Chapter 12 Evan
EVAN
By the time we return to the house, everyone has congregated around the table for breakfast.
Jasmine gives me a guarded smile, sliding a tray of muffins toward me. “Help yourself. And there’s a fresh batch of oatmeal in the crockpot if you want some. Did you sleep okay?”
“Yeah, fine,” I say flatly. The truth is, I hadn’t slept at all after Jericho left, my mind continuously circling back to the damn notebook. The whole time Jericho was on the porch, I wondered if he was working on another one of me. Or us.
Wouldn’t you have left me if you knew?
It hurt to hear him say that. Does Jericho really believe I’d abandon him so easily? Just for having some sexual fantasies about us? He doesn’t understand what he means to me if that’s true. I need him around. He’s my best friend. My rock. Nothing will change that.
Rowen rushes into the room. “They’re almost here.”
Jasmine and Forest let out a breath at almost the same time. “Oh, thank God,” she says, gripping her mug.
Jericho tenses, sending me a look. Who?
Forest sets his fork down. “What happened? They were supposed to be here an hour ago.”
“Red stopped to get some things for the medic room and just lost track of time.”
“Yeah, I guess that makes sense. We were low on supplies.”
“They’re just down the road. Should be here in about ten minutes,” Rowen says.
Jericho steps closer to me, his attention fixed on the shifters. “Who are you talking about?”
“Red and Sage,” Rowen says. “Our other pack members. They’ve been staying in Prodigy for a few days to keep an eye on the coven.”
My eyes widen. “You’ve been spying on the coven?”
Forest gets up from his chair, carrying an empty coffee mug to the sink. “We all are,” he says. “All the packs in this area, I mean. We rented a studio apartment across the street from the club and take shifts watching them.”
Jasmine nods. “For a few months now. It’s how we know so much about them.”
I’m stunned. These guys really are serious about taking the bastards down, and it makes my heart soar. But when I turn to Jericho, his shoulders are still tense as he stares at the door, like he is fighting the urge to flee. I’m not surprised. More shifters.
I close my fingers around his wrist to get his attention, and he immediately glances at it before looking at me. We need to trust them, I say with my eyes.
He nods once, then pulls his hand away.
I walk to the kitchen, dishing myself a bowl of oatmeal from the crockpot.
After adding a handful of blackberries, I take a seat next to Ivy at the breakfast bar.
She has a curious gleam in her eyes, attention darting between me and Jericho like she’s trying to figure something out.
It makes me uneasy. Jasmine assumed we were a couple; Ivy probably is too.
Avoiding her gaze, I take a bite and my mouth waters at the swirl of vanilla, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
It tastes almost exactly like my mom’s oatmeal raisin cookie dough, instantly making me feel more at home.
I’m not usually a fan of oatmeal, but Jasmine has a gift when it comes to cooking.
Everything I’ve eaten here has been delicious.
It isn’t long before a car pulls into the driveway. I shovel down the last spoonful of oats. Forest leads the pack outside; Jericho and I follow.
When the new shifters climb out of the car, I can’t help but think that the taller one must be related to Forest and Jasmine. He looks identical to Forest, with the same dark hair and stern expression. The only difference is he’s a few inches taller.
“So glad you’re home,” Jasmine says, pulling each of them in for a hug.
The taller one turns to Forest. “We need to talk.”
Forest stiffens. “Is everything okay?”
“Something’s happening with the coven.”
“What do you mean?”
“Two nights ago, they shut down early, then three of them left in a hurry. Peeled out of the parking lot and everything. We haven’t seen them since.”
“Do you know where they were going?” Forest asks.
“No, but they were definitely excited about something,” the shorter guy says, unlocking the trunk.
The other man nods. “We thought someone called the cops on them again, but no one came.”
Forest frowns. “That’s strange.”
“I know. What’s even more strange is they never reopened. It’s been dead quiet since.”
Grant mutters something under his breath. “What good is it to have a paranormal police unit if they aren’t going to do a damn thing?"
That’s exactly what I want to know. How is Foxx getting away with all of this?
“There aren’t enough of them,” the taller man says. “The paranormal task force is too small and too swamped with petty crimes to look into every single thing.”
Grant scoffs. “What could be more important than a psychotic coven killing dozens of innocent people? People are dying!”
“And being turned against their will,” I add, my stomach twisting.
Grant shakes his head. “Exactly. I’m so sick of them not stepping in. It makes no fucking sense.”
I turn to Jericho, who is chewing on his lip. Something in his expression makes me pause.
“What?” I ask.
He turns to me. “The timing is suspicious, wouldn’t you say?”
It takes me a moment. Two days ago, Rip chased us out of my neighborhood. The same day they shut down their club?
That can’t be a coincidence.
“Think it’s related?”
“It has to be.”
“Think what’s related?” Forest asks, overhearing us.
Jericho clears his throat and says, “Two nights ago, I stopped by Evan’s for a visit. I didn’t know his men were tailing me, so we took off as soon as I saw them. They must’ve called Foxx and that’s why they shut down the club.”
“Especially if what you said is true. About Foxx wanting Jer’s gift,” I say. “They must’ve been on strict orders not to kill him.”
Jericho shuffles his feet. His pained expression tells me he is remembering that night and hating himself for it.
Yet all I remember is the sweet taste of his blood, how he saved my life.
A lifetime ago. Was it really only two days?
Forest hums. “That’s… interesting.”
“It’s definitely interesting,” the new guy agrees. “Weeks of no activity until they see him?”
I instinctively take a step closer, not liking his inflection.
Forest clears his throat. “Jericho and Evan, I’d like you to meet Sage, my brother, and his mate, Redmond.”
“Please, call me Red,” the shorter man says as he offers Jericho a hand. Jericho seems stunned by the gesture, but he shakes it anyway.
My mind latches on to the word mate. The two men are a couple?
Sage greets us with a firm handshake too. “Forest explained your… situation. I can honestly say, I’m glad you’re on our side. We need more people willing to fight these assholes. They’ve hurt too many people.”
Forest clears his throat, looking abashed. “Please forgive me. I normally would never share sensitive information like that, but I needed them to understand why you’re on our side, especially as you are one of Foxx’s creations.”
Creations. Fuck, that word hits wrong. “Foxx didn’t create Jericho.” He raped and turned him for his own selfish reasons.
“I think what Forest means is, Sage was about two seconds away from coming home to rip your throat out, since he thought you were a threat,” Red says. “So he had no choice but to tell us.”
Sage seems unapologetic. “Not very trusting of vamps these days,” he says with a shrug, “but as I said, I’m grateful for your help.”
At that, Jericho relaxes. “Believe me, I hate them just as much as you.”
Red and Sage both smile. “Then consider us allies,” Sage says.
As we head inside, the two men begin telling them everything they’ve seen during their time in Prodigy. But sadly, the most excitement was two nights ago when Foxx received a call about Jericho’s whereabouts.
Which just proves how desperate he is to find Jericho. I mean, the guy shut his entire business down just so he could send more people to go after him? How far is he willing to go? And why does Foxx want him so badly? What is Jericho’s gift, exactly?
Jericho stares out the window, his arms folded over his chest. I can almost feel his apprehension. His fear. The way he blames himself.
“I wish we had a way to see what he’s up to or something, you know. Some way to spy on him,” Red says.
A realization crashes into me. “Maybe we do.”
Everyone turns to look at me as adrenaline rushes through my veins. Why didn’t I think of this sooner?
I pull my phone out to open the browser. “There were a bunch of break-ins on my street last year, so my landlord installed a security system on my house. I completely forgot about it until just now.”
Jericho appears at my side in an instant. “Do you have access?”
“Yeah. Give me a minute.”
As soon as I log in, my jaw drops. There must be four dozen highlighted videos.
Jericho steps in even closer. “Are those all new?”
I scan the dates. “No. I don’t think so. I’ve only logged into this once, so some of these are months old. But look. These were in the last two days,” I say, pointing to the top three videos.
He shakes his head in relief, looking at me with a strange expression.
“Can you log in on our computer so we can stream it to the television?” Sage asks. “That way we can all see?”
“Yeah, that’s a good idea.”
Five minutes later, Forest clicks on the first of the videos, dated around the time when the club was shut down. Jericho tenses when he appears on screen, practically flying across the yard to tear down my front door. It’s still unsettling to see him move so damn fast.
“Turn it up. I hear something,” Sage says, leaning in.
“Do you want him to live?” Jericho’s voice rises gradually.
“Wh-what?” I hear myself reply.
“He hurt you,” Jericho says. “Do you want him to live, or can I rip his throat out?”
Jericho and I turn to each other. It’s so bizarre hearing our own voices.
A gunshot rings out, followed by a flash of white light. Jericho flinches and drops his gaze.
“Drink, Ev. I’ll explain later.”
Everyone turns to us, more confused than before.