Jericho Junction

by Marie Harte

  Jericho Junction

  ISBN # 978-0-85715-914-4

  ©Copyright Marie Harte 2012

  Cover Art by April Martinez ©Copyright April 2012

  Edited by Penny Chapman

  Total-E-Bound Publishing

  Mark of Lycos

  JERICHO JUNCTION

  Marie Harte

  Book three in the Mark of Lycos Series

  Chapter One

  He just didn’t think he could do it anymore. A fight he could handle. Spurting blood, broken bones, hell, even a three-way with the Loren sisters. But this…watching the wolves, foxes and bears play soccer together. It was unnatural.

  “Where are the fucking cats when you need them?” Jericho muttered, not surprised no one answered, engrossed in the game.

  Not even a year ago, he’d been part of the outcast Red Wolf Clan. Before the Great Forest had been united, clan wars had ripped the shifter alliance apart. Anyone not a silver wolf was forced to leave. Jericho’s alpha, Rudra, had rallied the red wolves and accepted anyone into her clan who wanted revenge. Bears, foxes, wolves, it didn’t matter. She’d intended to bring them all back to where they belonged. And then the fool woman had gone and mated Fenris—nephew to their enemy’s alpha. Prior alpha, he corrected himself, now that Fenris and Rudra ruled the clan.

  And Jericho’s life had gone straight to hell.

  When he’d envisioned peace, he’d never thought about how boring it might be. Getting along offered everyone the easy life in the Great Forest. It meant fresh honey, trees to scratch, and a plenitude of women, from which he might find a mate.

  The horror of it all made him sick to his stomach.

  “Score!” Someone kicked a goal, and the clan went wild.

  Apparently it was too much to ask the half of the clan to grow incensed at the loss and beat the shit out of the winners. Instead, they smiled and laughed as they took the defeat with good-natured cheer.

  It was enough to drive Jericho to drink.

  He left the cheering idiots behind before they broke into a round of Kumbaya and headed out to replace the guards patrolling the outer edge of the clan’s keep. For the most part, things had remained quiet since peace had settled over the Great Forest. Rudra and Fenris ruled together, in harmony. But his alphas weren’t counting on the calm lasting forever.

  “Gibson, take a break. I’ve got this.”

  The brown fox smiled and raced away after rendering a half-hearted salute.

  Jericho waited until the fox had left before venturing deeper into the forest. He couldn’t say why, but lately he’d been waking unable to remember his dreams, an odd sense of foreboding hanging around his neck like a curse.

  No doubt thanks to his inherited visions, his ability to portend the future came into question whenever he had a dream he couldn’t shake. If his visions had been clearer, he’d thank the Bear in the Cave for granting them. But the stubborn spirit toyed with his shaman, expecting Jericho to figure out his blasted messages.

  Annoyed all over again, he stomped deeper into the shadows and used his night vision to better see through the darkening daylight. The sun poked out from between a few clouds and made short work of the shadows. Better for him all around to make use of this form’s stronger sense—eyesight. As a human, he had the same advantages and drawbacks as normal people, except that Jericho stood much taller. At six foot six, he dwarfed most men, and his brawn lent to his ability to shift into a huge-ass grizzly.

  A noise ahead alerted him to be cautious, and he slowed his movement to minimise sound. The closer he drew, the more the hair on the back of his neck stood on end. The odd taint of dark magic layered over the air, mixing with the coppery tang of blood he could all but taste.

  Alarmed, Jericho pressed forward until he came to a sight he could have done without. For all that he’d wanted some excitement, this hadn’t been what he’d had in mind. Before him, a family of cats lay dead, their guts and throats ripped out, their innards pulverised, as if crushed then chewed up and spat out. The scent of wrongness pervaded the place, and he knew no normal shifter had done this.

  But who? Those capable of hurting shifters in the enchanted Great Forest were the sorcerers, but they hadn’t come near here in centuries. The only sorcerer who had was father to Rudra, the alpha. And Rudra, though part sorceress, was also part wolf.

  Jericho’s mind raced as he considered his options.

  The athmae might be responsible. Demons who lived with Fenris’s brother, they’d visited the Great Forest a time or two. But those dark beings lived peaceably half a world away. The incubi wanted nothing more than to have sex, not kill indiscriminately.

  Yet the blood and bodies didn’t lie. Something magical had done this. No mere shifter or creature out to mark territory would leave this behind, except as a message.

  Scowling, Jericho stripped off his clothes and shifted into his bear. Then he ran like hell back to the clan, needing to warn his alphas before something more dire happened.

  A month later he rose from a crouch and turned to Fenris, the male alpha and a golden wolf he’d follow to his grave. “That makes two dozen now.” He leaned in to close the open eyelids of a dead wolf caught mid-change. “I can’t track our enemy except to see the footprints. They’re human, or at least in human form when they do this. And those look like dog prints. I don’t understand it. There’s no smell other than the evil lingering over everything.”

  Fenris looked bleak. “I know. I didn’t want to do this, but I have no choice. We need help.”

  Jericho sighed. “Anson?”

  Fenris nodded. His brother had mated an athmae prince. The wolf had found love and happiness with demons after a terrible trial defeating an evil sorceress. Jericho knew Fenris hadn’t wanted to pull him back into danger, but with a new pup in hand and so much carnage among the Great Forest, his alpha had no other choice.

  Had one shifter in the clan been killed, Fenris wouldn’t have waited. But the enemy had wisely killed only those shifters who didn’t belong to the Great Clan. Mostly cats and the odd wolf, bear or fox determined to live alone.

  “I’ll go,” Jericho offered. “You need to stay with Rudra and Petra and protect the clan. Contact Anson and have him take me out there. You know.” He wiggled his fingers, signifying magical means.

  But Fenris shook his head. “Anson already knows about this, but I told him I had it handled. Apparently there’s been some unrest in one of the demon kingdoms.”

  “Kingdoms?”

  “Yeah. Apparently the athmae who live out in Germany with Anson are part of the fourth kingdom. There are seven of them. And one of those seven is experiencing the same things we are.”

  “No shit.” Every time Jericho learned something more about demonkind, he found himself surprised at how civilised they were. For all that they were demons, they didn’t act very demonic. “So what? They have queens and princes, hunting parties, and a police force?”

  Fenris shrugged. “I’m not sure, but Anson seemed to think we’d need him at some point. Especially if the enemy is targeting more than shifters, but athmae too.”

  “If it’s the same enemy.” But his gut said it was. Then he noticed the intense look in Fenris’s eyes. “What?”

  “You have to do this for us.”

  “I said I would.”

  Fenris continued in a funny voice. “You’re going on a long trip. One you won’t return the same from.”

  Jericho shivered inside. He wasn’t the only one who had visions of the future. Fenris had on occasion seen odd happenstances that would later occur. “Fenris?”

  “By claw and by blade, you’ll be reborn. Of truth and fear, will your eyes be opened. And only then will the Bear come home.”

  “Shit. I hate thi
s destiny crap.” He growled low, his chest vibrating with tension. “I’ll go wherever the hell I want to go,” he yelled out at the spirits, despite knowing his folly. His father hadn’t heeded what he’d foreseen, and the bears had been routed from the Great Forest for decades. Now a prophecy spoke about his future. A smarter man would have embraced the telling.

  Then again, Jericho wasn’t a man. He was a bear.

  As if the Bear in the Cave heard him, a cool breeze nearly knocked him over but didn’t touch Fenris. Like laughter on the wind.

  They returned to the clan centre with sombre news and gathered a detail to bury the bodies and hunt down survivors.

  Fenris gathered his mate to him and cuddled their baby girl, Petra.

  “Good thing she looks more like her mother than you,” Jericho said to lighten the mood.

  Rudra smiled.

  Fenris rolled his eyes. “Don’t give my mate any more of an ego. She’s hard enough to live with as it is.”

  Having grown up with her, Jericho knew better than to agree out loud. So when she glanced down at her baby, he nodded and mouthed, “I know.”

  “I heard that,” she said without looking up.

  “Damn.” He winked at his other alpha and tightened the straps on his pack. An extra set of clothing and a bone dagger. He’d kill what he needed to eat and drink from what nature provided when in the athmae demesne. Wherever the demon kingdom actually was. “I’ll take care of this, don’t you worry,” he promised his alphas.

  Rudra’s eyes filled, the once hard-hearted ruler was now a marshmallow when it came to those she loved. “Brother bear, don’t even think of dying, or I’ll cast a spell to wake you right back up.”

  “From the Great Sleep? Good luck.” He hugged her tightly, careful of Petra, then set her back next to her mate. “Take care of Petra and your other pup,” he teased, referring to her younger mate.

  Fenris frowned, but Rudra laughed past her tears.

  “I’ll be back. Don’t think I won’t.” When Jericho set his mind to something, nothing stood in his way. Not the spirits, fate, or any enemy they might find for him to battle.

  “Take care, and don’t tempt fate, Jer.” Fenris’s smile returned, this time with a sly slant to it. “But feel free to tempt the demons all you want. I hear those males can do things our women only wish they could.”

  “Hey.” Rudra glared at him.

  “Not my fault. Something Anson told me.”

  Jericho grimaced. “Yeah, well, what works for Anson and his many lovers doesn’t work for me. I’m not into guys.”

  “Neither was Anson.” Fenris’s eyes gleamed with mirth. Had the wolf seen something he hadn’t mentioned? “Apparently the incubi are very persuasive.”

  “Dammit, Fenris…”

  Rudra stared at her mate wide-eyed. “But you said he’d be hunting here. That his partner would be a hunter, not an incubus.” She turned back to Jericho. “Seriously. You need help, you call for me. Out loud. I’m going to cast a spell to enable me to help you if your words float on the wind.” Half wolf, half sorceress, she could probably do anything she put her mind to.

  “I’ll let you know.” But he wouldn’t.

  “Stay safe, bear.” Fenris nodded and wrapped his arms around Rudra. “And don’t talk to strangers.”

  “Funny, smart ass. I mean, yes, my alpha.” He gave a half-hearted bow, pleased to hear his alphas chuckle. Then he stepped forward into the circle made of magic. And disappeared.

  Chapter Two

  As if Anson’s athmae didn’t make him feel uncomfortable enough with the touching and talking in tongues he didn’t understand, they’d brought more friends with them to escort Jericho to their castle. In friggin’ Germany.

  Talk about a world away. One minute he’d been standing in Alaska in the Great Forest, the next, dizzy and weak, he stumbled into Bavaria.

  He felt a jolt of relief when he recognised Liam—Anson’s mate and the athmae prince.

  “Ah, Jericho.” That the man was only half demon didn’t soothe his need to get far, far away. The sexual vibes emanating from the pointy-eared athmae put Jericho on the defensive.

  Arousal had always been his to control, and Jericho prized being in possession of all his faculties. He pushed away this need to move closer to the demons and sent Liam a warning glare to stand back.

  Jericho had come upon them at night. And damn if the athmae weren’t some strange-looking bastards, even though he knew them to be quite harmless, at least to shifters. According to Fenris, they only raided human dreams. Their skin was dark at night and pale during daylight. Definitely on the other side of normal.

  “Impressive,” Liam’s largest guard noted with a lingering glance down Jericho’s frame. “Most impressive. A bear, you say?”

  “I’m here to find a killer,” Jericho said through gritted teeth. Damn athmae. More interested in fucking than finding out how to defeat the enemy.

  “Easy, Jericho.” Liam’s lips twitched. “It’s just that we haven’t been around many bears. My wolf, though large, isn’t nearly as big as you.” By wolf, he meant Anson, Fenris’s twin brother.

  “Where is he, by the way?”

  Liam sighed. “Getting your partner, who’s just as irritable as you are, I’m sorry to say.”

  “Partner?” Jericho had assumed he’d join a hunting party to take down their enemy, provided the athmae could shed some light on who—or what—had been killing shifters.

  “Ah, there he is,” another dark-skinned demon said. “Danger walking on two legs.”

  Anson walked beside a male surprisingly as large and brawny as Jericho. He had the same night-dark skin as the other athmae, as well as their long white hair and red eyes. The tips of his ears were pointed, and when he spoke to Anson, Jericho caught the flash of sharp fangs. Yet his build appeared more bear-like than demon.

  The athmae around him were tall and lean, strong, but not so muscular. Not like this guy.

  “Lord Seino.” Liam grinned. His smile widened when the dour-faced demon sighed at him.

  “Masterson.” Lord Seino wore a black vest and dark trousers, making him seem almost naked since the colour blended into his skin. Cinched to his waist was a demon bone sword, a weapon that could cleave just about anything in two.

  Jericho wondered if Lord Seino ever considered he wore a piece of his brethren’s bone, then wondered if the demon would care. Though Liam’s group seemed to have more than sexual feelings for one another, this creature looked positively malevolent.

  Jericho released an involuntary growl, and the male shifted his gaze to him. Pure power enveloped the gathering, and he noticed a few of the other athmae move closer to Liam and Anson.

  “Who is this?” The deep voice sent shockwaves through him. An intimidating warrior who shouldered contempt for everyone around him, if Jericho read his frown correctly.

  Liam shared a glance with Anson before replying, “Your partner, Jericho. He’s the liaison from the Great Clan Anson was telling you about—”

  “Partner? This is intended as amusement?” His disdain made Jericho want to bite him. “A Protector hunts alone. What Kin warrior of any worth needs help from a human?”

  “Try bear, asshole.” Calling Jericho a human was as bad as calling a raptor a chicken. Not done. Not if one wanted to live.

  “His name is Jericho Dark Walker,” Liam said softly.

  The male opened his mouth to reply but paused. “Dark Walker?”

  “Who the fuck are you?” Jericho was done playing nice with a demon with no manners.

  Anson and the other athmae grinned.

  The stranger scowled. “I am Lord Seino, Protector of the Seventh Kingdom.”

  “Yeah, great. I’m Jericho. Now let’s get moving. We have dead bodies piling up in our forest, Lord Annoying. So if you could take the stick out of your ass, we have an enemy to kill.”

  “Oh, well said.” Liam chuckled. When Seino glared at him, he quickly coughed and amended, “About the
enemy to kill, of course. We’ll leave you two to get acquainted. Sorry, but the Harvest Festival is in full swing. We have our work to get back to, and you have yours. Lord Seino, Mother sends regards to Master Fel.”

  Seino nodded stiffly. “I shall give him your respects.”

  Anson waved to Jericho. “Good luck. You’re going to need it.” His glance at Seino spoke volumes.

  The prince and his group left as one, disappearing into the night as if they’d never been. The moon chose that moment to rise overhead, illuminating Jericho’s companion. Good night, but this male had power. Jericho could smell it on him. Unlike the sexual vibes he’d sensed from the males accompanying Liam, this demon felt cold, controlling, demanding.

  Another growl eddied in his breast. A need to show the demon his place rose up out of nowhere.

  “Hmm.” Seino circled him, inspecting him like a prized stallion.

  “Look, I’m not exactly crazy about partnering up with you either. I’m here to find out how to kill something that needs killing. We don’t have to be friends to do it.”

  “Friends? An interesting concept.”

  Ignoring the male’s feigned interest, Jericho snapped, “So are we starting in your neck of the woods or mine?” The lure of tranquillity in the Great Forest sounded like heaven the more time he spent around Lord Seino. No fighting, dull sex with she-bears or she-wolves, and more of the same everyday awaiting his beck and call.

  Or he could spend time with Lord Attitude.

  He paid no attention to his racing heart and the excitement in his breast, and told himself he reacted to the thrill of the hunt. Not some obnoxious demon with arrogance issues.

  “Should I assume you are the best your shifters have to offer?”

  “Assume whatever the hell you want. I’m going to track down this monster and kill it. With or without your help.” Jericho marched into Seino’s personal space and met him nose to nose.

  Seino didn’t blink. But something changed between them. A subtle sense of acceptance, maybe? In any case, Seino gave him a nod but didn’t back away. So Jericho did, trying not to feel as if he’d lost ground by doing so.