Page 49 of Burn of Obsidian

“A dress?” Molly raised an eyebrow. “You realise you’re built like a giraffe, right? And I’m more of an otter.”

“As long as it covers the important parts, any dress will do.” Thea smirked. “And I also need you to take Ruhne for me.”

“What? You’re not even taking me?” Ruhne jumped into the air, hovering. “You’re going to fuck up without me. Just you watch.”

Molly ignored him. “So you need a dress, and for me to take the irritating pixie?”

“I resent that comment,” Ruhne growled.

Thea smiled. “Pretty much.”

“And do what with him?” Molly eyed Ruhne warily. “Can I take him back to yours? What if Jax is there?”

Thea shrugged. “He probably won’t be.”

“How do you know?”

She didn’t. “Look, if he’s there, just ignore him. He’s not much of a talker, anyway.”

Molly fiddled with her glasses. “He’s kind of hard to ignore.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll protect you, younger sibling of my captor.” Ruhne landed on Molly’s shoulder.

“Not your captor,” Thea muttered.

“What do I get in return?” her sister asked.

Thea crossed her arms. “My continuous love?”

Molly snorted. “I have that anyway.”

“My undying gratitude?”

Ruhne whispered into Molly’s ear, her sister nodding at whatever he suggested.

“Well?” Thea prompted. “What do you want?”

“I want a new stethoscope, the fancy one that I’ve been saving for,” she finally said as Ruhne tugged on her hair. “Oh, and Ruhne wants pizza.”

Chapter 19

Jax

There was a reason Jax didn’t like people. It was what he was used to, growing up in a single room with little interaction from others. His mother had tried, but her disappointment at his lack of celestrial heritage had grown into resentment. It wasn’t long before she barely acknowledged him, feeding him enough to survive, but that was it. There was no affection, or even communication. Nothing but silence. So, he became the ghost she’d treated him as – a shadow in the corner.

It hadn’t taken him long to grow cold, a child who no longer reacted with anger or dejection when his mother treated him like he didn’t even exist. To not feel. But he became harder to ignore as he grew, and after he was attacked by a hellhound she’d signed over her parental rights to the Order.

They’d nicknamed him the Mute due his preference for silence, and if it wasn’t for the other kids that he’d trained beside, he’d have likely remained as a ghost. Someone numb. Forgotten.

It was his brothers that forced him to live, but that didn’t mean Jax had to like people.

The smoking terrace beside Blacklight was so full they were shoulder to shoulder. Lights hung overhead, suspended from a pole connecting to the side of the warehouse. Insects buzzed angrily around the only source of illumination, somehow not suffocating from the smoke floating from the crowd.

Jax leaned against the brick wall opposite, eyes constantly scanning the surrounding area. The nightclub was tucked between other warehouse buildings, all dark after hours and locked up tight. Exceedingly tall metal fences topped with barbed wire surrounded them, leaving only Blacklight and the attached carpark open to the public. A bouncer waited by the metal door, his own cigarette glowing orange as he checked IDs before raising the velvet rope. Music vibrated the concrete, a techno beat that Jax already knew he’d hate.

Rubbing his thumb against the slim bands in his pocket, Jax waited. He’d made them from solid gold, carving the metal with intricate detail. Hours it had taken him to create the design. Hours in which he forced his attention on his work, rather than hunting down Thea. It had taken all his control not to track her, to give her space. So, instead, he’d thrown himself into creating something just for her. Bands, ones that will lock around her delicate wrist without a key. Ones only he could take off.

Straightening from the wall, he watched her walk from the row of black cabs, the moon highlighting her high cheekbones and slim nose. Her eyes were encircled in black, with little flicks at the sides that seemed to make them appear even larger. She spotted him then, stopping at the edge of the road with a cocked hip. He took his time to take in her body, allowing himself to memorise every curve.