Taming Jax (First Wave Book 5) (21 page)

The round of cheers and agreement by others in the room, startled Melina, who became suddenly very embarrassed and looked at the tips of her shoes before looking back up at Disc shyly.

“You can feel him. The same way he feels us to find us. You can hunt him if you want. I can help you.” Melina offered, although the bad man scared her, she was willing to help Disc find him. To stop him.

She was so caught up in trying to get him to help; she didn’t notice that everyone else was being directed to leave the dining room.

Chapter Twelve

Grai radiated fury as he strode quickly down the hallways to the dining room. The Shengari’ was lit up like a firestorm with the child, Melina’s accusations that one of their own was helping to hunt and catch their children.

Until he knew more, he was taking no chances with his people or the humans under his protection. He barked out orders through the Shengari’ as his people fled from his path.

“Get the whole damn place on lockdown! I want the cats unleashed. Every damn one of them. I want every damn hole in the ground searched, extra patrols on the border and undercover patrols in the town. Someone get me some damn intel on the people who were trying to sell those kids! We need to back trace this guy! There may be more we can save.”

Grai stood outside the closed dining room doors and tried to calm himself down so he wouldn’t scare the child.

“I’m not afraid of you.” The tentative, shaky voice in his mind startled the hell out of him and his beast, Death.

Since there was only one other person he knew of that could invade his mind like that, he had no doubt that the child was a Prime. Damn if he wasn’t proud that little girl was his brother's mate, he thought with a grin as he walked through the door.

Pale blue eyes met his as Grai approached the table where Melina was sitting between Disc and Reven, with Jax and the smiling baby on the other side of the table. He strategically sat himself across from her and next to Jax before speaking.

“You are a very clever girl. Do you remember me?” Grai asked gently.  

When the little girl just nodded her head, he continued. “I’m sure you realize how stunned we all are that one of our own may be harming our people. Our children. We want him found and stopped. Quickly. Can you help us do that?” Grai asked, going straight to the point.

If this animal was out there hunting their children, he had to be found and dealt with quickly. No matter what she said, the little girl was scared, but brave. If she was willing and able to help them, they needed to do this. Now. Grai thought.

“He can find him.” Melina said, nodding to Disc who looked at Grai with surprise.

Grai nodded at Disc, knowing he had no idea what the girl meant. “How can Disc find him honey?”

“He’s a spirit walker, like the bad man. That’s how he finds us, he walks our spirits. He finds out if we’re special, or if we’re just normal. The special ones are taken somewhere else; the normal ones are… they do other things with them.” Melina said quietly, looking down at her lap.  

Reven put an arm around her thin shoulders and pulled her close to his side. “You’re very brave Melina. You’re safe here. We will allow nothing to harm you, little one.”

“I don’t understand what a spirit walker is… I don’t really have an ability like the other hybrids. None of us male hybrids do.” Disc said in confusion. He would do anything to help find the asshole betraying their most innocent, but he had no idea what the child was talking about.

Grai called out to Lara, hoping she could clear up the confusion and wasn’t too surprised when she walked in the door, followed by Viper and Dog’ee.

Melina gasped and pressed closer to Reven as Lara moved to the table and kneeled by the child.

“Let me help you child.” Lara said as she placed her hand on the little girl's head. Melina’s eyes rolled back causing Jax to surge to her feet.

Lara held her other hand out and spoke to Jax. “She is fine mother bear. I am helping to clear her thoughts, so I can see what she has seen.”

As she spoke, Melina’s eyes rolled back, and she smiled at Lara and nodded her head. Lara smiled gently at the child and stood. She moved to sit next to Grai and nodded patiently at Melina.

It was clear to the others that Lara and Melina were holding a private conversation, and they had decided something between them because Melina looked up at the others more confidently and began speaking.

“He walks our spirits and our beasts trying to find the ancient ones, like her.” Melina said, nodding at Lara before continuing.

“He knows our gifts and how to counteract them. He could even see me. I don’t know how. No one has ever seen me before.” Melina said sadly, causing Reven to hug her closer to try to comfort her.

“Explain this, because I’m just getting more confused.” Jax said, irritated that she felt so helpless to find the bastard that betrayed her children.

Lara smiled gently. “She speaks of one of us. One with the ability to sense us, our gifts and our beasts. Spirit walker is what the man called his own gift. It is an accurate term for what he can do.”

“Wait…” Disc said with confusion. “I can’t do anything like that.”

“You can!” Melina said, unwilling to back down.

“Easy, little one. They are still learning, like you.” Lara told the excited little girl with a smile. Then she turned those eerie golden eyes on Disc.

“You mistake the gift of balance as no gift at all. The child has easily seen what you have not. You who can ‘guess’ the gift of every hybrid you meet. You who was the first to notice something was different about my beast, but kept it to yourself. You who can sense when one of us is near and can easily find them.”

Disc looked at Lara’s golden eyes with an open mouth as she spoke. “Wait… how did you… What the hell! You mean I’m one of these spirit walkers?”

Lara nodded. “Yes, you are.”

“But the male hybrids aren’t gifted.” Disc said quietly, trying to understand.

Lara laughed. “As I said, you mistake the gift of balance for no gift at all. Our female hybrids are all much smaller than the males. They have mostly been left to fend for themselves and are more in need of the physical gifts than the larger and stronger males.”

“As a strong, well trained warrior, what use would you really have of a gift of fire or telekinesis? It would be a redundant trait for a male. Think of balance. For you males, you benefit more from the less physical gifts. Like Risk’s gift of technology or yours as a spirit walker.”  

Grai shook his head, stunned that he’d never figured it out before. “Wait, you’re saying all of our hybrid males have a gift that they probably don’t realize they have because they are expecting something as cool as the females?”

Lara laughed. “Well it’s not that simple. In their defense, most of them like Disc, don’t realize it because they aren’t looking for the balance so much as the dramatic abilities so predominant in the females. Like Dare and her telekinesis, True and her fire or Jax with her command of the animals. They do not overlook it intentionally.”

“So I can find this bast… this guy?” Disc asked, trying to control his anger and his hope that he could help.

Lara looked at Melina closely, her eyes glowing a darker gold for a moment before she answered. “Yes, Melina believes that you can, and I do as well.”

Disc immediately became excited. “Tell me how. Tell me what to do.”

“Can you help us draw a picture of him? Can you tell us what he looked like?” Grai asked Melina, hoping Sarex or one of their psychics could draw an accurate sketch with the girl’s description.

“I can do that. Melina has shown me his image and the details that will help us find him. I can also help Disc so that he can track him.” Lara said with a smile at the brave little laustio.   

“I want to help.” Melina said as Reven and Jax immediately started arguing.

“Enough!” Lara said getting everyone’s attention.

She turned her golden eyes on Melina for a moment, and the little girl shook her head sadly. “Melina understands she has much to learn before she can help us. Just as we have much to learn from her and of the others here who have overlooked their gifts. This battle is ours and no longer hers.” Lara said with a gentle smile at the little girl.

“Come, we have much to do, and I believe Melina was going to show her new mother some of her abilities in the training room. It is time for many things to be revealed and many eyes to open in order for our true purpose to be achieved.” Lara said cryptically as she stood and walked to the door.

With a heavy sigh, Disc stood to follow her, unsure of what to expect and hoping he could help even though he didn’t feel confident that he could.

He was stopped by the small hand that gripped his own. He looked down into pale blue eyes, shot with specks of silver as Melina spoke to him.

“You can. I know you can. I believe in you. You just have to believe in yourself. Please… stop him.” Melina said with tears in her eyes, before she blinked and looked away, letting his hand slide from her own.

Disc grabbed her hand before it slipped all the way out and drew her eyes back to his own. “I will believe in anything, even myself, if it will help me find him and ease your mind. I will do my best child. I promise you that.”

Reven stood and shook Disc’s arm in a warrior hold. “Thank you my friend. Anything you can do is appreciated.”

Disc nodded at Reven, Jax and Grai before he left the room. Grai was the next to stand. He couldn’t resist placing a hand on the adorable baby who was mate to his special son. Her two-toothed smile at him, melted his heart.

He looked at Reven, then Jax. “I must go. I will keep you updated on what we find out. If there is anything else that we need to know, don’t hesitate to contact me at any hour.”

He looked directly at Melina. “You are a very brave girl, and we are all very proud of you.” He looked like he wanted to say more, but instead walked out of the door.

Now alone in the dining room, Jax looked at Melina. “Well, let’s get eating, so we can hit the gym!”

Melina just nodded her head and picked at the food on the plate Reven had set in front of her earlier. Although everything looked and smelled wonderful, she’d lost her appetite and no longer felt like eating.  

The ancient one had been right. It was time for things to be revealed, and she was supposed to start with allowing Jax and Reven to see what she was capable of. It scared her to death.

She’d never told anyone anything about what she could do, and she was afraid that they would be frightened of her and would reject her if they knew. The ancient one had assured her that wouldn’t happen, that Jax and Reven loved her and Bayla and would not fear her. However, a part of her was afraid that Lara was wrong.

As if she knew her thoughts, Jax leaned across the table. “Hey, I don’t care if your head can spin around on your shoulders until you can speak from your back. It will not change anything. You’re still a little girl, our little girl, and you’re staying with us.”

Melina gave a small smile to Jax, hoping the woman would feel the same way after she saw what she could do.

*****

Jax and Reven tried to speak only with their eyes and hand motions, unwilling to let Melina possibly hear them through the Shengari’.