He walked over to me and took my hand in his. His smile was priceless. It was as if a huge weight had been lifted off of him. He seemed brighter. His eyes were even clearer.
“Lookin’ good, pack master,” I said nodding.
“That wasn’t as hard as I thought it would be,’ he confessed. “Come sit with me.”
We sat down on some mats in a far corner. Jay was giving instruction and updating the members about the goings on with Gage and what he had done. He spared my privacy. “Rayce, I don’t understand. What did you mean by Gage is the oldest in your family?”
He smiled at me and scratched at his five o’clock shadow. “I thought you knew. I figured that he would have at least told you that part about him. Gage and Jay are my cousins,” he explained.
“That explains a lot,” I felt like an idiot. “Jay called you cousin. Now I get it. The word family isn’t just a metaphor.”
“No. It is literal,” he snickered. “I’m not related to all the pack members but we are a family in a way.”
“I always looked at the people at T&J as my family. Even Dawn when she was alive,” I shivered. “What about that huge house in Blackwater?”
“It’s the Tate house. My parents’ home. Every leader for two-hundred years has lived in that house.”
I had done it again. I got involved with a guy without knowing who he was completely. I sighed to myself in disbelief. It didn’t matter. I knew who Rayce was. He would never hurt me. He would die before he even thought about it.
“Is that what the T stands for in T&J?”
He nodded, “Anne Tate was my aunt. My father’s sister. She married my uncle Rayce, another pack member, and they had Gage and Jay. Now, my aunt, Ann would have taken over the pack if she and my uncle hadn’t passed away,” he explained.
I chewed on my lip while I took in all the information, “I know this a personal question but how did they pass away?”
He stood up and took my hand and helped me up, “Let’s go outside. I’m gonna need a smoke for this.”
He opened the door from the office and the cold winter air hit me in an arctic blast. Goose bumps popped up on my arms and the hair on my legs grew back. We walked outside. He lit a cigarette and wrapped his arms around my cold body. The heat radiating off of his body would warm me in no time. Rayce always felt like he had a high temperature, but when he was in the mood for sex, his body would be on fire. Right now, he was calm and collected so his heat was tolerable.
I hugged onto him with my ear to his chest and could hear the thump of his heart. When he started to speak, I could hear the muffled sound of his deep voice.
“My parents went on a hunt with my aunt and uncle. Because he was the oldest, they took Gage along. I was too young to go hunting at the time. My father wouldn’t allow it. If I had gone with them I might not have come home.”
I looked up at him and he was staring off into the distance. “Rayce, if it is going to hurt you to talk about it then I don’t want you to.”
“No. You should know all of this if you are going to be in my life,” I put my head back down on his chest and he started to tell me the story. “Gage claimed they had hit a nest and my parents were the first to be taken out. His parents were next to be killed by the vampires. He told everyone he took out the nest alone after the deaths of our family. I don’t believe him one little bit. He told everyone he had to burn the bodies of my parents and his because they had been bitten.”
“That’s horrible,” I said.
“Like I said before, Gage has always been after the position of pack leader. I believe he killed our family for it and if I would have gone, he would have killed me too. I can’t prove it but I know he did it. Jay knows how I feel about it but he doesn’t want to believe his brother is a murderer.”
“I don’t blame him. I would have a hard time believing it myself, if it were my brother,” I expressed.
“Gage has been trying to kill me for years. It has always been one thing or another, fighting me or trying to hurt you. It kills me every time and he knows it. One thing I know for sure, he hasn’t broken me and he never will,” he explained slowly. “If only my parents would have allowed me to accompany them on the hunt, maybe I could have stopped it from ever happening.”
“Rayce, it’s like you said, you might have died that night. Where would you be then? You would be ashes and I wouldn’t have you. You shouldn’t feel guilty. There was nothing you could have done.”
He tossed his second cigarette to the ground and took my face in his hands and looked into my eyes. He kissed me gently. His lips moved down my neck to my throat and all the sudden I wasn’t cold anymore. He put me up against the wall of the building and I could feel the cold brick against my body. His hands moved up under my sweater and touched the tender skin of my waist. He held me to him as he kissed and lightly grazed the tender bite on my neck with his teeth. I grabbed him by the hair and held him to me.
“Rayce, I love you. With everything I have. I love you,” I said in a labored voice and he pulled his mouth away from my neck and looked down at me with a smile that warmed my heart.
“You don’t know how happy that makes me, Jessica. I thought I would never hear those words from you. If you stay with me, I promise I will do my best to make you happy.”
“I know that,” I said and pulled him down for another kiss.
Rayce was different. He would never put his hands on me in an abusive way. He would give every effort he had to make me happy.
“Are you ready to go home, love?” he asked. The sound of that word coming from his mouth in that sweet voice gave me butterflies.
“I’m ready to get you alone in our bed again,” I confessed and rubbed against him.
“You are insatiable,” he snickered.
“You turn me on like a light and you know it,” I whispered against his mouth.
CHAPTER
18
Weeks passed with no sign of Gage. No more mystery gifts of my bed being made while I was gone. Things seemed to slow down. I did wonder what he was plotting though. Knowing him, he would always have a plan of action.
Rayce had officially moved all his belongings into my house, and he had actual stuff, unlike Gage. His clothes hung in my closet and he provided a few kitchen needs. I didn’t have a toaster oven and his fit perfectly on the counter.
We were a real couple. We shared everything, even the shower. Rayce said it saved on water. I said it was a way for him to ravage me. He didn’t mind my accusation. We shared breakfast together and shared household duties. I was still missing Tank being around but I would always remember his loyalty and floppy face.
My phone rang on my bedside table. I reached for it and looked at the screen with blurry eyes. It was Jay. I answered in a small tired voice. I wasn’t feeling too well, I felt like I was running a fever. I rubbed my hand across my forehead and it was wet with perspiration. “Hello?”
“Jessica, we need to hunt tonight. I found a nest not too far from here.”
Finally, some actual work. I stretched my body in my warm bed with my eyes closed to the light that was coming in through the blinds. I felt irritated and annoyed.
“Ok, where is it located?”
On the other end of the call, I could hear papers rustling. He was taking his sweet time. I was feeling sick and I didn’t want to be on the phone any longer than I had to.
“The Scott Property in Kildeer.”
“A nest? On the Scott property? The little old couple?” The thought of the old couple being harmed made me sad.
“Yes, that’s right.”
“Alright,” I said. “I’ll meet you at the office.”
“That sounds good, see you then,” he concluded and hung up.
I tossed it onto the night stand and rolled over to get some more sleep. I knew I didn’t have long but I wanted a few more winks. It was going to be a long night.
After constant tossing and turning, I rolled over and looked at the clock. The l
ittle red digital numbers read it was four in the afternoon. I reluctantly sat up and walked to the bathroom and started my shower. While letting the water get warm, I brushed my teeth and looked at myself in the mirror. I looked run down and tired, dark bags were starting to show under my eyes again.
After my shower, I went to the closet and found what I was going to wear. Black jeans and boots but, my black tank tops were dirty. I was forced to wear a white one. I didn’t like white because it made me stand out against the night, but I had no choice. I pulled my hair up into a half pony tail so some of my hair could move freely. My hair felt like it didn’t have body at all. It hung long and dead down my back. I closed my eyes and thought about what needed to be done. I need to be quick, smart, and most of all, I needed to be vigilant. My goal was to not get hurt in the hunt tonight or even worse, killed.
The house was quiet, almost too quiet. I made some coffee and poured myself a cup and sat at the kitchen table. I crossed my legs and looked down at my boots and smiled, the buckles made me feel like a bad ass.
Rayce walked in the back door. I smiled at him and he gave me a strange look. My smile faded and I looked down at myself to make sure everything was in its place and I wasn’t hanging out anywhere. I looked back up at him and he still had a look of disapproval on his face.
“What is it?”
He shook his head no and let out what he had been dying to say, “I don’t want you to hunt tonight.”
“What? Why?”
“Gage might be lingering around. It’s not safe.”
“I understand where you’re coming from. I didn’t want Gage getting a hundred yards from me but I have to work, Rayce. I have bills to pay,” I explained.
“I can pay them,” he said and sat down. “Don’t go tonight.”
“I have to be able to continue life as it was before all of this happened,” I stood from my seat. “This is my life and you have to let me live it. I love you for caring but I need to do this. I’m not going to let that bastard ruin my life and I’m also not going to let him make my home a prison.”
I was sure he could see how serious I was about it. He closed his eyes and drew in a deep breath. He nodded and opened his eyes to reveal their beautiful brown color. “Ok, but I’m staying with you every minute if you like it or not,” he said smiling.
I sat down on his lap and kissed him softly. I could live in his arms. “I love you.”
“I love you, too,” he said deeply. “I’m going to change.”
Finishing my coffee, I took my cup to the sink and poured the wonderful beverage down the drain. I could hear Rayce coming up behind me so I turned. He took my breath away. I loved the way he looked in his jeans and leather jacket. His reddish hair was gelled and spiked in all different directions. I fought the need to mess it up. It looked too perfect. When he had his hair done and it had product in it, it looked almost black. When the light hit it right you could see the red in it. I couldn’t help but smile at how lucky I was.
“Are you ready?” he asked.
“Ready.”
I grabbed my bag that held my extermination equipment and walked toward the door. I stopped and checked my leg for my knife. I let a sigh of relief as I found it already there and continued down the steps to the backyard. I opened my door before Rayce could but he helped me inside the tall cab. We drove to the office with the music blaring and hurting my ears but I needed the hard rock music to get me in the mood to hunt.
We pulled up in front of the office. Marie and another female hellhound were standing outside. I hopped down onto my heavy feet and walked over to my friend and the other members of the pack.
“Hey, Marie, what’s up?”
She smiled her beautiful toothy smile, “Jessica, this is Shy. She was with us when we went to the Landfill.”
I stuck out my hand for a shake and she took it in a sheepish way, “Yes. I remember you from the meeting a couple weeks ago.”
“It’s nice to officially meet you. We have never had an outsider among us before.”
My brow furrowed at her excluding words. “Jessica is no outsider. She is one of us,” Marie said curtly.
“I didn’t mean to offend,” Shy said apologetically.
“I’m sure,” I snapped and walked away. I wanted to knock her on her ass for making me feel singled out. I may be human but I had every right to be there. I had been a hunter for more than three years. I deserved to be recognized.
Rayce opened the locked door to the gym and we walked in together. Jay was inside with the few members we had left after Gage had gotten the others hooked on the hunt. The numbers were small but I knew if we worked together, we could save what was left. Everything could end tonight and that had my body on edge.
Rayce walked up to his cousin, “Time to go. The sun will be down before we get there.”
“Right,” Jay said.
“Is everyone going tonight?”
“No. Only us three, Marie, and Shy,” Jay explained.
“Why not take everyone and make me feel even more excluded,” I said with a roll of my eyes.
“Who made you feel excluded?” Jay asked angrily.
“Forget it,” I said. “We should get going before the vampires head out for blood.”
“Alright,” Jay said with a furrowed brow as he examined me. Shy had hurt my feelings but I didn’t want to tell him about that. I’m sure Marie would do that for me, eventually.
Shy’s words did hurt me and brought up feelings I had been fighting with for weeks now. Rayce and I had talked about him turning me but he didn’t want me to have to live a life like this. What was the difference, I was already living it, right?
He wouldn’t listen to me. I wanted to be a part of his family and I was willing to drink the blood to stay with him forever. Drinking the blood would keep me from aging. If I could talk him into drinking with me we could stay together. He wouldn’t have any part in it. He wouldn’t even take the chance on biting me during passionate times, but I knew if I were bitten by Gage one more time then Rayce couldn’t do anything about it.
That was exactly what my plan was, I had to find Gage. I planned on finding him and then somehow having him bite me and then kill him once the deed was done. I had it all planned in my mind.
I chose to ride with Marie. Rayce didn’t like the fact of being away from me, but I needed to talk to Marie.
“How long did it take for you to change after being bitten the third time?”
She looked at me as if I had bugs crawling out of my ears and then smiled, “It was almost instantaneous. Didn’t take long at all. Why do you ask?” I shrugged my shoulders and looked down at the water bottle I held in my lap. She gasped, “Is Rayce going to change you? Oh, Jessica, that would be awesome. You could be like the rest of us. Well, some of us anyway. Not that you aren’t already. This is so great,” she said excitedly.
“What do you mean?”
“Hellhounds, like Shy and me, are only half breeds. Jay and Rayce, they are full blood, meaning they were born being what we are,” Marie explained. She was nearly jumping out of her seat with excitement.
“Marie, don’t get too excited. He won’t do it,” I said disappointedly.
“Do you want me to do it? I mean, it would be a little weird because I’m female but I will do it for you if you want,” she said excitedly.
I shook my head no and looked at my friend with a smile on my face. I couldn’t let her do that. Even if I did, I wasn’t sure if I would belong to her. Then I wondered if that rule would still apply if she were female. All of these thoughts rolled around in my head. I knew one thing for sure. I wanted to be part of the pack, half breed or not.
“If you did that, she would belong to you,” Shy said from the back seat. I had forgotten she was even there. “It doesn’t matter if its male or female.” It was stupid for me to be acting like this. I had to let her words go. I know she didn’t mean it in a bad way, just an obvious way.
“Ok, that would be a littl
e weird,” Marie stated.
“Agreed,” I giggled.
I knew Rayce didn’t want this life for me but I wanted it. If I had to let Gage touch me to get it, then in my eyes, it was worth it to get what I wanted. As long as I could kill him after. My life would change. I would be able to be with Rayce on an entirely different level.
I tried to clear my mind and focus on the vampire hunt. I put my earbuds in and listened to music until I felt the truck slow. I looked out the window and we were there. The Scott Property. The little house was dark. I reluctantly opened my door with my gun in my hand. It didn’t feel right outside the small farm house.
Rayce was standing next to my boss’s truck with a cigarette in his hand. He looked so calm and collected, not a care in the world. He did have an alert vibe about him as if nothing could surprise him. I watched him and Jay talking and I was startled by a member of the pack coming around the truck. I had never seen this animal before. This majestic creature was gray. Its body looked as if it was shaped out of clay. The edges of its body were sharp and defined.
Marie came over to stand next to me and smiled her usual smile. She bobbed her head toward the animal. Then I realized that it had to be her friend Shy. I watched her and the way her body moved, she was low to the ground and smelling everything. I admired her movements and her sleek look.
Shy stopped, looked up at the house, her mouth was open showing all her teeth. She had her head up in the air as if she tasted the scent she had found. Her body was tense and I could hear a small deep growl coming from her chest that made the tiny hairs stand up on my arms.
I looked in the direction of Rayce but he wasn’t standing next to the truck anymore. He was walking toward the old house with a gun in his hand. He bobbed his head to Jay. He was directing him around the house to cover the back and the windows.
“Marie,” he hissed.
“Shit,” she said and pulled her gun, ready to shoot as she walked around the other side of the house. I readied my own gun and took a step toward the house. I don’t know how it happened but I was the first at the door of the old house. I remembered the layout of the place, so I knew where I was going. I took one hand off my weapon and turned the door knob. I slowly pushed the door open and it made a creaky sound which made the house all the creepier.
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