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Mariah and Jax exchanged glances.
“Look, Evan,” Jax said, cautiously lifting a hand. “I know you're worried about Mariah, but we have to be rational here. You can't let Tomas get under your skin. To stay a step ahead, you’ve got to be at the top of your game.” He shot a worried glance at Mariah. “You need to rein in some of these instincts if we're going to take him down.”
He was right. Of course, he was. Losing control wouldn't help anyone. I needed to channel my energy into something productive, like an actual strategy to keep my family safe.
As alpha, I couldn’t leave the clan alone for any significant amount of time, especially so soon after Sebastian’s death. After all, I was still establishing myself. Yet I wondered if this was really the safest place for Mariah right now. Would she simply be a sitting duck here? Did we need to take her somewhere Tomas would never find her?
No. My pregnant mate belonged with me, and nowhere else.
“Okay,” I said through gritted teeth. “We need to increase security immediately. And we need to move up the timeline for bringing Tomas down. We can’t wait around for answers any longer, especially now the new baby is in play. We can't afford any more surprises. It’s time to do this as fast as we can.”
“Agreed.” Jax nodded firmly. “I’ll work on upgrading the security system here now that I have my girl back up and running.” He ran a hand over his laptop. “And I’ll see if there's anything else we can do to make it harder for Tomas to track Mariah.”
Once again, the air in the room grew heavy, and it was as if I could feel Mariah's anxiety rising like a tide. I’d been more in tune to her emotions since she’d woken up as a dragon, but lately I could feel more of the subtleties and shifts. Was it because her dragon was getting stronger, or because of the enhanced hormones and pheromones from pregnancy?
My own anxiety spiked in response as her eyes shined with a mixture of fear and anger, her small frame trembling slightly. I turned fully toward her as the emotions played out across her face.
“Mariah, are you okay?” I asked gently, knowing full well that she wasn't. She looked absolutely exhausted.
“No, Evan, I'm not okay,” she burst out, exasperation in her voice. “I’m tired of being a target. I just want all this to be over so I can live my life without constantly looking over my shoulder.”
Her anxiety shifted into anger, and I could feel her lashing out at me, raw and exposed. I couldn't blame Mariah. She’d faced more threats, more danger than any person ever should. She’d been through so much and come out so strong. I didn't want her to have to be strong like that anymore.
“Hey,” I said, stepping toward her and reaching out for her arm, but she jerked it away.
“I didn’t ask for any of this, you know,” she said, the anger now bleeding into sorrow. “This wasn’t my choice, yet here I am.”
I watched her carefully. My mate’s emotions were fluctuating wildly now, and I could sense every change. There was no way this was just her fear of what we were facing. Her dragon was making itself more known by the day, and I doubt she had any idea how to handle that on top of the fluctuating pregnancy hormones.
“Come here.” I pulled her into my arms, not giving her a chance to resist. “We'll get through this, okay? We’ve done it before. We’ll do it again. And this time, when it’s all over, we won’t have anything else to worry about.” I gripped her chin, tipping her head up so she looked me in the eyes. “I swear to you. We will have the future you’ve always dreamed of.” I placed my other hand on her belly. “We're a family now, and we'll do whatever it takes to protect you.”
Mariah's breathing caught, and I could tell she was holding back tears. She blinked them away, clenching her jaw as she pulled back.
“Thank you, Evan,” she said quietly. “I…my emotions are just all over the place. I think I need to get some sleep.”
I kissed her forehead. “Whatever you need. Abi has Sofia. Do you want me to take you up?”
“I’ll be fine.”
I sensed Mariah's exhaustion weighing on her like a thousand-pound anchor and remembered what the doctor said about her being a lot more tired during this trimester of the pregnancy. It wasn’t just the changes she was going through with the baby, but also because of what her dragon was doing to her body. I still didn’t know why her dragon hadn’t shown itself yet, or how long it would be, but I could be sure of one thing: she needed rest, and I’d be sure she got it.
“Sleep as long as you need.”
“Jax,” Mariah said, moving away from me and over to where he stood. “I really am so glad you're back. I just haven’t felt like myself today. I hope we can catch up more tomorrow.”
“Absolutely.” He gave her a soft smile. “Get some rest.”
With that, Mariah excused herself and retreated to our bedroom, leaving Jax and me alone. Jax watched her go, his eyes trailing her, and I waited for the surge of jealousy, the wild protectiveness to wash over me as it had so many times in the past. It’d plagued me so often when he and Mariah first became close. But now, as I studied Jax's face, I realized how misplaced those feelings were. Instead of jealousy or anger, I recognized how he cared for her like family. Anyone who fought for Mariah like he did was one of us.
“Jax,” I said firmly, looking him straight in the eye when he turned to me. “Just so you know, you're not allowed to leave again. You're a part of this family now.” I clapped a hand on his shoulder, feeling the tension in his muscles ease slightly.
“So you’ve said. I hope you know how much that means.” A grateful smile spread across his face.
“And in case you don’t think I’m serious, I want to prove it to you.”
“You don’t have anything to prove, Evan. If anything, I’m the one who doesn’t deserve—”
I held my hand up. “Stop right there. What I’m saying is that you have a place here forever. No matter what. I’m officially initiating you into the clan. Like I said, you’re one of mine now, and I intend to protect you as such.”
