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Jax grimaced. “He’d learned about my tech skills somehow and wanted to use me for his own twisted purposes, though I didn’t see it at the time. I was just a desperate teenage boy who wanted to know his father. I didn't realize agreeing to help him would mean I'd never see my mom or stepdad again.”
My heart ached, knowing this story wouldn’t end well.
Jax swallowed when he looked me in the eye. His own were brimming with unshed tears. “Later on, I found out Tomas had my parents killed. By then, I was trapped. There was no way out. Nowhere to go.”
“Jax…” I was stunned, at an utter loss for words. Yes, I knew Tomas was a vile, cruel man, but to kill his son’s parents? The enormity of what Jax had gone through was nearly overwhelming.
In that moment, all I wanted was to provide some comfort to this man who had suffered so much. I reached out for him, wrapping an arm around his shoulders.
“Jax, I—”
But before I could even get the words out, a growl filled the room, loaded with menace and warning. I whipped around and found Evan in the doorway, a wall of pure rage as he glared.
“Get your hands off her!” Evan said with a snarl, eyes blazing gold with fury.
Before I could comprehend what was happening, Evan lunged, shoving me away from Jax. Panic surged as he grabbed Jax off his stool and threw him to the floor with enough force to shake the foundations. He was on top of him half a second later, his hand raised, razor-sharp talons jutting out.
“Evan!” I screamed as I rushed at them.
Just when I thought Evan was going to tear Jax apart, he sprang into action. Jax was fast, fierce, and on his feet in the next breath, ready to defend himself in spite of his recent injuries. I backed up on instinct, knowing getting between the two alphas couldn’t end well.
And then Sebastian was there.
“Stop it, both of you!” His booming voice filled the room as well as his alpha command. He stepped between Evan and Jax, grabbing Evan by the shoulders and pulling him back.
“What the fuck is the meaning of this?” He was growling right in Evan’s face. “Get ahold of yourself, son.” It was an order, his tone firm and unwavering. “This isn't the way we handle things.”
My heart pounded in my chest. I couldn't believe what’d just happened. Evan had always been protective and fierce, sometimes to a fault, but this… this was something else entirely. Unprecedented, and wholly unacceptable. Not only had he been ready to rip Jax to shreds, he’d shoved me out of the way to get to him.
“Is everyone okay?” Sebastian looked at each of us in turn, finally releasing Evan and shoving him back. I could see the concern etched on the older alpha’s face as he assessed the situation.
Jax glared at Evan, rubbing his arm where he’d grabbed him. “I’m fine.”
Sebastian's gaze turned to me. “Mariah?”
“I’m okay,” I said quietly. I wanted to regain my composure after the sudden outburst.
“Mariah!” I heard Abi as the petite woman rushed into the kitchen, her eyes wide with concern. She took in the sight of Evan and Jax, their chests heaving from exertion, and Sebastian standing between them like a brick wall. “What the hell happened in here?
My shock faded and was replaced by anger. My hands balled into fists at my sides, and I glared at Evan. He seemed to finally realize what he'd done, and guilt washed over his face.
“Mariah.” Evan took a step toward me, but I held up a hand to stop him.
“Don’t,” I snapped. “Jax didn’t do anything wrong.”
Evan swallowed hard, visibly struggling with his emotions. “I’m sorry,” he said. He turned to Jax, offering a hand to help him up. “I’m sorry, man. I don’t know what came over me.”
Jax grimaced but accepted Evan’s hand, though he waved off Evan's apology with a dismissive gesture. “You need to do something about that jealous streak of yours.” He turned to me. “Are you okay, Mariah?”
Evan growled again. This was ridiculous. We’d just talked about this last night, yet I was still shocked to see this behavior.
I glared at him, then looked back at Jax. I nodded, forcing a small smile. “Yeah, I'm fine. Thanks, Jax.”
He watched me closely for a few seconds, then finally nodded. “I’ll be in my room if you need anything,” he said before leaving the kitchen.
The silence that followed was thick with tension. Abi moved closer to me, her expression a mix of concern and sympathy. I couldn't stand it. No one else was saying anything. In fact, they were acting like this was normal behavior for a dragon shifter, but this was far from fine with me. The anger within me bubbled over, and I found myself directing it at Evan.
“They’re all right, you know,” I said. “You need to calm down and get a grip on this possessive jealousy. It's outrageous, and it’s not fair to anyone, especially Jax. We’re going to be living under the same roof for the foreseeable future.”
