mixed, I would be patient.
We stayed out for hours as they showed me around the city where they grew up. The sun had long set when Houston drove us through the iron gates that separated the public land from the private hideaway Bound had procured for themselves. They’d left most of it untouched and as wild as they had found it, only carving out what they needed and allowing the rest of the forest to cloak them. The seclusion was terrifying and liberating at the same time.
But I knew it couldn’t last.
Eventually, the tour would end, and I’d have to go back to L.A. We still had months before that happened, so I wouldn’t dwell on it now.
When their home came into view, the first thing I noticed was Jericho’s green and black sport bike parked out front and felt nerves tie my stomach into endless knots.
The house was quiet when we made it inside. Houston and Loren went straight to their rooms to shower off the day while I drifted to the guest bedroom, wondering if Jericho would find me.
I realized he wouldn’t have to when I walked into the bedroom and found him in my bed.
His eyes were closed, dark lashes brushing his cheeks, pierced lips subtly parted, and his chest slowly rising up and down while he lay on his side with the muscled arm his head was propped on stretched toward my pillow.
He’d fallen asleep waiting for me.
Waiting to finally have the talk that I fought and failed all day to push from my mind.
He was still fully dressed and entirely in black—plain T-shirt, expensive jeans, and high-top sneakers. The dark color only emphasized his pale skin.
As quietly as I could, I tiptoed back out of the room and to the guest bath across the hall. He hadn’t been snoring as usual, which meant he might not have been that deep in his sleep. I didn’t want to risk waking him since I knew he’d been having trouble.
I even caught Loren two nights ago forcing him to bed when I woke in the middle of the night to use the bathroom. Neither of them had noticed me standing there watching them. Rich had seemed out of it, which I guess too many sleepless nights in a row would do to you, and Loren had been too focused on his task.
He’d been gentle with Rich, which surprised me at the time and even now. I couldn’t forget how softly Loren spoke with his hand on Jericho’s back as he coaxed his best friend to bed. That tender moment belied the tension I’d glimpsed in Loren’s shoulders just before they disappeared inside Rich’s room.
I pondered if the reason Jericho was having trouble sleeping had to do with me as I took my time in the shower. It might not have been super late, but the exhaustion clinging to my bones said otherwise. Whatever Jericho and I needed to talk about, I decided it would have to wait until morning.
Feeling refreshed, I stepped from the bathroom sometime later, wrapped in nothing but a towel, only to freeze in momentary terror when the shadows near my bedroom door moved. My heart didn’t stop trying to flee my chest until I finally recognized the tall, slim figure they belonged to.
“Jericho?”
I immediately tensed when those silver eyes seemed to look right through me. To add insult, he walked away without responding, and I frowned as I watched him go.
Something was wrong.
His slow steps were heavy as if he were in a trance. I called his name again when he reached the end of the hall and again received no response. As confusion and alarm battled each other, I debated alerting Houston or Loren.
Rich disappeared as he turned down another hallway, and the fear of leaving him alone decided for me.
I hurried after my drummer, closely trailing him down the long hallway until we reached the grand staircase leading to the first floor. Every so often, I’d call his name, but I never dared touch him, and I didn’t know why.
Still ignoring me, Jericho headed toward the arched doorway and the stairs that led to the tunnels underneath. I quietly followed him down, the stone steps rough and cold beneath my bare feet and my exposed skin chilled by the unrelenting draft. Together, we walked through one of the tunnels partially lit by sconces until we reached the practice room that doubled as their man cave. The rest of the tunnels led all