When the Wolves Cry (Twin Flames Duet #1)

CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR

JAX

I haven’t looked at her the entire hour drive. Fuck, I want to. I want to stare at her until my eyes fall out of my skull. But I’m pissed off and looking at her will make me fall back on punishing her.

Silence is a deadly weapon.

Heated tension is filling the car. It’s stiff with the warm air blowing out of the vents and wafting around our aggravation with each other.

Why would she want to keep them?

The internal, plaguing question has me turning to look at her. And fuck if the man-eating siren in my passenger seat isn’t a sight.

Her sharp nails are tapping the door, eyes diverted out the window to refrain from connecting with mine. God, and those raven waves. They’re elegantly curving with her body, a large swoop falling over the right side of her face.

I love her straight silk. But there’s something about the way it’s bending and framing her delicious features tonight.

It makes my heart palpitate.

Unable to resist, I reach over and rest my hand on her exposed thigh, gently squeezing while pulling into the packed gravel parking lot.

The scent of her warm vanilla breezes over my face. I park in the nearest open spot, then turn my undivided attention to the way she’s slipping her black fur coat on.

Smells Like Teen Spirit is quietly playing, adding a cherry on top of the dessert I’m being served. She finally pans her siren smoked, amber eyes over to me, leaving her fair shoulder to stick out of the loose fur draping around her. “Are you going to be okay?” she asks halfheartedly, cruising down to my lips.

I swallow thickly, locking on the cherry glazing her plump pout. “Don’t worry about me, little wolf. I’ll be just fine. Are you going to be okay?”

She nods unconvincingly, and I stroke my thumb over the smooth skin on her thigh.

“I’m right by your side. I will never let anything happen to you.”

“But what if something happens to you?” she questions.

I smile at her blatant worry for me. “I promise I can handle whatever is thrown my direction. Brutus hasn’t seen me since he shot my father. It’s been a long time. I’ve changed. And like I said, I might break some fucking teeth while doing so, but I’m going to pretend to be interested in his sick shit. I need you to behave, hold my hand, and choose every word wisely if you’re spoken to. Our goal is to get as much information as possible and show him that you have eyes watching your every move.”

Speaking of, I hear Maverick’s loud truck pull up next to us. But I don’t take my eyes off the stealthy box breathing she’s doing.

“How’d you learn to play guitar?” she asks through a breath.

I’m not a stranger to the small talk she makes when she has anxiety. So, I rub her thigh, giving her something to feel other than her chest sinking. “My father. When we weren’t in his studio, we were in the garage shredding any and everything by Nirvana .”

She rests her hand on mine, scratching her nails over my fingers. “What were you playing earlier?”

“ About a Girl ,” I grin.

She rolls her glossy lips, attempting to stifle the smile creeping up. “And what about the drum set?”

“Leon’s.”

“You guys play together?”

“Used to, mija,” Leon chimes in our ears. “He doesn’t let me go down there anymore.”

That’s not entirely true. I’ve just been busy, and I don’t particularly enjoy him messing with my shit when I’m not there.

She scrunches her face at me, but something catches her eye out the window behind me, causing the smokiest laugh to filter out of her pretty mouth.

I don’t have to look to know it’s Nadia.

I do anyway, just to see what feral shit is making my girl laugh.

Her face is pressed firmly against the tinted glass, her nose pulling up her upper lip.

I barely shake my head, still not used to her child-like behavior, and roll my window down.

She doesn’t even fucking move. She just lets the window roll her nose back down, a horrid squeak coming from the glass to flesh contact as her caramel complexion slowly creeps up from the black tint.

“I was wrong! They’re not fucking!” she shouts over her shoulder, then sighs, sticking her head through the window.

Way too close for my liking.

“Will you guys at least record it so I can die a happy woman?”

“Yes,” I agree impassively, getting smacked in the chest by a tattooed hand. It stings a little—I like it. I arch a brow at the thin, Venus eyes that reflect murder. “Baby, you know she’s not going to stop.”

“He’s right. I won’t stop until I see the P and the V,” Nadia says impishly.

Tala shakes her head, annoyed as fuck, and pins me down with hateful slits while throwing open her door. “Children. Both of you,” Tala mutters, sliding out like she’s not supposed to wait for me to get the door for her.

“Oh, well that’s just fucking great. Now we’re in trouble.” Nadia tightens her lips, finally backing away from the door.

I didn’t want to be rude and send her flying into a damn tree or something. Now that her chihuahua build isn’t in my way, I roll my window up, turn my car off, and hastily step out into the cold.

The sun is starting to set, washing my vixen in a sherbet glow that kisses her fair skin phenomenally. Sliding her phone into her small, leather bag, she whips the hair from her eyes—and time stills.

It’s like I’m watching the magical movement in slow motion.

Maverick is leaning against the back of his truck, stealing peeks of her while “looking around.”

As much as it pisses me off—I get it. At least he’s being respectful and not adjusting his dick while staring at her.

While approaching the goddess, she sticks her hand out for me. I take it, heart swelling from the initiation, and lace my fingers with hers.

The gravel parking lot has a stone staircase that leads down to the maze-like paths for the castle. I take the steps slowly, and intently watch her pretty feet go down them with ease.

“Stop touching me,” Nadia hisses behind us.

“You’re bumping into me, angel. If you want to hold my hand, you can just say so. I don’t bite… hard.”

Tala and I make eye contact.

She shakes her head, a light huff coming from her nose. “I’m glad it’s not just me falling victim to their hate kink,” she whispers.

Lanterns line the stone path we’re on, each one catching in her pools of honey and turning them to gold. I hardly notice the flurries blowing in my face. I’m more focused on the way they’re landing in her raven waves, their snowflake shapes appearing so evident from the contrast.

“How’d you meet them?” I ask curiously, wanting to know her inside and out. What better way to do that than on a labyrinth path leading to an old castle?

“Well, Nads and I have been best friends since the first day of kindergarten. It was just an immediate connection with her that never faded away. Maverick, we met him freshman year of high school.” She twists her lips in thought, checking over her shoulder. “His story isn’t mine to tell. But I approached him in the cafeteria one day and we just became friends. My parents became his in a sense… If you get what I mean.” Her words are quiet, meant for only my ears.

I nod in respect, already coming to the conclusion myself of his upbringing. “And they’ve always bickered like that?”

“Yeah,” she laughs, spotting the large fountain that’s frozen in time.

I stop by it, letting her look at the still water, a few drips and trickles running off. It’s mundane. But she finds beauty in it.

And I find that beautiful myself.

I slip my phone out of my pocket and take a stealthy picture of her. It’s incredible and something she’d enjoy too.

I shove my phone back in my pocket, right on time with her ready to continue on our way.

It’s damn near impossible to focus on the castle’s architecture with how darkly divine she is. It’s captivating, drawing the attention of decrepit bags of bones on the massive, stone staircase.

Not enjoying their shameless eyes and slack jaws, I stare at them, keeping my hand steady for her to use. The old fuck on the right tries skittering off, slipping a little in the process.

A throaty laugh bubbles out behind us. “He-he almost just fell,” Nadia laughs, getting a husky one from Tala.

Tala’s other hand latches onto my bicep, firmly holding on while her laugh spills out. It’s so infectious I have to choke my own down.

“Ah, man. I want to know what she’s laughing about,” Leon says grimly.

“Some old fuck almost just met the Grim Reaper,” I reply tonelessly.

His laugh adds in with the two of them—right in my fucking ear.

She stops at the top, grabbing my jacket and shoving her face into my sternum. Her laugh vibrates my skin, sending a shock wave of seventh heaven over my chest.

Her smoky laugh falters off. And every time it does, she lightly bites her bottom lip.

Knowing that sight is being hidden from me, I weave my fingers into her hair, lightly pulling her head back to see. Tunneling in on her lips, everything goes quiet around me for a moment. I don’t hear laughter or chatter. Just my heart thrumming in my ears.

“I’m sorry. I’ll behave from now on,” she purrs.

God fucking damn it.

I bend down to her ear, marveling at my blood against her skin in the process. “I didn’t finish eating earlier. That one taste has left me fucking starving, little wolf. Every little movement of yours is sending me over the damn edge and at some point—I’m going to finish my meal.”

Her breath hitches, and I pull away, noting her dilated eyes as she looks up at me. “If you behave, I’ll show you my secret spot,”

I smile sharply, grabbing her little hand again to finish our commute. I find it extremely amusing that she’s always had a little fire in her when it comes to me. Sure, she’ll get nervous. But that doesn’t stop her from leveling the playing field. She always has an arrow to shoot back.

The old castle is stationed in the middle of fucking nowhere along theEklutnaRiver. It used to house King Thane and his servants and knights back in the fifteenth century. Supposedly, a war broke out in flames, leaving the old stone in complete ruins. Mayor Jenkins fought tooth and nail to buy the vast property, fixed it up, and started hosting the gala for additional proceeds to go towards the mom-and-pop shops around Anchorage.

So he says. Though, there’s no evidence backing his claim.

Towering trees surround the perimeter, leaving dying gardens, old paths, and statues of angels to fill the snowy voids. The candelabras mounted to the outside are lit, the flames flickering a haunting glow onto the stone that’s slowly getting eaten by the night.

We take the last wide set of stairs, Maverick and Nadia bickering about the difference between sconces and candelabras behind us.

Ignoring their bullshit, an annoyed breath rumbles in my throat, glaring at the influx of flesh suits inside each other’s asses, all filing in through the wooden double doors.

I hate people.

“How are we looking up there, Leon?” I ask quietly.

“You got a lot of bodies wandering around a massive place, man. I had to switch to your office to keep up with the feeds I’m pulling.”

“Mm-hmm. What about the second and third floor?”

“Ah. Those are the only ones not coming up. I’ll keep pushing.”

Reaching into my pocket, I pull out our tickets and pass them off to the door attendant that has snot dripping from his red nose.

It pisses me off.

Tala shouldn’t have to see that vile image. It’s not a grueling task to wipe your damn nose.

I side-eye the horror overtaking his flushed face and walk my girl in through the doors. Insistent yapping and heels clicking fill the grand foyer. People are strolling around with flutes of champagne, gawking at the revamped architecture—and avoiding the grand staircase.

Now, why is that? Surely people would want to greedily explore such an interesting place.

The small hand in mine yanks on my arm, pulling my attention down to the art that’s capturing more attention than the castle itself. Using her fingers, she beckons me to bend down.

I do, inhaling the seductive scent on her neck as her glossy lips brush my ear, her hand caressing down the back of my neck. “Technically, we’re not supposed to venture past the main floor. But Nads and I do. I’ll show you the back way we take where no one will see,” she whispers, driving me fucking crazy with her hot voice.

“Hmm, you’re a little rule breaker. Aren’t you?”

“It’s so much more fun when you break some rules.”

I straighten my spine, gazing down at the siren eyes that are twinkling with thrill. “We have time for some fun. Lead the way.”

She faintly smiles, drawing her fingers down the buttons of my shirt like she wants to tear it open and get nasty right here.

You need to fuckin’ breath, dude. You’re about to see the face of the ghost you’ve been actively hunting for three years.

I grit my teeth, willing myself to ignore the way my blood is sizzling under my skin as she brushes over my belt. She winks, then fucking kisses the air and starts pulling me along.

She knows what she’s doing. She always does.

Moss and ivy tangle together, flowing down with the black curtains that hang overhead, draping every which way in the ballroom. Lanterns line the makeshift path, and string lights are mixed in with the curtains, casting an eerily intimate glow.

“Just giving you a heads up, you guys are getting lost in there. There’s too much hanging down,” Leon says with a weary sigh.

The cluster fuck of shit hanging down is essentially creating makeshift hallways and personal areas for art sitting on pedestals. It’d be neat if it didn’t feel like a goddamn death trap.

She starts slipping her coat off, shimmying her petite shoulders until the black fur falls loose to her back. Letting my hand go, she elegantly slips it off her arms, and I don’t waste a moment taking it from her.

A glimmer sparkles in her golden eyes, and I can tell a thank you is on the tip of her pink tongue. She catches it. And walks right in front of me to continue looking around, leading the way to wherever the fuck.

The way the silk conforms to her body, molding to her curvy shape and flowing with the fluidity of her rolling hips is as graceful as water.

Fuck, and she knew what she was doing with the waves and smoky makeup. She looks straight out of the sea, rejuvenated with the blood of a man that she feasted on.

The celestial music playing in the ballroom is meant to be relaxing. You know, to give you a little mind fuck while perusing art. But it’s only adding to herotherworldliness, making my heart thunder from how ridiculously perfect it is.

She stops in front of a stone sculpture of a beast bound with rope, holding a tiny woman in comparison, and she looks over her shoulder, giving me a playful smirk. The bubbly feeling in my chest cannot be tamed, and I let out a little laugh.

She groans, whipping her head back. “Your laugh is so hot.”

Sliding my hand around her tight waist, I pull her back into me, almost groaning myself over her silky ass pressing into my dick. “Yeah? You like it?”