Knowing Claire (The Possessed Series Book 1) Read online

  Relief washed through him at the thought of Claire’s protector being a Shifter. It tilted the odds in her favor.

  Jaxon could smell Sarina and Victoria inside the house also, but had yet to hear them. He prayed they weren’t hurt, or worse, dead.

  A car pulled into the drive a short time later, and Jaxon shrank back. He didn’t want to risk his father finding him there, not until Jaxon found out Alfred’s role in this sick game.

  He watched from the shadows as his father stepped out and bounded onto the porch. The door opened a crack, admitting the barrel of a gun. “Were you followed?”

  “Of course not.”

  The second the door shut behind his father, Jaxon circled around to the west side of the house, keeping low to the ground. He stopped at Claire’s bedroom, listening for sounds, and tried the window. It resisted briefly before sliding quietly open.

  Arguing could be heard coming from the living room as Jaxon climbed soundlessly into the room. He stood there for a moment, making sure he hadn’t been detected, and moved toward the hall.

  The look of fear on Claire’s face was nearly his undoing as he crept close enough to be seen by the occupants on the couch. The man sitting next to her had a certain calmness about him, and he was staring right at Jaxon.

  He heard me come in, Jaxon guessed, scanning the room for Alfred and the stranger. The guy known as Ben narrowed his gaze and glanced toward the kitchen.

  Jaxon nodded his thanks and moved far enough to see around the wall. Other than a subtle stiffening of his posture, Alfred didn’t acknowledge Jaxon’s presence. Claire, on the other hand, was an entirely different story.

  The tears pooling in her eyes tore at Jaxon’s heart. She shook her head slightly, indicating she wanted him to stay put. It touched him that she worried for his well being, and it pissed him off that she would attempt to put his safety before her own.

  Everything happened in slow motion from that moment on. Gunfire exploded inside the house, ricocheting off the walls in deafening finality. Alfred threw himself in front of Claire, and the sickening sound of a bullet entering flesh would echo inside Jaxon’s mind for the rest of his life.

  Claire screamed as Alfred threw himself on top of her, taking another bullet in his back. Bright-red blood spread onto the sofa on either side of her.

  Another bullet whizzed past Jaxon’s head, embedding into the wall an inch from his face.

  “Nobody move.” The madman had his gun to Sarina’s head. He backed slowly toward the kitchen door that would lead him outside.

  “Let her go.” Ben inched toward him with predatory precision.

  The gunman reached behind him, opened the door, and backed down the steps, holding Sarina in front of him with Ben stalking steady stalking them.

  They disappeared from view, and Jaxon rushed to Claire. “Baby, talk to me.” He pulled his father off her, gently laying him on the floor.

  “I’m not hurt. Help Alfred, Jaxon. Hurry. He’s been shot. Oh, God, the bullets, he… Jaxon help him.”

  Claire’s words were lapping over the top of one another, barely legible.

  “I got him, baby.”

  Another gunshot rent the air, and Claire leapt to her feet. “Mama!”

  Jaxon caught her around the waist. “Stay down. I’ll check.” He shoved her onto the couch. An engine started, and the sound of a car accelerating down the drive brought Claire back to her feet.

  The door was suddenly thrown open, and Ben’s big body filled the entrance with Sarina under his arm attempting to hold him up.

  “He’s been shot. Call an ambulance!” Claire’s mother barked at Jaxon.

  “I’m fine, woman. It’s just a scratch. See to Tori.” Ben staggered into the room with a wince.

  “The little coward shot me,” he announced as Sarina ran into the kitchen to remove Tori’s gag and untie her.

  Chapter Twenty Three

  Alfred’s wounds weren’t life-threatening. The bullets had gone clean through, barely missing Claire who had been standing in front of him. She shuddered, thinking of what could have happened.

  Jaxon straightened, took hold of her hand and pulled her from the guest room where Alfred lay sleeping. She followed him in a daze, not caring where he took her as long he didn’t let go.

  He tugged her into the bathroom and locked the door behind them. Neither of them spoke as he turned on the shower and began undressing her. He stripped out of his own clothes before helping her over the side of the tub.

  “Jaxon…” Claire began.

  “We’ll talk after I clean you up. Back up under the water.” His gentle tone washed her cleaner than any water could ever hope to.

  She closed her eyes to block out the sight of so much blood trickling down the drain at her feet and stepped fully under the spray.

  The feel of Jaxon’s hands, slippery with soap, wrung a moan from her throat as they skimmed over her shoulders, stopping to gently knead her breasts.

  She opened her eyes in time to watch him drop to his knees in front of her. His hands shook as he brought them around to her abdomen. He raised his gaze, and Claire could swear a suspicious wetness appeared in his eyes that had nothing to do with the shower.

  He moved his hands apart and kissed her just below the belly button. “Claire, I…” He paused before continuing. “I know I’m not what you wanted, but if you’ll have me, I’ll move heaven and earth to make sure you have everything you could ever want or need. Both of you.” He kissed her again. “Please, have me.”

  Claire’s heart shattered into a million pieces in that moment. He thought she didn’t want him? She sank to her knees in front of him and took his face in her hands. “Have you? Jaxon, I love you. I’ve always loved you.”

  He squeezed his eyes shut before opening them to lock gazes with her. “I need to hear it again. And I need to know you mean it, really mean it, because you’re it for me. I can’t live without you, Claire. I died a little every day that you were gone. You own me. Not just my heart, but my soul. I would give my life for you.”

  “I love you, Jaxon Sanders. With everything that I am, I love you.”

  “Ah, God, Claire.” He yanked her forward, crushing her to him in a desperation that consumed her.

  She kissed his neck where her mouth pressed tight against him. The deep rumble of his voice swirled around her, weaving a spell her soul would never be free of. Not that she wanted to be free. She would sell that very same soul if it meant being with Jaxon forever.

  “You’re mine, Claire. I’m obsessed with you, all of you…your laugh, your scent, your very existence.”

  He pulled back to stare into her eyes. “Marry me.”

  Joy rushed through her with the power of his declaration. “Yes.” She laughed. “Yes, I’ll marry you.”

  He scooped her up into his arms, standing in one fluid movement. “You just made me the happiest man alive.”

  She was pretty damn happy herself, she thought with a sigh, laying her head on his shoulder as he stepped out of the shower and carried her to her bedroom.

  Jaxon locked the door behind them and laid her gently in the middle of her bed before taking a seat beside her.

  “May I?” He gestured toward her still flat belly.

  Claire watched in wonder as Jaxon rested his face against her skin above their unborn child.

  His eyes sparkled in the dimly lit room. “I can hear his heartbeat, Claire.” The awe in his voice brought a smile to her face.

  “He’s a special gift, Jaxon. Just like his daddy.” Claire held her breath as she waited for her meaning to sink in.

  When he didn’t respond, she tried again. “Jaxon, I know what you are… What our son is.”

  “Claire?” He slowly sat up, his hand hovering where his head had lain. The look on his face was a mixture of shock and confusion.

  “I’ve known for weeks now.” Was that relief shining in his eyes?

  “How?”

  “Ben told me. Or, rather, he showed me.
” The day Ben had shifted in her room would forever be burned in her memory.

  Jaxon blew out a breath and ran a hand through his hair. “I’m not a freak, baby. I’m just a man, a man in love with you. I know that I—”

  “You’re not just a man, Jaxon. You’re an anomaly. You’re the father of my child and soon to be my husband.” Her chest filled with pride, knowing she would be the one to gift him with a son.

  Another thought surfaced, stealing some of her joy. “Being with me will ruin your chances of running for office.”

  He took hold of her hands and brought them to his lips, brushing a kiss across her knuckles. “I never had any intension of running for office. I’m no politician, babe. You’re all I’ve ever wanted.”

  “But your Father—”

  “Can go to hell. He almost cost you your life, Claire. His opinion matters not to me.”

  Her heart ached for Jaxon. He’d been betrayed by two people he trusted and cared for, herself included. Though she’d been left with no choice and would change nothing if she had it to do over again. Her mother’s and Tori’s lives had been at stake.

  A tapping on the door brought her up short.

  “Can I come in?” Tori’s impatient voice brooked no argument.

  “Just a second,” Claire called out with a giggle as she watched Jaxon unlock the door and scramble to find something to wear. He finally settled for crawling in bed next to her, snatching a sheet over their nakedness.

  Tori opened the door and poked her head in. “Got room for one more?”

  “We’re not dressed.” Jaxon grinned.

  “Not to be the oddball out.” Victoria began unbuttoning her shirt as she strolled into the room.

  “Noooo,” Claire and Jaxon ordered simultaneously.

  Tori plopped down on the foot of the bed with a twinkle in her eyes. “Shit yourselves?”

  “Lunatic.” Claire laughed before sobering. “I’m so glad you’re safe.”

  Chapter Twenty Four

  After sending Tori to retrieve his clothes from the bathroom floor, Jaxon dressed and left the room to give the girls some time alone. He knew they had things to discuss, and frankly so did he...with his father.

  He entered the guest room without knocking to find Alfred sitting up on the side of the bed with Sarina tending his wounds. Jaxon didn’t need to look to know Ben sat in a chair in the corner. He could sense him there.

  “May I have a minute alone with Alfred?”

  Sarina nodded and gestured for Ben to precede her into the hallway. The giant Shifter stood, locking gazes with Jaxon. “If he escapes, he dies.”

  Jaxon held Ben’s stare, and a grudging respect grew for the man. He became aware of two things in that moment. Ben was a familiar, and he’d apparently adopted Claire, which meant the guy would die to protect her. “He won’t escape.”

  Once the door closed behind the duo, Jaxon faced his father. “Why?”

  Alfred rubbed at his bandaged chest, looking everywhere but at his son. “Things got out of hand. I never meant for any of this to happen.”

  For long moments, Jaxon studied the man that raised him, before speaking again. “How could you even think to hurt Claire? You had to know what she means to me. I won’t forgive you for this.”

  His father finally met his gaze. “I don’t blame you, son.”

  “Is your damn political standing more important to you than the lives of others? And what about my life? Claire is pregnant with my child. Your grandchild.”

  Alfred flinched. “I sensed it when I arrived today. I’m sorry, Jaxon. I truly am. I would give anything to go back and change what happened, but I can’t. You have to know I would never hurt Claire or her family.”

  “You expect me to believe that after the bullets flying around today? Claire could have been—”

  “I’m being blackmailed,” Alfred interrupted.

  “And this concerns me why?” Jaxon didn’t care about his father’s business dealings or political bullshit; he just wanted answers to the questions plaguing him.

  “Claire is the blackmail,” Alfred confessed in a quiet tone.

  Jaxon gaped at him. “What did you just say?”

  Alfred ran a hand down his face. He seemed to have aged twenty years in the past few hours. “Have a seat, and I’ll tell you everything.”

  “I prefer to stand. Now start talking.”

  “My blackmailer is Mack Doyle, Sarina’s first husband and the man she went to prison for many years ago.” He pinched the bridge of his nose before continuing. “Mack was a big-time drug dealer when he married Sarina. Someone tipped him off that the DEA was about to raid his home, so he emptied his safe of its money and gave it to Sarina to get rid of before the cops arrived.”

  “Why didn’t he just hide the drugs instead of the money?”

  “Too much evidence and not enough time, so he set Sarina up to take the fall.”

  Understanding dawned on Jaxon. “So, he sets her up as she’s hiding the money, and he gets the loot while she sits in prison.”

  “Something like that.”

  “Why would she go to prison for him?” Jaxon had trouble wrapping his mind around that, although it was becoming clear where Claire got her thought process from.

  “I’m not sure what he held over her that would make her take the rap, but it had to be something big.”

  “What does any of this have to do with your involvement or the threats to Claire?”

  “I’m getting to that.” Alfred shifted around on the bed, eventually lying back against the pillows. “Mack was imprisoned in Georgia, and as you know, your Uncle Ralph is the governor there.”

  Jaxon gestured for him to continue.

  “Well, Ralph and I were involved in some things not of the legal nature. We enlisted the help of an inmate named Richard Tisdale in exchange for an early release. Apparently Tisdale and Doyle were cellmates, and Tisdale told him everything. When Doyle realized my connection to the county Sarina lived in and that she had a daughter, he blackmailed us into releasing him on parole.”

  Jaxon dropped into the chair Ben had recently vacated. He couldn’t believe what he was hearing. It was akin to something out of a John Grisham novel. He rested his elbows on his knees. “Go on.”

  Alfred plucked at the bandage on his chest. “He wanted me to bring Claire to him in exchange for his silence.”

  “How could you do—”

  “I wasn’t going to give her to him.” Alfred’s face grew red with anger. “Why do you think I rushed her out of here so fast and paid for her to have a modeling career in California?”

  “She went out there alone, Father. Without protection. If not for Ben, I don’t know if she would have survived.” Rage boiled anew at the thought of Claire being caught up in his father’s manipulation.

  Alfred quickly sat forward, holding Jaxon’s stare. “Who do you think sent Ben to her in the first place? I hired him to assist her and drive her places. He’s a familiar. I knew he would protect her. And I needed time to find Doyle and dispose of him properly.”

  Some of the wind left Jaxon’s sails with Alfred’s confession. It didn’t get him off the hook as far as Jaxon was concerned, only moved him from the hot seat.

  “Does Ben know any of this?” Jaxon raised an eyebrow.

  “No, and I’d rather he didn’t. He’s already looking for an excuse to rip my throat out.”

  Jaxon rubbed at the back of his neck. “He’ll have to get in line.”

  “I deserve that.”

  “We need more protection for the women.” Claire was Jaxon’s main concern at the moment. He’d have to forego the pleasure of strangling his father. For now.

  “I can arrange for their protection.” Alfred’s words, though quiet, were confident and sure.

  You’re not off my shit list yet.” Jaxon stood to go. “I need to check on Claire. Make the calls.” He left the room without a backward glance.

  Chapter Twenty Five

  “I’m so
sorry I broke down and told Jaxon everything.” Tori spoke from her position next to Claire’s stomach.

  “Go ahead, Tori. You can touch it.” She grinned at the blonde holding her hand suspended just above Claire’s abdomen. “It’s okay, really. Actually if I had told him myself, none of this would have had to happen.”

  “We don’t know what would’ve taken place. I’m just glad no one lost a life. Well, other than the asshole wielding the gun. I wouldn’t lose any sleep over his light being snuffed out.” She laid her hand on Claire’s stomach.

  “Yeah, me neither. I wonder what he wanted with us.”

  “He obviously worked for Mr. Sanders, Claire.”

  Claire had thought of that, but something didn’t quite add up. “He wouldn’t have shot Alfred if that were the case. And he took Mom instead of you out that kitchen door when you were the closest and easiest to grab.”

  “It was me he wanted.” Sarina’s soft voice startled Claire. She stepped fully into the room.

  “What are you saying? Why would he want you?”

  “Because I have something he wants.” She moved closer until she stood next to the side of the bed.

  “You know that man?” Claire was sure her eyes were as huge as Tori’s.

  “Knew. I was married to him before your father.”

  Claire sat bolt upright. “That was Mack Doyle?”

  Sarina nodded and took a seat on the side of the bed.

  “Hold the hell up. Somebody better tell me what’s going on here,” Tori demanded.

  Claire’s mother filled them in on the sordid details of her past, ending it with, “I thought he was locked up. He’d gotten life without parole.”

  Victoria threw her hands up. “Am I the only one here who finds this story too bizarre to believe? It’s a little Jerry Springerish, if you ask me.”

  That earned her a look from both occupants on the bed.

  “Well, it is,” Tori muttered before motioning for Sarina to continue.

  “He wants the money.” Sarina’s gaze bored into her daughter’s.

  “What money?” Claire gaped at her.