Page 47 of Taste of Danger

Jax was sure of it.

There was no hope for Akai. He was broken on such a deep level that not even the fires of hell could cleanse him.

Akai’s laugh was chilling. “Your family is just as broken as mine. “They will abandon you the moment you become an inconvenience for them.”

Jax wasn’t sure if the vampire was born this way or if it was nature, but there wasn’t any doubt the guy’s parents had a hand in creating the monster Akai was today.

“No,” Jax said calmly as he shook his head. “Let me educate you, Akai. This family knows how to stand side by side, knows how to be loyal.” He gestured toward the shifters all around him as his tone grew hard and biting. “A family who will throw down to protect each other. I will go to war to protect every single person in this house. Can you say the same about your family? Would you willingly lay down your life for your father? I would, without hesitation. My family is all around me right now, while your daddy is waiting for you at home.”

The bears and Jax’s family slowly moved in, but so did the other vampires, as if they sensed the impending battle and were getting ready for it.

“Arion is now a Frost, Akai. This family may not be perfect, may fight amongst ourselves, and feel like, at times, life beats us down, but my family will never let me fall. They will always have my back. And now Arion is a part of that.” He walked farther into the yard, seething at what this man had done to Arion for over a decade, how Akai had brutalized Jax’s mate for nothing more than his own sick pleasure.

“You are about to find out what true torture feels like,” Jax ground out. “I’m about to exact a pound of flesh from you for every…single…scar…you left on him.”

“I tried to offer you peace, mutt.” Akai’s soulless eyes lit up as a gleeful smile spread. He was truly one sick son of a bitch and Jax wanted to vomit knowing he’d had those cruel hands on his sweet Arion.

“And I’m offering you death.” Jax attacked. The other vampires emerged from the woods but just stood there and watched like they were waiting to see who the stronger opponent was: Jax or Akai.

Using his inhuman speed, Akai moved around Jax, slicing cuts into him with his sharp nails. His fighting skills were sloppy at best. He’d probably never been challenged because of his father, but Akai was playing with the big boys tonight.

All Jax had to do was anticipate his next move, then he clotheslined the idiot. Instead of flat-out killing him, Jax went for blows, giving Akai the beatdown that was way overdue. His family and the bears would watch his back while he gladly dealt out revenge on Arion’s behalf.

The vampire tried to fight back, even tried to defend himself, but Jax’s rage was relentless.

“Attack them!” Akai shrieked at his men, while trying to use his speed again, but every time he made that move, Jax countered it with a well-placed punch.

He slugged Akai in his mouth, shattering his fangs. “You want to torture a defenseless man, you sick fuck?” A fist to Akai’s throat. “Terrorize someone weaker than you.” A punch to his gut. “Send him to find Casimir so the warrior would die.” One kidney shot, followed up with an uppercut. “Unlucky for you, Arion has a huge-ass family to protect him now.”

A punch through the chest so Jax could rip out his heart. “Now you’re educated.”

Gross. He dropped the beating muscle. Yuk.

Frowning, Jax glanced around at the two dozen vampires who hadn’t lifted a hand to help their coven leader’s son. No one had moved, not even the shifters. They had all just stood by and watched Jax brutalize the vampire.

“You better kill his father too,” one guy said. “Because he will come after you, and no doubt kill us for letting his monstrous spawn die.”

“Hated living under the fear he would take one of us to his torture room next. Freak is a psycho,” another one snarled with murmurs of agreement all around him.

“Look,” a third one chimed in, “we’re not a bad coven. We just got strapped with a crappy leader and his psychotic son. I’m not saying we’ll become friends, because that will never happen, but we also don’t want a war over Arion. I like the guy. He’s a funny dude.”

“Arion has done a lot of us solids. It’s his uncle you should kill,” yet another guy said. “If you ask me, Alonzo is even worse than Ozel.”

Still confused as hell, Jax watched the vampires use their inhuman speed to leave the property.

“That’s what kindness gets you,” Quinton said as he watched them leave. “Loyalty. I saw your mate upstairs, but I’d love to actually meet him, Jax. He sounds like one hell of a guy.”

Jax still stood there, waiting for the vampires to turn around and attack. That’s what he was used to them doing, but no one returned. The only threat to Arion now was the coven leader, and possibly his uncle.

“Go get cleaned up,” his dad said with pride in his eyes. “You did really good, son. I’m proud of you.”

Still standing there dumbfounded, Jax asked, “Did they really just walk away?”

“What have I always said to you guys?” Kalen asked.

“Always help, never harm,” Jax answered. Then it dawned on him what his dad had just said a moment ago. It didn’t matter to Jax how old he was, hearing his father praise him would always make him feel like he was on the right path in life. Kalen’s opinion of him mattered, and Jax could only hope to be half the man his father was.

“Arion lived by that code and gained friends he never knew he even had.” His dad grinned, pride once more glinting in his eyes. “You have one hell of a mate.”

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