Page 32 of Save Me Enemy

My eyes pop wide. My heart leaps.

My soul shivers at the beauty of those words.

But before my own joy and wonder can gain life, my nightmare crashes back to me. I’m dead in a hole with a baby boy. I’m dead, he’s dead. Jax hates me. This can't be real, this can't be happening!

“This is a sign!” Jax cries out, standing to kiss me passionately. “The ancestors wouldn’t grant life if you won’t live to nurture it. There will be a way to heal you! They’ve spoken!”

Chapter12

Jackson

Ihold Cricket all night as if my arms alone can keep her on this mortal plane. I don’t sleep, looking over my shoulder as if the grim reaper himself is waiting with a skeletal hand pointed at her. Having her in my rooms has made me primal, dominating, possessive. The sound of footsteps in the hallway makes me growl low in my throat. I won’t let anyone disturb her.

In the last few hours after the healing, I’ve noticed drastic changes for the worse. When Cricket reached out for me her hand trembled before she touched me, when we came out of the hot tub she stumbled as if she couldn't feel her feet properly. The thin line of her lips every time she fails to do what she’s set out to do, even something as simple as picking up a glass of water and her hands unable to grip the cup, tells me she can see the deterioration all too well.

As she sleeps in my arms her body trembles slightly but constantly. Her breath hitches, stills, and my heart stops beating until she takes another breath. My whole life I’ve been the calm and calculated one. While others rage or sob or fight, I’ve always been there to be the voice of reason. Now? I feel like a wounded animal in a cage, fighting desperately and lashing out at anyone who comes near.

We’re trapped by her illness, and I’m desperate to cure it.

To give her hope I told her the baby means there’s no way she can die, that there’s hope for a future, but inside I was filled with so much terror I had to laugh to avoid crying. I lay a hand on her stomach and bury my face in her hair, smelling the sweet scent that only she has. I pray to any god who will hear me, I plead with any devil who will listen. There must be a way to save her,save them.

In the early hours of the morning I hear hushed voices and slamming doors. I try to ignore them, block them out, but I catch a few phrases about the truck and Corey and rage boils over in my chest. Slowly, I pull away from Cricket and walk quietly to the door. I look at her before I open it, counting her breaths until I’m satisfied she’s alive, and step out. I leave the door cracked so light from the hallway shines a path on my bedroom floor. If she wakes I hope she sees it and knows I’m still around.

Down the hall a door stands open to a private sitting room and inside I can hear Cole and Ryder having an increasingly heated conversation. I walk, uncaring, and push my way through the door. Ryder has his hand on Chase’s shoulder, and Chase is looking down at a sheriff star badge in his hand and blinking as if he isn’t sure it's real. Cole looks up at me over crossed arms and his jaw is set in his most irritated of looks.

“Anything I can help with?” I ask carefully, not sure what I’m walking into.

“The sheriff quit,” Chase says, his voice distant and unsure.

“He appointed Chase as his replacement,” Ryder adds.

Chase chuckles nervously. “He said he won’t be responsible for any more of our ‘animalistic drama’ and threw it at me…”

Cole pinches the bridge of his nose and sighs. “Looks like finding Corey is now only on the packs. The sheriff took all his human staff with him and washed his hands of this place. Now we have a semi-truck loaded with ammunition and explosives with no clue where they came from and who they belong to. It’s sitting behind the police station, which is now under the control of Dark Moon somehow, and I’m trying to tell Ryder that it’s basically a bomb. In the middle of Zenith.”

Ryder rolls his eyes. “You make it sound worse than it is. This is the best thing that could have happened! We’re now the authority.” Ryder points to me then Cole. “While you guys own almost every building in the whole town.”

“Just because we’ve secured control doesn’t mean any of this is good,” Cole growls. “Feds will start looking at our town, wondering why local families have taken over the law. If they find out about the explosives and guns? Moon help us! And if the people Corey stole the truck from come looking?” He rakes his fingers through his hair. “Well, at least we’re armed now.”

“What do you suggest we do, Cole?” I ask him, taking a seat and trying not to be overwhelmed by all the things happening in the pack right now.

“We need to move the truck away from pedestrians, away from anyone’s line of sight. I don’t want gun dealers in our town, and I’m sure that’s something wecanagree on.”

Ryder smirks as Cole finishes his sentence. “Let me guess, we should move the truck to the safety of Silver Dawn territory?”

“I don’t see how leaving them in the grasp of your motorcycle gang would be an idea you’d even consider,” Cole snaps.

Ryder bristles. “At least we know how to use them. Have you ever touched a gun, a bullet? Ever smelled gunpowder?”

The Alphas are stepping closer to each other, each man trying to overpower the other by sheer will alone. Chase sinks into a chair beside me, flipping the badge in his hand as if he doesn’t realize the tug of war that’s about to ignite this house in flames.

“The clearing,” Chase begins, closing his eyes. “The one with the split tree. There’s plenty of cover there and it’s outside of either of our direct territory. Away from wolves and humans.”

“There’s a reason he left the station for my man, Cole. Isn’t it obvious?” Ryder says. “He has a mind for this shit.”

“Neutral ground…” Cole muses, eyes wandering to me. We lock gazes, communicating with our eyes alone, and he nods. “It’s a viable option, but we keep this between us. No one outside of this room will hear about the contents or location of the truck.”

Silent nodding from every man in the room ceases the argument like it was never about to come to blows. Ryder reaches out and Cole grabs his elbow and they lock their arms together. The look between them makes the room feel sweltering hot, a testament of how fragile and tenuous this peace is.

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