recently re-gifted to Jinx. “We can use this. It’s from Atlantis—perfectly indestructible.”

“Wait …” Jinx held up a hand. “That pearl is from Atlantis?”

Lucifer tossed it into the air, catching it deftly. “Yep. Most of Atlantis is in Heaven these days. It’s a good score,” he told Sabre.

“Told you it was a good present,” Sabre said smugly.

The third time the pearl hit Jinx, Mikhail’s tolerance waned. If he didn’t know any better, he’d say the others were purposely aiming for her. But why would they do that? If her frown was anything to go by, Jinx also looked confused with all the attention. Walking over, Mikhail offered her a hand up.

“Thanks,” Jinx murmured. “I may need to retract my earlier comment. I don’t seem to have any reflexes today, cat-like or otherwise. Maybe I’m getting old.”

“I don’t think it’s you,” Mikhail said. He curled his hand into a fist, wanting to retain the warmth from her skin. “And twenty is hardly old.”

She tilted her head, eyeing him curiously. “Does my age bother you?”

“It’s hardly crossed my mind,” he answered swiftly. But found himself being honest under her direct stare. “But that’s because I’d never given any thought to how young you are compared to me.”

“Young doesn’t mean inexperienced. And old doesn’t mean wise,” Jinx pointed out. “I also don’t believe age has anything to do with compatibility.”

Mikhail grinned, loving the fiery look in her eyes. “I love the way your eyes shine when you’re passionate about something.”

Her head lost its stubborn tilt. “You do?”

He nodded. “I’ve yet to find anything I don’t like about you, including your age.”

“That’s nice,” Jinx murmured, smiling endearingly. “And for what it’s worth, I like older men.” Her gaze roved over him from head to toe, pausing at his crotch before her gaze returned to his flushed face. “I also think counting the years is a convenient tally system. It calculates the passing of lives but not the substance of the life lived.”

“I believe it,” Mikhail vowed.

Jinx’s brows winged up. “You do? That was quick.”

He shrugged, saying truthfully, “You told me. Why wouldn’t I believe it?”

“Mikhail …” His name sounded like a sigh.

They stared at each other for a moment before he cleared his throat and stepped back. He’d not noticed how close they’d gravitated toward each other. Hushed whispers drew his attention, and he glared to the left. Jinx followed his gaze to the others, who were all standing together and watching them like specimens under a microscope. “Arseholes,” he muttered.

Jinx frowned. “You think they’re aiming for me on purpose, huh?”

“It crossed my mind,” he admitted wryly.

“Why would they do …” Jinx trailed off, narrowing her gaze on Eric, whose eyes widened comically before he darted behind Brax. “This is another stitch-up.”

“It appears that way,” Mikhail replied, scowling at his brother. “I’m so sorry.”

“It’s not your fault that we hang out with a bunch of imbeciles,” Jinx told him kindly.

He chuckled, appreciating her wit as much as her lithe form clad in tight spandex accentuating every subtle curve. Her hair, a cascade of stripes, was pulled back in a messy braid, and his fingers itched to run through those silken strands—to pull her close and claim her lips again. But he pushed the urge down, burying it beneath layers of patience, duty, and stubbornness. No way was he giving his friends the show they desperately wanted.

“Are we playing, or are you two dating?” Lucifer asked idly where he leant against a concrete pillar.

Mikhail exchanged a look with Jinx. “What do you think?”

“Let’s destroy them,” Jinx replied darkly.

“Deal. Better run!” Mikhail bellowed, hurling the hard pearl into the air with all his demonic strength.

Chaos erupted as players dove and dodged. Sabre's wings erupted from her back and became a blur of motion as she darted out of the way. Lucifer caught the pearl as if it were nothing but a ping-pong ball, sending it hurtling back with a lightning-quick throw. Mikhail dodged easily, watching Jinx safely leap aside half a second later.

As the game intensified, the frustrating pattern of Jinx being a prime target solidified. Brax, Gage, and even Draven were aiming at her. And when they weren’t targeting her, they were targeting him. Even though a handful of soldiers were on their team, plus Mercy and Phaedra, the projectile always came startlingly close to Jinx. His irritation grew with each near miss. And when Sabre flew overhead, lining up the pearl with Jinx’s head, Mikhail was done.

“Enough!” he shouted with a roar. But the pearl was already falling. He leapt, landing over the top of Jinx and raised his hands to ward off a blow that never came. Instead, a shimmering wall of energy erupted from his outstretched palms, enveloping both him and Jinx in a translucent dome. The pearl struck the barrier with a resounding crack, then ricocheted away, not leaving so much as a scratch on the surface.

Mikhail gaped in astonishment, his hands still raised as if frozen in place. The forcefield pulsed with an otherworldly light, its surface rippling like the surface of a pond disturbed by a gentle breeze. Tiny motes of golden energy danced within the translucent walls, swirling in intricate patterns that seemed to follow the rapid beating of his heart.

Jinx, still sprawled beneath him, let out a low whistle of amazement. “Whoa,” she murmured, her eyes wide with wonder as she took in the shimmering dome surrounding them. She reached up tentatively as if to touch the barrier, then thought better of it and let her hand fall back.

“Well, this is different,” Mikhail mumbled, reaching out to poke the barrier in front of him. It yielded easily, his hand passing harmlessly through.

“What the fuck?” Brax exclaimed, running over. He knocked on the dome, showing it was hard and unmoving from the other side.

“I second that,” Mikhail said, stupefied. He pushed himself off Jinx, helping her into a sitting position.

Brax and the others walked slowly around the structure, inspecting it curiously. Brax gave it a kick, immediately cursing. “Ouch. Do you maybe want to stop doing that, Mikhail?”

“How?” Mikhail demanded. “I have no idea what I am doing. Seriously, what the hell is this?”

“It’s a forcefield,” Draven stated calmly, running his hand over it.

“Thanks, Captain Obvious,” Sabre snarked. She looked worried.

“I’m okay,” Mikhail soothed his guardian. “We’re both okay.”

Sabre nodded, her furrowed brow smoothing out. “Looks like you just got your spidey powers. Congrats.”

“This is thanks to Z killing our family?” Mikhail growled, pissed that he hadn’t thought of it immediately. He looked at Brax. “How do I make it stop?”

Brax’s mouth fell open. “Why are you asking me?”

“Because you’re the only one here who has experienced something similar,” Mikhail explained impatiently through gritted teeth. “Or would you like me to call Z? Maybe he can tell me how to turn it off.”

“You’re being an arsehole,” Sabre scolded him, placing a calming hand on Brax’s shoulder. “Brax’s new ability was linked to his emotions. What were you feeling when this happened?”

Mikhail was feeling protective, possessive, and pissed off. But he didn’t want to admit that, so he replied succinctly, “Angry.”

“I was super pissed when my new power showed up, too,” Brax volunteered.

“Great. Rage results in superpowers. Just what I need.” He knew he wasn’t behaving well but was scared that he and Jinx might be stuck there forever. Although there could be worse fates, he acknowledged, looking at the beauty sitting calmly beside him. “Can we analyse why later? Let’s just fix this.”

“Lucifer? Any ideas?” Sabre asked abruptly.

Lucifer leaned in close, inspecting the forcefield with narrowed eyes. He hummed, muttered, and finally breathed on the side. Then, he used his pointer finger to draw a smiley face in the condensation. “I’ve got nothin’. But it’s impressive. Just what you need to protect yourself from a soul-destroying brother.”

“What a cool coincidence,” Eric said artlessly.

Mikhail pinched the bridge of his nose. He wasn’t proud of himself, but he wanted to slap the vampire a little bit. “It’s not a coincidence, Eric. The gods don’t deal in coincidences.”

Eric cleared his throat. “Um, of course. I knew that. Have you tried dropping the shield the same way you open and close portals? It’s the same magic, right?”

Now Mikhail really did feel like shit. Eric was a good guy with clever ideas. “That’s an excellent idea. Thank you. I’ll try.”

Five minutes later, Mikhail was sweating and breathing hard. “It’s not working. Whatever this is, it’s different to my original legacy.” He was about to have a panic attack in front of a dozen people, and he had nowhere to hide.

“Hey,” Jinx said softly, reminding him of her steady presence. She took his hand in hers, giving it a squeeze. “This is your legacy, too. It’s just one that’s been dormant until now. You can control it. It’s a part of you. Breathe with me. Think happy thoughts.”

He did as instructed, breathing in and out in time with Jinx, her calm demeanour like a soothing balm on his frayed nerves. As he stared into her eyes, the tension in his shoulders began to melt away, replaced by a warm, happy glow. He was so caught up in the look and feel of the woman in front of him that he didn’t notice when the shield dropped. He jumped and dropped Jinx's hand when Brax slapped him on the back.

“You did it,” Jinx cheered happily.

“ We did it,” Mikhail corrected, lifting her to her feet. He looked around at his friends and family, noting their conflicting expressions: uncertainty, fear, and hope. He quirked a grin at Jinx. “How do you feel about mentoring?”