Page 15 of Devoted in the Midlife

"You're pushing too hard again," he chided gently. "Your aura is a mess of frustrated knots."

I sniffled, swiping at the moisture on my lashes before leaning into his touch. "I have to push," I argued mulishly. "These Ginsu rejects are our only hope at ending this thing."

"And we'll get there," he assured me. "But not by running ourselves into the ground." He spun my chair, forcing me to meet his gaze, green eyes soft with understanding. "You need a break, sweet. Let that big brain rest and reset."

I shook my head mutely, but it was a weak protest and we both knew it. Jax put the daggers back in their lead box and tugged me to my feet and into his arms. "The others are waiting for us at Catch and Release. We're gonna show Xander a good time Philly-style and forget about murder and mayhem for a couple of hours."

Folding myself into his embrace with a shuddering sigh, I let Jax's certainty bolster my own. Maybe he was right. Maybe stepping back from this impossible puzzle was the key to seeing its solution.

Or maybe I'd simply feel better about bashing my head against unbreakable magical walls after a round or three of O-neg shooters. Either way, a night of distraction sounded heavenly.

The thrum of music and chatter washed over me as we entered Catch and Release, inviting as a hot bath on a cold night. After the whirlwind of supernatural disasters lately, normalcy tasted like a vintage I hadn't sipped in years. Even if "normal" was an elite vampire nightclub.

Red and white lights sliced through the hazy air, flashing over the lithe bodies gyrating on the dance floor. I inhaled the mingled scents of incense, liquor, and blood, so familiar they almost stung with nostalgia. Beside me, Jax squeezed my hand, his profile painted in crimson shadow. I squeezed back. He murmured in my ear, his words lost in the pulse of the bass, but I knew what he'd said. Time to unwind.

We cut a path to our usual booth, the crowd parting for Jax like the Red Sea for Moses. Perks of being the big boss. Zara and Xander had beaten us here, heads bent together in animated conversation. As we slid across from them, I caught the end of Zara's sentence.

"-telling you, Philly beats NYC any day."

"Please," Xander scoffed, but a smile tugged his lips. "NYC is the city that never sleeps for a reason. You can't beat that energy."

"You just like being in charge of the shiniest toy," Zara teased, green eyes sparkling. "Admit it, running NYC has made you soft. Lost your edge."

Xander clutched his chest in mock affront. "You wound me, Zara. I'm the sharpest fang in the canines."

She snorted into her drink, nearly spilling the crimson concoction. A genuine grin split Xander's face, crinkling the corners of his tired eyes. I hadn't seen him this relaxed in, well, ever. Immortality was a bitch on the complexion, but he looked centuries younger bantering with Zara.

As they launched into another volley of city rivalry, I slid my gaze to the bar. Paige perched on a stool, nursing a vodka tonic and staring at Claudia with indiscreet adoration. Her mate was in her element, confidently directing the other bartenders as she mixed drinks with preternatural speed. She'd taken to undeath like a bat to night. Paige's expression was so lovesick, I expected cartoon hearts to start bubbling from her head.

Jax's fingers threaded through mine on the seat between us, cool and strong. I leaned into him, soaking up his solid presence. Jax was a man of action, not flowery speeches, and I couldn't recall the last time he'd suggested a break. Always handling thenext crisis, unraveling the next intrigue. But the tiny half smile on his lips as he watched Zara and Xander trade barbs told me he needed this as much as I did. An escape from politics and prophecy, just for a night.

The server dropped off a fresh round of blood-laced drinks and Xander raised his glass. "To new friends and fresh beginnings," he declared, clinking his tumbler against Zara's.

"To surviving immortality without going batty," she rejoined with a sly wink.

Jax groaned at the pun, but I saw the way Xander's eyes crinkled. Zara had injected a shot of caffeinated enthusiasm into his usual jadedness, like a double espresso for the soul. I'd never seen two people fall into friendship so fast, especially not an ancient master vampire and an impulsive baby fang.

As their voices rose in another friendly debate, Xander gesturing expansively with his free hand, I stole another glance at Claudia. She was watching us from behind the bar, polishing a glass and smiling softly at her mate's profile. For a moment, her eyes met mine, and a current of understanding passed between us. The loves of our unlives, finding unexpected connections. Wonders never ceased.

I squeezed Jax's fingers, and he turned to me, eyebrow raised in silent question. "Nothing," I murmured, leaning close so he could hear me under the music. "Just happy."

His eyes warmed, twin candle flames in the dimness. He brushed his lips over my hair, the ghost of a kiss, there and gone. An immortal so powerful he could level cities, undone by a moment of normalcy. It kindled a warmth in my chest fiercer than any blaze.

I sipped my drink, letting the blood and vodka sing through my veins. Xander's laughter boomed across the table, prompted by something Zara had said. Even Paige seemed to be shedding her academic pretensions, swaying slightly on her stool to the pulsing beat. We were an odd coven - a patchwork of misfits knitted together by fate and bad jokes. Fragile as spider-silk, but strong as steel.

But then, wasn't that the nature of immortality? You collected people like pins on a map, fragile human connections rusted by time. If you were lucky, some stuck. Looking around at the faces gilded in red, familiar and fond in the strobing light, I knew I was one lucky vampire. Prophecies and politics be damned. We'd always have nights like these, tiny eternities spun from laughter and blood. And for now, that was enough.

8

LUKE

I glancedup from my book when Ivy knocked on my bedroom door. "Come in." Ransom muted the TV, which he'd been watching with one eye closed. One look at her expression as she clutched her phone, and I knew our quiet afternoon plans had just evaporated.

"You two need to head with me to Rune Academy. Now." Well, shit.

I set my book aside, exchanging a glance with Ransom. "Now-now, or vampire-now?"

Ivy cocked her head, not even cracking a smile. "Luke, I don't even know what that means, but the headmaster didn't sound like he was in the mood for a brunch delay."