Page 46 of Jackal's Pride
He shrugged his shoulders, adding the final blow. “I simply cloaked my presence when watching you.”
“I can’t believe you!” I tore out of my binds and tried to grab him. The collar reacted, slamming me into the wall. I couldn’t breathe. The pain in my skull and teeth was so jarring as I shook my head and stood in a daze.
“Go sit down.” And I did. My fingernails dug into my palms. I was so powerless against this collar.
“You’re willing to die just to get a hold of me?” I asked incredulously. “You must know my family will come and murder you the second they’re finished, right?”
“I am aware.” He nodded. “But I plan to get you out of my system and be long gone where no one will ever find me before they arrive.”
He had thought about this for a long time, and that made him dangerous. And all the more possible for him to succeed.I was scared.I never thought something like this would happen tome.I never lost.
Sadly, beneath my curse, I was still a woman. And all that bravado could do nothing for me now.
“We could have been something, you and I,” he began.
Honestly, I wanted to vomit.
“Yet you go and fuck with Jackal, whom you only just met and someone that doesn’t even have a heart.”
How did he know so much about Jackal?
Putting on a fake brave face since I had nothing left, I chortled. “Oh, if you’ve watched me for a while, then you must know that I’ve had my fair share of one-night stands. And those guys… I knew them even less than Jack.”
“Jack?” Gavin’s eyes became enraged. “Let me show you what you could have had.” His fangs jutted out as he crawled up on the bed. Your pulse is thrumming. I can hear it from here.” He bent down over me. “Don’t move.” He blew out over my neck. “I can’t believe he marked you! Don’t worry. I’ll bite and make it better.”
Chapter 18
Jackal
The first of Maureen’s brothers strode toward me full of murder and mayhem with a red essence flaring out around him. I didn’t know what to make of him, but I honestly didn’t care. I didn’t sense Maureen, nor could I detect her presence anymore.
“Where’s Maureen?” I hissed as the blond-haired brother stepped in and prevented the dark-headed one from reaching me.
The one hundred and thirty-seven hearts beat furiously inside my chest and head, like an earth-shattering echo. The hearts had been dormant until I questioned Maureen’s integrity. They didn’t have to inflict their pain. When she spoke her truth, a deep piercing discomfort like I was stabbed with a knife hit my chest and then my stomach.
“How are you not with her?” The question came from another brother.
With the returned vigor of the one hundred and thirty-seven knocking on my ribcage, I could barely focus on anything else. The blaring pain and sadness I felt made my efforts all the harder. Maureen had a big family. It would help if I knew their names, but that wasn’t important right now.
Ignoring his question, I asked, “Why isn’t she here? She came here. I sensed her, but now I can’t tell where she went to.” Scratching my head, I added, “Actually, I don’t feel her at all.”
“He’s right.” A petite, angelic looking blonde, possibly another sibling, piped in. Her brow furrowed as she glanced around. “Now that he said it, I can’t sense her either.”
“The first funnel’s forming now.” The demon that spoke didn’t carry the same blood as the rest of them. The longer I took in his scent, the more confused I was. I couldn’t identify his species. There was something almost ancient to his odor, but for the life of me I couldn’t pinpoint it. The scent wasuntapped—dormant. He focused on Grim. “What are we doing?”
“If she’s not here, then I have no reason to be,” I said to no one in particular as I palmed the portal chip in my jeans—a garment I was growing accustomed to because of Maureen. Her notion that things needed to be kept private made sense. The thought of her walking around without a stich of clothing to cover up the ripeness of her heavy, but pert tits… The slim, solid muscles of her abdomen that were equally soft and hard… Or the sacred place between her lush thighs that I had yet to taste but salivated just thinking about it… All those things made me understand the need for decency. For the first time I got it while imagining it being her on display for anyone to see.
I took my hand from my pocket. Something didn’t seem right. I couldn’t decipher the churning in my stomach, but it wasn’t good. It rumbled its displeasure all the way up into my throat. Was I choking? But how? There was nothing in my mouth or throat, yet it seemed like a giant ball inside me.
Unease.
My eyes widened with awareness.
Fear.
“She should be here,” I said to anyone who might be listening. “She was on her way here. Something about the climates. Why isn’t she here?”
Something’s wrong,my thought was more urgent this time. I could feel it from the tips of my toe up to the top of my head. “She said she’d be here even if her fate didn’t depend upon this world.” Whether that was true or not, I had no idea. I was spouting out anything at that point. Maureen’s family didn’t know what our previous conversation had been about, but they should listen when I told them something was wrong.