He drops his gaze. “I’m not sure what we are.”

  The words sting, but I continue toward him. “Two halves of the same whole.”

  “It doesn’t feel that way.”

  I stop when I’m still a few feet away. “I get that it was magic that created us, but magic has nothing to do with our relationship. That takes work. I’m willing to put the effort in if you are.”

  He closes his eyes and exhales. When he opens them again, he meets my gaze and takes a step forward. “What now?”

  I lift my hand, and when Jack takes it, I lead him to the couches. We sit facing each other, our knees brushing. I sift through the questions I’ve stored up for him, choosing the broadest and most innocuous to begin with. “Why don’t you like talking about your past?”

  He shrugs. “Isn’t it obvious? Because it hurts. You’d think after all these years the pain would dull, but there are certain things that... that I can’t talk about—I can’t think about—or it brings all those feelings back like it’s happening all over again.”

  My heart aches at his words. “I get what you mean. Most of the time, my dad being gone is just part of life, but every once in a while, it hits me all over again. It’s like I’m reliving the moment I found out.”

  “Ava.” He breathes my name. “Your father died of cancer. You had warning. I don’t want to discount that losing him was a tragedy, but it’s not the same as...” He stops short, cupping his hands over his face. After he removes them, he rubs them together. His eyes drift to the coffee table.

  I have no idea how his parents died. I never spent much time considering it. I guess I assumed they grew old and passed away, but now I’m thinking that couldn’t be more wrong. I want nothing more than to ask, but if his demeanor is any indication, this is one of the memories that still cause him pain. “Did you ever consider that these things hurt so much after all this time because you keep them in? Maybe if you talked about it—”

  “No.” His expression closes off. He may as well draw a curtain closed between us—it wouldn’t be any less real than the barrier behind his eyes.

  “Fine.” I stand. Maybe I can catch up with Luke and Brady. But before I can turn toward the door, Jack catches my hand and tugs it.

  “You wanted to know about the cuffs. Why Luke knew what they were.”

  I don’t want to turn around, but something in Jack’s voice makes me. He doesn’t sound like the commanding alpha—more like a hopeful boy. The wall behind his eyes has dropped, leaving them clear and his expression more open than I’ve seen since the first night we spent getting to know each other.

  “I do,” I say, reclaiming my seat.

  Jack doesn’t release my hand. “I’ve kept tabs on Luke off and on since he turned. He may have been the older brother, but I always felt responsible for him. He was sick a lot as a kid, and when he wasn’t, he’d make up for lost time by getting into as much trouble as possible. I got into the habit of watching out to make sure he didn’t get into anything too serious. After he changed, I guess that habit carried over.” The corners of his mouth quirk, but he doesn’t manage to smile. “I once went a whole decade without checking in on him. When our paths finally crossed, it was by accident. He was running with a pretty bad brood. They were muscle for the mob, and they were involved in some dark deeds. He was in over his head—although, if you ask him, he was steps away from taking over the whole operation. I heard another pack was going to make a move against Luke’s brood, and I thought he might get it in his head to try to take them on instead of leaving, so I had a witch make a set of cuffs like yours.”

  “But you couldn’t get him to put his on?” I guess.

  “He didn’t know what they were, but he was suspicious when I gave it to him. I had this whole story about how they would connect us, and if he ever needed help, I could find him. He took it from me and told me he’d think about putting it on. The next time I saw him, he was wearing a leather cuff. What I didn’t realize is it wasn’t the one I gave him. I tried to order him to leave town. As you can imagine, it didn’t go over well.”

  I try to picture the scene. Luke was probably angry, but he must have realized Jack was only trying to help. Clearly he survived the ordeal. Did he leave because of the steps Jack was willing to take to make him go? And those steps, though drastic, lead me to only one conclusion. “You still care about him, don’t you? After whatever’s happened between you, after all these years.”

  His fingers twitch. “I feel responsible for him.”

  “Is it hard for you? Having him around?”

  Jack takes his time answering. “Is it good for you, having him with us?”

  The question hits me like a punch. When he showed up at the enclave and offered his help in the days after I turned, it was my call to let him stay. He’s been an asset since then—both with helping locate me when I was kidnapped and with assisting me in learning to deal with human blood. But since our arrival at the sanctuary, I haven’t given his presence much thought. There are no threats against me in here, so he hasn’t had to protect me, and human blood isn’t an issue. He’s just here—part of the group. He’s doing the same thing as Jack and me: waiting for what’s next.

  “I think it’s good having him around,” I say at length. “At least for now—until we figure out what’s going on, why someone has a bounty out on me.”

  Jack squeezes my fingers. “Then I think it’s good too.”

  I smile. “You mean more to him than I think you realize. He made a comment the night you saved me from Xander. He said you looked at him in a way you hadn’t for a long time—like he was your brother.”

  Jack reaches forward with his free hand and tucks my hair behind my ear. “Let’s talk about him some other time.”

  Sparks dance across my skin where he touches, and it takes a second to recall who we were talking about to begin with.

  His fingers trace the line of my jaw. “I’m sorry about earlier. I let the oracle get to me, but you’re right—they’re notoriously vague. And I’m sorry I’ve been closed off. I’ve spent decades trying to forget my past—but you’re right. The things I’ve experienced have shaped me. In time, I’ll tell you everything. But I will need time.”

  I want to respond, but I’m too distracted by the tingles shooting through my body at his feather-light touches. How long has it been since we’ve been alone together? It feels like forever. For the moment, we have the quarters to ourselves, and I don’t think anything has ever sounded better than making up after our first fight.

  I lean forward, and Jack meets my lips with an urgent kiss. My body hums with the force of it. My fingers slide to the back of his neck and thread through the curls there. Jack eases me back until I lie on the couch and his lips find my neck. Heat radiates through me as his hands skate up my sides.

  Being close to Jack is always electric, but nothing in our relationship so far compares to this. There’s a measure of desperation that makes me ache for him in a way I’ve never experienced. Tomorrow, we strike out for the summit, but who knows what will happen there. If they don’t find in my favor, this could be our last night together.

  No. I refuse to let myself think that way.

  Jack’s mouth dips to my collar bone and I press myself closer to him. I wish I could melt into him—to connect our bodies and reunite our soul.

  Merge, my wolf urges.

  For the first time, the idea doesn’t frighten me. It sounds natural—right. It’s not too much, too soon or too crazy a concept to take in. Maybe the hole I’ve felt my entire life hasn’t been due to never knowing my mom or my dad dying—maybe it’s been there because, on some level, I’ve always known I wasn’t quite complete.

  Jack’s lips crush mine again, pushing thoughts from my head. It’s easy to get lost in the moment, but I can’t—not with this revelation coursing through me. I press my palms into his shoulder, pushing him back until our kiss breaks.

  His gunmetal blue eyes lock on mine, concern brimming within them. “What’s wrong?”

  “Nothing,” I whisper. “I just—”

  Shouts and screams cut through the night air. Jack is on his feet in a flash. He stares out the window, eyes narrowed.

  I sit up straight, tuning my ears to the sounds. Is there some kind of parade or party happening? I dismiss the idea immediately. These are not the noises of celebration. Something’s wrong.

  “It’s close,” Jack says. “Maybe on the next street over.”

  I stand. “Where the restaurants are.”

  Chapter Fifteen

  Jack is outside first, but I’m faster. It’s hard to believe it’s been just more than a day since I’ve run full-out like this. My body craves to shift, to continue for miles, but I fight the urge. I remain in human form and arrive on restaurant row in seconds.

  The scene is chaotic. Dozens of people line the street, with still more pouring out of three adjacent restaurants. I scan the faces, but Luke and Brady aren’t among them. It’s impossible to see what’s going on inside through the throngs attempting to exit.

  Shrieks sound from inside the center building, along with crashing and shattering.

  Jack arrives at my side, his eyes trained on the middle restaurant’s door. “How much you wanna bet that’s the one they’re in?”

  I was thinking the same thing. “Want me to check the other two, just to be safe?” When he raises an eyebrow, I shrug. “I’m faster.”

  As he darts toward the center building, I race toward the one on the left. I’ve never attempted agility training at high speed, but that doesn’t stop me from trying to weave through the bodies exiting the structure. As I pass between and behind individuals, it feels as if they’re all moving in slow motion and I’m the only one at a normal pace.

  Once inside, I zip around tables and chairs, keeping a lookout for the familiar figures of Luke and Brady. When my search is fruitless, I make my way outside again. Before I make it two doors down, a nagging sense of dread settles in the pit of my stomach. Something’s wrong in the middle restaurant. Even though I left that one for Jack to check out, I change course and veer into it.

  If the scene in the street is chaotic, it’s nothing compared to the havoc inside. Tables and chairs are broken and strewn around the room. Shattered glass glitters on the floor. The remaining patrons cower and shout as a blur ricochets from one wall to the other. It slams into the wall nearest me before spinning toward the back of the room. When it hits, it splits apart and half of it careens to the floor. The blurs slow enough for me to make out two people. The one on the floor is a burly black-haired man I don’t recognize.

  The other is Luke.

  As he descends on the stranger for another assault, another figure streaks into the action, colliding with Luke and slamming him against the far wall.

  “What do you think you’re doing?” Jack presses his forearm against his brother’s neck. “We’re gone in less that twenty-four hours, and you can’t keep a handle on yourself until then?”

  Luke shoves him backward. “You know, that’s typical—assuming this was on me. I was defending myself. Dude came in here with a chip on his shoulder.”

  “Where’s Brady?” He wasn’t outside and I don’t see him anywhere in the room.

  “Back here.” The swinging double doors to the kitchen open and Brady’s face peeks out between them.

  Luke snorts, gesturing to him. “Nice.”

  Brady takes a step into the room. “Sorry, man. I’m not fighting your battles.”

  The remaining patrons emerge from their hiding places behind upturned tables and scurry toward the front door.

  Jack watches them before turning back to Luke. “So, what happened? If you were just out having dinner, why did you have to defend yourself?”

  Hurt flickers across Luke’s face, but it’s covered over by irritation. “I have no idea. One minute, Brady’s ordering a burger, the next—”

  The man on the floor springs to his feet and bolts in Luke’s direction. In his hand is the splintered leg of a chair.

  I scream as I rush forward. The man is fast, but he’s no match for my speed. I overtake him and knock is arm down. As the makeshift stake clatters to the ground, I slide an arm around his throat, ready to take off his head.

  A high-pitched whistle rends the air and I hesitate, though I don’t release the man.

  Cedrick stands in the restaurant’s doorway, his posture commanding and almost regal. He levels his gaze at me. “Release him.”

  I adjust my grip. “But he—”

  “Now.”

  He doesn’t yell, but the force of his voice weighs down on me like something physical. My muscles relax, and as soon as the man is able, he puts space between the two of us.

  Luke takes a tentative step forward. “You don’t understand. I was minding my own business when this guy attacked me. When Ava grabbed him—”

  Cedrick raises his hand. “I don’t need to hear specifics.” He steps into the room, gliding around broken bits littering the floor. “You arrived this morning, did you not?” he asks the guy on my left.

  I look at him for the first time. He’s got a youthful face and high cheek bones—much more boy than man. His black hair is short and full of gel and his dark eyes glare sullenly forward.

  “Yeah, I did,” he mutters, sounding like a teenager being reprimanded by the principal.

  Cedrick nods. “Whether or not you choose to stay here beyond the grace period, you must understand this kind of behavior won’t be tolerated.”

  The guy snorts. “You expect me to be okay with vampires walking around town, sucking down blood a table over from mine? You want me to pretend like it’s no big thing?”

  “It is ‘no big thing’ here.” Cedrick pauses to let the words sink in. “In a few minutes, some of my associates will arrive. You’ll stay here and clean up the mess you’ve made.” He looks at Luke. “You and your friends may leave.”

  “Damn right, we can,” Luke grumbles. He leads the way toward the door with Jack and me close behind. Brady keeps his distance, but he follows along.

  Much of the earlier crowd has dispersed. The two restaurants on either side of the one we were in are full of patrons once more, but several groups still line the streets, watching us warily as we pass.

  “I can’t wait to get out of this place,” Luke says, not bothering to keep his voice down.

  “We leave for the summit tomorrow,” Jack says.

  Luke glances over his shoulder. “Not soon enough.”

  Chapter Sixteen

  I swear Luke must have asked if it’s time to go yet at least a million times since we woke up this morning.

  Around three o’clock in the afternoon, Jack announces it’s finally time to leave.

  I look around our quarters for anything I may have left behind, but there’s no need. I didn’t bring anything here worth taking with me.

  Cedrick and Evelyn sit at the front gates as they did on the day of our arrival. They don’t say anything as we pass by. I don’t know what I was expecting. Relief, maybe? After all, in our three days here, Luke has been at the center of two issues. But neither says anything. They stare forward as if they can’t see us at all.

  “The summit starts at five,” Jack says. “We’ve got plenty of time to get there, so we don’t need to kill ourselves running.”

  Luke shrugs. “Or we could just borrow a vehicle and forget about the running thing altogether.”

  Jack sighs. “I already told you, we’re not stealing a car.”

  Luke offers upturned palms. “We’ll give it back.”

  “Can we get on with it?” Brady asks. “The sooner we get there, the sooner you guys can let me go.”

  “That’s the plan,” Jack says.

  I glance at the cuff on my wrist. I can’t blame him for wanting to be released from the spell between us. If it were up to me, I’d use it one last time to order him to run back to his pack and stay there. But I know the smarter move is to keep him in case we need a bargaining chip. I just don’t like reducing him to that.

  Jack takes off, and Luke, Brady, and I follow after. After the running we did on the night that led us to the sanctuary, this pace is almost relaxing. As we fly over gnarled roots and between tree trunks, I keep my ears open for any sounds that don’t belong, but it doesn’t take long for me to get lost in the music of the forest. Birds chirp, squirrels and chipmunks skitter, the wind rustles through the trees. For a moment, I’m able to forget we’re on our way to a summit that may well decide my fate, and I let myself be lost in nature.

  I don’t know how many miles have passed, but I’m sure we’re nowhere near the summit when Luke slows down. Jack runs ahead, but I match my pace with Luke’s. “What’s up? You’re not getting tired, are you?”

  I expect him to laugh it off, to speed up and try to beat me, so I’m surprised when he stops in his tracks. I skid to a halt several yards away.

  “Do you smell that?”

  The only thing I can smell is the moist earth and the remnants of decomposing leaves, but I humor him and take in a deep breath. I detect nothing more, so I inhale again.

  “Blood.”

  Luke nods. “Human blood.” I glance in the direction Jack and Brady were running and catch a glimpse of them through the trees. They’re coming back this way, and I jog to meet them.

  “We really shouldn’t stop.” Jack glances back at Luke, a puzzled expression on his face.

  “I smell something,” Luke says. “Ava does too. I think we should take a slight detour.”

  Jack doesn’t look convinced, but when I meet his eyes and nod, he sighs. “Lead the way.”

  Our pace toward the scent of blood is slower. Although our movements are much quieter than they were only minutes ago, I can’t help feeling we’re making even more noise. The forest has gone silent. The animals here have either stopped moving or evacuated.

  With each passing yard, the smell of blood grows thicker. From the set of Jack’s jaw, I assume he’s picked up on the aroma too.

 

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