He lifted his arm and pushed the side of his watch, the green light briefly illuminated the face of the watch. “1:22,” he stated as he dropped a kiss on my nose. I could feel a tremor wrack his body. “Please don’t ever scare me like that again. When we got back here, you looked dead.”
“What happened? I know Drake said he arrived there shortly before Rachel, Jemmy, and Gavin showed up, but how did Micah get there? He was at the pumpkin patch.” I ran comforting hands along his back.
“I called Dad and told him to send Micah to the billboard,” Jax explained. “Drake had the forcefield protecting you, and Gavin was tapping into your gift, but,” he cleared his throat. His voice came out thick. “He said it was really weak. He felt like you were slipping away. He thought you were dying. He was able to keep them occupied until Micah brought you back here and we arrived there.”
I shuddered. “I was running, I didn’t even see them. I slipped on a patch of ice that came from nowhere. I fell and hit my head, hard. I couldn’t get my bearings. I was unable to use my gifts. They wanted to inject me with that damn drugged balls that those women had in them. They didn’t need to, I was…helpless to stop them,” I felt tears on my cheek. “Those sadistic bastards decided to toy with me and electrocuted me, it felt like they poured ice through my veins, and had weeds nearly strangle me to death. I thought I saw Drake before I passed out.”
He gently kissed my tears away and pulled me closer. “Anyone of us could have acted like that. There were five of them, and they took you by surprise, but they won’t be preying on anyone else ever again,” Jaxson said with a voice full of steel.
Chapter 24
“How much trouble am I in,” I asked Jaxson as I slid on a pair of jeans.
He was laying on my bed, his arms braced behind his head. We had talked for a little while longer before I decided I needed to face the music and see how the children were doing. I had wallowed in my own misery long enough. It was a terrifying experience, and I knew it would continue to haunt me until I learned to cope with it, but I knew me. I knew the longer I dwelled on my demons, the larger they got. I needed to stay busy, keep my hands and mind busy.
Today was Halloween. I should be down there carving pumpkins with them. We planned to make pumpkin seeds. We wanted to make ‘spooky’ treats with them.
Jaxson looked confused for a moment. “Dad was upset that you went out there by yourself, especially with everything that’s going on, but he was furious with us. I thought I lost the fear of my father, until today. I swear he was this close,” he said as he held up his thumb and forefinger mere centimeters apart in illustration, “…to spanking and grounding us.”
I couldn’t help but giggle, even if the situation had been grave. “So, no spankings or grounding, for me.”
Jaxson sat up suddenly and slid to the side of my bed. He bit his bottom lip, and I could see the desire enter his eyes. “Why do you like spankings?”
I paused as I pulled a soft sweater over my head. I cocked my head to the side in thought. “I don’t know. My dad was a huge believer of spare the rod, spoil the child. However, I rarely needed them. I wasn’t a bad kid. Ornery? Mischievous? Yes.” I answered him, knowing exactly what he had meant.
He mocked growled at me before lunging at me. I squealed and tried to run from him. He was faster and bigger. “You know that’s not what I meant,” he gently nipped my ear.
I squealed again. “I don’t know. I’ve never thought about it.” I paused dramatically. “Although, with the right guy, I can imagine it might…intrigue me.” I flirted with him.
“So, help me, Blake,” he growled in my ear. “If I find out you allow one of them to spank you, before me, I…I…”
I pushed away from him gently and placed my hands on my hips. I wanted to tease him, but I was slightly perturbed at the idea that they would share our most intimate moments. “You’ll what? Are you telling me that you guys act like a bunch of old woman in a knitting circle, swapping stories about me?”
He had the grace to blush and duck his head. “No,” he held up his hands. “Honestly,” he insisted. “We never tell each other what goes on behind closed doors, but that doesn’t mean we don’t assume things.”
I wasn’t going to let him off the hook that easy. “And you assumed I haven’t been spanked yet?”
“Well I—” He opened and closed his mouth a couple of times before he closed his eyes, gathering his thoughts. “I don’t know. I just.” He looked down at his feet before digging his hands in his front pockets. “I just want to know what it’s like to be with you, completely. Left to my imagination, I assume none of the other guys would want to rush you into stuff like that.”
I sighed and went to him, embracing him. “We will be,” I promised. “And I’ll even let you be the first to spank me,” I breathed in his ear as he lifted me up into his arms.
He squeezed me momentarily, and I knew he was reassured by my promise.
We came downstairs as the children, teens, and some of the adults were carrying their pumpkins out to the patio. Drake was pulling a tray of pumpkin seeds out of the oven. Jace and Troy were cleaning up the newspapers that littered the bar with pumpkin guts and chunks of pumpkin. Noah was sweeping the floor of everything that hadn’t made it to the newspaper.
I watched the scene in front of me and gave a silent prayer of thanks. I was lucky. I could be dead right now. I could be with Horatio right now.
Will looked over at me, where he had been picking some of the warm pumpkin seeds off the sheet pan. Will gave me an assessing look as I entered the kitchen. “I’m glad to see you’re okay, but I don’t want you ever out in public by yourself again, understand me?”
I saw the concern and relief in his eyes, and I almost teared up at his care for me. In that moment I knew he saw me as one of his own. I knew he would want to protect me and was treating me like he would any of his other children. I nodded and hugged him. I didn’t know who I surprised more, him or myself. “I will never go anywhere by myself ever again,” I said with conviction. “I learned my lesson.”
“Now,” I said as I turned around and saw everyone watching me. My heart sank when I noticed Remy still wasn’t around. “Who’s going to help me learn how to protect myself when I’m too hurt or frightened to?”
“What are you suggesting?” Troy asked warily before drawing me into a fierce hug.
“I’m suggesting I learn how to protect myself when I can’t use my powers,” I explained before returning his hug.
“That’s what our martial arts classes are about,” Noah stated.