by Nini Church
Jericho spent some time petting him while whispering into one long ear. The dog howled out a whistling grunt of pleasure and leaned into Jericho with his full weight. The big Jinn grunted for effect.
Abe enjoyed the moment as this was a side of Jericho not seen before.
Absolutely smitten with the dog, he kissed its head.
CHAPTER 7
The oven timer dinged. Cookies were ready. A nice little distraction. Abe filled a platter with raisin chocolate chip cookies. She busied around sliding the platter onto the island and returned to the stove to plate more. She munched on one as silence settled in behind her.
“These are fine cookies.” Crumbs dropped down the front of Caleb’s t-shirt, a few falling directly from his mouth. In heaven, he didn’t give a shit.
“Deluxe. All the way, myn lykyng.” Jericho agreed shoving in the bottom end of his fourth cookie.
“Well met, lass. Make ‘em as often as you like.” Conn stuffed another whole cookie into his mouth, rolled his eyes and moaned softly.
“Thanks. I like to bake.”
Her second cookie, still hot inside was crunchy around the outside, yet soft and gooey in the centre. A hot chunk of chocolate shot missile style out the side, splattering on the floor, a puff of steam rising.
Into the silence came a rustling shuffle with an odd double slap. Sir Randy was on it in what could be considered a flash for him. Hot or not the drub of chocolate disappeared.
“Precious,” Abe crooned and Sir Randy snapped his jaws shut, cocking his head, the tops of his ears high. “Precious, no cookies for you. No.”
Frustrated and demanding, Sir Randy howled continuously.
Hands cupping his ears, Caleb shouted in obvious distress, “Abe stop! We never say no to him. He gets what he wants and now you know why.”
It appeared Sir Randy was a regular little manipulator and he wore the pants in this extended family.
Abe was shocked – a roomful of big males, warriors all, and one stubby thirty-pound dog ruled this roost. “Really?”
What sounded like a sob escaped Sir Randy’s surprisingly broad chest. A small groan followed and then he opened his jaws wide to go at it again.
Reaching down, Abe tapped the tip of his nose, always an ultra-sensitive spot.
In sheer defeat, Sir Randy tore his head away, emitting a low irritated grunt.
Golden silence lay over the kitchen as they collectively waited. Ears still ringing from the assault, Caleb smiled widely, nodding his appreciation.
Intentionally Matty laughed, breaking the silence, swallowing the last bite of her third cookie before glancing at Abe. “He found his way into my fridge and ate everything – the little bastard. Oops. Excuse me. I meant to say Jericho’s lovely dog. We all do, in our own way love him dearly. The dog I mean, of course.”
Abe snorted before loudly laughing. “He’s your dog?” A smile, widening by the second, iridescent emerald eyes on Jericho and sparkling with mischief made it all too clear she already decided he was either a softie, an idiot or both.
Sheepishly, Jericho shrugged. “Yeah, I picked him up a few years ago abandoned on the side of the road. Sir Randalph is his formal name, but we usually call him Sir Randy or SR for short.”
Abe focused on Jericho, but when his deep blue eyes finally met hers, all emotion and expression melted away. Any connection she thought was there between them disappeared. She hated when he cut himself off – too distant to reach. Lately, he’d been doing that quite often.
Why hadn’t she noticed before now?
Was she all wrong about Jericho?
Did he have any feelings for her?
With a sinking heart, belatedly Abe realized he deliberately broke the connection between them.
A switch flicked in her brain. Gawd – she had neglected to pick up on his silent signals! Jericho was only being kind – he had no interest. Worse by far, he probably felt sorry for her and she had taken it to the next fantasy level. All her wonderful dreams and hopes were starkly dashed.
She had used Jericho as a diversion to fill her memory gaps.
At first, Jericho had been open and warm, willing to discuss any subject. It seemed then he enjoyed their conversations and the time they spent together, but lately he had gone out of his way to avoid her. Awkwardly so on one occasion when she entered a room and he immediately hustled out in mid conversation.
His obvious rejection stung and that was before bone deep embarrassment shifted in to swamp her with absolute humiliation.
On several very recent occasions, she practically threw herself at him. Of course, he always stepped back, holding her away, calming her down while he sorted out the problem.
Emerald eyes scanned the tall willowy female with a pert bob of highlighted rich brown hair. She was more than pretty, her features blending to create classic beauty.
Were Matty and Jericho an item?
Maybe Jericho was only playing with her until his Matty arrived. She appeared at ease with the other males.
Abe shook her head, chocking off the green-eyed jealousy monster. Indeed, Matty stayed near Zulu, talking only to him while ignoring the others.
With deep regret and a heavy heart, Abe forced herself to admit she had nothing to be jealous about. Most certainly Jericho Sullivan was not hers as he would never be interested in a broken female like her.
Without any of her old memories, she had tried to anchor onto Jericho as a new place to start. It was a real blow now that she knew Jericho wasn’t the one for her. Abe craved substance – a place to start – only what she thought was real turned out to be pure fantasy – her own. Obviously, she’d been wrong about him and assumed there was a connection between them when there was none.
Abe’s innate and positive sparkle evaporated. Hope always springing eternal went on holiday, not intending to return for six months until her heart mended. Right now, she needed to be alone, take some time to consider her future instead of drifting along and dreaming the impossible.
With all her heart, she wished her memory would return. If not, there was no way it was holding her back. She had to get on with her life and that meant putting a plan together. Desperately, she needed to get away for some quiet time. Stifling a yawn, she announced, “I’m off to an early bed.”
Abe avoided looking directly at anyone and never Jericho again – it would kill her to see pity in his eyes. Way too mortifying now that her rose colored glasses were gone and no longer helping her to ignore reality.
Jericho watched his beautiful Abe casually saunter out of the kitchen. With no idea what just happened – it was clear something changed for her. He not only saw, but also sensed as her bright spark dimmed, her usual positive glow disappearing as she withdrew. His gut twisted when her emerald eyes swept the room, seeking escape. Was it him? Had he done anything to upset her?
He let out a long sigh – it was time to be honest and tell Abe about his intense and overwhelming draw to her. He blanched at the idea as he had no clue how to share his feelings – it went against a male’s nature to talk about shit like that. But, with everything else Abe was working through right now, she didn’t need more confusion added to the mix by not being aware of how she took him by storm.
When he naturally never would’ve, he accorded her space and let her leave the kitchen as the others chattered, stuffing the remaining few cookies into their gobs. Including Matty, loudly threatening Zulu with bodily harm if he didn’t give over his last half cookie.
With Abe’s presence in his home, it was all so different. Her aura of incredible lightness and being along with a healthy sense of humor was fresh air to his parched soul.
It wasn’t his nature to have anyone else decide or stand beside him as a true equal. For which Abe naturally did – hands fucking down. Within a short period, she found her way into his heart and those of his team. Everyone liked her, enjoyed her company and often sought her out. His jealousy raged at those times, but he’d held it in check, wanting her happy
and giggling.
Truly, Jericho wanted to throw back his head and roar with laughter. For the first time in a very long time an abiding sense of hominess and peace filled the kitchen. Hell – all over the compound. Even his team were more at ease and all because of Abe.
Solemnly reality struck home and no laughter erupted, nor did he enjoy this moment – it was all too sad. Without knowing who or what she really was – both her lineage and heritage – his choice of mate would be torn to shreds.
Abe was his ideal female, everything he ever needed or wanted, but she was also a complete distraction when he should be focusing now more than ever. They were all in danger, having her here in his home – if anyone found out, they would go for the weak spot and Abe was it. No female would ever be safe around him or his team nor could they offer anyone a normal life.
Abe craved that – she had talked about it at length. Just living day to day seemed to appeal to her. Whatever part of normal she craved, it shone through on those occasions and only served to turn his heart to pure stone. His life had never been normal and never would be. Therefore, he had nothing to offer her.
What he wished for – hell fucking craved – was impossible. Jericho refused to accept that. No way in hell was he letting her go – it made him uneasy to even consider it.
Complications compounded – as King, a First Blood, First Order Jinn and royal to his core, mating was expected of him. Rumor had it many Jinn families fought amongst themselves, jostling to thrust their daughters under Jericho’s nose first. What no one understood was he didn’t intend to mate – at least not for the sake of it anyway.
Female Jinn rarely got with child so to mate simply to have a Queen held no interest for him. There were no laws stating he had to mate and he most certainly could not be forced to take one because he was King.
Abe was it for him. Just it. He didn’t want anyone else and didn’t know how to make it happen. His mind spun over possibilities and still seeing no way out – he couldn’t give up. He craved Abe – and only Abe – no one was going to tell him any different.
Reno sauntered in beside Jericho, held up five fingers and disappeared down the back stairs.
In short order the rest of the team followed, leaving only Jericho and Matty.
Inquisitively, Matty arched one brow. “So? Who is she?”
Jericho glared at Matty. He didn’t like being questioned – especially about Abe. Right now it was a real touchy subject for him. “Abe has a concussion and is still healing. Hopefully, she’ll stay in bed and won’t bother you."
“Jericho?” It went unspoken Matty wanted details about Abe and what she was doing here. Curiosity bit at her. In all her years, a single beautiful female had never stayed for any length of time in any of Jericho’s compounds.
It was unheard of.
And she wanted to know more.
Much more.
“Not now, Matty. Please be careful what you say to her.”
With a nod Matty agreed, but wanted only one answer. Curiosity burned a hole in her brain. “Where’s she sleeping?”
Jericho’s black brows rose high as he pointedly ignored her question. “Caleb is downstairs if you need anything. No snooping, Matty.”
CHAPTER 8
Reno and Jericho arrived at The Eclypse Hotel in downtown Bellsville a few minutes before their 9 p.m. meeting.
Jericho knew he should be focusing, but Abe’s beautiful face filled his mind. She surrounded him, the very essence of her settling into the core of him. He loved her laugh, her magnificent presence in his home, the way she brought a sparkle to everything she touched.
Admiration and respect she earned from each of his team had nothing to do with him and everything to do with her. Milestones Rad passed in a few short days with her help, showing him all females were not equal. No longer confused, Rad was sure now that he did nothing to deserve such torture. For that one small step, Jericho was grateful.
To Abe.
His everything.
He craved her – with him, under him, however possible. Yet, it was impossible, he couldn’t keep her. Not even on the side. The very idea made him smile. Abe wasn’t an on the side female. Nah, she was the all or nothing type.
A treasure. A gift he never expected. A gift he couldn't accept.
Jericho’s Jinn senses came alive – he sensed movement where there should be very little. Something was going on in the room where their meeting was to take place. Quickly, he tucked thoughts of Abe away while letting his focus take over.
Impatient now, he took the stairs two at a time, mowing up the main staircase.
Jericho didn’t do elevators.
Reno scanned the lobby below and the stairs above before widening his senses to take in the entire second floor. There were a couple of hot spots. A somewhat familiar hot spot Reno had a hard time pinning down as the energy stayed in motion, shifting too rapidly to catch hold. Fuck that pissed him off. Nothing was going down on his watch. Barely moving his lips, he spoke into the com-link buried in his ear. “We’re going in.”
A heartbeat later, Conn softly returned, “Roger. Copy that.” All communications were secure – no one could listen in. Their tech wizard, Caleb, ensured it and had built this particular system exclusively for Jericho's elite team. They worked almost invisible due to Caleb’s tech magic and to Conn that’s what it was – pure magic. He knew magic as he hailed from the isle of Scotland.
On the second floor, Jericho immediately sensed several heat signatures inside the meeting room when there should only be two, confirming his initial take. He strode down the wide hallway, shit-kickers thundering. On high alert, he signaled Reno there were unscheduled extras inside the meeting room.
Reno stayed close, already aware of the extra bodies. He wanted to grin like a kid. Obviously, Jericho still held one part of his focus on a blonde named Abe otherwise he would've known Reno was already on it. He had his King's back. Always. Not much got by either of them.
Jericho’s Jinn senses heightened, his big body hardening. Near the meeting room, fresh blood scented the air. Blood and lots of it. Jinn’s didn’t hunger for it, but many other races did.
Reno reached out, opening one of the double doors wide. Without hesitating, Jericho pushed past him, stepping into a world of carnage. Blood spatter was everywhere. His appointed meeting with the turned Vamp came to an end before it even started. There was a certain rank odor that hung over the smell of blood and it stunk like Sandro. Evidently, he was dead and it wasn’t from having his heart ripped out. Only shredded bits and tiny pieces remained. Not even a chunk or three.
Blood covered every flat surface and dripped down once creamy beige walls. Not only Sandro was dead, but also two of his Grunts. It had happened very fast and Jericho’s instincts told that whoever did this was still here, but masked.
Jericho's gut clenched – this was truly sick.
Reno tensed, body bowing forward, eyes riveted on misty shadows taking form in a dark corner of the big meeting room.
Jericho stilled, fists clenching at his sides. He recognized her scent. Their last meeting at the Council of Nine hadn’t gone so well; she had done nothing but threaten him.
He didn’t give a fuck then and still didn’t now.
Tess took form out of the shadows. A nightmare from hell and a powerful Demon. Jinn’s held more innate power than a Demon ever could and she hated him for that. Jericho returned it a thousand fold.
A number of years back when Tess set her sights on Jericho, he purposely brushed her off with a nasty comment – Not interested in sloppy seconds. She had taken great offense as he meant her to and from then on she had tried to make his life a living hell. It hadn’t worked – he continued ignoring her. She wasn’t worth the effort – never had been.
Jericho didn’t bother greeting the bitch. “Really, Tess? You get your kicks doin’ this shit?” Openly disgusted, he waved a hand over the carnage. “There are laws against killing in human establishments in case you did
n’t fucking know.”
Head back, short blue-black curls bobbing, she screeched – her idea of laugher. It ended abruptly when she boldly met his eyes. Dressed entirely in black leather, she appeared to be rocking the dominatrix look, but it was a fail, she didn’t have the body for it.
Indeed, Jericho noted the leather bodysuit only accentuated her thunder thighs and complete lack of breasts. If Tess turned to the side, one could wonder, was it male or female?
Sharp weapons displayed on a suede band across her flat chest were for shock value. Streiken metal stars were her speciality, enabling her to kill from a distance, but her favorite weapons were the slim chains wrapping her waist, deadly Demon tools she was proficient with. It was hard to miss several of her knives strapped to one thigh were still smeared with blood, bits of flesh and bone.
If rumors were true, Tess liked to cut and also had a keen interest in torture too.
This room and its contents proved those rumors true. Not only had she killed, but then torn the dead to shreds.
“You know I’ve been watching you, Jinn, waiting for any opportunity. Well I took it today! You’ve got trash in your trunk, Jericho. Best of all you’re fucking hiding it. Damn, that’s sweet.” Her dull brown eyes switched back and forth rapidly as if she were a million miles away.
Out of spite and a heavy dose of revenge, Tess had lured the female from Jericho’s home, easily leading her past wards no doubt he was responsible for. The stupid, trusting human had followed Tess’ request without hesitation. At the time, it had all seemed a bit too easy.
What had Tess done? Hairs on the back of Jericho’s neck were standing on end as his hard body bristled with alarm, yet he gave nothing away. “You’re talking bullshit as usual.”
Tess cackled, ending on a high screech. Her pretty face scrunched up tight, she stated, “I’ve got your human and I intend to present her to Council. With her you've broken ancient Jinn law. Oh yeah, there’s no way out for you. Your trash is gonna be on display for all to see.”
