Heart and Soul by Jackie May (reading list .TXT) 📗

Jay breaks our embrace and clamps a strong hand on my jaw. With surprising force he makes me look into his eyes, which are crackling with adrenaline. I’m startled by his intensity. By pure instinct I resist, but his grip is too strong. “Really?” he says with challenge in his tone. “Maybe you should take notes from Elle on how I like to be kissed.”

There’s just enough time for me to actually hear Elle’s knees go weak before Jay and I devour each other’s lips. My fingers are lost in his hair. He bends forward, forcing me to lean back in his steeled arms. I feel that every ounce of him—even his soft lips—are a force to be reckoned with. Resistance is absolutely pointless. I’d be annoyed with such a show of dominance, if I weren’t so damn flattered by the realization that he’s had this in him all this time but has never used it on me.

A gravelly voice kills the moment. “Would you look at these two? The underworld traitor and her human cop. They really need to start being more strict about who they let into this place.”

The wolf is middle-aged and scrawny, but his goons are young and massive. They crack their knuckles, taking up positions behind Elle and me. We’re surrounded.

So yeah, after that somewhat cheesy and very unimaginative insult, there follows a one-sided conversation which lasts exactly eight seconds. Jay looks the guy directly in the eyes and says, “I’m going to give you guys the option. You can take your best shots at me, after which I’ll buy us all a round, or you can put your eyes on my girl again.” So then, naturally, the wolf leers at me, and, just as naturally, Jay rockets a fist through his teeth.

All three wolves rush Jay at once. Shrieking, Elle raises a hand to blast the nearest wolf, but I bat her hand away. “No! No help!”

“It’s three against one!”

“I know; it’s perfect!”

The crowd scrambles to move away from the brawl. This is no choreographed movie fight where each thug politely waits his turn while the hero knocks them all down like dominoes. This is the chaos of savages, and Jay, the human wrecking ball, is more than a match for them. There’s not a single body part he doesn’t use with lethal force. Headbutts to the face, elbows to the throat, knees to the groin, boots to the kneecaps. With only three guys, they can’t possibly contain all of him.

It takes several trolls to stop the fight. One of them is Terrance. He cuffs Jay’s neck with one arm and jerks him out of the tangle of wolves. “All right, kids, that’s the bell. Recess is over,” Terrance thunders. “You three, I’ve had words with before, so—” He has to stop, because Jay won’t quit thrashing. Gripping him by the neck, Terrance holds him at arm’s length about three feet off the ground. Jay flails his feet and pounds his fist into Terrance’s tree trunk arm. The three wolves, huffing and puffing with fatigue, watch with incredulous eyes.

“You know what,” Terrance says, grimacing with strain, “obviously, my guy here’s got a death wish, so why don’t I just give him back to y’all?” He drops Jay, and the wolves, much to the amusement of the crowd, back away from him.

Jay’s bleeding. Not from any particular spot—just, in general. The wolves are hardly scratched but sucking wind like crazy, about to drop dead of exhaustion. They gape at Jay like he’s some exotic animal. How in the world is he still standing, let alone balling his fists, ready for round two? He glares murderously at them.

“Since it’s three against one, the decision goes in favor of the one,” Terrance decrees. “You three, beat it.” Without complaint, the wolves turn for the exit.

“No way in hell. That’s bullshit,” Jay complains, and he spits blood on the floor, right at Terrance’s feet.

The music stops.

The crowd stops.

My breathing stops.

“Um, Jay. Jay, babe.” I take baby steps to him, while trying to appease Terrance with a smile. “So, um, how about we don’t press our luck—”

He jerks away from my touch. “I got a deal with these jagoffs. I told ’em if they took their best shots, I’d buy us all a round. Now, dammit, I ain’t buying shit-all without seeing their best shots.”

Terrance folds his watermelon biceps across his chest. “Are you telling me they didn’t take their best shots? ’Cause I can have a mirror brought out, if you want to see for yourself.” A chuckle ripples through the crowd.

“You think I’d still be standing if they did? What, you think I can’t tell when somebody’s holding back?” Turning to the wolves, Jay wipes blood from his eyes. “Where I come from, that’s the ultimate insult, so if you’re trying to piss me off, mission accomplished.”

The younger wolves look lost. They’re too stupid to understand what Jay’s doing, but the older wolf steps forward, eager to save face. “Good, ’cause we were just getting started.”

“What’s happening, Shayne? Why’s Brenner want to get killed?” Elle whispers.

“That’s just it,” I hiss. “It’s three against one, and Jay’s not dead. Do you know how humiliating that is for them? They should be laughed out of this place, but Jay’s throwing them a bone.” I steeple my hands at Terrance, mouthing a silent Please!

He relents with a sigh. “Look, I’m sure there’s a lot of honor at stake here, but this ain’t happening on my brand-new floors, so you’ll have to call it a draw. Take it or leave it.”

“Shit,” Jay says, “in here I stand a chance, but I won’t survive two seconds on the street with these guys. I’ll take the draw.”

All eyes go to the lead wolf. He regards Jay with a complicated look, not entirely comfortable with such an obvious mercy surrender. But something is better than nothing. He says, “Humans can be smart, after all. Live to fight another day.”

“Now, about that round,” Jay says