Ruined

Chapter Twenty-Six

Sam

We drove the rest of the way in silence, pulling up in front of the address we’d found for Sadie Gray just before noon. There was a part of me that dreaded what we were about to do. This woman wasn’t going to just give us what we wanted. Not without something in return. I didn’t have anything left to give.

The house was a modest Victorian with a well-manicured lawn and a tire swing that hung from a sturdy-looking oak tree.

“What’s the plan?” I unbuckled the seat belt as Jax killed the engine. “She’s not just going to cheerfully hand the stone over. If it was that easy, Havat wouldn’t need us.”

“She’s going to give us the stone,” Jax said, getting out of the car. He slammed the door as I did the same. “Whether she wants to or not.”

It was moment likes these, despite the deeper feelings between us, that I was truly afraid for Jax. There was no doubt he’d do whatever it took to get what we’d come for, and that worried me. I followed him up the walkway, cringing when he assaulted the door with enough force to rattle the windows.

A woman appeared. Tall with wild raven hair and exotic features, dressed in a low-cut top and long, curve hugging skirt. “My, my, my,” she drawled with an accent I couldn’t place. One part Southern drawl, one part European—equal parts annoying. Her eyes skimmed Jax’s body from head to toe, lingering just below the waist of his jeans. Bitch! Obviously I had no official claim on the guy, but come on. A man shows up on your doorstep with a girl in tow and you proceed to drool rivers on him? “I didn’t realize Chippendales delivered.”

“Sadie Gray?”Jax asked. If he noticed her appreciation, he was polite enough to ignore it.

Sadie leaned against the doorframe, stretching like a cat on a couch and puffing out her chest. Admittedly, I was a little jealous. I couldn’t pull off sultry like that. With women like this throwing themselves at his feet, why the hell was Jax interested in me? Of course, that train of thought brought up how many others were there while he was gone? Which led to a round of mental flogging.

“For you? I can be anyone you want,” Sadie purred.

“Good,” he said, pushing her aside and stepping into the house. “I need you to be a witch.”

With a wink, she said, “Whatever floats your boat, baby.”

I snorted in disgust as Sadie attempted to let the door conveniently close in my face. “Do you moonlight as a prostitute, or are you just really skanky?”

The witch’s lips twisted into a scowl. “Pissing me off isn’t the way to get what you want.”

“Then what is?” Jax asked.

She eyed him. “Depends. Tell me what it is you want.”

“We were sent here by a demon named Havat Doyle. He said you have something he needs.”

She threw back her head and laughed. “Are you blind, baby? I’ve got what every man needs.” Her eyes met mine and she winked. “Some women, too.”

“Actually, this dude Havat is looking for something you stole from him. The stone of midnight. Ring any bells?”

Sadie circled Jax, and said, “I can ring whatever bells you’d like.”

“Oh, Jesus Christ,” I snapped. My patience with the porn-star princess routine was officially gone. The witch had done everything except strip and wiggle her ass in his face. “You have it or not?”

“Maybe,” Sadie said, eyes growing as cold as her voice. “But I have no intention of giving it to that bastard, Havat—or you. I acquired it fair and square. Not my fault old Havat is a sore loser.”

Jax was across the room in the blink of an eye. “I could make you give it to me,” he seethed, pinning her against the wall. “And I would enjoy every last second, I promise you.”

I would, too, because something told me it would involve a serious hurt.

For a woman facing down an extremely pissed-off demon, Sadie Gray wasn’t the least bit flustered. She chuckled and leaned in close. “I bet I would, too.” She did a little shimmy, laughing. If it weren’t for the fact that both our lives were on the line, I might have shot forward and yanked out all the woman’s hair. “Maybe we can work something out. It wouldn’t come cheap, though.”

“Name your price,” he said, letting go.

She backed away with a not-so-subtle shake of her ass and crossed the room. There was an old chest in the corner. The wood was warped and the hinges were rusted. Pulling it open, she rummaged around for a moment before exclaiming, “Aha. This is what you’re looking for, yes?”

When she turned back to him she held a small green stone in the palm of her hand. It didn’t look like much. No more than the size of peanut and the width of a marker. Sam expected something bigger and more impressive. Or, at the very least, black. Stone of midnight? Come on…

Jax made a move to grab it, but Sadie closed her hand and jerked it away with a giggle. Chin thrust, she said, “Not so fast. There’s the matter of payment.”

“Tell me what you want and give me the damn stone,” Jax growled.

Sadie’s head tilted and a lock of raven hair fell across her shoulders. On first glance the woman was nothing more than a pretty, if not pushy, face. Petite and unassuming. On second glance, however, I saw a gleam of power in her eyes. She might be a witch, but she was also someone skilled at manipulation. In her own way, Sadie Gray was just as dangerous as any demon. “You will feed from me. Enough to link us.”

Wow. I searched the woman’s face for signs that this was a joke, but there were none. Only the cold stare of determination. “Are you insane?” I snapped. I wanted to get rid of a link and this moron wanted to create one? “Why would anyone willingly ask for that?”

Sadie’s expression was icy. “Being linked to a Tainted has its advantages.”

Alarm bells started going off in my head. Neither one of us had said Jax was Tainted. “Such as?”

“Long life, for one thing. I will live as long as he does.”

“I live a violent life.” Jax said.”If something should happen and I die, you die as well. You’d still be fragile. Even injuries I sustained could kill you. Doesn’t seem like the best logic on your part.”

Sadie giggled and let her hand rest on Jax’s chest. “Let’s just say I’m a betting woman, and I’m betting hard on you.”

That was enough. I came forward and slapped the woman’s hand away. “Back off, bitch, and keep your paws to yourself.”

Sadie threw her hands up and took a step back, but there was a challenge in her eyes. A dare. She was convinced this would end in her getting what she wanted from Jax. Everything she wanted.

Over my dead body—although that was becoming an increasingly possible proposition.

“That can’t be all,” Jax said, slipping his hand into mine. “An extended stay on the mortal coil doesn’t seem to warrant that kind of risk.”

“Oh, it’s not. Over time some Tainted links develop, shall we say, heightened abilities.”

“And that translates to…?”

She shrugged and stepped away. With a grin, she undid the first four buttons of her blouse, allowing a patch of lacy black to peek through. “I suppose we shall see, won’t we?”

“No. We won’t,” I snapped.

Everything from that point on was fuzzy. Watery at best. A wave of fatigue hit hard, and I swayed on my feet. Jax screamed my name as strong hands gripped my shoulders and the world tilted sideways.

A rush of images swarmed her. A watery face. A cold voice.

“Come to me tonight,” it hissed. “Come to the club.”

Shit. The link.

Everything went dark.