Benjamin glanced over his shoulder at him. “Well, now that was your first mistake, wasn’t it?”
“No, I don’t think so,” Jax said. “Now, Nicky!” he shouted and all hell broke loose at once. Nicky jumped out from behind a tree on the opposite side of the clearing and fired directly at a tree just over Benjamin’s head, making him duck down and momentarily loosen his grip on Gabe. Gabe gasped and wrenched away, falling to the ground and rolling. He managed to roll himself right into the legs of the closest guards, just as Jax fell straight down to the ground at their feet, making the one holding his arm stumble and try to regain his balance in all the confusion.
With a loud roar, Zack suddenly ripped himself away from the tree and charged toward the guards, moving so fast he was almost a blur. Jax could see that he seemed to be in a partial shift, his long fangs hanging from his mouth and his hands formed into claws. In seconds, he’d torn the guns away from them and threw them into the trees, and with another sweep of his hand, he slashed the throat of one of the guards, sending the other two running screaming into the forest. Jax could see the blade Gabe had slipped him gripped in his claws, both dripping with blood.
Jax rushed toward Cade, pulling another sharp knife he had hidden in his waistband and using it to slice through the bungee cords holding Cade to the tree. He moved around to the back and sawed at the ropes on his hands.
Cade pulled at them desperately and managed to free himself even before Jax cut through the ropes, springing away to help Zack, now locked on the ground in a struggle with Benjamin and another guard. Jax made it over to where Nicky was crouching beside Marco, trying desperately to bring him around. Gabe was back unsteadily on his feet beside Zack, dodging the blows and trying to help until Zack turned and pushed him roughly down on his backside. “Stay there!” he said in a rough, hoarse voice, and Gabe nodded, blinking rapidly.
Jax made quick work of the ropes holding Marco, and he helped Nicky lower the unconscious man to the ground. Nicky frantically tried to find a pulse. Marco took one big gasp and then stopped breathing. Nicky looked up at Jax in horror and without hesitation, without even knowing what he was really doing, Jax bit down on his wrist until the blood was flowing freely. He pressed his bloody wrist against Marco’s mouth, rubbing it across his lips. Some of the blood trickled down into Marco’s throat and he reacted convulsively, arching up toward Jax’s wrist and latching on.
Nicky looked over at him in shock, and Jax grinned and shrugged. “Alpha blood. ”
Marco was sucking so hard at his wrist that it soon became painful, and Jax began to feel lightheaded. After only a few minutes, he was pulled gently away, and Cade was beside him, offering his own wrist to Marco, but never taking his eyes away from Jax.
Jax grew uneasy under his close scrutiny and glanced over to see Benjamin’s lifeless body stretched out on the ground and Zack bending over Gabe, checking the already-black bruises on his throat. The camp behind them was in a total rout, with the wolves falling over each other to get away into the woods. Anxious to protect their mates, Cade and Zack allowed them to escape, confident they could track the rogues down later, especially now that their leader was dead.
Jax saggedagainst Cade’s shoulder, feeling weak as the adrenaline drained from his body. He was aware that Marco began to come around, and he could hear Nicky sayingMarco’s name softly, over and over.
Cade pulled away from Marco and took Jax in his arms, bending his head to whisper in his ear. “Well done, cher. Of course you realize I’m going to blister your ass because you put yourself in that kind of danger, don’t you?”
Jax’s mouth fell open in surprise, and he looked up at Cade to find him looking down at him with one raised eyebrow. He sighed and leaned back into his chest. “You’re safe. So it was totally worth it,” he said.
Chapter Eight
Jax sat on the bank of the stream watching Mason splash near the shallow edge. Rayce was beside him, pointing out the rapids in the middle of the stream and cautioning the boy about the fast water that led to a small waterfall and the treacherous, slippery rocks. Jax knew Rayce had been assigned babysitting duty for both him and Mason while the others were felling trees nearby. He resented it, but was taking Nicky’s advice not to fight it so hard. Not all the rogues had been rounded up yet, and until they were, Cade was being extra cautious with his safety.
He looked up in pleased surprise when Cade dropped down next to him.
“Taking a break?” Jax asked and Cade nodded, wiping his brow.
“A little one. Ian, Marco?
?s beta, has everything under control up there. We’re making good progress, and we have a good start on the foundation. Plenty of rock over by the cliffs and Connor’s got a group over there hauling it to the building site. I was beginning to feel superfluous, so I came to check on you. ” Cade had kept Jax close by his side over the last two weeks since they’d returned from their adventure with the rogues. They’d stayed at the lodge until they were sure Marco was completely recovered, and then after Zack and Gabe left to go home, they’d sent for the rest of the pack and come back up to the site to get to work. They’d been camping here ever since, and Cade had set up nightly patrols to make sure the area was safe.
“Have you been in swimming yet?” Cade asked, and Jax shook his head.
“Too cold for me. ”
“Mason seems to be having fun. He’s settling in well here, though we’ll have to figure out something about his education. One of the mates, Brittany, used to be an elementary school teacher. She said she’d work with him for a while. When we get the road built, we can take him down to Marco’s pack and he can go to their little school. ”
“Sounds good,” Jax said, smiling over at him. “Thanks for worrying about him. It means a lot to me. ” Cade nodded, shrugging it off, but Jax knew he had something more on his mind. He waited him out.
“About his father…”
“What about him? He sacrificed any rights he had to Mason when he started to sexually abuse him. ”
“I know that, Jax, and I wasn’t suggesting we take him back. ”
“Good, because that ain’t happening. ”
“Jax, be honest with me. Are they looking for you? Am I going to have to fight off federal agents who come looking for you on kidnapping charges? I will, you understand, but I would like to be prepared. ” Cade smiled down at him, running a finger along his jawline.
Jax sighed, shaking his head. “No. I made a deal with the son of a bitch before I left. The two of us wouldn’t go to the police with what he was doing to Mason and had done to me, if he let me take Mason and go. I don’t feel good about that—I’m afraid he’ll molest some of the kids at his school, but he said it would be my word against his. The word of a little queer and a kid against an upstanding member of the community—his exact words, I believe. I didn’t have any real proof, so I agreed to leave quietly if he let me take Mason. I don’t really trust him though. If he knew where to find me, he could change his mind and come for Mason. ”
“He could try,” Cade said quietly. “He’d have to come through me first. I’ve got you both now, Jax, and no one will ever hurt you again. You have my word on that. ”
A shout from the stream made them both glance up at Rayce just as his feet went out from under him, and he crashed back into the rocks. He must have hit his head pretty hard, because he wasn’t moving, and his head began to slip under the water. Mason started to climb over one of the rocks to get to him as Cade and Jax both jumped to their feet and waded into the icy water. Cade reached Rayce first and hauled his head out of the shallow depths, pulling him up on the banks. Jax turned to tell Mason to come with them, and found he’d disappeared. Frantically, Jax looked for him by the rock he’d last seen him clambering on, but there was no trace of him. A choked scream made him jerk up his head.