Page 64 of Burn of Obsidian

Thea brought one of the bands closer, laughter exploding from her lips once she realised what it was: penises. Lots of them, all hidden within the flowers. Much like the pillow she’d bought him.

He’d locked golden bands around her wrists, covered in dicks.

And she thought he was without a sense of humour.

“It’s not funny,” she said to Jax in the reflection, only for him to lick at his own nose. Shaking her head, she peeled off the bandage on her shoulder, cringing at the fresh scratches beneath. They’d been sewed closed, the lines neat and tidy, but likely to scar. It seemed she was collecting a lot of those lately.

“I need to pee,” she said, Jax’s ears twitching, but otherwise no response. “Which means you need to leave.”

He sat down, his tails wrapping around one another until it thickened into a single appendage. It thumped against the tiled floor heavily.

“Fine,” she hissed, sitting down on the toilet. “But only because I’m desperate.”

Jax blinked at her, stretching across the space until he rested the end of his muzzle on her lap. His ears perked up, throat rumbling against her thighs when she scratched her nails on his head.

Thea studied him, his tail swishing with contentment.

“You’re not Jax,” she whispered, realising there was no evidence of the man in his eyes. There was intelligence, enough for the beast to acknowledge her, but it wasn’t him. She was sure of it, despite sharing similar features. The lines on the fur were mirrored to Jax’s tattoos, and then there was the scar that split his face. That too was mirrored, staring on the opposite side than the man’s.

The beast’s tongue rolled out the side, almost goofy in such a terrifying creature. It reminded her when she’d just been shot, and Jax was barking commands at her. She was hit from the side, and in a single moment Jax had shifted in a burst of light. She hadn’t realised then the beast wasn’t Jax, assuming he was a type of shifter. Shifters were one with their animal, the same person regardless of their shape. But what was looking at her with a wolfish grin was something else entirely.

“Jax calls you his beast,” she muttered, his fur thick yet silky soft beneath her fingertips. “But you’re not him, are you?”

His tail thumped once more against the tiles, and she studied the fur along his back. Thicker strands lay flat against his spine, darker in colour and pointed as if spikes. They looked similar to the hellhound that had attacked her, and the closer she looked, the more alike they became.

“Do you remember me? I can sure as hell remember you,” she whispered gently, stroking along his face. “I want to call you Fluffy, just to piss him off. But that doesn’t seem right.”

There were no exposed bones like the hellhound, his beast covered in thick fur and pure muscle. It was as if he was built for strength as well as speed, his paws and legs thick and powerful like a lion, and with a sleek body like a wolf. But there were also similarities to the hound, from the serrated claws to the spikes along his spine. It was as if they were distant relatives.

“I can’t just call you beast; that’s rude.” He watched her intently, her image reflected in his silver eyes. “What about…Titan? No? Brutus? Okay, what about Thunder?”

He wiggled his tails.

“Yeah? You like the name Thunder, huh?” It suited him. A beast that moved silently until he struck. “Well, Thunder, I can’t seem to pee with you here.” Clearly, she had a shy bladder.

He sat back, cocking his head. Rolling her eyes, Thea moved to the large walk-in shower, reaching for the taps. The water came out immediately hissing, steaming up the glass partition.

“Jax better not be in there,” she said, testing the temperature with her palm. “He doesn’t get a free show.”

‘Let him see how fucking beautiful you are when you come for me.’

Thea cleared her throat, wanting to disappear beneath the water. How could she let him touch her like that in public? How could she like it so much?

Resting her head on the tile, she welcomed the water washing against her back, carefully angling her body so it wouldn’t directly hit her stitches.

Something hot and scratchy rubbed against her bum, and turning around, she found Thunder licking at her skin.

“Stop it!” she screeched, only for him to squeeze himself into the shower with her. His tongue lapped at the water, forcing her body to press against the freezing cold glass. She squealed, trying to shove at the great beast with little energy. Having to keep herself pressed to the freezing glass, she slipped herself out of the shower. She glared at him, muzzle turned towards the showerhead with his tongue catching the water straight from the source. “Okay, I need you to shift back now.” If Thunder understood her words, he’d decided to ignore her.

Wrapping a big towel around her, she turned off the taps. He growled, pinning her with those unusual eyes.

“Don’t you dare growl at me,” she hissed. “Bring back Jax. Right now.”

Instead, he shook, water droplets hitting her like little bullets, soaking the towel.

“Well, that was uncalled for.” She dropped the sodden fabric, reaching for another when Thunder reared up and licked across her stitches.

Thea tried to move back, but couldn’t get out of the way before his tongue hit her again. It burned slightly against her skin, but was quickly followed by a pleasant numbing sensation.