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Someone was here.
It was the strangest sensation, like I could feel another presence that hadn’t been there before. How was that possible?
I breathed in deeply, and that was all it took. The familiar scent that curled around me like invisible tendrils of smoke was like a signature my very being recognized. Not in the way my soul recognized my mate, but it was potent enough that I knew exactly who this was.
“Jax,” I said, sighing and rising to my feet. Relief and excitement washed over me as I raced out of my office and down the two flights of stairs.
Evan was already at the front door, his hand on the doorknob. I froze at the base of the stairs when Evan swung the door open, and my breath caught in my throat.
There Jax was, looking so much like he had the first time we’d met: rumpled, dark blond hair, a half-grin on his lips. But his eyes… gone was the teasing sparkle, the playful glint. Exhaustion overshadowed those blues, and his shoulders were curved slightly forward.
In short, Jax looked like a man who'd been through Hell and back. His eyes slid past Evan to where I stood, and the sharp flash of guilt I saw in his eyes nearly made me flinch.
“Hey.” Jax's voice was rough, scratchy. His eyes darted nervously between the two of us before he cleared his throat and said, “I hope it's all right that I'm here.”
“Of course, man.” Evan’s voice was full of warmth when he pulled Jax into a tight hug, clapping him on the back. “We've missed you.”
My chest tightened at the sight of them, at the bond they’d formed over the months before he left. Part of me wanted to rush forward and embrace Jax, but the other part was afraid I might overwhelm him. Was this the dragon puberty mixing with pregnancy hormones that Evan and Abi warned of? I was half afraid I might burst into tears at any moment. I shouldn’t have felt quite so emotional, but so much had happened since I’d seen Jax last, when we’d been held captive in Tomas’s clinic.
He wasn’t there when I’d woken up as a dragon shifter. He didn’t know about the baby. Could he sense those changes now?
I stayed rooted to the spot, my eyes locked with his over Evan’s shoulder.
“Thanks, Evan.” Jax's face shined with gratitude when they broke apart, and I noticed how much thinner he looked. Was it my imagination, or were his clothes a bit looser than before?
Evan’s grin was wide as he ushered Jax into the house. “You aren’t allowed to run off like that again, Jax. You're part of this family. I hope you know that.”
This time, when Jax smiled, it looked genuine, like the old Jax I knew. Relief coursed through me.
Then Jax's smile faded, his expression still stained by guilt. He wasn’t responsible for what his father did, yet he still blamed himself.
It wasn’t just his guilt that made me finally move closer, though. The shadows under his eyes, the hollowness to his cheeks all meant he hadn’t been taking care of himself.
The maternal instinct rose strong and swift. I wasn’t sure if it was because I was pregnant, the strange connection I now felt to Jax, or some mixture of both.
“You need a shower,” I said, stopping in front of him.
He raised his eyebrows.
“You look exhausted,” I continued. “Your old room is ready for you. There are clean clothes and anything else you need. Go take a shower. You'll feel better, then we can catch up.”
Jax’s nostrils flared, and his eyes widened slightly. “It worked,” he murmured, shaking his head. “You really are a shifter now.” He must have known, but truly seeing it for himself for the first time must have come as a shock. “Mariah…I’m so sor—”
“Stop right there.” I held up my hand. “I don’t want your apology for something that wasn’t your fault. And you can stop feeling guilty right fucking now.”
Evan chuckled, but I kept my eyes trained on Jax. I wasn’t messing around.
Jax smirked after a second, though I could see the wonder in his eyes, too. “I see he didn’t kill your spirit, love.”
“I mean it, Jax. After everything that’s happened, everything we went through together…” Emotion nearly clogged my throat, and I forced myself to swallow. “You’re my family, okay? Now you’re home, and I’m going to make sure you’re okay whether you like it or not. So, go shower, then come have something to eat.”
Surprise flashed in his eyes, and I recognized the truth in my words. Jax had lost his mother a long time ago, and when Tomas had come for him, he certainly hadn’t been a prize parent. He’d used his own son for his own sick purposes, and Jax’s relationship with Rosalind was similarly built on shaky ground.
But to me, Jax was my brother in every way that counted. I’d never had a family of my own, and never had siblings. Now that I had this little family I’d found and built for myself, I was going to take care of those who mattered most. Those I loved.
He looked as if he wasn't quite sure how to respond.
“Thank you, Mariah,” he said quietly as he glanced at Evan. “Thank you both. I think I’ll take you up on that offer.”
