Operation: Marauder

Chapter 10

Rowan had never seen Jack like this before. He was pacing around the main deck like a wild animal stuck in a cage. Not that he blamed him. Cas confirmed, Jack's sister had killed a Wraythe. None of them were entirely sure how a human could have gotten the upper hand on a Wraythe or what a Wraythe was doing with Jack's sister. None of them really cared. She was alive and that was all that mattered. 

Maliki lowered the ramp as soon as the ship touched the ground. Rowan had an odd sense that he had been on this street before. It was hard to forget the pink house that sat across from Zoey's. When Jack turned for the house opposite the pink one, Rowan felt as if someone had sucker punched him.

The street was familiar because he had been here before. That house was Zoey's. Jack's sister was Zoey.

"Fuck." He forgot all about protocol, scanning the area for Wraythe and other threats; he ran for the house, shoving the broken door aside. The house was dark, but his keen eyes spotted the shadow moving towards him. "Zoey!"

Her shirt had been torn open, right down to her navel. Her socks had soaked up the Wraythe's blood and stained the rug she stood on. Despite how disheveled she was, she looked set to beat whomever came through her front door with the cast iron pan in her hand.

As soon as she saw Rowan, she dropped it. "Rowan?"

His hearts broke to hear her sound so tired and scared. She had been holding strong, waiting for them to come, and the relief was visible in those brilliant blue eyes. "I'm here."

He stepped for her, having every intention of pulling her into his arms and never letting go. But Jack pushed past him and basically tackled Zoey with a hug.

"Are you okay??" He took a quick inventory of her, realised he couldn't see much, then flicked the lights on. Rowan's eyes hurt for a moment. Then he saw Zoey's bruises. The bite mark on her throat.

A growl ripped out of his throat. "Which motherfucker bit you?" He wanted a thorough description then he was going hunting. He was going to make sure that Wraythe suffered for daring to taste her blood.

"That one." She pointed at the body on the kitchen floor, eyes devoid of guilt or sympathy for what she had done. Rowan was pleased to see how thorough she had been in making sure he didn't come after her again--but he was disappointed it had been quick.

Knox let out a soft whistle as he entered the house, eyes instantly landing on the body. "Daaaamn. You really did kill a. . . vampire." He cringed at the use of the word, but Jack had been adamant they went along with Zoey's belief of vampires instead of telling her the truth. It was bullshit. After this, she should be told everything.

Knox went up to the body, flipping it over with his boot, so the Wraythe stared up at the ceiling. A part of his skull was caved in where she had hit him.

"I think I'm going to be sick." Zoey darted for the bathroom, Jack hot on her heels.

Rowan couldn't help feeling a little proud that she had handled herself so well, showed more strength he gave humans credit for. He'd tell her she did well, but he didn't think that was what she needed to hear right now. She just needed to know she was safe and no longer alone. Which Jack was providing instead of him.

To distract himself from the fact he wanted to be the one by Zoey's side, he turned to Knox. "Get rid of the body."

"Yes, sir."

"Cas?" he called, hearing him enter the house.

"Yeah?"

"Take care of Zoey." He tried to make it sound like a simple order, but Cas had known him the longest, gone through boot camp with him, and caught on to the weight of his words; he squeezed his shoulder in a silent comfort before heading to the bathroom.