Chapter Four
The cab ride to Nikki’s was brief. Jax’s body still tingled from being with Nikki, from taking her there on the kitchen table. She was so incredible, so insanely arousing. No other woman had ever made him feel this way. It was clear to him, so very clear, that she was the right woman for him, as a mate and as the partner he wanted for the rest of his life.
Besides the killer sex, she touched a part of him no one else had, opened him up, made him care, made him want to protect and cherish her. He took her hand in the cab, almost overwhelmed by the love he felt for her. She held his hand, trusting and honest. His throat tightened for a moment, the sting of tears in his eyes. But he brushed them away. This wasn’t the time or place for this; there would be plenty of time to tell her how he felt, to show her how much he loved her.
He had the cab wait. As they climbed the steps to Nikki’s apartment, Jax could feel her fear rising the closer they got to her door. There was a bright white envelope taped to the faded and scarred wood and Jax ripped it off, stuffing it into his pocket while Nikki fumbled with the lock. When she dropped the keys, he bent over and picked them up, unlocking the door for her.
“Still locked. Like you left it.” Jax turned the doorknob, Nikki standing behind him. He pushed the door and it swung open, thudding against the interior wall.
The faded miasma of the wolf-thing washed over him. Even though it wasn’t exactly a fresh scent, the hackles still rose on the back of his neck, the hairs on his arms bristling.
“Nikki, let me go in first.”
“Gladly. I’ll let you get my stuff, too, if you want.”
Jax took a few cautious steps into the apartment. He ran his hand along the wall, flicking on the overhead light. The apartment was small, which hopefully meant nothing very large would find a hiding place.
“What do you need? Where would it be?”
“Bedroom, maybe some stuff from the bathroom.” She stepped out from behind him, walking first to the kitchen. She opened the refrigerator, leaned forward, then took a step back, grimacing, before slamming the door.
“Nothing here, that’s for sure. It’s all rotten.” She scanned a small shelf above the table, picking up a small round object that she stuck in her purse.
“Bedroom next?” Jax tilted his head and she nodded. He walked down the short hall, flipping the light on in that room, stopping in the doorway, his arm baring her from coming in.
“It looks like someone trashed this room, Nikki. You should wait…” But she pushed past him.
“No, that’s how I left it.” She stood in the center of the tiny room, looking at the chaos around them. Sheets were torn off the bed, a pillow was on the floor and clothes dragged across the carpet.
“Oh…okay.” He caught the look she gave him and he shrugged. “It’s kind of hard to tell.”
“I wasn’t expecting company the last time I was here and I made it worse when I came back.” She had her hand on the closet door, opening it, and had turned to look at Jax as she spoke.
“There are just a few things…” Suddenly she was stumbling back from the closet, her face ashen. The stench hit him immediately, sickly and pungent, and very fresh.
“Nikki, back up. Now.”
He stepped forward quickly, colliding briefly with Nikki as she backed away from the closet. He took her by the shoulders, turning her away and pushing her toward the door.
The closet was empty. He could see that immediately. It was far too small to hide anything. But what he saw on the floor sent a shiver down his spine. Jax could only call it a nest. Several articles of Nikki’s clothing had been gathered into a rough circle, packed down and obviously slept on.
Jax knelt, feeling the clothes. They were cold, so at least whatever had been living here…and Jax was pretty sure he knew what that was…was no longer around. He ruffled through the clothes and then picked up something that fell from the tattered fabric.
He turned, holding it out to Nikki. She was sitting on the bed, chewing on a thumbnail. She pulled back, cringing, visible disturbed by what he held.
“What the hell is that?”
“It’s matted fur…matted with blood, by the looks and…” Jax held it to his nose, inhaling. “And the smell. Not fresh though…old blood.”
“It looks like that…thing from the alley. Is it? Was that thing living in my closet?” Her eyes went wide and if anything, her face grew paler. Jax frowned.
“Yeah. I think it is…was…I don’t know for how long. But I’d say it’s been here long enough to feel at home.”
“But how…the door’s been locked…oh, shit.”
Before he could answer, she slipped off the bed, heading for the bathroom. He heard another muffled “oh, shit” and he crossed the room in just a few long strides, almost colliding with her as she came back out of the bathroom.
“The window to the fire escape’s in there…and the window’s broken. There’s more of…that…” She pointed to the stringy mass of fur in his hand. “…on the broken glass. And some blood.”
She shivered and pushed past him to her bedroom. “I don’t think there’s anything I want from the closet anymore…just…”
Jax watched as she pulled the drawer from the bedside table, dumping it out on the bed, adding to the chaos. She rummaged through papers, finally coming up with an envelope that she shoved into her purse.
“That’s it. No clothes, no way. I can buy what I need…I’d rather spend the money than try to deal with that.” She nodded to the closet floor. “Nothing in there interests me in the least now that something’s been living in it.” Her face contorted again in a grimace.
“Okay. Here. This was from the front door.” He handed her the envelope. She looked at the outside, pulled out a sheaf of papers and snorted.
“I’m being evicted. For not paying the rent and because the neighbors are complaining of the smell.” She read through a few more pages and then sighed, stuffing them all into her purse.
“I guess that’s it then. No use hanging around, in case that thing decides to come back. And if it’s decided to live here, it can pay the rent.” Nikki grabbed her purse and walked past Jax into the hallway. He followed her out into through the living room and locked the door, giving her back her keys.
“You’re going to stay at Lori’s then?”
They were on the sidewalk before she answered. “I don’t know. We…had a fight. A bad one. There’s something going on between her and Ryan, and I think I got put in the middle of it.” She shrugged. He opened the door of the cab and she climbed inside.
“I guess as long as we don’t see each other, get in each other’s hair, we’ll be fine. And as long as I can pay my way.”
He glanced at her, the frown line between her eyes deepening. “Is that a problem?”
“Ryan’s not so keen on paying, from what I can tell. He said I’d get paid at the end of every day, but he’s blown me off now every day.”
She took his hand. “And no, before you say it, I can handle it…and him.”
It was dark now and he couldn’t see her face but he sensed a smile lurking behind her words.
“I’m that predictable?” He shook his head.
“Yeah, when it comes to things like this, with me, you are. You’d be all up in his face, demanding my pay. But that’s not your fight, Jax. It’s mine to deal with. I’ll take care of it. And no…you can’t lend me any money either.”
He laughed. “Fine. You have it your way. But I’m here if you need me.”
The house was bright with lights as the cab pulled up. Nikki got out as Jax paid the driver. She was staring at the house when he climbed out.
“Are you having a party or something?” Her voice held an edge of anxiety and he realized she’d never really met any of his pack, besides Finn and his mate, and the unfortunate incident with Bec barging into his room.
“No. This is pretty normal. You’ve always been here when everyone is out or asleep, I guess. Pretty much like this most nights. It is a big house, with a lot of guys who live here. And their mates.”
She hesitated on steps and he put his hand on the small of her back. “It’s okay. No one bites. At least not tonight.”
He heard her nervous laugh. “I get it. Werewolf humor. Funny.”
They walked through the front hall to the kitchen. “You hungry? I can fix you a sandwich or something.”
“Yeah, just a little something. That…thing in my closet kind of ruined my appetite.”
Nikki sat at the table while Jax rummaged in the refrigerator. He pulled out roast beef, a Vidalia onion and held up a jar of horseradish. She nodded, and he added a dark loaf of pumpernickel bread to the items on the counter.
“So, the thing in my closet. You think it’s the same from the alley?”
Jax spread a layer of horseradish on the bread, adding thin-cut beef on top. He picked up a knife, thinly slicing the onion.
“Yeah. I do.” He added the onion and another layer of beef. He set the finished sandwich in front of Nikki. “Beer?” He held the refrigerator door open, letting her look inside.
“Anything but that stuff I had last time. Little too thick for my tastes. I like to be able to see through my beer.”
Jax smiled, grabbing a bottle and opening it for her. “Guinness isn’t for everyone. You’ll like this better.”
He sat down across from her, watching as she bit into her sandwich and then laughing as her tears sprang to her eyes.
“Holy shit, Jax. What the hell is in this?” She wiped her eyes with the back of her hand.
“Horseradish…really good horseradish. Do you like it?” He bit into his sandwich, the sharp sting making his own eyes water.
“Yeah. I think. When I recover, I’ll let you know.” She took a long swallow of beer, setting the bottle back on the table with a thud.
“What?” She caught his look and they laughed.
“I like a girl who enjoys her food. A two-fisted eater.” He took a swallow of his beer, the cool liquid sliding down his throat.
They ate for a minute before Nikki broke the silence. “So…the thing. What is it?”
“I think it’s a lycanthrope.” He caught Nikki’s bemused look and went on. “Not a werewolf, although at first glance, I guess we look the same.”
“But it was different…bigger, and it smelled.” She pushed her empty plate away.
“There’s something wrong with it…and I think I know why. I found a journal my father kept, when he was alpha male. There’s an entry about his brother, Arden, who was bitten by a lycanthrope. Apparently the bit happened just as Arden was changing back to human form. Something happened, went wrong, and he wasn’t able to change back.”
Nikki grimaced. “Oh, my god. That’s horrible. What happened to him?” She took a swallow of beer.
“They brought him here and my father tried to do something to help, but Arden was stuck between wolf and human, and nothing seemed to work. Near as I can tell, being between left him weak, with almost no regenerative powers. At the moment we change, we are completely vulnerable. It’s usually only for a second. But Arden was stuck in that state.”