Hot Blooded (Jessica McClain)

chapter 19

“I’m sorry, what?” My head snapped to my brother and Danny, who had clearly heard the missive. Both of their faces were stark. I’d been expecting another tirade from my father about our lack of communication. Not this.

He cleared his voice once. “James is missing.”

“What do you mean missing?” I jumped up, my breath hitching. “Was he taken? James would never leave willingly on his own.”

My father growled, “He left Pack of his own volition.”

“What?” Going rogue was as serious as it could get. You did not leave your Pack. “That’s not possible. He’s dedicated to this Pack.”

“He vanished last night, no trace, no note, no whereabouts. He hasn’t shifted, so I haven’t talked to him. But we are in the middle of a war, Jessica. He gets no leeway from me—”

“Dad,” I reasoned, trying to slow this conversation down. “This is James you’re talking about. If he’s gone, there’s a damn good reason. Just hold off on any action until we know what’s going on. He could be coming up here to help us. Nick could be in trouble. It could be anything.”

“I’m about to take on an enemy, a Pack of rogue wolves whose agenda is to kill my only daughter. I need all my wolves. My second-in-command does not get to defect whenever it’s convenient for him.” His voice was cold as stone. “Whatever his reasons are, they are not good enough.”

I glanced at Tyler and Danny. Tyler shook his head and stalked out of the cave. Danny gave a low whistle. There was nothing we could do. I felt helpless.

“Dad,” I said. “James is loyal. He’s always been loyal. Please don’t jump to conclusions. What if he was taken?”

“Taken?” my father huffed. “Not a possibility. But he will answer when he is found.” His voice broached no argument.

Shit. “When we get back, I’m on it. I will find him. We’re leaving to get Rourke within moments and after that James will be our first priority.”

“Jessica.” My father’s voice softened. “You have to be smart. Arm yourself and let the boys shift first. Go in strong. Don’t worry about defeating her. Incapacitate her and free Rourke. We can deal with her and any fallout as a Pack when you all get home.”

“I’ll give it my best shot.”

My father growled into the phone, “Tyler said a giant scorpion spider, one of Selene’s creatures, stung you and forced you to change. But when you were in your true form, I couldn’t reach you, as usual.”

“I think the spell put me into a… coma of some kind. I’m not exactly sure.”

“Tyler said you weren’t breathing and your heart wasn’t beating, but you were still alive. He felt your connection. I did too. I knew you weren’t dead.”

“I’m glad you weren’t worried. Yes, it seems I was in rough shape, but I feel fine now. I don’t have any residual effects.”

“Jessica” My father’s voice became quiet in its intensity. “I believe your body went into Stasis.”

“Stasis?” I said. “Like the Coalition? I thought only gods could do that?”

“They can. Or a god can put you in one. Stasis acts like a protective cocoon of power, but it has to be incredibly strong, because it feeds you and protects you for the length of time you’re under. I cannot put myself into Stasis.”

I gulped. “What exactly does that mean?”

“It means your body wields an incredible amount of power.” There was strain in his voice. “And you’re going to have to figure out how to manage and control it better from now on. Having any kind of ability like that is extremely dangerous. The power takes over and you lose control.” He was right. Without Tyler I might not have awoken on my own.

“Do you think it’s a special gift?” I’d never heard of a supe having “Stasis” as a special gift, but I couldn’t rule it out. “Or something to do with the Prophecy?”

“I don’t know, Jessica.” He sighed. “There’s so much we don’t know.”

“Did you feel the break when Danny and Tyler took my blood?”

“Yes,” he said. “Danny left my control immediately, but Tyler’s connection shifted to something else.” He sounded satisfied, which was surprising. “I can still sense him, even though he’s no longer under my immediate control.”

“Is that what you thought would happen?”

“I had no idea what would happen,” he admitted. “But my son is bonded to me genetically, unlike Daniel Walker. It was enough to sever the Selective’s vow and that’s what it was intended to do, so that pleases me.”

I couldn’t bring myself to discuss Naomi or the possibility my blood had something in it that would affect Danny adversely later. My head spun trying to process this information, but overall my mind kept slipping back to Rourke. I had to move.

I needed to find him.

My wolf growled to accentuate her feelings on the matter. I know. We’re going. I can feel it. We will see him shortly.

“We’ve run into trouble with the Southern Pack,” my father continued. “There’ve been a number of defectors that have gone missing this morning. Redman’s Pack is a mess. He’s rounding up what’s left of his loyal wolves right now and we will be tracking the rogues this evening. I expect there to be infighting. I don’t know when I’ll be back at this rate.” His voice held an odd note at the end. I picked up on it immediately.

“What’s wrong?”

“Something feels… off.”

“I feel it too,” I said. “The female vampire thinks a war between all Sects is beginning.”

“She might be right.” He pulled the phone away from his ear and answered a question someone asked him. “Jessica, I’m glad you’re safe. I need to go. Call me once you’re out.”

“I will.”

He was betting on me.

I was too.



The vamps arrived five minutes later. Naomi strode into the cave first. “Ma Reine, it is good to see you are awake and well. I did not know if it would be so.”

“I’m happy to be awake,” I replied. “But before we start moving we need to set one thing straight. I’m not your Queen. There’s absolutely no need to address me as such. It makes me uncomfortable. I’m not your ruler. We’re in this together. I have accepted your fealty, but I’m not your mob boss. You must come freely into this merger or not at all.”

“Ma Reine is a term used for affection only.” Naomi smiled. “I have never addressed Eudoxia as such. If you are uncomfortable with the title, I will come up with another.”

“You can just call me Jessica,” I stated. “That works fine for me.”

“In my world, a superior cannot be addressed by their given name. A name holds too much power to be used carelessly. I will not endanger your life in that way. Please do not ask it of me to do so. But I will come up with a suitable title if it pleases you.”

“Um, okay.” I couldn’t argue with her if that’s how she felt. I knew witches held formal names sacred. That’s why they all had nicknames. I didn’t even know Marcy’s full given name and she was my best friend. But wolves had no issues with names. Using your full title was a sign of respect. Movement caught the corner of my eye. Eamon was lurking at the cave entrance. He looked put out, as usual. I was surprised he was here. “Is your brother coming with us?”

Naomi turned her head, her face showing signs of fatigue. Having a brother myself, I knew what that face meant. “Yes. He seems to believe his debt for my life has been paid to you in full. I disagreed. As my blood-kin, my debts are his to fulfill and vice versa. It has always been that way. He has agreed, with some resistance, to accompany us to the entrance. Then it will be his choice after that to stay or leave. He is deeply troubled by all that has transpired. If our Queen discovers my secret, she will want our blood and souls as payment. My brother will not survive without a court. His choices are limited. He can join us, drink your blood, and pledge himself to you, or he can flee and spend his life running.” She shrugged her petite shoulders.

“That’s not exactly a compelling argument to sway him to our side. What if we pretend you were killed in the battle here?” Assuming we all got out alive in the end. “And Eamon goes back to court with the story of your death? Could we get away with that?”

Eamon stormed into the cave. “And what happens when my sister is found alive and well? Her bond to her Queen mysteriously broken forever? I would only be buying myself time. Months at most.”

“Eamon, if there’s a question,” I said, “there’s almost always a solution. You just have to believe we can find one.” I turned to Naomi. “Has he always been this way, or was it an aftereffect of becoming undead?”

“He has always been strong-willed,” she answered, stifling a smile. “It is his nature.”

I turned back to an angry Eamon. “To avoid fallout, you can tell your beloved Queen you believed your sister to be dead at the hands of Selene and you fled. Naomi broke your Queen’s order to help us, you tried to stop her, she was killed, and you left. The Queen has likely felt the loss of connection to Naomi and will assume it’s the truth. Anything that ‘miraculously’ happens after that is not your issue. Then, when Naomi is found alive, we can blame her short ‘death’ for the severed bond with your Queen.” My gaze landed back on Naomi. “Has a vampire ever come back from a true death before?”

“Non.” Naomi shook her head. “Not to my knowledge.”

“Great,” I said. “Problem solved. Once you’re found, people will wonder, but it won’t matter if it’s never happened before. Your Queen will have no reason to believe my blood was the true culprit of the severed bond, and not death.”

Eamon sputtered. “It is not as easy as that!”

Naomi waved her hand, effectively cutting him off. “Enough of this. We waste time. Eamon, it is of little consequence now. We do not even know if I will emerge alive from our battle with Selene. Once we have an outcome, we will forge something reasonable.”

“That’s one way to look at it,” I mused. “But I’m actually hoping we all make it out alive.”

Tyler strode up beside me. “We need to move now. We’re wasting time.”

I nodded. “Let’s go.”



“I feel something strange,” I told Danny, who stood next to me. “The game with Selene has shifted. She wants me and I’m taking too long.” Shivers ran up my spine as the energy in the air seemed to move on its own. We stood on the shallow ledge outside the cave we’d just emerged from, waiting for Naomi to come back. I’d sent her to check on Ray and drop off all but one of the packs with him, since we wouldn’t need them until we were done anyway. Tyler had gone with Eamon to scout the climb.

Danny shook his head. “I don’t feel anything, except for the new massive strength running through my veins thanks to you. I feel like I could take on a goddess and win.” He flexed his muscles and grinned. “It’s a rather nice feeling.”

I smiled. “That’s a good thing, I hope.” I kicked some rocks out of my way and glanced around for any ugly bugs that might be wandering around. No Scorpers in sight. Danny had kept a good vigil while I was out. Some had come out of the cracks below us, but it looked like we were up too high for them. “The vamps say it’s a short, steep climb up and to the right,” I said. “Once we get there, we stick to the plan.”

Naomi had agreed to come in after us carrying the spell darts, but Eamon refused to commit to helping us in any way. Tyler and Danny were going to shift outside and follow me in. It was the best plan we had.

My mind raced to Rourke. His blond stubble, his ridiculously clear green eyes, him laughing, fighting, his arms on my waist. My wolf sat up and whined. We will get him out alive. She barked and flashed me a scene of her own, him in the creek, shirtless, the sun glinting off his body, dark tattoos snaking up his forearms, beautiful and bold. Then she did something she hadn’t done in a long time. She echoed his voice in my ears. “Don’t worry, sweetheart. It’s all going to be okay.”

I stumbled forward, my breath catching in my throat, producing a strangled mew before I could stop myself.

Danny whipped his hand out and yanked me back from the edge. “I don’t think now would be a good time to head down the hill,” Danny chastised. “Plus, that would be quite a setback having to dig your broken body out of the rocks below. We are up quite high, you know.”

“I can see that. I’m sorry,” I stammered. “I just… something caught me off guard. Thank you for catching me. Where’s Naomi?” I scanned the sky. “She should’ve been back by now. It should’ve taken her five minutes. There must’ve been a problem with Ray.”

That was unfair, I scolded my wolf. Hearing Rourke’s voice had overwhelmed me and triggered a new flood of emotion I hadn’t realized had been lingering right under the surface, waiting for just the right moment to erupt and swallow me whole. My wolf lifted her muzzle, curling her lips, showing me her teeth—almost a snarl, but more like a warning. I get it. I might be actively suppressing my emotions, but it’s only to protect myself so I don’t go insane. It’s a human coping mechanism, and I happen to need it. You can’t expect me to think like you do this quickly. She chomped her muzzle down twice, her eyes flecked with violet. Okay, but ask yourself this—what if we’re too late? The thought of losing Rourke forever sent emotional needles prickling through me, causing me actual, physical pain.

I rubbed my arms.

My wolf turned her back on me, her fur bristling. Fine. You don’t want to talk about it. But maybe my not dwelling on it has some merit. It will be devastating enough to see him hurt. Selene will not go easy on him. My wolf slowly turned to look at me and a scene shot into my mind, clear and bright like a movie playing out in front of me. Two children. A boy and a girl. One blond, like her father, one dark like his mother.

A child ran toward me, his arms open.

What are you doing? I cried out in my mind. Stop!

I was too horrified to shut her down; instead I watched as I stepped into the frame, happy and laughing as the child raced toward me. I bent down to embrace him, and right as he bounded into my grasp the images evaporated before me, leaving total grief in its wake. Shocking, awful misery pounded against my heart, threatening to suffocate me completely. That was totally uncalled for! I yelled, rage churning inside me. What can you possibly gain by torturing me with something like that? My wolf shifted her head to the side. She quieted completely, as if she was waiting for me. It took me a minute, but then I understood. She wasn’t trying to hurt me. She was showing me something. What happens if this doesn’t become a reality? What are you trying to tell me? She lay down and rested her head on her paws and whined. You have to tell—

“Jess,” Tyler called, charging around the corner. “Naomi and Eamon have vanished.”