Jackal's Pride (Seven Deadly Book 2) Read online

  Jackal’s

  Pride

  Seven Deadly: Book 2

  MICHELLE GROSS

  Jackal’s Pride (Seven Deadly, Book 2)

  copyright © 2018 by Michelle Gross

  All rights reserved.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, businesses, companies, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  Cover Artwork –© 2018 L.J. Anderson at Mayhem Cover Creations

  Editor: Shantella Benson at Avanturine Press Author Services

  Table of Contents

  Author’s Note

  Prologue

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 32

  Chapter 33

  Wrath

  About the Author

  Despite a near catastrophe, there’s time for a fateful encounter.

  Maureen Reaper, eldest daughter of the revered Grim Reaper, avoided an apocalyptic vortex which threatened humanity, but she still has time for gambling. She can’t help it thanks to her curse—the sin of pride. Her latest wager brings her face-to-face with an entity no one has seen or heard from for thousands of years.

  Jackal, an entity created by the Devil himself, has never known the comprehension of emotions until the day a witch cursed him to feel for everything he has killed. Unable to bear the new burden of a heavy heart, he sleeps with no intention of ever waking again until someone finds him.

  There’s nothing beautiful in their meeting. Enemies by birth, only more so when Maureen straps a collar around his neck all for a bet. She awakens a beast whose every first—every new glare, new craving, and new touch has landed upon her.

  Then she learns that the creature she sought out in a game controlled by pride could be the very one that helps turn the tide back in the Reapers’ favor.

  But that’s the thing…

  Pride is a bitch, and Maureen is her.

  Author’s Note

  Even though book two focuses on a different sibling and romance, it’s recommended to read book one before reading this one for a more enjoyable reading experience as the storyline is an ongoing one. Thank you and happy reading!

  Prologue

  PAST

  For me, I was nothing and then I was something.

  What could I possibly mean by that phrase? I wasn’t born. I was formed by the darkest creature to walk three worlds. Once an angel, now he was far from it.

  He created me and my brethren in seconds from the void. The first was Fear. This entity was a feeder on emotions—more like a terror than anything. The second was Harvest. He was true to his name—a player of faces and a creator of havoc, just like the one who fathered him.

  We were alike in many ways. The Devil gave us pieces of who he was to create us. Fear fed on emotions and killed because it was what he was made to do. Harvest was a little different. He could appear to be anyone depending upon the circumstances. Not only that, he collected people, demons, and things and made them different.

  Then there was me.

  Jackal. Shapeshifter. Plague dropper. Wherever I walked, I left behind the most destruction. My body was a channel of deadly diseases. Although, I couldn’t change into any human form, I could shift into any animal or demon. My touch brought upon the very demons the Underworld knew as shapeshifters. A single bite placed upon one demon many moons ago plagued him with my gene. The disease spread like wildfire just like any other damage I caused.

  The three of us were feared throughout the Underworld for very different reasons, but those reasons were what the Devil wanted. He succeeded through us. At least, for a while.

  My tale began where I thought it ended. Just like any other time I stepped into the human world that one was no different. I set out to create a monstrosity to place upon the humans—famine, disease, death. I was a conqueror from the Underworld. A deliverer of destruction who no one knew existed, but everyone had felt in one way or another.

  The worst part was, I didn’t have to do anything. I just had to walk through a poor village and what I carried, stuck. The result was often instant. One person fell with a disease, and then another while I set back and watched, seemingly without an expression. This was all I knew. All I served and followed—everything I was made for.

  There were no emotions for me. I didn’t feel anything although I saw and witnessed every raw feeling. The dreadful things were witnessed every time I watched humans.

  Only I wasn’t invisible to that village. Someone that wasn’t a human at all recognized my touch, its destruction since she had lived there. Those she had loved and cherished had been there with her. They had been human. The witch had gotten the sickness as well. She had been tiny and frail, but she was the last of her village to take my plague. She knew I watched and waited for days—I know that now because once every heartbeat in the village stopped but hers; she ventured outside of their tents and approached me. I was in the form of a wolf, and she leaned on my tail as she could barely walk. Her eyes were sunken in and blisters covered her flesh. My plague was mere minutes from stealing her heartbeat as well and she used it to get to me.

  “You must be the infamous Jackal.” She coughed several times, never bothering to cover her mouth. “Death bringer that the Devil has created. A mutiny, you are…” When I was unmoved by her words, she tilted her head toward me. She saw something then, recognition dawned over her sunken features. “You don’t even know. Your eyes may let you see but you miss everything. You know nothing, nor do you feel it. Today that changes.”

  I never moved from my spot. I never knew to be wary of what was to come. In my eyes, the witch was at death’s door and I stood by waiting for it to claim her.

  “You have killed one hundred and thirty-seven people in this village. I went ahead and counted my own.” She swayed but righted herself as she rubbed the blood she coughed up over her chest. “That is one hundred and thirty-seven hearts. Your time of ignorance is gone, Jackal. If you shall kill, you shall feel it from now on. For every life you’ve stolen and every pain you’ve caused, you will know it—you will live it. I give to you a curse that may one day become a blessing. Live with one hundred and thirty-seven hearts, feel pain one hundred and thirty-seven times over, feel fear and regret and heartbreak for every one of my people.”

  Just as the witch uttered those words, she slumped forward and landed on top of me. Her weight became the significant turning point she had burned into my soul. My wolf form slumped forward, and I whimpered as I scooted myself out from underneath her lifeless body.

  Something raw, so untamed and intense, caused a fever deep in my lungs. I couldn’t breathe through it. It was unbearable. I was in pain—I knew what pain looked like. I saw the agony it brought to people, but it was never known to me before. Even with bleeding wounds, I felt not
hing. And although there was nothing physically wrong with me, I could sense the agonizing fever crawling through me. Their pain. I could hear them. One hundred and thirty-seven hearts beating furiously out of sync with each other. Blinding rage, sadness, agony, and death took over me.

  For an entity who felt nothing, I suddenly felt everything, and it was too much. The overload shifted my form into a whimpering pup.

  Make it stop.

  I can’t handle this. I don’t want to feel. I’ve never wanted to. Never been curious.

  But I did feel. One hundred and thirty-seven fates flashed before my eyes. One by one their memories shifted through mine. I saw the moment they became sick and witnessed their loved ones die. I heard and lived their final thoughts before their ragged breath ceased. I felt their loss like it was mine. Then came the torment from the survivors. I experienced every agonizing plea and desperate thought before death stole each life. Over and over to the point where I couldn’t decipher between my thoughts and theirs, and then I remembered I was Jackal—I wasn’t capable of emotions.

  None of them were mine.

  Their anger was directed at me because of what I did. Foreign emotions tormented me. I tried to walk away but stumbled. Beat down by nothing but feelings.

  I didn’t know how to appease them or ease my newfound guilty conscience. I could only port back to the Underworld where I passed out. While I slept, I realized that emotions could no longer reach me, so I found a cave hidden far from roaming demons and put myself to sleep with no intention of waking.

  For thousands of years I slept while the Underworld and the human world shifted and changed while I forever remained unaffected.

  Until someone finally awakened me.

  Chapter 1

  MAUREEN

  PRESENT

  The Den was a filthy place inside a giant, insanely hot building. By filth I meant the relatively wicked and murderous acts that took place inside its compacted metal walls—sex, cage fights, poker, you name it. Vamps, werewolves, ogres, any and all creatures of the Underworld—which were all species of demon—were drawn to this place.

  Smoke filtered through my nostrils as Gavin blew a puff from his cigar in my face as I sat down at their table. “Deal me a hand, Rabbit,” I said, tapping my knuckle once against the wood.

  “Aren’t you supposed to be, I don’t know, saving the human world from the near disaster that almost freed the Devil?” Gavin’s eyes devoured me as he flicked his cigar. He was easy on the eyes—blond hair, baby-blue eyes, and a straight nose with angular cheekbones that went well with his pale skin and lean body. There was no doubt he was beautiful, but he was also the biggest sleaze-ball. I didn’t trust a word out of his mouth, let alone give him a chance with my body. Even so, dropping in to play cards or talk shit with his usual crew—friends of mine—allowed me to unwind from work.

  After the last few weeks I’d had and the super awesome news that I was destined to die in nine months—and counting—along with everything good, yeah, I needed to step away from that part of my life and do anything else.

  “Where do you think I’ve been this entire time?” I hissed. “I need a fucking minute. Do you mind?”

  He leaned back with a smirk, holding his palms up in surrender.

  “It’s always a pleasure to see you, Maureen,” said Rabbit, a hairy man who stood just north of four feet, as he dealt us our cards. It was just the four of us—Gavin, Newt, and Rabbit. I wasn’t sure what type of demon Rabbit was, but he claimed a witch’s curse turned him into a tiny bearded man with whiskers and an overabundance of white hair—hence the nickname. Newt was a slender, bald warlock while Gavin was a vampire which explained why he smoked a lethal number of cigars. He had no working lungs to worry about.

  “I know it is,” I responded as I dragged my fingers through my long brown hair.

  “Seen what’s new on the market?” Newt asked, and I arched a dark brow his way. Leaning his elbow on the table, he twisted his palm up, and some sort of collar materialized.

  He stretched his hand out to me, and I took the device. “You into collars now, Newt?”

  He smirked. “Always have, but this is something different.”

  We ignored the cards as I inspected the collar. The energy coming from it was off the charts, so whatever the hell this thing was supposed to do…it should do it.

  “The moment you link yourself to the collar, whoever you place it on will be within your control.” Gavin’s words dripped with a malevolent glint in his eyes. Yeah, I’d bet the idea was very tempting for him. I gripped the metal necklace in my hand as I gauged his reaction to it.

  “How ominous,” I said, then I glanced at Newt. “Why show me this?”

  “I asked him to show you,” Gavin answered.

  I glared at him. “Well, spit it out.”

  “Why else?” He laughed, then pulled out another one from his pocket. “Let’s make a bet.”

  I rolled my eyes. “Don’t you get tired of losing?”

  “This time, I’m gonna win,” his eyes skimmed over my breasts as he extended his fangs, “and I’ll finally get inside that pussy.”

  “Never in a million years,” I told him.

  “What? Afraid of losing?” he goaded me, and damn it, pride was a bitch and she never said no. Gavin purposely used my own sin against me. Too bad it never worked in his favor. I never lost a bet.

  “Did I say no?” I growled.

  He gave a victory grin. “There’s that pride.”

  I was one snide remark away from punching him in the gut. Taking a deep breath, I asked, “So, how does this work? See who collars who first?”

  He shook his head. “I’ve thought about using it on you, but that would be my death. Your family would have a warrant on my head the moment I did.” I quirked a brow his way in amusement. Well, as long as he knew. “No, we pick a target and the first one to catch the target wins the bet. You keep that collar so we’ll each have one.”

  “What are you two betting on this time?” Rabbit placed his chin in his palm like he was bored.

  “Maureen. In my bed. Like she should have been ten years ago when we first met.” I would have sat on Gavin’s face five nights out of the week if he didn’t have a vulture-like personality. He was nice to look at, but I had standards.

  I sighed. “No, thanks.”

  “And, what do you want if you win?” Newt asked me. Rabbit and Newt were the ones that kept things fair so that Gavin couldn’t back out of his bets when he lost—which was always.

  “What do you have left that I haven’t won already, Gavin?” His expression was icy as I jeered. Then it hit me. “Oh, I got one.”

  Leaning back in his chair, he crossed his arms over his chest. “Let’s hear it.”

  My lips thinned into a half-snarl as I leaned forward. “If I win, you’ll no longer be allowed to bet with me. This will be the last time we gamble.” He knew I couldn’t turn down a wager. My pride wouldn’t let me. Nor would pride let me lose. Pride was a bitch, and she burned me up.

  “Now hold on—”

  I cut him off. “Afraid of losing for the hundredth time?”

  “Take it or leave it, vamp. She placed her terms and so did you.” Newt had my back.

  Gavin’s jaw tightened. We shook hands. “Fine. Deal.”

  “Do we have a problem here?” Fear crept into the room and stood between Gavin and me. Gavin had the smarts to avert his gaze. But me? I glanced up and smiled at my so-called uncle we called Ryan. He was my parents’ best friend as well as Payne’s dad so that sort of made him my uncle. When I was little, I had the biggest crush on him. Fear’s evilness thrilled me. He married a woman just as crazy as he was, and they opened this place. It was why I came all the time. Plus, I enjoyed their company.

  “Not at all,” I told him.

  He nodded and gripped Gavin’s shoulder roughly until I saw the pain in his eyes. “You should choose something other than vultures to hang out with,” Fear muttered. He glanced down
at Gavin and then back at me. “Want in the cage?” he asked. I revealed every tooth I had in return. “Got it. I’ll holler when we’re ready for you.”

  My body thrummed with excitement at the idea of cutting loose in the ring. The only reason Fear even let me inside the cage was because he knew my ass was immortal, otherwise, there was no way he’d let me. He tore The Den apart one night I was here when his wife climbed into the ring. She was a total badass, and never had a problem, but one fatal hit and he would lose her forever.

  Once Fear left us, I turned back to Gavin. “So, who’s our target?”

  Newt materialized a plastic jar full of letters. “I’ve placed the names of every strong being in the Underworld, including your siblings.” His gaze roamed to a spot behind me. “Fear and even Harvest.”

  My teeth clenched together at the sound of Harvest’s name. We were all off our game the night Harvest unleashed the vortex and subsequent shit storm we were dealing with now. None of us wanted to hurt Isabella. Even though I had been an ass to her—thanks to her god-awful touch—I was happy that things turned out the way they had.

  Sebastian loved her deeply. He deserved the same kind of love our parents had, and as much as I respected that type of love, I didn’t understand it.

  My loyalty was to my family, which included Ryan, Molly, and even Payne. But how did you trust someone you were fucking? How did one even trust themselves with a curse? I didn’t care to find out.

  Okay, I was getting dramatic.

  And maybe I knew a little girl that thought differently long ago. So very long ago.

  “Just pull a name out already,” Gavin hissed.

  With a grunt, Newt complied and pulled out a name. He tilted his head and gave the card a funny nod. “Hmm, this will be harder than either of you anticipated since the name I got hasn’t been seen or heard from far longer than any of us has even been alive.”

  I frowned. “Who?”

  “Jackal.”

  “Jackal,” I repeated.

  “The entity Jackal?” Gavin asked. “I thought he was a myth.”