CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT || THIERRY
“ H ow are you feeling?” Simone asked an hour later, peering down at my wolf as though perplexed. Or, well—I supposed he wasn’t quite my wolf anymore. None of us was exactly sure what he was now. But he was alive. I didn’t care about much else.
“I’m fine, I think.” Jeremy shrugged. “I feel mostly like myself.”
“Your senses haven’t changed?” Nathaniel asked, frowning.
The vampire king stood beside Simone. Anyone who wasn’t me—or Ethan, probably—wouldn’t have seen the tension coiled beneath his stillness.
To most, he looked relaxed. But knowing him the way I did, I saw he was a mere hair trigger from action.
Jeremy’s eyebrows shot up. “I guess I feel a little weird—everything is way louder and brighter than it should be.”
“You’ll probably be sensitive to the sun, then,” Simone mused. “Maybe.”
Are they about to shoot me with a dart and put me in a zoo exhibit? His mental voice was every bit as strong as before he’d died and come back. Through the bond, I knew he meant what he’d said—that he felt almost exactly the same as he had before.
They’d lose a limb in the process, I promised.
Jeremy snorted, then flashed me a warm smile that made something unclench in my chest.
“What is he saying?” Nathaniel asked sharply. “What is he feeling right now?”
“ He’s fine,” Jeremy repeated before I could answer. “And he’s standing right here.”
“Jer, you can’t blame them for being freaked out,” Lindsey said. Her voice was still rough with grief, her eyes red-rimmed and puffy from all the crying since Jeremy’s heart had stopped.
She stood a few feet back beside Reed. For their safety, we’d sent the rest of the wolves away.
Poppy, Ethan, and Daniel, too—they were with Danny, Michael, and the twins, working on a spell to seal the bleeds.
They had been working on it while I was trying to accept the idea that Jeremy was gone.
That I would be alone for the rest of my eternal life.
But I’m not gone, Jeremy told me silently. And you’ll be alone over my dead body.
You’re hilarious. Truly.
He snorted again. I’m reminding you what’s real and what’s not.
Truthfully, he’d probably have to remind me plenty more until the jagged feeling in my chest dulled.
I will, he whispered, warmth and concern wrapping through the bond. I promise.
“That’s very irritating,” Reed commented mildly, arms crossed. He frowned. “You two were tuning us out, weren’t you? The vibes are very ‘get a room’ right now.”
“As far as vibes go, it beats yearning to feast on your heart’s blood,” I shot back, tempted to smack the lot of them. “So perhaps we chalk tonight up to a win and leave the interrogations until Jeremy’s had a chance to rest.”
“Speaking of feeding,” Simone said, ignoring me. She stepped subtly in front of Reed and Lindsey, her dark eyes fixed on Jeremy. “ Are you hungry? You must be.”
The question caught Jeremy off guard. I knew through the bond that he hadn’t been—at least, not until she asked. First came his confusion, then denial, and then—
His stomach growled. Loudly.
Shit, he whispered through the bond. They smell… good.
“Yes,” he admitted with a grimace. He shot Reed and Lindsey an apologetic look. “I hadn’t realized it before, but you should keep back from me for a while. Until I know I’m safe.”
“Don’t be a jackass,” Lindsey said flatly. “If you’re still you, you won’t hurt us.”
Reed gave her a dark look. He was probably still thinking about how Jeremy had nearly forced him into a fight to the death.
But the thought nagged at me: Jeremy had technically died. Was he still alpha? Or had Reed become alpha the moment Jeremy’s heart stopped? It wasn’t important yet—but it would be soon.
“It’s manageable,” Jeremy told them. “It’s like not having eaten for a while. I’m hungry, but I’m not out of control.”
“It could be the mate bond,” Nathaniel mused. “Perhaps Thierry’s presence calms him, the way Michael calmed Danny. Or Derek calmed Quinn.”
Simone seemed to consider his words, then shook her head.
Her brows drew together thoughtfully. “The bond calmed Danny because Michael was mortal at the time. Same for Derek and Quinn. If either of them had lost control, they might have hurt their mates. Jeremy, even if he is something new, is highly unlikely to hurt Thierry. No, I think this is something else. If he were a normal newborn vampire, he’d be struggling around mortals—even his own pack. ”
“The hunger is normal?” Jeremy asked. “That’s part of this, right?”
“That depends,” Simone replied. “What are you hungry for ?”
Jeremy shrugged. “Food?”
Everyone in the clearing stared at him.
He shot me a look that all but begged for backup. “What? It’s been two days since I’ve eaten. Plus, I died. You’d be hungry too.”
“I’d be famished,” I agreed gamely. “We’ll need to test different cuisines and see what sticks.”
“I brought some blood bags,” a soft voice called from the trees.
A moment later, Tobias and Bryan stepped into view.
In Tobias’s hand, a sphere of bluish light crackled.
He wasn’t Poppy-level powerful, but he was still one of the most gifted warlocks I’d ever met—and perpetually on guard for Bryan’s sake.
Despite the angry orb of pure magic casting his face in shadow, Tobias shot me a bright grin. “Well, looks like the rumors of tragedy were exaggerated. Between you and me, I think Michael’s become a bit of a drama queen since turning into a vampire.”
“Theatrics probably come as a side effect of being Thierry’s progeny,” Bryan agreed, studying us. His eyes were glassy when he flashed me a smile. “For the record, I’m really glad he’s okay.”
But Nathaniel and Simone only tensed further, their alarmed gazes snapping to Jeremy—like he might spring at Tobias without warning. And to be fair, if Jeremy had been an ordinary newborn vampire, he might have.
Jeremy frowned, cocking his head at the newcomers. “More friends of yours?”
I sighed, but felt a rush of warmth that they had both come. “Yes. They’re friends.”
“Well,” Bryan said brightly, glancing around the clearing. “Looks like we’ve missed a lot.” He paused, frowning at Jeremy. “And apparently we’ve got a ravenous newborn… wolf-vampire hybrid—”
“You said you have blood bags,” I cut in. “Go get them. Preferably before I clobber the lot of you with sticks. Please and thank you.”
* * *
“It’s fine, I guess,” Jeremy said with a shrug, lowering the first empty blood bag. “Not as gross as I thought it would be. That’s something.”
“Do you need another?” Bryan asked.
“No.” He flashed Bryan a rueful smile. “Thanks, but I don’t want to drink your stash. I’m still hungry, but not for that.”
Everyone glanced at Tobias. Witches and warlocks were basically just humans with powers, after all.
Jeremy sighed, rubbing his temples. “No, I mean… I could go for a steak. Really rare. And maybe a baked potato. That’s what I’m craving. Meat and potatoes. Or maybe just meat.”
Everyone stared at him, including me.
“And the blood you just drank…?” I asked.
He shrugged, eyeing the empty bag in his hands. “I think I needed it, too? Maybe.” He sounded unconvinced.
Across the clearing, Reed and Lindsey exchanged a look—relieved but baffled, as if they’d braced for something much worse and weren’t quite sure how to handle it now that it was working out better than they expected.
“Well then,” I said, giving them both a hard look. “Steak it is. Do you know where he can get meat and potatoes this time of night?”
Reed nodded slowly. “We’ve got what we need at the commune. I’ll cook.” His eyes flicked to Jeremy, hard. “And I’ll bring it back here. No need for you to come with.”
The message was clear: he wanted to keep Jeremy away from the other wolves.
My mate nodded, but through the bond I felt the sting.
Reed gave a curt nod, then disappeared into the woods. Lindsey followed after a backward look at her brother.
It’ll take them some time, I told him. Though I wasn’t entirely sure I believed it, I knew he needed someone to say it. Once we figure this out, you’ll be welcome again. Emma and Reed—
Thierry, it’s okay. Really. His mental voice was soft, full of light. He stepped closer, took my hand, and laced his fingers through mine. My home isn’t here anymore. It’s with you. Wherever you are, that’s where I belong.
I tried to glare him off, but it didn’t work. Your emotions are running high—you just woke up. You need time to—
I don’t. My pack is afraid of me now.
Something twisted in my chest. I hadn’t wanted this for him. I hadn’t wanted them to fear my brave, infuriating, mostly good-natured wolf.
I’m not one of them anymore. I don’t belong here. His eyes searched mine, sadness tempered with excitement, anticipation, and blessed freedom. You saved my life, Thierry. Or gave me a new one, I guess. I belong with you. I always have.
We don’t even know if you’re technically alpha anymore, I argued, mostly to stop him from looking at me like that. Like I was shiny, perfect, and everything might actually be okay. Those were dangerous thoughts.
Jeremy smiled, eyes crinkling, and cupped my face. “You are shiny and perfect,” he said. “And everything will be okay.”
Don’t lie to me, Jeremy. I need to help Godric destroy Magnus. It might kill us both.
He snorted. “Correction, darling: we are going to destroy him. I’m helping you.”
Absolutely not.
Before I could say it aloud, Jeremy cut me off. “There’s no way I’m letting you face the guy who terrorized you for centuries alone. If you think that, you don’t know me at all.”
My mouth snapped shut. I had no good response to that. I fumed in silence instead. Though underneath that, joy stirred. It was a dangerous, easy joy. Too easy to believe in and far too easy to get used to.
Because Jeremy hadn’t changed, had he? He was still the same man I’d fallen for. The same one I could love for a very long time.
An eternity, even.
“Fine,” I said, arching an eyebrow. “But stay out of my way when the time comes.”
“Nah. You’ve saved my life at least twice. I need to catch up.”
“Actually, it’s been at least three times. Not counting all the times I refrained from pushing you in front of an oncoming train. So more like a dozen, if we’re being honest.”
He grinned. “I love you, too.”
It hit me all over again: he was alive. Here. Back with me. The grief I’d buried surged up.
I had truly thought he was gone.
Jeremy pulled me close. He was stronger than before, but still gentle. I could have pulled away, but I didn’t.
I wanted to stay there, safe in his arms, breathing in his cut-grass-and-incense scent. For the first time, I wanted to not only be happy, but to let myself believe it could last.
“It will,” he whispered into my ear. “We can do this forever.”
Abruptly, I realized we were alone. Nathaniel and Simone had stepped away to give us space. It was just us now. And in Jeremy’s arms, I could almost believe in eternity.
I knew better than to ask for promises. Eight centuries had taught me that.
“I’ll promise anyway,” Jeremy said gruffly. “I’ll be yours forever, if you’ll have me.”
Though I should have reminded him I wasn’t a sap swayed by pretty words, I smiled instead. He had that effect.
“Forever is a long time, wolf.”
“It’s not long enough.”
I kissed the side of his neck, pulling him tighter. We’d figure the rest out later. For this moment, everything was perfect.
I sighed, happy and soft. Maybe I was becoming one of those idealistic saps I loved so much. And maybe that was fine.
I kissed him again, meeting his gaze. “Forever it is, then.”