CHAPTER SIXTEEN || JEREMY
T here were nearly a dozen vampires and witches gathered in the living room of the elder care home when I stormed out after Thierry.
“They’re holed up at the high school,” one of the witches said, her back to me. “That makes the tactic here simple. First, we’ll have a team of three witches use a barrier spell so they don’t escape.”
I stopped in my tracks as I realized they were talking about destroying the vampires of Rookwood.
She continued, “And then we’ll split into teams of two vampires and two witches each. We’ll use multiple points of entry into the building, so we can dispatch them with minimal—”
“You’re not killing them,” I snarled. “Not a single one.”
It was hard to say who was more surprised, but everyone stared at me like I’d lost my mind—a shirtless wolf barging in to tell them not to do their job.
Thierry froze, then turned to stare at me with wide eyes. His mental voice was crystal clear, as though he’d spoken aloud: What is he doing?
“I’m fixing this,” I told him simply.
Thierry’s expression darkened, and I felt a surge of fresh horror from him at how easily I could hear his thoughts. He didn’t understand yet that I’d never hurt him. Besides, my wolf wouldn’t allow it—even if I wanted to. And I didn’t want to.
“What is he talking about?” the witch asked, turning to face me. She was a middle-aged woman with a cap of dark hair. Her eyes narrowed as she took me in. “These creatures are soulless husks. Killers.”
“Not for long,” I told her, grinning like a madman. “Thierry and I are going to save them all.”
One of the vampires—a cold-eyed female in red leather—locked gazes with me. “What do you mean, you’re going to save them?”
“There’s a way,” I beamed at her.
“We don’t know that!” Thierry snapped. Then, to the leather-clad vampire: “Sadie, just ignore him. That’s what I do.”
“No,” I said. “Contain the vampires. We need to test a theory.”
Sadie’s brows slammed together, and she exchanged a look with the dark-haired witch. “What theory, exactly?”
What are you doing? Thierry’s voice crashed through my mind, though his lips didn’t move. Jeremy, stop! You can’t tell them!
I ignored him. “We’re just asking for a day or two. If we’re wrong, do what you’ve got to do.”
Sadie’s eyes widened as she looked from Thierry to me and back again. Then understanding dawned. “I see . Well, I suppose that explains why you haven’t left his side for hours.”
Thierry rubbed his temples. “I’ve had nightmares just like this,” he muttered.
“Oh, I don’t know.” Sadie eyed me, gaze lingering on my bare chest. “He’d probably be pleasant enough for at least one evening—so long as he didn’t speak.”
I tried not to take offense. Oddly, my wolf didn’t peg her as particularly dangerous. It was wary of the vampires in this room, yes—but not hostile. Unlike its reaction to the feral ones from last night. It could somehow tell the difference.
“Would someone explain to me what he’s talking about?” another vampire, a dark-haired male, demanded.
“He means that Poppy’s spell worked,” Sadie said before anyone else could reply.
“She succeeded in conjuring up a man for Thierry, after all. And perhaps now she can repeat the feat with one of these newborns. It’ll allow us to test the theory that a fated mate can help restore a vampire’s humanity. ”
“That’s literally all confidential information!” Thierry hissed, scandalized.
Sadie smirked, her eyes glittering dangerously. “Hardly. You’d be surprised what I know.”
“We’re asking for twenty-four hours,” I said. I looked at the dark-haired witch, meeting her gaze. “Contain these vampires, but don’t kill them. I know you can.”
She frowned. “Well, of course, but—”
“Do it,” Sadie said. “If there’s even the smallest chance these people can be brought back, we must know.”
The witch swallowed. “But there’s no magic on earth that can bring back a vampire’s lost humanity. We’ve tried .”
“If they fail, we’ll carry out the original mission,” Sadie said, giving Thierry a bemused look. “Thierry and his werewolf mate.”
Thierry glared murder at me. “I hate you.”
I beamed back and tapped my temple. “No, you don’t.”
* * *
“This isn’t what I pictured for our first date,” I said an hour later, from behind the wheel of Lindsey’s car. The corners of my mouth kept tipping upward. “Usually, bodies in the trunk are a later-in-the-relationship adventure.”
“This isn’t a date, it’s not a relationship, and I sincerely hope you’re joking,” Thierry replied. His silent telepathic addition was clear as day: though it wouldn’t surprise me if he wasn’t.
I smiled, my heart lighter than it had been in ages, despite his fury over my display back in Rookwood. Apparently, Sadie was a very well-connected vampire. Thierry suspected she’d tell Pierce. And Pierce would tell everyone else Thierry had ever met.
But was that really so bad?
After all, I’d just saved every vampire in the town. Once Thierry’s witch pal enchanted them, they could be people again. Funny how easily I’d accepted that vampires were people, every bit as much as humans or wolves.
He shot me a glare. “Eyes on the road. It’d be a shame if something awful and extremely violent happened to you.”
I obeyed, though with my supernatural reflexes, I was a safer driver than most. Besides, even most crashes wouldn’t endanger us. We’d recover. And any wounds my body couldn’t heal, Thierry’s blood could.
Weird, to think he’d given me his blood. Weirder still that I owed him my life.
Still, it was hard not to look at him—soft golden hair, pale blue eyes, sharp features… he was like crushed velvet over steel. Now that I’d stopped convincing myself he was a monster, it was impossible not to see him.
And I didn’t want to look away.
I’d been right before. Now I was certain: he wasn’t just a person, he was a good person. A heroic one. Someone who cared about every life around him, even while pretending not to. Underneath the anger at me, I knew he was relieved we still had a shot at saving Rookwood’s victims.
And even if I didn’t deserve him, he was mine. I was going to keep him.
But he didn’t need to know that yet.
Not until he’d had the same revelation I had: that I wasn’t the person he thought me to be.
“What’s the plan? We’ve got a vampire tied up in the trunk.”
It turned out that, in total, there were eighty-seven vampires in Rookwood. Well, eighty-six now, since we had taken Quinn with us.
“I’ll bring him down to the dungeon beneath Nathaniel’s bar,” Thierry said. “We will bind him with silver. And tomorrow, Poppy will perform her spell. Then we’ll see.”
“Nathaniel has a dungeon? He doesn’t seem like the type.”
“He’s not. But sometimes we need a place for exceptionally dangerous vampires until we decide what must be done with them.”
I felt it through the bond as the emotional equivalent of a shadow crossed over him.
“You’re involved in those decisions. And what comes after.”
“Stay out of my head, wolf.”
I kept my tone mild. “How do you guys feed, if you’re not supposed to hurt anyone?”
“We have a network of donors. And arrangements with local blood banks.”
“Donors?”
“Humans who get housing, health insurance, and a handsome living stipend. If they want to go to school, we pay for it. If they want to start a business, we give them seed money. We ensure they are taken care of. In exchange, they allow us to feed from them.”
I frowned. “Are they allowed to say no? What if they don’t feel up to it when one of you comes knocking?”
“When our donors say no, we respect it. Then we call someone who says yes. That’s why it’s a network of donors. The vampires who live in Seattle stay because they like playing by the rules. If they didn’t, they’d leave.”
I glanced over at Thierry. “Not every city has the same rules?”
“Please keep your eyes on the road,” he said. “I’m already light-headed from saving your life last night. I’d rather not do it again tonight.”
But then he grimaced, and I sensed the flash of unease that rippled through the bond. Why on earth do I keep saying more than I intend to around him? Jeremy needn’t know that I’m hungry.
“I hope the donors get paid really well. Getting bit last night hurt,” I said at last. “A lot .”
Thierry was quiet a long moment, seething—not at me, but at himself for letting that happen.
“It doesn’t always,” he said finally.
“It doesn’t always what? Hurt?”
“Vampires can choose what our bite feels like. We can make it so there’s no pain. No sensation at all, even. Some vampires make it agonizing. Or it can be rather… enjoyable.”
A memory flooded between us—one of his feeding partners groaning in pleasure, Thierry’s hands on smooth, firm muscle. Warmth and safety. Intimacy.
Cold fury ripped through me. Mine. Thierry was mine. No one else’s.
But could I let him do that to me?
His soft lips on my throat? The feel of his touch, strong but still gentle, holding me still. His skin silky smooth, his muscles lean and hard as he pressed himself against me, his breath warm on my neck as he prepared to—
“Dammit, Jeremy!” Thierry hissed when I got so distracted I swerved into the oncoming lane.
Thankfully there was no traffic. I immediately corrected. No harm done.
“What was that?” he demanded.
I shifted in my seat, hard as a rock, heat creeping into my cheeks. “Nothing. Don’t worry about it.”
“Hmm.”
“So,” I said after a pause. “Do you usually make it… pleasurable?”
“Jealous?”
“Yes.”
He went still, startled. Then: “No. Not unless I’m exceptionally familiar with my partner and that is what they wish. Giving pleasure without consent is forcing intimacy. That’s not my style, wolf.”
When I sensed through the bond that he wasn’t lying, I relaxed a notch. But I didn’t like the idea of his lips on anyone else, even if it was solely for sustenance.
“You could’ve killed Quinn last night,” Thierry said. “He attacked you. And a single newborn vampire with no grasp of his abilities wouldn’t have been a match for an alpha. You could have destroyed him. Easily.”
“Yeah, I know.”
“Why didn’t you?”
“You know why.”
He went rigid, and for a split second I thought he was going to berate me for being an idiot. But then he scowled and said, “Thank you.”
By the time we reached Seattle, it was clear: it wasn’t just that Thierry was destined to be mine.
Sure, there was an undeniable supernatural connection between us—now twice over, considering the telepathic bond and the wolf mate bond that had already been growing steadily since I first met him.
But apart from that, I found—much to my own surprise—that spending time with him was… nice.
I liked him. As a person. I hadn’t felt that way with anyone since Ian.
And come hell or high water, I’d convince Thierry to admit to himself that he liked me, too.
I wasn’t going to rest until he was mine.