Jax (Immortals of New Orleans Book 7) (23 page)

Jax blinked his eyes open, smiling as the sight of Katrina resting on his chest came into view. Although his wolf stirred, restless she hadn’t claimed him, the man delighted in the peaceful bliss. Confessing the nature of Phoebe’s death and the beating at the hands of his father had incited a cathartic awakening. Not only had Katrina soothed his battered soul, she’d accepted him for who he was and who he would become.

It was true that living pack members had witnessed the challenge, with some holding him in a higher reverence. Newer members, however, hadn’t lived through the bitter history, the significance of what had occurred lost on them. He knew he’d have to tell Gillian the truth someday but it’d have to wait. His sister had already texted him five times since he’d arrived, and he’d insisted she stay clear of him until it was safe. He hoped Dimitri had resumed some control over his mate but suspected it was unlikely, given her nature.

A stream of sunlight stabbed at his eyes and he yawned. He glanced at the time, and wasn’t surprised they’d slept until three in the afternoon. A loud bang sounded from afar, and he cursed under his breath.
What the ever loving fuck?
He’d given Jake the security code so he could come over whenever he was ready. But listening to the racket coming from downstairs, he couldn’t fathom what the damn wolf was doing.

He pressed a soft kiss to Katrina’s forehead and carefully peeled her off him. She mewled as he tucked the blanket around her, and he smiled in response. Jax brushed away a hair from her cheek and took a long minute to drink in the sight of his mate. Her swollen pink lips curled into a small smile and he hoped she was having the best dream of her life. Although she’d been pale, she’d developed a tiny hue of color in her cheeks after only being in the sun for the day. Her long blonde hair spilled out over the black sheets like a majestic waterfall, tempting him to wake her just so he could run his fingers through the silky strands.

After using the bathroom and throwing on a pair of jeans and a t-shirt, he padded down the hallway in his bare feet. The ruckus filtered throughout the house as he descended the steps, the spicy scent of pepper filling his nostrils. By the time he reached the landing, the melodic beat of zydeco grew louder.

“Hey, bro,” Jake called from the kitchen.

“What the hell?” Jax’s eyes went to the sink, which was filled with half a dozen bowls. A large cauldron boiled on the gas stove.

“Mudbugs, man.”

“What?” Jax reached for a cabinet door, opening and shutting three of them before he found the mugs. “Have you lost your goddamned mind?”

“Mudbugs. Crawfish, Yankee boy.”

“What?”

“Got a boil goin’ baby. Secret family recipe. Oh, yeah.” Jake waved his wooden spoon in the air, and gave a hip roll to the music. He laughed and turned to his concoction.

“I’m going to wake up from this nightmare.” Jax scanned the room and made a beeline for the coffee machine. “Have you been drinking? Please tell me you’ve been drinking, because I don’t think there is any other reason for your babble.”

“As a matter of fact, I’ve got a pitcher of Bloody Marys ready to go, my friend.”

“You do realize I just woke up?” Jax poured his coffee, sniffed it and took a sip.

“Uh, that falls in the category of don’t care. I’ve been up for a while now.” Jake picked up a loaf of flaky French bread and pointed it at Jax. “While you’ve been gettin’ busy, I went and got myself a good rest. Being that my ass has been in Cali and New York for the past two months, I’m missing my roots.”

“There’s something wrong with you, you know that?”

“I’m hungry and you’re grumpy. Want some?” He tore off a chunk and crumbs flew up into the air.

“You’re a slob.”

“You love me and you just can’t admit it, can you, Alpha?” Jake joked.

“Toss me the bread.” Jax gave him a smirk and caught the loaf as it flew across the room, white flecks spraying everywhere. “I’m not cleaning this up.”

“As if you would clean? Let’s get real. I’m sure Samuel is on his way down here now.”

“No, he isn’t, smartass. I told him to stay home.”

“Backup maid?” Jake smiled broadly and nodded.

“I’ll text him.” Jax retrieved his phone and sent a message to his butler. He hoped he could find someone to tend to the mess after they’d left the house.

“Good deal. You’re going to love me big time in a few minutes,” Jake promised.

“Crawfish for breakfast? I highly doubt it. Are you always this cheery in the morning?” Jax sipped his drink.

“It’s technically the afternoon but yes and yes. Positive attitude. It’s what it’s all about.”

“Really? Is that what you demonstrated yesterday?”

“Hey, easy there. First of all, that witch is one scary bitch. You don’t even know the half of it. And second of all, Kat’s reaction to that house…well, that kind of speaks for itself. We all may have pretended like it didn’t happen, but you know that shit’s not right. And that redheaded witch knew the score. Fucking Luca, man. He’s got a stick so far up his ass he’s like one of those marionettes.”

“He’s not going to let us see her, so just give it up. Mick’s next on the list.”

“Are you sure you really wanna go there? I like running in the bayou at night as much as the next wolf, but I’m not so sure about this freak fest this warlock has going on.” Jake sat down at the table with Jax and tapped a beat on it with his spoon, then paused. “I’ve met Mick before, ya know? He’s, uh, how should I put this? He’s kind of a free spirit. If you’d met him, you would never think he was some big and powerful warlock. He’s a player.”

“A player?”

“Yeah, you know. A player. With the ladies,” Jake sang, a lilt of amusement in his tone. “And I’m not just talking witches. He’s charismatic. Really good-looking.”

Jax raised a questioning eyebrow at him in silence.

“For a guy.” Jake glanced to his steaming pot and then focused back on the Alpha. “My point is that we better have a plan B. It’s not that I doubt what Samantha’s sayin’. Logan confirmed that Mick has taken most of the coven outside of the city. But from what I gather, it’s more like a big ole voodoo orgy. There’s magick happenin’ all right, if you know what I mean?”

“So he’s a flake? It’s better than hearing we’re going out to talk to some mage who practices black magick.” Jax shrugged. It wasn’t the best situation but it wasn’t the worst. In the end, it didn’t matter, because he was going to get answers if it was the last thing he did.

“I’m just setting expectations is all, which are pretty low.”

“It’s quite simple. If Mick doesn’t have answers, I’m going to Logan and there’ll be an all-out war with the vamps. Because that will mean that Samantha really is the only one who might be able to help. Granted, I get why Luca doesn’t want her around this black magick stuff. Or Katrina right now for that matter. I don’t want her or her baby hurt. But I’m not buying that she doesn’t know what we found. And even though she may be a new witch, she must be pretty damn influential if she has the keys to Ilsbeth’s private home. I wonder if she’s even taking orders from Mick.” Jax reached for the butter and sliced off a slab, smearing it onto the bread.

“You can be stone cold sometimes, you know that, right?”

“You misinterpret things, Jake. Come on, you’ve been around Logan and other Alphas, right? It’s not your first time at the rodeo.”

“Yeah, but they’re not as bold as you, no offense.”

“None taken.” Jax bit into the bread.

“I’m not sayin’ this is a bad thing, it’s just that you are a little more intense than most Alphas. That’s all.” Jake shoved out of his chair, and went to the refrigerator to retrieve the pitcher. He set it on the table and searched the cabinets until he found glasses.

“What you describe as intense, I would describe as thoughtful. I’ve learned the hard way not to be impulsive. At the same time, as Alpha, one must be decisive.” Jax shrugged. “You’ll see.”

The young wolf had no idea of his own power, Jax mused. From the second he’d met Jake, he’d known he was special. Yet, Jax resisted telling him.
All things in good time.
Until there was a need, it would be best for Jake to learn on his own.

“And,” Jake pointed his glass at the Alpha, before setting it in front of him. “You’re a cryptic son of a bitch. You wouldn’t happen to be related to Léo, would ya?”

“A vampire? Ha. Ha. You’re hilarious.” Jax’s stomach growled and he peered around Jake to eye the pot on the stove. “That done yet?”

“Ah, ha! I knew it. You gettin’ ready to show my cookin’ some love?” Jake poured the thick red liquid over some ice and inserted a crisp celery stalk.

“Maybe.” Jax laughed and reached for the cocktail. “Don’t tell anyone, though. I’d hate to ruin my rep.”

“You’re badass. I don’t think a little happy time with my mudbugs is going to make people think you’ve gone soft.” Jake focused on his meal and didn’t hesitate, changing the topic. “So, uh, speaking of soft, how’s Katrina?”

“Nice segue.”

“Hey, I try.” He laughed.

“She’s good.”

“Good? Trouble in paradise already?”

“It’s complicated.” Jax coughed and set the glass down. “Damn, these are strong. What the hell did you put in them?”

“Again. Secret recipe. Besides, it’s good for you. Veggies. Kinda like a salad in a glass.”

“That would be a smoothie.”

“Close enough. So what’s the deal with Kat?”

“It’s nothing really.” Jax sighed, contemplating how much to share with the wolf who was becoming a friend. He enjoyed Jake’s company, his continual petty challenges akin to a puppy biting at his heels. He saw a more innocent version of himself and hoped that with guidance, he and Logan could give Jake what he needed to be a great leader.

“You know I love Kat, I mean like a friend,” Jake was quick to qualify, “but she’s been on the run for a long time.”

Jax nodded.

“She acts strong. Hell, she is strong, but she’s scared.”

“She won’t mark me.” Jax’s eyes met Jake’s as he confided in him. “Fucking demons, whatever they are. She’s convinced she’s going to hurt me.”

“I don’t know much about mating, but watching D…let’s just say it doesn’t seem like you get a whole lot of choice. I mean he was resisting it, worried he’d kill Gilly’s tiger and then the next day? Boom. They’re mated. Now, this thing with her magick…it’s not right.”

“I know. I can feel it. Sometimes,” Jax paused, and glanced over his shoulder. He heard water running upstairs, which told him she was awake. “Her magick, it can be strong, just like it should be for someone who’s an Alpha’s mate. But then, there are other times when it just feels different. I mean, we both know wolves aren’t mediums. They don’t touch objects and
feel
something. We’re wolves. We shift. Yes, the pack can sense me and my feelings, and I can get a general vibe on my pack, but this is completely different.” Jax sighed and swirled the celery around the spicy mixture before extracting it. “I don’t know if it’s Katrina and what they did to her? Or maybe somehow Ilsbeth did something and it’s just that house? Maybe she set up a spell so that only Katrina could find the clues?”

“Let’s say that’s the case. That would mean that Ilsbeth somehow knew about what was happening to Kat. Someone would have had to have told her, because Kat never even met Ilsbeth.”

“You said D was sleeping with her?”

“Yeah, but he’s true blue with the pack, man. He’d never let secrets slip out over pillow talk.”

“Ilsbeth knew about these things, because she sent Quint to the prison. And so that means she probably knew about them before Kat ever came down to New Orleans.”

“How would she know what was going on in New York?”

“Because she’s like Léopold. She travels a lot. I’ve met her several times at charity functions in Manhattan.”

“You’ve met, huh?” Jake raised a suspicious eyebrow at the Alpha.

“What?” Jax shook his head and took a bite of celery.

“Just how many times have you met her?”

“What the fuck is that supposed to mean? I don’t know. A few times. A half dozen times tops.”

“Just wondering why you’re so willing to forgive the bitch. Oh, did I just say that?” Jake held his finger to his mouth, his eyes wide. “Sorry, I meant witch.”

“We’ve been through this, okay? I get what she did to Dimitri. I’m just saying, and this is the Alpha speaking, got me? The Alpha can see the big picture. Ilsbeth has done some good things over the years. She’s helped Kade. Even Léopold. Granted they’re vampires, but she performed tasks in goodwill. So that tells me that on occasion, she can take the right path. Now as Gilly’s brother, I want to kill her for what she did. It’s fucked up.” Jax sipped his drink and blew out a breath. “But that’s the thing, as Alpha, I don’t just get to be her brother. I must see the big picture. And it tells me that she’s not all bad.”

“She’s not all good,” Jake countered.

“True. But what happened last night? Something…instinct is telling me that Ilsbeth is trying to help us. Maybe something bad happened to her.”

“One can only hope.” Jake threw a stack of newspapers on the table. “Can you spread those out for me?”

“What?”

“Spread em’ out. On the table. Bugs are up.” Jake slid oven mitts onto his hands and lifted the metal colander out of the boiling pot.

Jax unfolded the papers and continued his train of thought. “I’m just saying, maybe she went away to lick her wounds…”

“Or hide because D was going to kick her ass from here to the moon.”

“More like Gilly. Stop interrupting.” Jax gestured to the covered surface. “This good?”

“Yeah, thanks.”

“The thing is, just because Kat didn’t know her doesn’t mean she didn’t know Kat. She’s shrewd. She might have known what was going down. Maybe she even knew that she’d need Katrina to help bring these assholes down.”

“Heads up, Sherlock,” Jake instructed, dumping a steaming pile of red crustaceans onto the papers. “Look at that! That’s a slice of heaven right there.”

“I’m just sayin’. You need to learn to look at the big picture, Jake. Jesus, those things do smell good.”

“Told ya.”

“Not as good as…” Jax turned to find Katrina standing in the doorway.