I reach for his hand but only manage to find his forearm. “Where you goin’?”
“To bed. It’s late.”
A measure of my sleepiness evaporates. I don’t like the idea of him leaving me. “Can you stay with me?”
His lips curve in a smile. “You’re hogging the couch. I won’t fit.”
I do my best to scoot toward the edge of the cushions, but he’s right—there isn’t much room. Before I can come up with another solution, Jack bends down and scoops me up in his arms. He lifts me effortlessly and carries me down the hall. The layout of his house isn’t dissimilar to mine, and I don’t have to open my eyes to know he’s taking me toward the bedrooms.
He settles me gently onto a bed and pulls the comforter over me. Moments later, I feel his weight settle on the mattress behind me. He stretches out and snuggles in close, resting his arm across my waist. I sink back against him, my chest rising and falling in time with his. I fit perfectly against his body.
His breath tickles my ear. “Goodnight.”
Chapter Twenty
When I awake the next morning, warm and comfortable, light is spilling in through the window. Odd—I usually pull the shades before I go to sleep.
It’s enough to shake away whatever remnants of sleep remain. At once, last night comes flooding back to me: the good—talking with Jack, getting to know him, falling asleep in his arms; and the bad—running into Luke while I went to feed.
I should’ve told Jack last night. Even though Luke didn’t seem to know what I am, and didn’t seem to have any particular interest in me beyond curiosity, Jack should know about our run-in. But part of me doesn’t want to give him any excuse to track Luke down and snap his neck again. The two have a history—that much is obvious. I don’t want to be the reason for any new bad blood.
I roll over and prop myself up on my elbow. Jack is flat on his back, still asleep, his mouth slightly ajar. His brown curls are wild and unruly like they were the night he turned me. A smile tugs at my lips. He looks so young like this. All the lines of his face are smooth and he looks less like a pack alpha and more like a boy. The thought brings to mind one question I didn’t ask last night.
As if he can feel my gaze, Jack twitches, his eyelids fluttering. After a moment, he opens his eyes, smiling when he sees me. “Hey.”
On impulse, I lean down and kiss him. “Good morning.”
His grin spreads. “Best I’ve had in a long time.” He reaches forward and tucks some hair behind my ear.
I trace my finger along the curve of his cheek. “How old were you when you were changed?” I ask, the question spilling out of my mouth before I consciously decide to ask it.
The tranquility of the previous moment evaporates as Jack’s jaw clenches. A shadow passes over his expression, but it disappears when he exhales. “Twenty-one. I was tracking a vampire, alone—like an idiot. I’d had a run of successes against some leeches leading up to it, and I got it in my head that I was some kind of badass.” The corners of his mouth tug upward in a rueful smile. “Turns out what I thought was one vampire was actually a trio, and they set a trap for me. I fought hard, but I was no match for them. They were about to finish me, but before they could, they took off. A pack of weres was out for a run nearby. A couple of them caught the vampires’ scent and came to investigate. One of them found me.”
My mind spins with this new information. Jack told me he hated vampires before he became a werewolf, but I didn’t know he hunted them. What made him do that? I can’t bring myself to ask. He already gave me more detail than was necessary to answer my question; if he wanted me to know more, he’d volunteer specifics. I know he doesn’t like to talk about the past, and I’m thankful he decided to share this much with me.
He rolls over and swings his legs over the edge of the bed, and I’m worried I’ve somehow angered him. But when he stands and turns back to me, his eyes find mine. “We should go check on Cassandra.”
He wants me to accompany him. Maybe I didn’t push him too far after all.
We agree to meet at the bottom of the hill in fifteen minutes—enough time for a quick shower and a change of clothes. I’m cautious when I enter my house, half expecting Lillie to be sitting on the couch with a mug of tea and a raised eyebrow, but she’s not home. I’m not sure whether or not I’m disappointed by her absence. Although in one sense nothing happened between Jack and me last night, in another, so much occurred. I finally feel like there’s more between us than instinctual attraction. After sharing who we are with each other, our connection is deeper and fuller than it was before.
After showering, I tie my hair back into a bun and pull on jeans and a tank top. I open the front door just as Jack makes it to the bottom of the hill. I jog to his side and he takes my hand as we start down the road.
The atmosphere at Maggie’s house is tense.
“I’m not sure what’s wrong with her,” Maggie says, her tone hushed. “I figured some rest would do her good, but I don’t think she managed to sleep much. She was awake every time I went in to check on her, and as soon as the sun came up, she gave Lillie a list of herbs to bring her.”
“I want to see her,” Jack says.
Maggie shifts her weight from foot to foot. “I don’t know if that’s the best idea.”
Jack levels his gaze on her and she drops her eyes immediately. “Please don’t stay long.”
She shuffles into the kitchen as Jack and I make our way toward the room where Cassandra is staying. “Maybe you should trust Maggie on this one,” I say, careful to keep my voice low. I remember what he said before about it not being good for the others to see alphas arguing.
A muscle in his jaw jumps. “I’ll only be a minute. I just… I need to see her.”
Jack twists the doorknob and steps into the room. I follow, doing my best to tamp down the swell of jealousy rising within me. The feeling is ridiculous. Jack has known Cassandra for longer than I’ve been alive. I don’t know their history, but I don’t need to. She’s a good woman who has done nothing but try to protect me. Yet I still can’t shake the tiny stab of betrayal at the idea that Jack may care for her the same way he cares for me. But that’s crazy—I’m his half. I’m not in competition with Cassandra in any way.
All my foolish thoughts of jealousy are silenced as soon as I catch a glimpse of Cassandra lying in the middle of the bed. She looks worse than she did on the car ride home yesterday. I’d hoped that after a night in Maggie’s care, some of her natural energy would return, but that’s not the case. The lines of Jack’s jaw harden. He’s trying not to let his reaction show, but I can tell Cassandra’s appearance is having an effect on him.
He settles down on the chair beside her bed and takes one of her hands gently in both of his. “How are you?”
The corners of her mouth twitch, but she doesn’t manage a smile. “I think you know.”
Jack releases a heavy breath. “Don’t worry. Lillie will be back soon with whatever witchy supplies you sent her for. You can give her painstaking instructions on how to make whatever tea or poultice you need and you’ll be on your feet in no time.”
She pats the top of his hand with her free one. “Let’s hope.”
“What did they do to you?” I ask from my spot at the foot of the bed.
“That’s the question, isn’t it?” Her voice is quiet, thoughtful. “After the two of you escaped, I was knocked out. When I woke up, I was in the cabin where you found me, and I couldn’t use magic. I assume the council cast a spell to keep me from being able to—it’s what I would’ve done. But I’m not carrying any talisman, and I had the girls check me over for runes or any other markings, and there were none. I can’t think of what they could have done that would still be keeping me from accessing my abilities.”
“So you can’t do magic at all?” Jack asks.
“I haven’t tried,” she admits. “I can feel it inside me. I couldn’t when I was locked in the cabin. But I don’t feel strong enough for spellwork.”
Jack offers a tight-lipped smile. “Then I should leave you to rest.”
“Tell your nurse wolves they need to rest, too,” she says. “I don’t think Maggie slept a wink last—”
Jack holds up a hand, silencing her. The hair on the back of my neck prickles. I sense it, too. There’s an intrusion on our territory. Except this time, it’s not wolves.
“Vampires,” I murmur.
Jack jumps to his feet and strides out the room. “Maggie!”
She pokes her head around the corner, a bewildered expression on her face. “Yes?”
“I need you to shift and stay here to protect Cassandra. Call for some others to come for backup.”
Maggie still looks confused, but she nods and does as directed. She probably hasn’t detected the invasion yet, but she doesn’t hesitate to follow Jack’s command.
As he continues toward the front door, I pause, unsure where I should be. But when he crosses the threshold without giving an order for me to stay behind, I jog after him.
“What could the leeches possibly be doing here?” he mutters, scanning the vicinity. Others seem to be aware of the intrusion as well, and I see pack members emerging from indoors before shifting and running off into the woods. “Yes, I invaded their space when I came to rescue you, but retaliation isn’t really their thing. They’re not a pack the way we are. Their relationships with each other aren’t as strong. Besides, if they’d wanted to get back at me for that, they would’ve done it already. No one else has mentioned run-ins with vampires.”
My stomach jolts. I didn’t tell him about my encounter with Luke because I didn’t want to give him any reason to go looking for a fight. I never considered the interaction could lead to something like this. “Jack?”
He starts slightly as he turns to me, as if he’s only just realized I’m still following him. “You should probably stay back and protect Cassandra.”
I shake my head. “I have to tell you something.”
“It can wait.” He takes a step away, but I catch his arm and tug him back.
“No, it can’t.”
He sighs. “I know what you’re going to say. You’re going to insist you’re pack alpha too, and I can’t tell you to stay behind every time something dangerous happens. And you’re right—you shouldn’t have to hide. But you should be smart. The last time someone crossed into our territory, it was about you. Even if it’s not the same reason this time, I don’t like the idea of having you so close to the vampires in case they figure out something’s different about you.”
Guilt surges inside me at his words. What if Luke figured out what I am last night when we spoke? I open my mouth to tell him everything, but before I can, he kisses me, crushing my mouth. He shifts and runs into the woods after a few other pack members so quickly I don’t get a chance to tell him he’s wrong.
My wolf surges within me. I need to get back to protect the vulnerable. I shift before running back toward Maggie’s house. There are already five others joining her in guarding Cassandra, including Dakota and Duncan.
I nod to each wolf as I pass them on the way to the occupied bedroom. Once inside, I shift to human. “Is there any reason the council would’ve told the vampires about what I am?”
Cassandra shakes her head. “I don’t see why they would. There’s a small subset of vampires who would like nothing more than to wipe werewolves out of existence. If word got out to any of them about your strengths as a hybrid, they might come after you, thinking you could somehow help them achieve that goal. Suffice it to say that’s not something the witches would want to risk.”
Although I already suspected the witches weren’t involved, my stomach sinks. I reach for her hand. “Everything will be all right,” I say, but the words are more for me than her.
I strain my ears, but whatever is happening in the woods is too far away for me to hear. Maybe this is good. Maybe the pack is chasing the vampires away. I could reach into Jack’s mind to find out what’s going on, but I don’t want my presence in his mind to distract him.
My skin tingles. Something’s wrong, but I can’t place what.
“I’ll be right back,” I murmur before standing and shifting back to wolf form. When I walk out, I address Maggie, Dakota, and Duncan. Do you guys sense anything strange?
A chorus of nos sounds in my head, but I’m not convinced something odd isn’t happening. The invaders are out in the woods where the rest of the pack is, but I can’t shake the feeling that danger is still headed our way. But if there are vampires close to us, we should be able to smell them.
I’m about to go back in to sit with Cassandra when the plate glass window at the front of the house shatters. Two vampires leap in among the shards. The one with the unnaturally light blond hair and amber eyes is Xander. The shoulder-length dark brown hair of the other man is pulled back into a low ponytail. Although I don’t know his name, I recognize him from the same place I know Xander from: Luke’s mansion.
A weight settles in my chest, pressing the air from my lungs. I was right—Luke must have figured out what I am and told his brood. It’s my fault they’re here now.
Xander takes a step toward us, the motion greeted by growls. “I know you dogs can understand me, so I’ll tell it to you plain: Give me the hybrid.”
None of us move, and he leers before nodding at his companion. “Okay, the hard way it is. Carlos, how about you persuade these mutts to give us the one we want?”
Carlos pulls a knife from a sheath on his belt buckle. Even if it weren’t obvious from the thick rubber grip on the handle, the scent would give away what it’s made of: silver. I get the sinking sensation I know what their plan is, but something doesn’t make sense. How would they know silver won’t hurt me the way it does other immortals?
Carlos takes a step toward Maggie and I growl. I don’t know whether he plans to cut her or simply touch the blade to her skin, but either way, I have no intention of letting him get near her. Dakota and I dart forward at the same moment to act as a barrier. Carlos swipes at us with a knife, but Dakota lunges for his leg, clamping her jaw until I can hear the bones breaking. He yowls in pain, and I know what I have to do. I give into my wolf completely. She hates the idea of these invaders coming onto our territory, but the thing that angers her most is the fact that they would attempt to hurt Maggie. I need to protect her, at all costs.
I jump up and clamp my jaw closed around Carlos’s neck. Dakota pulls at his legs, and together we manage to separate his head from his body.
I look up in time to see Xander and Duncan locked in battle. I’m about to spring in to help, but Xander is too fast. He strikes out with a silver knife of his own and cuts Duncan across his shoulder. Before he can do more damage, howling cuts through the air. More wolves are on the way.
Xander backs away, glaring at the four of us. “Make no mistake: I’ll be back for the hybrid. And next time, you’re mine.” He slashes at the air with his knife one last time before turning and running as fast as he can out of the house. Through the hole where the window used to be, I watch Sawyer and a few other wolves give chase, but Xander is already too far away.
From the other room, Cassandra calls my name. Dakota and Maggie go to check on Duncan, and I shift to human before entering Cassandra’s room.
She holds her hand toward me and I cross to take it. “Is everyone all right?”
I nod. “Two of them broke in here. One is dead, and the other ran off. We’re all safe.”
She purses her lips. “I very much doubt that.”
My back straightens and I sniff the air tentatively, but I don’t smell anything out of the ordinary. Then again, I didn’t realize Xander and Carlos were nearby until they crashed into the living room.
She nods as if reading my thoughts. “Please arrange for me to examine the dead vampire,” she says, struggling to prop herself into a sitting position.
I bite my lower lip. “I don’t think Jack will like that.”
Her eyebrows hike
upward. “Unfortunately, it doesn’t matter whether or not he’ll like it. It needs to be done.” She sighs. “I don’t know exactly what’s going on, but I get the feeling things just got much more complicated.”
A presence tugs at the back of my mind. Jack is drawing near to the enclave. “Yeah,” I agree softly. “And I think they’re about to get worse.”
Chapter Twenty-One
Jack paces back and forth in the living room of my house. His footfalls are heavy and deliberate, and he shakes the floor with each step, but at least he’s stopped swearing.
After leaving Dakota with instructions to help Cassandra in any way possible, I met Jack on his way back to Maggie’s house. I convinced him to follow me back to my place and dropped the bomb about my run-in with Luke as soon as he crossed the threshold. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you last night,” I say again.
He stops and turns to stare at me. “Why didn’t you?”
I sigh heavily. “I was afraid you were going to react like this.”
“Like what?”
I throw up my hands. “Crazy?” I offer. “Jealous?”
He clenches his jaw. “I’m not jealous. I’m just angry because you kept it from me.”
I cross my arms over my chest. “I get that. And if it was some random vampire I’d run into, I probably would’ve told you. But I get the sense there’s some major history between you and Luke.” I study his face. “Am I wrong about that?”
For a second he’s silent; then he releases a heavy sigh and crosses to the couch where I’m sitting. He drops to the cushion beside me, resting his elbows on his knees. “Yes, we have history. I’ve been following Luke around, keeping tabs on him, since before I was turned. He’s the first vampire I ever encountered.”
I allow the information to sink in. “He’s the reason you became a hunter.”
He nods. “I knew the kind of monster he was, the horrors he was capable of. But things were no different then than they are now. No one believed immortals existed. I thought since I knew the truth, it was my responsibility to protect innocent people from the demons that hid in plain sight.” A dark expression flickers across his face. “I only regret not having killed Luke before now. If I had, you wouldn’t be in this situation to begin with. You’d be a wolf, not a hybrid, and you wouldn’t be in danger.”
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