Chapter 5 - Jericho
JERICHO
The seducing sound of a heartbeat pulls me from sleep. It’s close— very close—and the familiar slick of saliva fills my mouth. My fangs descend instantly, eyes snapping open…
Hunt. Food.
I lean in towards the open neck, a feast served on a silver platter, only to jolt back in horror when I realize it’s Evan.
It takes my brain a full ten seconds to register that he’s here… on the bed with me.
I scramble for every bit of control I possibly can. I fight the desire to sink my teeth in, the urge to taste his blood still unbearable. I long to feel it flow down my throat.
I’d never forgive myself if I hurt him.
My phone buzzes three times on the shelf above me in quick, short repetitions. I immediately sit up, snagging my phone from the shelf. Something outside must have triggered the alarm system.
Evan startles next to me, but I cover his mouth with one hand and hold a finger over my lips with the other. His eyes widen in confusion—and fear—but he nods, slowly registering the concern in my face.
After unlocking the screen, I open the app to my security system.
Outside, three wolves prowl around the van, their noses pressed to the ground.
Shifters. But how did they find us? Why?
Did Evan accidentally park on their territory?
Probably. He wouldn’t know how to distinguish shifter land from human—it’s not something I knew until very recently.
Evan taps my arm to get my attention, then mouths, What’s wrong?
“Shifters,” I whisper, holding up three fingers.
He frowns but doesn’t look away, waiting to see what I’ll do. Hell if I know. The few shifters I’ve come across since being turned haven’t exactly rolled out their welcome mat to me. In fact, most have been outright hostile, lumping me in with freaks like Foxx and his minions.
Not that I blame them. I deserve the hate after all the innocent lives I’ve taken.
Evan props himself up on his elbow, leaning in trying to see the screen.
When our heads bump, he gives me an apologetic smile before he turns his attention back to the shifters.
His nearness distracts me, the delicious lemongrass scent taunting me.
I close my eyes and inhale. Why does Evan have to smell so damn good?
He was already a temptation when I was human, but now he’s just plain torture.
I have never wanted anyone so badly in all my life, I realize. And it’s no wonder I ran. Because of this. Because I can’t be around him without thinking like an idiot.
I flinch when a wolf near the door yips at his pack mates. Dammit. Focus, Jericho!
“They know we’re in here,” I whisper.
“What are you going to do?”
I shrug. The only thing I can do. “Try to talk to them.”
I crawl over him, willing my body to calm down. The hardness in my pants might be able to pass as morning wood if my lust isn’t plainly obvious. Fuck, he can’t know how much I want him. He’d hate it.
As I’m reaching for the door handle, I pause to look at Evan. “Stay here.”
He grits his teeth but doesn’t argue. He has no idea what he’s walking into.
Or maybe he does. Maybe he had more experience than me as a kid.
My foster parents kept me pretty sheltered, rarely letting me spend time with other kids, let alone supernaturals.
I only had rare glimpses of them until I moved to Comstead, and even then, my experience with them was few and far between.
The wolf nearest me startles when I open the door. Two others sprint over, baring their teeth as I climb out. I throw up an arm to shield from the bright sunlight before sliding the door almost all the way closed, giving Evan the chance to listen in.
“I apologize if I’m on your territory. I was just passing through and needed some sleep.”
In a flash, the largest of the wolves shifts to a tall, broad-shouldered man with peppered-gray dark hair.
He looks to be in his mid-forties, which probably means he’s over a hundred.
I take notice of the permanent kink near his left wrist, jagged like it had been broken once and not set properly.
Curious injury, for a shifter, since they just need to change forms to kickstart their healing.
“Who are you and where are you from?” The leader then.
“My name is Jericho. I’m from Comstead, Idaho. As I said, I’m just passing through.”
One of the wolves sniffs the air, and all of their attention focuses on the door of the van. Snarls and bared teeth erupt from the group.
“Is someone with you?”
There’s no sense in lying. They would’ve picked up on Evan’s scent before I ever opened the door. “Yes. Just one other. We mean no harm.”
He narrows his eyes. “Human?”
“Yes.”
Without warning, the red wolf lunges at me, knocking me back against the van. In the struggle, I lose my balance and slide to the ground, throwing my arms up to shield my face just as a powerful set of jaws sinks into my flesh. White-hot pain sears through every restraint on my anger.
Roaring, I shove the wolf, kicking them with enough force to make them yelp.
Rolling out from under them, I have just enough time to spring to my feet before another wolf attacks me from the side.
I toss it away, only to be knocked down by the red wolf again.
My head smacks against hard earth with a nauseating thud.
The wolf wraps their jaws around my throat as a panicked cry fills the air.
“DON’T!”
Everyone freezes.
“Please, don’t!” Evan cries. His panic unravels me. Makes me want to fight and surrender all at the same time.
The wolf doesn’t let go, and I lay as still as I can, afraid any sudden movements will tempt him to squeeze his jaw and finish what he started. I can make out Evan in my peripheral vision, hands raised. Terrified.
The red wolf growls as Evan climbs out, bracing a paw on my shoulder to hold me down. Evan never looks away, even when one of the other wolves steps in front of him.
“Don’t hurt him! He’s done nothing wrong!”
“Are you his mate?”
Evan takes another step closer. “I’m his friend! His best friend. We’re traveling together. Please, don’t hurt him.”
“Traveling? What are you doing here,” he spits out. “On our territory.”
“That’s my fault. I pulled over to sleep, and didn’t realize we were on shifter land. But we’re just passing through. I promise,” Evan replies. “Please. Let him go. We mean you no harm.”
Evan’s tone has a sharp edge to it, a warning under the plea. He’s willing to fight for me if needed, but I can’t let him. He’d lose.
I shove against the wolf’s chest, trying to get him to budge, but he tightens his jaw. Blood oozes down the side of my neck.
“Rowen, let him go,” the leader commands.
The wolf growls once before releasing me and stepping back.
Evan rushes over, ignoring the shifters completely as he pulls me to my feet. He gives me a quick once-over before muttering, “Christ. Are you okay?”
I’m still too shaken to speak, rubbing a hand at my throat.
It comes away wet with blood. Pain lances up my arm from where the wolf bit me, small strips of flesh hanging loose off the bone.
Evan’s face pales when he sees it. I quickly tear a strip from the bottom of my shirt to wrap around it, if only to keep him from staring at it. It’ll heal.
That was close. Too close. What is it with shifters and attacking first? I’ve yet to meet one who talks sensibly.
Evan quietly wipes my throat with the sleeve of his jacket. He’s standing close enough I can feel his breath against my face, hear his racing heart. When he lifts his gaze from my injured arm, it’s all I can do not to pull him closer.
“Tell me you’re okay,” he says in a shaky voice.
“I’m fine.”
To my surprise, Evan wraps his arms around my back, but the hug is jaded by how much he’s trembling.
I hug him back as tight as I can.
“Thank you,” I whisper so low that I’m not even sure he can hear me.
“What are you doing with a vampire?”
Evan remains close when we break apart, and his voice comes out stronger than I expected. “My name is Evan. And I already told you. We’re friends. Just doing some traveling together.”
“Where to?”
Evan stands taller. “Sorry, but what does that matter to you?”
The alpha tilts his head a fraction at Evan’s tone.
I place a timid hand on Evan’s back to calm him down. We need to earn the shifters’ trust, or they won’t let us leave. “I’m sorry we parked here, but we really mean you no trouble. We can be out of your hair in a minute.”
The man doesn’t seem convinced, clenching his teeth and fisting his hand. He narrows his eyes at Evan, fixated on him for some weird reason. “I asked where you’re traveling to.”
“And I said how is that your business? We don’t have a destination, we’re just traveling.”
The man’s eyes narrow, darting to me before returning to Evan. “How do we know you aren’t being… persuaded?”
Evan scoffs. “Jericho’s been my friend for ages. He picked me up and we decided to take a trip together. That’s it.”
“I’m not compelling him,” I say. “He’s here on his own free will.” Mostly, anyway. He didn’t have a choice.
The wolf that bit me walks back a few steps before shifting to his human form. He’s younger than I expected, with dark hair and amber eyes. Yet despite his age, he looks like he’s seen far too much in his life. Wolves like that are dangerous.
Anyone like that is dangerous. One wrong thing can make anyone snap.
“Vamps have been taking humans against their will around here,” he says, his tone as cold as his eyes.
“Yeah, well, like I said, we’re not from around here,” I say. “I don’t even know exactly where here is, if I’m honest. Evan drove through the night while I slept.”
The two men look at each other before the older one says, “You’re about fifty miles from Prodigy.”
My back stiffens.
Evan whips his head in my direction, eyes wide. “Shit. I didn’t know, Jericho. Truly.”
He doesn’t need to convince me. After all that had happened in the last twenty-four hours, I’d be surprised if he hadn’t zoned out while driving.
I do it all the time. Plus, we were already heading west, and Prodigy is only six short hours from Comstead, nestled right on the corner of Washington, Idaho, and Oregon.
It’s an easy coincidence, but a bad one all the same.
I touch his back and nod in understanding. "We need to get going soon.” Very soon. The closer I am to Prodigy, the more likely it is Foxx or his lackeys will find me.
“I take it you know where that is?” the older man says.
“Yes, we’re familiar with it,” I say, wincing again at the bite in my arm. Every movement makes it sting. “It’s where I was turned. So, if you don’t mind, we need to get going.”
This piques his interest. “Turned by who?”
I hesitate. People don’t usually ask who a vampire’s sire is, just like they don’t ask a shifter what kind of animal they are. It’s personal. “I don’t see how that’s your business.”
He straightens his shoulders. “It is when a local coven has been killing shifters in our area.”
“Jericho doesn’t belong to a coven,” Evan says.
The two men seem surprised. “You don’t?”
I don’t hide the disgust that creeps onto my face. “No. The vamp who turned me did so against my will.”
The two men look at each other again, recognition passing between them. The younger man clenches his fists before turning back to us. “His name wouldn’t be Alexander Foxx, would it?”
“Wait—”
“How do you know Foxx?” Evan asks, finishing my thoughts.
The older man lowers his head, while the last remaining wolf bares its teeth. “Steady, Ivy,” he says. “He is your maker, then?”
Evan takes a step closer to me, ready to throw himself between me and the wolves. “Answer the question. How do you know Foxx?”
The two men exchange another look, but it’s the older one who answers. “His coven killed our packmate.”
I let out a sharp breath. “I’m sorry to hear that. I wish I could say I’m surprised, but I’m not. Foxx and his men are…” I shake my head, words failing me. “They’re assholes, is what they are. I’ve been running from them for months.”
“Then it sounds to me as if we have a common enemy,” the alpha says. His energy relaxes in an offering of peace.
I nod. “Seems so, but like I said, we have to get going.”
Another massive wolf emerges from behind the trees, gray-white ears fading into a rich brown coat and dark tail. How many more are hiding?
The alpha scratches at his bent arm, thinking.
His pack watches him, assessing his every movement, waiting for their orders.
After a moment, he breaks a smile and extends a hand.
“My name is Forest Wayturn. That wolf there is my second in command, Jameson Grant, and those two are Rowen and Ivy. If you would be up for it, I’d like to invite you back to our homestead for breakfast.”
Rowen whips his head around in surprise, but Forest just smiles at him and holds a hand up.
“If what you are saying is true, maybe we found each other for a reason. Foxx’s coven is proving to be quite difficult to take down. You say he’s been on your tail for months, and he’s been a menace to our pack for just as long. It’s clear we have mutual interests.”
Evan and I look at one another, our uncertainty thick in the air. His gaze drops to the dried blood on my throat, then to the wound on my arm, before drifting back up. His gorgeous blue eyes widen a fraction and he arches an eyebrow, as if to say, Can we trust them?
I clench my jaw. I’m not sure we have a choice.
Clearing my throat, I ask, “How do we know you won’t try to attack us again?”
Forest gives a reassuring smile. “We apologize,” he says. “But I promise you, under alpha command, no one will harm you during your stay with us. Please. We’d just like to talk.”
Evan presses his lips together, like he doesn’t like this any more than I do. Honestly, the last thing I want to do is walk into a house full of shifters, but if they have information about Foxx that I don’t, it might just be the key to my freedom.
“Breakfast it is.”