The man blinks, then lifts his hand to the scar. “This?” He touches it like he’s still getting used to it. “No. Breck did, actually. Before Jericho and Kaine killed him.”
That takes me by surprise. “Breck bit you?”
Evan nods. “Nearly killed me too.”
Red clears his throat. “Evan nearly died the night we broke into the club. We are very grateful he is still with us.” He touches Evan’s arm and gives him a small smile. “He was hoping to talk to you for a bit. Thought maybe a human perspective would help you… understand things. One victim to another.”
Understand Jericho, he means. Nothing can convince me to like the monster.
But something he said sits like a stone in my stomach.Victim. I had it in my head that if Evan was going to be a victim to anyone, it would be Jericho. He’s just like them.
I look between them. Is this a trick to make me lower my guard?
“Fine,” I mumble. “I guess.”
Red nods graciously, then leaves.
Evan reaches for the chair that I tried to destroy in my panic.
“I wouldn’t sit there,” I say quickly. “It’s… broken.”
Evan leans against the dresser instead, folding his arms loosely.
When I see the tray of food, I move to the bed to eat. Honestly, I want to devour the stew, fill myself up as fast as I can to get rid of the pain. But I can’t risk taking my eyes off Evan.
He sucks in a breath, as if remembering he’s here to talk. “Right. Sorry. I’m just not sure where to start,” he admits with a soft smile. “You already know I’m with Jericho. As in, we’re boyfriends. Or mates, or whatever you want to call it.” His cheeks flush pink. “I’m still getting used to the terminology.”
I don’t reply. He keeps going, his voice low.
“But what you don’t know is Jer was my best friend for four years before he was turned. We met in college and just clicked instantly. Spent all our time together. Then, he left for a job interview one day and never came back. No call, no note. I knew something was wrong. I spent months looking for him. Close to a year. Used every penny I had to hire a private investigator too. I gave up everything to find him. But when I finally did, he wasn’t… him anymore. Not the same way.”
His eyes drift somewhere far away.
“You figured out he was turned?”
He nods.
“Didn’t you fear him?”
Evan considers that. “Maybe a little. But I also knew Jericho, you know? Who he was before. He’d been my friend for so long that I couldn’t believe that part of him didn’t exist anymore. And I was right. He’s still him in every way.”
He picks absently at the edge of his shirt, a nervous gesture that makes him look younger. “He hates what he is, Tobias. Like truly hates it. Every person he’s ever hurt… he carries that.Theyhaunthim, not the other way around.” He shakes his head. “What I’m trying to say is, he never wanted this life. The coven—Foxx, I mean—forced him into it, and now he hunts Jer too, like he hasn’t taken everything from him already. Foxx thinks he owns Jericho, and all Jericho wants is to be free of him.”
I swallow hard. That sounds dangerously close to how I got pulled into this. “They coerced him?”
Evan nods. “In a really horrible way, too.” His jaw ticks as he looks out the window. “I’ll let Jericho decide if he wants to share that much, but yeah. The point is, Jericho never chose this.”
It’s easy to believe, considering how many vampires the coven created in my short time there.
Createdandkilled.
It makes me shudder.
“But how do you… trust him? Rowen said you let him feed from you.”
Color rushes to Evan’s cheeks, and he drops his gaze, chuckling. He rubs the back of his neck as he answers. “Yeah. I do. Because he’s my boyfriend, remember?” I must make some kind of face because he adds quickly, “I love him, Tobias. Deeply. When Jericho drinks, it’s not what you think or what you may have seen or… experienced.” He says that word very gently, like he’s trying to protect me from painful memories. “It’s different because I trust him. I chose him. He doesn’t take from me without giving himself to me too.” He laughs and blushes even harder. “Shit, sorry. That’s way more than you need to know. But anyway, Jericho is honestly the best thing to ever happen to me. Before and after his turning. I can’t imagine not being with him.”
Evan glances around the room, toward the hall, and his voice softens. “I love this pack too. They saved my mom’s life before they even met her. That’s something I can’t ever repay them for.”
