The scene was gruesome. Jericho’s eyes roved around the room at spatters of blood everywhere—visible even in a dim room lit by a small lamp with low bulb-wattage. She must have latched on to his jugular. What the hell did that bastard do that had made Isabelle’s wolf lash out so ruthlessly?
It looked like he’d tried to run away. His arms were contorted in a peculiar manner, and Jericho couldn’t see his face—only a pool of crimson surrounding his head like a halo. Isabelle’s wolf had snuggled up beside his chest as if she were claiming her prey.
“Isabelle, you were always one badass wolf,” he said coolly, half smiling. The ring she had taken off his finger was sitting on the counter, and her clothes were in a pile right below. “Why don’t you shift back now? It’s over.”
She growled, telling him it damn well wasn’t over.
“Jericho?” April said in a weak voice from the bathroom. Isabelle’s wolf lunged at the door and made her scream. Her wolf had never met April, and that was a common reaction.
Jericho stood up and reached for the door, expecting Reno to come barging in. Instead, he heard his brothers arguing outside.
“Shut up!” Jericho yelled. “You’re pissing her off.”
Her wolf growled with each breath. Jericho knelt down and crawled toward her fearlessly—head first, neck extended.
He looked her square in the eyes. “You know deep down I’d never hurt you, baby.”
Isabelle’s wolf snorted and released a high-pitched whine. Her tongue swept out a few times, and she looked around, confused by her surroundings.
“That’s just April in there, and you’re scaring the piss out of her. Come over here, baby. I’m not going to make you do anything you don’t want to do. If you want to stay in control and keep Isabelle sleeping, then fine by me. But we’re going to put you in a crate and take you home where you can run around the property and roll in the dirt all you want. Yeah, that’s right,” he said, watching the light glimmer in her eyes. “I know you’re a dirt roller. I still remember the time you went rolling in the mud back in Seattle. Poor Isabelle woke up covered from head to toe like some kind of swamp creature.”
Her wolf staggered to her feet and paced forward with her head down. They’d bonded a long time ago, so he didn’t have second thoughts when he reached out and ran his fingers through her coat. He knew exactly where she liked to be scratched, and it was on the back of her neck.
“Yeah, that’s my girl.” He smiled as she sat down and shook her head.
A light knock sounded at the door.
“Open the door slowly,” Jericho said, keeping his eyes on Isabelle. “Don’t come in; just stand at the door.”
As the broken hinge creaked behind him, Jericho kept methodically stroking the sides of her face and rubbed her ears to keep her calm.
“Jesus. You’re crazy, anyone ever tell you that?” Austin said. “Lexi brought the crate. Hurry up; we need to get rid of the body and get this trailer off the premises.”
Austin slid the crate in and shut the door.
Jericho pulled the crate next to him and ignored her disobedient groans and growls. He opened the front and patted inside. “Come on, baby. Let’s go home.”
***
“Careful!” Jericho yelled, banging his fist against the back of the truck window.
Austin had hit a pothole in the private road that led up to their house—one Reno was supposed to fill in last week. Isabelle wasn’t doing well in the crate. He had tried to steady it with his own body, but the bumps in the road and sharp turns had her biting the wire door.
When the truck stopped, Jericho stood up and looked down at Austin. “Unlock the front door and I’ll get her inside.”
“You can’t bring her in the house. Lynn and Maizy are in there.”
“I’ll lock her up in my room.”
Austin slammed his door. “Absolutely not. My priority is to protect my pack. I’m sorry, brother, but Isabelle is not my pack. Lynn and Maizy are. She was getting on my good side, but this just took her down a few notches. This could do more than damage our reputation; it could break apart our pack.”
Jericho cursed and opened the bed of the truck. Isabelle’s wolf was barking out of control, and he needed to calm her down. That meant stabilizing her crate and taking her somewhere safe. Reno had stayed behind with the girls to take care of the trailer—he knew a few cleaners who worked independently and, for a hefty fee, wouldn’t report their findings to the Council.
Austin helped him with the crate and they set it down in the dirt. A few crickets were chirping in the darkness, and Jericho glanced at a silhouette standing in the window.