Stone Cold Seduction Read online

  Panic shot through me. “Why would we call MacLean? Won’t he take me in? I’ll go to jail. Or do they have a special shadow elf jail?”

  I was worried for myself and the people I would no longer be able to take care of. And who I might encounter when they took me in. “Who would guard me? How do you guys keep something like shadows in a jail cell, anyway?”

  Probably with more shadow elves. I’d experienced a form of captivity before and didn’t want to repeat the process. I would jump off a cliff before I ever knowingly went near Luke.

  Jax’s face was unreadable, but his eyes were still silver. “No, not jail. We don’t operate by the same laws. MacLean’s a hunter who deals with these things.”

  The term “hunter” wasn’t reassuring, but I couldn’t bring myself to tell Jax about my history with Luke. I didn’t talk about it with anyone. My hands were clasped together tightly, and I stared down at them. I didn’t want to ask, but I had to know. “What will happen?”

  Jax stared at the gems. “These are gargoyle souls.”

  Bile rose in my throat. “Jax, I…I’m sorry. I didn’t know, I swear.”

  “I know. I believe you were set up. What concerns me is why.”

  Set up? I had been set up? I racked my brain, thinking of all the items I’d taken over the last year. How many had been souls? “I still have more. Not gemstones, but a mirror and…”

  “Where?” His voice was tight.

  “In the basement.”

  “I’ll go check.”

  I watched him leave as a new layer of disgust toward my father revealed itself. My father had set me up. Undoubtedly, he’d planted the info for Teryl to feed me, leaving each item unguarded to tempt me. He’d wanted me to steal souls from him. Just when I’d thought he couldn’t get any more depraved, he’d proved me wrong.

  By the time Jax got back, I hadn’t moved. The food sat on the table, getting cold, and my appetite was long gone. Jax walked in with a thunderous expression. “The mirror and the books are souls. Light elf and oracles.”

  “How can you tell?” I was eyeing the gems on the table, wondering what I wasn’t seeing.

  Jax let one hand hover over the stones. “They give off energy. When you come into your magic, you’ll feel it. Had Teryl seen them, he would have known. Elle, we need to put off Scotland for another day.”

  “Wait a second. I thought finding my fate was the most important thing?”

  “MacLean will meet us in the morning at Pioneer Square, and we can let him deal with the souls.”

  My phone rang. Jax answered it and listened quietly for a few minutes, giving one- or two-word answers in a tight voice.

  I was numb as I stared at the table. Teryl and I had started stealing from Jedren after my mother’s death. He and Clio had just become engaged, and he’d wanted her out of Warlow Imports. While Teryl worked to find a way out for Clio, I’d kept my father distracted with the thefts.

  I chewed on my bottom lip and considered everything. One thing I hadn’t questioned was the legitimacy of my father’s business. But now I wondered, what really went on there? Why would Clio have been transferred? Not once had I considered that my father had been antagonizing Teryl on purpose, in order to manipulate the situation. This was getting deeper by the second. How far did it go?

  My head started to hurt as I racked my brain for information. Large pockets of memories were just gone, such as what Warlow Imports actually imported. And what my father’s role was, aside from boss. I waited for Jax to hang up.

  “What does Jedren really do at Warlow?”

  He stared at me for a few heartbeats. “I don’t know. I only have suspicions, but nothing concrete. We can worry about it later.”

  “Am I in immediate danger?”

  His expression became closed off, but he said nothing. I might not have his talent of becoming stone, but I could do quiet and still pretty well, too.

  I waited.

  Jax sighed and scrubbed a hand across his face. “My first priority is your safety. You’re not in immediate danger, but sticking close to the souls would be unwise.”

  I remained silent.

  His eyes flashed silver before he groaned. “Damn it, Elle. Warlow Imports really is an import business. Jedren has a division that specializes in what most people would call blood diamonds. There is also speculation that he deals in the black market for a number of things. What worries me the most are the rumors about slave trading.”

  That was not what I wanted to hear. “Slaves? He deals in slave trading?”

  “Yes,” he bit out, his voice deepening. “But as I said, I have no proof. Yet.”

  A cold chill snaked down my spine. How could one person be so vile? I closed my eyes and looked inside, deep, searching for a little courage. “Is there more?”

  “When I first heard about the missing souls, I suspected Jedren. I think a number of us did.”

  I opened my eyes and watched him.

  His T-shirt stretched tightly across his chest when he shrugged one shoulder in an abrupt motion. “We had no proof. He knows how to cover his tracks. He’s also very powerful. Not a person you would accuse of anything without substantial evidence. And now that we know he was feeding the souls to you…” Jax bared his teeth in a parody of a smile. “I will kill him for putting you in danger.”

  I crossed my arms to help ward off the cold that enveloped me. “Jax, I can’t handle violence. I want him stopped, but he needs to be brought to justice. You can’t just kill him.”

  “I told you, we don’t operate by the same rules.”

  “What rules do you abide by? Explain that to me. If he’s been doing these things and a few of you suspected him, why has no one done anything yet?” I picked up the silverware on the table, needing something to do.

  “We have investigators who operate in the best interests of our world as a whole, instead of for each separate line. MacLean is one of them. He primarily works with the light elves and the phoenix. Because each line has had at least one theft, MacLean is investigating all of it. And he’s not the only one,” Jax finished softly.

  I froze. “There are more people looking for me?”

  “No, there are more investigating you.”

  I held a fork in a white-knuckled grip. Not only was I some freak with unknown abilities, but now my father was setting me up, and I had a group of otherworldly investigators watching me? “At least my weekend is ending on a high note.”

  Jax crossed his arms and considered me. “You need to know what you’re up against. And this is also why I want to leave.”

  “What I’m up against? You make it sound like I’m waging a war and need to plan my battle strategy.” I knew I was whining, but this whole situation sucked. “I didn’t ask for this, Jax. I know I did the wrong thing when I stole from my father, but all the rest? It’s a lot to take in over one lifetime, let alone one weekend.”

  His eyes softened. “I know, and I wish we had more time. But you need to understand, the Council is furious.”

  “Who, or should I say, what is the Council?” I could hear the edge of hysteria in my voice, but I couldn’t help it.

  “Each line has members they appoint to the Council. You could call them our government, but that wouldn’t be quite accurate. We police ourselves when the need arises, but the Council’s job is to deal with matters that affect us all. So, when the lines started dying out, the Council stepped in. When the children of doomed partnerships had problems, the Council stepped in. And when the souls of the most powerful from each line go missing, the Council steps in.”

  I didn’t like where this was going. “So, what does that mean for me?”

  He leaned forward and held my gaze. “It means they’ve sent their best investigators to find the guilty party and bring them in.”

  The room began to spin as the blood drained from my head.

  Chapter Seven

  Jax practically carried me from the kitchen to the couch. “I’m sorry. I don’t want to
upset you, but I need you to know.”

  I closed my eyes and drew in a deep breath. “I’m not cut out for this. This isn’t my life. I make soaps and lotions. I had a big moment of stupidity and got sucked in way over my head. If I called the Council and explained…”

  “No!” Jax’s sharp tone startled me, and my eyes flew open. He sat beside me on the couch.

  “Why not? If people suspect my father, I could just tell them the truth, give them the souls, and hopefully they’ll forgive me.” It sounded ridiculous, even to me. But a girl could hope. My mother had always been an optimist, and in times like these, I’d take all the positive thinking I could muster.

  “It doesn’t work like that.” Jax sounded grim as he carefully brushed a lock of hair from my face. The expression on his face was so forbidding, while his touch was so gentle. A simple touch from Jax, and my nerves began to settle.

  “How does it work?”

  “You are Jedren’s daughter.”

  I huffed out an exasperated breath. “So? I can’t help that. What does that have to do with anything?”

  “Elle,” his voice deepened, and he gently stroked my hair. “It looks as if you’re working for him. No one will believe you were stealing from your own father.”

  “I hate him. I wouldn’t work with or for him.” My words were quiet as I relaxed into his touch. “Ever. There isn’t enough money in the word. And Teryl could vouch for me.”

  “You need to leave Teryl’s name out of it. If anyone else finds out he was helping, Jedren will go after him and everyone he loves. And the Council won’t be any more forgiving.”

  “We didn’t know they were souls.”

  Jax’s lips curled back in a slight sneer. “Why did Teryl never look at the items you stole?”

  “He only directed me to where they’d be. He drove the getaway car once, but I’ve always stored them and sold them. He’s on my father’s payroll. If anyone should get caught with them, it’s me.”

  His mouth quirked. “Getaway car?”

  “He’s the Robin to my Batman.”

  Jax gifted me with a full smile. “Don’t ever put him in tights. Please.”

  “After he put me in a catsuit? It’s the least he deserves.” I blew an errant strand of hair out of my face.

  Jax’s smile faded. “The Council wouldn’t believe you. To anyone else, it looks as if you’re acting as your father’s agent, securing and storing the souls.” He placed a hand on my thigh. The heat from his hand warmed my skin, despite the chill of his words. “Elle, there’s a price on your head. A large one.”

  For a moment, I couldn’t draw in a breath.

  “I will protect you with my life.” Silver eyes flashed at me.

  “They want me dead?”

  “I don’t know. MacLean didn’t say.” Jax began massaging my hand. He seemed to need to touch as much as I did.

  “Why would someone pay to have me killed? Better yet, I want to know why my father would put me in this position. Why now?” And why would he send Luke after me, when he’d knowingly set me up?

  “It’s all about politics. There are very few who would dare take on Jedren directly, but his heir is the next best thing.”

  “I was just trying to help the people whose lives Jedren ruined.”

  Jax pulled me close for a hug. I felt hot tears on my cheeks as I pressed my face to his shoulder.

  “MacLean will be able to tell us more tomorrow. For now, you need to sleep. We’re okay here for now. But after we meet with MacLean, you’re coming to my place.”

  “How am I supposed to sleep now?” I mumbled against his now wet shirt.

  He stood and picked me up. “I have a few ideas.”

  I wrapped my arms around his neck in reflex. I’m not exactly petite and wasn’t used to being picked up. “You’re thinking of that now?”

  “I think of you all the time.” He pulled me closer, and I drew on his strength. If Jax said we should deal with it in the morning, I’d try.

  We got to my bedroom and he carefully set me on the bed. He turned away and called over his shoulder, “I’ll lock up and put the food away.”

  I nodded, though he couldn’t see me. I wrapped my arms around myself and stared down at my bed. This was surreal.

  “One thing at a time,” I whispered to the room. I sent an imploring look toward the heavens. “Mom, if you’re watching, I’d love a little help here.” Tears pricked the corners of my eyes, and I sucked in a deep breath. Okay, enough of that for tonight. My brain just couldn’t process it all. Pushing it from my mind and concentrating on Jax sounded like a great idea.

  I pulled off my shirt and pants, and crawled under the covers. I stared at the wall as I listened to Jax moving dishes in the kitchen.

  My experience with relationships was limited. My last year of college, I’d dated a guy named Matthew. We were together for a year. It had never progressed to living together or even hinted at marriage. In fact, it had been so casual, we had gone weeks without talking. We’d ended it because we were too comfortable as friends. There had been no spark.

  With Jax, everything was a spark. A confusing, complicated explosion of heat. It should have been odd to listen to Jax moving stuff in my apartment. Doing domestic chores. Instead it felt comfortable and comforting. I snuggled into my pillow and waited. When he walked back in a few minutes later, I smiled at him. “Since you call me ‘little gem,’ can I call you ‘my rock’?”

  He stopped. “You want to give me a nickname?”

  I laughed at his shocked expression. “Okay, I can come up with something better, but yeah, I think I should.” I pretended to consider for a moment. “The Statue of David is too long.”

  He shook his head and began taking his clothes off. Rational thought fled as I watched him. Yes, he was absolutely a work of art. I would never get tired of looking my fill. His shirt hit the floor, and I watched muscles flex as he unzipped his jeans and stepped out of them.

  Jax wasn’t wearing any underwear.

  “I…uh…you…no underwear,” I stammered.

  He just arched a brow as he moved to the bed and slid under the covers. He frowned when our bodies brushed. “And you have yours still on.”

  I blushed. “I can’t make it that easy for you.”

  He blinked, then let out a laugh. He tugged me close and held me for a moment. “You are perfect.”

  I squirmed with pleasure under the weight of his compliment. “I don’t know if I’d go that far.”

  He loosed his grip. “You are perfect for me.”

  Oh. Well in that case. The honesty in his expression filled my stomach with butterflies.

  So I kissed him. I let all my emotions spill over into the kiss. My fear and frustration. My worry and my surprise. My need and desire.

  He whispered my name and rolled me under him. His mouth teased mine open. His tongue swept along the crease of my lips, and then delved inside. His breath was hot. I could feel his erection pressing against my thigh.

  Our tongues met, stroked, and teased. He pulled back enough to nibble on my lower lip, then soothe with his tongue.

  I shifted my hips so he settled against my heat. I couldn’t quite bite back a soft cry of approval. Oh, he felt good. I rolled my hips and heard an answering groan from Jax. He pinned my hips with his weight, while his mouth swept along my chin and down to my neck.

  “Take off your underwear,” he whispered against my skin. He lifted his hips so I could reach down and push them off. I kicked them onto the floor, right along with my inhibitions.

  “Let me touch you this time.” I let my hands slide along his thighs, stopping at his hips. His skin was so warm. Each muscle was defined, and I gently ran my nails across his skin. After a second stroke, I felt goose bumps on his skin.

  “My gem,” he half whispered, half groaned. “I don’t…”

  “Earlier, you wanted to show me. Now, let me show you.” I had wanted to touch him for the past two months. I wanted to taste his mouth and
his skin. I wanted to feel his muscles. I wanted to hear his deep voice growl, groan, and whisper my name.

  I smiled. I really had a thing for his voice. It never failed to trigger my happy hormones. “Please let me touch you.”

  His eyes bled to silver, and my reflection stared back at me. I could feel the change in him, subtle, but powerful. A smile curved my lips as I pushed him off of me. He moved so he was lying beside me. Leaning on my elbow, I lifted my other hand and placed it on his chest. My fingers lightly swirled through the dusting of black hair. I could feel his eyes on me as I traced the trail his hair made to his navel. Leaning forward, I pressed a kiss to his chest, then his stomach. Muscles flexed beneath my lips as he held his breath. My fingers continued down to his erection.

  His breath hissed between his teeth, and he lifted his head to look at me. “Elle,” he warned.

  “Let me,” I said, repeating his words from earlier.

  He dropped his head back and groaned. It was a low and tortured sound. It sent a shiver along my spine, and heat flared in all the right places. Knowing I could do that to him made me feel powerful and sexy. My hand wrapped around him, and he shuddered. His big body shook in an effort to maintain control as I stroked him. I wanted him to lose control.

  I bent my head, needing to taste him…

  With a muttered curse, he reached for me a split second before I had my lips on him. “I can’t. Not yet.”

  He pulled me up and rolled me under him before I could blink.

  “That’s not fair,” I protested. I had a lot of theories to test and curiosities to satisfy.

  He leaned his forehead against mine and whispered, “I have waited years for you. I have no control where you’re concerned. Give me time. I promise, soon you’ll be able to do anything you want to me, but for now…” He pressed a soft kiss to my pouting lips. “For now, let me. Please.”

  The “please” changed my mind. In that moment, I realized if Jax said “please,” I’d do just about anything. “Okay,” I whispered against his lips.

  He slid a hand behind my back and deftly undid my bra. He leaned back to slide the straps off my shoulders and throw it off to one side. One callused hand smoothed over the skin on my shoulder. Silver eyes glinted down at me. “You are perfect for me.”