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Jaxon’s eyes narrowed. He nodded to Libby. “Have Mr. M get Logan for dinner.”
Libby walked toward them, and though she smiled up at him, he sensed her wariness, a slight hesitation. The last time he’d seen her she’d been very thin, beaten down, having just been rescued from the clutches of the DaCosta jaguars. She was a different person today—happy, healthy.
Wearily, he ran his fingers through his hair. It seemed so long ago.
A lifetime, yet it had only been months.
Her hand strayed to the top of Logan’s head. A healthy glow kissed her cheeks, and the love she felt for her men, the child and Jaxon, was easy to see.
“Julian,” she said simply, and she rose onto her tiptoes as she slid her arms across his shoulders. She hugged him fiercely, and though he held himself stiff and kept his hands at his sides, a part of him welcomed the warmth, the touch. He closed his eyes as she whispered into his ear.
“The ghosts will go away. This I promise.”
She let go and stood back. “Logan, why don’t you take Shelby to the kitchen and feed her? Mr. M is in there waiting for you; we’ll be along in a bit, okay?”
The small boy ran to his father and gave Jaxon a high five before calling the dog after him.
Julian felt detached from the domestic joy his brothers had found. Jaxon and Libby were screwed if they thought they could raise a child in this world and have a happy-ever-after. The security they enjoyed was false. He knew what was coming.
He paused as his eyes fell upon Jaden. She stood a few inches away, and, as her eyes caught his, a calm blank facade slid into place, masking her feelings once more. But not before he saw the yearning and want she held inside her. For a child.
The two of them stared at each other in silence. He was aware of movement, of Cracker and his brothers having a muted conversation. Of Finn and the woman Skye, his sister, talking excitedly to each other. Of Declan and Ana standing stiff as boards, each trying like hell to ignore the other.
Of the child Logan and his mother Libby.
None of them touched anything inside him except the woman who stood directly before him. She held her head high, and though her lips trembled slightly, and her eyes reflected back at him like liquid glass, she was in control. He could feel it, her strength.
She deserved the life his brothers had managed to eke out of the chaos that had rained down upon them. She wanted it though she denied it.
Suddenly, Julian was filled with a need to make sure she got it, or at the very least had a chance at something half-normal. How fucking crazy is that? In the midst off the mess he’d found himself in, he, a Castille shifter, cared about a DaCosta.
No matter that she was his mate. He wouldn’t be around to claim that legacy. Had no interest in it, but damn if he wouldn’t try to make sure she started a new one. Was it possible for her to claim another?
The constant burn that fed upon his skin quickened, but he ignored it and felt the white noise recede as he clenched his teeth together.
He turned from Jaden. Nico waited in the wings.
He’d find the fallen and return him to his maker. As much as he’d like nothing more than to kill the fucker himself, that was the deal.
No one but he and Declan knew the truth: Azaiel was the portal. They were to recover the fallen and return him to Bill. In return, they’d get back the shredded pieces of their souls—and the pleasure of serving Bill for the next thousand years.
Or fail and fall into darkness.
Yeah, he knew his future was pretty much fucked, but he would do whatever it took to make sure Jaden had a shot at hers.
Chapter 21
“Follow me.”
Jaxon Castille’s crisp voice cut through her thoughts, and Jaden jumped, her eyes falling from Julian as she glanced toward the other Castille brothers.
Jaxon nodded to the right, toward an imposing set of double doors, a polite smile gracing his features though the look in his eyes was frosty. It irritated her. She’d not expected open arms or anything, but hell, they’d been working on the same side for years.
Jaxon had never been comfortable working with a DaCosta. Had in fact protested when she’d been given her own unit though he’d relented somewhat when he’d become aware of her undercover activities. He knew she was on the right side and had thought they’d put his distrust behind them.
Apparently not.
Skye walked toward her, and Jaden felt a stab of jealousy hit her hard. She watched Jagger, who was a few feet away. He couldn’t take his eyes off her. They stalked the woman as she moved through the room. In spite of everything—she being an eagle knight and he being a jaguar—the two of them had found something special, something worth fighting for.
