Chapter 24 EVAN
EVAN
I’m almost lightheaded as we descend the stairs, both from the relief of Jericho’s return, and from hearing him say those words. I love you. I never imagined we would be here, but now I can’t see us any other way. How was I so blind to my feelings for him?
A few heads turn when we enter the living room, and my steps falter when I catch my mom watching me. Or rather, us. Her attention drifts to my neck before she looks away, wringing her hands in her lap.
With a flash of horror, I realize the entire room must’ve known what we were up to. I mean, how could they not? Jericho had come into our bedroom like a man on a mission, his thirst so plainly visible in his dark green eyes. They must’ve seen it, right? I’m surprised no one stopped him.
Had my mom? God, had my mom known what Jericho was about to do? She’s witnessed it before, when she caught him taking blood from my finger, but this was a whole new level. This was…
Insanely fucking hot. That’s what it was.
My cheeks flame red.
“Finally,” Rowen mutters, getting up from his seat at the dining table. He’s glaring at Jericho with all the power of an alpha. “Mind telling us what the fuck happened out there?”
“Rowen,” Jasmine warns.
“No! Justice is dead, Mom, and we don’t even know why! We deserve answers! After all we’ve done for them…” His voice cracks as emotion gets the better of him. “Jericho is the only one who—”
Jericho silences him by putting up a hand. “You’re right, Ro, and I’m sorry. I wasn't myself, but I am now. I’m even more sorry I wasn’t able to help your friend. Believe me, I wish I could have.”
I close a hand around Jericho’s, giving him a gentle squeeze before slipping by to go to the kitchen.
I haven’t eaten all day, too overwhelmed with the pack’s grief and too afraid I might never see Jericho again.
Now that he’s here, I’m ravenous. Pouring myself a glass of orange juice, I take a huge gulp and grab a few muffins.
The rest of the pack circles in, mixed expressions on their faces.
Ivy’s eyes are puffy from crying all day.
“There were two vamps when I came to the field,” Jericho begins. “A lanky guy with brown hair and a short beard. The other, a dark-skinned man with shoulder-length dreads.”
Grant folds his arms over his chest. “That’s Rip.”
Jericho nods. “Yes, I recognized him. I didn’t know the other one.”
“I’m going to guess it was Alden. We’ve seen him leave the club more and more lately, but we still don’t know much about him.”
Jericho shrugs. “It doesn’t matter. He’s dead.”
My mom flinches in her chair.
I pull a seat out beside Jericho, shoving an entire muffin in my mouth.
He glances at me before continuing. “I should mention, there was another wolf with Justice, but I didn’t recognize the pelt. Dark gray with a white muzzle. The tip of the tail was white too.”
Ivy gasps. “That’s Genny. Is she okay?”
Jericho sighs. “I’m sorry, but she was already dead when I got there. There was nothing I could do.”
Jasmine turns away, covering her mouth. “Oh, Genny.”
Murmured whispers fill the room as they take in the news, and Rowen fists his hands at his sides. “What were they doing out there anyway?” he growls. “Justice knew better than to be in the forest right now!”
Red sits up, face crestfallen. “She was probably coming here for more tonics.” All eyes turn to him. “She’s been sick. Or… was sick for a few months now. I’ve been giving her tonics to help with the nausea. But if I would’ve known she needed more…”
Sage touches his mate’s shoulder, trying to comfort him.
“Sick with what? I didn’t think shifters got diseases,” I say.
“We don’t usually, but as we age, our bodies fail us, just like humans,” Jasmine says. “Genny was nearly four hundred. Nearing the end of her life.”
I barely contain my surprise. Four hundred years old? Is she kidding me? I forget how much longer the supernaturals live than humans. Even Jericho… It hurts to think about.
Forest presses him further. “What happened? What did you see?”
Jericho continues. “They were taunting Justice. Questioning him about why someone was there, but Justice didn’t seem to know anything about it.”
“Where?”
“I’m pretty sure he meant the apartment,” he says.
Everyone stiffens.
“So they know we’re watching.”
“Seems so.”
“That’s not good. We need to tell the others.”
Grant urges me to continue. “Tell us about your gift. When did it come up?”
Jericho looks down at his hands, like he’s remembering something. “That’s the strange thing. I actually figured it out because of Rip.”
The beta cocks his head. “What do you mean?”
“Did you know he’s a mimic?” Jericho asks.
I can tell by their matching looks of surprise that this is news to them.
Rowen tenses. “For real?”
Jericho nods.
“Shit, that makes so much sense. We’ve been trying to figure out his gift for months, but it was always different. He can really copy others?”
Jericho nods again. “With a simple touch, apparently. Just like Foxx. Maybe he got the gift from Foxx, who knows. But he goaded me into attacking him, and as soon as I did, he started smoking and his skin became white hot. So I let him go, afraid he would burn me. That’s when he shot balls of fire at me and began taunting me.
Saying I shouldn’t be afraid of a little fire.
” He scoffs, shaking his head like he’s reliving some horrible dream.
“It didn’t click until Rip tripped over the other vampire and the smoke stopped.
Almost instantly. That’s when I realized he could only do it because of me. He was copying me.”
“Please tell me you blasted him with fire,” Ivy says with weak humor.
Jericho gives her a small smile. “I wish, but I don’t have a clue how to control it, so it was more about me dodging his attempts to burn me than anything.”
“How’d he get away?”
Jericho makes a face. “He used Justice to draw me in, looming over his body. I couldn’t let him bite Justice, so I attacked, which is what he wanted.
It gave him the power back. Anyway, we fought, and I don’t know how I did it, but somehow, I choked him with smoke, and that scared him enough to create a portal.
That’s when I checked on Justice and knew he wasn’t going to survive long.
I could’ve taken him to his pack, but I didn’t want them to blame me, so I.
.. I don’t know. I imagined the front yard, and then I was here. ”
Jericho still seems stunned, staring at his hands like they were a foreign object. Then he lets them drop with a resigned sigh. “Just wish I could have done more.”
There’s a heavy moment of silence before Jasmine says, “You did everything you could, Jericho. Everything. Certainly you know we all see that?”
Jericho doesn’t reply.
“You said the other vamp is dead?” Forest asks.
Jericho nods. “I snapped his neck before the fight. Once Rip disappeared, I burned him and brought Justice here.”
“Good. Is there anything else we should know?”
“No, that’s it. I want to apologize for disappearing, though. Rowen’s right. After all you have done for us, I should have told you all this much sooner. I’m sorry.” His tone is thick with guilt.
Jasmine cups his elbow apologetically.
Forest grits his teeth but nods. “I’ll call Merebeth to let her know the vamps are watching the apartment.
With any luck, they’ll see how the coven responds to Alden’s death.
In the meantime, I think you should practice using your phoenix powers.
” His face softens. “It’s an extremely rare gift, Jericho. I hope you know that.”
I look up. “Phoenix?” It’s the first I’ve heard the term.
Forest smiles a little. “It’s my best guess at what his gift is.” At our silence, he adds, “It comes from the Legend of the Phoenix. As you know, fire normally kills a vampire, but with this gift, they’re immune.”
I raise my brows. Immune to fire?
He glances at Jericho. “I am curious how you got it, as all vampire gifts are connected to their human life.”
When he doesn’t explain, I do. “His parents died in a house fire when he was ten. Jericho survived by climbing through a window. Spent the rest of his childhood in foster care until he went away to college.”
“I see. I’m truly sorry to hear that.”
Jericho says nothing, but his silence is loud enough for me. I reach for him, lacing our fingers together.
Forest shifts. “I must warn you, even if this is the phoenix gift, you can still be killed in other ways. So I encourage you to heed caution. We’d hate to lose you.”
Jericho seems surprised by his tone of affection.
As Forest walks away to make some phone calls, the conversation drifts back to Justice.
The entire pack is as tired as I am, their grief palpable.
Even the bright lights of the room seem dimmer somehow.
I hadn’t known Justice well at all, but his death still weighs heavy on me. He was so young, so innocent.
Jericho keeps his attention on the floor. I know he’s blaming himself for their pain. Wishing he could have done more. I want to ease some of the burden.
“Hey. You want to know what I just thought of?” I say quietly.
He turns to look at me.
“I have a smokin’ hot boyfriend. Literally. Smokin’ hot!”
Jericho gives a low, rumbling laugh as he pulls me against his chest. I wrap my arms around his back, feeling his muscles flex. As his warm lips press against my temple, I sense some of the tension leave his body.
“This is good, though,” Rowen says finally after a long moment of silence. “We finally know your gift. We know what Foxx is after. Maybe you can use that fire on the club.”
Ivy snorts, like she thinks her brother is kidding.
“I’m serious,” he tries again. “With Jer’s gift, we can end this once and for all.”
Sage sits up. “It’s not a bad idea.”
“No.” Jasmine points a finger. “No one is burning anything!”
Jericho shrugs. “I will if I need to. I refuse to let anyone else be hurt by those monsters.”