Brother’s Best Friends Are My Mates novel Chapter 143

Jesse

We were only a couple of hours away from getting off this fucking shithole of a mountain.

It was late and we were exhausted so we were determined to rest. Then in the morning we would walk the rest of the way down the mountain and go home.

Well, for now.

Home was a place I longed to be but somewhere we couldn’t spend a lot of time. Not when there was a war brewing and Lia was trying to chase around the area for answers.

She deserved answers. If I was in her shoes I would definitely want answers too. Imagine just going about your daily life, feeling like everything is good and then your hit with these visions and rush of power.

It was mind-boggling.

The fire crackled low, sending sparks drifting into the night air. The others were laughing-mostly at something Rain said­ but I wasn’t paying attention. Something was… off. I felt it first. That itch beneath the skin, the kind that never meant anything good.

Someone was watching us.

Lia had just fallen asleep and some of us were already dozing. I didn’t want to make them nervous but someone was watching us. They were doing a great job at being quiet-much like the assassin’s from before. For a brief second, I wondered if they were vampires.

But if they were why were there vampires hunting us again?

The note I found in one of their pockets flashed in my mind. These people were here to hurt Lia. I know they would stop at nothing to end her life so we had to be quick about this.

I shifted slightly, scanning the edge of the woods without being obvious. Nothing. No sound. But the weight of it? I could feel it pressing against me, thick and heavy.

“You feel that?” I murmured, my voice low enough for only Matt to catch it.

He glanced at me, his easy slouch disappearing in an instant. “Yeah,” he said quietly. “Someone’s out there.” I nodded toward the shadows. “Left side. Been there for a while.”

Matt’s jaw ticked. “How long?” “Since Lia went to bed.”

His entire body tensed. “Shit,” he muttered. “They’re watching her.”

Of course, they were. Whatever was out there, it wasn’t here for us. I didn’t like it. Not one bit.

“We should circle,” Matt said, already shifting into that aggressive mode he fell into too easily. “Catch them before they run.” Or we could make this easier. I leaned back against the log, loud enough for anyone within earshot to hear.

“Hey,” I called out, my voice smooth and calm. “We know you’re watching us. Might as well join us by the fire.” The conversation around the fire cut off instantly.

Lia jerked awake, looking around. She was confused. Rain whispered something into her ear, explaining the situation. I can only imagine how frustrated she was to be woken up but I was sick of playing these fucking games. Matt’s head snapped toward me. “What the fuck, Jesse?” he hissed under his breath.

I shrugged. “Why waste time sneaking around?”

“Because they’re spying on us, genius,” he shot back, glaring. “What if it’s not friendly?” “Then we handle it,” I said simply.

Matt let out a low growl of frustration, dragging a hand through his hair. “You’re unbelievable.” I didn’t answer. My focus stayed on the woods, pulse steady, waiting.

A branch cracked somewhere beyond the tree line. I felt it then-the shift in the air. Whoever was out there, heard me. And now, they were deciding.

“Any second now,” I murmured.

“Or they’re leaving,” Matt gritted out, voice low. “Because you just announced that we knew they were there.”

I glanced over at him, the flicker of firelight casting his scowl in sharp relief. “If they wanted to leave, they would’ve already.” He didn’t answer, but the tension rolling off him was almost loud enough to hear.

“Aren’t ancestors supposed to be dead?” Rain asked genuinely. “I mean look, I’m not saying I want you dead but ancestors are supposed to be a part of the past, meaning you are old as dirt and usually dead.”

The woman sighed, looking over at me. “Is he always like this?” Matt smirked. “Always.”

“We won’t hurt you,” Lia blurted out.” I’ll even do a blood pact on it but at the same time you need to promise to give us all the information we need.”

A blood pact was serious business. If one side didn’t adhere to the blood pack then it could cause them immense pain and sickness, even potentially killing them if they weren’t strong enough.

“Lia-” I started to say, frowning when she shook her head.

“Don’t try to talk me out of it, Jesse. Same goes for all of you. I know exactly what I am doing and if this gets me answers then I am willing to do it.”

The woman smiled. “I’ll doit.”

“What is your name?” Lia asked. “I can’t enter a blood pact with someone that I don’t even know the name of.” “Xaveria.”

Rain blinked. “That sounds like an ancient vampire name.”

Xaveria smiled. “And I know all your names. Don’t ask how. We have been watching you for awhile.”

I didn’t like the idea of these two entering a blood pact. It seemed like something that wasn’t going to work out for Lia but the fact of the matter was it was her decision. If she wanted too then I was going to have to just support her.