Page 39 of Burn of Obsidian

“Mate, huh?” Kace cocked his head. “That explains it.”

Jax gritted his teeth, so hard he was sure they’d crack. “Explains what?”

“Why you’re more morose than normal.”

Lucifer nodded enthusiastically. “That’s what I said.”

Jax closed his eyes, taking in a deep breath. “I hate you all.”

“No, you don’t.” Lucifer grinned as he headed towards the door. “You love us.”

Kace followed, hesitating at the threshold. “You want my advice?”

“No.”

Kace’s eyes narrowed, but he continued anyway. “It hurts worse if you fight it.”

Even after hours of carefully abrading Thea’s stone, shaping it into the perfect tip for the bullet, he couldn’t shake his brother’s words.

Thea’s light and happiness was addictive, and somewhere in his empty soul, he craved it – craved her. But he’d never fought it. He knew she was his from the moment they met; he’d just taken his time. Jax protected her from afar, knowing that danger surrounded him like a vicious cloud. He’d always intended for them to be together. Fate had just forced his hand.

And now, he couldn’t go back to watching from the shadows.

He was aware the need to be near her was edging on psychotic, but the pressure on his chest eased when he stared up at Thea’s window, the light on despite the late time. There wasn’t even a hesitation before he reached up and swung himself up onto the balcony, his movements silent against the late night sounds of the city.

She’d left the balcony door open, which saved him from having to force it. Reaper was fast asleep by her shoulder, and Jax knew he didn’t have long before the cat scented him. He was a peculiar creature, one who was terrible at defending his master from strange men in the night.

Thea’s brows creased, a cry echoing out her throat. Without thought, Jax reached over to brush the hair from her face, the strands their natural silver. She eased at his touch, settling back into a deep sleep when he clicked off the bedside lamp and placed the sunflower he’d brought beside it.

He ached to understand her, to know why she read so many books that were more sex than plot. Why she collected crystals. Why he’d never found any food in her fridge other than cold, takeout, chocolate and whipped cream. And why she’d kept the phallic statue on her shelf.

He wanted to know how, when faced with her father’s impending death, she faced the world with nothing but life.

Beast pressed against his skin, wanting to shift and lay across her like a blanket, to protect her when she lay vulnerable. Jax was tempted, his exhaustion a constant drum at the back of his skull. But he knew once he shifted, he wouldn’t be able to come back anytime soon.

Beast growled, the frustration vibrating his chest loud enough to wake Reaper. The cat blinked up at him, immediately purring.

Jax knew he should leave, her scent teasing his beast to the edge of control.

He needed to leave.

Yet he couldn’t move. It was as if his feet had become one with the carpet.

MINE, Beast growled, watching through Jax’s eyes at the rise and fall of every breath. His rainbow girl was a fucking flame, and he was the moth drawn to her light, ready to sacrifice everything just for a little of her warmth. He’d never felt such a connection. It was an obsession, and she had no idea.

He needed to leave, but the instinct to stay was something he wasn’t sure he wanted to fight.

So, he didn’t.

Chapter 16

Thea

Reaper usually slept cuddled to her side, or slightly draped over her face like he intended to suffocate her. Thea reached blindly across the bed, expecting to dig her hand into soft fur. Instead, she was met with nothing but sheets. Blinking awake sleepy eyes, she shot up in bed, finding Jax lounging on her sofa with another one of her books in his large hands.

He didn’t look up or acknowledge she was even awake. He simply read the second book in the alien series, the one she hadn’t even started yet. The first book, which he’d already violated with a pen, sat neatly beside him as if finished.

Shoving hair from her face, she slipped out of bed. “You said you’d leave.” She’d never allowed a man to stay overnight before.