Page 115 of Burn of Obsidian

Gripping the Skull’s wrist, he twisted until he felt the distinctive snap. The Skull didn’t even react, his head turning toward Thea as if he wasn’t even there. He tried to move past, his entire weight stumbling forward and… he sagged, a bone protruded from his eye socket.

Jax released the Skull, who dropped to the floor with a thump. Thea stood beside him, lips open with a silent gasp as she reached down and pulled the thick bone. It jerked from the socket with a squelch, the tip clearly broken, sharp.

She blinked up at him, arm shaking with the bone gripped so tight in her fingers her knuckles were white. Her eyes dipped down, and he followed her line of sight to where a dagger stuck from his chest.

“No, no, no!” Thea pressed her palms around the blade, trying to stem the flow of blood. With a frown, he touched the end, an intense cold radiating from the metal. “Jax?”

His legs gave out, and he barely caught himself as he fell. Thea followed him down onto her knees, trying to stop him as he reached for the knife. He pulled, the intense cold remaining. Even the blood coating the blade was cool to the touch.

“Stop!” she cried. “What are you doing?” Her palms come back to the wound, adding pressure. But even he could see the blood seeping from between her fingers, pumping faster than she could stop.

He held out the dagger, offering her the hilt.

“You’re going to be okay,” he reassured her, tears glistening on her cheeks. He could feel himself growing weaker, and it took everything in him to remain conscious. “Take it.”

Thea knocked his hand away, sobs caught in her throat.

Fingers numb, he cupped her cheek. “You’re going to have to leave me.”

“No, you don’t get to do this.” Her palms pressed harder, trying and failing to stem the flow. “You don’t get to do this. You can’t make me fall for you, and then just die.”

“Thea…”

“No!” She didn’t simply accept their mating bond; she shattered whatever shields had been strangling it. It snapped into place, connecting them in a way neither of them truly understood. He felt it swell, a warmth that fought against the impending cold. But nothing could stop it. He was too far gone.

“Jax.” Her voice cracked. “Please, I need you.”

He smiled, darkness encroaching on his vision. “I wished I could have lived in your world of colour, my little thief.”

Chapter 44

Thea

The mating bond was like fire, burning through her veins until she could feel him everywhere. It swept through, a warmth she couldn’t believe she ever denied, only to flicker.

“No!”

She could feel him, like a light against her soul that was dying, and there wasn’t anything she could do to stop it.

“Please,” she begged, tears streaming down her face. “You can’t – ”

A hand wrapped in her hair, yanking her head back and forcing her hands from Jax’s chest.

Gideon sneered above, looking at Jax with disdain. “What a waste.”

Thea lurched, his fingers freeing her hair enough for her to collapse forward. She fell against Jax, only to find his eyes glazed, and his chest barely moving. Air bubbles popped from his wound, the blood finally slowing down.

Gideon grabbed her throat, forcing her to her feet. She fought the hold with all her strength, only for him to tighten, cutting off her airway before a snarl echoed.

Thea sucked in a mouthful of air, Gideon relaxing his hold only to pull her against him, a shield against the beast that now stood where Jax once was.

Blood dripped by Thunder’s large paws, head dipped and fangs on full display. Jax’s wounds were mirrored, his darker fur hiding much of the extensive damage.

Gideon stilled behind her. “Back down, or I’ll break her neck.”

“He… he doesn’t understand,” Thea rasped, trying to relax despite the urge to fight. She needed him to concentrate on Thunder, and not her.

Gideon emphasised his grip, forcing out a gasp.

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