Chapter 17 EVAN
EVAN
“Evan, hey,” a voice says from somewhere far away. A hand gently nudges me from sleep.
I stir on the soft mattress, my head groggy. “Huh?”
“You need to get up. Your mom is almost here.” Through my sleepy haze, I recognize Taren’s soft voice, but why would she be in the van? No one from the pack ever comes in here.
Cracking an eyelid, I’m confused by the dark curtains covering most of the wall, and the fluffy pillows spread out around me. So many pillows. What the hell?
I sit up too quickly, and my head spins. When I don’t see Jericho, my pulse quickens.
“Jericho?” I mutter.
“He came downstairs a few hours ago. Are you okay?” Taren sounds genuinely worried.
I blink hard, rubbing my eyes. “Yeah, just not awake.”
Taren shifts her son in her arms while Aster claws his fingers like a bear in the air. “Roar!”
I furrow my brows. What did she mean about Jericho coming downstairs? Did he sleep in here? Or was it just me? Why can’t I remember?
“Seriously, Evan. You should get up. They’re only like five minutes away,” Taren says.
“Who?”
She tilts her head. “Your mom? Seriously, are you okay?”
Fuck. How could I forget? She’s on her way here. “Right. Sorry. I’m just… my head is so… I can’t think.”
“I’ll get you some coffee.”
I sit the rest of the way up, swinging my feet over the edge. The bed is so high off the ground, my toes barely touch the floor.
Mom had been so panicked last night on the phone, and Jericho was so certain it was Foxx. What if it was? What if he was there, in her house?
I fist my hands and climb off the bed. At least the other side looks just as rumpled as this one. Either Jericho slept in here with me, or he came up to visit.
Stumbling into an adjoining bathroom, I splash cold water on my face then take a piss before heading downstairs. My head is still fuzzy, making every movement difficult.
Red approaches me with a mug. “Here. Taren said you’re dragging after last night. Drink this.”
I hesitate, but the aroma coming from the mug is irresistible. Like warm butterscotch. I take two big gulps.
Red gives me a sheepish expression. “I’m sorry if it was a bit strong last night.”
“If what was strong?”
“The tea. It’s what knocked you out.”
I blink at him before vaguely remembering Jasmine making me drink something. “Right. Is that why I’m so out of it? I feel like I slept for a week.”
He grimaces. “Sorry. I may have forgotten to dilute it. We usually only make it for shifters. But that should help,” Red says, gesturing to the mug. He walks away, ears pink with embarrassment.
It’s probably a good thing he drugged me; I would’ve been an anxious mess all night.
I take another drink as I look around.
Everyone is here. Well, everyone except… “Where’s Jericho?”
Grant grunts something from the hall that sounds like, “Hunting.”
I frown. Not only at the thought of Jericho hunting—of him needing blood—but at the notable edge to Grant’s voice. Matter of fact, everyone is on edge.
“What’s going on?”
“Nothing. Your mom is almost here is all,” Jasmine says, pushing me toward the door.
Mom!
Fully awake now, I rush outside where a black SUV is pulling into the driveway, and my eyes burn when I see my mom in the front passenger seat.
Running over, I throw open the door and pull her into a hug before she’s even out of the car.
We stumble a bit until she gets her footing, then she sobs against my neck, holding me tight.
“Oh, Evan.”
“Shh, it’ll be okay now. You’re safe.”
I hold her for a long time, overcome with relief that she’s here, and rage that someone would try to hurt her.
When we break apart, I notice Mom is still in her work clothes—dark trousers and a white button-down blouse. Her usually tidy hair is a mess. Did she pack anything? Was there anything to pack, if her house was in complete shambles?
“Are you okay?”
Mom’s lip trembles. “I’m not sure what I’m going to do about the house, but…”
“Don’t worry about that. We’ll hire someone if we need to.” With what money, I have no idea. “Did you see anyone? Was anyone there?”
“No. It was just… God, it was such a mess.”
I hug her again, then keep an arm around her as we walk toward the patio. I introduce the pack, and they all wave or nod, but Mom barely seems to process any of it. Her eyes dart around in a daze.
Jasmine is the first to reach out to her, pulling her in for a warm hug. “How are you doing? Can I get you anything? A drink, maybe? I’m sure you’re exhausted after such a long drive.”
“Some tea would be great,” Mom manages.
“Of course. Come inside.”
While Jasmine leads her in, I look around for Jericho. He’s still not here. Did he really go hunting?
A horrible feeling settles in the pit of my stomach. He’d been so certain Foxx was using Mom as bait to figure out where we are. What if he’s out there, right now, trying to track them?
He wouldn’t do that alone, would he?
Mom’s voice reaches me from inside, so I quickly turn around and follow them in. Forest is pulling a seat for her at the table, while Jasmine is pouring her some tea.
“I just don’t know who would do something like that,” Mom says. “I mean, I’ve never seen a place so… it looked like a tornado went through there.”
Forest shares a look with me, and I get the sense he’s weighing how much we should tell her. But I know my Mom. Keeping her in the dark would only upset her more.
I sit in the chair next to her. “Mom.”
She turns to me, and I’m so taken aback by the bags under her eyes that I wonder if I’m doing the right thing. She needs rest.
“I know you’ve been through a lot, but we need to talk. We need to tell you what we know about the break in.”
She blinks. “What can you possibly know about it?”
I chew my lip before saying, “We think we know who’s behind it.”
Her eyes widen as she looks around the room. “What? How?”
“We think… no. We know it was Jericho’s sire,” I say. “Or at least someone from the coven.”
“His… what?”
“His sire. The vampire who turned him.”
Mom gives me an exasperated look. “I know what a sire is, Evan. But how is he involved? Why would he break into my house?”
I’m not sure how to explain, other than to go back to the very beginning.
So that’s what I do. For forty minutes, I tell Mom about Jericho’s trip to Prodigy, the job interview, and how he wandered into a supe bar that night looking for a hookup.
I hate that I’m outing him, but there’s just no other way to explain how he’d ended up in bed with such a vile man.
As I talk, I realize the pack hasn’t heard this part of Jericho’s story.
We’d kept the details of his turning vague, mostly for Jericho’s sake.
He’d already re-lived it by telling me, there was no sense in telling strangers.
Jasmine looks like she might be sick, while Neal looks like he wants to rip someone’s throat out.
It’s probably hitting too close to home, considering Sasha went through the same thing.
“Momma?” Aster says.
Taren sniffles. “I’m okay, sweetie. Mommy just hurts for our friend right now.”
Taren’s words hit me hard. It’s not only because of Sasha that they’re crying. It’s because of Jericho too. They’ve come to care for him in the short time we’ve been here.
Streams of tears pour down Mom’s cheeks. “That’s so… God, Jericho.” She wraps her arms over her stomach as if wishing she could hug him. That makes two of us. I ache for him all over again. Where the fuck is he?
I lean in. “Jericho stayed away to keep me safe, Mom. Not only because of his bloodlust, but because of Foxx. He knew they were trying to find him, so he didn’t want to bring them to me.”
She whips her head up. “So why did he then?” she says, suddenly angry. “If it’s so dangerous for you to be around him, why did he visit you at all? He should’ve just stayed away!”
“I think he was just going to drive by, but…” I stop before getting to the part about Trace. She doesn’t need to know I was shot. “Something made him stop, and I’m glad he did.” I squeeze her hand. “I’d rather be with him now. You know how long I’ve looked for him.”
Her expression is a mix of pity and fear. “But he’s dangerous.”
“He’s not. His coven is who’s dangerous. That’s why we’re fighting them. All of us.” I look around the room. “This pack has been hurt by them too.”
Mom searches my face, her brows pulled together like she simply can’t understand any of this.
“I’m sorry. I know it’s a lot to take in. But I want you to know everything.”
“I still don’t understand why,” she says. “Why do they want Jericho so much? It’s been what, almost a year?”
I nod. “Close, yeah.”
“Then why spend all that time chasing him? It can’t just be because of the sex?”
Forest clears his throat, leaning in to explain. “Do you know about vampire gifts?”
Mom nods. “Yeah, of course I do.”
“We believe Foxx is using his gift to create a coven of power. He can sense other vamp gifts through touch, including newborns who haven’t discovered theirs. He turns them, then waits until they rise to see if they’re a good fit for his coven. If not…” he pauses.
Mom shakes her head. “If not, what?”
“He kills them,” Grant says simply.
Mom’s face pales.
“Alexander Foxx is an evil man, Evelyn. He’s murdered dozens of innocent people. We believe if it weren’t for Jericho’s gift, Jericho would be dead too.”
She turns to me, as if I could make any of this better. “Wh-what is his gift?” she asks in barely more than a whisper.
“We don’t know yet,” I say.
Forest clears his throat. “Vampire gifts take time to appear, and Jericho is still a young vampire. All we can do is wait.”
Mom closes her eyes, rubbing her temples. “So this man, this… Foxx guy, Jericho’s sire, is turning innocent people into vampires, then weeding through his own creations to pick out the ones he wants? By simply touching them?”
Forest nods. “That’s correct.”
“And you think… that man, or his coven, broke into my house trying to find you, to get to him?”
I reach for her hand again. “If we had any idea he would go after you, we would have told you. But everything happened so fast. Jericho has been on the run since he was turned, and he only came back to me not even a week ago, Mom.” I shake my head.
“He barely got away. He almost died. Jericho almost…” My voice breaks and I pull away, anger and fear rising up from the pit of my stomach.
I came so close to losing my best friend.
And it’s not even over. He might be out there right now searching for them.
Walking toward the door, I stare out, hoping beyond hope that Jericho will stroll in unharmed.
Grant is watching me closely, and from his stern expression, I know he’s hiding something. Rowen and Ivy hover on the front porch, their attention on the trees. Are they watching for something? Waiting?
Jericho seemed convinced Foxx was going to follow Mom back here. Did he talk the pack into some sort of attack?
No. Jericho wouldn’t do that without telling me. Would he? But how could he? I was knocked out from Red’s tea. Fuck!
William is standing off to the side, listening to every word. His thick arms are folded over his chest, his jaw ticking. Forest must not have told him the whole story, because he looks like he wants to join us in the hunt for Foxx. I hope he does. We need all the help we can get.
Behind me, Jasmine clears her throat. “You’ll need to stay with us for a while, Evelyn. Just until things settle down.”
“Yeah, I… I suppose so. But I don’t have any clothes.”
“Don’t worry about that. I’ve already made up a room for you and put some clothes on the bed. If they aren’t the right size, just let me know.”
Mom doesn’t reply.
When I turn around, I see her staring into the mug. “I know I’m only human, but if there’s anything I can do… Jericho is like a second son to me, and I know how much he means to Evan, so if I can help…”
Heat rushes to my cheeks. Mom doesn’t know exactly what Jericho means to me, because I’ve only just figured that out for myself. And I’m not sure how I’m going to tell her. I want to, though. The sooner the better. She deserves to hear it from me before she sees Jericho and I together.
Because I know I won’t be able to keep from kissing him again. Not even if I tried. It had been too good. Too right.
“Right now, the only thing you should do is sleep,” Jasmine says. “Can I show you to your room?”
I step in. “Actually, would you mind if I do it?”
“Not at all. It’s the room just past yours.”
“Thank you.”
Before we can ascend the stairs, Rowen breaks through the front door, eyes wild. “They’re here!”
Grant jumps to his feet. “How many?”
“Three. Jericho took off after one. Ivy went after the others. Hurry!”
Forest pushes his chair back in a rush as the entire pack rushes toward the door. “Let’s go!”
I stare at them, shell-shocked. So Jericho was right. It was a trap.
“What are you—”
“Stay here, and do not go outside!” Forest says. “That’s an order.”
I grind my teeth together. Who the fuck does he think he is? I’m not someone in his pack! He can’t—
He steps in close. “She needs you,” Forest says quietly, eyes darting toward my mom.
I hate to admit it, but he’s right. It’s my job to protect her.
“Do you have the gun?”
“Y-yeah. I’ll get it.”
He walks toward the door. “Do not leave this house.”
My heart thunders as they disappear, their clothes falling off on the yard as they shift. I go to the van and grab the gun from under the seat where I’d hidden it, then pause to stare at the bed. Pain twists in my gut, making me sick. Just yesterday, Jericho and I were kissing and now…
Will I ever see him again?
“Don’t you die on me, Jer,” I murmur. “Don’t you even think of it. We’re not done yet.”