Page 1 of Before the Fall

CHAPTER ONE

Jaxon

My eyes slowly open and the agony of the world’s worst headache hits me like a freight train. Looking around, I wonder where the hell I am. Pink and green flowers on the sheets. Those billowy white curtains on the windows. This is definitely not my place.

I sit up and tilt my head left and then right to crack my neck. The sun streaming through the windows makes me squint, and I look away as my headache threatens to split my skull open.

My mouth doesn’t possess an ounce of liquid, but I try to muster some by licking my lips with little success. Headache and cotton mouth. Now I remember. I’m hungover after a night of heavy drinking.

That explains where I am too. Ryker’s place. This room screams Kaia’s been here. She loves flowers and makes sure they’re everywhere.

Pinching the bridge of my nose, I try to stave off my headache that’s getting worse by the second. I would kill for a glass of water right now. Something to make this throbbing in my head disappear would be great too.

I throw the covers off me and swing my legs off the bed. So far, so good. When my feet hit the hardwood floor, the coolness feels incredible. But when I try to stand up, it’s a no go. My equilibrium is all fucked up, and I collapse back on the bed.

A knock on the door interrupts the mess I am this morning, and a second later, Kaia walks into the room. “Good morning, Jaxon! Oh my!”

Unsure what’s upset her, I look over at her and smile as she spins around to stand with her back to me. “If you have water and a handful of Advil, you’ll be an angel sent from heaven. Any chance you have either of those things?”

Still not facing me, she waves her hand in my direction and says, “Can you throw the covers back over you? I think you must have forgotten you went to sleep with nothing on.”

I glance down my body and chuckle. Grabbing the sheet and blanket, I cover up a raging morning hard on. “Sorry about that,” I groan. “I didn’t even know where I was when I woke up, if that makes it any better.”

Kaia cautiously turns around and smiles at me. “It’s okay. I just felt like I was violating some unwritten rule seeing you like that. Do you feel sick this morning? Is that why you want the Advil?”

“Hungover,” I answer as she walks over to the window and throws open the curtains. Jesus, that’s bright.

Covering my eyes, I ask, “Do you think you could close those? The sun is killing me this morning.”

“Oh, I’m so sorry. I wasn’t thinking. I thought some fresh air would make you feel better.”

I’ve slept at Ryker’s before, and never once has Kaia come to see me first thing in the morning. Something must be up.

“Is everything okay?” I ask as I sit up again.

She tries to smile, but it never makes it up to her eyes. “Ryker wants to see you as soon as you can get down to his office. I’ll grab you some water and Advil. I’ll leave it on the dresser, okay?”

“How serious is it? Do I have time for a shower?” I ask as she starts to leave.

Kaia stops at the door and nods. “I think so. Get cleaned up and come down when you can.”

She leaves me alone with my headache, dry mouth, and thoughts about what could have happened this morning. Everything was great last night. We drank all that German beer Kane loves, and Cason even joined us, a rarity now that Lily is pregnant with their second child. He usually likes to stay close to her, but we got him to come out and enjoy himself with the guys for the first time in months.

No doubt the issue has to do with Victor. It’s always him ever since Ryker decided the time was coming to overthrow him as the leader of the family. He’s waited while he got his ducks in a row, and now it’s just a matter of striking when the time is right.

Maybe that’s today.

If so, I’m ready for it. I lost the only woman I’ve ever loved because of that asshole. Nothing made me happier than being with Tia, but I couldn’t keep putting her in danger as long as he was the head of the Varens family. I don’t know if she can ever forgive me, but once Victor is gone, I’m going to damn well try my best to convince her to take me back.

I better get this day going because if today is the day we get rid of that fuck, I want to be in top form. A nice, hot shower should do the trick.

Ryker sits behind his desk with Cason and Kane in the chairs in front of him. Some other guy whose name I can’t remember right now sits on the sofa talking to a guy I’ve never seen before. As I walk into the room, all eyes turn toward me.

“What’s up? And a bigger question, why aren’t the rest of you dealing with the world’s worst hangover this morning?”

Cason laughs at me as he shakes his head. “You’re such a fucking lightweight. Eat some aspirin and stop whining.”

As I take a seat in a chair across the room from him, I mumble, “That seems harsh, motherfucker.”

---