Grant grunts something from the hall that sounds like, “Hunting.”
I frown. Not only at the thought of Jericho hunting—of him needing blood—but at the notable edge to Grant’s voice. Matter of fact, everyone is on edge.
“What’s going on?”
“Nothing. Your mom is almost here is all,” Jasmine says, pushing me toward the door.
Mom!
Fully awake now, I rush outside where a black SUV is pulling into the driveway, and my eyes burn when I see my mom in the front passenger seat. Running over, I throw open the door and pull her into a hug before she’s even out of the car. We stumble a bit until she gets her footing, then she sobs against my neck, holding me tight.
“Oh, Evan.”
“Shh, it’ll be okay now. You’re safe.”
I hold her for a long time, overcome with relief that she’s here, and rage that someone would try to hurt her.
When we break apart, I notice Mom is still in her work clothes—dark trousers and a white button-down blouse. Her usuallytidy hair is a mess. Did she pack anything? Was there anythingtopack, if her house was in complete shambles?
“Are you okay?”
Mom’s lip trembles. “I’m not sure what I’m going to do about the house, but…”
“Don’t worry about that. We’ll hire someone if we need to.” With what money, I have no idea. “Did you see anyone? Was anyone there?”
“No. It was just… God, it was such a mess.”
I hug her again, then keep an arm around her as we walk toward the patio. I introduce the pack, and they all wave or nod, but Mom barely seems to process any of it. Her eyes dart around in a daze.
Jasmine is the first to reach out to her, pulling her in for a warm hug. “How are you doing? Can I get you anything? A drink, maybe? I’m sure you’re exhausted after such a long drive.”
“Some tea would be great,” Mom manages.
“Of course. Come inside.”
While Jasmine leads her in, I look around for Jericho. He’s still not here. Did he really go hunting?
A horrible feeling settles in the pit of my stomach. He’d been so certain Foxx was using Mom as bait to figure out where we are. What if he’s out there, right now, trying to track them?
He wouldn’t do that alone, would he?
Mom’s voice reaches me from inside, so I quickly turn around and follow them in. Forest is pulling a seat for her at the table, while Jasmine is pouring her some tea.
“I just don’t know who would do something like that,” Mom says. “I mean, I’ve never seen a place so… it looked like a tornado went through there.”
Forest shares a look with me, and I get the sense he’s weighing how much we should tell her. But I know my Mom. Keeping her in the dark would only upset her more.
I sit in the chair next to her. “Mom.”
She turns to me, and I’m so taken aback by the bags under her eyes that I wonder if I’m doing the right thing. She needs rest.
“I know you’ve been through a lot, but we need to talk. We need to tell you what we know about the break in.”
She blinks. “What can you possibly know about it?”
I chew my lip before saying, “We think we know who’s behind it.”
Her eyes widen as she looks around the room. “What? How?”
