“Yeah. Most of them left about a half hour ago.”
“On foot?”
He nods. “All fours. Sounded like they were going to patrol the border or something.”
I frown. “Was there a reason?”
“I don’t think so. It didn’t sound urgent.”
Forest mentioned the best time for me to go hunt is when they are out on patrol. That way, if any neighboring packs change their mind about me being in the area, they can be close by.
With that in mind, I toss him my favorite pair of ripped jeans. “We should probably change.”
“Why? Do I stink?”
Just the opposite. You smell divine.“It’s just been a few days is all. I’ll ask Jasmine if we can do some laundry today, but feel free to wear whatever you want since you didn’t have time to pack.”
He glances at the stack of clothes. “Thanks.”
As Evan steps out of his pants, I can’t help but admire his ass and strong legs. God, he is just as sexy as I remember. And when he peels off his shirt to replace it with an old Aerosmith one from my pile, I nearly lose my tongue.
Fuck me.
Evan is beautiful.
Lust surges through me, making my cock ache. I want to pull him to me and kiss him senseless, toss him on the bed as I climb over him.
I force myself to turn away. I definitely need blood. And air. I need to clear my fucking head.
When we climb out of the van, I tap Evan’s arm to get his attention. “Hey, I’m gonna…” I jut my thumb toward the trees, hoping he’ll understand.
He furrows his brows.
“I need to eat,” I say quickly.
“Oh! Yeah. Of course. Just be careful, okay?” He barely seems fazed at the idea of me drinking blood.
“You too. Stay with the rest of the pack until I’m back?”
“I will.”
I turn to walk into the trees, treading lightly on my feet. I’m way more alert now, thanks to a good night of sleep. I probably wouldn’t have gotten any if Evan hadn’t curled into me. His solid presence and familiar scent soothed me in the way I needed, except now I know I can’t have it again. If what he said is true, if I’d put my mouth near his throat in my sleep…
No. Ican’t.I need to be better and keep him safe. Even from myself.
Heading toward the stream, I try to find the colony of bunnies I saw yesterday. I’ve never liked the taste of animal blood, but if it means keeping Evan safe, then it’s what I’ll do. He’s worth it to me.
He’s always worth it.
14
EVAN
It’s been two days since we discovered the security footage, and Jericho and I have not been apart except when he disappears to hunt every morning. But being together doesn’t necessarily mean alone. The pack is always with us, even when we try to move somewhere private. When we sit on the porch, they follow. When we move to another room, a couple of them tag along. The only time we’re truly alone is when we’re in the van, which has become our go-to place to have private conversations. We stay up late talking, sometimes well into the morning, then sleep until lunch. The pack assumes it’s because Jericho has some weird sleeping schedule being a vampire, but the truth is, it’s just us. It’s how we were before too, talking or goofing off to video games all night.
And honestly? I fucking love that we’re finding our way back there. The only difference is, we’re sharing a bed. Honestly, I would prefer one of the beds upstairs so we can stretch out without bumping into each other, but Jasmine made it clear they don’t trust Jericho enough to let him sleep in the house yet. Maybe if she did, Jericho would relax more. He’s been so uptight when it’s time to go to sleep, like being around me is too difficult. Last night, I caught him asleep in anupright position at the end of the bed, as if lying down next to me had been too much for him. I don’t know what to do about it, since I’m obviously not going to sleep inside without him. We promised we’d stay together.
“Oh my gosh. Babe, come here,” Red exclaims from the loveseat.
