Vasile began to walk around the room. The movement helped his wolf settle, allowing him to better work through the problems.
"Fane, Jacque, Costin, and Sorin. You will be returning to the pack mansion." He turned and addressed Sorin. "You are to seek out Wadim. It's time to look into our pack's history. I think if you dig deep enough you will be able to uncover something about the witch or why the Serbian pack has attacked us."
"Who is Wadim?" Jacque asked.
Sorin answered, "Our pack historian."
"Ooh, the pack historian. Do you keep him in a dungeon or something? I've never seen him."
"Something like that." Sorin smiled.
Vasile continued. "Sally, Cynthia, Crina, and Decebel, I am going to send you to a friend of the pack's. She is not a healer, but she has lived among them and kept records of their history. I normally avoid seeking her out. Few know of her connection to the gypsies, and I don’t want to expose her. If Thad knew of the knowledge she possesses, he would do anything to get his hands on it." His eyes crinkled in the corners as he looked at Sally and smiled. "I think you will be pleasantly surprised."
Sally returned his smile, although she was wary of the look in her Alpha's eyes.
"Alpha," Costin cleared his throat as he spoke. "I would like to go with Cynthia and Sally." He gave no reason for his request, just waited to see what Vasile's response would be.
Vasile looked over to Alina, who gave a nearly imperceptible nod.
"Don't meddle," she told him through their bond.
"Mina." His voice was a teasing reprimand. "You hurt me to say such things."
"Let fate take its course, Alpha. If he's requesting to be with her maybe his wolf knows something the rest of us don't. I don't know that Costin is completely aware of the possessive and protective behavior that he has been exhibiting. Grant his request, my love."
"You make me a better man, a better Alpha, Alina mine." Vasile caressed her face through their bond.
"Don't you forget it," she teased.
Vasile groaned aloud. "Bloody Americans rubbing off on my woman," he grumbled.
Alina winked at the confused-looking Sally and Jacque.
Vasile conceded, "Alright. Costin, you and Crina switch places. You may go with Sally." He heard his mate growl at him for adding that last little bit. After all, he didn't have to point out that Sally was the reason for Costin's request, but then sometimes deliberateness was the best course of action…especially for an Alpha.
Costin didn't respond to Vasile's jab, simply nodded and returned to his sentry position.
Vasile turned to Sally. "Her name is Perizada but she prefers Peri." He watched Sally's face and knew that her gypsy blood would intuitively understand the meaning behind the name.
Sally gasped. "Oh, they can’t be real?"
Vasile smiled again. "Werewolves exist, don’t they" he said in answer.
"Yeah, but that just seems normal now."
"Is who real?" Jacque puzzled, cocking her head and looking at her best friend.
"Perizada means fairy-born." Sally grinned at Jacque. "I'm going to meet a Fae."
“You mean with little wings and pixy dust?” Asked Jacque.
“Something tells me that there won’t be any pixie dust,” responded Sally gleefully.
"Ah, man," Jacque whined. "She gets to meet the Fae and I have to go to a dungeon to talk to some old, reclusive werewolf scribe who's probably as worn and dusty as the records we'll have to sift through."
Sally looked at Vasile and then back to Jacque. "That about sums it up, Red." Her grin remained in place.
"That is so not cool, V. Not cool at all." Jacque glared at her father-in-law.
"Still with the V?" Vasile asked.
"Yeah, well, just because you're Alpha doesn’t mean you are exempt from nicknames. Although, I could call you A, but it would be too tempting to add the word hole behind it."
The room erupted in much needed laughter.
Sally fist bumped Jacque. "Score."
Vasile growled at the two girls, but softened it with a wink. "I suppose I prefer V."
Jacque gave him a nod. "Good choice."
"Thank you, Luna," Fane whispered in her mind.
"For what?"
"Bringing laughter. There will be little joy in the coming days and we must grab it when it comes. You gave us a gift." He was absently tracing the markings underneath her red curls.
"Thanks, wolf-man. But you're not out of the doghouse yet. Don't think your sweet words will sway me."
Fane chuckled. "I can think of several things that could sway you."
Fane sent her images to punctuate his words. Jacque gasped and slapped his chest.
"Fane, quit flirting with your mate. Pay attention," Vasile growled, though he was trying not to laugh.
Decebel watched from across the semi-circle. The easy way in which Fane and his mate interacted, the obvious love and affection they shared... I had that, he thought.
How could I forget having that? Did she tease me? Did I look at her in adoration as Fane does at Jacque?
Decebel's mind wandered. He puzzled through the idea that if he did indeed have a mate, he'd more than just forgotten her—her face, the color of her eyes or hair. He hadn't just forgotten the feel of her skin or the feel of her body against his. He had forgotten all that they had shared. He felt a sharp pain rip through his chest. Did I hold her? Kiss her? He closed his eyes, squeezing them tight, trying so hard to find something, anything that would confirm that she did exist. Jen, his mate. But nothing, there was nothing.
He growled as he felt his wolf stir. His wolf knew something he didn't. Maybe his wolf remembered her – or maybe he just remembered having her and now knew there was something lost. He looked across at Fane and made eye contact, a silent request to talk later. Fane nodded, his lips tightened in something that looked like sadness.
Vasile cleared his throat, bringing everyone back on task. "Alright, those are the plans. I chose you all because you have been through much already and triumphed. Make no mistake, this will not be easy. Dealing with a witch is dangerous, especially one that we know nothing about. Rely on each other's strength. Protect one another. Pay attention to any emotions or actions that seem out of character for yourself or another in your group. If you notice someone acting odd, it could be dark magic. You must fight it."
The group was quiet as they thought on Vasile's words. Then Sally broke the silence with a giggle.
"What's tickled your fancy?" Jacque asked her dryly.
"I feel like we should all stand together in a bunch and Vasile should announce -"
Jacque caught onto Sally's train of thought and they both said at the same time: "We'll call you the Fellowship of the Ring."
Both girls began laughing and high fiving each other.
Decebel looked over at Alina.
"Yes, they are always like this," she answered his unspoken question.
Decebel let out a deep breath, shaking his head at the giggling pair.
"Man, Jen would have so rocked that." Jacque laughed.
"We should record this stuff so when she's back we can play it for her."
"Sally, I think Jen would tell you that your recording privileges were revoked at the hospital," Jacque teased.
Sally looked over at Decebel and Jacque saw her wheels turning.
"No." Jacque shook her head emphatically.
"It might spark something. I mean, she was butt freaking naked," Sally reasoned.
"Okay, so let me get this straight. You want to show Dec pictures of his mate butt naked, pawing all over him, while he looked like he wanted to crawl under the bed? The same Jen who put K-Y Jelly all over the cars of the cheerleaders, put condoms over their antennas, and then wrote 'cheerleaders got rhythm' on their window shields last year for laughing at her Beauty and the Beast backpack? The same Jen who broke into the field house, got the field chalk, and drew a picture of boobs and put 'nice rack' underneath it just because the team's mascot we were playing was a Buck?"
Sally snorted. "That was freaking hilarious."
"The point is, Sally, do you really want to provoke the wrath of Jen?"
"Fine," Sally whined. "You have to admit, though, it would be funny as hell to see his face when he saw the pictures."
Jacque chuckled. "It's almost worth her wrath…almost."
The girls realized the room had gotten quite during their discussion. They both looked around to find everyone looking at them, mouths dropped open, eyes wide.
"Oh. Um, I guess y'all didn't know Jen could be a little revenge happy. And usually that revenge takes the form of some sexual reference."
Everyone nodded and grumbled their agreement that Jen liked to joke about all things sexual.
Decebel stood up, arms crossed over his broad chest, his six foot four inches seeming to fill the room. "This is my mate you are talking about?"
"Not what you were expecting, was it?" Jacque questioned with a broad grin.
"She openly jokes about sex?" he asked, disbelieving any mate of his would be so crass.
"Jokes about it, talks about it, makes reference to it in everyday conversation. Yep, that's your mate." Jacque laughed at the worried look on Decebel's handsome face.
"Jacque quite scaring Decebel about his mate," Vasile reprimanded. "Decebel, she is a remarkable woman. You both complement each other well."
"Oh, I'm sure she compliments him well," Crina muttered under her breath.
Sally and Jacque both laughed so hard they had to grab their sides.
Crina just smiled when Vasile shot her a look that pretty much said to shut up.
Rolling his eyes, Vasile ignored the laughing girls. "Today and tonight we rest. Say your goodbyes to the other packs." He gave Jacque, who had finally gained her composure, a pointed look. "They will be leaving shortly."
Later that evening
Fane and Jacque came into the meeting room after having said goodbye to Dillon as he and the other Alpha's began to take their packs down the mountain. Several pack members had driven the Hummers and vans down the mountain to retrieve more vehicles to transport the packs.
"Everything okay?" Sally asked Jacque.
"Yeah, I know my dad wants to stay but Vasile thinks that in this instance less is more."
"What is it you that wanted to talk about Decebel?" Fane asked his Beta as he and Jacque took a seat on a small couch in front of the fireplace. Sally, Costin and Crina all sat around the stone fireplace in the meeting room. Jacque sat draped across Fane's lap as he absently played with her hair.
Decebel sat on the floor across from the couch near the hearth of the fireplace. His knees where drawn up and he had his arms resting across them, left hand clasping his right wrist.
"I was just wondering if you could tell me about her. What she looks like, what our relationship was like? How long have I known her? That kind of stuff. Maybe it will help jog my memory." Decebel stared into the orange and yellow dancing flames as he spoke.
"I can actually do you one better than that if you would like," Sally spoke up.
"Sally," Jacque's voice was thick with warning, "I thought we agreed not to go down that little path."
"Oh chilax wolf princess. I can show him the pictures of her with the sheet wrapped around her-granted she is still pawing all over him." Sally's eyes twinkled with mischief. Costin watched the brunet with fascination, still not understanding why she was quickly becoming something he and his wolf were inexplicably drawn to.
"You have pictures of her?" Decebel asked eagerly as he pulled his eyes away from the fire to look at Sally.
Sally nodded as she pulled out her cell phone. She went over and sat down next to Decebel on the hard wood floor, warmed nicely by the heat of the fire.
"Now before I show you let me explain why she is so scantily clad," Sally grinned as she remembered the night she and Jen had decided that it was their job to rescue Jacque from loneliness in the ICU, yeah that had worked out so well. Sally began the story at the wreck the girls were in with Jacque's mom. She weaved the story holding Decebel in thrall knowing that he was soaking in every word to learn more about the woman he no longer remembered. Finally, a half hour later she concluded, "So that is why your beloved is wrapped around you dressed only in a hospital sheet."
Sally looked over at Jacque who had her hand across her face as she shook her head at Sally's story.
"Geeze, hearing you tell it makes us sound like nut cases," Jacque murmured.
"Truth be told Jac, you aren't far off the mark," Crina teased.
Sally looked back at Decebel who sat wide eyed and speechless. Finally he said, "Show me."
Sally pushed some keys on her phone and held it up to him, "Scroll side to side by swiping the screen."
Decebel took the phone from her hand and stared at the blonde beauty who, wrapped in the hospital sheet as described, had one arm wrapped around Decebel's neck, her other hand rested on his chest. She stared up into his face with a look that could only be described as complete adoration. He scrolled through each picture noting the different looks of confusion and panic on his own face as he struggled with what to do with the girl they claimed was his mate.
Finally the last picture Sally had captured was of him looking down at the sleeping girl. He noted that his own face held a fierce protectiveness as he stared at the one who had obviously captured his heart and most likely his soul.
He handed the phone back to Sally and pulled out his own phone. "Could you please send me a few of those," Decebel quickly explained his request, "Not because I'm being-" He struggled to find the words.
"We don't think you are trying to lust after her Decebel. Relax. If I had forgotten Fane I would want pictures of him as well, and if they happened to be of him half dressed-well then lucky me." Jacque laughed as Fane nipped her neck gently with his teeth, "Wicked women," he murmured against her skin.
Decebel looked up at Jacque while Sally worked on sending him the pictures.
"Did she like me?" He asked her apprehensively.
Jacque grinned, "Does she like you, you mean?" Jacque clarified, "Decebel, she is still alive and we will get her back. And yes, she is crazy as hell about you."
Decebel's lips lifted slightly in a small smile, "Do I like her?" his eyes twinkled wickedly.
Fane chuckled and answered before Jacque could, "I think like is putting it mildly, although she did cause you to lose considerable amounts of sleep."
Decebel's face broke into a full grin making his strong features appear boyish, "Would she be worth it if she didn't?"
"Good point," Fane conceded.
The room grew quiet as they each turned to their own thoughts. The silence was comfortable even with the darkness that loomed over them. They each had accepted their part in the trials that would come.
Sally felt the hair on the back of her neck stand up as she realized she was being watched. Slowly she turned her head in the direction she felt the stare coming from. Her eyes collided with Costin's. She felt goose bumps rise across her skin at the heat that filled his deep hazel eyes. The pull she felt between them was strong, and like nothing she had ever felt. She didn't understand how it was possible when she knew that she had no werewolf blood in her. Sally let a small smile form on her lips as she thought about how she would need to tread carefully with this or she would inevitably end up with a broken heart. Costin had an easy charm about him. He was light hearted, shamelessly flirty, unbelievably handsome and dominant to the core. Yea, Sally thought, this one has the potential to rip my heart out, grin and wink all the while with me swooning at his good looks and unbelievable charisma.
Her heart dropped to her stomach as a breathtaking grin spread across his face. He cocked an eyebrow at her and winked, mischief danced in the depths of his eyes as she felt the blood rush to her face while she looked upon his sensual lips and felt the easy confidence that he wore like a favorite shirt, pouring off of him.
Sally finally pulled her eyes from him as she heard Decebel take in a sharp breath.
Every eye turned to him as they watched him raise his eyes, wide with confusion and look at them, "I feel her. She's seeking me out." His words were so soft that even the crackling of the fire threatened to drown them out.
"Has she spoken to you?" Jacque asked him gently as if to keep from spooking him.
"No, she needs comfort. She's hurting." Decebel instinctively pictured the image of her from the pictures on Sally's phone in his mind and then imagined caressing her face. He didn’t' know what he felt for her, he didn't know her, but feeling her in his mind called to his wolf. And his wolf refused to deny this woman anything she needed.
"Jen?" he reached out tentatively.
Chapter 6
Jen felt her body being laid onto a soft surface. Even with the unbelievable gentleness in which the arms placed her, the pain from her injuries still rolled through her body. She gasped at the sting, opening her eyes at the same time. Without thought, she reached out for Decebel. She didn't speak; she simply sought the touch of his mind, needing the comfort of his strength through their bond.
As soon as she felt him, she knew something was wrong. She didn't know what, but his mind seemed jumbled and restless. Before she could speak to him, the face of a woman came into view as she leaned over Jen. Rachel, Jen remembered.
"How are you feeling?" the woman asked her.
Jen swallowed and licked her lips trying to dispel the dryness that had coated the inside of her mouth.
Her voice was hoarse when she responded, "Aside from feeling like a bull has danced the cha-cha on my body and then passed me along to his bully friends for the same mind blowing experience, well I'm just dandy."
Rachel scrunched her brow at the bruised face of the obviously beautiful girl before her. Her words indicated that she was in definite pain, but the tone of her voice was so upbeat. It confused the healer.
Jen, noticing that Rachel had obviously not caught on to her sarcasm blew out a shallow breath and took pity on her rescuer, "Sorry, I tend to have a smart mouth in painful, tense and otherwise completely unbelievable circumstances."
"So you aren't doing well, correct?" Rachel asked for clarification.
"Correct. I am most definitely not doing well."
"I'm going to give you an herbal tea with healing properties to drink. Then, if you are ready, I will try to explain where you are. Would that be alright?"
Jen tried to focus on Rachel's words even as she heard noise around her, cabinets being opened and closed, things being shuffled on the floor and then a cold breeze rushing over her as a door was opened and then closed.
"That's Gavril, my mate," Rachel explained, "He is gathering the things I will need to help you. You have a long recovery ahead of you." Jen could tell that Rachel was not convinced that she could indeed heal her. This made Jen realize how close to death she actually was.
Rachel stepped away for a moment and then returned with a cup. Steam rose from the cup revealing the warmth of the liquid. Rachel gently place an arm under Jen's neck and raised her enough to be able to safely swallow the tea.
Jen sputtered as the tea hit her tongue.
"I know it's not the best tasting drink, but truly you need to drink it. Please."
Jen didn't know how she knew to trust Rachel, but something in her said she was on Jen's side. Jen held her breath as she forced herself to swallow the bitter liquid until the cup was empty. Once again Rachel gently lay Jen back down. She stepped from Jen's view and Jen could hear running water, cabinets opening and closing again. She heard Gavril whisper something to his mate and then a soft noise that sounded like a kiss. Jen's heart ached at the tenderness in that sound.
Rachel came back over, her arms full of towels. She laid them on the end of the bed. When she disappeared again, she returned with clothes and a blanket.
"Gavril has stepped out to give you privacy. We need to clean your wounds and I need to check your ribs."
Jen nodded. She knew this was coming but she seriously dreaded moving . Rachel helped her sit up. Instead of making her pull the shirt over her head Rachel pulled out a pair of scissors and cut the shirt off.
"Good call healer," Jen smiled.
"I have my tricks," Rachel teased back, "Although I'm afraid the pants won't be so easy."
"Oh well, what's a day not spent writhing in pain simply from removing clothing? I mean seriously who wants to go through life without that experience."
Rachel chuckled, "I bet you bring amusement to your mate."
"You might call it amusement; I think he calls it being a pain in the ass."
Jen winced as she laid back and tried to help Rachel remove her pants. Rachel laid the blanket across her, only baring the part of her that she was cleaning or looking over. She ran the warm wash cloth across Jen’s head cleaning a cut on her forehead. She probed Jen's scalp with her fingers and stopped when Jen let out a gasp.
"We are going to have to wash your hair to get all the blood out so I can make sure this doesn't need stitches." Rachel walked away again and came back with a large bowl of water and some sort of soap.
"It's a cleansing soap, I make it. It will help keep infection out," Rachel explained at Jen's questioning look.
Jen laid there with her eyes closed while she let Rachel wash her hair. She didn't move as she continued to endure the menstruations. They discovered that no stitches were necessary. Rachel explained that head wounds tended to bleed bad and look worse than the really were. Jen was out of breath by the time Rachel had helped her slip on the warm sweat shirt and sweat pants.
"I know you are hurting so I'm going to give you more tea, but this has some pain controlling properties. It should help take the edge off."
"Thank you Rachel," Jen breathed out as she tried to calm her breathing and quite her racing heart.
"That's what I'm here for. Truthfully I have missed using my gift. Gavril swears that I have let him get injured on our outings just so I would have someone to tend." Rachel laughed at her own words and Jen smiled once again at the beautiful sound.
Finishing the tea, she watched as Rachel took a chair next to the bed.
Jen noted that the woman looked to be in her late thirty's or early forties. She was voluptuous but by no means overweight. She had dark chocolate hair that fell in natural waves around her elegant face. Her eyes were blue, but not just blue, more like azure and nearly glowed. She had full rose colored lips and Jen could see she had a small gap in between her front teeth that, instead of detracting to her beauty, added character. There was a peace about her that reminded Jen of Sally. Rachel's eye's met Jen's drawing Jen back from her scrutiny.
"What do you know of gypsy healers?" Rachel asked simply.
"Not much," Jen admitted, "I just found out one of my best friends is one."
Rachel's eyebrows rose on her forehead and her azures began to definitely glow, "A gypsy healer? Here in Romania?"
Jen nodded, but caught herself when she felt the sharp tingles and answered instead, "Yes."
"Is she wolf as well?"
"No, she's home grown, all American human," Jen said dryly.
Rachel thought about the revelation for a few quiet moments. About what it meant that a gypsy healer had returned to the Romanian wolves after three centuries of absence. She didn't count herself since she and her mate had effectively slipped from view.
"You said you are a healer?" Jen asked.
"Yes, I am. But I am not only a healer."
"Your eyes glow," Jen's words were soft as she pieced the puzzle together, "Mother of pearl; you're a dormant aren't you?"
Rachel's mouth took on a slight curve as she smiled at Jen's odd words. "Yes, I am a dormant. I'm the last one born in 5 centuries, both gypsy healer and dormant Canis lupis."
"Why are you living here all alone without a pack?"
"Try to relax. This could take a while," Rachel sat back in her chair and crossed one leg over the other. She looked off at nothing unparticular gathering her thoughts and trying to decide where she should begin her story.
"Gavril, my mate was a mighty Alpha three centuries ago to the Western Romanian Pack,"
"Western Romanian?" Jen interrupted.
Rachel cocked her head, a very wolf like gesture.
Jen raised her hands in surrender, "Sorry, got it. No interrupting, hold all applause until the end of the show."
Rachel shook her head, "You are very strange."
"You have no idea," Jen muttered under her breath but kept her attention on Rachel, waiting for her to go on.
"For centuries the Romanian packs were divided. Eastern and Western. Both were ruled by powerful Alpha's who were surprisingly agreeable most of the time. They had a shaky alliance that turned into a friendship over the years. My great-grandmother was the gypsy healer to the Western pack. Eastern pack did not have a healer and because of the friendship between the Alphas, the Eastern Alpha would allow my great-grandmother to go and attend their wolves when needed. She wound up having an affair with a werewolf, although now I believe she was actually his mate. Through that pairing a daughter was conceived and so on and so forth until I was born. At first, I thought that I was just a fourth generation healer and dormant. Gavril was the pack historian. He had no reason to know otherwise, so that is how he recorded me. But after the werewolf wars, and my mother's death, it became apparent that I was the only healer left. That was when I was finally told who I really was. She had finally decided that it was time to remind the wolves of their history."
"She who?" Jen asked.
"We will get to her soon enough."
Rachel paused momentarily and Jen took advantage of the silence, "Okay back up a sec Charlie Brown, what do you mean they think your great-grandmother had a mate? Wasn't she human?"
Rachel nodded, "She was human," before Jen could interrupt Rachel held up a finger stopping her, "But more importantly, she was a gypsy healer." She didn't elaborate but just let that sink in.
Jen's mouth fell open. Even though it hurt horrifically, she propped herself up on her side gingerly, "Bloody hell, you can't be saying what I think you are saying. But you are, aren't you? Gypsy healers can mate with Canis lupis."
"Not 'can'," Rachel clarified, "will."
"Will?" Jen's eyebrows rose at the declaration.
"Gypsy healers are always the mate to a Canis lupis."
"Then why aren't their more dormants?"
"It is very difficult for werewolves to procreate, there is a reason for this but we won't get into that right now. It's even rarer with healers and a wolf. A child born of a healer and a wolf only comes every four or five centuries. I was the last known gypsy healer/dormant."
"Okay, so how can there be gypsy healers that aren't dormants then?" Jen challenged.
"How was the mate of the Romanian Canis lupis prince conceived and not full wolf?"
"Touche'," Jen conceded, "So there are gypsies who have chosen to be with humans?"
"When they could not find their mate, or their mate died before they were bonded. Then yes, some chose a life with a human and would wind up bearing children from that union," Rachel explained.
"Okay, I'm with you. Hit me with some more," Jen laid back down, her lips flattening in a tight line as she eased onto her back.
"Since my mother was a healer, I grew up around werewolves but most of my friends were from a village a couple of miles away from the pack den. My mother kept me, for the most part, away from the males for as long as she could. I believe she was worried that I would find a mate at too young an age. When I hit puberty, I began to exhibit unusual physical attributes that were getting difficult to conceal from the humans. My eyes, for instance, took on a slight glow. When I would feel strong emotions, they would glow just like a full blood Canis lupis. I had to be careful and learn to control my emotions. Although my mother wanted to keep me from the males, I had to learn the skills of being a healer. As I continued to get older I started going with her to see her patients. I would see Gavril from time to time and began to feel a pull towards him. When I mentioned it to my mother she told me that it wasn't time. I didn't really understand what she meant until later.
"One day, I was with one of my friends from the village and she saw my eyes glow—really glow. You have to remember that this was a time when the mere mention of witchcraft would get you hung, or burned. Anything out of the ordinary was looked upon as suspicious. She promised not to tell anyone, but naturally, her fear overcame her loyalty to me. After she told her mother what she had seen, her mother convinced her to bring me to their village. I trusted her; she told me she had something to show me. And because I trusted her, I followed her to my death."
Jen's breath caught as she heard the raw emotion in Rachel's voice. She saw her eyes glowing but also the steely determination written on the healer’s face.
"What did they do to you?" Jen asked gently.
"They tried to burn me at the stake," she answered matter of fact like.
"What?" Jen's mouth dropped open and her eyes, wide as saucers, revealed the indignation she felt at Rachel's revelation.
"I say tried because as they were about to light the fire, he came. Like an angry, wild, magnificent storm. He tore through the crowd that had come to watch me burn to death. I thought he would kill every person there. And the ones who chose to stay, he did slaughter."
Jen listened, captivated by Rachel's words as she imagined Gavril coming for her, saving her. Surely Decebel would do the same. While Rachel had been talking she had continued to seek out Decebel's mind but he was blocking her. She could still feel him, but there were no words or images or emotions. She didn't know what was going on with him, but deep down Jen knew that something was majorly wrong with her wolf.
"It was in that time of intense emotion,” Rachel continued. “And dire need, that I heard his voice in my head. He saved me. And when he took me back to the pack, he claimed me. My mother told me that she had long suspected that the Alpha would be my mate. Gavril was thoroughly confused as to how I could have been in his pack for so long without there being any mating signs. Our bond only solidified after I was nearly killed.
My mother explained that sometimes, with dormants, mating signs will only be revealed after a major cataclysmic event. These traumatic events sometimes bring out the wolf in the dormant so that she can bond with her mate. The more diluted the blood, the more intense the cataclysmic event will need to be."
Jen rolled her eyes, "Yeah, I got front row seats to that show."
Rachel once again looked at Jen in confusion, "What does that mean?"
"You know how I told you that I also have a mate?"
"Yes."
"Well there were no mating signs until I was nearly killed. Nothing. There were only two reasons that we were convinced that we were mates. The first, my blood tests came back as inhuman, and the second, the indescribable pull that we feel towards each other."
Rachel smiled at her, understanding etched in her face. "It took that crisis for your wolf to surface. Hard to believe, I know, but you do have Canis lupis blood, which means that you hold a wolf inside as well. It's just tucked way down deep. What mating sign appeared?"
"We can hear each other's thoughts." Jen's smile lit up the room as she remembered hearing Decebel's voice in her mind for the first time, "I don't think I've ever wanted anything so much than to hear his voice in my head." A single tear escaped Jen's eye and made a path down her clean, soft cheek. She wanted to hear it again. Needed to hear it. But he wouldn't let her in.
Jen wiped the tear away and looked up into Rachel's softly glowing eyes, "So then what happened, after he claimed you?"
"It was kind of rocky at first. Alpha males are extremely possessive and can be pretty intense about their mates. He didn't want to rush things, but everything in him told him to complete the bond and the Blood Rites. After spending some more time with Gavril, it was clear to me that I loved him. That I was made to love him. We were bonded over 3 centuries ago."
"So it's pretty safe to say that, um, these fur balls don't have commitment issues?" Jen joked.
Rachel laughed, and the musical sound was a pleasant break from the turmoil rolling inside of Jen. The longer she was unable to connect with Decebel, the more desperate she was beginning to feel. She took a couple of deep breathes, wincing with each as her abused lungs expanded. I can do this she thought to herself even as she felt darkness pushing inside her mind where Decebel should be. She not only could do this, but she had to. Because not seeing Decebel again after finally having their bond was unacceptable to her.
"You are thinking awfully hard about something." Rachel observed.
"Just hurting," Jen lied, "So what happened that caused you and Gavril to hide?"
Rachel ran her fingers through her hair and once again leaned back in her chair. She let out a deep breath and then continued her tale, "About two years after we bonded there began to be some tension among the surrounding packs. Serbia being the most volatile. The Alpha there was working with a witch."
"I take it that she wasn't the kind of witch that was married to a dork, and was a stay at home mom who wiggled her nose to use her magic?"
Rachel's eyebrow's rose, "Um, no. She was evil, vile, and wicked. It's forbidden for the wolves to work with witches. You see, there is no such thing as a good witch. Their magic comes from darkness and death. When the Serbian Alpha found out that there were two gypsy healers in Romania, he declared war. Any packs not willing to help him, were against him, and therefore attacked. When they came here, Gavril's pack and the Eastern Romanian pack joined together to fight the Serbia Pack and their witch. My mother was killed in that war, as were many other good people. Gavril was injured badly. I found his body on the edge of the river. I could feel the life slipping from him, because it was slipping from me as well.
"I couldn't lift him, so I laid there and held him and waited for death. I would happily go with him, because there is nothing on this earth for me without him." Rachel took another deep breath and sat up straighter, "But fate decided that it wasn't our time. That night, a woman came to us. There was a soft glow around her and she looked like she was gliding on the ground instead of walking. Her movements were graceful and sure.
She told me 'you cannot die at this time healer'. I asked her who she was. 'I am Perizada of the Fae. If you die, the balance of life in the supernatural world will be thrown off. That cannot happen. There must be a healer at all times. You are the only one who knows what and who she is. The next to come is not for centuries. Though others with your blood may be born, they have not been called. You and your wolf must live'. I told her that as long as my presence was known, the Serbian Alpha would seek me out. So she agreed to spread a rumor that we had died. But in realty she hid us away from the other wolves. There is a spell on our home given by the Fae. If you don't seek me out with a pure heart and pure motives, then you cannot see this home. Any person seeking to do us harm will just walk right past it. She also gave me simple Fae magic to cloak myself and Gavril's presence when we are out. So we have lived here, in silence, in hiding. Waiting. Perizada said that when the next healer came, the last witch could be destroyed. It's very possible that the very same witch three centuries ago that helped the Serbian Alpha, is still helping him today."
Jen couldn't believe what she was hearing. Thad had a witch working for him. An honest to goodness witch. A thought donned on her then, "Why does he want a healer so badly?"
"Healers can do several things. They know herbs that can heal. They can look inside a wolf and see what plagues them. They have connections with the Fae, and believe me you do not want to be an enemy of the Fae. But the most important and most guarded reason that an Alpha wants a healer is that she can protect a pregnant Canis lupis."
"What do you mean protect?" Jen asked.
"Gypsy healers don't just use herbs. There is magic in what we are, in who we are. Fate made it nearly impossible for Canis lupis to procreate, but it did give them one advantage—the healer. That's why there has to be a gypsy healer in existence at all times. Without one, the chances of a female caring a pregnancy to term is much, much, lower. Not saying that it doesn't happen, but a healer guarantees a successful pregnancy."
"Hoooooollllly crap," Jen ground out, "I didn't even pay attention, but there are no children in the Romanian pack. I mean, none, as in zilch, nada, zero, not one iota," Jen stopped when she realized Rachel was looking at her like she had grown a second nose, "Sorry, my vocabulary tends to get out of hand when I'm stressed."
Rachel nodded with raised eyebrows but smiled at Jen.
"So now you know. That's why we are in hiding."
"How did you find me?" Jen's brow furrowed.
"Gavril was out gathering herbs for me. He heard you, and then he smelled your pain. So he came and got me. We had been watching the area because of the disturbance in the air.
"What kind of disturbance?"
"When you get a group of werewolves together that large, especially with multiple packs involved, the air becomes electric. It's been pulsating for the past few days. I knew something was up. There hasn't been a gathering of that size in quite some time."
"So what now?" Jen let out a breath and laid an arm across her face, covering her eyes.
"I need to ask you, have you been communicating with your mate?"
"I did briefly when Gavril was carrying me. But now," Jen shook her head, her voice full of frustration, "now he's blocking me."
"Maybe something has happened and he's trying to protect you," Rachel offered.
"No, it feels like something is ‘off’ inside of him."
"Jen, I have to tell you that while you were in that hole, that witch that I was telling you about attacked the mansion. She set it on fire."
Jen nearly fell off the table trying to sit up, "WHAT!" Rachel went to help her just as Gavril opened the door.
"Something isn't right out there Luna," Gavril's face was tight with worry, "Something foul and evil laces the wind."
"She searching," Rachel's voice was grim as she looked towards the front door. Her eyes bore into it, as if, if she stared hard enough, she could see straight through it. "We have to be careful. But we need answers Gavril. We need to see her."
Gavril shook his head, "It's too great a risk."
"See who? What risk?" Jen was trying to keep up, but the pain from sitting up so abruptly was beginning to make her dizzy.
"Perizada, she will know what is going on. If what you say is true and your friend really is a gypsy healer, then she is the one Perizada spoke of. She is the one who must help me defeat the witch."
"I can honestly say that of all the things that I could ever see Sally doing, going toe to toe with the wicked witch of the west was not on the top ten list." Jen laid back down closing her eyes once more as Rachel and Gavril looked at her with what Jen was sure had to be 'what have we just drug into hour house' faces. Yeah, well my mom asked herself that every day, healer, so it's not a new look to me. Jen was laughing at her inner monologue until she felt a light caress across her face bringing in a sharp breath. The she heard his voice as he said her name.
"Jen?"
Chapter 7
Mona's eyes were closed as she stood at the edge of the forest. Night turned into day, and snow had began to fall. The cold mountain air whipped her midnight hair around her face; her body was relaxed, but her focus was relentless. While she had been casting the spells on the Romanian wolves she had felt it. A current of power. Not dark power, not witch power. It had been centuries since she felt the smooth, cool tendrils of Fae magic, but she had felt it early this morning while the moon still shown and the fire roared through the silent sky. She had felt Fae power, and beneath that was something even more subtle. Gypsy. And this wasn't a young, new gypsy like the one in the Romanian pack. This was old blood, powerful magic.
Mona continued to send her will out into the trees and over the snow-covered mountains, over rocks, plants, dirt, and the lives of the wildlife seeking shelter there. As she sought her query, she thought back to the last time a gypsy healer was known. Three centuries had passed since then, nations had risen and fallen, civilization had grown and evolved, all manner of technology now ruled the world. But even with all those changes, some things remained the same. Gypsy healers would always be where Canis lupis roamed. She knew that Melinda's daughter hadn't died. She had felt when Melinda had been slain, felt the life force drain from her body. But not Rachel.
Mona had searched for decades without so much as a wisp of power. She had come to the conclusion then that the Fae must have helped the gypsy and her mate out. No mere gypsy healer could stand against Mona's power. She was the most powerful witch her coven had ever seen. When the Fae came in and wiped out the covens that were scattered over the Eastern world Mona had done what any smart predator does – she took to ground to bide her time.
The Fae had decided that the witches were becoming too powerful and needed to have their population downsized. It worked better than they anticipated. Mona knew of no others that had survived beside herself.
After her people had been wiped from the earth, Mona had found refuge with the Serbian pack. The Alpha wanted the healer from the Western Romanian pack, wanted her bad enough to hire a witch, and by doing so isolated himself and his pack from the other Canis lupis.
Mona had agreed to his terms. She would get him the healer and he would protect her from any foe until she could regain her power. She was still powerful, even after the Fae, but she had been cloaking herself for so long and it was draining her.
What the Serbian pack Alpha didn't know was that Mona had her own reasons for wanting the gypsy healer. Reasons that had nothing to do with the Alpha and everything to do with making her the most powerful witch ever to walk the earth. Mona was old. She'd been old three centuries ago. She remembered things long forgotten about the supernatural beings, remembered why gypsy healers were prized not only by werewolves but witches and Fae alike.
"Where are you, little gypsy?" she whispered. "You can't hide forever." Mona opened her eyes, scanning the forest.
Whatever she had felt earlier was now gone. She wasn't discouraged, Mona knew that hunting supernatural prey took time. Luckily for her, time was something she had plenty of.
As she turned to leave, she began to hear the chorus of Electric Light Orchestra's song “Evil Woman”. Mona smiled to herself. So maybe the ringtone was a little much.
I'm a witch, she thought. Surely no one would expect her ringtone to be “Lean On Me”.
"What?" Her words were clipped as she answered.
"I need to know what your plans are," Thad answered.
Mona rolled her eyes. She was so sick of answering to the wolves. But, when she finally had the healer they would no longer hold any power over her.
"I made my move. Now it's time to let the Alpha make his. Sometimes, Thad, the best course of action is to wait and watch."
"Fine. I expect you to keep me updated."
"Careful, wolf. Do not think to give me orders like I am one of yours. You do not want me as your enemy." Mona ended the call just as Thad began to respond. She didn't have time to argue with the overbearing wolf. She needed to do some searching through the archives that she'd managed to keep the Fae from destroying; she needed to know who could have helped Rachel remain in hiding and she needed to find a weakness.
Mona had plenty to do, but Thad didn’t need to know that. The thought of doing her own research brought to mind the fact that Vasile was smart. He had to be to have lasted this long and be this powerful. It only made sense that he would do his own digging, especially since the Canis lupis seemed to have disregarded witches altogether. So perhaps it was time to pay a visit to the powerful Alpha's home – after all, while the wolf is away, there's room for the witch to play.
Mona laughed to herself. I must be getting old if something so simple is funny to me, she thought. She grinned as she swept her deep red cloak around her.
After sending out a mental call, she waited. Soon hoof stomps became audible and a second later there stood her black-as-night steed.
"Ahh, Octavian, my faithful friend." Octavian was eighth in his line to serve the witches, hence his name. He was a steed of old, his life supernaturally long just as the ones before him. The witches had begun breeding them further back than Mona could remember.
"Let's go on a journey," she told him as she swung up onto his back. She didn't disrespect him with a saddle. She knew that he didn't have to serve her. He, like any supernatural being, had magic of his own. Octavian turned and headed in the direction he had come, away from the crumbled mansion and the woods that held secrets that Mona would uncover.
Decebel took a deep breath as he waited for Jen to answer him. He didn't have to wait long.
"Where have you been? Why have you been blocking me? Do you have any idea how worried I've been? Do you know what I've been through?" Jen's questions were like a gun going off in his head.
"Are you talking to Jen right now?" Jacque asked as she watched Decebel's eyes get bigger and bigger.
Decebel nodded once, then with a wrinkled brow he asked, "Does she have an off switch?"
"We've been looking for one for years," Sally offered, "but it's a no go."
Decebel held up his hand to the two girls as he listened to Jen in his mind.
"Why are you acting so weird?"
He could hear pain in her voice and wondered if he was the cause of it. "She wants to know why I'm acting weird," Decebel told Jacque and Sally.
"Okay, Dec, you need to tell her she's talking to me…through you," Jacque instructed.
At the same time Decebel heard Jen say, "Is Jacque around? Put Jacque on the line."
Decebel looked over to Fane. "Are they always this bossy?"
Fane and Sally both looked deadpan at him, and at the same time replied, "Yes."
"Jen, I'm going to listen to Jacque talk and you are going to listen through me. I will then give her your response." Decebel explained.
"Ask her why the hell you're calling me Jen."
"She wants to know why the hell I'm calling her by her name."
Jacque raised a single eyebrow at him. "Are you calling her Jen?"
Decebel nodded.
"Yeah, that's not what you call her. You call her Jennifer…or baby…or smart ass, and even once I think you called her a mouthy little thing." Jacque waved her hand as she said, "Moving on. Okay. So, Jen, Decebel's been cursed." Jacque waited for Decebel to pass it on.
The girls watched as Decebel bowed his head and started shaking it from side to side. They looked at each other, confused by his behavior. Then his shoulders began to shake.
"Are you laughing?" Sally asked, bewildered.
Decebel finally composed himself and looked up. "She said, 'So someone else has cursed him. What's the big deal? I curse him all the time'."
They all started laughing; not only Jen's words, but at the puzzled tone with which Decebel relayed Jen's words.
Jacque rolled her eyes. "No, you dimwit. Cursed as in its 'Leviosa' not 'Leviosa'. Not curse as in dumb ass."
"She's asking why the hell you're quoting Harry Potter…again?" Decebel was getting more and more confused by the conversation the two girls were having--through his thoughts.
"Man, this would be easier if she had a cell phone," Sally grumbled.
Decebel looked at Jacque. "Let me try and explain, okay?"
"Go for it, lover boy."
"Jen, I was hit with a curse by a witch. According to Sally it affected my memory. There are huge holes – I can't remember so much... I'm really struggling with this because I feel like there are some things that I should not have been able to forget."
Jen didn’t respond right away. If he hadn't felt her in his mind he would have thought she was gone.
"You for-forgot me? You really don't know who I am." A statement. Her voice was so full of hurt that Decebel felt like his heart was being ripped from his chest. "So you feel like you shouldn't have been able to forget your true mate?"
"Yes," Decebel answered honestly.
Jen didn't respond.
"I think I hurt her," Decebel confessed out loud.
"Of course you hurt her, you oaf, " Jacque growled. "Now that the cat is out of the bag, ask her where she is, if she's okay, and how we find her." Jacque was nearly on her feet. Only Fane's hand on her leg kept her from jumping up and pacing.
"Where are you?"
Soon Decebel cringed and looked back at Jacque. "Does she always talk so, so..." He growled as he tried to come up with the word.
"So sailor-like? Get used to it, Don Juan. Whatever she said, I promise you she has said worse," Jacque snapped.
"It just gets worse when she's stressed," Sally tried to reassure him.
"She's asking, 'What the hell does is matter where I am if my damn hairy, flea-infested mate doesn't know me from the next hot blonde on the street?"
"You left out some words, didn't you?" Jacque raised a single eyebrow at Decebel. "'Cause that's pretty mild for Jen."
Decebel snarled. "There's no reason to repeat everything she says. And why does she think I have fleas?"
"She thinks everything with fur has fleas. Don’t take it personally." Jacque's tone was sharp, but she knew she shouldn't be taking her frustration out on Decebel.
"Luna, ease up on him." Fane gentled his words by rubbing Jacquelyn's back. She looked over at him and stuck her tongue out.
"I intend to take you up on that offer later."
"I've created a monster," Jacque told him, rolling her eyes.
"Oh, you have no idea, my love." Fane's smile spoke of wicked things.
Finally Jacque turned her attention back to Decebel, who was looking more and more concerned by the minute.
"Now she isn't responding to me," he told them as his brows drew together and his shoulders grew tense. It was obvious he was trying very hard to hold it together. It was then that Jacque realized that even though Decebel had lost some of his memory, he was still the same man. A possessive, bossy, controlling, dominant wolf. She imagined that the idea of not being able to fix this situation, of not being able to comfort Jen, was driving him crazy.
"Jen, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you." Decebel tried to make sure she could feel the frustration and worry he was feeling.
Finally she responded. "Please stop calling me Jen. Call me anything but Jen. I just can't stand hearing your voice saying it."
Decebel looked at Sally. Sally winced at the pain she saw pooling in his amber eyes.
"She told me to quit calling her Jen; to call her anything but Jen."
"Just because you don't remember does not mean she isn't your mate, Decebel." It was Cynthia who spoke this time. "Do you feel anything when you hear her voice?"
"My wolf stirs at the sound. She brings him peace."
"Try to imagine how she is feeling," Cynthia told him. "She's just found out that the man she loves, the man who has done nothing but protect her, pursue her, and make her feel like the most cherished woman on earth, doesn't remember her. Give her this simple thing. Call her Jennifer."
Decebel tried to reach out to Jennifer again, but she pulled back. It was like a punch to his gut.
"I just need some time, Decebel. Please. Just -" He felt her pain, could nearly feel the tears that streaked her face. "I just need some time." And then she was gone.
Sally, Jacque, Fane, Costin, Cynthia, and Crina all watched in shock as Decebel, big, strong, immovable Decebel, lost control.
Decebel shot up from the ground and with wolf speed was across the room, grabbing chairs and throwing them. They shattered, hitting the walls with such force that the tavern shook. Decebel snarled, continuing to wreak havoc on everything in his path. His howl of pain swept through the building, bringing everyone to their knees as power rolled off of him.
Suddenly the door to the room flew open and Vasile stormed in. His own power filled the room, wrapping around Decebel and pulling him down.
"Settle, Beta." Vasile words were firm, laced with the promise of retribution if his Beta did not get himself under control.
Decebel bowed his head.
"I've failed her. I don't remember her, but even as I stand here I can feel my wolf snarling at me. My own wolf reprimanding me for not taking care of her."
"Are you telling me your wolf remembers her?" Vasile asked.
"I don't know if he remembers her as our mate but he feels a connection to her, wants to protect her." Decebel looked around the room, shame filling him at the evidence of his loss of control. "I will fix this, Alpha," he told Vasile.
"Yes, you will. You can't help her if you can't keep yourself under control."
Decebel nodded but didn't say anything more.
"We will help him," Sally offered.
Costin looked over at her and she blushed at the approval shining in his eyes.
"That isn't necessary," Decebel told her.
"I didn't ask for your permission. We are pack. What's the point of being pack if we don't share each other's burdens?"
"Well said, healer." Vasile smiled at Sally and he could tell she was going to be a very special addition to his pack.
It had taken the rest of the day for Decebel and the others to get the room cleaned and salvage as many chairs as they could. He'd met with the owner and told him he would pay for the damage and buy all new chairs. Thankfully Nicolae was very understanding and took things in stride.
That evening, Decebel looked out of the second story window of the quiet room where he sat. Light from the lanterns flickered, casting eerie shadows across the walls; a fire burned behind him in one of the many fireplaces that occupied the tavern. His back was warm from the heat, but the cold that ran across his face and chest remained. There were beds lining the walls, side by side across both sides of the room. Later he would share this room with the others from his pack, but for now he had told everyone that he needed to be alone. He needed to see if he could get Jennifer to speak to him. He was worried about her, about how she had sounded the last time they had spoken through the intimate bond they shared.
Decebel pulled his phone out when he felt it vibrate. Vasile had sent him a text asking if he was alright. Decebel smiled, amazed at how much Vasile cared for his wolves. Decebel responded and started to put the phone away before noticing a past text from Jennifer. His heartbeat increased as he opened up the text message and his breath caught as he read their playful correspondence.
When he scrolled through it, certain things grabbed his attention. He called her baby, told her she was his. He'd even told her to keep her clothes on. He would have to ask Jacque and Sally about that one. They teased each other and it was evident that there was an easy intimacy between them. His heart began to ache as he read the texts over and over. Before Cosmina's death he had longed for a mate, longed for what he had obviously had with Jennifer. He remembered that after Cosmina had died he had sworn he would never take a mate. Never again had he wanted the responsibility for one's life, or the possibility that he might fail again. Now, reading these texts, he knew he would do anything to gain his memories back. He would do anything to have this woman who obviously loved him, and he her, back in his arms.
"I found the text messages between us." Decebel pushed his thoughts as hard as he could against her shields. He felt bad forcing his way into her mind, but not bad enough not to do it. He felt empty, alone without her presence in his mind.
"Jennifer, please talk to me," Decebel pleaded.
"And what exactly would you have me say? Hey there, I know you don’t remember me but I love you more than life itself and can't stand being without you. I can barely breath from being away from you. I'm hurting and scared and pissed. Is that what you want to hear? Do you want to hear how my heart is breaking and my soul feels like it's been ripped in two? Or maybe you'd like me to tell you how all I can think about is the last time you held me in your arms, the last kiss you gave me, the last time I heard you speak to me with recognition. What should I say, Decebel?"
Decebel closed his eyes as he soaked up her pain.
"I know I've hurt you and I'm sorry. I can tell from these text that I loved you,"
Jennifer interrupted him before he could say more, and the catch in her voice nearly brought him to his knees, "Loved – past tense. Wow, that is rich. That's the icing on the proverbial cake, fur ball. Thank you for that."
"JENNIFER STOP!" Decebel roared through their bond. "I'm not giving up on us. I'm not going to stop until I find you and until the curse is destroyed. No, I don’t remember you, but everyone tells me you are precious to me. Something in me tells me they are right. I will find you, but until then... just let me court you all over again."
"Um, news flash, Dec. You never really courted me in the first place. You pretty much told me I was yours and nearly killed any other who breathed too close to me." He could hear her sarcasm and took that as a good sign, like maybe he had gotten through to her.
"And how exactly to you plan to court me, B?" she asked him
"B?"
"For Beta. Although I reserve the right to use it to call you a female dog when I deem it necessary."
Decebel grinned. She was a feisty one, that was for sure.
"Well, I've got all night. How about we get to know one another again?"
He waited to see what she would say and didn't even realize he was holding his breath until he released it when she responded.
"Okay."
"Before we go any further, I need to know, are you safe? Is anyone hurting you?"
"I'm safe. I'm hurting, but only because I fell into a deep hole in the ground."
Decebel decided to wait to address that. First he would deal with her emotions and help put her at ease.
Chapter 8
"I'll start." Jen began. "And I've been meaning to ask you this for a while, but things got a little hectic recently and before that you were being a butt head. What's your last name and how come you never use it?" Jen closed her eyes as she lay on the table. She had been wondering what his last name was, that was true, but right this moment she would listen to him recite the alphabet over and over just to hear his voice. Yes, yes, I am that pathetic at this moment, she thought.
"My last name is Anghelescu. It simply means son of Anghel. Anghel was my father."
"Who was your father?" Jen asked.
She almost could hear him take a deep breath before he spoke.
"He was the Alpha of the Western Romanian pack." Decebel waited for her response. He figured she probably didn't know that at one time the Romanian pack was divided.
"When was your father Alpha?"
Decebel's brow furrowed. Wasn't she going to ask him about the pack being divided?
"After the werewolf wars. The previous Alpha was killed during them. I think his name was -"
"Gavril," Jen finished for him.
Decebel couldn't believe she knew this. It wasn't something that was ever talked about in casual conversation. How could she know?
"Yes, Gavril. My father was his Beta.” Decebel paused uncomfortably.“...My father died in 1905 after my mother, Eveline, was shot and killed by poachers. They'd mistaken her for a wild wolf. I was only 20 human years old, making me one of the youngest Alphas in our history."
This time he did feel her surprise. So she hadn't known that he had been an Alpha.
"You were an Alpha?" Jen knew the awe she felt filled her voice.
"Yes."
"So what happened? Why are you not one anymore?" Decebel could feel her interest, her desire to know more about him. For some reason that made him feel proud. His wolf was strutting, like a young pup trying to catch a female's attention.
"When my sister Cosmina died I lost it. I went into a fit of rage that became dangerous to all those around me. I remember Vasile coming to me, I remember dissolving the Western Romanian Pack and declaring a merge, but after that I don't remember what happened. I do know gave up my last name. I had disgraced my family by not protecting my sister – I didn't deserve to carry my father's name."
Jen could feel Decebel's pain at losing his sister, and the shame he thought he should carry. But she knew better. Even Alphas couldn't save everyone.
"Decebel, Alphas aren't infallible. You should not be ashamed of what happened that day. No one could've predicted what some idiot wolf would do. You are an amazing man, and when you claim someone as yours you do everything in your power to protect them. But you aren't perfect and no one expects you to be."
"You speak as if you know me." Decebel couldn't hide the emotion that her words evoked in him.
"I do know you." Jen's voice was soft as she responded to the emotion she felt coming through their bond.
"I wish I knew you that well."
"You will," Jen promised. "I won't give you up, Decebel. Sorry, but you are stuck with me."
She could feel Decebel's joy.
"Sally showed me pictures of you on her phone," he mentioned suddenly.
Jen stilled at his comment. Her eyes flew open and met the ceiling she laid beneath, tracing along the wood beams that ran horizontally across the room. Her breathing increased and right then and there she planned to kill Sally as soon as she saw her.
"Did she now?" Jen asked carefully. "And what did you think?"
"I hoped that one day you would be bonded to me so the sheet was no longer necessary."
Jen felt blood rush to her face, the heat of embarrassment washing over her. Yep, Sally was a dead gypsy healer.
"Don't be embarrassed, Jennifer. I think you are beautiful."
"Yes, well, I didn't exactly expect the first thing shown to my mate who doesn't remember me to be me in a sheet."
"I'm not complaining." She heard laughter in his voice and she soaked it up as if it were the last drop of water she would ever feel on her skin.
"I'm sure you're not."
Decebel grew serious. "Jennifer, how did you know who Gavril was?"
Jen didn't know how much she was allowed to tell Decebel. Rachel and Gavril had stepped out, not concerned about her leaving since she couldn't walk. But how could she keep anything from Decebel? Whether he remembered her or not he was still her mate.
"Jennifer?" His voice sounded more and more like the Decebel who loved her.
"I don't want to put the ones who have rescued me in danger."
"I understand that and you can trust me. How did you know?"
Jen took a deep breath and let it out. She decided there was no way she couldn't tell him.
"I knew who he was because he and his mate Rachel are the ones who saved me from the cavern I was in. I'm in their home right now."
Jen winced at the alarm that rushed through their bond.
"How? How can they still be alive? No one has seen or heard from them in centuries."
"I know. Rachel explained everything to me."
"Then explain it to me," Decebel demanded.
"I can't yet, Dec. I don't know what they are comfortable with me telling."
"I’m your mate. How can you keep anything from me?"
"Oh, now you want to claim the mate card? Well you can just cram that back into your back pocket, buddy, because not long ago you were like, 'blah, blah, I don't remember you, blah, blah I should remember my mate'. So loddy freaking da!” Jen growled at him.
"I may not remember, but I do believe that you are my mate. Jennifer, you will submit to me in this." Jen could feel the shock that filled him when she laughed at him through their bond. "Are you laughing at me?"
"Yes, my furry mate, I am most definitely laughing at you. 'Submit' – man that is classic Decebel. Makes me want to kiss you."
Jen heard the door begin to creak open.
"Hey, Dec, I gotta go. They're back and I need to talk to them."
"Don't you dare block me out, Jennifer." Jen loved the bossiness in his voice; it made her feel like nothing had changed between them.
"Sorry, but the connection is kind of getting fuzzy, Dec, you're cutting in and out. May some...can't...got to...talk...late..." Jen broke her words up with silence in between to mimic a bad connection on a cell phone, then quickly slammed a wall up between their minds. It hurt to be separated from him, but Jen trusted Rachel and Gavril, and she needed to know what to do about letting her friends and mate know about her rescuers.
"How are you feeling?" Jen heard Rachel ask.
Jennifer laid on the bed with her eyes closed, smelling the cool, crisp air that had swirled in when Gavril and Rachel entered their home. While they had been gone Jen had tried to get a look around the room. She'd observed that the bed she occupied was in the area where a breakfast table would be. The kitchen was right next to it. The floors were wood and the island in the middle of the kitchen was wood with shelves all along the base of it that housed all sorts of different bottles with names written across their labels. Above the island hung a round wrought iron pot holder, but instead of pots, plants and herbs hung from it. The counter that ran on either side of the kitchen was the same wood as the island and the cabinets about it were open with no doors on them. It was a very cozy room. The smell of burning incense permeated the air and the crackle of the warm fire that she couldn't see around the corner warmed her.
Jen's mind returned to Rachel's question when she saw her standing over her bed.
"Weak," Jen answered honestly. She figured she had no reason to lie.
"I'll make some more tea for you. "
"Thank you." Jen cleared her throat before she continued. "So, Rachel, I need to know what I'm allowed to tell Decebel, my mate, about you guys. He and I were talking through our bond while you were gone and I've found out why he felt so weird to me."
"He's lost his memories," Rachel finished before Jen could reveal it.
Jen's mouth dropped open. She closed it and shook her head. "How do you know that?"
Rachel handed her the tea and Jen took a sip. Gavril came and stood beside his mate.
"There are eyes and ears everywhere in the forest," Gavril told her mysteriously.
Rachel nudged him. "Don't try to scare her, you oaf."
Gavril gave his mate a mock snarl, but there was humor in his eyes.
"Gavril and I went to see the woman I told you about, the one who helped us all those centuries ago," Rachel explained. "We knew she would know what was going on. And it's not good. Not good in the least." Rachel walked over to Jen and placed an arm behind her shoulders as Gavril took her ankles gently in his hand. "You need to sit up for a little bit. All that lying on your back could cause pneumonia."
After Jen was all settled, the pillows behind her propped against the wall, she looked up into Rachel's worried face. "So lay it on me. Don't sugar coat it and please trust me. I trust you guys and don't want anything to happen to you."
Rachel smiled. "Thank you, Jen. The first thing you need to know is that you need to be here. Only I can heal you and keep you from getting sicker."
"Why would I get sicker?"
Rachel ignored the question and continued on, "Second, the witch I was telling you about is indeed the one from so long ago. She is powerful and she wants a healer. She will stop at nothing to find me. I need you to understand how horrific it would be if she got her hands on me. I have to prevent that at any cost."
Jen began to feel her head get foggy. She wasn't sleepy but she felt off. And then she felt it. Her bond with Decebel snapped in half. It was so bizarre. It was as if she could see the cord that led her to him – like a string being pulled too tight it snapped. Jen took in a gasp of air at the sudden loss of connection. Her eyes shot to Rachel.
"What have you done?" Jen growled.
Gavril stepped forward, a protective stance in front of his mate. As if Jen was in any shape to do anything.
"I'm sorry, Jen. I can't have you telling your mate too much. You might not even realize you are giving up clues to where he or your pack might find you."
Jen was trying very hard to see it from Rachel's point of view, but the dark hole inside her was not making her particularly understanding.
"There will be some consequences to the bond being severed. And it isn't permanent. But I can keep the effects to a minimum."
"What consequences?" Jen narrowed her eyes at the healer who she'd so wanted to believe wouldn't hurt her. Now she wasn't sure.
Chapter 9
"My love." Fane caressed Jacquelyn's face as he tried to wake her. "We need to get ready."
Everyone else had already gotten up and begun getting ready for the journey they each had ahead of them. Fane had let Jacquelyn sleep an extra ten minutes, knowing that emotions were going to be running high today. It was going to be exhausting.
To his surprise, his usually morning-hating mate sat up abruptly. She looked at him, her hair a mess from sleeping. Instead of a smile he saw the hard glint of determination in her emerald eyes.
"I know you want to jump and run out the door, Luna, but we can't help Jen or Decebel if we don't take care of ourselves. So a quick shower, then food. Okay?"
"Tell me we are going to fix this, Fane. I know you told me last night, but I've slept since then. So please tell me that we will find her and get his memories back."
Fane stood up and walked around to the other side of the bed. Taking her hand, he pulled her up to stand in front of him. He tilted her chin so that he was staring into eyes that he could stare into for the rest of eternity.
"I give you my word. I will do anything and everything to get Jen back to us and Decebel restored. They are as much my family as yours and they are pack. I protect what is mine. And though I am not Alpha, I am prince of the Romanian Greys. Decebel and Jen are mine. Are we clear?"
Jacque looked into the beautiful face of her mate. She could feel the love, concern, unbending determination, and single minded focus to do exactly as he said he would.
"We're clear. I trust you."
Fane pulled her close to him, wrapping his arms around her. One hand held her firmly on her lower back and the other caressed the nape of her neck. When his lips met hers the world and all the worry, grief, strife, and pain melted away. It was just her and Fane. She wrapped her arms around his neck, running her fingers through his hair. She pressed her body closer to his and was rewarded with a low growl. After several minutes, Fane pulled back, his lips moist from their kiss. She smiled when she realized he was just as out of breath as she was.
"I could kiss you every day, all day, and I would never get enough." Though he had stopped the kiss he had not loosened his hold on her.
"You are in luck." She grinned wickedly.
"And why is that, Luna?"
Jacque stood up on her toes and pressed her mouth to Fane's ear. She felt his body tense against hers. "Because I plan to let you kiss me – often and mostly on the mouth," she told him with a gentle breath of air against his ear and neck
Jacque started laughing when Fane growled at her words. She loved that she could still rattle his cage, loved keeping him on his toes.
"Thank you," Jacque whispered in his mind.
"For what?" Fane honestly didn't know what she could be thanking him for.
"For giving me that. For continuing to show me affection and love, even with all of this going on."