Released (The Eternal Balance #3)(35)

“I’ve always preferred anger. It has such a satisfying aftertaste. But you…” It inhaled again, letting Jax’s eyes flutter closed with a low moan. When they opened, they were filled with a hunger that stole my breath away. “The lust you give off for this form is delectable. I can barely contain myself.”

I swallowed hard and sat up, laying my hand flush against Jax’s chest. With a shove that took more willpower than I was proud of, I said, “Any attraction I feel is for Jax, not you. Not that form.”

The demon chuckled and moved in close again. The action was equal parts desire and dominance. “If that is true, then your attraction is for me, as well. You desire the human, but my presence contributes to who he is. Are you so confident that you would feel the same way had I never existed?”

“One hundred and twenty percent.” It made a logical point. Azi and Jax were so tightly wound together, but I could always tell where one ended and the other began. The way they looked at me, their expressions—the way they each kissed…

A wicked grin spread across Jax’s lips. “You’re thinking about the hotel.” It brought Jax’s hand up and played with the edge of my T-shirt, slipping his index finger beneath the material to trace small circles against my skin. I couldn’t help it. Goose bumps jumped to attention all over my body, and instead of leaning away, I pushed forward.

The one and only time we’d been together, I’d basically had to accept them both. Together. As a whole. I’d willingly submitted to having a freaky, supernatural three-way just to get a fix of Jax.

But that was fine. I knew what was Jax and what was Azi. I knew how to separate the two. The question was, how desperate for Jax was I? Obviously very, since I hadn’t been able to—or maybe I hadn’t wanted to—make the distinction at the cabin.

“The girl is asleep.” It brought Jax’s lips to my ear. The tip of his tongue skimmed my lobe, and the warmth of his breath streamed along my skin. The sensation nearly sent me rocketing off the couch. “I can scratch that itch of yours.” A volcanic sensation erupted across my skin. “I’ll even let him watch.”

Reality slammed into me like a semi doing ninety down the highway. The warmth that had only seconds ago flooded my entire system turned to ice, and the air took on a stale quality. Despite the tremor of anger and disgust, I kept it together. With a forceful nudge, I said, “I think I’ll have to pass.”

Jax’s mouth quirked, and his head tilted just a hair. With the same level of cocky confidence I’d seen in him his entire life, the demon said, “For now.”

“If you two are doing anything funky over there, I’m going to turn you both into frogs.”

Across the room, Van was standing in the doorway. She had her right hand up to partially obscure her eyes. The demon flashed me one last smoldering gaze, then turned to our host. “I thought you had no magic.”

“I don’t have much. But I promise, I have enough for that if it’ll shield me from watching you two screw.”

I nudged the demon away a little more and threw my legs over the edge of the couch. “I think you’re safe. Until there’s a human driving the bus, I’ve got no interest.”

“Good.” Van dangled a set of car keys and grabbed her jacket from the back of one of the chairs. “Then I assume you’re ready to rock and roll?”

Ready? I was past ready.

…

Van’s car was a tiny, ancient two door Ford with no bumper and huge burn holes in the seats. We’d elected—okay, it was my choice—to take her car and leave Kelly’s behind. The less I drove it, the more of a chance of it being returned in one piece. The demon grumbled from the back, where it had wedged Jax’s large body. There was a smell, too. I couldn’t quite place it, but it reminded me of the old cheese in the back of our fridge.

I shifted and leaned to my right. “So where exactly are we going?”

“Duh.” Van rolled her eyes. “To get the stone, remember?”

Between her and the demon in the backseat, I was going to lose my mind. “And where would that be, exactly?”

“Not far from here.”

“You said it was protected. By magic,” Azi said. “How do you mean? What type of magic?”

“If you’re subtly asking if you can steal it out from under me as soon as I’m not looking, then the answer is no. Only I can remove it.”

Azi gave a soft chuckle then leaned between our two seats. To Van, it said, “I’m fairly certain I could remove you.”

“Okay,” I snapped and pushed Jax’s body into the back. “No one is stealing anything or removing anyone. Can we at least try to keep this civil?”

With a slight huff, Van stepped harder on the gas and sent the small car surging forward.

We drove the rest of the way—about an hour and change—in silence and without bloodshed. When the car finally stopped, we were in the parking lot of the Pennington State Park. It was just after three in the afternoon, and the sun had long since ducked behind the clouds, making the chill in the air more prominent.

Azi extracted Jax’s body from the backseat with a grumble. “Now what?”

“Now…” Van closed her own door. She pocketed the keys and pulled out her cell. With a quick glance at the screen, she sighed. “We have to wait.”