Page 26 of Taste of Danger

He was perceptive.

“Or I just like holding you while we enjoy some quiet time.” Which wasn’t a lie. Arion had no idea how much peace he and Elvine brought him.

It wasn’t easy living for over two centuries and never really feeling complete. A million times Jax had ridden the open road with his family, feeling content just being with them while they cruised along on their hogs, yet the hollowness in his chest was always present.

With Arion and Elvine now in his life, it finally felt as if the void was slowly filling. But they couldn’t truly be happy when one of them was hurting.

There was a haunting presence in Arion’s amber eyes, a silent cry for help. Though Jax had only met him tonight, he was determined to slay whatever demons haunted Arion and bring him peace and healing.

“Do you want to know how I met Elvine?”

Jax felt some of the tension ease from Arion.

“Is she really that bad at idioms?”

“You have no idea.” Jax chuckled. “The night I met her, she was standing on an overturned crate, peeking in our living room window. Her best friend, Raidh, was in hiding from his father.”

“Why was he hiding from his father?” Arion seemed deeply interested.

Jax wanted to let him know he wasn’t the first mate to show up with trouble on their heels. Maybe then Arion would open up to him.

“My brother, Jaytee, dubbed him Dickhead Dad.” Jax chuckled then sobered. “What it all boiled down to was the guy was envious of Raidh’s powers. He cared about what other people thought more than his own son’s feelings. He paid vampires to kill Raidh and, as backup, blew him the kiss of death.”

Jax didn’t care how long he lived. He would never forget the moment Raidh had died in Jaytee’s arms. By a complete miracle Casimir knew how to get Raidh’s soul back.

“His own father tried to kill him?” Arion didn’t appear horrified, just curious, which told Jax just how deep his mate’s scars went.

“Did kill him.” Jax explained everything that happened the night Vicino had shown up, including what the Ultionem had done to Damon. Then how Casimir had arrived and what had taken place afterward and the hell everyone had gone through.

Jax wasn’t going to try and hide the tears brimming in his eyes. That had been an emotional roller coaster from hell dealing with all that in such a short period of time. They’d thought they’d lost Raidh and Damon, and Jaytee had been talking about not wanting to live without his mate.

Arion turned and curled his arms around Jax, holding him tight. “And then I add to the turmoil by leading those vampires to Casimir,” Arion murmured as he trembled. “I had no choice. In fact, I was beaten for refusing to help Akai. He never told me who Casimir was or why he wanted to find the guy. I just had to do exactly what Akai told me, act a certain way, or…” Arion’s trembling worsened.

Jax held him tightly, giving his mate time to gather himself instead of pushing him to continue. He simply sat there and slowly rocked Arion, watching as Elvine returned. She stopped at the door, as if afraid to intrude, her gaze focusing on Arion.

The woman was insane if she thought she was an imposition. Through everything that had happened, she’d been there, even going up against Jax when she wanted to fight the horde of vampires who had shown up at Wild Tiger Barbeque.

No lie. Jax had been furious and terrified. One rip of her wings and she would die instantly. Yet, Elvine had refused to back down, ready to defend her family. But she was so tiny, and Jax had feared she would be killed.

He waved her in, and she sat on their right, placing a hand on Arion’s back.

“If I share why I blurred my memories so you two couldn’t see, will you tell us what’s going on with you, honey bunny?”

Jax wanted to know as well. Elvine always seemed so feisty, ready to take on anyone. It was hard to imagine anything casting a shadow over her bubbly personality.

“You two are starting to give me a complex,” Arion said into Jax’s shoulder. “First my Tinker Bell wants to fly me around in her arms because she doesn’t think I can handle myself. Now I’m curled up in Jax’s lap like a child who had a nightmare.”

“But I like flying you around in my arms,” Elvine protested. “You feel good against me, and you’re as light as a feather.”

“Oh my god.” Jax laughed. “You finally got an idiom right.”

She wrinkled her nose. “What’s an idiom?”

Arion finally looked up. “You’re joking, right?”

Right before she glanced away, Jax saw the hurt flash across her eyes. He opened his mouth to apologize but was suddenly captivated by the stunning display unfolding before him.

Her back began to shimmer with an array of vibrant colors that seemed as if they were pulsating beneath her skin. The sleeveless blouse she wore had a V-shape cut that exposed most of her upper back, but even beneath the fabric, he could see the glowing colors.

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