Page 59 of Jackal's Pride

Jackal terrified me in a way no one had before. While he continued to change, I was losing all the spikes protecting myself. They fell to the ground every time he was near. I was changing too, and it was because of him. And I could do nothing but let my armor fall away. There was no amount of pride, no curse big enough to stop what was happening to me every time Jackal was near.

He’d never hear me acknowledge it. If it was up to me, I was too proud to ever allow Jackal to know what he was doing to me. I couldn’t fall when I knew how to catch myself. I wasn’t loving like my mom, hopeless like Joy, or naïve like Kitty.

“Let’s hurry while I’m still able,” was his response as he stepped closer, silently telling me to take us to the next city.

I did. Two more cities before he couldn’t save anyone else.

“Jack.” I hoisted him up, one giant arm draped over my shoulders while mine was tucked against his back, gripping his belt loop to hold us steady.

“One more.” He groaned in my ear.

“No more,” I hissed. “Help me! I can’t carry deadweight.”

Another groan in my ear, but at least he was moving his feet. I was able to fade us to my living room where I had every intention of leaving him on the sofa, but he lifted his head. “Bed.”

I squeezed out a huff. “You can’t have my bed. It’s mine.”

“I know.” His breath tickled my ear. “Don’t be so difficult.”

I strained my neck to gape at him. “Excuse me? Me being difficult? Says the one who wouldn’t shut up until I dragged him to city after city.”

“No time to waste,” he grunted. I swayed, but he managed to catch some of his weight so that we didn’t fall.

I gripped his belt loop tighter, inching us toward my bedroom door. “You really want to help us?”

“Feels good…to do good.” His head lulled to the side until it smacked against mine.Ouch.“But most of all got to protect…what’s mine.”

I stopped at the door. “You’re doing this to keep me alive?” I murmured disbelievingly.

His chest purred. “You knew I was referring to you.” He sounded way too pleased. Of course I would know. If he had been a dog, he’d be pissing on me to mark his territory—oh wait! By marking me, he pretty much did the same thing.

I resumed walking, heat crossing my cheeks. “I’m not yours, Jack. I can’t be owned.”

“Why?” he murmured as I dropped him on the bed diagonally. He never moved, not even to turn his head out of the messy sheets. I bent over him, angling his neck for him so that his nose wouldn’t be pressed into the mattress. “Living things do it all the time. I’ll be yours. You’ll be mine.”

He was talking about intimate relationships—becoming lovers. Maybe I was wrong. If so, why was my heart pounding? Why did I have this stupid nervous feeling around him? It was always present like a pesky fly.Shoo dammit, shoo!

“What do you mean?” I whispered. A minute ticked by. “Jack?”

He’d fallen asleep.

Taking a deep breath, I decided to leave him. I needed to venture back into the human world, anyway. My job as a Reaper didn’t end no matter what was going on in my life. I spent the next few hours in the human world ascending some dying humans to the pearly gate and then, descended three to the flames before calling it quits.

I was a little tired but not enough to return home yet. Not when I had a giant man lying on my bed thinking he had the right to turn me into a big ball of mush. I faded into The Den, tensing as I detected Barron’s intense essence moving in behind me. Demons gave him a wide berth, eyeing him in fear as he stepped up to me. “I’m guessing you came here for me?” Barron didn’t do crowds or demons or people. He was a loner.

“Where are the others?” he asked so painfully low that I knew I should be worried.

“What do you mean?” I asked quickly as he slipped past me searching around.

“I know you hung out with two more besides the vampire.”

I was right. I grabbed his shoulder, but he just dragged me along as he peered around.

“One has rabbit features. The other is a warlock.”

“Barron,” I groaned, wondering how he knew about Gavin already. “Gavin wasn’t working with anyone. His obsession with me was his and his alone.”

“The bets have to stop.” Barron’s curse seeped out slightly as his gaze landed on me.

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