“Are you okay?” he asked before she could do the same.
“Yes. Now.”
“I was going crazy without you. I couldn’t find you at the hotel, almost went to Nolan’s but decided to check here first. Did they hurt you?”
They. She didn’t have to ask who they were. “No. They showed up at the hotel about an hour after you left and escorted me here.”
His eyelids closed briefly, and he sighed. “Thank you for not killing them.”
“You’re welcome.”
He jerked her closer, hugged her, and squeezed the breath right out of her. And then their lips met in a heated kiss. No preliminaries. One of his hands tangled in her hair, the other cupped her jaw, angling her head for deeper contact. She held on to him, afraid to let go.
Desire swept through her, hot and hungry. He tasted as decadent as she remembered, was her anchor in the midst of a storm as she’d always craved, and gave her a sense of wholeness she’d never found with anyone else.
How had she ever lived without him?
He lifted his head and simply stared down at her, silver eyes intense. “God, I missed you.”
“What took you so long?” she asked, nuzzling her cheek against his neck. His pulse was strong and fast. Dallas had to be wrong. No way this powerful man could be destroyed.
He traced the tip of his thumb over her lips, and she shivered. “We’ll talk about that in a bit,” he said. He turned toward his friends, keeping Mishka snuggled at his side. “You locked her up?”
No longer was his voice tender and loving. He sounded mean, like he could coldly murder anyone who stepped into his path.
Unrepentant, Mia squared her shoulders. “Seemed like a good idea. She wrote a list, detailing all the ways to kill you.”
He shrugged, unconcerned.
Just like that. He trusted her, she realized with shock and awe. He didn’t even have to hear her reasoning.
Mia shook her head in disgust. “Where have you been?”
“I’ll explain later.”
“It is later! We’ve been waiting. You left without warning. What else were we supposed to do? Let her go back to the otherworlder? Who has contacted his brethren, by the way. Not that you asked or even seemed to care.”
A muscle ticked below Jaxon’s left eye, causing his scar to dance. “She’s mine, and I will not tolerate poor treatment of her. Understand?”
Mute, Mia scowled at him.
Dallas rubbed at his temples, as if warding off an ache. “Why don’t I go with my instincts anymore?” he muttered. “Just lift my gun and shoot.”
Jaxon growled low in his throat.
“Look,” Mishka said. “It’s fine. I’m fine. Just tell him about Nolan so we can all get back to work.”
Dallas just shook his head in frustration and stomped off. He cared about Jaxon, she knew that. But no matter what his visions told him, she wasn’t going to let Jaxon get hurt. She’d die first.
Facing Jaxon and ignoring Mishka as if she wasn’t even in the room, Mia said, “Eden snuck into Nolan’s apartment. She used X-ray goggles. That bubbly plaster in the bedroom wall is being used to hide something, a book of some sort, but she couldn’t get to it without letting Nolan know she was there.”
“Did he do his disappearing act?”
Mia nodded. “Twice. Lucius was able to monitor his body heat, though, and learned something interesting. Nolan doesn’t go to another planet or even to another parallel, as we first suspected. He doesn’t even molecularly transport. He just becomes invisible.”
“But I watched him walk through a wall,” Jaxon said.
Now Mia shook her head. “No. That’s what he wanted you to think. All he did was disappear in front of a wall, bit by bit. He stayed in the club the entire time, is my bet. Might even have followed you home.”
Shit, Mishka thought, impressed. Sneaky bastard.
“We’re not sure who he’s playing,” Mia said. “Us or his brethren.”
“We need to find out what his ultimate goal is,” Mishka said.
“No shit,” Mia muttered.
Jaxon stiffened.
“Don’t,” Mishka told him, knowing he was about to yell at the agent.
Slowly he relaxed, and she fought a smile. She loved how protective he was of her, how he rushed to her defense. He’s mine. For now. The stray thought brought a frown. Don’t think like that.
“If Nolan can’t transport, that means he can be locked away.” Jaxon stroked a finger along the stubble of his jaw. “Which means the others can be locked away, too.”
Mia gave another nod.
“Any more victims?”
Yet another nod from Mia, this one grim. “Two civilians. Jack has them and he’s ceased all testing since three of the doctors became infected. Also, one of our own succumbed. Jaffee. She was dating one of the doctors.”
Mishka kissed Jaxon’s neck. “I’m sorry.”
He massaged her shoulder in acknowledgment. “I need a few hours with Mishka. Alone. And then—”
Mia growled. “You’re putting another halt to the case to screw your murdering girlfriend?”
He released Mishka and was in Mia’s face a moment later. “First, there’s not much we can do until we find the other Schön. And we can’t find them until Nolan makes a move. Right now, he’s not moving. Second, don’t talk about Mishka like that. I will retaliate. She’s endured more than you’ll ever know. She suffered for your friend, did you know that? She—”
“Jaxon,” Mishka said. “Don’t. Please.”
He ran his tongue over his teeth and quieted. He didn’t want to, she could tell, but he did it. For her.
Suddenly Kyrin shoved Mia behind him, violet eyes glaring hotly at Jaxon. “I will retaliate, as well. You do not yell at Mia.”
“Bring it on.”
Mishka had always wanted someone to fight for her, and now a man was doing it. Truly, Jaxon had made all her dreams come true. But now she realized that it would be better for him to not fight for her. He could lose his friends, people he cherished.
Now his happiness came before her own.
When she died, she did not want him left with nothing.
“Jaxon, they didn’t hurt me.” She stroked a hand over his spine. “They fed me, gave me shelter, and were even mildly entertaining.”
The stiffness did not leave his body. “You deserve better.”
Okay. Seriously. She loved this man. “I wanted to be here. I knew you’d show up sooner or later.”