Holiday with an Assassin Read online

  “Go to our spot,” Alvus whispered into Jax’s ear.

  A thrill of excitement went through Jax at those words. That meant only one place, the hallway bathroom. Since it’d been the place where they’d exchanged their first kiss, Jax had a pretty good idea why Alvus was asking him to go there.

  Jax waited a few moments after Alvus left before he got up, then followed. When nobody glanced his way, Jax let out a sigh of relief. It would seem they’d managed to sneak away once more. Now all they had to do was hope nobody barged in on them while they were hidden, and they were home free.

  He ducked into the bathroom. Alvus was there, waiting. Jax smiled and gave a small wave then just stood there, unsure of what to do next, which was a total dork move. Duh! It wasn’t as if this whole thing hadn’t been a set up. They weren’t just two pals who happened upon each other. No, it was all planned, including the part that came next.

  Jax finally gathered his courage then walked up to Alvus. The Jaguar shifter wrapped his arms around Jax as their lips came together. How Jax wished they could have stayed that way longer, but they could be interrupted at any moment.

  “That was nice,” Jax said as he took a step back.

  “Yeah, it was.” Alvus flashed a grin way too sexy to be legal.

  “I’m going to miss this.”

  Jax brought his fingers to his lips in case Alvus didn’t know what he was talking about.

  “What? Sneaking away for a quick kiss? Having to hide out in the bathroom so nobody catches us? Always being worried we’ll be busted and find ourselves in trouble?”

  Jax couldn’t help but be hurt by those words. The highlight of his day was their stolen kisses. To know it didn’t mean that much to Alvus, stung. A tight feeling came across Jax’s chest as his stomach churned.

  “If you don’t want to keep this up, we can stop. I won’t hold it against you,” Jax replied, looking at his feet.

  “Stop, I don’t mean that at all.” Alvus tucked his fingers under Jax’s chin and forced his gaze back up. “Being with you is the best thing that’s ever happened to me. You’re much cuter than Suzy Markins, and you kiss better too.”

  “Wait? You and Suzy? I thought you were gay.” Jax blurted.

  He knew it was way off topic, but he couldn’t help himself.

  “Well, I could be bi.”

  “Oh, I guess. And there wouldn’t be anything wrong with that. I just assumed you were—”

  Alvus put a finger over Jax’s lips. A burning sensation came over Jax’s face as he worried he’d insulted his boyfriend. Great! Jax cursed his lack social skills. When was he going to learn? Once a loser, always a loser.

  “I’m gay. I was just harassing you,” Alvus said.

  “Seriously, though? Suzy? She was so mean,” Jax replied.

  “I think I was trying hard to fit in. To be what I thought my parents would want.”

  “I thought you said your parents don’t mind you’re gay?”

  “They don’t, but I was younger then and didn’t realize that. Hell, I’m pretty sure my mother knew all along. Come to think of it, she was pretty surprised when I brought Suzy home.”

  Jax laughed. “She seems pretty smart. She also acts like she really loves you. I can’t see her ever turning on you.”

  As soon as those words came out, it pained Jax. All he could think of was his own parents. They’d turned on him even before he could drop the big, old G bomb. He wondered if his mother had suspected, though. Was it some kind of mom thing? Like Spidey sense, but only different?

  “She’s pretty fond of you,” Alvus said. “She was going to insist you come to our home for the holidays, but then Shane offered and she thought it would be better for you. My dad may be pretty tough, but he wouldn’t stand a chance if a couple of Assassins were to come knocking.”

  “She was really going to do that?”

  “Yeah, like I said, she likes you.”

  Alvus said that like it was the simplest thing. Jax knew it was the norm, that most families weren’t like his. It was still hard for him to twist his mind around that somethings, though. It was as if he’d been brainwashed to think a certain way and now he was having to relearn everything.

  “That was so nice of her,” Jax whispered, overcome with emotion.

  Only this time it was only good thoughts. He realized if Alvus’ mother really wanted him, then Shane must too. He didn’t see Jax as a burden that was thrust upon him. He didn’t ask Jax because he felt obligated. No, Shane cared about him and wanted to spend some time together.

  “I have the cell phone Mitchell gave me. Do you have the number to it?” Jax asked.

  “Of course, I do.”

  “Then we can call each other every night. We can kiss that way. It won’t be the same, but it’s better than nothing.”

  “Won’t the others get suspicious if they notice how often we’re talking?” Alvus smiled.

  “We can just say I’m helping you with some school work.”

  “But it’s the break. We don’t have anything. Phillip will see right through it.” Alvus reached over and rubbed his hand down Jax’s arm.

  “Just tell him I’m making you get a head start.” A warm sensation went through Jax, because he was standing so close to Alvus. “I’m sure he’ll buy that since I’m so anal about studying. Although, would it be so bad if he were to figure out we’re together?”

  Jax sucked in a breath. Although, he’d just laid the question out there, he wasn’t so sure if he wanted an answer. He didn’t want to think that another reason Alvus was hiding them being together was shame or something. That would be a major blow to Jax’s ego since said ego wasn’t too big to begin with. That could be disastrous.

  “No, it wouldn’t be the end of the world. I just know how bad he is at keeping secrets. If you want to know the truth, I wish I could tell everybody. I’m so happy you picked me. It makes me feel special,” Alvus replied.

  Jax’s body hummed with happiness. Nobody had ever said anything so nice to him before.

  “You’re pretty okay too,” Jax said.

  “Just okay?” Alvus cocked a brow. “Well, it looks like I’m going to have to try a bit harder. Maybe, that’s what I’ll be studying during break, One-hundred and One Ways to Impress Your Boyfriend.”

  “That would be really hard to explain away to Phillip.”

  “We better get going before the others notice we’re missing.” Alvus sighed.

  “I don’t want to,” Jax grumbled.

  “Neither do I. If somebody had tried to tell me I would be dreading holiday break I would have called them crazy.”

  They exchanged one more quick kiss before Alvus left. Jax stayed there a minute or two. Not only did he need to collect himself, but he didn’t want to be seeing leaving with Alvus. While Jax might not have an issue with Phillip knowing about them, the last thing they needed was for everybody to know. At the very least, it would put an end to their late night cuddle sessions.

  Jax breathed in deeply, taking in the lingering scent of Alvus which was kind of funny. Until recently, Jax hadn’t noticed it at all, much less gone all gaga over it. He shrugged it off. It was probably just because he’d never gotten that close to Alvus before.

  He finally walked out. Even though a lot of the students had already left, there was still a lot of chaos going on. Large suitcases dotted the sides of the hallways, along with duffle bags and sacks of dirty clothes. While the Academy took care of laundering their uniforms, they were on their own when it came to their street stuff.

  Jax wove his way through the mess and went back to the dorm. Ava was packing up to leave. She had her dark hair pulled back in a twist, showing off the purple streaks that were running through it. She’d been after Jax to put some color in his hair, but so far he’d said no. The last thing he wanted was to stand out more than he already did. It was already bad enough being known as the shortest, dorkiest kid in their class.

  “Where have you been?” she demanded as soon
as he approached. “Daddy Shane will be here soon and you haven’t even started packing.”

  “It’s not like I have much,” Jax replied.

  He’d had a recent growth spurt. Normally, that would be something he’d celebrate, but not anymore. Most of his clothes were too small, and he didn’t have any way of replacing them. It wasn’t as if he could ring up his dad and ask for some money to go shopping, so Jax was out of luck.

  Sure, Mitchell would hand it over. In fact, he’d even gone out of his way to tell Jax as much, yet Jax was still embarrassed to ask. They’d already done so much for him and he didn’t want to come across as ungrateful or greedy. He’d just make do for as long as possible. Plus, he could always wear the sweats they supplied the students with. They might have the logo from the Academy on them, but they were comfy.

  “I’m ready,” he declared a few moments later.

  “Is that all?” she frowned as she looked at his backpack.

  “What are you talking about? Look at how full this thing is.” Jax ignore the burning sensation coming over his face.

  “Yeah, nice try. We both know more than half of it is books. Don’t you want to take more clothes with you? It’s going to be a couple of weeks.”

  “I don’t need much. It’s not like we’re going on a party circuit or something. Are you ready?” Jax asked, desperate to change the subject.

  “Yeah, we can go to the cafeteria and grab something to eat. Daddy Shane said he’d meet us there.”

  Jax heaved a sigh of relief before he followed her. He was glad she let the whole thing drop. He already felt pathetic enough.

  When they went to the cafeteria, Jax wasn’t surprised to find only adults there. While he knew some of the older kids would be staying for the break, they must not have come back from their quest yet, which was a topic about which he was dying to talk with Ava. But then he was too scared to defy Shane’s orders. Even though he knew Ava could keep a secret, Jax didn’t dare. Shane had a way of knowing about everything, yet another thing that made him scary as hell.

  They left their bags in the hallway then grabbed some food before taking a seat. Ava made a face as she stirred her spoon around in her bowl of soup. Jax didn’t know what the big deal was. It was the same stuff they had every day. It wasn’t bad.

  “I can’t wait for some of my Daddy Trevor’s cooking,” she said. “He’s the best chef in the world. I won’t miss this stuff at all.”

  “I think the food here is fine,” Jax argued.

  “That’s because you’re used to your mother’s cooking.”

  “What was so bad about that?”

  “I ate over at your house one time and thought she was trying to poison me.”

  “If it was that horrible then why didn’t you say anything sooner?”

  “Because I didn’t want to hurt your feelings. Now it’s established she’s a horrible female, so I feel free to say the truth.”

  “But you ate everything she put in front of you. You just did that so I wouldn’t be upset?” Jax asked.

  “Of course, that’s what best friends are for.”

  Jax was so touched. While others might think it was a strange thing to get all emotional over, to him it meant everything. Ava had gone through all that suffering just for him. Meanwhile, his own parents couldn’t care less.

  Blood doesn’t decide who you are. Those words Keegan had spoken to him not so long ago came back with clarity. Keegan was right. Ava was more family to him than his parents ever had been. It was fitting they spend the holidays together.

  “I guess you do have a point about my mother,” Jax conceded. “She is the only person I’ve ever met who could botch up boxed macaroni and cheese. It was always lumpy. I still don’t know how she managed that.”

  As they shared a laugh, Jax found himself looking forward to the coming days. Maybe he’d finally find out what a true holiday was like.

  Chapter Three

  Trevor rushed around the house. All the while he kept glancing at the clock, and every damn time it gave him worse news. Shane would be home with the kids soon, and Trevor wasn’t nearly as ready as he wanted to be.

  Ever since he’d come to the Coalition, the holidays had been special to him. He hadn’t had the best of childhoods, so he felt as if he were making up for lost time. He couldn’t get enough of it those first few years.

  Then they’d adopted Ava, and it’d taken things to an even higher level. She’d suffered so much before she came to them. That made Trevor feel as if he had to make up for both of them, adding a little bit more stress. Still, he loved this time of year and wouldn’t trade it away for anything.

  That still didn’t mean he didn’t wish he had just a bit more time to get things ready, especially since Jax was coming to stay with them. A wave of sadness went over Trevor as he thought about the poor, little Lion shifter. That kid had so much crap dumped on him in just a few short months. He needed to experience some happiness, and Trevor was determined to give it to him.

  Trevor had noticed how Jax seemed so hesitant to come for the break. Trevor didn’t know why, though. He wondered if maybe Jax was intimidated by Shane. Not everybody saw the soft side of Shane like Trevor did. He knew his mate scared a lot of individuals. Plus, who knew what kind of rumors Jax had heard about Shane at the Coalition. They all just loved to gossip about the Assassin.

  Which pissed Trevor off. Shane had put his life on the line so many times for them, and that was the way they repaid him. Okay, maybe Shane was a little off at times. He did like to growl at others, but he was so much better than he’d been years ago. He no longer brought back decapitated heads, and he almost always cleaned the blood off his clothes before he went to the cafeteria.

  The timer went off, alerting Trevor the cookies were finished. He rushed over then took them out, burning his finger in the process. He let out some colorful curse words as he shook the pain away.

  The front door opened, and Shane came in, the kids trailing behind him. When Trevor saw Jax smile, it came as a huge relief. The teen didn’t look stressed at all. It gave Trevor hope that whatever was bothering him was over. Trevor sure hoped so. He wanted this to be a holiday the Lion never forgot.

  “Is that cookies I smell?” Ava asked, her eyes growing wide.

  Trevor rushed over to hug her. “You know it is. We can only have the best for you.”

  “I didn’t think you’d have time,” she replied. “I heard your team went on a mission today.”

  “How did you find that out?” Trevor demanded with a frown.

  While he and Shane both had dangerous jobs, they’d always tried to keep the fine details away from Ava. She’s already experienced enough bad in her life. She didn’t need to know what kind of dark things her dads had to deal with.

  “Some soldiers were talking about in the cafeteria. They said you had to take down some Spiders. How many were there?” she asked, her face full of excitement.

  “Damn them and their mouths,” Trevor groaned.

  “Please, Daddy.” Ava rolled her eyes. “It’s not like you can protect me forever. I live at the Coalition now. That means I’m going to know more things. Now, tell me, how many Spiders were there?”

  Trevor glanced at Shane who shrugged in response.

  “She does have a point. Plus, she’s learning this stuff at the Academy,” Shane reasoned.

  “I guess you’re right,” Trevor agreed before turning to Ava. “There were three of them.”

  “Are they really as big as the books make them out to be?” Jax asked.

  “I don’t know. I’ve never read the books. I didn’t go to the Academy. In fact, I was raised without any knowledge of it at all,” Trevor admitted.

  “Sorry, I forgot about that. I didn’t mean to make you feel bad.” Jax ducked his head, but not before Trevor caught the worried expression on his face.

  “Don’t sweat it. You just asked an honest question. No harm in that.” Trevor ruffled his hair. “Take a seat at the table, and
I’ll get you some cookies. Then I can tell you all the details about the mission.”

  Jax looked so relieved it tugged at Trevor’s heart. No kid should have to live in fear like that. It made Trevor want to hunt down Jax’s parents and give them a little bit of terror themselves. He had to remind himself Mitchell already was tracking down the couple. He was sure the leader had the perfect punishment planned out for them. That still didn’t mean Trevor couldn’t pay them a little visit once they were in prison, though.

  He piled two plates with cookies then brought them over to the table. He knew they already had dinner, but they would have room. Ever since she’d started training, Ava’s appetite had grown, and he was sure the same was true with Jax.

  Sure enough, they both dug in. Jax took a bite, and his face lit up.

  “Wow, Ava wasn’t lying. You are a great cook,” he exclaimed.

  “It’s just one thing. You can’t judge me on that.” Trevor laughed.

  “These are amazing, though. I wish I knew how to bake like this,” Jax replied.

  “If you want, I can teach you,” Trevor offered. “It’s never too late to learn. I didn’t know anything until a few years ago. That’s when I discovered Food Network. That channel is a godsend.”

  “Okay, okay, enough talk about food. Tell us about the Spiders. Don’t leave anything out either. Just think of it as additional study material for our classes,” Ava said.

  “From what I hear, Jax doesn’t need any help. As for you, missy, you could hit the books a bit harder.” Trevor pinned his daughter with a glare.

  “She’s not doing bad,” Jax cut in. “We had some really tough tests and she’s been studying hard. If anyone is to blame, it’s me. I promised to help her study, but I’ve been distracted lately.”

  Wow, Jax was such a good friend to Ava. While the gesture was touching, Trevor knew he couldn’t let her wiggle her way out of trouble, though. He would have a talk to her about her school work, but later. She’d just come home, and he didn’t want to ruin the moment.