Page 11 of Jackal's Pride

I couldn’t trust her.

Sleep.I demanded my body to comply.

Seconds. Minutes. Maybe hours ticked by, and I couldn’t put myself asleep with a sleeping spell. This was never a problem before the collar. I sat up, gripped it, and yanked. Only the venom and fury clawing up my throat got worse.

I’m going to tear her limb from limb, then maybe eat her after.I didn’t have taste buds, but something told me if I did she’d be a worthy meal.

The collar prevented me from going back to sleep, not that it mattered. As long as this was on me she could come and wake me any time she pleased. The thought sent me to my feet, panting and breathing loudly through my nostrils.

I wasn’t sure what to do with myself or what I was feeling. All I knew was how much I wanted to get a hold of her… My muscles jumped.

Wait… Somehow through my seething I noticed one thing. When I was angry at the girl, I didn’t notice anything else. Not even the one hundred and thirty-seven.

Chapter 3

Maureen

“Where have you been?”

Barron’s deep, booming voice came as no surprise when I faded into my home. I was used to him barging in or waiting on me. I didn’t mind that, but what I did mind was the tone in his voice and the authority in which he thought I should answer that question.

Brothers. Always so overbearing and protective.

“Where have you been?” I mocked as I rounded the edge of the island in my kitchen. He was leaning against the sink with an apple in his hand.

“Heard from Ryan and Molly that you’re still going down to The Den with Gavin and them and betting.”Crunch.His eyes were on the apple in his hand instead of me. Out of my brothers, I thought Barron looked the most like our father. Dark hair, dark eyes, and a quiet, yet devastatingly powerful calm. While my dad could be gentle, it was a rare sight for Barron. He was closed off completely and gave zero apologies for it. But I knew the truth. The big lug kept his heart sealed away because he was terrified of his wrath. His sin made him rage out and when Barron raged, he hurt everyone in his path, including us.

The only ones he would open up to were his family. And that was a rarity. Like right now, I’d consider this Barron being loving. His coldness was still there, but he was here to check on me. Always checking on me. He did that for all of us. Even Sebastian and August and the fact that they gave each other hell when together, he still tucked himself into the shadows and appeared whenever they needed him.

I raised a brow. “You say it like I said I’d stop.”

“The vamp is bad news.”Crunch.“He’s been after your ass for years. He needs to be gone.”

I scoffed and crossed my arms. “What’s he gonna do? Kill me? Fine. I’ll just revive and kill him.”

“With the right resources here in the Underworld there’s a lot he can do to you before any of us can get to you in time.” His next words were like acid on my curse. “Why do you keep going back to let him bet you?”

Because every time you, Sebastian, or August tell me I can’t do something or that I’m in danger, I HAVE to prove you wrong.

The more they cared, the further they buried me with my curse. “I can take care of myself,” I gritted out.

Thank God he placed the apple down on the counter behind him. I was seconds from snatching it from his hand and popping him in the head with it. Damn, why did he have to eat an apple while talking to me? My nerves were already thinned out from my run-in with Jackal.

He grabbed my shoulders. “What did you do?”

I wasn’t sure how to respond since I didn’t know what he was talking about. My mouth was agape right about the time I sensed what Barron must have been referring to. Jackal’s powerful presence came barreling through the house from a portal. He stepped out, eyes locked on me, and the idiot had every intention of coming at me again. The collar reacted right about the time he tried. He wasn’t in human form—the fucker was tearing my kitchen to pieces in wolf form, his sharp nails slipping across my marble floor.

The collar was a force to reckon with. I simply sucked in a breath as it sent the giant black wolf soaring into the wall. Correction: through my damn wall! “Mind telling me when you got a pet?” Barron grunted in his usual manner as he moved like a panther toward Jackal. Unfortunately, Barron wasn’t the owner of the collar. The magic imbued on it seemed to prevent the wearer from hurting the holder, but everyone else was free reign. The entity pounced on my brother. Jackal’s teeth tore into Barron’s neck right as he shoved him back, materializing a sword. He gripped his neck and hissed. “Maureen.”

“He tore out my wall!” I managed to yell.

Barron snapped his head around and growled. “He nearly took off my head!”

I blinked, Barron’s skin prickled in and out, and then I blinked some more. “Oh fuck, don’t you dare rage on me!”

“Do something with your pet then.” Barron’s body faded in and out, even his voice was alternating. He was close, too close for my liking.

“That’s Jackal,” I pointed at the wolf currently stalking Barron.