Jericho sighed. “Hope this goes well. If not, we can probably wing it without a bass player.”
“So Chaz has been a problem?”
Jericho honked the horn, and a few people moved off the road and out of our way. “You could say that. He’s a junkie. It’s been getting worse, and the rest of the guys don’t want that shit around. We party, smoke a little weed, girls—you know. But Chaz started in with some of that hard-core shit. I let it slide at first because who am I to talk? But he’s been rolling in late to shows and not pulling his weight. That’s bringing us all down.”
“He’ll be back. He’s just throwing a tantrum so you’ll be stuck in a bind.”
Jericho tucked a cigarette behind his ear. “He’s the one who’s going to be stuck in a bind, because we’re replacing him. I have two good men I don’t want influenced by his bad habits. Come on.”
He reached behind the seat, unzipped a bag, and handed me a pair of comfortable shoes.
I walked a pace behind him as we worked our way through the crowd. I’d never seen so many Breeds in one place. Vampires watched me with their onyx eyes, and I saw a few Sensors transferring emotions with their hands to someone’s chest. I could always tell by the red glow.
Jericho peered at me over his shoulder and gripped my hand.
Onstage, a singer was winding up a cover of an Elton John song. When the music stopped, laughter and loud talking erupted from all directions. A sea of different Breeds filled the grounds, and I couldn’t begin to guess how many there were. Some wore glow sticks around their necks. Two blond Chitahs were racing each other by a thicket of trees. Chitahs were tall, fair-haired, and built for speed. They weren’t a Breed you messed around with because of their deadly instincts. Shifters were easy to spot because they stood in large huddles, and Packmasters usually marked themselves with special tattoos. I recognized a few regulars from the bar and waved.
Jericho let go of my hand and approached a vendor. He returned with two packages and ripped them open with his teeth. “Here. She said there weren’t very many in this color.”
He slipped a pink glow necklace around my neck and twisted two around my wrists as bracelets.
“This way I can spot you easily in the crowd if we get separated.”
“Does this normally go on in Austin?”
“Nope. First time. Hopefully nobody gets killed and we can do it again.”
A new band came on, and as the rhythmic beat thumped, Jericho tugged my hand and led me to the edge of the woods.
The pink glow from my stick illuminated his face, and he closed in on me with a carnal look in his hypnotic eyes.
Slow.
Steady.
Watching my lips.
I couldn’t breathe. I licked my lips nervously as the energy pulsed between us.
He curved his right hand around the back of my neck and grazed his callused fingers across my nape. I shivered, and a rush of desire moved through me like strong alcohol.
Jericho closed his eyes and drew in a deep breath through his nose. He licked his lips and leaned in close, whispering against my ear.
“You’re going into heat soon, aren’t you?”
I nodded and his fingers curled in, sending a thrill through my body.
“Maybe you shouldn’t be here,” he breathed.
The music swelled, and laser lights beamed through the crowd, briefly passing over us.
Jericho moved closer, and I placed my hands on his bare chest. My fingers explored his firm abs and dared to move lower until they slipped inside his jeans. He sucked in his stomach and hissed through his teeth.
“Is it that obvious?” I asked.
His mouth moved away and paused on my cheek. “My brothers can’t tell—not even Austin, and he’s an alpha. Otherwise they would have mentioned it. He must not have a strong nose like he claims.”
“Then how is it you know?”
“You have that look. I’ve seen that look. I remember that look.” His left hand traveled to my hip and tightened.
In the past whenever I’d gone into heat, Jericho would leave me locked in his motel room. He protected me from everyone, including himself. He also slept outside the door to keep me from leaving. Only once had I begged him to let me take a man into my bed for relief, but he didn’t budge. It was common knowledge among Shifters that sex would lessen the length of time a woman was in heat versus taking matters into her own hands. Most of the time it lasted for three days, but once it went on for almost two weeks. It’s an uncomfortable feeling, like hunger pangs. Except a different kind of hunger.
I wasn’t feeling it now. All I felt was Jericho’s mouth against my cheek, sliding closer to my lips.
When he reached my mouth, he hesitated. A soft glow illuminated our bodies from the pink necklace, and as I stared intensely into his eyes, the flame of arousal lit between us.