33
JERICHO
My head is in a daze as we walk back to the club, and my heart is in pieces. Holding Evan’s limp body ripped me in two. It’s something I never wanted to experience. Another memory that will haunt me for the rest of my life.
And it wasn’t even my sire who nearly killed Evan—it was Breck. Foxx’s skin-changing leader. That bastard had coaxed Evan away from Foxx just to help the rapist and murderer escape.
It makes me sick. He deserved what he got.
Smoke burns my nose the closer we get to the building. Lights flicker in all directions from multiple emergency vehicles. Police, firefighters, and paramedics are here taking care of the scene. Large crowds are gathered on the streets, some crying and bundled in gray blankets. People in red and blue uniforms move about, questioning everyone as they try to piece together what happened.
I see Jasmine talking to an officer at the same time she sees me.
“There they are,” she says, ducking between two police officers and running over to us. Jasmine’s long hair trails after her, her eyes full of worry. She’s wrapped in a standard gray shawl that one of the emergency personnel must have given her.
“Where have you been?” Jasmine says.
“Evan saw Foxx leave the building and went on a manhunt,” Sage explains, “so we went after Evan.”
Jasmine’s eyes get impossibly wider. “Evan went after Foxx?” She quickly scans our group, and when she doesn’t see Evan, she snaps her attention to me. “Where is he?”
“They took him to the hospital,” Sage answers, since I can’t seem to find my voice. “It’s… not good, Jazz. We need to get everyone there as soon as possible.”
Her face pales. “And Foxx?”
I clench my teeth. “He got away.”
“What? How?”
“Breckley helped Foxx escape by changing into him. Evan didn’t notice and followed Breckley instead,” Sage says.
Red folds his arms over his chest. “We all went after Evan.”
Jasmine shakes her head. “But that means… Oh no. Foxx is still alive? All of this was for nothing?”
“Not nothing,” Sage says. “We killed Breckley.”
An officer chooses that moment to turn their attention on us. His badge glows bright red in the light, signaling the Paranormal Response Unit. From the energy pouring off him, I’m going to guess he’s a mage.
“Were you a part of this tonight?” he asks.
“They’re with our pack,” Jasmine says, barely acknowledging the officer.
Something like pride fills me at the declaration, even though it’s not the first time someone has said it. Grant did too, when Kaine threatened Evan. Do they really see us as one of them now?
“Jericho is the one who set the fire,” she says.
The officer turns to me. “Is this true?”
I swallow hard, but I see no way to deny it. There are too many witnesses. “I was trying to protect my mate,” I say. “And the pack. We were all there fighting together.”
The officer blinks at me. “She was telling the truth? You’rewiththe pack of wolves?”
I hear the underlying confusion, yet I nod anyway.
Jasmine pins the guy with a stare. “I’ve already told you, officer. Jericho and his mate, as well as his mate’s mother, are unofficial members of our pack. They’ve been with us for some time now. We were here tonight to defend our pack! They’ve killed one of our own, Sasha Inlet. They’ve gone after Evan and his mother, which we have evidence of with security footage. I can get Evan’s mother on the phone if you want. She can relay every detail of what this horrible coven did to her home, or you can call the Spokane Police Department and ask them yourselves.”
The air is heavy with her alpha power, yet the officer seems unfazed. He clearly is used to shows of dominance. “And Evan is the human, I take it?” he asks calmly.
