Chapter Twenty-Six

The cheesecake was nice. On any other day it would be divine, but with the mood he was in Pax ate it and worked to show his mate and the other assassins he wasn't affected by the night's activities. But he was really glad when Storm took him home. His mate showered, climbed into bed, kissed him soundly, but fell asleep quickly afterward, leaving Pax a chance to get his thoughts in order.

Killing anyone was horrific. Pax surprisingly wasn't shocked by what he saw back at the crocodile shack. He even managed to help at one point, when Levi was tackling one person and another one got out of Calvin's grip and was coming up behind him. A well thrown book – the first thing Pax thought of as he panicked – diverted the guy behind long enough for Calvin to grab him again.

So, horrific but necessary. Pax hadn't forgotten the shocking picture Python showed him of the innocent dead wolves on his couch, so he was not sorry about what Storm and his friends had done. Those crocodiles had horrific plans for him, too. It didn't matter that Storm had said they didn't mean to kill Pax. No. They wanted to use him instead – his magic – and in the warmth of Storm's embrace, Pax shivered. He doubted the crocodiles were planning to bribe him with donuts to comply.

None of that was important now. No. Those marks on the dead men's bodies were branded in Pax's brain. He remembered the day when he'd asked his uncle about it. He'd been in his uncle's office, getting told off for something yet again. Pax had tuned out for the most part, wandering around his uncle's office, and yes, his fingers liked to touch things.

His uncle had almost jumped down his throat when he trailed his fingers over that symbol. It was imprinted on his uncle's desk planner. Solid silver on a black planner. It stood out and Pax's fingers had got a zap so sharp when he'd touched it, he pulled his hand back.

"You dumb idiot," his uncle had raged at him. "You know absolutely nothing about magic. Do you know what that is? Do you know what you're tampering with?"

Pax's brain immediately leaped to his defense, fully prepared to debate the differences between touching and tampering, but his uncle didn't give him a chance.

"That symbol is one of the most specialized forms of magic in the known universe. It's a soul catcher, you fool. Don't ever tamper with things you don't understand."

Still caught up on his belief that touching wasn't tampering, Pax had left, none the wiser about what a soul catcher was. That memory was years old – well before he'd left home, but it stood out sharply in his mind now.

I have to confront my uncle. There're still too many questions and not enough answers.

With the way Pax's mind worked, he could understand Storm not wanting to have a conversation with his dad before knocking him off. But he kinda wished Razor had said something…anything at all about why he was lurking on the fringes of Bozeman. How he'd gotten involved with Pax's uncle in the first place.

Was it a random meeting?

Was it intentional?

Was it the Fates having a bad day?

Is this why I met Storm now?

See. Totally different tangents. One thing Pax liked about his brain was the way that it filled in possible scenarios when there were no facts to hand. Normally that was harmless fun. For example, if a donut didn't have a hole, was it still a donut? Or more telling, why did some donuts have holes and some didn't? Was it a cost saving exercise, or did the hole actually contribute something to the taste?

Then there was Storm's assertion that bacon that had been cured with honey made it more of a sweet food than a savory one. Pax was a fan – he loved the bacon buns Gwen served up, but he wasn't convinced they could be considered a sweet food. In fact, Pax would name bacon buns as one of his few favorite savory foods.

Pax's stomach rumbled and he sighed and carefully moved Storm's arm so he could roll over. I really shouldn't be thinking about food when my evil uncle is probably concocting more dastardly plans as we're lying here.

See, Pax wasn't totally stupid about magic. He used it. He was born with it, and from the little he'd read and gleaned from eavesdropping on his uncle and his haughty pixie friends, spells were not something pixies generally had anything to do with. They were a form of targeted magic. Spells were created to have one intended outcome, they ran for a specific length of time or until a certain condition had been met, and then they ended.

But sometimes they could rebound. Pax thought about the bodies in the shack. Seven crocodiles had been killed all within a short space of time. Admittedly, Pax had only seen the marks on two of the dead, but he'd felt that magic the moment he'd flown into the building…

I have to go and see him. Pax glanced over at Storm who had rolled over the other way, so now all he could see was the back of his mate's head and shoulders. I need to go alone. Pax wasn't sure if the soul catcher spell only worked on crocodiles, or if his uncle still had the use of it now the other crocs were dead. But he couldn't take a chance with his mate's safety.

But what would you do if you spoke to your uncle? What good is that going to do?

I'd get answers. I can find the missing link between him and Storm's family.

That family is dead, and you already know your uncle is evil. He wants you dead or at least captured. What if he magically traps you, or has goons waiting for you, or…or…

I can't take Storm with me. He could get hurt.

But if I don't take Storm and something happens to me, then he'll just think I've run off, and he'll pine… Pax stopped to ponder a pining crocodile. He didn't like the way that made him feel.

I should be responsible. That's what a mated person would do.

Unfortunately, Pax wasn't sure what that sort of responsibility looked like. It's not like he'd had time to find the hero manual, although he was sure someone must've written one.

No. I'm just going to go. Pax sat up. A shifter's prime directive is to protect their mate. I have to protect Storm. I'll leave him a note.

Clicking up a pen and paper, then Pax had to click up a small light, too, otherwise he wasn't going to be able to see the paper and know where to write. He chewed the end of the pencil he'd zapped, pondering his words. Storm would appreciate brevity, he decided.

Dear Storm, he wrote. I'm protecting you. Be back soon. Then he hesitated and added, Love Pax. He signed his name with a flourish.

Right. Done. Pax turned to put the note on his pillow so Storm would see it when he woke up. Then he yelped as a hand landed on his shoulder.

"Going somewhere, precious?" Storm's voice was husky with sleep, but his eyes were sharp.

"I wrote you a note." Pax shoved it at his mate's chest. "I just thought I'd go and have a chat with my uncle, you know, while you were sleeping, and you've had a hard day, so it's not like I wanted to wake you or anything…" He trailed off as Storm shook his head.

"That's not how mating works, my precious pixie. We face your uncle together. What he did impacted us both." Storm took the paper, but he didn't even glance at it, just tossed it on the floor.

"But…but…" Pax hung his head. "You're right. I know you're right, but I just worry. If my uncle uses magic on you, then he might trap you like he did your family, and then you might turn on me, and hate me, and want to kill me or capture me, and that would break my little heart." He thumped his chest. "Don't you understand that would break my heart."

"You'll bruise your heart if you keep thumping yourself," Storm said gently, taking Pax's hand. "What would be a better idea is that we get a few more hours sleep, and then we ask Cyrus if we can borrow Python. As a demon he can translocate us right into your uncle's house, and he'd be backup if your uncle's magic affects me in any way. He's not a shifter and as a mated demon, Cyrus holds his soul, so it can't be captured by an evil spell."

Tilting his head, Pax thought about it. Storm's idea was a good one, and he was tired… "I just don't want anything to happen to you," he admitted quietly. "That would break me so bad not even a dozen donuts could fix me."

"That sounds serious, but babe, it's not going to happen." Pax sighed as Storm's hand cupped his face. "We both deserve answers, but I haven't forgotten when Python told us the day I brought you back here. You're a special kind of pixie – an omega pixie. If what I know about shifter omegas applies remotely to pixies, then your uncle can't hurt you, and because we're mated, he can't hurt me either. But it never hurts to take backup and that's why we have a demon as a friend."

"That makes sense." Moving closer, Pax snuggled against Storm's chest. "Besides, I don't want to upset Gwen. She'd be devastated if we didn't turn up for our breakfast order."

"She'll be open in a few hours, so you'd better get some sleep. She could sell out if you sleep in."

"I'll sleep in a minute." Pax raised his face for a kiss, which was a lot more fun than facing evil uncles. Especially when Storm seemed as equally pleased to kiss him back.