Chapter Twenty-Four

Storm had spent years dreaming of taking out his father – finally winning the fight he'd believed he won back when he was fifteen. Not obsessively. It wasn't as though his every waking moment was spent dwelling on what would be a revenge killing for his mom. He'd built a good life for himself and had a lot of fun along the way. But there had been many times through the years when he'd thought about that last fight and what it would mean to him when his father finally stopped breathing. To him it would be akin to slamming the door completely on his past.

But he'd never imagined, in any of his scenarios that his mate would be dressed all in black, a beanie over his head covering his hair, sitting in the passenger seat beside him. Pax was a bundle of nerves, but he was doing a damn good job of hiding it, probably because Devon and Flint were in the backseat. Levi, Calvin, Cyrus and Python were traveling in the car in front of them. Storm was starting to think his little group of friends were going to have to invest in a magical people mover or something, because he'd have given a lot to have a few moments to have a private chat with Pax.

"Are you a gun or a knife type of pixie, Pax?" Devon asked as the car ate up the miles. It was late with barely any traffic on the roads.

"He's an expert with a machete," Storm said with a grin, trying to keep the conversation light. "He got me and the bear in one shot when I was playing hero."

"That was an accident." Pax half turned in his seat and looked at the two men in the back. "I didn't know you had to account for machete length compared to how wide a person might be. It was an honest mistake."

"That's why I prefer guns." Flint nodded. "Knives and blades of any kind are messy and usually mean you have to get close to the person you're targeting. Because I'm smaller than these guys, a gun works just as effectively, and I don't get as messy."

"I've never shot a gun or even held one." Pax flopped back around to face the front.

"The issue with shooting crocodiles," Storm warned Flint, "is that the target you need to hit to take one down first time is small. You're thinking brain or the spinal cord which is just behind the head. Neither of those areas are very big in relation to the animal in a shifted form. If you can catch them before they shift, then you should be fine, but unless you get a kill shot in first time, they will shift and they can move very fast. Aim for a head shot right between the eyes, or if he's at the side of you, again aim for just behind the eye. A general skull shot just will not work unless you're carrying a canon."

"Good to know, thanks." Flint smiled. "I've never hunted crocodile before. I don't believe in killing anything in the wild, only those things that walk on two legs and do despicable things to others."

"I think most paranormal assassins are like that," Devon said slowly. "I'm more of a knife guy, but are they likely to shift, Storm?"

"It's what I would do if I was under attack," Storm admitted. "I know you're strong, but if you take on a crocodile in either form, Devon, you want to stay away from those jaws. The best way would be to stay human. I know you're super strong in either form. But with hands you can jump on their back, hang on, and then depending on how strong your blade is, try and drive it in those key places I mentioned to Flint. Or, if you end up under one, stab for the heart and lungs."

"And what are you going to be doing, Pax? Apart from trying to stay away from teeth, claws, and sharp instruments."

Storm knew Devon was just trying to make Pax feel included, but Pax wasn't a fighter. Chances are, when he picked up the machete and stabbed the bear, it was the first time he'd ever done anything remotely violent in his life. "Pax is our secret weapon," he said glancing over and smiling at his mate. "Pax can be invisible, he can fly, and I imagine you can throw things, can't you precious?"

Pax nodded, and for the first time since he got in the car, he looked hopeful. "I can throw anything at hand, and if I can't find anything, I can magic things up and throw that stuff instead."

"Oh wow, that will be awesome," Flint said with a laugh. "That's going to confuse the hell out of those crocodiles."

/~/~/~/~/

What do you think you're doing, going off in the dead of night on a job with a crowd of assassins? Pax was seriously rethinking his life choices. His new friends thought using guns and knives was as normal as planning a cookout, and Pax felt he could go his whole life and not need to know the best way to kill a crocodile.

But Storm believes in me. Pax hung onto that thought as the car swung off road and parked next to the other one containing the rest of his new friends. The atmosphere in the car changed. Even friendly Flint suddenly became someone Pax wouldn't want to cross on a dark night. Weapons were checked, and Devon and Flint got out of the car, closing the doors silently.

"Are you ready?" Storm asked, his eyes bright in the sudden darkness.

"Are you?" Pax's voice squeaked and he swallowed and started again, deliberately pitching his voice lower. "Are you? It's you I'm worried about. This is a big deal what you have to do."

"They didn't give me any choice." Pax couldn't pick up any hint of emotion in Storm's voice, and he wasn't sure he liked that. "If Bullet had just driven past that day…if they didn't travel across the whole freaking country just to take you out… This has to be done."

Pax could see how determined his mate was and he pulled on inner courage he didn't know he had. "I won't get in your way. You won't see me, but I will be there. I'll help where I can, just not in the… you know, killing side of things."

Storm's hand was warm across the back of his neck as Pax was pulled closer, Storm resting his forehead on Pax's. "No one would blame you for sitting out in the car, precious. Least of all me."

"I'm going to be the invisible phantom lurking up by the ceiling and throwing things when I think it helps." Pax made his voice determined to match his mate's. "Are you going to ask him why he was after me – what hold my uncle had on him to even do this?"

"We'll ask your uncle," Storm said firmly. "The time for chatting with my father is long past."

"Then let's get this done. We have to be back before Gwen opens the bakery."

The fact that Storm laughed as he got out the car helped calm Pax's nerves. Just a little bit.