Instead of backing away, Chris stood as straight as he could in his effort to match me in height. All I could think about was that the other man prevented me from learning more about my daughter’s fate.
If he wanted a fight, I’d give it to him, Fenerec or not.
“Move,” I whispered.
Behind Chris, there was a gathering of at least ten men, who stood around a large couch capable of sitting six. They tensed, their yellowed eyes focused on me.
“Who is going to make me? You?”
Evelyn twisted her hand free of me, stepped forward, and before I could stop her, she slammed her fist into Chris’s gut. When he bent over with a wheezed gasp, she hopped and smashed her knee into his face. “Me. No one touches my mate.”
“You’re a fucking idiot, Chris.” The dark-haired man who stepped forward reminded me of Nirliq, sharing similar chiseled features. Instead of a headband, he wore a beaded necklace. “Excuse him, he’s new to the pack and hasn’t learned his manners yet.”
When Chris reached for Evelyn’s ankle, my hold on my temper snapped. I didn’t know what I snarled as I cracked my foot into his ribs, but the native flinched. “If you touch her, I’ll kill you.”
Chris writhed, wheezing for air.
Gerald cleared his throat, giving my arm a tug to pull me back. I stood firm without moving my gaze from the Fenerec at my feet. “Gentlemen, we’re here to see Melanie. I would like to state if you happen to touch either one of them—or me, for that matter—Richard Murphy is going to come deal with you in person. I recommend you stay out of Jackson’s way, because if he finds out any one of you had something to do with his little girl’s murder, I’ll be helping him bury the bodies—if, of course, his mate leaves enough to bury.”
“What do you three have to do with Richard Murphy?” the native demanded.
“We’re pack,” Evelyn hissed.
“Business partner,” I replied. “I’m Evelyn’s witch and mate, and by association, pack.” I pointed at Gerald. “He’s a family friend. Where’s Melanie?”
“She isn’t here.”
“Well, if she’s not here, we’re leaving,” I said, turning to do just that.
Out of the corner of my eye, I caught a glimpse of movement. I twisted, bringing my hand up to intercept the native’s fist.
Evelyn shoved me aside, and the punch caught her in the shoulder with the crack of breaking bones. With a strangled gasp, she collapsed against me. I caught her as she slumped to the floor. Thunder roared in my ears, and the ground lurched beneath me. I settled her at my feet, stepping over her to come between her and the Fenerec, all of my focus on him.
I clacked my teeth. When I got a hold of him, I was going to do more than just kill him for touching Evelyn. Something crashed to the floor nearby. Evelyn wrapped herself around my leg, upsetting my balance. I froze, afraid if I moved, I would hurt her more.
The native scrambled back out of my reach.
“Oh, shit,” Gerald spluttered, grabbing hold of my elbow. I yanked away from him, my gaze locked on the Fenerec. Torn between standing guard over her and ensuring none of them could ever lay a hand on her—or anyone—ever again, I remained in place. I shook.
Somewhere deeper within the lodge, glass shattered on ceramic.
“Wait, Jackson,” Evelyn gasped out, drawing my attention to her. She secured her hold on my leg with her left hand while her right arm hung limp at her side.
“He touched you,” I snarled. There was a wild, rough edge to my voice, matching my need to protect her from the other Fenerec.
“I’ll be okay, Jackson. It’s okay. I’m okay. Stop. They might know something about Jacqueline.”
My breath came hard and heavy as I considered her breathless words. “If they know something, I will snap every bone in their bodies until they tell me.”
All of them flinched. The other Fenerec swarmed the native, pulling him back. Chris crawled away from me, holding a hand to his bloodied nose.
“Jesus Chris, Sven, he’s a witch,” one of them hissed. “Back off, man.”
I couldn’t tell if the blond was talking to me. When I drew a deep breath, Evelyn’s cinnamon scent filled my nose. There was another odor, something sharp and sour, and without knowing why, it stoked my rage.
“Liar,” Evelyn snarled.
The Fenerec’s eyes widened. “Look, let’s talk about this.”
I cracked my knuckles one by one. “You can talk, starting with everything you know about my little girl. After, you can find Melanie and tell her she’ll tell me everything she knows.”
Curling around my leg, Evelyn pressed her cheek to my knee.
“Evelyn,” I murmured.
“I’ll be okay, Jackson. It doesn’t hurt that much.”
She was lying to me; I heard the pain in her voice. All it took was one glance at her face to confirm it. Her freckles stood out against her paled skin, and her pupils were dilated. All that remained of the jade in her eyes were a few flecks.
I glanced at Gerald, who stood with his back pressed to the doorframe. “Gerald.”
“What is it?”
“Take care of her.” As soon as I figured out how to pull free of Evelyn, I was going to kill them all, and I’d accept his help in cleaning up the bodies.
They had touched my mate.
“You can’t, Jackson. What if you kill one of them? You can’t.”
“Then they better give me a reason not to,” I snapped back.
I wanted their blood, but I couldn’t move. If I did, I’d hurt her more. The pack of Fenerec remained frozen, pinned against the couch by my glare.
I waited for their move, ready to fight to the death if needed in order to protect Evelyn.
~~*~~
My eyes remained locked on the Fenerec gathered by the couch. Time lost meaning as my world narrowed to me, them, and Evelyn curled around my leg. I trembled, my quivering intensifying the longer that I remained standing, but I couldn’t back down.
If I did, they might realize that I was only a witch and there were twelve of them versus one of me. Evelyn and Gerald were my responsibility, and I had already failed my mate once. They had hurt her, and it was my fault.
“Jackson, it’s okay. Please, relax,” Evelyn murmured, tugging at my hand. I entwined my fingers with hers. I wanted to check on her, but I couldn’t ignore the other Fenerec.
If they came at us, I needed to be ready. I couldn’t afford to let down my guard, not even to reassure myself that Evelyn would be okay.
Gerald’s cell rang, and I sucked in a breath at the sound. One of the Fenerec whined, shifting, and my gaze snapped to him. It was Chris. Blood caked his mouth and chin from his broken nose. Our eyes met, and he bared his teeth.
I mimicked him, and a wolf’s growl built in my throat and deepened until it rumbled through my chest.
“I’m answering this,” my friend warned, his voice soft. “Leclerc.”
The familiar tones of Richard’s voice both alarmed and relieved me.
If anyone knew how to deal with the Fenerec, it was him.
“He’s right next to me, staring down twelve Fenerec, who look about ready to piss themselves. One of them got a hit on Evelyn.” There was a pause, and I heard Richard rumble something in response. “No, she’s got him on a leash, barely.” Gerald tapped my arm with the phone. “He wants to talk to you, Jackson.”
“Not wise,” Evelyn replied, reaching up with her right hand to take the cell. I heard the pain in her voice, and I tensed. “Easy, Jackson. Wait, I’ll put it on speaker.”
Shaking his head, Gerald took the cell back from Evelyn, pressing a button. “It’s on speaker, Richard.”
“What’s going on?” Yellowknife’s Alpha demanded. “Who do I need to kill?”
“You’re not killing anyone. I am,” I snapped, shifting my attention to the dark-haired native, Sven. “He hit Evelyn.”
“Evelyn?” Richard asked, his tone softening.
“I broke something in my shoulder. It’s not bad—changing to the wolf will fix it. I can’t right now.”
“Why not?”
“Jackson’ll kill them.”
“What’s stopped him from doing so?”
The confidence in Evelyn’s voice and the surprise in Richard’s annoyed another growl out of me.
Gerald cleared his throat. “She’s wrapped around his leg, Richard. I think he’s afraid of hurting her, because I’ve seen more mobile statues. His vocabulary has degraded to the occasional growl. If I didn’t know better, I’d think he was you, the way he’s carrying on. He’s refusing to back down.”
“Of course he isn’t. Jackson doesn’t back down, not unless you ask really, really nicely. Who’s in charge over there?”
“I’d say Jackson,” Gerald replied.
“Of the Fenerec?”
Turning his attention from the phone to the Fenerec, Gerald asked, “Which one of you is in charge?”
They didn’t reply, their attention focused on me.
“We don’t know,” Evelyn said, giving my hand another tug. “We were supposed to meet some woman named Melanie, but these Fenerec were waiting for us instead. One of them got in Jackson’s face. I dealt with him, but another one came in swinging. I took the hit instead of Jackson. It’s my fault. They provoked him.”
I squeezed Evelyn’s hand and scowled at the factual way she took the blame. “No.”
The Fenerec flinched.
Gerald grabbed my sleeve and yanked. “Will you stop that? You’ve already frightened them, Jackson. You won. Lay off already.”
“What’s he doing?” Richard demanded.
Sighing, Gerald let go of me. “He’s growling and glaring at the Fenerec, just as he has been since this started. You took your sweet time calling me, Richard.”
I frowned. How much time had gone by? It didn’t feel like it had been very long.
“What are the Fenerec doing?”
“Staring at him.”
“Morons. Tell them to look at the floor. No eye contact. They should know better. Where are you three idiots?”
I felt Gerald watching me as a prickle on my neck. When no one replied, I snapped, “Thunder Bay.”
“Relax, Jackson. I know you’re in Thunder Bay. Where exactly are you? Just take it easy. Evelyn’s tough, but she won’t be able to heal if she’s worried you’re going to fight with a Fenerec pack. I need you to just cool your temper and back down, okay?”
Gerald sighed. “We’re at a lodge in the bush. It’s about an hour north, off of the 527. There’s an access road leading into the bush. It’s unmarked. It’ll be tricky to find in the dark.”
“Why are you in Thunder Bay, and what are you doing getting into a scuffle with a Fenerec pack?”
“They might know who killed my little girl,” I snarled. The tension returned, and Evelyn’s grip on me tightened. She was the only reason I stayed put when all I wanted to do was wade in and start cracking heads together until I got the answers I needed.
If they knew who had murdered Jacqueline, I’d make them talk, one way or another.
“They might know who did
what
?” Richard boomed.
“You heard me,” I snarled.
“Well. That changes things. We’re coming, Jackson—don’t kill anyone, okay?”
“I promised Evelyn I wouldn’t,” I hissed.
“Good. Now, listen to me. Are the Fenerec standing?”
Evelyn sighed. “Yes.”
“Jackson, tell them to sit.”
I didn’t need to. The Fenerec retreated to the couch, huddled together, and sat. Sven was the only one who remained mostly upright, perched on the couch’s arm.
“They did it on their own,” Gerald reported.
“Oh, good. They value their lives, then. Jackson, listen to me. No killing. If they’re dead, they can’t talk to you. Play it smart and keep your cool. Give them the phone. I’ll talk sense into them.”
I bristled at the command in Richard’s voice.
“Jackson, do it.”
I grumbled, snatched the phone from Gerald’s hand, disabled the speaker, and glared at Sven. “Catch.” When he nodded, I tossed it to him.
Sven put the phone to his ear. “Hello?”
There was a very long pause, after which Sven glanced at me before lowering his eyes to the floor. “He says you should check on your mate while we’re talking.”
Evelyn tugged on my hand until I relented and sank down onto my knees beside her. Brushing her sweat-dampened hair away from her brow, I pressed the back of my hand against her forehead. There was a slight chill to her skin. I trailed my hand down her cheek, pressing my fingers to her throat and counting her pulse before turning my full attention to her shoulder.
Black and purple bruises marred her skin, hiding the sprinkling of her freckles from me. At my touch, she winced but held still.
“How much does it hurt?”
She shook her head. “A little, but I’m okay. Really.”
“No, you’re not,” I replied, my voice hoarse. I glanced at the Fenerec gathered around the couch.
None of them were looking at us. Evelyn touched my cheek to draw my attention back to her. “It’ll heal.”
“Is it true? That changing will help?”
After a long moment, she nodded.
“Go.”
Evelyn took off her watch and the ring, slipping them into my hand. She stuffed her phone into my jacket’s pocket. “Hold these for me. Just promise me you won’t do anything stupid.”
“If they leave us alone, I’ll leave them alone,” I said, loud enough for the Fenerec to hear me.
“Promise me.”
I sighed, nodded, and replied, “I promise.”
Helping Evelyn to her feet, I kept between her and the Fenerec. She backed out of the lodge and disappeared into the night. I remained in the doorway with Gerald, slipping her watch into my pocket. After experimentation, I discovered her ring fit on my pinkie finger, so I wore it so it wouldn’t be lost.
“You’re a scary son of a bitch when you’re angry,” Gerald whispered.
“Language,” I chided, leaning against the doorframe. They studied the floor as though their lives depended on it.
Maybe it did. I wanted to beat the life out of them for hurting Evelyn, and I didn’t care that they were Fenerec. I’d find a way to kill them if using my fists wasn’t sufficient.
“He wants to speak to you, Mr. Anderson,” Sven whispered, his gaze shifting to my feet.
Gerald gave my elbow a squeeze. “Easy, Jackson.”
“Bring me the phone,” I said, struggling to keep my tone quiet and controlled.
The Ferenec flinched but obeyed, holding Gerald’s cell out, his head lowered.
It alarmed me that I wanted to bite him as hard as I could. Clenching my teeth against the urge, I accepted the phone. “When Evelyn returns, I hope you’re ready to grovel. She’s the only reason I haven’t killed you yet.”