6

 

 

Jaxson Spencer waltzed into the church like he was God himself, coming in for a routine checkup. He moved with the same liquid grace, oozing confidence and power. With the light spilling through the stained-glass windows on him, he seemed to glow, just like an angel. His hair had grown out a little since the last time I’d seen him, and fair fringes curled close to the nape of his neck.

He did have a glow about him. It was a healthy glow, not the gaunt and drawn look he had the last time I’d seen him after Gareth had exorcised the jinni Jeeves from his body.

He wore a dark suit with some expensive and flexible material, which slid smoothly across his athletic body as he made his way further inside the church. He looked good in it. Hell, he looked friggin’ finger-lickin’ good. The souls help me, he was beautiful.

But he was also an ass.

He was with another young man who looked to be in his mid-twenties. The stranger was a few inches taller than Jax, his shoulders wider, and his skin a shade darker. His hair was cut so short it was impossible to tell if it was brown or black. His features were pleasant, not as pleasant as Jax’s but nice to look at nonetheless.

I half turned when Jax broke from the police officer he was talking to, his motions sharp as he strolled his way towards Detective Walsh with his suit jacket open. I watched as the two angel-borns flipped some badges at the detective, some faux government agency no doubt.

“Demon balls,” cursed Tyrius, and I winced at the sharp claws that perforated my skin. “What’s this candy-ass doing here?”

“Investigating the crime scene,” I answered, glaring at the angel-borns. “They want to make sure whatever’s killing the half-breeds doesn’t spread over to their precious angel-born asses.”

“You going to say hi?” came the cat’s voice, making me stiffen.

“No.” I turned so that my back was to Jax and his friend. Gareth was watching me, a curious expression on his face, but I ignored him.

Damn. I could feel my blood pressure skyrocketing until it pounded behind my eyeballs. It wasn’t love. Hell no. It was anger. Beautiful, hot anger. I was furious, really. I was feeling betrayed that after we’d saved his ass, he’d never even reached out to say thanks. That’s what really pissed me off.

I smoothed out my emotions. I didn’t want Jax to feel like he had this kind of effect on me.

Tyrius shifted on my shoulders. “Here comes Tweedledee and Tweedledumber,” he whispered as he settled with his tail around my neck.

“Hi, Gareth,” came Jax’s voice behind me as the two men shook hands. “Didn’t expect to see you here.”

“You’re not the only one,” said Gareth, and my breath came in a rush. Damn that elf. “Seems we all have a common interest in these killings.”

Clenching my jaw, I stilled my features as best as I could and turned around. “Hi, Jax,” I said, smiling and glad my voice came out even, professional, and almost cheery, though my heart was having a wrestling match inside my chest with my lungs. His face was even healthier close up, but instead of his playful and mischievous green eyes that I’d grown so accustomed to, there was a new darkness there, a whisper of a troubled past.

Jax searched my face for a beat too long. “It’s nice to see you again, Rowyn.”

“Get back, Goldilocks,” growled Tyrius, as he whipped out his claws, “or I’ma go all Edward Scissorhands on your ass.”

Heat rushed to my face, but I was glad inside. “Tyrius,” I warned, though I couldn’t be prouder of my best friend than at this very moment. Seeing Gareth smile made it even better. “Down, boy. That’s a good kitty. There are humans about.” My smiled widened at Jax’s own surprise at Tyrius’s outburst of anger. Wow. He is so clueless.

Feeling much better, I brushed past Jax and stuck my hand out to the stranger who had been watching us with a comical smile curved over his clean-shaven features. I couldn’t see the P-shaped birthmark on his neck—the archangel Michael’s sigil—but I was positive he was from the same house as Jax.

“Rowyn Sinclair,” I greeted the stranger, still smiling.

The stranger’s eyes pierced me as he took my hand. “Ethan Walker,” he said with a firm handshake, his skin rough and calloused, denoting hours spent handling weapons.

Ethan squeezed my hand gently before letting it go. “Pleasure to meet you, Rowyn,” he said, his voice rumbling pleasantly. “Too bad it had to be under these unfortunate circumstances.” His gaze slid to the corpse and I saw his jaw clench.

True. But I made it a mission to stay away from the angel-born. I might have had some of their blood, but I wasn’t like them.

When my gaze slid to Jax, he was frowning, not appreciating how Tyrius had told him off. Well, whoop-de-freaking-do.

Jax moved away from us and stood facing the body, his motions conveying a nervous jerkiness as he stared. I wondered if he was thinking of the Netherworld. God knows what the demons had done to him during his short stay. I would have loved to pick his brain about the Netherworld, but it was clear that Jax would never share that story with me. Or anything else ever, for that matter.

“The writing’s the same as the first victim,” he said after a moment. His features were tight as his eyes took in the gory details of the scene. “It’s some demonic language.”

“No shit, Sherlock,” spat Tyrius and I had to bite the inside of my cheek to stop from laughing. “You got all that in the last three minutes?” Oh, my kitty cat is very angry. I felt him perch up on my shoulder so he was eye level with Jax.

Jax circled the corpse to get a better look at the head. “Male. Early thirties. The cops have no ID for the guy. He could be anybody.” He looked at the missing fingers. “He was tortured. He bled out. That’s what killed him. I don’t think I’ve ever seen this kind of human sacrifice before.”

I rolled my eyes. “He’s a werewolf,” I said, and Jax turned around to look at me. I caught a policeman looking at me so I lowered my voice. “Trust me. I know a werewolf when I see one.”

“You mean when you smell one,” offered the cat, his fur brushing against my cheek.

Jax looked unconvinced. “Are you sure?”

Are you freaking kidding me? “Yes. I’m sure. Just like I’m sure the other victim was a vamp. You knew her. Vicky, Danto’s friend.” By the widening of his eyes, I knew he had no idea the first victim had been a vampire or Vicky. Had he not looked at her head?

If the council didn’t even know the victims were half-breeds, what the hell were they even doing here? If it weren’t for the simple fact the victims were half-breeds, this looked like your typical, occult, demon-worshiping-wacko human serial killer.

My eyes found Gareth and we shared a long look. I could see the thoughts behind his dark eyes.

“What does the council expect you to find here?” I asked Ethan, but Jax answered.

“Clues to catch and eliminate the demon that’s committing these murders,” he answered. “What do you think?” Well, at least he suspected the killer was a demon. So, he wasn’t completely clueless. Just an asshole.

Tension pulled Jax’s shoulders back. “It’s our mandate as angel-born to keep the world safe from demons,” he said, and I couldn’t help but feel the emphasis he put on the word demon as though it were directed at me. “We do it because we want to because it’s important to us. Not because we’re getting paid to do it.”

Very mature. I pursed my lips, stifling down my rebuke. He was trying to get a rise out of me. I don’t know why, but I wouldn’t let him.

Ethan said something under his breath and rubbed his jaw. With his hands in his pockets and his shoulders up about his ears, he looked like he wanted to be anywhere else but here.

Jax glared at me, and I don’t think I’d ever seen him—him and not Jeeves—look at me with such anger before. But I really didn’t care anymore. I was tired of his bullshit.

He wasn’t a true friend. And that meant I didn’t have to be nice to him.

Jax pulled out his phone and turned his back on us. He moved around the corpse, snapping pictures with his phone and walking around slowly to get different angles and closer shots.

Ethan’s eyes were on the corpse before flicking to Jax. “Did you figure out what the writing says yet?”

A soft “mmm” came from Jax as he scrolled the screen of his phone with his finger. “It’s either race or blood. I’ll have Daniel run these through the Elder Codex database and see if he gets a match.”

“Good one, Columbo,” Tyrius snickered and both Ethan and Jax’s eyes snapped back to mine.

“You know what the writing says. Don’t you?” accused Jax. Damn. There was real anger there again.

I pursed my lips. “Nope. No clue. I’m just as clueless as you.”

Jax watched me for a moment. “You’re lying. You know something. Tell me.” He moved to stand in front of me, his own anger growing. “You’re obligated to tell me.”

Oh, no he didn’t. “What was that?” I let out a cheerless laugh. “Obligated? Listen here, Jaxon. I’m not obligated to do anything but maybe kick your sorry ass. You better not go there if you know what’s good for you.”

Jax blinked at the fury creasing my brow. “You can’t keep information from the council. That’s like treason.”

I got right in his face. “I’m not part of your precious council or your world,” I said, my anger filtering out of me like sweat. “We would have never crossed paths if I didn’t accept that job from that goddamned council.” If he was going to threaten me again, I was going to kick his ass in front of his friend. I didn’t care. He deserved it.

Jax’s features twisted in a scowl. “You’re not going to tell me?” he said, unbelieving. He looked like a spoiled little rich boy who never knew the meaning of “no,” and I wanted to kick him in the teeth. “We’re on the same team, Rowyn. We all want to find these demons.”

Somehow, I didn’t think that was true. “That’s all we have,” I answered. “You’re welcome to do your own investigating.”

I was glad and surprised that Gareth wasn’t saying anything either. Seeing as they were friendly, the elf could have told Jax the truth, but he didn’t. He kept quiet. For me or for himself, I had no idea, but I was thankful for it.

As I watched Jax’s face redden in his irritation, a thought occurred to me. Perhaps I could twist this to my advantage.

“Okay, fine,” I said, smiling at him without showing any teeth. “I’ll tell you.”

“Rowyn?” warned Tyrius. “You sure you want to do this? It’s not like the council ever did anything for us.”

“Yeah, I’m sure.” My eyes moved from the demonic word on the body to Jax. “I’ll tell you what I have, but it’ll cost you.”

Jax laughed, shaking his head. “Why am I not surprised.” His expression was calm, but he sounded bitter as he crossed his arms over his chest. Ethan was staring at me with an awkward look on his face.

I smiled at Jax, real this time. “I don’t particularly care if you’re surprised or not. That’s the deal. If you want information, you gotta pay.” I felt a deep satisfaction at the annoyance on Jax’s face. Did that make me evil? I didn’t think so. It was called... paying the rent.

“That’s not a fair exchange,” Jax mocked, and Tyrius made a dangerous rumble in his throat, leaving me wondering if he was about to pounce on the angel-born. “Seems to me like you’re abusing the situation.”

“Seems to me you should pull your brains out from your ass,” said Tyrius, making Gareth laugh. “Pay up, buddy boy. Or you get squat.”

Jax ran a hand over his face and I tried not to dwell on how hot he looked doing it. I knew I had him even before he opened his pretty mouth. “How much?”

“One thousand.”

“What?” asked Jax incredulously. “You can’t be serious. That’s an insanely large amount of money for translating a simple demonic text.”

I raised a brow. “If it’s so damn simple, why hasn’t the council figured it out yet? No. I think it’s just the right amount.”

I caught Gareth’s eyes on me, and when I looked at him he was beaming, making my insides squirm just the right amount. Did I mention I liked this elf?

“I need new summer tires,” I said, which was totally true. “They don’t come cheap these days. Take it or leave it,” I said, my attention back on Jax, feeling incredibly satisfied all of a sudden. “That’s my offer.”

“We should take her offer,” said Ethan, surprising me. “We’re wasting time. I want to know what it says. And so does the council. Daniel might not turn up anything.” He turned around and looked at me, his jaw set. “The council will pay. I’m sure of it.”

I stilled my face, feeling a great payday on the rise. Damn, this feels good. “If the council finds out that you could have had this information and refused because of your stellar negotiating skills, I don’t think they’ll be too happy with you. Might even be replaced.”

“Fine,” said Jax through gritted teeth. “Consider it done.”

“Okay then,” I said, my mood brightening in spite of the dead werewolf. “You can tell the council to send me the check. They have my address.”

Jax sighed, visibly bothered that I wouldn’t give up the goods straight out. But I was good at what I did, damn it, and I needed money. “What does it say?” he asked after a moment.

I gathered my resolve, glancing at the corpse, to his butchered chest before I shifted my weight and tried to look casual. “Half-breed. It says half-breed.”

At that, he looked at me through his thick eyelashes, his chiseled features showing surprise. “Half-breed?”

“Ooooh, look how surprised he is,” whispered Tyrius, and I felt the smile on his face. “He had no friggin’ idea.”

I looked over to Detective Walsh, who was still on the phone. “That’s what it says,” I confirmed, turning back to Jax. “Half-breed. Over and over. On the walls, the pews. Everywhere.”

From the corner of my eye, I saw Jax’s features scrunch up for a moment when he and Ethan exchanged a look. But then he smoothed them, his face easing into a bland, business-like expression.

“But why?” questioned Jax, his green eyes piercing through me like I had all the answers. Part of me was flattered he actually believed me. The other part still wanted to kick his lame ass.

“Beats me,” I answered truthfully. “Now you know as much as we do.” No one said a word and I took that as a sign that we should leave. “Well,” I said and exhaled loudly. “Love to stay and chat, but I think I’ve seen enough blood for one day. Don’t forget the check,” I said as I turned to leave, surprised to find Gareth walking in step next to me.

“Rowyn, wait!” I heard Jax call, but I kept walking. I did my part. There was nothing left to say to him.

Imagining new mags with my new tires, I headed towards the exit, aware of Detective Walsh’s attention on me. The man was still on the phone. Who the hell was he talking to? It didn’t matter anyway. I’d given him all I had and could at the moment, without any hocus pocus.

“Rowyn!” louder now. I felt someone grab my elbow as he jerked me around. “Just wait a second, will you,” ordered Jax as we faced each other, his grip tighter than necessary.

Seething, I yanked out of his grip, careful not to throw Tyrius off my shoulders. “I have places to be,” I grumbled. “Demons to kill.”

“I just wanted to...” Jax sighed and then smiled. The bastard actually smiled.

I took a deep breath, unable to let that stand. “You just wanted to what? What the hell do you want from me?” If he was going to pull the friend card on me, I was going to freaking kill someone.

I felt the air shift and looked up to find Gareth brushing past me, heading for the exit. I knew he wasn’t being rude. He was giving me privacy. But I found myself watching him go until I remembered why I had stopped and flicked my gaze back to Jax.

For a moment, Jax looked at his feet. When he looked up, there was a softness in his expression that I hadn’t seen since he walked into the church. “I don’t like what’s happening between us.”

“Us?” I laughed mirthlessly. “There’s no us. There never was.”

“Maybe not,” said Jax. “But I thought we were friends.”

Tyrius cursed. “That ship sailed, my friend, when you ditched us. Friends don’t ditch other friends after they save your ass.”

I nodded. “Like he said.”

Jax gritted his teeth, his jaw muscles tightening. “Why are you being difficult? I’ve only just started to get my life back together. It’s been hard. The things I’ve been through...” He hesitated, like he was trying to keep it together. “Well, I thought you of all people would understand.”

Me? I frowned. Right. Because I had demon essence.

“Oh, does the itty baby need a little love?” mocked Tyrius. “Get a hooker.”

Trying to keep my face straight, I said, “I’m sure it was a horrible experience. And I’m sorry you had to go through that. No mortal should. But don’t expect more from me, ‘cause you’re not getting it.”

“Rowyn, you don’t understand,” Jax said, as if trying to convince himself. “I’m sorry—”

I lifted my hand. “Don’t. I’m not.”

“Rowyn, come on. Don’t do this.”

“See you around, Jax,” I said, meaning it. And with that, I turned on my heel and headed for the exit.

I never looked back as I strode across the church’s floor and walked out the doors. Whatever feelings I’d had for Jax had vanished like a puff of smoke. Much more important matters needed my full attention.

And one of them was how to kill an alpha werewolf without getting caught.