Kira lay on her back, the sheet pulled modestly over her nakedness. She studied him with as much caution as he felt, as though uncertain what to say. But she gave it a stab. "You were fantastic. I feel like a limp noodle."
He couldn't help but puff up a bit. "Thanks. You were pretty incredible yourself."
They stared at each other, an awkward silence stretching between them.
Sitting up, Kira sighed and shoved a strand of blond hair from her face. The sheet slipped to reveal one rosy nipple. "Look, this was fun, but don't think I'm going to go all clingy on you. I realize we were two consenting adults blowing off some steam, and I'm fine with that."
Jax stared at her, thrown for a loop. "What?"
"I mean, the last thing I intend to do is put a strain on your relationships around here, and in spite of what I said earlier about screwing my way through the team, I don't plan on being the resident slut." She slid out of bed and began to hunt for her clothes. "So this was great, but we'll just leave it at that. Right?"
"Uh, sure." He should be relieved she was letting him off the hook so easily. Why wasn't he?
Locating her panties, she slid them on and reached for her bra. "And now that you've scratched your itch, I'm assuming the possessive 'don't let me smell another man' thing shouldn't be a problem for your wolf."
He blinked at her. "Are you asking me or telling me?"
Grabbing her borrowed jeans, she lifted her shoulders in a shrug. "Asking, I suppose."
Watching her dress, he stumbled over the question. Was he fine and dandy with the idea of her suddenly reeking of another man's stench? With the knowledge that she'd been touched, pleasured, by someone else?
His wolf bristled, rumbling ominously inside him.
"I don't know what came over me before," he said, striving to sound casual. "It's none of my business who you spend time with."
His skin prickled, the burning itch worsening, the reprieve apparently coming to an end. His own words felt like acid on his tongue, and he stood like a statue, willing down his wolf's rage. And it wasn't only the beast that was unhappy, he realized-his very human side was pissed as hell at her calm dismissal of their fling and even worse, his own stupidity in agreeing with her.
"I'm glad we have that cleared up," she said. But a flash of something that might've been hurt clouded her eyes, and then was hidden as she sat on the edge of the bed and bent to tie her sneakers.
At a loss, Jax pulled on his clothes as well, hiding his conflicting emotions. He knew she was right, that his possessiveness was nothing more than a by-product of his beast flexing its muscles, but for some reason it didn't make him feel better.
"How did you hurt your leg? If you don't mind my asking."
He did mind, very much. But she was looking at him with such honest concern, not pity, that he found himself answering. "Six months ago, my team was ambushed and five of us were slaughtered. The mangled leg was my souvenir from that night. Guess I got lucky." The bitter sarcasm in his voice wasn't lost on either of them.
"I'm so sorry," she said softly. Her eyes locked with his. "But I thought you said shifters were almost impossible to kill."
"Almost being the operative word. But we were lured to an abandoned building, and lowered our guard when we saw it was unoccupied. The next thing we knew, bullets were flying. Silver ones." Remembered horror had him swallowing hard.
Screams of agony, his friends falling. Writhing on the cold concrete floor.
Creatures unlike any they'd ever seen, conjured as though from the worst of their nightmares, swooping from the rafters. Screeching in salacious joy as they ripped through flesh and bone, tearing him apart.
Blood everywhere, flowing like a river.
"Jax?"
Shaking himself from the terrible memory, he noticed she'd stood and was patting his arm. "I'm fine. It just sneaks up on me sometimes."
"Six months isn't long to heal, either physically or emotionally. I apologize for bringing up a painful subject."
"Not your fault," he assured her. "Anyway, we couldn't shift into our wolves because of the silver bullets. Silver shuts down our systems, and it's agonizing no matter what form we take. While we were incapacitated, these creatures attacked. Black leathery bastards, with gaping maws of jagged teeth. All we could do was lie there while they sliced and diced us."
She shuddered. "Demons?"
"No. None of us had ever seen anything like them. Four of us survived-me, Zander, Aric, and Ryon. Zan escaped the worst of the attack and healed the three of us as best he could. Nearly killed himself trying to save the others. I woke up back at the infirmary and learned the rest were dead, including our leader, Terry Noble."
"Then Nick and Hammer came in as the new guys," she finished.
"Yeah. They've fit right in, and Nick is a good boss. Different from us, though," he said, anxious to steer the topic from the massacre.
"How so?"
"He's a born shifter, not made. He's also a rare white wolf and a PreCog. All of that has made him a favorite subject of study with the docs here at the Institute."
"I'll bet." Her expression lit with interest. "Understanding his physiology and his lineage should go a long way toward helping the doctors learn about the life cycle of your kind. Like whether being a shifter shortens or lengthens your life span, what happens when you take a mate and try to have a child-all sorts of stuff."
Mating. Another subject he didn't want to discuss, though he had opened up the subject before they made love, in trying to ease her concerns. But he'd have to talk about it in more depth when he saw the doc, and he should get going soon if he wanted to speak with her today. In a few hours, they'd leave to stake out the cemetery and wait for Goth Guy to show.
He nodded. "They're studying everything they can about what makes us tick, and I figure you'll assist with the research and testing. When you're not making nice with your new buddies from Block R."
"I guess I'll learn more after I see Dr. Mallory." She cocked her head, curious. "By the way, what's the 'evil' creature currently making its home in Block T?"
His eyes narrowed. "Who told you about that?"
"Zander. He also told me not to go down there for any reason."
Way to go, Z-Man. Now Mary Sunshine is sure to try, you dipstick. "He's right-don't even think of finding Block T. None of the creatures who're put there can be rehabbed, and our guest at the moment is no exception."
"What is he?" she repeated.
Damn it. The woman was tenacious when she wanted an answer. "During the massacre, one of the things that attacked us was injured. His buddies left him for dead and he ended up here as our prisoner in hopes of getting information from him about who set up the attack. He either can't communicate, or refuses. We're not sure which."
"You know, I got Sariel to talk when no one else could. Maybe I could-"
"No fucking way!" he practically shouted. "Keep your nosy self far from that piece of shit or I'll turn you over my knee and spank your ass until you can't sit for a week."
Stepping away from him, she stiffened in anger. "A simple no would have sufficed. I'm quite capable of following the rules."
"Says the woman who stole from her employer not twenty-four hours ago," he shot back.
"I explained why I took those samples, and it's a good thing I did since something really weird is going on there that's even weirder than what goes on here. Now, if you'll excuse me, my nosy self has pressing business with my new supervisor."
Sailing past him, she exited the bedroom.
"Hey, wait! Kira, I'm sorry!"
A few seconds later, the door to his apartment slammed and he was left alone.
"Well, fuck!"
Even Mary Sunshine had her limits, it appeared. This wasn't how he'd envisioned their interlude ending. But it was probably for the best. He'd never wanted to tie himself to any one lover, even more so since his last disastrous relationship. Nothing good could come from leading on someone as genuine as Kira.
Wandering into the living room, he tried to decide what to do next. Kira was on her way to meet with Melina, so Jax's own visit with the doc would have to wait. Maybe he'd see if Zan wanted to do some sparring in the gym.
Nothing like a little friendly bloodshed to keep his mind off a cute blonde.
Already, he knew the odds of the distraction being completely successful.
Damn it.
"Nosy!" she seethed, stalking away from Jax's place as fast as her feet would carry her. "Insufferable jerk. Where does he get off yelling at me?"
She was inquisitive. So what? And if that undesirable trait helped uncover something illegal or immoral, then it wasn't all bad. No, her biggest problem at the moment seemed to be Jax believing he had the right to tell her what to do.
Being shouted at tended to shut her down, always had. Her dad had been one to shout whenever he conveyed his displeasure over anything, no matter how small. She and her mother had to put up with it when Kira was growing up, and her mother still endured his bullying. But Kira didn't have to take it from Jax, or any man.
God, if only she could forget the play of his muscles under her palms. The way he moved inside her, took control. Owned her body as no lover ever had.
"Kira? May I walk with you?"
Halting in her tracks, she turned to see Sariel close his door and stride toward her. She was struck anew by his ethereal beauty, so different from Jax's rough-aroundthe-edges male potency, but no less effective. If it wasn't for Jax-no. She wasn't going there, not with the Seelie and not with Jax, ever again. She'd been a fool to fall for his seduction knowing full well that she was a substitute for his failed liaison with someone else.
"Sure. I'm going to see Dr. Mallory. Which reminds me, I was supposed to buzz her first."
Catching up with her, he smiled. "Would you like to use my communication box?"
"Your phone," she corrected, laughing.
"Yes, that thing."
"Might as well." She was going to suggest that she use her own phone since her door was closer, but Jax chose that moment to leave his apartment and spotted them. "Your room, then."
Okay, that was probably mean of her, saying that loud enough for Jax to hear. But he needed to get the point. She wasn't going to follow orders where her personal business was concerned.
Even if he was hot enough in bed to set the sheets on fire.
She was glad his Psy ability wasn't setting fires because the look he gave her and Sariel as he stalked past would've fried them both in their shoes. Lifting her chin, she trailed the faery into his room and walked to the phone, scanning the list of extensions. Finding the correct one, she punched in the numbers and waited for the doc to pick up.
"Dr. Mallory."
"Hi, um, this is Kira Locke. I know it's early, but I was wondering if you had time to see me before lunch." She glanced at her new friend hovering nearby. "Sariel, too."
There was a pause, and the sound of papers shuffling. "I was just finishing a couple of tests, but I should be free in ten minutes or so. I'll see you first, then him. Does that work?"
"Yes, that's great. Thank you."
"You're welcome. See you in a few minutes."
Kira hung up and replaced the receiver in the dock. "She'll see us in ten minutes. Me first, then you." She looked at Sariel and felt a tremor of anxiety roll from him, despite his placid expression. "Don't worry. She seemed warmer than when we met earlier."
His brow furrowed. "Warmer? Was she cold?"
She stared at the prince for a couple of seconds before realizing that he'd taken her words literally. Not wanting to hurt his feelings, she stifled a giggle. "No. What I meant is, she didn't seem as unfriendly."