Jax's X Game The Axelridge Series Book 2

AUDREY

Tears fall as I pull myself across the ground. This is it. Everything I worked for, gone in a single shot. The great Black Mace downed by the one thing that gave him the advantage over most.

I grind out a scream as I pull myself away. I need to get far away. The bullet in me…I could tell it wasn’t an ordinary one. The heat I felt as it pierced my armor and entered my body was not like anything I’ve ever felt and it’s growing. I feel the power. Eternity’s power. A Jaxtium bullet. They did it. The mad men did it, but they didn’t do it right. Now, the bomb is set…in my body. The force of being fired destabilized the cosmic gods essence and it will end us all if I don’t get as far away as possible.

I reach out a shaky arm, grip the soft forest dirt and pull. I cry out as I move a few more inches. The darkness of the canopy consumes me and I feel so alone. My helmet hits the dirt and I cry. My tears fall for Jax and the end. My chest pounds as my blood fills with the fire in the bullet. It’s too much to bear as I feel it building. My body will be destroyed along with so much more.

The battle disappears and I lay there. The soil soaks with my blood and I suck in a breath. My gloved fingers slowly fist the leaf litter as Jax's smile and touch play in my mind. If he could see me now, I know he would so angry. I huff a pain filled laugh as I think that I would love to hear him yell at me one more time before I die. I love him so much. I don’t want to go.

“Rey…”

His soft voice hits my ears and I cry more. “Jaxton, go…” I whimper and I reach out, grab the ground and pull myself again with a agonizing growl.

He runs to me and lands on his knees beside me.

“NO! JAX! GET AWAY FROM ME!” I yell as I push him away. Pain explodes from the bullet and I grip my side as I rock back then fall to my stomach. My arms wrap around my head and I shake it.

“NO! AUDREY, DON’T PUSH ME AWAY! NOT NOW!” He yells back and rolls me to my side.

I cry as my hand lands on the bullet hole.

He wipes his face. “Let me look.” He says softly.

I look at him through my visor. “Let me go.”

“Not a chance.” He sniffs and he unzips my jacket. He pulls his hands back quick when he sees a bare man’s chest. I’ve been afraid to shift back with this bullet in me, it could set it off. He looks at me. “What is this?”

I roll onto my back, raise a knee and reach up to my helmet. Shock fills his face and he falls backwards as I remove it.

My cheeks are soaked as I stare into the face that looks exactly like the one I’m wearing. I swallow as I study his expression.

He looks me over. “You’re a…”

I give a quick half smile. “Shape shifter.”

“You…You chose my face.” He bites his lip and rubs his nape. “The Black Mace…”

“I’m sorry.” I whisper in his voice.

He looks to the trees and shakes his head. He crawls back to me. “We'll talk about this later. Just shift and…”

“I can’t. If I do, the bullet could explode.” I choke.

“Explode, what do you mean?” He looks confused.

“Remember I said if Jaxtium wasn’t processed properly, it could explode?”

His eyes widen. He looks to the hole in my side. “They didn’t…”

My eyes well with more tears. “It pierced my Jaxtium armor and embedded in my spine. My right leg is paralyzed. If I shift, the change in bone structure could set it off. Please, go Jax. Before it’s too late.”

He leans down and stares into my eyes. “I’m not leaving you. Shift. It’ll be OK.”

My lip trembles and I close my eyes. I melt into my original form, my blonde hair pool’s around my head and I choke out a cry.

He leans down and his soft lips engulf mine. I wrap an arm around his neck and feel his love fill me.

The bullet pulses out more heat and I break the kiss to grind out the pain.

“Rey…what is it?” He looks me over.

“There’s no time. Please, leave me.” I sob, my hand covers the hole and I turn away. “I’m sorry, Jax.”

He looks around and shakes his head. He turns back to me and wipes his face. “No. No, I’m getting you out of here.”

“Please! There’s no time! If it goes off….” I cry out as I push on him.

He grabs my hands. “If it does, we go together.”

I rip my hands away and cover my eyes as I sob harder.

He grabs me and starts to pick me up and I scream out. “I can't. Jaxton, just stop.” I whine as more tears fall and look away.

He grabs my chin and pulls my eyes to meet his. He stares into my soul. “Don’t you dare fucking give up. I didn’t come this far with you to have you die on me. Now, get off your ass and stand up!” He slightly shakes my chin as he quietly growls his words.

I suck in my lip and nod.

He smiles. “That’s my girl.”

He pulls me to my feet and he supports me. We start the walk around the battle through the trees. “Phoenix has a medic tent just on the other side of these trees.”

I try to hold my blood in as I hop beside him, my leg dragging behind me.

We make it passed a few trees and the bullet rages in my flesh. I scream and my knee crumples.

“Audrey!” He drops beside me.

“I feel it. It’s too late.” My shaking head turns to him. “I love you.”

He looks around like his searching for a solution.

He drops his mace and picks mine off my back. He looks it over. “I need to reverse the polarity. How do I get in?”

I stare at him.

“Audrey!”

I point to a spike. “Twist it off.”

He does as he’s told and opens the mace. As he looks around the system he glances at me. “I figured it had to be hollow to be so light. I also know an electromagnetic system of this caliber would need two ends. 1 + 1 = 2.”

“You’re too smart.” I force a smile as my eyes get heavy with blood loss.

He plays around with some wires. “Yeah, well. I wasn’t smart enough to save you from this.”

“Not your fault.” I say sleepily.

“It is my fault, Rey. I should have searched for you. I should’ve know this is what you would have done with your grief.” He rubs his head and face. “I shouldn’t have been such a dick.”

I slowly shake my head. “You couldn’t stop it…would have done it anyway…”

He chuckles and sniffs. “Don’t I know it.” He closes the mace. He slides it out the way and slides over to me.

He pulls my arm out my jacket and the pain is intense, but my body is going into shock. “What are you doing?”

He pulls off a belt off the jacket and folds it. “I’m getting the bullet out. Bite this.”

“No…You can’t….”

“Bite it, Audrey!!” He shoves it in my face.

I open my mouth and he places the belt in my teeth.

He rolls me over. “This is going to hurt a lot, baby. I’m sorry.”

I turn and he calls his claws. He punches his hand into my side and my eyes shoot open. I scream in utter agony as his hand navigates to the bullet. I cry uncontrollably as I feel his claws near my spine.

“Almost…got it…” He grinds as I feel the bullet dislodge and the power move.

He pulls his hand out and the forest fills with pulsing blue light.

I shakily turn to him as he holds up the cracked bullet. Blue light streams out the cracks and it pulses like a racing heart beat.

“Cover your head.”

He quickly stands with my mace, tosses the bullet in the air and swings with all the power he has.

The reversed polarity pushes the bullet away into the sky. He drops and covers me as the sky explodes and the ground quakes. We look up and the cosmic power streaks across the sky like the northern lights and a shockwave comes back down. He covers me as trees are downed around us. Our bodies are covered in debris as the wind rushes over us like a wall.

When it’s over, he finds my eyes and pulls the belt out. “You can't die on me. You have a moon to stand under.”

My chin quivers and he kisses me hard. He wipes my tears, and holds my chin. He pulls back with more kisses and places his forehead on mine.

I never thought for a second that Jaxton Dupree would accept me for what I was. It’s why I kept it a secret my whole life.

I didn’t have the greatest life growing up, but when the Oakland’s took me in, I felt so much love. When I met Jax, I felt that same love, but was afraid it wasn’t true. I admit, I contributed a lot to our toxic relationship mostly because I felt I didn’t deserve the treatment he gave me when he wasn’t controlling my actions and I thought if he really knew who I was, he would end it, so I ended it first. I may have escaped his toxic ways, but I left to make mine worse. I didn’t see it until now. It’s not surprising, considering who my grandfather was, but I thought I prevailed the family history. I now see I was wrong. I left my normal life for this one filled of vengeance and hate all because I couldn’t come to terms with what happened to me. History really does repeat itself. If it wasn’t for Jax, I’d be dead like my grandfather.

I guess now, I have no choice. If what Jax says is true, we can’t have this between us any longer.

I have to come clean. If Jax is truly mine, I have to believe he will understand.