Chapter 49
"What is it?" Jax asked.
I couldn’t contain the worry on my face. Dominic’s presence in my mind had made my blood run cold. A shiver swept down my spine despite the hot, humid temperature.
Jax’s brows were raised with a quiet concern. We were sitting together next to the blueberry bush, the colored berries dotting the area around us from where they fell.
His hand reached out to touch my shoulder
but my attention returned to the figure in my mind. Dominic’s mass drew me in like a moth to a flame.
I watched him cautiously, like he was a wild animal stalking me through the shadows. He was alive, seemingly uninjured. Or at the least, healed enough from whatever injuries Marek would have caused.
Marek. Was he still with Dominic and Julien after his brutal attack? Or was he out looking to join Jax and I? My heart ached with a fear for his safety. Dominic wouldn’t just let go of Marek’s ruthlessness. He’d want retribution.
I wished I knew what happened after I left. Wished I could feel Marek or even Julien to know they were alive and safe.
I could tell Dominic was far away. Not from where he stood in my mind, but from the pull for him that was becoming stronger and stronger with each passing hour.
He was scheming. I felt his anger, his want for revenge. He wanted me with such a dangerous ferocity that I searched for something to hide behind in the crowded room inside my head, hovering towards Grayson in the dark.
They couldn’t see each other. Couldn’t feel each other, even though they shared the same space. Grayson was worried, he was sensing my distress. I liked the thought of him worried for me and clung to it to hide from Dominic’s intrusion.
Dominic stepped forward. He was pushing the bonds claim over me, calling for me. The feelings he held for me were dark. A sensual urge rose from deep within my belly.
His revenge didn’t call for my life, he wanted my body. To take me without care or kindness.
I concentrated on the path he opened for me into his own mind. He wanted me to read him while he was reading me. To see him with my inner eye.
A flash passed by, a short moment of our bodies connecting. He slammed into me from behind, ignoring my cries as he abandoned any type of gentleness. His hands held onto my shoulders as leverage for his thrusts that were too deep and too painful.
He wanted to tear my body apart, to ruin me and fill me with his seed. And the worst part was, he was already on his way. The bond tied us together, allowing him direct knowledge to exactly where I was.
Rough hands cupped my face, large fingers wrapping around my ears as his voice centered me back within myself.
"Rebel," came the unmistakable accent, a low whisper in the wind.
My eyes drifted open to where he knelt in front of me. A scowl of worry that looked so foreign on his determined features.
"I can feel him. Dominic. He’s coming for me," I told him.
A guttural grunt vibrated from the back of his throat. He leaned back, hands falling from my cheeks as he looked into the distance.
Jax sat back, his suprise mixed with his apprehension making him fidget. Grayson must’ve come running when he felt the shift in my mood. The thought of him wanting to protect me, even from the darkness in my own mind, made my heart skip a beat.
"Yeah, well, I say let him come."
My nose scrunched up. Grayson intended to kill Dominic. Although Dominic could be merciless, I still couldn’t hate. Still couldn’t wish him dead. He was woven into me now, as was every survivor on this island.
I searched Grayson’s eyes, pleaded for him to understand the thing I couldn’t say. His pointer finger came up and hooked my cheek with gentleness.
"Don’t worry, you’re mine now."
He said it so matter-of-factly and I wanted to believe he would be my saviour from Dominic’s wrath, but remembered the image of him falling over that cliff the last full moon. As much as he may not want to admit it, Dominic may be his most challenging enemy.
Grayson stood to leave, realization that there was no immediate threat in the area making him want to return to his own tasks. Jax moved in front of me, helping me stand like the gentleman Grayson was not.
"You ok?" He asked as he lifted.
"I’m worried about Grayson," I told him as Grayson disappeared into the trees.
"He’ll be ok," he comforted. "The guy is a beast. I get why you wanted him so badly, hell I want him."
I laughed at Jax, his attempt at making me smile working. The thought of the three of us in my dream jumped in my mind again and I tried to suppress the blushing of my cheeks.
We gathered the food we had gathered so far and headed back to base. I wanted to stay glued to Grayson’s side until all of this passed over.
We made it back to camp within a few minutes and Grayson was already at the fire roasting another rodent. He ignored our presence, and I found myself missing the version of him I’d created with our time apart rather than the reality.
"Can we go to the beach today?" I asked and his dark gaze bubbled up to mine.
The beach here always made me feel calmer and more centered. It’s ocean waves whispered my name inside every crash. Jax perked up with the idea of an adventure.
Grayson studied us, and I found myself wishing I could read the words that he was thinking. He nodded even though he was scowling and went back to pretending we weren’t there, a skill not so easy with Jax around.
Jax was loud and talkative as a constant slue of stories and jokes came from him while we went about our morning. Grayson didn’t acknowledge that Jax was even speaking to him, but he didn’t tell him to shut up either.
There was even a moment where Jax was telling Grayson a story about how he took down a bear all on his own. Jax was so animated with his tale that I saw a corner of Grayson’s mouth tip upwards.
A feeling was leaking through Grayson’s guard, a sense of relief at our company. He looked over to me, sensing that I was reading him. I gave him a small smile that he didn’t return.
Instead he stood abruptly.
"If you’re set on the beach, then let’s move."
Giddy to return, I hopped up and headed in the direction of the beach.
"This way," Grayson called with irritation.
I turned on my heels while Jax basically bounced around Grayson as he walked. Grayson’s shoulders were tense and fists were clenched, yet he still said nothing as we started our adventure.
The trip was short, a little over half an hour and I tried memorizing the path we had taken.
The seagulls above welcomed me back as the waves drew me in. I smiled and looked at Grayson, a silent thank you in my expression.
He grunted before falling into the sand and pulling his knife out to clean under his finger nails. Jax had run out to the edge of the water, removing his clothes before running deeper and diving in.
I sat beside Grayson, watching the waves and Jax play in them with a serene peacefulness.
"You care for him," Grayson said, a slight questioning in his tone.
"Of course," I answered.
He seemed to mull this over while he watched him in the distance.
"Have you ever been close to anyone?" I asked curiously.
At his home, there had been people surrounding him but they all bent to his will. None that I could tell were actually close to him, they were only servants at his feet to use as he saw fit.
"I don’t do close," he answered. His tone shutting the door to the conversation.
"Come on," I pushed. "Not even a parent or a sibling? Maybe a best friend?"
His stare turned to me, heavy and unkind.
"Drop it," he warned.
His cold behaviour made me cower away from him. It was foolish of me to think he would ever let me in, ever share even the smallest bit of himself with me.
I pouted with irritation. He was so infuriating, I let the feeling radiate off me so he could feel what I felt.
"I was just trying to see if you care about anybody other than yourself, but I guess not." I bit the words out like a petty accusation.
He paused for a beat, the moment stilling between us as he glared at me with an edge.
"You. I care about you."
My frustration stalled and shock took over at his confession. The words made my pulse race but his tone made me question my own heart. I looked at him confused, unable to respond. Had he actually said something... soft?
Jax’s presence caught my attention and I turned to it with relief for my lack of words. He had exited the ocean water but wasn’t heading towards where we sat in the sand.
Instead, he was walking the opposite direction with a stiff gate that made me look further down his path.
Grayson was watching me, carefully waiting for my response. My throat had dried up, words no longer an option as I stood slowly, eyes locked on the unknown figure walking towards us.