by Cheree Alsop
She handed him his helmet from where it hung on the handle. He buckled it on with surprising difficulty. Pride kept him from admitting that lifting his arms to the straps was painful enough to make him wonder if he had punctured at least one lung again. By the time he was settled, he was struggling to breathe.
Siale let out a small breath as she reached for the starter. Alex realized she was nervous. He leaned closer to her.
“That’s it. Hold in the clutch.” A smile spread across his face at the rumble of the engine. He wondered how he had gone so long without riding. “Okay,” he continued. “Rev the gas. Easy on the clutch. It’s a bit touchy, but once you get used to it, this will be the best motorcycle you’ve ever ridden.”
Siale drove carefully across the floor. Alex hit the button Trent had placed within easy reach and the garage door slid up. They rode into the courtyard.
“Wha-who is driving Alex’s bike?” Trent’s voice demanded over the headsets.
Alex chuckled, then winced at the pain. “It’s me, Trent.”
“Alex?” Trent replied, his tone shocked. “How, I mean, when, I mean, I didn’t think you’d be out of bed yet.”
“He shouldn’t be,” Siale replied. “But he’s stubborn.”
Trent let out a relieved sigh and said, “Siale, I’m glad you’re with him. Who knows what he’s up to?”
“I’m right here,” Alex reminded them.
“It’s okay, Trent. Thank you for being such a good friend,” Siale said. “Would you mind opening the gate?”
“For you, no problem,” Trent answered.
“Would it have been a problem for me?” Alex asked.
“Yes,” Trent and Siale replied at the same time.
Alex shook his head, but he couldn’t fight back a small smile at the actions of the people who cared about him.
“We’re going to Cherish’s,” Siale told Trent. “I don’t know when we’ll be back.”
“Thanks for letting me know. At least somebody keeps me posted on what’s happening,” Trent replied pointedly.
“I let you know,” Alex protested.
“Before or after you’re gone?” Trent queried.
“Uh, after,” Alex replied. “There’s no reason to tell you before. What if I change my mind?”
“Has that ever happened?”
“No,” Alex admitted.
The gate opened and Siale drove the motorcycle through.
“Thanks, Trent,” she said.
“You’re welcome, Siale. Be careful, both of you.”
“We will,” she promised.
Alex could feel Siale’s tension as she drove the motorcycle down the small road.
“Don’t fight it,” he said. “Loosen your grip and listen. The engine will tell you what it needs.”
Siale’s shoulders relaxed and the roar of the engine fell into a comfortable growl. Alex leaned into the turns. With each movement, he had to bite back making any sound at the pain. He knew he should have waited another day or so for his body to heal, but he had never been one to hesitate a decision.
“Relax.”
Siale’s voice was soft within the sound of the engine and the hum of the road beneath the tires.
“What?” Alex asked.
He could hear the smile in his fiancé’s voice when she replied, “I can hear how much you’re hurting when you breathe. Relax. Lean against me. I’m stronger than you think I am.”
Alex fought back a wry grin. He thought he had been doing so well at pretending to be fine.
The road leveled out after the forest. The moonlight, now unfiltered by the trees, settled on Alex’s shoulders like a cloak. The moonlight was strong; the full moon was only a few days away. Alex felt the light seep into his skin, encouraging his body to heal. Alex let his breath out slowly and gave in to Siale’s words.
He slipped his arms around her waist. Siale’s hand came off the brake and rested on his for a moment. Alex leaned his head on her shoulder, his helmet touching hers. With another outlet of breath, Alex willed his muscles to relax. He hadn’t realized just how much pain he had been causing himself by sitting up so straight. The release of tension seeped out of him and was replaced by the warmth and exhaustion of healing. Alex closed his eyes.
After blissful hours of darkness, Alex found himself on the building of D Block. The Demons were forcing their way through the door. Alex ran toward Jericho, but his legs stuck to the roof like glue. It pulled at his feet, slowing him while the Demons tore his friend and Alpha apart. Alex fought with every ounce of his strength, but he couldn’t get free. Jericho was being flayed in front of his eyes.
“Jericho!”
Alex jerked awake. Siale’s hand on his arm kept him from falling off the motorcycle. Night had changed to day while Alex slept. The warmth of the sun bathed him as they rode.
“It’s alright,” she reassured him. “You’re with me. We’re on our way to Cherish’s.”
“I failed him.”
Siale shook her head. “I saw the entire thing from the helicopter camera. You didn’t fail him. You did everything you could to save him. If it wasn’t for you, Trent would be dead, too.” She paused, then said, “Alex, you jumped off a building to save Jericho. You did everything you possibly could have to help him come home alive.”
Alex asked the question that plagued him. “How do we tell Cherish?”
Siale’s hand tightened on his. “We do it together.”
The silence that surrounded them was comfortable and warm. Alex had jumped off a building. He could have died as easily as Jericho except for the Demon that ran through his veins. He didn’t know what it was or where it came from, but now there were still at least eight of them loose and terrorizing the land.
Trent’s voice came over the headsets.
“Siale, you still awake?”
“Yes,” Siale answered, her tone warm. “Thanks for checking.”
“I am, too,” Alex said. “Just in case you wanted to know.”
Trent chuckled. “I didn’t want to ask in case you were getting some much-needed sleep. Your mom asked about you, by the way. I think she’s a little tired of finding your hospital bed empty. I told her you were with Siale, so she’s not too worried. But try to get some more sleep if you can. I built you a smooth-riding motorcycle and then taught your fiancé how to drive it for a reason.”
“Thanks,” Alex replied.
Trent’s tone became serious. “Now for why I called. The GPA has been sifting through the rubble that was once D Block; they found pieces of four Demons.” He paused, then said, “As well as Drogan’s hand.”
Alex’s stomach tightened. “Are they sure it’s his?”
“We just received DNA confirmation,” Trent replied. “They’re saying he’s dead. You did it, Alex.”
Alex shook his head. “You and Mouse did it,” he said numbly. “And I’m glad. Good job.”
“Same to you.” Alex could hear the sadness in the little werewolf’s voice when Trent concluded, “Please tell Cherish I’m sorry about Jericho. Kaynan and Grace are with Mrs. Hunt making preparations. The funeral will be in two days.”
“I’ll let her know,” Alex answered his friend. “Thanks for everything, Trent.”
“Have a safe trip, you two.”
“We will,” Siale said.
After a few minutes of silence, Siale was the one who broke it. “I don’t believe the GPA.”
Alex stared at the back of her helmet in surprise. “You think they’re lying?”
She shook her head. “I think they found his hand, but I don’t think he’s dead.”
Relief filled Alex. It was the same way he had felt when Trent told him the news. “I know; I agree. So what do we do?”
“There’s a homicidal werewolf-killing Extremist whose goal is to wipe you and anyone you love from this earth. We need to stop him.”
“You sound like you have a plan,” Alex hedged.
“We draw him out.” She sounded surer of hersel
f by the second.
“Alright, I’ll bite. How?”
“Our wedding.”
Alex couldn’t be more shocked. “Let me get this straight. You want to use our wedding to draw Drogan out into the open so we can take him down?”
“We’ll throw a fake wedding,” she replied. She slowed the motorcycle around a turn. “It has to look real. That’s the only way he’ll fall for it. We can’t tell anyone except your team.”
“Our team,” Alex said, still trying to get his mind around what she was suggesting.
“Our team,” she replied with the sound of a smile in her voice. She tipped her head back. “Let’s focus on Cherish; we’ll plan our fake wedding on the way home.”
Chapter Twenty-one
Alex knocked on the door.
“I usually climb up the fire escape,” he said in an effort to push down the sadness that filled his chest.
Siale slipped her hand into his. They listened to footsteps cross to the door.
“Alex?” Cherish said when she pulled it open. Her hair was mussed and she looked as though they had woken her up. She glanced to his right and her eyes widened. “Siale?” Her voice cracked. She shook her head. “No. This can’t be right. You aren’t supposed to be here.”
Siale set a hand on Cherish’s arm. “I’m so sorry.”
Tears spilled down Cherish’s cheeks. “It can’t be. I talked to Jericho yesterday. He said he was leaving on a mission to stop the Demons.”
Alex nodded. “The Demons overpowered us.” He blinked back tears of his own. “Jericho saved mine and Trent’s lives.”
Cherish began to sob. Siale wrapped her in a hug. Alex cried with them, his eyes shut tight and his hand squeezing them in an attempt to slow the tears that refused to obey.
“I’m so sorry, Cherish,” he said. “I tried to save him. I really did.”
Cherish took a shuddering breath and looked around as though she had just realized they were still standing in the hallway.
“Please come in,” she said, wiping her tears. New tears took their place. She led the way to the small living room and motioned for them to sit on the couch. “You must be exhausted. Let me get you some water.”
She was gone far longer than filling cups would normally take. Alex and Siale sat on the couch and held hands.
Siale took the ring from her pocket. “I feel like you should give this to her,” she said, her eyes bright with tears.
Alex took it without a word and then held her close. Her shaking shoulders brought sobs to his chest, but he forced them down. The girls needed him to be strong. He would be there for them the way Jericho had always been there for him.
When Cherish came back, her eyes were red and puffy and she carried a picture frame instead of cups.
“I forgot the water,” she apologized.
“We’re fine,” Siale replied. “You don’t need to get us anything. We’re so sorry we had to come here under these circumstances.”
Alex opened his hand. The ring glittered on his palm. “The last thing Jericho said was to give you this,” his voice caught, but he forced himself to say, “And to tell you how much he loved you.”
Cherish picked up the ring with shaking fingers. She gave a watery smile. “It’s beautiful.”
Siale nodded and smiled through her tears. “It’s gorgeous.”
Cherish slipped it on her finger, and though fresh tears trailed down her cheeks, the smile stayed. “He was the one who broke me down. I said I’d never marry. But I would have said yes to him.”
“I think he knew that,” Alex told her. “He knew how much you loved him.”
She gave him a grateful smile. “And I know how much he loved me. He said it whenever we spoke on the phone. It was the first thing he always said when we got together, and the last thing he said before he left.” She blinked quickly. “It was the last thing he said to me when he hung up the phone before your mission.”
Alex bowed his head. “Cherish, if I could have done anything to save him…”
“I know,” she said. “That’s why I brought this.” She held out the picture frame.
Alex took it. When he saw who was in the photo, his breath caught.
“Is that Jet?” Siale asked.
Alex nodded.
Cherish leaned closer. “That’s Jericho in the middle. I think he said he was nine when the picture was taken.” She pointed to the woman on Jericho’s left. Alex recognized Mrs. Hunt. “That’s his mother, and those two little boys,” she gave a fond smile, “Those are Jericho’s twin brothers, Zach and Zeb. They’re three years old in that picture.”
“They look like little angels with their blond hair and blue eyes,” Siale said. “They’re so adorable.”
“In real life, they’re much more mischievous than they look,” Cherish said.
Alex stared at the picture. “I didn’t know Jericho had brothers.” His gaze kept straying to Jet standing behind the twins. His brother didn’t smile, he had seldom ever smiled, but he had the satisfied look on his face that said he had just finished a job that ended well. Alex knew the expression by heart.
“They’re not werewolves, they’re human,” Cherish explained. “They’re eleven now, and they never phased. Zach and Zeb go to public school.”
“They look so happy,” Siale noted with a smile.
Cherish nodded. “They were just reunited. Extremists killed Jericho’s father and captured Jericho’s mom and brothers when he was out with his friends. He thought he would never see them again. He said Jet saved their lives.” She set a hand on Alex’s knee, bringing his gaze up to hers. “That’s why I brought this out. Jericho told me it was one of his most prized possessions. He gave it to me in case anything happened to him.”
That caught Alex’s attention. “What do you mean?”
Cherish looked at the picture. “He said if there was ever a chance to repay Jet for saving his mom and brothers, he would take it.” She met Alex’s gaze again, her green eyes filled with emotion. “He said he would gladly give his life for yours if the opportunity ever called for it. He asked me to understand if it happened.”
Alex shook his head, refusing to comprehend her words. “He knew this might happen?” he asked incredulously. He stared at the picture. “He was willing to give his life away just to save mine?”
“No, Alex,” Cherish replied.
Alex stared at her, wanting his heart not to ache the way it did at her words, hoping for something that would make him feel less responsible for his friend’s death.
“It wasn’t just to save your life. It was to save you because saving you meant repaying your brother. Jet gave Jericho his family back, and do you know what Jericho did?” Cherish paused, then said, “He saved the life of the werewolf who has almost single-handedly given his werewolf mother and his younger brothers the chance at a normal life. Jericho loved you like a brother.”
Alex let his head hang. “He was a brother to me, too.”
The warmth in Cherish’s voice cut through his sorrow when she said, “Then remember him as a brother who was happy to have been your Alpha. He felt like he learned as much from you as you did from him.”
Alex took in a shuddering breath. “That’s why he choose me as his Second.”
“When?” Siale asked.
Alex realized neither girl had been there. “In Jericho’s first term at the Academy, he choose me as his Second. It was the first time a Termer Alpha had ever chosen a Lifer to be his Second.” He shook his head with amazement. “That’s why he gave me a chance. He was repaying Jet.”
The thought brought a smile to Alex’s face. The fast bond he and Jericho had created was in part because of Jet. It was another way his big brother had looked out for him long after his death.
“Jericho was amazing,” Alex concluded.
“Yes, he was,” Cherish said. Her voice broke.
Alex could see the tears she had yet to cry etched in the sorrow of her eyes. He gave her a hug. Cherish started
to cry again. Siale hugged her as well and the three cried together in sorrow and in joy at the memories of the werewolf who had meant so much to all of them.
“I need to talk to my mom,” Cherish said. She sniffed and wiped her cheeks with her sleeve.
“We’ll walk with you there,” Alex replied.
He and Siale walked beside Cherish through the streets of Greyton. Evening had fallen. Cars drove by and pedestrians filled the streets on their way home from work. Alex looked for gang symbols, but they had been washed from the sides of buildings and street signs. Children played on the steps they passed and mothers chatted as they watched their children. The appearance of a city held siege by the gangs that filled it were gone.
“Jericho always helped me appreciate the little things,” Cherish said after they had walked several blocks. She gave a sad smile and nodded to a little vine that clung to the side of a building and grew toward the sunlight. “He always pointed this plant out. He said it was beautiful the way it persevered in the middle of concrete and bricks.”
“It is beautiful,” Siale agreed. She touched a leaf from the vine.
“Jericho always talked about how pretty the sky was, and how much he loved being a werewolf because of how the animal senses worked with his human ones.” She blinked quickly. “He used to try to describe it to me so I would understand. He didn’t want me to feel left out.”
Alex noticed that she fidgeted with the ring on her finger. He caught her hand and looked at it. “The ring looks beautiful on you.”
“It’s a perfect fit,” Cherish said.
“Jericho would have been so happy to see it on you,” Siale told her. She gave Cherish another hug.
They walked together in front of Alex. Siale threw him a grateful smile that Alex returned.
Alex and Siale waited near the door of Frenchie’s Food. The sound of Mrs. Summer’s surprised gasp and both women crying made Alex’s heart ache. He glanced at Siale. The answering tears trailing silently down her cheeks was almost too much. Alex lifted his arm; she ducked under it and buried her face against his chest. Alex felt Siale’s tears soak his shirt. He closed his eyes and held her, each of them supporting the other and sharing their strength along with the heartache.
