by Lori Drake
Eric’s throat worked under Chris’s hand as he swallowed, his bravado faltering as he took that in. He took a step back. “Wait. We can work something out. Something good for both of—for all three of us.”
“Oh no,” Chris said, stepping forward to follow him. “We’re way past that now. Roger? I’m ready for you.”
“Chris, please…”
A veil of darkness descended, and when it lifted, Chris was standing over Eric’s corpse. The alpha’s eyes were wide open and bloodshot, his neck bearing telltale red and purple marks. The scent of urine was on the air. Chris wasn’t sure what he expected to feel. Satisfaction? Closure? All he felt was relief.
He had no idea how many lives Eric had destroyed, but his reign of terror was over.
27
The flight back to Seattle was solemn. The small chartered jet—Joey did her best not to think about just how small it was—had been unintentionally divided along pack lines. Chris’s pack had gravitated to the seats on one side, while hers sat on the other. There wasn’t much in the way of conversation; most wore headphones and listened to music, slept, or watched videos on the numerous built-in TV screens. Adelaide’s casket rode in the aft cabin, and Reginald sat back there with her. Joey and her brothers took turns checking on him, but all things considered, he was holding up pretty well.
Joey had a row to herself, though in this case, a row was four seats arranged to face each other with a table in between. Roger’s can was belted into the seat across from hers. Before they’d parted ways for Dean’s long ride back to Seattle, Dean had assured her that Roger had crossed over after killing Eric, but a deal was a deal. She’d make sure his ashes got back to his family.
The flight crew had scrounged up a notepad and a pen for her, but they sat untouched on the table in front of her. She had no idea what she’d say at her mother’s funeral, but she had time to figure it out. Laying an Alpha to rest was a big affair, so it wasn’t going to happen overnight. Plus, they still had to figure out how to explain her death to the authorities and… Yeah, there were a lot of things to consider.
Joey’s eyes slid out the window, wondering how long it’d be before the ache in her chest abated. She’d spent so many years trying to wriggle out from under her mother’s manicured thumb, but now that Adelaide was gone… Joey would’ve given anything to have her back, even for one moment. Knowing that the spell that’d taken Adelaide down had been meant for Joey didn’t make it any easier. Guilt and grief twined together, until she couldn’t tell one from the other.
“Is this seat taken?” Ben’s voice drew Joey back from her maudlin thoughts. He dropped into the seat next to hers without waiting for her to reply.
Joey took a deep, calming breath before turning from the window. “What’s up?”
“Does something need to be up?” Ben stretched his legs out under the table and crossed his ankles, slouching in his seat.
Joey’s brows pinched together and she rubbed the space between them in an effort to alleviate the dull throbbing that’d been sitting there all day. “No, I guess not.”
They sat quietly for a few minutes before Ben said, “You were right.”
“Huh?”
“About Brandon. I mean, you were a real bitch about it, but you were right. I was… overwrought, given how long we were together.”
Joey covered his hand with hers and squeezed lightly. “I’m sorry for being a bitch. I didn’t know how else to get through to you.”
“When all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail, right?” Brandon flashed her a small smile. “Besides, I can’t be too angry with you. You brought me a sexy librarian.”
Joey’s lips twitched in a smirk. “What makes you think he plays for your team, anyway?”
Ben snorted. “Please. He’s wearing a sweater vest.”
“He’s also within earshot, you know.” But she wasn’t too worried about Justin overhearing them. He’d crashed pretty hard shortly after takeoff, snoring quietly in the back row. A soft click drew Joey’s attention to the rear of the cabin, where Jon was returning from checking on Reginald. “How worried should we be about Dad?”
“Pretty worried. You know what usually happens with long-term mates.”
“Yeah. The surviving spouse doesn’t usually make it long.” Joey’s head throbbed harder, and she rubbed it again. Losing her father wasn’t something she wanted to contemplate. “Maybe he’ll beat the odds.”
“Maybe.”
Joey sensed him studying her and let her hand drop into her lap again.
“What about you?” Ben asked. “How are you doing?”
“Peachy.” Joey blew out a breath and chewed the inside of her lip. “I’m not ready for this.”
“None of us are, girl. But we’ll figure it out.” He turned his hand over and laced his fingers with hers. “Why’s Chris on the other side of the plane? Figured you two would be inseparable right about now.”
Joey’s fingers twitched, itching to rub her head again, but she kept them lowered and leaned forward slightly, glancing across the aisle. Chris sat there with headphones on and eyes closed. She doubted he was sleeping. When he’d come back from the desert with Dean and Roger’s can, he hadn’t had much to say beyond assurances that the Eric situation was handled.
“I’m not sure,” Joey said. “I think he just needs some space. He’s been through a lot, and we’ve got a lot to deal with when we get home.”
Ben studied her, a shrewdness in his eyes that made her shift uncomfortably in her seat. He didn’t say anything. He didn’t have to.
Sighing, Joey let her head drop back against the plush chair’s pillowy headrest. “Quit looking at me like I’m supposed to have all the answers. I don’t know what to do. I don’t know how to help him. Hell, right now, I don’t know how to help myself. All I see ahead of me is an ocean of unknown, and if I stop swimming, I’ll die.”
“Now who’s being dramatic?” Ben murmured, but he squeezed her hand. “Just keep kicking, little sister. That’s all any of us can do.”
Chris was drifting on the edge of sleep when the music stopped flowing into his headphones. He opened his eyes and found Jessica sitting across from him. She twirled the plug at the other end of his headphones and eyed him. The image of her wolf ripping Rob’s throat out was burned into his brain. Then again, so was the image of Rob setting Colt—among other things—on fire. He’d seen a lot of things that night that’d haunt him.
Chris pushed himself a little more upright. “What’s up?”
“You owe me an apology.”
“I’m sorry,” he said. She was right, after all.
Jessica blinked, as if that was the last response she expected. “Wow, that was easy. Wait.” Her eyes narrowed. “Do you even know what you’re apologizing for?”
Chris yawned and scratched at his bearded jaw. “For leaving you in charge and skipping town without telling you what was really going on.”
“Daaaamn. You’re good.” She flopped back in her seat and crossed her legs.
“Thanks. Can I have my cord back?”
“I haven’t accepted your apology yet.”
Chris sighed and rubbed his face. “Okay, how can I facilitate that? Because I’d really like a nap before we land.” He hadn’t meant to sound snappish, but he’d barely gotten any sleep in the last forty-eight hours. Between the guilt and the grief, he was barely holding his shit together at this point.
She twirled the plug through the air a bit more. “Well, promising not to do it again would be a good start.”
“I promise not to do it again.” He tugged on the cord, yanking it from her hand.
She made no move to grab it again. “Jeez, this is too easy. You’re taking all the fun out of it.” Jessica huffed and folded her arms, looking out the window.
Chris reeled the cord in and fumbled with the headphone jack, trying to slide it into the outlet on the chair’s arm. He felt Jessica’s eyes on him again, even before she spoke.
&nbs
p; “You okay, boss?”
“Honestly? Not really.” Abandoning the plug for now, he stripped the headphones off and tossed them into the seat beside him. As he did, his eyes shifted across the aisle to where Joey sat with Ben.
“Want to talk about it?” Jessica asked.
Chris returned his focus forward and sighed, leaning against the cabin’s slightly curved wall. “Not really.”
“Guess I’ll fuck off, then.” She uncrossed her legs and stood.
“Jess, wait. Thank you. For looking after things while I was gone, and for coming out to help. I appreciate it.”
Jessica nodded and started to turn, but paused and leaned over the table between them. “Don’t push her away, jackass.”
“I’m not—” He frowned. “I don’t see how that’s any of your business.”
She snorted softly. “Yeah, you wouldn’t. But it’s all of our business now, like it or not. Let me tell you something about alpha females. We’re tough as nails, not because we want to be but because we have to be. We can’t afford to show weakness. Every wolf on this plane is waiting to see who crosses that aisle first, whether they know it or not, and it’s not going to be her.” She slipped away without waiting for a response and headed back to her seat.
Still frowning, Chris straightened and looked around, noticing for the first time how Joey’s pack was all on one side of the plane while his was on the other. Joey’s pack. His pack. What were they going to do? Their situation had been complicated before, and back then, Joey was only the heir presumptive. Now Adelaide was gone, and—
The persistent ache in his chest that’d lingered since he’d witnessed his mother’s death intensified, making everything else seem inconsequential. He looked across the aisle again. This time, Joey was looking back at him. Their eyes met and held. His wolf emitted a low whine, and the next thing Chris knew, he was across the aisle, standing there with his eyes still locked with hers. The air between them practically vibrated with magnetic energy.
“Hey, bro. I’ll, uh, just… Excuse me.” Ben slipped out of his seat and around Chris to get out of the way.
Chris slid into the still-warm seat and took Joey’s hand. The instant their fingers touched, his wolf settled down. He kissed her hand, then tucked it between both of his.
“Mind if I nap here?” he asked.
Joey pushed the armrest between them up and scooted closer, tucking her legs under her. He relinquished her hand and slid his arms around her instead.
“I love you,” she whispered against his shoulder.
He buried his nose in her hair and inhaled. “I love you too.”
In the end, that was what mattered. They’d beaten worse odds before.
Chris & Joey’s story continues in…
Grave Legacy
Grant Wolves Book 4
loridrakeauthor.com/gw4
