Jax (A Neveah Short Story) (3 page)

“I'm not going to make you do anything you
don't want to do, Jax. We can just sit and talk if you want but I
won't lie and tell you that I'm not happy she's found someone. I'm
sorry for your hurt but I would like a chance to help you forget
her,” she said softly as her hand brushed his inner leg.

“I want to forget her,” he said and convinced
himself that it was true. He touched her face and felt the heat
radiating. “Please help me forget her,” he begged.

She helped him that night many times over.
Their first time was awkward but tender as she taught him the ways
of lovemaking. He was a quick study though and picked up on what
made her feel good realizing that her pleasure became his own. For
one night, he thought of no one but Akayleah. He kissed her face,
her breasts, and the sweet spot between her legs. Being inside of
her was the warmest feeling he had ever felt. When he fell asleep
in her arms, all the pain of the day fell away, and he was happy
again. If only for a moment.

He felt a strange sense of guilt when he woke
next to her. She was sleeping soundly, and he watched her. She was
so pretty, prettier than Annika if he was being honest. He watched
her and tried to feel it, the feeling he only felt with Annika, but
he couldn't. The want for her body was there, but the feeling in
his heart was not. He kissed her gently on the forehead before he
dressed and left her alone, without a goodbye.

He went home that day, intending to tell
Annika everything. He had to tell her how much he loved her, and
that he wanted nothing more than to marry her. He would even
confess his night with Akayleah. She would forgive him as he would
her. She would realize her love for him, and they would be
happy.

He had washed all evidence of Akayleah from
his body and put on fresh clothes then went to find Annika. He was
no further than his own path when she literally ran into him. He
could see she was upset and thought she surely had come to him
because that James Mender was a fool who broke her heart, and Jax
was happy for it. He would be there for her and prove his own love
to her. What she said took him by surprise. Her words would echo in
his head forever.

“Have they told you? They plan for us to
marry! How could they?” Her voice was nearing a whine and Jax felt
his heart accelerate. This wasn't what he thought her reaction
would be. Yes, they had drifted apart recently, but she was still
his soulmate, his light in the dark. She was his best friend, and
he was hers. They balanced each other. He took a few steady breaths
before speaking.

“Of course Annie, of course we are to be wed.
My parents told me the deal they made with your father all those
years ago. I couldn't be happier Annie. I love you. Don't you love
me?” It was the most vulnerable he had been with her in a very long
time. Of course, he knew of the plans, his parents told him a long
time ago. He waited and waited for the two of them to come of age
so they could be one. Even though he saw her with another man, even
though he ran to the arms of someone else, even though they had
grown up and apart, he loved her and foolishly believed that she
loved him back.

He was waiting patiently for her response.
Her face, so beautiful and innocent, looked afraid and sad. He knew
what she was going to say before she did. He braced himself against
the words he knew would change him forever.

“No Jax, I can't marry you. Of course I love
you, like I love Denali, like a brother.” He could see the sorrow
in her eyes and hear the sincerity in her voice, but it didn't
matter. He was trembling beneath his skin and when she laid a hand
on him, attempting to calm him down, his fury grew, but he could
control it.

“Don't try to calm me Annika. It's not going
to work this time. I can calm myself.” He felt his body shake and
his skin tingled, but he controlled it, as he had practiced many
times in The Dark Forest. He tried to find the words to erase the
ones she had just spoken.

“I'm sorry if I scared you, but that's not
really what I was expecting to hear from you. It's okay though. We
have time. You will learn to love me. We will be happy Annie.” He
could hear the pleading in his voice, the slight quiver that caused
his normally steady and strong voice to shake. She would see
reason. He would make her see reason.

“I love someone else Jax. He asked me to
marry him today and I said yes. You see, I can't marry you.” The
words impaled his heart, and his stomach churned. It took every
ounce of self-control he had to keep from shifting. When she tried
to touch him, he pushed her away, fearing her touch would be the
end of him.

“Please, Jax, understand. I had no idea you
felt this way. You can't be angry with me!” She said, and he heard
the anger in her voice. His entire life he was with Annika. They
grew together, and they learned together. They laughed together and
loved together. Almost every major life experience had been
experienced together including their first kiss. How could she not
know how he felt? He didn't try to hide it. As their life together
ran through his head, and he tried to find the words to convince
her that she was wrong, he realized something was different about
her. He knew it was the same thing that was different about
him.

“Have you lain with this other man, Annika?”
He demanded even though he knew he didn't have the right to.

“What? What difference does that make?” She
countered, and he knew the answer without her speaking it yet he
wanted to hear her say those words.

“It makes a huge difference to me.” The
thought of another man's hands on his Annika's body made him
physically ill. Surely, he would forgive her though, after all his
first time was not with Annika, but she didn't know that. He had to
forgive her, he thought, but could he?

“Yes, today after he proposed. Are you happy
now Jax?” She spat, not knowing that her words were like thousands
of pieces of broken glass cutting into him simultaneously. Any
rational thought he had left had vanished. The remainder of their
conversation was void and years later all he would remember was
calling her a whore because to him, she was.

The emotions he was working on so hard to
keep hidden were emerging. The darkness that had threatened to take
over was finally overshadowing any amount of light that he carried.
They argued, more like she argued while the monster inside of Jax
grew. The thoughts that ran through his mind were wrong. He knew
they were wrong, yet there they stayed, dancing around and taunting
him until he felt something inside of him snap. The monster emerged
and when Jax threw her over his shoulder, he knew there was no
going back to being Jax Androni.

He carried her, kicking and screaming to The
Dark Forest and when she bit him, he laughed. When she pleaded for
him to release her and used their friendship as a weapon it did
nothing but anger him more. The only thing he could think about was
having her body as his own. He should have been the first man to
touch her in those ways. That James Mender would pay for tainting
his Annika but not before Annika paid for betraying Jax.

Once he reached his destination, a large tree
deep in The Dark Forest, he threw her on the ground. What he did
next made him feel powerful but broken. When he ripped the front of
her dress open, exposing her breasts, he almost stopped himself. So
many times he had dreamed of seeing her naked skin. So many times
he had dreamed of touching her. Their one kiss had rested on his
lips, waiting to explore more of her. The fear on her face tugged
slightly at his conscience and heart, but the monster in him fed on
it. Her fear made him grow stronger. He unleashed all his anger and
hurt upon her body. He slapped her. He bit her in her most
sensitive spots. He made her his own in the most violent way he
could and when he finally allowed himself to enter her, he was
neither gentle nor kind as he had been with Akayleah just the night
before. No, he entered her swiftly, roughly. He pounded into her
with all of his strength willing his seed to embed itself deep
inside of her. When he finally finished he looked at her. She had
passed out.

He backed off of her and fell back against
the wall of the tree. For a moment, the severity of what he had
done caused him to panic. He looked at her, so broken and beaten.
The lovely face that he loved so much was swelling and parts were
turning a deep shade of purple. He saw blood splattered across
different parts of her body, including her breasts and between her
thighs. He looked at his hands and felt sick. His hands had beaten
and bruised the one person in the world Jax had always cherished.
The one person he had always loved. The one person he would die
for. The one person who was supposed to be his light in the dark
had turned that light off forever, and Jax made sure she knew what
her betrayal had done to him. The proof was left in her body.

He left her unconscious and beaten but sure
she had learned her lesson. He left directions for her when she
woke. She was to meet him at her house where they would announce
their engagement to their family and friends. Jax felt almost giddy
knowing he would soon marry Annika. He almost walked with a bounce
in his step. He had one loose end to tie up or cut out, James
Mender.

Jax was very specific in his note to Annie,
he killed James. He knew she would be devastated but figured she
would get over it. After all, Jax was her soulmate, he knew it, and
she would too. Jax wondered to himself if he could really do it,
could he kill the fucking, goody goody, perfect James Mender. He
felt like he could. Jax had never hated anything more than he hated
James. The thought of James being inside of Annika before Jax
created an outrageous jealousy that fueled Jax's rampage. Yes, he
could do it but how?

Oh the ideas raced through his mind, so many
good ones. Would he do it slow or fast? Could he do it in his
original form or should he shift into something more terrifying?
Would it be easier if he shifted? No, he shook that thought away.
He wanted James to look him in the eyes. He wanted James to know
who stopped his last breath and why. Shifting was out. Bare hands?
Blade? Rope? Ahh, so many decisions. Jax contemplated his method
until he reached James' front door. Just before his hand raised up
ready to fall against the wooden door, he wondered if the Mender
family was home. If so, could he kill them all or would he have to
wait and come back? No, it's now or never. Kill all the fuckers, he
thought.

Bang. Bang. Bang. His hands fell against the
door with loud thumps. He continued pounding the wood until his
victim appeared. He looked surprised when he opened the door and
found Jax looking rather mad. Jax began laughing. The look of
confusion and fear on James face tickled something inside of
Jax.

“Who's here with you?” He asked immediately.
No hello, hey how are ya, no greeting whatsoever.

“Uhh, no one. Are you okay Jax?” James
sounded worried about him, concerned about him. Well, he should be
concerned. There were many things about Jax that were born that
day, and most of them were very concerning.

“No, I'm not okay. Let me in,” he ordered but
didn't give his enemy a chance to contest the request, he pushed
him to the side and marched right in.

“Are you in love with Annika?” Jax asked,
ready to get things started but he had to hear it from James
mouth.

“What? What do you want Jax. What happens
between Annie and me is none of your business,” James replied,
standing his ground.

“Don't you call her Annie! Only the people
that love her and are close to her call her Annie, like me... Not
you!” How dare that bastard call her Annie as though they are best
of friends.

“I do love her and I am very close to her,”
James taunted, clearly irritated with his visitor and not the least
bit afraid as Jax had assumed when he first arrived. Time to change
that.

“Did you fuck her today?” Jax whispered low,
but his eyes spoke of danger when he looked at James.

“No,” he said and Jax let out a breath,
relaxing his shoulders slightly. She had lied to him. Why? It
didn't matter, now Jax knew he was her first and suddenly felt a
wave of guilt, but the wave washed right over him with James' next
words.

“I don't just fuck the woman I love, the
woman I'm going to marry and have children with, I made love to
her,” James said softly and noticed yet another change in Jax's
demeanor. The man had run through dozens of emotions since his
arrival. It was almost impressive.

“Not that it's any business of yours. Annie
and I are to be married. She will be my wife. I assume that's why
you're here, she told you that. She thought you would be happy for
her, being her best friend and all.” Jax looked up at him, and Jax
saw the guilt there.

“But I knew different. I'm a man after all
and she's the most beautiful, amazing woman in all of Neveah. Of
course you love her. You’ve probably been waiting for her to
realize that she loves you too right?” He paused but didn't give
time to answer.

“Sorry, my friend but I got to her first. I
love her. She is mine and I swear to whomever might be listening
right now, if you so much as laid a hand on her I will kill your
sorry ass.” James was close to Jax now, in his face and Jax began
laughing wildly. Hysterically. “Ahhh, that's great James, it really
is. You're going to kill me. Well, my friend good luck to you. You
see, Annika is set to be my wife. She doesn't have a choice in the
matter. She is lying limpless as we speak because she tried to
betray me.” Jax wasn't able to continue the rest of his taunt.
James’ fist smashing into his mouth stopped him short.

Jax was slightly stunned and could taste the
blood pooling on his lips, but he just offered a smile. “What did
you do to her? Where is Annie?” James demanded, his eyes crazy but
determined. If Jax didn't loathe the man, he may have been
impressed. If he wasn't fighting for his Annika, he might have
liked the man. As it was though, he was fighting for Annika, and he
could barely stomach looking at James knowing he had been inside of
her.