Chapter 21 Jericho
JERICHO
It’s been three days since we chased off Foxx’s vampires.
Three days of wondering what they’re planning and when we’re going to see them again. Three days of worrying that they’re lurking in the shadows.
Three days of speculating if I’ll be able to protect Evan when the time comes.
I mean, how can I, when I still don’t know what my gift is? It seems to be the only thing standing between me and defeating Foxx.
Grant reminded me yesterday that not only can it take years for a vampire’s gift to show up, but it can take several more years to learn how to master it. I don’t have that kind of time. I have days, maybe even hours before Foxx comes for me. So how am I going to keep Evan safe?
I stare out the window into the trees. Someone could be out there right now, watching. Waiting. No one has set a foot outside the house since the attack, including me. But that will have to change soon. Today, even. I need to hunt. Badly.
Evan slips an arm around my waist as he comes to stand beside me, but I pull away, not trusting myself to be near him. The ache is simply too much.
He furrows his brows. “How long has it been?”
I don’t answer.
He turns me to face him. “You haven’t had any blood since the attack, have you? Other than what you’ve taken in bed?”
I look around, hoping no one heard. I’ve cut Evan’s finger every night, sometimes two or three times, but it’s never enough. Not even close.
He huffs. “Jer, you need—”
“I know what I need!”
He flinches.
I close my eyes and draw in a breath through my nose.
I’ve been so damn agitated today, and it’s no one’s fault but my own.
When I sense him pulling away, I reach out to grab his hand.
I hadn’t meant to snap like that. Slowly, I pull him into my arms, and he quickly reciprocates it, arms wrapped tight around my back.
My cheek rests against his as we hold each other.
Even with the bloodlust, Evan’s touch is soothing. Like a cool breeze on a hot day.
“You’re so warm,” he breathes, clinging to me. Funny, since he makes me feel cooler, not warmer.
And I’m surprised he noticed anyway. I’ve felt warm ever since I climbed out of bed. Almost too warm. It’s probably just another sign that I need blood. I’ve never gone this long.
When Evan pulls back to look at me, he gently traces my lips with this thumb.
“Take some,” he whispers. “It might take the edge off.”
I grind my teeth. Evan doesn’t understand. His blood is part of the problem. The more I have it, the more I crave it. It’s easily the most satisfying blood I’ve ever tasted.
“I can’t, Evan. Not when I’m like this.”
“Then ask Forest for another bag,” he insists.
“I already have, but he only ordered a limited supply for emergencies. He doesn’t know if he can get more.”
“But you need—”
“Oh! Sorry.”
We both startle at the new voice, turning to face Evelyn.
She’s still in pajamas, a purple set with bright yellow ducks on them.
If I had to guess, they belong to Taren.
Evelyn’s graying blonde hair is pulled up into a messy bun, and she’s carrying two mugs.
She looks like she hasn’t slept in weeks. None of us have.
Evan pulls his hand away, but doesn’t step back. Instead, he slides an arm around me and turns to face her. “Hey, Mom.”
“I didn’t mean to interrupt, but…” She holds one of the mugs out to Evan. “Thought you could use some coffee. I’ve noticed you haven’t been sleeping.”
Evan lets out a tired sigh. “Thanks.”
Evelyn turns to me, an awkward smile on her lips. “You know, for a while there, I thought we lost you, Jericho. But I’m really glad we didn’t. Right now, seeing you with my son is the only thing that makes sense to me. A bit of… oh, I don’t know, familiarity in the chaos.”
She touches my arm before walking away, and Evan and I are left staring after her. This is familiar? Us? How? It’s still so new… and yet, it’s not. Evan and I have always fit. We just haven’t fit like this.
He rubs my back, lifting his beautiful blue eyes to me. His cheeks are an adorable shade of pink, like what his mom said actually embarrassed him. But he doesn’t turn away. Instead, he leans in to kiss me.
I quickly pull away, swallowing hard. “I… can’t, Ev,” I say quietly. “I’m sorry.”
Taren comes into the living room wearing only a pale pink shawl. She pads barefoot to the front door with Neal right behind her, naked except for a pair of shorts.
“Are you guys heading out?” I ask.
Taren nods. “We’re starting patrol again today.”
I immediately perk up. “I’ll join you.”
It’s not a question. I need to go, and everyone knows it’s safer to go in groups right now.
Taren seems to understand. “Fine.”
Evan chews his lip.
I squeeze his hand. “I’ll be back soon.”
I follow them outside and after they shift, we begin to walk along the worn path to the clearing where they last saw Sasha.
I look around for something to hunt, but the forest is unusually quiet.
Even the birds seem less inviting, refusing to sing their morning songs.
Neal must sense it too. He’s walking closer to his mate than normal, ears twitching in every direction.
When we reach the stream, they both pause to drink.
I tip my face up, a strange tightness settling in the pit of my stomach. A wave of heat rushes through me, and for a moment, the briefest moment, I catch a faint hint of—
I look around, startled. “Do you smell that?”
They both sniff the air, but don’t react.
I inhale deeper, fear lancing through my system at the putrid odor. It’s a reaction that has been ingrained into me since I was a kid. I’ve always been afraid of fire.
“I smell smoke.” I look around, but neither of them seem to smell it.
Neal shifts so he can speak. “I don’t smell anything.”
My heart beats faster as I turn in a circle, looking through the trees. I can definitely smell it. I just don’t know where. “Maybe Forest started a fire?”
Neal hesitates. “We’re too far away for you to smell it if he did.”
I turn again, searching.
“Sure it’s not just the mist?” Neal asks. “Could be playing tricks on you.” He points to the clouds of soft mist rolling across the forest floor, dampening everything in their path.
I watch it for a second. Maybe he’s right. It does look a little like smoke, and I don’t see any evidence of a fire anywhere. But why would I smell it? Could it be my hunger messing with me?
Neal shifts back to a wolf, and we begin walking again. Confused, I walk slower, watching the mist as it moves. Every few steps, I inhale, but the scent never fades. If anything, it’s becoming stronger.
Maybe if I put some distance between myself and the wolves, they won’t scare the prey away. I linger back, creating more and more space. Every sound, every rustle in the wind catches my attention. I need food.
I become so caught up in the hunt that I don’t realize I’ve lost track of Taren or Neal. I can’t even see them through the trees. I must have strayed off the path. I don’t recognize where I am, and when I look around, I can’t see the house anywhere.
It doesn’t matter. I can just follow their scents back to the house.
Closing my eyes, I focus harder on the sounds, taking in the babbling stream, the rustle of branches, the crunch of dead leaves. Somewhere, over the hill… is that scuffling? An animal, maybe?
I run towards it, fangs bared. I need to be fast to get back to the house before they worry. But as I reach the top of the hill, I stop in my tracks. That smell…
Not fire. No. Blood.
Suddenly, a shrill, panicked cry tears through the cold morning air. It makes the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. I snap my head to the left. Hollow Cliff.
“Please!” someone cries, their voice full of agony. “Please stop!”
Instinct kicks in. I rush over, crouching low as I come over the edge and hide behind a boulder to survey the scene. Two vampires stand twenty feet away, looming over their prey—a young male with dark skin and even darker hair.
Justice. The teen from the other pack.
Blood pools from a wound on his left shoulder as he cries, each broken whimper a tiny dagger to my heart. But I stay hidden, trying to figure out my next move.
“Tell us!” the vampire snarls, shoving Justice’s face into the packed earth.
“I told you, I d-don’t know anything!” Justice says.
The vampire digs his heel into Justice’s thigh, snapping the bone like a twig. Justice screams.
“We know he was from your pack. His scent is all over you!”
“If he w-was there, I don’t know w-why!” Justice says. His teeth clatter, whether from exertion or fear, I can’t be sure. “My p-pack doesn’t tell me anything.”
The vampire turns toward his companion to say something, giving a good view of his face, and my stomach sinks. Rip.
White-hot rage burns under my skin.
The other vampire gets to his knees, holding Justice’s arm. There’s a moment of silence before he says in a horrible, raspy voice, “Last chance, mongrel. And don’t bother lying. I’ll know. Tell us what the mutts are doing in that apartment, or we’re going to eat you for breakfast.”
“I told you, I don’t know! They don’t—” Justice screams as the vampire sinks his teeth in.
No!
Lunging for the nearest vampire, I pull him off Justice and snap his neck. It startles Rip, who gets to his feet and growls, blood spilling down his chin.
“Well, isn’t this a nice surprise? Come to join the hunt, have you? What’s wrong, your little shifter friends aren’t feeding you enough?”
“Leave him alone,” I say.
Out of the corner of my eye, I see a gray wolf lying still, too still, about thirty feet away. I have no idea who it is, but judging from the gray on the muzzle, I’d say it’s one of their elders.
I have a moment of panic. Am I really this close to their property? No. I recognize these hills. They were on Clearwater’s land. Were they trying to come to us? To warn us?