Bite Deep

by Rebekah Turner

  Jericho looked at Frost, who gave him a small nod. With a sigh, Jericho put on the vest and a tightness he hadn’t realised existed unwound a little in his chest. He loved his brothers, would sacrifice anything for them. He supposed if he had to, he’d even push Lydia away for her own safety and the protection of the Dog House. But he’d die before he’d let anyone hurt her again.

  * * *

  Karla rubbed her neck, taking another sip of cold water. In the distance, the sounds of women laughing from the gardens could be heard and a burned amber sunset streamed soft light through the second-floor window of her bedroom.

  ‘You sure you’re okay?’ Vaughn sat down on the edge of her bed, touching her bare ankle.

  ‘I’ll live.’ She put the glass down on the side table. ‘Have you found Jericho yet?’

  ‘Not yet.’ He fixed her with a steady look. ‘His man, Turk, won’t tell me where he is. But he won’t be too hard to find. Though I haven’t decided what to do with him yet.’

  Karla dropped her hands into her lap. ‘What he did was unforgivable.’

  ‘I know.’

  ‘He attacked me, over that woman.’

  ‘I know.’

  ‘And what will you do?’ She knew her question was a challenge. Vaughn’s fingers began stroking her ankle.

  ‘What would you suggest?’ he asked.

  ‘He needs to pay,’ she said, the words making her feel empty.

  Vaughn’s fingers stilled. ‘I’ll send a message to the council and see what they advise.’

  ‘Are you serious?’ She paused long enough to swallow the worst of her outrage. She tucked her legs under her, shifting closer. ‘You are the Enforcer to the King, sent here to ensure all measures of threat are neutralised. I don’t know about you, but a Hunter here, inside my grounds, feels like a pretty big threat.’

  ‘You said Jericho had bitten her?’ Vaughn said.

  ‘He claimed he was only part-reverted, but who knows if that’s the truth,’ Karla said. ‘He can’t be trusted.’

  ‘And what do you think a just punishment would be?’ he asked her.

  ‘A punishment that reminds him of his place,’ Karla replied. ‘And reminds him of who I am.’

  Vaughn stood and walked to the window to stare out, face lit a golden glow by the sunset. Karla shifted on the bed, a trickle of worry threading through her. She’d always been able to read the Enforcer, but this visit he’d been acting strange, inscrutable. Even when she pressed about her brother’s illness, he’d neatly sidestepped the issue, face unreadable.

  ‘It’s my intention to strip Ben Jericho of his title,’ Vaughn finally said, eyes still trained on the sinking sun. ‘I have put forward a strong case that the recent deaths under his care clearly show he’s lost whatever hold he’s had over his men. And today, at the compound, even his own crew questioned his ability to lead.’

  ‘Do you have a successor in mind?’ Karla asked.

  ‘Yes.’ He turned to her. ‘Me.’

  Karla blinked a few times, not sure she heard right. ‘Why?’

  He crossed the room to sit beside her again. ‘The King is greatly ill. We both know it will only be a matter of time before he is challenged. This is my opportunity to sidestep from the lead Enforcer role and into something else. It will be a step down in authority, but I think I can make it work.’ He shook his head. ‘The role of Rehabilitator has begun to attract attention and prestige. Some view it as a position of honour and sacrifice.’ He reached over to take her hand. ‘A sacrifice I would make to stay here with you and my daughter.’

  Karla tried to compose herself, thoughts whirling. If Vaughn really was going to pass that sentence over Jericho, then all her work, all that flirting, had been pointless. She wanted to scream. She wanted Jericho punished and broken, but not gone. But now it looked like she had little in the way of options.

  ‘I hadn’t thought to stay here more than a few more years,’ she said carefully. ‘I intend to eventually return to society.’

  Vaughn let go of her hand. ‘I thought you would be pleased. This is a chance for us to be together.’

  ‘And I am.’ She took back his hand, grasping it tight. ‘You’ve just taken me by surprise. This isn’t something I’d thought of.’

  ‘And you usually think of everything, don’t you.’ Vaughn reached up to stroke her cheek. ‘Don’t you see, this way I avoid the sentence of death from any challenges to the King.’

  ‘Jericho was spared,’ she said without thinking.

  His face darkened. ‘A momentary weakness by your brother. And I will not be dishonoured in such a way. I’d rather die than have my face marked by shame.’

  Karla swallowed. She needed time to think, time to plan. ‘And what of the woman? The cop with Hunter blood?’ she asked.

  ‘And what punishment do you think she deserves?’

  ‘She was bitten. Death is the release for her,’ she said.

  Something hard entered Vaughn’s eyes. ‘And what do you think I would receive, should I pass this judgement out?’

  She shifted closer to him with a smile. She understood this dance; manipulation was a familiar landscape to her. She almost laughed at the thought that Vaughn believed he could win at this game. His familiar scent stirred old feelings inside of her, reminding her of the past, when she thought she had all the time in the world to get what she wanted. Now, she suddenly felt as though her time was running out and she had no choice but to act boldly.

  ‘Have you seen Alice today?’ she asked gently.

  ‘I have.’

  ‘I think it’s time to explain who you are,’ Karla told him, satisfied when his breath hitched, his hands clenching by his side. ‘Time for her to know her father.’

  He pulled away. ‘Do you think she would understand why I haven’t been around?’

  ‘I believe I could make her understand.’

  Vaughn’s jaw clenched. ‘I hate this. Being so far from you both. I want to watch her grow. I want to take care of you.’

  ‘I know you do,’ Karla said. ‘And it’s not too late for that to happen.’

  Vaughn eyed her warily. ‘You agree with my plan?’

  ‘I can see you’ve taken much care in thinking it out,’ she said, knowing she had to proceed carefully. ‘Jericho needs to be dragged to justice for what he did to me. For the safety of all Breed. For your daughter. For me. And the fact that the cop is still drawing breath is an insult to all of us. Jericho bringing her here … that atrocity must be dealt with, in the strongest of ways.’ She took his hand, running her fingers over his palms. ‘We used to talk about the future, you and I. We used to talk about getting Alice recognised officially by my family. You want to come here? I think that’s wonderful. But I need to know you can stand by my side for that and you won’t falter. I need you to prove yourself worthy. Prove yourself to me.’

  She reached up to stroke his cheek. Leaned forward to caress the edge of his jaw with her lips. ‘I know you are strong, Vaughn, I know you can take care of us.’ Her fingers dipped, dancing down his chest, touching his belt buckle, then caressing lower. ‘And I have plans myself. Plans that include you, in a position of power, by my side. Enforcing my will.’ Her hand danced lower, caressing his crotch lightly, feeling him harden. She bit back a smile. It would be almost too easy to twist his desires to align with hers.

  ‘I … would hear these plans,’ Vaughn said, breathless, as she began to pull his zipper down.

  ‘Of course.’ She bought her face close to his, running her tongue across his bottom lip. ‘Then you’re going to kill the bitch for me, and that will be the beginning.’

  Chapter 28

  Lydia woke slowly to a dull ache in her head. Mind foggy, she groaned and tried to sit up, head spinning. A voice came from somewhere close.

  ‘Go easy.’

  Blinking her eyes open, she saw Jericho sitting on the edge of the bed, a frown pulling his brows low. She tried to swallow and found her throat raw. As if reading her thought
s, he handed her a glass of water from the bedside table.

  ‘Drink it slow,’ he said.

  She took the water, arms feeling weak. The liquid slid down her throat, a cool relief. She placed it aside, then sat back and glanced down at the enormous shirt she was wearing.’Where are my clothes?’

  ‘It was your turn to be covered in blood.’ He gave her an apologetic smile at the bad joke. ‘I washed them and they’re hanging out by the fire. Should be dry by morning.’

  She touched her damp hair. ‘Did you wash me?’

  ‘Just got the worst of the blood out.’

  ‘Where am I?’ Her hand dropped and she looked around the room. Alarm coiled through her as her memories moved sluggishly, unwilling to dredge up what had happened. One of her hands flew to her neck, finding it bandaged. ‘What happened?’

  ‘You don’t remember?’ he asked.

  She frowned, a headache starting up behind her eyes as she struggled to recall. Her fingers moved over the bandages at her neck, wanting to rip it off. ‘I was hurt.’

  Jericho stood and the bed creaked. He walked over to the small window, parted the closed curtains and peered out. Fragmented memories started shifting into focus and Lydia squeezed her eyes shut, trying to remember. Then a sliver of memory came to her and her eyes flew open.

  ‘Coulter attacked me.’

  ‘He did.’

  Pain speared her chest, a potent combination of anger and loss. ‘He was responsible for my mother’s death.’

  ‘We don’t know that for certain,’ Jericho said, a cautious look entering his eyes. ‘But I will find out for you.’

  She swallowed, throat dry again. ‘Where is he?’

  ‘He’s not your business anymore.’

  ‘I’m a cop, Jericho.’ She shifted to the edge of the bed, swinging her feet to the floor and wincing when she found it freezing. ‘Believe me, he is my business.’

  Jericho was quiet a moment, as if waiting for her to come around to his way of thinking. She could have told him he was wasting his time. He might be a mean old biker, used to getting his own way, but she had her own stubborn streak, and short of tying her up, he couldn’t keep her there. Not when there were answers to get. And she intended to shake them out of Coulter with her own bare hands.

  And then there was another matter.

  ‘You were going to kill me, weren’t you,’ she said quietly, eyes fixed on the floor. ‘That night you bit me. I remember you looked at me so strangely. I just thought you were going to pass out.’ She gave a bitter laugh, looking up at him. ‘I sure know how to pick guys, don’t I.’

  Jericho turned from the curtains, letting them fall over the twilight outside. ‘But I didn’t hurt you. I chose to wait. To wait and see if you’d been infected.’

  ‘Great,’ Lydia said. ‘That’s just all so great.’

  He walked over to her, kneeling down, hands resting either side of her on the bed. ‘Please forgive me, Lydia.’

  Her eyebrows snapped together. ‘For biting me? I’m not forgiving you for that. You could have killed me.’

  ‘An accident. One I wish never had happened. It shames me, what I could have done. What could have happened.’ His head bowed. ‘You have to forgive me.’

  Without thinking, she raised a hand to touch his head and his body stilled under her touch. She was furious with him. Simply furious. He’d nearly killed her. A small voice reminded her that he had chosen not to. Emotions swamped her angry thoughts, drowning them in a confusing mix of desire and fury. Her hand dropped.

  ‘Where’s the bathroom?’ she asked.

  Jericho raised his head, haunted eyes searching her face. She stared back, giving him nothing. She was too hurt, too confused, to be handing out forgiveness just yet. He stood and moved across the room, opening a door that led to an en suite. ‘The towels are fresh if you want a shower. No hot water, I’m afraid.’

  Shifting off the bed, she walked into to the bathroom, closing the door behind her. Hands shaking, she turned on the taps and washed her face, gasping when the freezing water hit her skin. She needed to think, needed to plan. But her thoughts were so tired, she found it hard to think beyond finding Coulter and hurting him. The bathroom door squealed as it opened behind her.

  ‘Are you alright?’ Jericho asked. ‘Are you in pain?’

  ‘I’m fine.’ She dried her face on a towel, replacing it with care, then made to leave the bathroom, but Jericho pushed off the doorframe, hands held up to stop her.

  ‘I want you to rest tonight. Coulter isn’t going to be a problem anymore,’ he told her. ‘And I’ll make him tell me where the other Hunter is. I promise you that.’

  Her eyes narrowed suspiciously. ‘What do you mean, Coulter isn’t going to be a problem?’

  ‘I got some boys to pick him up.’

  ‘Pick him up?’ She paused, some of her broken memories clicking back into place. ‘Morgan Wilcox. She was in the room with us. With a crossbow.’ She blinked. ‘A really big crossbow.’

  ‘Yeah.’ Jericho shook his head, as if he couldn’t believe it either. ‘She said she used to belong to the Camden coven. Retired, she said. Guess she had a real axe to grind with Hunters.’

  Lydia crossed her arms. ‘You know, I’m still not sure I believe this Wiccan business.’

  ‘But you’d believe in Breed?’ Jericho almost smiled.

  ‘I don’t know.’ She gave him a tired smile. ‘Feels like one fairy tale too much for me.’

  He gave a dark chuckle, but she noticed he still blocked her path. ‘It’s late, you should at least stay here the night and rest. We can talk more in the morning.’

  She tried to gauge how serious he was. ‘You can’t stop me if I want to leave.’ She put one hand on his chest, trying to push him aside. It was like trying to move a brick wall. He lifted his hands to cover hers, his skin warm.

  ‘You’ve just woken up from a strong sedative, we’re in the middle of nowhere. I’ll keep you safe tonight, for some rest.’ His voice was a low rumble that ran down her arms and she stiffened as his other hand reached out to brush her waist. ‘Then I’ll take you anywhere you want tomorrow.’

  His tone was protective, eyes burning fever bright, and something unfolded inside of her, reaching towards him. She looked away, heat flushing up her neck. She didn’t understand why her body responded to his touch, rekindling an ache she hadn’t felt in a long time. She tried to suppress the feeling. Tried to reason with the dark desire coursing through her. She was an officer of the law and he was … a werewolf biker. The whole thing was insane. Surely she had imagined what she saw that night Jericho was hurt. That his face hadn’t altered into something monstrous.

  As if sensing her conflict, Jericho dipped his head, placing a kiss gently against her forehead, and the tenderness of the gesture snatched her breath. He pulled away, and a coldness settled against her skin, sinking into her bones. She found herself almost swaying towards him, wanting the warmth to return, wanting him to hold her. Anything to chase away the freezing numbness that had taken root inside of her. A wave of dizziness engulfed her, sending her thoughts spinning, her body breaking out in sweat. What was she thinking? She couldn’t trust this man.

  This monster.

  ‘Just stay here tonight, Lydia,’ he said, voice gentle. ‘Give me that at least. We can talk about a plan tomorrow.’

  She wasn’t sure what to say. He sounded reasonable and she was exhausted, after all. As if Jericho knew of her decision to stay the night before she knew it herself, he gave her a nod, then shut the door behind him.

  * * *

  Jericho sat on the cabin veranda, staring out into the night. Reaper sat with him, while Frost checked his bike. Winger had come an hour ago in the van to give Blades a lift back to the bar. Reaper and Jericho had been sitting in silence for the last hour, while Frost had made great pretence of fixing his bike. The night was heavy with moisture and rain clouds blanketed the stars.

  ‘You boys need to head back,’ Jericho said f
inally. ‘Turk is going to need you around him.’

  Frost wasn’t close, but his hearing was almost better than Blades’ and he straightened, brushing his hands on his jeans before strolling over to the veranda.

  ‘We think maybe you need us right now.’ Reaper stared down at his large, scarred hands. ‘Things are getting kinda tense.’

  Frost leaned against the veranda railing. ‘You’ve got feelings for the woman. No one could fault you for that. But Vaughn being here, it complicates things considerably.’

  ‘You think that makes me blind?’ Jericho said.

  ‘No.’ Frost’s smile was brittle. ‘But I feel compelled to point out the obvious. Vaughn is going to come for you, you know that.’

  ‘I appreciate the loyalty,’ Jericho said. ‘But I’m telling you to leave. I’d go with you, but right now my presence is just going to make things worse at the Dog House. You boys need to hear what Vaughn’s pitching and take a vote. You want me out? Then I’ll go. I won’t fight anyone on it.’

  ‘There’ll be consequences for what happened with Karla,’ Frost said.

  ‘And I’ll face them,’ Jericho said. ‘I won’t run from this. I made my choices.’

  There was a long pause while Frost stared blankly at some fixed point behind Jericho’s head and Reaper pretended to examine his nails. Finally, Frost gave a brisk nod of his head. ‘Fine. We’ll clear out then.’

  Reaper looked up, surprised, but stood all the same, and Jericho watched suspiciously as both men started their bikes. He watched their taillights weave back down the driveway and towards the main road. When they had disappeared, he walked inside and closed the door behind him, engaging the deadbolt.

  Lydia’s clothes hung by the lit fireplace and he carefully shifted them about so they’d dry without too many wrinkles. He’d managed to scrub the worst of the blood out of her clothes, save for a few splotches down the front.

  When he was done, he grabbed a beer from the fridge and collapsed onto the lounge by the fire, pulling out one of the syringes he’d liberated from the black case in her ute glove compartment. He wondered what Renee would say when he gave it to her. For some mutts, a cure to the virus would be considered a miracle. To the full-blooded families, it was an insult, an implication what they were needed to be cured. He would have to proceed carefully, he knew that.