Ruined (The Eternal Balance #1)(61)

“I live a violent life.” Jax said.”If something should happen and I die, you die as well. You’d still be fragile. Even injuries I sustained could kill you. Doesn’t seem like the best logic on your part.”

Sadie giggled and let her hand rest on Jax’s chest. “Let’s just say I’m a betting woman, and I’m betting hard on you.”

That was enough. I came forward and slapped the woman’s hand away. “Back off, bitch, and keep your paws to yourself.”

Sadie threw her hands up and took a step back, but there was a challenge in her eyes. A dare. She was convinced this would end in her getting what she wanted from Jax. Everything she wanted.

Over my dead body—although that was becoming an increasingly possible proposition.

“That can’t be all,” Jax said, slipping his hand into mine. “An extended stay on the mortal coil doesn’t seem to warrant that kind of risk.”

“Oh, it’s not. Over time some Tainted links develop, shall we say, heightened abilities.”

“And that translates to…?”

She shrugged and stepped away. With a grin, she undid the first four buttons of her blouse, allowing a patch of lacy black to peek through. “I suppose we shall see, won’t we?”

“No. We won’t,” I snapped.

Everything from that point on was fuzzy. Watery at best. A wave of fatigue hit hard, and I swayed on my feet. Jax screamed my name as strong hands gripped my shoulders and the world tilted sideways.

A rush of images swarmed her. A watery face. A cold voice.

“Come to me tonight,” it hissed. “Come to the club.”

Shit. The link.

Everything went dark.





Chapter Twenty-Seven




Jax

I hadn’t moved since I set Sam down on Kelly’s couch. For a minute I thought about snapping the cuffs into place, just as a precaution, but changed my mind. I’d just stay alert. Watch for signs that something was wrong.

It wasn’t a long wait. Less than twenty minutes later, she shifted and slowly opened her eyes. “Jax?”

“I’m right here,” I said, kneeling beside the couch. “How do you feel?”

She pulled herself into a sitting position and tilted her head to stretch out her neck. “Sort of like someone used my head as a golf ball. All of a sudden I was so tired. I couldn’t keep my eyes open.” Sam hesitated. Several puffs of gray rose from her shoulders. “I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but I think we can say without a shadow of a doubt that, yes, I’m linked to this thing…”

“What happened?”

“It was there…the demon. Inside my head. I could feel it.” She shuddered. “It spoke to me.”

Fuck. “You heard its voice?”

“Yeah. Right before I passed out. But it’s not all bad… It told me to come to the club tonight. We know where it’ll be.”

Five hours later, we were at the back door to the Viking. I hated this plan, but we were running out of time. Chase had called. He was still up at Huntington, but so far, hadn’t had any luck.

Sam’s plan to trap the demon by using herself as bait made me itch in my skin. Azirak, too. But we were out of options. “Let’s go over it one more time,” I whispered.

“Yes, Mom,” Sam replied with a roll of her eyes. She was still tired, but seemed to hum with a renewed sense of energy. “I’m going to stroll in there as though nothing’s wrong and do my job. Sling a little brew. Flirt with some guys. At the first hint of trouble, I’m going to give you the signal.”

“And the signal?”

She puckered her lips.”I’m going to blow a kiss to one of the customers.”

I nodded. I’d have eyes on her every moment we were in there. Nothing to worry about. That’s what I kept telling myself. But even Azirak wasn’t convinced. The demon churned and shifted, uneasy about the whole thing.

Heckle had called earlier with an update. While he hadn’t found a more optimal way to break the link, he did say he was on the trail of something that might dampen it to the point that it wouldn’t be an issue. He reinforced that we should still keep trying to find the demon Sam was linked to.

“Can I go in now? I can’t afford to be late. I refuse to move back in with Kelly, so if I lose my job, I’m heading downtown to turn tricks…” She did a little twirl. “And looking like this, there’s a good chance I’d starve.”

“Go,” I said, pulling open the door and trying hard not to stare. She wore jeans this time around, with a tight black tank top with the Viking logo on the front. I wondered what it’d feel like to slide my fingers beneath the hem and work my way slowly up her back. Azirak ran with the spark of lust, and flashed a scene inside my head. I had Sam pinned beneath me, against the hood of Rick’s car. My hands were sandwiched between the soft, thin material of her shirt and her warm silky skin, the subtle thumping of her heart under my fingers. She moaned, arching off the hood and into me as my body responded, the need to take her, to possess her, hitting me with feral veracity.

“But be careful,” I finished, shaking my head to clear away the scene. Not the right time for that.

It wouldn’t ever be the right time for that.