Chapter 6 Rowen
ROWEN
When I come downstairs the following morning, Jericho and Evan are at the table looking like hell. Jericho’s dark curls fall loose from a hairband, and dark circles shadow Evan’s blue eyes.
Across from them, Grant and Neal sit hunched over a laptop, their monthly expense sheets spread out in front of them—work records from the jobs they do for other packs. Neal is a financial advisor, and Grant co-runs a handyman business with Sage.
I swallow my guilt. At least they’re still bringing in money. It’s more than I can say for myself. I need to start pulling my weight again, get some shit done.
Grant clears his throat when he sees me. “Hey, Ro. I was just going to come get you. We’re going on a run this morning, and I want you to join us.”
I pause. “Is something up?”
He glances at Jericho before explaining. “Jer thought he heard someone in the forest last night.”
I frown. “I didn’t hear anything.” I was up most of the night thinking, but hadn’t noticed anything.
Jericho sits back. “You probably wouldn’t have heard it inside.”
My eyes widen. “You slept in the van?”
He looks away before lowering his voice. “We thought Tobias could use some space, is all.”
Shit. No wonder they look like crap. Trying to sleep on a tiny bed? And when Evan is still recovering too.
I finish pouring some coffee. “Could it have been someone from Cedar Ridge?”
Grant closes the laptop and sets his notebook on top of it. “No, I already called to ask. No one was outside at that time. No reports from the other nearby packs, either.”
“So a vamp then?”
“Or nothing. We won’t know until we look around. Can you be ready in twenty minutes?”
“Yeah, let me get something to eat first.”
“Thanks.”
Neal heads toward the stairs. “I’ll let Taren know I’m heading out.”
I heat a frozen breakfast burrito in the microwave, then sit by Jericho at the table. “You didn’t have to sleep outside,” I say quietly.
Jericho shrugs. “We’re fine.”
“Bullshit. It’s like, what? Thirty degrees outside?”
He shakes his head. “We’re hooked up to the power here, and we have a portable heater. We’re fine.”
I want to say more, but decide not to.
“How’s Tobias?” he asks quietly, voice thick with guilt.
I shrug. “As expected, I guess.” It took two movies to coax him out of the closet last night, but I don’t know if he got any sleep. His door was still closed when I came downstairs.
Evan takes a bite of oatmeal, and my attention drops to the rough, jagged scars on the side of his neck. Breck had not only drained Evan, but torn out a chunk of his flesh when Kaine pulled him off.
If Jericho hadn’t fed him some of his blood, he wouldn’t be here. It’s just a fact.
“Do you think he’ll talk to me?” Evan says. “You know, human to human?”
“Maybe. He wasn’t very happy to hear you’re dating a vampire, so he might not trust you.”
Evan presses his lips together. “I’d like to try, at the very least. Maybe if he sees I’m a victim in this too, he’ll…” He stops himself, jaw tightening. With one hand, he rubs the scar. “I fucking hate what they’ve done to him. To everyone.”
My stomach twists. I hate that the scars will never fade—not from him, not from Tobias.
Jericho squeezes his shoulder.
“I’m really glad you’re okay,” I say. “I didn’t say that last night. But I mean it. For both of you. I’m glad you’re back.”
They each give me a small smile.
Neal returns just as I finish my burrito, and Grant and I get up.
Jericho stands too. “I’m going with you.”
Evan pulls Jericho down for a kiss. “Be safe, okay?”
“We will.”
While we shift in the mudroom, Jericho retrieves a coat, hat, and gloves from his van, then we head out.
The bitter chill cuts through my fur, making me shiver. There’s no way Jericho and Evan would’ve stayed warm in their van with a small heater. This cold snap is brutal.
The forest is dead quiet as we walk. No rabbits or deer to be seen. No owls calling. Not even a stirring in the branches. Everything has hunkered down for warmth.
I look to the sky, groaning at the deep, endless gray. It’s going to snow.
Neil’s ears flick. I was just thinking that. We need to hurry.
My muscles twitch. As if we need any more snow. Drifts are already piling up against bushes and hiding our usual trails. But maybe this’ll give us more time too, since vampires won’t want to run through the snow and leave tracks.
Jericho points to something on a hill. “Look up there.”
A massive pine tree lies split in half, with several branches splayed in all directions. Pine cones and needles are scattered everywhere.
We sprint ahead to sniff around. Two ravens take off from a nearby tree, but otherwise there are no footprints or animal tracks of any kind.
The split is definitely new, judging from the strong pine scent.
And a tree this size, this close to the house, would definitely have made enough noise for someone to hear—especially someone with supernatural hearing.
I look up at Jericho, wishing I could speak to him in this form. No way in hell am I shifting.
Grant bumps his hand then gestures to the tree, as if thinking the same thing.
Jericho touches a few of the branches, still weighed down with snow.
“It probably snapped from the weight. Look at the wood. It was rotten inside, so it would’ve been weak.
And all the compounded snow where the clumps landed?
It’s definitely new.” He looks around, seeing his van about 100 yards away.
“It’s probably what I heard. It sounded like snapping. ”
I should be relieved that it’s nothing worse, but the unease won’t leave my chest. What if we’re wrong?
I turn to Grant. Should we do a quick loop before the storm? Just to be sure?
His ears twitch in the cold. Let’s split up so we can cover the property in half the time. You and Jer take the west and south sides. Neal and I will take the east and north.
Bumping Jericho’s leg, I signal for him to follow me while the others part ways. “Guessing we’re doing a quick perimeter run?”
I bump him again, and we pick up the pace.
The air changes as we reach the west end. A gust of wind bites through my fur and makes my teeth ache. Even with my thick fur coat, the cold seeps into my bones, deep and punishing. Each breath clouds the air in front of me.
Jericho mutters a curse, pulling his hat tight. I can only hope he’s warm enough in the thick gray coat.
Snow crunches under my paws, while Jericho’s steps barely make a sound. When we reach the frozen creek dividing our property from Cedar Ridge, I get the first whiff of something foul, and it makes my stomach tighten.
The notes of char, burned wood, and ash are almost eerie the closer we get to it, but there’s something else too. Something that makes my lips curl back. Old blood.
My hackles rise as I lower my head to the ground. The source is faint, days old at least. Maybe a week.
Jericho halts. “Ro, wait.”
I look up.
He scans our surroundings, then pauses, looking southwest. “Come with me.”
We creep forward through the trees, passing two bushes singed from fire, then another tree with charred circles on its bark. The pattern is inconsistent, as if something caused it.
Or someone.
My steps slow, and I glance at my friend. His eyes are pained, almost haunted, as if reliving a memory.
I lean into him, seeking comfort as much as offering it. This is where it happened, then—where Jericho discovered his vampire gift and where my dear friends were brutally attacked by Rip and Alden.
The bushes remain blackened and brittle under the snow, and there are half a dozen trees scarred by flame. I can only imagine the scene that must’ve unfolded here.
We move past it, into the open field beyond. The snow lies untouched except for the faint whisper of old prints. The cold wind drags across the open space, and my paws sting as I step forward.
Then another scent hits me.
Familiar. Painfully so.
Justice.
It’s faint, dulled by time—but it’s his. A sharp ache twists behind my ribs; the grief sneaks up fast to choke me. I lower my muzzle to the ground, following the trail a few yards away before I stop. The bitter tang of blood still lingers, but there is something else too.
I paw at the ground carefully, pushing the ice aside until I find a simple leather bracelet.
It’s not Justice’s. He never wore jewelry like this. Genny hadn’t either. Was it one of the vampires’ then?
I yip at Jericho. He approaches cautiously, the steam of his breath curling between us.
Jericho sees it immediately and crouches beside me, reaching for it with a gloved hand. He examines it carefully, jaw ticking. His expression hardens instantly.
“It’s Rip’s.”
A growl slips from my throat—raw and guttural.
He nods at me. “I’m sure of it, Rowen. I’ve seen him wearing it several times. He has a necklace too. The beads match the ones in his dreads.”
Anger flares in my chest quickly followed by hope.
I nudge his pocket, signaling we need to take it. He seems confused, but when I do it again, he carefully pockets the bracelet.
I turn on my heel and run toward the house, moving fast to warm my chilled body. The wind howls louder than before, thick with the taste of snow. When the first light of home appears through the trees, I sprint even faster, Jericho right beside me.
I paw at the latch on the side door, granting us access to the mudroom, then quickly shift.
Jericho averts his eyes as I pull my pants on. They’re blessedly warm, making me shudder.
“You didn’t lose it, did you?”
He pulls it out.
I grin.
“What’s the big deal?”
I rub my arms, then tug a long-sleeved shirt on from my cubby. “Red might be able to do a tracking spell,” I manage, my lips numb from cold. “He can trace the last person who touched it.”
Jericho frowns. “Wouldn’t that be me?”
“Skin contact,” I clarify.
He looks at his gloves, something like hope flickering in his eyes. “You’re saying…”
“This could lead us to them. This could lead us to the coven.”