Chapter 45

45

“ S tyx!” Jinx gasped when the hellhound lifted his head and licked the back of Brax’s hand.

Sabre immediately appeared beside them, and Brax shouted, “Thank you! Sabre, thank you! You did it!”

“Ah, yeah. Not so much,” Sabre muttered.

Jinx could tell Brax didn’t hear her. He was too busy loving on his resurrected hound. “What happened?”

“I happened,” Lucifer intoned from behind them. “Sabre doesn’t have the power to bring beasts back. Styx’s second life is all my doing.”

Jinx immediately hugged him, kissing him on the cheek. “Thanks, Luca.”

“Yeah, yeah, thank you. What do you want, a medal?” Mikhail snapped sarcastically.

It was so out of character that everyone stopped to stare at him, including Brax and Styx. Jinx tilted her head curiously, studying her new mate for a moment before realisation hit her. He’s jealous! she thought to herself. She still had an arm wrapped around Luca’s waist.

“Demons are sexy when they’re jealous, don’t you think?” Luca mock-whispered before releasing her. “And, yes, a medal would be lovely. Especially since I’m about to be a grandfather.”

Jinx listened with half an ear as Sabre explained what transpired in Hell with Lucifer. She was beyond relieved that Styx would be around to play with his hellpups, but she was also worried about another cherished male.

She stepped close to Mikhail and then stepped into him when he opened his arms wide. She drew in his scent, her tiger finally relaxing fully since the fight.

“Are you hurt?” Mikhail asked, pulling back to look over her from head to toe.

Jinx shook her head. “Not a scratch.”

Mikhail’s eyes darkened with pain. “Zagan. He made you …”

Jinx covered his mouth with her hand. “No. We aren’t going to do this. Zagan didn’t damage me in any way. I swear to you. Besides, he couldn’t make me do anything. I was playing along, biding my time until I had an opening.”

“Yeah, about that …” Brax’s voice boomed across the small space between them. “How did you evade Zagan’s powers?”

Jinx scratched her head, feeling more than a little awkward. “I’m thinking it has something to do with my powers—my legacies ,” she emphasised.

“What legacies? You never mentioned anything to me,” Eric said, looking confused.

“I didn’t know about them. And I still don’t. I’m just guessing,” Jinx explained, probably not making any sense.

“Fiadh!” Mikhail shouted abruptly. He startled some soldiers dealing with the fallout so badly that they raised their weapons, looking for danger. Mikhail quickly apologised before turning to Jinx. “Your last name, Fiadh. I know why it felt familiar. It was one of the names on Zagan’s list. Fiadh was the name of the shifter Forefather,” he exclaimed. “You are a direct descendant of a Founding Father.”

Jinx shrugged, wishing everyone would stop staring at her like she’d just grown a second head. “Yeah. That’s my conclusion, too. I admit when I saw the name on the pedigree in Zagan’s room, I was a little baffled. I assumed it was a coincidence. But when Zagan’s voice did nothing to me …” She shrugged helplessly again. “My best guess is that it is not random and directly related to how I was able to withstand Zagan’s legacy. Because I have my own. ”

“But he captured you before. Didn’t he get into your brain then?” Eric questioned.

“He didn’t try. I don’t think.” Jinx frowned, thinking back. “Except when I was running away, and I blocked my ears. I thought that was why it didn’t work. But maybe not.”

“Or,” Draven interjected quietly, “when Zagan killed the fox shifters, it was enough death to disperse the powers between the surviving descendants, granting you new abilities.”

“Oh,” Jinx breathed. She hadn’t considered that. The thought made her feel a little sick. Mikhail’s large hand landed on her stomach, moving in slow, soothing circles. She smiled at him gratefully.

“Whatever the reason, I’m grateful for them. You saved us all,” Brax said, his expression a mixture of pride and sadness.

“By killing your brother,” Jinx said softly. She moved out of Mikhail’s reach but kept her eyes on him, hoping he would see her sincerity. “If you need time—if you can’t stand to touch me or look at me—I understand. I’m so sorry.”

“Why wouldn’t I want to touch you? You’re my goddam hero, Jinx,” Mikhail told her gruffly. “You saved us all. Not to mention a universe full of souls.”

“I killed your brother.”

Mikhail stepped right into her personal space, cupping her cheeks. “The person who died was not my brother.”

A single tear of relief escaped when he kissed her like a man in love. She melted into him, her hands clutching at his shirt, desperate to hold on to the moment of unexpected grace. He pulled back just enough to meet her eyes. “I love you,” he whispered, and she believed him.

“So, is that it? Is it over?” Eric piped up from somewhere behind her. “It seems a little anticlimactic.”

“Everyone is in one piece, and the bad guy is dead,” Sabre commented, gesturing widely. “It’s the best win we could have asked for.”

Eric nodded. “I know. But we saved the eternal life of all souls, right? I kind of expected a bit more … more. ”

“If you think the gods are going to come to Purgatory to shake your hands, you’ll have a long wait,” Lucifer said dryly. He patted Styx on the head. “Come on, take me to your mate. I want to see what you’ve done to her.”

Styx’s ears flattened against his head briefly, making him look pitiful. The second Lucifer apologised, Styx danced around joyfully, his booming bark echoing across the graves. He took off a moment later, Lucifer hot on his heels.

They were all quiet for a time, lost in thought, reconciling their fates, offering thanks and condolences to the universe in equal measure. A naughty pixie broke the sombre, respectful mood.

“Hey!” Phaedra called out. “What do you want me to do with the sinner? I can drag him over there. There’s already an open grave.”

They all turned to find Phaedra dragging a very dead Zagan by the ankle. Jinx didn’t know whether to be appalled or amused.

“Phaedra, darling,” Draven said quietly. “Read the room.” He walked over, removing the body from the pixie’s grip.

“Did you just call her darling ?” Sabre gagged. “I’m out. Brax, don’t subject me to further torture.”

Brax grinned, sweeping Sabre into his arms. “Behave,” he warned her. He met Mikhail’s eyes. “Tomorrow is fine for a debrief, right?”

Mikhail nodded once, a measured and deliberate motion. “Right.”

Brax took a few steps forward before hesitating. “We good?”

“We’re good,” Mikhail confirmed, his voice taking on a gentler tone.

Brax exhaled deeply, a sigh of relief that seemed to come from the depths of his soul. “Love you, Brother.”

Mikhail’s smile grew until it reached his eyes. “I love you, too. Now, take care of your woman. She’s bleeding her own blood. You know how much she hates that.”

Brax didn’t need to be told twice, striding off purposely. Sabre grinned and waved. Jinx could only shake her head. “I worry about that angel sometimes.”

“So do I,” Gage agreed. He ruffled Jinx’s hair before shaking Mikhail’s hand. “Good work. Both of you. We’ll stay and help the Horde. You two get gone.”

Jinx desperately wanted to spend time alone with her mate, but she also understood Mikhail had responsibilities. “We’ll stay.”

Mikhail smiled gratefully, linking their fingers together. “Thank you, my Queen.”