The following day, Evan and I sleep past ten. When we get downstairs, everyone is outside.
Evan immediately pads into the kitchen. “What’s going on?”
“No idea.”
He snags a muffin from the bowl along with a banana and a couple of pieces of leftover bacon. Jasmine must have set them aside for him—bacon and sausage rarely get saved in this house.
We walk to the window. Forest, Neal, and Grant are stringing up aluminum targets between the poles normally used for a volleyball net. On the opposite side of the yard, Sage, Rowen, and Ivy are assembling a semicircle of various objects: trash cans and wheelbarrows and tin cans and watering jugs, all of them with red targets on the side.
“It looks like a training course,” Evan says, whipping his head around. “For you?”
I don’t have the words.
He grins widely. “That’s awesome.”
While Evan goes outside, I hang back to collect my thoughts. I didn’t expect the pack to go out of their way like this, and it touches me deeply.
The only problem is, even with a training course, I still don’t knowhowto use my gift. Everything that happened during my fight with Rip had been pure luck. Even the portal. I only produced it because I had seen him do it. Buthow? No fucking idea. Obviously, it’s inside me, but… how do I bring it out? And how can I control it? I don’t want to hurt someone just because I don’t know what I’m doing.
The front door opens, and Evelyn comes inside, pulling her coat a little tighter around her shoulders. She makes a sound with her lips as she shudders.
“Brrr, it’s cold!” She pauses when she sees me. “Oh, good morning!”
My returning smile falls flat. “Hey.”
Her brows furrow. “You okay?”
I’m not sure how to answer, so I tip my head out the window. “Whose idea was this?”
She walks over to me. “I don’t know. By the time I came downstairs, everyone was already outside. Forest even called the other pack to help.”
I turn to her. “Hollow Cliff is here?”
“A few of them, yeah. And William is still here too. He decided to stay a couple more days. If things get worse, he might call his pack in. Jasmine said we have room here.” She turns to the window. “Anyway, they’re all out there nailing things like there’s no tomorrow. Sage found the metal targets in the shed, and Taren and I, well, and little Aster too, painted the targets on everything else. It’s been kinda fun, actually. But man, I’m hungry. I think we’re all just about ready for lunch.”
I look out at the group scattered across the property. At this pack that accepted me like one of their own. And it's not missing the targets that scares me, or even not being able to summon my power. It’s thethought of disappointing them. “I don’t know if it’ll do any good. I don’t know shit about my gift yet.”
She steps closer, squeezing my bicep. “They know that, Jericho. They aren’t expecting miracles. But this is their way of helping, of celebrating you. Doing what they can to help.” She turns back to the window, her voice lowering. “You should hear the way they talk about you. You and Evan. They genuinely care about you guys. They’re good people.”
I swallow hard.They really are.
“Grant was thinking Evan and I could use the targets for shooting practice too, while you sort out your phoenix stuff. So it’s not only for you.”
That gets my attention. “What?”
She shrugs. “He asked if I have any experience with guns. I told him it’s been a while, but—”
“You’ve used a gun?”
She smiles. “Before Evan was born, I was pretty deep into this world. Even dated some shifters back in the day.”
I crack a smile. “For real?”
“Yup. When I lived in Los Angeles, I hung out with all kinds of shifters. Never went anywhere, of course, but I enjoyed the supernatural world quite a bit.”
The news stuns me. “Evan never told me that.”
“That’s because I never really talked about it with him. I don’t like thinking about it. It reminds me too much of Evan’s father.” She waves the air, annoyed at the thought. “That man was a drunk who couldn’t keep his pants on around a woman, which is why I cut ties with him and moved away. But it was the right choice. I loved Spokane, it ended up being a much safer place to raise a child.” After a moment, she turns to me. “Did Evan tell you I had a best friend who was a vampire?”
