CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE || JEREMY
“ A re you certain this is where it came from?” Thierry asked doubtfully an hour later, giving Dante a hard look.
The dark-haired vampire put a protective arm around his human mate, pulling him close. “We’re sure. And we’re leaving now.”
“Aiden,” Dante said reproachfully. “We do need to leave, but we’re not going to be dicks about it.
” He met Thierry’s gaze dead-on, then added, “I’m sure.
The hiker’s ghost is long gone, but there’s enough residual energy where he was killed to show me where the creature came from.
Aiden and I followed the trail. It came from there. ”
He pointed to a jagged crevice between two massive evergreens about sixty feet ahead. It barely looked big enough for a snake to crawl through, let alone one of the creatures Thierry and I had seen in our dreamscape.
“And you approached it and had… a vision?” Thierry asked, frowning.
Dante shrugged. “Something like that. Not a vision, exactly. More of a feeling. It’s hard to explain.”
“I’m sure it is,” Thierry said, sounding unconvinced.
“C’mon,” Aiden muttered, giving Dante a dark look. “If we want to be trolled, we’ll just put up another video.”
“Most of our audience doesn’t troll us,” Dante said with a grin. “And definitely. We shot some great footage of—”
He broke off, caught my gaze, and blanched.
“The ski lodge,” Aiden finished for him.
“Crescent Springs better not end up on the internet,” I warned.
“Nothing by name,” Aiden assured me—too quickly. Then he gave Thierry a hard look. “We might have a YouTube channel dedicated to the paranormal, but Dante’s the real deal. He’s really a psychic. If he says he felt something, you can take it to the bank.”
“I’m more of a sensitive,” Dante corrected. “If we’re getting technical.”
“You guys are…” Thierry stared at them. “What? YouTube influencers?”
“We used to be bartenders. Then we started making content about paranormal stuff happening in the Pacific Northwest. It sort of took off.”
“Now we’re spooky content creators,” Aiden put in, trading a warm look with Dante and grinning. “And everyone in our audience thinks I’m a vampire.”
“Gee, imagine that,” Thierry said, lips pursed. “Well, if this is the spot, we’ll stake it out. Thank you.” The last part sounded grudging, and I couldn’t help smiling. Thierry added, “Did you happen to sense this creature’s intentions?”
Dante’s grin vanished. “Yeah, I did.”
“And?”
“It’s hungry,” he said tightly. “Very hungry.”
* * *
Aiden and Dante left shortly before nightfall. The backup Nathaniel sent—nine vampires and three witches, including Poppy and Simone—had already arrived.
“Shouldn’t the entire pack be here?” Thierry demanded as twilight thickened into darkness. He gestured at the bleed Dante had discovered. “We’re the ones standing on a time bomb.”
“There are other bleeds, too. This is just one place it could emerge from,” Reed replied. Then he frowned at my mate. “What are you still doing here?”
“They don’t teach manners in the mountains, apparently,” Thierry shot back.
“No, I’m grateful. You brought back my friend,” Reed said quickly, giving me a hard look before turning back to Thierry. “I just don’t understand—why would a vampire care about our problems?”
“You know why,” I cut in, before Thierry could.
“I’m just having a hard time processing it, is all.” Reed gave me a rueful smile, shaking his head. “It must be true, because he hasn’t left your side. But he just seems so docile.”
“He is standing right here,” Thierry said, annoyance flashing through the bond. “And I assure you, I am emphatically not docile .”
Reed snorted.
You’ll have to forgive him, I whispered to Thierry through the bond. He hasn’t processed that a vampire could be a hero.
You need to knock it off with that ‘hero’ nonsense, wolf, Thierry replied, giving me plenty of side-eye. Even in the gathering dark, I caught it clearly.
I beamed at him. And why’s that, darlin’?
Unless you’d like to give your friend a show, let’s just stick to business, shall we? You can worship me later.
A thrill of anticipation ran through me.
He was right, wasn’t he? With him here, we’d make short work of the monster, then I’d take him back to my cabin and make love to him all night long.
I could hold him afterward. It wouldn’t erase his centuries of grief, but it would be enough for tonight.
And that was a goddamn miracle, wasn’t it? For both of us.
Thierry must’ve caught the tone of my thoughts, because he sucked in a shaky breath and let it out slow. Then he met my gaze again and nodded. His smile, soft and unguarded, held no sarcasm at all.
It struck me all over again how beautiful he was.
“Why’d you guys get so quiet?” Reed demanded suddenly, giving us both a suspicious look. “And you’re grinning at each other. It’s a little weird.”
“Never mind that,” Thierry said briskly. “When this creature emerges, you two will stand back and let me handle it.”
Reed snorted again. “Hardly.”
“Jeremy needs you alive,” Thierry said sharply, glaring at him. “Therefore, I need you alive. You have very little say in the matter.”
“I’ve been guarding this forest since I could shift. This is what we do. No way in hell am I standing down and letting a vampire handle this for me. Besides, it’s probably better than what’s waiting for me after this is all over.”
He shot me a hard look I had no trouble interpreting.
Ah, yes, Thierry said silently, unease rippling through us both. Darling, would you please release this poor boy from his obligation to challenge you? He’s irritating, but I’d prefer not to have to kill him.
I wasn’t sure if he was joking. He seemed deadly serious. The tension stretched between us like piano wire.
I wouldn’t want to. But if it’s a choice between your life or his, I’ll choose you every time.
Thierry’s mental voice was deceptively soft.
After a pause, he added, That probably doesn’t fit your notion of me as some kind of hero, does it?
But I won’t lie to you. If it comes down to it, I’ll do whatever it takes to stop him from harming you. Even if it’s not really his fault.
Unease rippled through me. I was back now, and I’d already set a course of action that might get someone killed before the night was through.
There was no way around that. My pack depended on me.
One wrong call, and someone I loved—someone who trusted me—would be gone for good.
I didn’t want to carry that burden anymore.
We’ll carry it together, Thierry said firmly. I’m not going anywhere. But you have to stop running from them. You have to release Reed from his compulsion to challenge you.
But the pack needs an alpha who—
We’ll figure it out, won’t we? Thierry’s mental voice sharpened. Before you and I can do this properly, we need to clear away everything that threatens us. This is one of them. It’s the biggest, apart from—
Magnus.
Thierry nodded slowly. I guess it’s not going to be an easy road for us, however you slice it.
You know I’m not leaving you to face him alone. No way in hell. Not for pack or for anything.
That’s not what’s in front of us tonight. Tonight, we protect your people. Tomorrow, we protect mine.
They’re all our people, I replied.
The moment I sent the thought, I realized how deeply I meant it. Somehow, in knowing Thierry, I’d come to see—and feel —how he regarded others. His tenderness, even when it came with sharp edges. His relentless need to protect, born of never having been protected himself.
And that was mutual. Thierry had felt it too, back in the clearing. He knew what my pack meant to me, because he’d felt it through the bond. They were his people now, too.
Despite his words, there was no way in hell he’d ever lay a hand on Reed.
If it came down to it, I’d probably just settle for maiming him to protect you, Thierry corrected wryly. Then, with a flash of irritation that was mostly directed at himself, he added, Especially now that I know vampire blood heals wolves, too.
“You guys got quiet,” Reed commented. “Want to share with the rest of the class?”
Thierry shot me a meaningful look.
Swallowing hard, I nodded.
“I release you,” I said aloud, meeting Reed’s gaze. He’d been watching us with a strange expression, like he wasn’t sure what to make of us.
“Wait—” Reed’s voice went thick. “ What ?”
I locked eyes with him and sent forth my will, lacing it into my words. “It is my command that you no longer feel compelled to challenge me for alpha. Not unless it is your deeply held wish.”
Reed let out a startled gasp. Whatever tension he’d been carrying drained away—his shoulders dropped, his body relaxing.
His dark eyes searched mine, stunned and disbelieving. “Thank you.” He grimaced, shaking his head. “I wouldn’t have been able to live with myself. For the record, I would be alpha if I had to be—but not at the cost of my best friend.”
“Second in command it is,” Thierry said brightly. “And acting alpha when Jeremy is away.”
Then he met my gaze. Thank you. I know that was hard for you. But you did the right thing.
Swallowing unease, I nodded. He was right, in one sense at least. I’d done the right thing for us. I just wasn’t sure if it was the right thing for them —for my pack.
But I couldn’t have it both ways, could I?
Before anyone could say more, the ground behind us ruptured.
I whirled toward the sound.
The bleed was exactly where Dante had pointed: the jagged fissure between the trees.
As we watched, it split further, like we’d been dropped into the middle of an earthquake.
The ground heaved, forcing Reed and me to stagger.
Thierry, with his centuries of reflexes, seemed barely fazed. The trees swayed ominously but held.
The fissure widened, yawning into a sinkhole large enough for a horse to pass through.
Then everything stilled. A deathly silence followed.
Thierry shot me a dark look. Don’t you dare do anything dumb, wolf.