Page 20 of Chasing Secrets
Vex froze, head tilted in concentration. Another crash, closer this time. The demon’s expression hardened.
“That’s the thing about packs,” Vaughn said, grinning despite the pain. “They tend to notice when one of theirs goes missing.”
Vex moved swiftly to the table, gathering his tools. “We’ll continue this later.”
“Don’t count on it,” Vaughn replied.
The sounds above grew louder—breaking wood, shattering glass. Someone was tearing the place apart.
Vex paused at a door Vaughn hadn’t noticed before, partially hidden in shadow. “We’ll meet again, wolf.”
The demon slipped through the door just as something heavy collided with the ceiling, sending dust raining down. Vaughn coughed, fighting to stay conscious.
Footsteps pounded overhead, moving with purpose now. A door somewhere out of sight splintered, and then familiar voices reached his ears.
“Vaughn!” Zeppelin appeared in the doorway, followed closely by Quinn and Liam.
“Took you long enough,” Vaughn said right before he passed out.
Chapter Six
In his bedroom, Jalen kicked back in his window seat, one knee pulled to his chest while the other one dangled. The mountains did their thing outside, all gold-tipped and massive. He’d bailed from the kitchen right after Quinn and Preston.
Chase might’ve pulled him out of that vampire situation. Cool. Thanks for that. Seriously. But the pills? Not up for discussion. Jalen wasn’t about to get lectured by some dude he’d just met two heartbeats ago. Whatever lecture the guy had queued up, Jalen didn’t want to hear it.
The vampire was in custody, so Jalen could bounce anytime. He’d spent half his high wondering what they even did with vampire criminals. Did they stick him in a regular cell? Feed him blood through a slot in the door? Jalen had pictured vampire courtrooms with bat-shaped gavels and punishment by tanning bed.
A soft knock on his door pulled Jalen from his thoughts. He had a feeling he knew who was standing on the other side. Chase hadn’t bothered him since Jalen had left the kitchen, which was honestly longer than he’d expected.
With a sigh, he pushed himself up and crossed the room, bracing himself as he swung open the door.
Chase stood in the hallway, looking far less intimidating than he had when he’d fought the vampire. He wore a simple gray T-shirt that stretched across his broad shoulders and faded jeans that hugged his thighs. His dark hair was slightly damp, as if he’d just stepped out of the shower.
No matter how Jalen felt, there was no denying how gorgeous the man was.
“Can we talk?” Chase asked, his voice calm.
Jalen crossed his arms but glanced away, unable to hold Chase’s gaze. “About what? The pills? Because I don’t need a lecture.”
What he needed was another life. A do-over where he had two parents who actually gave a fuck about him.
“No lecture,” Chase said, holding up his hands. “Just wanted to check on you, make sure you’re okay.”
Thrown off balance by the lack of confrontation, all Jalen could do was blink. He’d been ready for judgment, demands he explain himself, and maybe even some self-righteous indignation.
The absence of those things left him momentarily speechless.
“I’m okay,” he finally managed, even though it was a big, fat lie. Nothing in his life was okay.
Chase nodded then gestured to the hallway behind him. “Would you take a walk with me? I could use some air.”
Jalen hesitated. His high had worn off hours ago, leaving him with the familiar hollow feeling that always followed. Part of him wanted to slam the door and curl back up on the window seat. But another part—a part he didn’t fully understand—wanted to follow Chase.
“Fine,” he said, stepping into the hallway and pulling the door closed behind him. Did Chase really just want to talk or did he have other motives? So far, the guy had been nothing but nice to him, so Jalen would give him the benefit of the doubt.
But trust was a lie he’d stopped falling for years ago, like Santa Claus or family or people giving a damn about anything but themselves. He just wanted one person to prove him wrong.
So far no one had.
