Chapter 33 JERICHO
JERICHO
My head is in a daze as we walk back to the club, and my heart is in pieces. Holding Evan’s limp body ripped me in two. It’s something I never wanted to experience. Another memory that will haunt me for the rest of my life.
And it wasn’t even my sire who nearly killed Evan—it was Breck. Foxx’s skin-changing leader. That bastard had coaxed Evan away from Foxx just to help the rapist and murderer escape.
It makes me sick. He deserved what he got.
Smoke burns my nose the closer we get to the building.
Lights flicker in all directions from multiple emergency vehicles.
Police, firefighters, and paramedics are here taking care of the scene.
Large crowds are gathered on the streets, some crying and bundled in gray blankets.
People in red and blue uniforms move about, questioning everyone as they try to piece together what happened.
I see Jasmine talking to an officer at the same time she sees me.
“There they are,” she says, ducking between two police officers and running over to us. Jasmine’s long hair trails after her, her eyes full of worry. She’s wrapped in a standard gray shawl that one of the emergency personnel must have given her.
“Where have you been?” Jasmine says.
“Evan saw Foxx leave the building and went on a manhunt,” Sage explains, “so we went after Evan.”
Jasmine’s eyes get impossibly wider. “Evan went after Foxx?” She quickly scans our group, and when she doesn’t see Evan, she snaps her attention to me. “Where is he?”
“They took him to the hospital,” Sage answers, since I can’t seem to find my voice. “It’s… not good, Jazz. We need to get everyone there as soon as possible.”
Her face pales. “And Foxx?”
I clench my teeth. “He got away.”
“What? How?”
“Breckley helped Foxx escape by changing into him. Evan didn’t notice and followed Breckley instead,” Sage says.
Red folds his arms over his chest. “We all went after Evan.”
Jasmine shakes her head. “But that means… Oh no. Foxx is still alive? All of this was for nothing?”
“Not nothing,” Sage says. “We killed Breckley.”
An officer chooses that moment to turn their attention on us. His badge glows bright red in the light, signaling the Paranormal Response Unit. From the energy pouring off him, I’m going to guess he’s a mage.
“Were you a part of this tonight?” he asks.
“They’re with our pack,” Jasmine says, barely acknowledging the officer.
Something like pride fills me at the declaration, even though it’s not the first time someone has said it. Grant did too, when Kaine threatened Evan. Do they really see us as one of them now?
“Jericho is the one who set the fire,” she says.
The officer turns to me. “Is this true?”
I swallow hard, but I see no way to deny it. There are too many witnesses. “I was trying to protect my mate,” I say. “And the pack. We were all there fighting together.”
The officer blinks at me. “She was telling the truth? You’re with the pack of wolves?”
I hear the underlying confusion, yet I nod anyway.
Jasmine pins the guy with a stare. “I’ve already told you, officer.
Jericho and his mate, as well as his mate’s mother, are unofficial members of our pack.
They’ve been with us for some time now. We were here tonight to defend our pack!
They’ve killed one of our own, Sasha Inlet.
They’ve gone after Evan and his mother, which we have evidence of with security footage.
I can get Evan’s mother on the phone if you want.
She can relay every detail of what this horrible coven did to her home, or you can call the Spokane Police Department and ask them yourselves. ”
The air is heavy with her alpha power, yet the officer seems unfazed. He clearly is used to shows of dominance. “And Evan is the human, I take it?” he asks calmly.
Jasmine growls, frustrated. “Oh, for fuck’s… Yes! That’s the human who was here with us! His mother is back at our house, along with our pack leader. I’ve already told you all of this!”
The officer looks around, his dark brows pulled together. “And where is Evan?”
“On his way to the hospital fighting for his life,” Sage says. “One of these vampires attempted to drain him, so Jericho killed him.”
Jasmine’s eyes widen, as if only now realizing how bad the situation is for him.
The officer turns to me. “You killed him?”
“Evan is my life mate, so yes. I burned that fucker. Look, my sire is the one who has been running the club. He’s been turning humans into vampires for months, nearly all of them against their will.
Including myself. I can tell you every detail of it, if you need, but I was here tonight to fight back and reclaim some of my freedom.
They’ve been hunting me ever since I was turned.
And, as Jasmine pointed out, they were hunting Evan, too.
You should know this, as there have been several reports against this club already.
They attacked and killed some friends of ours tonight, which is why we are here.
We all have legal right to defend ourselves. ”
Something flashes across the officer’s face before a tiny smile appears. “Oh, I agree with you about the club being a problem, but I disagree that nothing has been done about it.”
“Excuse me!” Jasmine snarls.
He holds up a hand. “What I mean is, we have over a dozen reports on our desks of interviews conducted at this club over the last year—”
“Then why hasn’t anything been done!” Jasmine shouts.
“—yet no one at our department can remember doing the interview,” he says patiently. “It’s been a confusing mess for months.”
Sage straightens. “That’s because Orem Gravestone is working for the coven. I think you’ll find he is behind all of your altered memories.”
The officer turns wide eyes toward Sage. “Orem Gravestone? The mage recently released from prison?”
Sage nods. “He’s been seen with the coven.”
My patience is growing thin. I need to get to Evan. “Orem cast a spell on you, and he cast a spell on the building, preventing people from leaving. When they attacked a neighboring pack, we all came running.”
“Neighboring pack? Do you mean Merebeth Height? From the Hollow Cliff pack?”
Jasmine nods.
“I spoke to her just a little bit ago. Terrible what happened to her pack.” He looks between us. “If that’s true about Orem, how did you get out?”
“The fire broke his spell,” I say simply.
He seems interested in this, adding it to a note on his phone. “You say you have video proof this coven has been going after your family?”
The warm feeling returns. Family. Yes, it’s what Evan and Evelyn have always been. Family. “I do.”
“All right. Would you be willing to submit that, along with a formal statement in regard to your turning? We have two other vampires saying they were forced into the change too, which is a criminal offense.”
“Yes.”
“Good. Here’s my card. Let’s talk soon. I promise you, this coven will be a top priority from now on.”
As he walks away, I draw in a shaky breath. Fuck, this whole thing is a mess.
“Where is everyone?” Sage asks.
“I don’t know,” Jasmine says, pulling her shawl tighter. “I was the first pulled in for questioning since I’m the representing alpha of the pack.”
My stomach churns. “We need to get to the hospital.”
Sage fills her in as we walk around looking for the others. There must be two dozen humans with confused, blank expressions on their faces, walking around with no idea what they’re doing here. They must be the humans from upstairs.
Six or seven vampires pass us, a few recognizing us from the fight but steering clear. Whatever. The only ones I’m truly worried about are Rip and Foxx, and of course, those assholes are nowhere to be seen. They could be anywhere by now.
We find Ivy, Rowen, Neal, and Taren by a medical station on a corner, still in wolf form.
Next to them, Kaine and Willow are talking to a couple of vampires.
I remember seeing them in the club, but I hadn’t gotten the sense they were a part of the coven.
More that they were in the wrong place at the wrong time—kind of like Willow.
Are they friends? I have no idea, nor do I care. I just want to get to the car and go.
Please let Evan be okay.
Voices to the left catch our attention.
“No! Please, no,” a panicked voice says.
“Sir, you really need to be checked out. Those—”
The man shakes his head, trying to get away from the paramedic. I recognize him as the dancer from the stage. Someone must have broken the spell on his shackles. His wrists are raw and bloody, his face smeared with grit, and… Are those bruises? Fuck, the guy looks like he’s taken a beating here.
“I can’t go to the hospital!” the man says, still shaking his head. “I can’t. If he—”
“That’s fine,” the woman pleads. “Just please, let us make sure you’re okay.”
“What’s his story?” Sage asks.
“He was a prisoner here,” I say. “I saw him on stage. They used infused steel on his wrists, but he’s human.”
Red’s eyes go wide. “Wait, what?”
Infused steel is terrible on humans. It’s like using a constant low-level buzz of electricity against their skin, burning them and eventually causing welts.
“He’s one of the humans?”
I nod. “Willow said there were dozens more. My best guess is it’s that group over there.”
Willow and Kaine must have overheard, because Willow walks closer, nodding. “They were freed not too long ago.”
Sage growls. “Fucking assholes. What the fuck were they doing with all these humans?”
The paramedic continues. “Do you have anyone you can call?” Her face is stern and unwelcoming, as if talking to a misbehaving child.
The poor man’s eyes dart around the parking lot, searching for something—anything—to get him out of his situation.
“Sir, I can’t let you leave unless you have someone with you. You’re injured.”
“I…” he starts. “I need to go.” Without warning, he yanks away from the woman and takes off down the street.
The paramedic groans in frustration, waves a hand, then turns toward another patient.
I take off after him. I don’t even know why. But something about the guy compels me forward.
Red follows me, with Sage and Kaine close on our heels. When we reach a dark alley, I hear faint whimpering and hold a hand up to signal them to stop.
“He’s here,” I whisper.
Red walks slowly down the alley, his hands lit up as flashlights. “Hey. You don’t need to be afraid.”
The guy scurries back a few steps, eyes as wide as saucers. “Please, don’t kill me.”
“It’s okay. I’m here to help,” Red says, revealing his hands. “See? I’m a healer. I can help you.”
Either out of desperation, or because he’s absolutely terrified, the man doesn’t move, his gaze locked on me as if I’m the enemy. I take that as my cue to stay back. He’s clearly endured intense trauma at the hands of the vampires, so the last thing he needs is to be around more of them.
Red crouches to get a better look, his jaw set. Something on the guy’s shoulder catches my attention, but from this distance and with this light, it’s impossible to see what it is.
“Did they do this to you?” Red asks.
The man ignores him, muttering the same thing over and over. “He can’t... He can’t…”
“Who can’t?”
“Him.”
“Who’s him?” Red asks again, turning his palms to aim the light at the stranger’s shoulder. There’s definitely something there.
The man doesn’t answer, slamming his eyes shut and looking away.
Red very carefully places a hand around the man’s wrist, pouring his healing magic into him.
“Did the coven do this to you?” Red asks again. It’s a pointless question, when I just told him I saw him on stage with the shackles, but Red must be trying to connect to the guy.
To my surprise, the man nods.
“Are you afraid of them?”
He nods again, his whole body shaking. “They c-can’t f-find me.”
Red looks over his shoulder at us, then says, “You should come with us.”
It’s the wrong thing to say.
The man bolts down the alley, past Red and me. Kaine seizes him around the waist, twirling him around to see his face. Faster than a heartbeat, Kaine lowers his voice and says, “Stop.”
The stranger stops immediately, but his body is still trembling.
“He’s been marked,” Red says.
“What’s that mean?”
“Hell if I know, but he’s not safe. If the coven did this, there’s a reason.”
Kaine barely even blinks before bending to look the guy in the eyes. “Stay calm. Go home with the shifter.”
I clench my teeth. I hate that he’s using compulsion on the guy. Glancing down, I get a better look at the man’s left shoulder and my stomach sinks.
Red was right. He’s been marked with some kind of brand.
What the fuck?
Kaine keeps one hand around the guy’s arm as we walk back.
My skin is crawling with the need to go. I rub the back of my neck. “I’m sorry guys, but I really need to get to Evan.”
Jasmine nods. “Of course. Ro, Ivy. Go with Jericho. We’ll meet up with you shortly.”
Before I turn to leave, Jasmine pulls me in for a tight hug. “I’m so glad you’re okay. Tell Evan to hang on for us.”
Her comment startles me, yet it fills me with more of that odd sense of belonging. They really do care.
I pull away. “See you soon.”