Chapter 16 JERICHO
JERICHO
My mind races as I crawl out of the van. Did that really just happen?
Leaning forward, I clutch my knees and suck in a chilled gasp of forest air. All my senses are on full alert, energy buzzing through my veins.
And I can’t stop smiling. Evan kissed me!
“Is everything okay?”
I whirl around to find Sage on the patio swing with a book in one hand. His dark brows are knit together.
“Y-yeah. I’m fine.” I think. I might need to pinch myself to make sure this is real.
I take another deep breath before walking to the porch.
Sage’s attention darts between me and the van.
I quickly run a hand through my hair, hoping it’s not too obvious what we were just doing.
But Evan had given me a few good tugs while we kissed, so I’m sure it’s a total mess.
I’d fucking loved it too, the way he’d held me. My lips still burn from the intensity.
Sage smirks a little before opening his book again. I’m glad he doesn’t ask questions, since I can barely make sense of it myself.
God. I’ve been dreaming of that moment for years, yet I never actually believed it would come true, or that Evan would rub against me like he had. He was completely turned on… by me!
I hide another smile. Evan wants me. Evan fucking wants me!
Just as I’m about to sit on the opposite swing, the van door opens and Evan stumbles out, still shirtless. “Jericho!”
I jump off the patio and run over to him, every instinct within me screaming to protect him. “What is it?”
His eyes are wide with fright. “Someone broke into my mom’s house while she was at work! Her place is completely trashed. She said they… fuck! I don’t remember.” He rakes a hand through his hair. “She said every room was flipped upside down, like they were looking for something.”
My stomach drops. Or someone.
“Is she still there?”
“Yeah. She hung up when the police arrived.”
“Okay. That’s good, though. It means she’s not alone.”
The color drains from Evan’s face. “You don’t think… no. No! You think it’s Foxx?”
Who else would it be?
“It might not be,” I say, trying to console him. “But you have to admit, the timing is suspicious.”
Evan mutters a curse and clutches his chest. “We need to go to her.”
I shake my head. “We can’t.”
“We have to, Jer! If Foxx—”
“If this is Foxx, he’ll be expecting us to go to her. It could be a trap.”
“So we do nothing?” Evan says, his face crumpling. “This is my mom, Jericho. You know how much she means to me!” His panic breaks my heart.
“I know. Just… give me a minute to think.”
I feel terrible. We both knew Foxx was going to look into Evan. Why didn’t we expect him to go after Evan’s closest relatives? His only relative. Evan probably made it easy for them by putting Evelyn as an emergency contact on his lease.
Why didn’t we warn her? Or ask her to leave until this blows over?
Sage approaches us, back taught. “Is everything okay?”
Evan is too busy texting his mom to reply, so I explain instead. “Evan’s mom’s house was broken into. Turned upside down and inside out from the sounds of it.”
“Even her pantry,” Evan says, barely glancing up at us.
Sage’s eyes widen. “Is she okay?”
“Physically yes, but…” Evan turns his beautiful blue eyes on me. “They could’ve killed her, Jer. They could’ve…”
“I know. But they didn’t. You just spoke with her,” I remind him. I’ve never seen him so panicked. “Come here.” I pull him against my chest, kissing the side of his head.
Sage watches us closely before asking, “You think it’s related to Foxx?”
“Honestly, yeah. Foxx will do anything to find me, even going after my friend’s families.”
Sage nods somberly. “Where does she live?”
“Spokane.”
Evan is trembling as I rub his back. “He can’t kill her.”
“I’ll be right back,” Sage says, turning back toward the house.
I barely pay him any attention as I try to calm Evan down.
He’s always been close to his mom. She raised him alone after his father disappeared when he was three, sometimes working two jobs just to give Evan the best life possible.
She is his biggest fan and loves him fiercely.
He returns the love, trusting her completely.
Will he tell her about our kiss?
The thought hits me out of nowhere, but I force it aside.
I can’t think about that right now, or expect Evan to either.
The only thing that should matter is getting his mom to safety.
But where? How? It’s not like we can go to her.
It’s too risky. And we don’t have anyone to call.
Can she go to a hotel for a while? But what if they trace her cards?
I’d offer to pay, except my bank account has dwindled fast this last year. I could only afford a night or two.
“We’ll figure it out, Ev,” I say softly. “I promise.”
After a long moment, Forest, Sage, and Red come out to meet us.
Forest’s hair is a mess and he’s wearing blue flannel pants, like he’s just rolled out of bed. “Tell me what happened.”
Evan keeps one arm around me as he repeats everything, sounding a little more put together.
Forest listens carefully before glancing at me. “I think you’re right. This sounds like Foxx or Rip or someone from the coven went there looking for you, or maybe for information on where to find you.”
“Which means she can’t stay there,” Evan says. “We need to—”
“I know. You said she lives in Spokane?” Forest asks, pulling his phone out.
Evan nods. “Yeah. Spokane Valley, technically. Just outside of Spokane.”
“Good. We have several connections in that area. Do you know her address? I’ll call to see if someone can go check on her.”
Evan seems just as surprised as me. “You’d do that?”
Forest gives him a warm smile. “Text me her address. I’ll see what I can do.”
As Evan unlocks his phone, I get a glimpse of his background and my chest tightens.
It’s a picture of us, taken over a year ago on one of our hikes through the Rocky Mountains.
We’re on a bridge overlooking a river, and I’m standing behind Evan, our cheeks practically touching, as he holds the phone out to take a picture.
I remember that day so clearly. It was the day I realized I was falling for him. It felt impossible at the time that he could feel the same way about me.
In some ways, it still does.
I glance back at the van, where just minutes ago we had been drowning in desire, and now his whole world is turned upside down. Again.
Because of me.
Did he react this way when I disappeared? Send himself into a wild panic? I remember receiving hundreds of texts from him in the first few weeks, each one growing shorter and more agitated. Even rude, as he became desperate.
And it was all so unnecessary. If only I had been honest with him from the beginning…
“Why don’t you guys come inside? It looks like it’s going to rain.”
We make our way inside, but Evan is too restless to sit down. He paces the room, his eyes fixated on things unseen. I want to comfort him, but how?
Jasmine, Rowen, and Ivy all join us in the living room, woken up by all the commotion.
Seeing how they come together and surround Evan in his time of grief is both touching and overwhelming.
I’ve never had that kind of support before, other than the brief years Evan and I spent together in college.
My foster parents never loved me that much to give me that kind of affection.
Ivy offers a blanket to Evan, but he shrugs it away. “Can’t.”
“It’s weighted,” she explains. “Trust me, it helps.”
I take it from her and wrap it around Evan’s shoulders, pulling him to me. Evan hugs me tight, tucking his face against my neck.
Ivy pats my shoulder before walking away.
What would I have done if we hadn’t met the Clearwater pack?
Would I have just continued to live my life on the run, never seeing Evan and avoiding Foxx and his men forever?
The thought saddens me, especially now that I’ve reunited with him.
Evan’s absence had been a void in my life, hollowing me out from the inside.
I hadn’t realized how empty I became until he returned.
And if I had an entire life of that emptiness? I shudder to think of it. Vampires live for hundreds of years, if not thousands. I couldn’t handle that.
Forest returns from the office a little while later. “William is pulling up to your mom’s house now.”
Evan lets out a breath. “Oh, thank God.”
“The cops are still there, but he’s going to talk to your mom.”
“Tell him to be careful,” I say. “These men are dangerous.”
Forest straightens. “Oh, he’s not alone. He’s brought his entire pack with him to protect her.”
My jaw drops. “Really?”
His eyes soften. “They owed me a favor for something several years ago. It’s about time I cashed that in.”
Evan and I are both stunned. He’d pulled a favor from his pocket for us? For Evelyn, someone he doesn’t even know?
Forest gives a weak smile. “I asked if she could stay with them until this blows over, but William said there’s been pack tension in the area, so he doesn’t think it will be very safe. He offered to drive her here.”
Evan nods quickly. “How soon can she be here?”
“Tomorrow, assuming he can convince her to leave as soon as the interview with the police is over.”
At that Evan exhales hard, gripping the back of the couch with both hands. “Thank you.”
Deep down, I would have preferred Evelyn to stay with the pack, at least until this fight with Foxx blows over. For all we know, Foxx might have someone watching the house who will follow them here.
I’ll need to talk to Forest privately to set up extra security.
“You should call your Mom again. Tell her the plan yourself so she knows it’s safe to go with them.”
He nods. “Good idea.”
He pulls his phone out while I walk over to sit on the couch. What a night. I’d give anything to go back in time to be tangled up in Evan’s arms again. I still can’t believe he’d kissed me.
Reaching up, I trace a finger along my lips, recalling the way he’d tasted.
Will Evan still want that once Evelyn is here?
Or will he want things to go back to the way things were?
Can I go back? I doubt it, especially now that I’ve had a taste of him…
and his blood. It had only been a couple of drops when I cut his tongue, but good god was it wonderful. The sweetest blood I’ve ever tasted.
What would it be like to actually drink from him?
Our eyes meet across the room, and he gives me a small smile. I realize I’m still tracing my mouth and immediately look away.
A few minutes later, Evan sinks down into the couch next to me. To my surprise, he reaches for my hand, lacing our fingers together.
“You look like you’d rather be where we were thirty minutes ago,” he whispers.
I chuckle. “Do you blame me?”
He squeezes my hand. “I’m really glad you’re here. I’d be losing my shit if you weren’t.”
“Is she with the pack now?”
Evan nods. “The police are taking photos of everything, but William and a few others have already spoken to her.”
“Good. So you know she’s safe,” I say.
“She agreed to come. They’ll leave as soon as they can.”
I try to smile, but anxiety bubbles inside me. Please don’t let this be a mistake.
Jasmine holds a mug out to Evan. “Here.”
“Oh, I don’t think—”
“It’s one of Red’s brews. It’ll help you relax.”
Evan accepts it, but doesn’t drink it. I’m not surprised. He doesn’t eat or drink when he’s stressed.
“Drink it!” Jasmine insists.
He sighs and takes a sip, his brows shooting to his hairline. “Oh, that’s really good.”
“Good. That means you’ll finish it.” She gives him a pointed look.
He nods.
Ivy offers us the blanket again before taking a seat on the opposite sofa.
I’m a little nervous with how everyone is watching us, since up until now Evan and I have only said we’re friends.
But Evan hardly seems fazed by the attention, leaning into me and even resting his head on my shoulder when he’s done with the tea.
The entire time, he holds my hand like it’s the only thing keeping him grounded.
And maybe it is. He’s the only thing that grounds me too.
Within thirty minutes, Evan is asleep on my shoulder. Whatever Red used in the tea must’ve been powerful stuff.
One by one people head back to their rooms. There is nothing we can do but wait for Evelyn to arrive. I consider carrying Evan back to the van, but don’t want to wake him.
Jasmine tip-toes back into the room. “I made a bed up for you guys,” she whispers.
I blink up at her, stunned. “What?”
She gives me a small smile. “I’d like you to stay inside from now on, where it’s safer.”
“Thank you.”
She gestures upstairs. “Third door on the right.”
Evan barely stirs as I carry him upstairs to the lavish room. It’s huge, with a king-sized bed and large windows covered in dark drapes. But the details don’t matter. Only the man in my arms does.
I kick my shoes off and lay down next to him, holding him close. Kissing the back of his neck, I pray he stays asleep for a long time. He’s going to need the rest tomorrow. Then again, so am I.
Because when Evelyn arrives tomorrow, I’m going to hunt down Foxx’s men and make them wish they never used her as bait to get to us.