CHAPTER THIRTY || JEREMY
C old sweat soaked into the mattress. I shuddered, hating that I was just lying there, doing nothing, while Thierry was gone. The ten minutes ticked by, each second like an ice pick to my brain.
Ian had gone off on his own, too.
We’d been on a hunt and gotten into a rare fight—I couldn’t even remember what about—and he’d stormed off. Ian had been in the wrong place at the wrong time, fighting a monster stronger than he was. And he had been alone. Because I let him go.
It was hard not to see the similarities. Thierry was going off to fight a vampire more powerful than him. And he had left his life in my hands, trusting me with it.
I had lost Ian because I let him storm off.
I couldn’t lose Thierry.
My vampire was snarky and cutting, with his deep well of emotions, vulnerability, and goodness—even if all of it was masked by sharpness. The idea of him no longer existing filled me with a jagged, icy panic. The idea of living without him made existence itself feel meaningless. A hollowed-out lie.
The wolf in my chest let out a soundless howl, and my fingertips dug into the mattress.
What if I wasn’t fast enough?
And if the vampire king didn’t believe me?
Or—more likely—what if he wasn’t fast enough at getting his people together?
Then we’d fight Godric together, I decided.
In wolf form, I was nearly as fast as the average vampire.
I could get to him, even if no one else came.
Even if none of Thierry’s people listened, I would still go.
Maybe I could distract Godric long enough for Thierry to destroy him.
The bond between us was sealed. We could work in unison better than our foe might expect. That was an advantage.
With those thoughts piled on me like granite slabs, I waited out the ten minutes with agonizing slowness. When they finally elapsed, I climbed out of bed feeling like all the pieces inside me were made of broken glass, scraping together, cutting me to ribbons.
I grabbed my phone and sent a text to Nathaniel: Thierry needs backup NOW. Michael’s house. Send everyone.
But it was early morning. Was Nathaniel still awake? Did vampires stay up all night and sleep all day? Thierry didn’t seem to. Would Nathaniel see my message?
Thierry had said we were being watched. I didn’t know what that meant. Had Godric enlisted a witch to scry us? To bind a spirit to watch and report back?
I didn’t sense anything strange—but that didn’t mean anything. If I was being watched through a witch’s scrying mirror, I probably wouldn’t.
But if I was being watched…
What would I have done if I’d woken up to find Thierry gone with no explanation?
“Thierry!” I called, setting my phone on the mattress and rising from the bed, my voice just a hair above normal. Perfectly loud for vampiric hearing. And I wasn’t supposed to sound alarmed—yet.
There was no answer, of course.
I let that sink in, not having to act the part. The dismay I felt at the silence—even though I’d known it was coming—was very real.
I retrieved my clothes from the floor and pulled them on.
When I finished dressing, I pocketed my phone without checking it. I left the bedroom and stepped into the empty apartment. No lights on, but I could see just fine.
“Thierry?” I called again, trying to sound uncertain.
My wolf growled low and silent in my chest, warning me.
I could feel it—the pins-and-needles sensation of being watched.
It came from the far corner of the living room.
I had the distinct impression of someone sitting in a chair, staring at me.
I couldn’t quite see it, but I knew it was there the way I could sense the creatures from the bleeds, or the way I could sense the flow of magic itself.
It was a supernatural presence, disrupting the natural order of reality.
Even though every instinct ached to attack, I forced myself to ignore it, as though I couldn’t sense it at all.
Instead, I scanned the room, gaze flicking to the coffee table, counters, end tables—anywhere Thierry might have left a note—exactly as I would have if I’d woken to find him gone.
When my eyes passed over the corner, I was almost certain I saw the mostly transparent outline of a man in the darkness, watching.
It looked almost like a patch of slightly darker shadow.
I let my gaze drift away, as though I hadn’t seen him.
“That bastard,” I muttered to myself. I shook my head like I couldn’t believe it—as though my insides hadn’t just turned to solid ice.
The man in the room was Godric. I was certain. Even if he wasn’t solid, I recognized him from Thierry’s memories. When we sealed the blood bond, I had seen Godric for an instant.
I let my hands tighten into fists, as though Thierry had pissed me off by skipping out without a note, and I scowled at the front door with a flash of anger I didn’t feel.
“Fucking vampire,” I said, forcing as much heat into my words as I could.
The presence in the corner vanished. I felt the faint disturbance in the air as it popped out of existence.
I let out a long breath of relief.
Then I immediately pulled out my phone and dialed Lindsey. “I need you to call the vampire king. And any other vampires you know. Keep calling until you reach someone. Thierry is in trouble.”
She sounded wide awake. “Jeremy, what’s going on?”
Using as few words as I could, I told her.
When I finished, a full two minutes had passed. It had been at least fifteen since Thierry left. It felt like an eternity.
She didn’t ask for more. She just said, “If you get yourself killed, I’m kicking your ass.”
Despite the fury and desperation, the need to act—my wolf clawing at my insides to get to my mate—I found myself grinning.
It was exactly what I needed to hear.
It reminded me, painfully, that I’d been a terrible brother. She deserved better. And maybe I could be better. For the first time in a long time, I wanted to try.
“I love you,” I told her simply.
Her silence stretched for several seconds. Then: “It’s been years since you’ve said that to me. What the hell happened to you?”
I didn’t have to think. “I found something to live for.”
“Well, it’s about damn time,” she said. “I love you, too.”
Then she hung up.
I checked my phone. Nathaniel hadn’t messaged back; the text was still unread. I could bang on his door, but it was a risk. It would waste time. I would need to explain. Even if he didn’t have questions, it would take time for him to act.
I needed to get to Thierry now .
No, I decided, already moving to the front door. Lindsey would do what I’d asked. She was my sister. My family. My pack. I could rely on her. On them.
They hadn’t gone anywhere. I was the one who had changed.
I made it out of the bar, out the back door, and down the street. My sister’s SUV was still there, right where Thierry and I had parked it. I unlocked it and climbed in.
I drove out of the city as fast as I dared, letting my inner senses guide me to Thierry. The wolf-bond was stronger now as well, as though the blood bond had reinforced it. I could sense the correct path to him with more ease than before, like an invisible rope connecting us.
Just outside Monroe, still a half hour from Gold Bar, I pulled onto the shoulder of the two-lane highway, killed the engine, and climbed out.
Then I shifted right there.
It was an immense relief. The wolf took over instantly and bolted into the stretch of woods alongside the freeway.
I didn’t know if Lindsey had reached anyone, and my wolf-self barely cared. The only thing that mattered was getting to my mate.
If it came down to it, I would protect Thierry with my life.