Page 60 of Burn of Obsidian
Jax grunted, ignoring the deep ache in the middle of his temple. “I’ve scented the wound, it’s clean.” Thea was lucky the fang had only grazed her. She had roused pretty quickly, rolling onto her back with a sleepy expression. And once he was confident she was okay, he’d called Sythe. “Did you sort the cleaners?”
“They’re on their way.” Sythe’s frown deepened. “So, why is she high as a fucking kite?”
“The witch said there would be some adverse effects. Fae don’t usually react well to pain medication.” Or spells, apparently.
“Fuck J, Riley’s not going to like this.” Reaching down, he helped Thea to her feet.
She immediately snapped her hand back, rolling her eyes. “I don’t need your help, thank you very much. Or any man, for that matter.” Her tone was no longer so mellifluous.
“Of course, how stupid of me,” Sythe said dryly.
“Do you think that’s why Leighton cheated?” Thea chattered on, clearly still saying every thought that popped into her head. “How is it emasculating if I didn’t let him pay for dinner?”
“Ah huh.” Sythe nodded, looking at her like she’d sprouted a second head. “Sure.”
“He always wanted me to order the salad. The salad! I fucking hate salads. That’s weird, right?”
“Weird that you hate salads? Or weird that he ordered for you?” Sythe looked over at Jax with a ‘help me’ expression.
“And another thing,” she continued, her arms swinging dramatically, as if she hadn’t just been attacked by a hound. “Can you believe he didn’t like the amount of time I spent with my family?”
Sythe nodded along with her. “Sounds like an arsehole.”
Thea gasped, swaying slightly on her feet. “He’s such a major arsehole.”
“You can do better.” Sythe turned back to Jax. “J, she needs that shoulder treated, and maybe a therapist.”
“I’m taking care of it.” Finding her bag on the floor, Jax grabbed it, along with his pocketknife she’d stolen.
“I don’t need a therapist,” Thea muttered, head rolling to the side until she winced. “It’s Harper that needs a therapist. Can’t believe you forced her to mate. How barbaric.”
“J, she’s missing shoes,” Sythe said before returning to Thea. “And Harper chose me. I didn’t force her into anything.”
Jax frowned. Where the fuck were her shoes?
“Ugh, she told me it was love,” Thea said. “It’s sickening.”
Sythe pinned her with a look, but her eyes were too glazed to pay attention.
Pain shot through Jax’s head, harsh enough that he stilled.
“J, you good?” Sythe asked.
Jax sucked in a breath, the concentration draining as he kept his beast at bay. Fur threatened beneath tight skin, claws giving a prickling sensation at the tips of his fingers.
Thea’s laughter broke through the pain. Enough, Jax warned his beast, getting only pressure in response. Not yet.
Clenching his jaw, he approached, Thea’s eyes widening as they dragged across the width of his chest. Her tongue shot out, leaving a wet sheen across the bottom of her lip.
“You’re so… unnecessarily big,” she whispered, her neck having to crane back the closer he came. “Like a door.”
Sythe sniggered, finally letting go of her arm. “You have no idea.”
Ignoring her sound of complaint, Jax carefully lifted her in his arms, dismissing his brother at the same time. “Wait for the cleaners.”
“Yes sir.” Sythe gave a sarcastic bow, but Jax was already moving, even if he had a slight limp. He didn’t spare the club a glance, the music pumping while the outside crowd continued to huddle around the heaters, ignorant of what just happened.
Within moments, he had Thea strapped in the car, her smile sleepy.