“None of us are exempt from the difficult choices in life. They are written in the fine print on the day we are brought forth into this cold world. And though they are set in stone, what is not set in stone is how we respond when those difficult choices are put before us. That is when we discover if the pain and suffering brought on through our birth was worth all the trouble—when stand before those difficult things and say, I can do this, and I will do it for the right reasons.” ~Decebel
Vasile stood in the library of the pack mansion listening to the steady drone of murmuring from the gathered males. He was lost in thought after having spoken to Alina through their bond. Alina had informed him that Jen was having a rough time. He assumed it was the pregnancy and the worry about the baby’s birth, but then Alina had told him that Decebel was texting his mate instead of using their bond. He understood then that Jen was probably having more than a rough time. For her mate to withhold the intimacy of the bond would be painful on the best of days. For him to do it while they are so far apart and she with child was akin to torture. He couldn’t imagine what would cause Decebel to behave in such a manner. It was completely out of character for him. Frankly, failure to use the bond would be out of character for any wolf.
His eye’s drifted over to his former Beta and he watched as Decebel too studied the room. His usually focused eyes seemed to be restless and flighty, darting over the other males and to the doors. It didn’t appear to be as much vigilance as it was looking for a way to escape. He looked tense as he clenched and unclenched his jaw and shifted from foot to foot. Decebel was naturally a very still creature; his every movement deliberate and calculated. Just in the few seconds of watching the Alpha, Vasile could see that something was definitely off. Why hadn’t he seen it before? How could he have missed such big behavioral changes in a male he had known for over a century? Vasile let out a tired sigh as he thought about the problems and stresses plaguing their combined packs. Fane, Costin, and now Decebel, three males he loved dearly, were all struggling with things that they desperately needed their mates to help them cope with, and he, like a good Alpha, had sent them all away. Even though Decebel was technically responsible for Jen and Sally, he certainly would have relented if Vasile had opposed the idea. It was again one of those situations where Vasile had to ask himself, was there really any right answer?
Decebel felt his muscles twitching as he stood waiting for Cypher to join them. He hadn’t slept since before Jennifer had left and he barely had an appetite. His insides were a constant knot and anything he put in his stomach seemed to want to crawl right back up his throat again. He could feel her, just barely, but she was still there. He missed her with such fierceness that his bones ached with it. Every minute was a relentless battle with his wolf and he knew that he was walking a very fine line when it came to keeping it under control. The hardest part for Decebel wasn’t that Jennifer was not by his side. The hardest part was knowing that she was in pain, just as he was, and he was the cause of that pain. Their bond had been so very strong, and as it grew weaker with every passing hour. He could feel the life being leeched out of them both.
The Great Luna assured him that their child would be safe, but as he bit his tongue to keep from snarling out in anger at the pain he felt pulsating through his veins, he wondered if the goddess knew just how excruciating this process was truly going to be. Jennifer was tough, he didn’t doubt that, but even the toughest of them had limits. Jennifer had a limit and he was terrified that he was very close to pushing her past hers, and that once he had, it would be too late for her to come back.
The door to the library opened slowly and the room began to quiet. Cypher stepped through and calmly looked around, giving slow nods to each male. Based on the tense and nearly painful looks on the faces of the wolves, he knew something bad had happened.
“I’ve come in peace, Vasile, to honor our agreement as allies and to help in any way that I can,” Cypher told the Romanian pack Alpha calmly. His voice was strong and carried out to the walls. It almost seemed to push away the angst and worry. He took in a deep breath, attempting to use all of his senses to see if he could understand what had happened to make the usually very forward wolves hold their tongues.
“We welcome you Cypher, King of the Warlocks. You are accepted as our guest and under our protection,” Vasile responded formally. “Have you come alone, King, or did you bring your mate?” Vasile knew he should probably leave it alone, but he found himself to be in a mood and decided to start the meeting with a little prodding. His lips twitched as he watched the usually calm and confident Warlock King squirm under his scrutiny.
“I have come alone.” Cypher said no more and he continued into the room and took one of the empty seats.
Vasile motioned to the other wolves in the room and, one by one, they took seats, all except Decebel. Vasile made eye contact with him briefly, an unspoken message that he was aware something was off with him. Vasile was about to speak when the library door was once again pushed open.
“I realize I wasn’t invited to this meeting,” Alston said as he stepped into the room, “but I was told by a little fairy that I should be present.”
“Did this little fairy happen to have a big mouth?” Decebel asked coolly as chuckles vibrated across the room.
Alston tipped his head briefly to Decebel before straitening back up. “Perizada often sticks her nose where it isn’t welcome, though often it is needed.”
“Please join us, Alston,” Vasile spoke up. “Perizada was right to contact you. I would have thought to do it myself had I not been distracted by pack issues.”
“I suppose it is good that we have nosy females who step in when we are distracted,” Alston said as he took a seat next to Sorin.
“A very good thing,” Vasile agreed. He turned back to look at Cypher and his face grew serious. “Peri brings us news that your brother has been meddling in your forest.”
Cypher nodded as his lips tightened in a grim scowl. “I have not seen him with my eyes, but his evil permeates the air.”
“What does he want?” Sorin asked.
“To punish me,” Cypher answered without pause. Cypher didn’t know what he expected from the males when he answered. Perhaps they would tell him to hand himself over so that his brother’s wrath would be satisfied and then maybe he would leave everyone else alone. But he knew they were too smart to believe that his brother would stop with only him. He had, after all, already killed Vasile, or at least attempted to, simply to display his power. Therefore, he wasn’t at all surprised by the patient looks they gave him as they waited for him to elaborate.
“His mate died many, many years ago and he blames me for her death,” Cypher continued.
Decebel’s eyes narrowed as he watched the king. “Blames you, or your actions?”
“The lack thereof,” Cypher told him. “His mate made a decision to act as an ambassador to another supernatural race and I warned her not to, but she was determined to do what she wanted.”
“Aren’t they all?” Fane growled under his breath. Grumbles of agreement floated across the room and Cypher gave them questioning looks.
“Ignore their grumbling Cypher,” Vasile interrupted the noise, “their women have deserted them.” Dirty looks were shot his way but he ignored them and concentrated on Cypher.
“She went anyways and was killed,” Cypher continued. “It is my brother’s belief that I could have stopped her, and I am inclined to agree with him.”
“Were you willing to tie her to a tree and put her under constant guard?” Decebel asked. “Because unless that was the action you were prepared to take, then your brother is a bigger fool than I have already determined him to be. Surely you know, now that you have a mate, there is no forcing our women to do anything they do not want to do, nor is there any stopping them once they have made up their minds.”
“I understand what you are saying Decebel,” Cypher told him, “and Lilly has argued the same point, but it is hard for me not to take some of the blame.”
“It is in our nature to feel responsible for the lives under our care,” Vasile said, “but if we are to be effective leaders, then we must learn from the past and then let it go. Why is your brother not acting on his threats from the night of the battle with the witch?”
“I’m not sure,” Cypher admitted. “My first thought would be that he wants us to become complacent. I think he figures that as more and more time passes without him taking any action then we will become lackadaisical in our watchfulness.”
“And your second thought?” Sorin prompted.
“That he doesn’t even know what he wants to do.”
Costin frowned as he leaned forward in his chair. “You think that after all these years of brooding over the death of his mate, he doesn’t have a plan?”
Cypher thought about it for a minute before he answered. “No, I think that maybe circumstances have changed and now he has to revise whatever plan he had originally devised.”
“What circumstances changed?” Fane asked.
“Lilly,” Vasile answered before Cypher could speak.
Cypher nodded. “Exactly.”
“That’s not all that has changed,” Wadim spoke up. “We are united. The supernatural races are working together. That’s a pretty big freaking change.”
“Freaking?” Cypher’s brow rose at the historian.
“Hey, you’re mated to an American. Just wait. She’ll have you saying all kinds of weird sh—,”
“Wadim,” Vasile’s voice was sharp as he interrupted him.
Cypher chuckled, but his eyes were sad. “Yes, they do say some of the strangest things.”
“I asked you here because I want to talk about how we move forward now,” Vasile told him. “I don’t feel it is wise of us to just wait for our enemy to attack. I think that if we want to end this quickly, then we will have to be the ones to make the first move.”
“You realize that if you pursue him, he will retaliate swiftly? He is very versed in dark magic and he basically has no morals.”
Costin laughed. “So basically he is Mona with a…,”
“Bloody hell, what is with you males?” Vasile growled. “You’re mates haven’t been gone a full day and all of the sudden you can’t keep from saying something foul?”
Cyphers eyes snapped up to Vasile. “Where have their mates gone?”
Vasile glanced down at his shirt and brushed away invisible lint, cleared his throat, shifted in his chair, and crossed one leg over the other before finally folding his hands in his lap and then meeting Cypher’s gaze once again. “Our mates have gone with yours, of course.”
Cypher’s gaze traveled over the room. His eyes took in the tense shoulders, clenched teeth, and semi glowing eyes. He had known something was wrong the moment he walked into the library. Now that he knew what that something was, he had to hand it to the wolves, they were handling it rather well.
“Lilly was here?” he finally asked.
“Courtesy of our nosy fairy,” Decebel told him.
Alston shook his head with a small smile on his lips.
“Perizada brought Lilly here?” Cypher didn’t know whether to be angry that the fae had disobeyed him or happy that she had thought to bring her to see Jacque.
“She felt like Jacque had a right to say goodbye to her mother,” Vasile explained.
Of course she had a right to say goodbye to her child, Cypher thought. He hadn’t even thought to ask her if she wanted to see Jacque before she left. “So you all know why I sent her away?” Cypher stood from the chair and walked slowly toward one of the windows on the far side of the library.
“We know that you made a difficult choice, and you will make more before this whole thing is over.”
Cypher turned slowly and saw that all of the males were now standing. Their faces were grim, but the looks in their eyes told him that they understood the choice he had made.
“So why did you send your mates with Lilly?”
Growls rumbled through the air and Vasile let out a toothy grin. “We did not send them king; they sent themselves.”
Cypher chuckled. “Of course they did.” His face sobered then. “She is well?”
“She was ticked off when we saw her last,” Costin told him with a smile. “But she wasn’t in the clutches of a psycho dark warlock, so I guess you have to pick your poison.”
“Well he’s picked his poison alright.” Peri hitched herself up on one of the tables in the library and smiled at the group of stunned males. She wiggled her finger at them. “Toodles.”
“Peri,” Vasile said dryly.
“Alston!” Peri’s smile widened. “I’m so glad that you made it. I see that Vasile had no objection to you being here?”
Alston shook his head. “No, he was quiet pleasant about the whole matter.”
“I knew he would be. I told you that he would even mention that he should have thought to call on you himself.”
“He did.”
“I’m standing right here,” Vasile growled at the two fae.
Peri waved him off. “Don’t mind him, he’s just cranky because he isn’t getting any.”
Vasile growled a warning at the fae, which she promptly ignored.
Alston looked at her questioningly. “Getting any what?”
Costin started laughing so hard he was choking and Fane was beating him on the back, trying not to laugh himself.
“You’ve caused enough mischief Perizada of the Fae,” Cypher spoke up, “surely you have more of a purpose here than to torment these wolves.”
Peri’s brow rose as she looked at the warlock king. “Surely you do not know me very well if you think there is anything more important to me than tormenting these very wolves before us.” She waited for his response as she unfolded herself from the table and stepped down to the floor. He watched her but did not speak. Peri gave him a slight tilt of her head and then turned to face the two Alphas. “Have you come up with a plan?” she asked her playful tone replaced by the snappy, business like voice.
“We hadn’t made it that far yet,” Decebel told her.
“What the crap have you been doing? Giving each other facials and reading self-help books to help your bruised egos?”
“We were getting everyone caught up to speed,” Decebel snapped back. “It would be stupid to rush off with some half-assed plan without making sure we have everything straight.”
“So now that you have everything straight, you can rush off with your half-assed plan?” her voice was syrupy sweet as she smiled at the Alpha.
Decebel growled low as he bit back a snarl.
“Relax, Independence Day, don’t get your panties in a wad.” Peri winked at Decebel as she watched his eyes widen. She saw the recognition of the reference in his glowing amber orbs and knew she would pay for that comment later―if he could catch her.
Vasile stepped forward to stand between the two. “I’ve decided to go to Reyaz myself and see if there are any terms that can be negotiated for peace.”
A collective “WHAT!” rang out across the library as all eyes turned on Vasile.
“Vasile, you know that there are no terms he will meet,” Cypher implored.
Vasile nodded. “Yes, and there are no terms that I will accept or meet either. I simply want him to think that I’m…an idiot.”
Peri cleared her throat. “That shouldn’t be too hard. You all just sent your mates across a flipping ocean without any male protection. I think the idiot part is pretty much a given.”
“Peri,” Costin said softly, “let’s not poke the already angry Alpha wolf, no matter how fun it seems at the time. It’s all fun and games until a little fairy gets eaten.”
Peri threw her hands in the air. “Fine, have it your way! You,” she pointed at Vasile, “go to the crazy warlock and prove again what an idiot you are, and you,” she pointed at Cypher, “get in line behind Vasile because you’re just as big an idiot as he is, and the rest of you,” she motioned to all the other males, “put your tutus on and blindly dance behind them like the little idiots you are. Well,” she paused and then looked at Decebel, “except for you. You might as well put on a tutu, a tiara, and carry a scepter because you’re the queen of the idiot procession!” And then she was gone.
“Is she always so respectful towards you all?” Alston asked.
“Yes, dad, we’re back in the states,” Jacque told her father. Though it was nearly midnight and they had only been back in the states for eleven hours, she had decided she had better go ahead and call him and give him a heads up. She thought that Vasile might have already talked to him since they had been gone nearly twenty-two hours, but based on his reaction he hadn’t heard anything from anyone.
“Is Fane with you?” Dillon asked.
“No, none of the males came with us,” Jacque pulled the phone away from her ear as her father’s raised voice came blaring through. “Dad, Dad,” she said loudly, “you can’t come here and you can’t just try to jump in anytime Vasile or Fane do something you don’t agree with. Dad, no.”
Just as she was about to put the phone back to her ear it was snatched from her hand. “Hey,” she hollered but then stopped herself when she saw who had her phone.
“Why didn’t they send any of the males you ask, Dillon, Alpha of the Denver pack? Why don’t you call those idiots and find out? Have a nice night.” Peri hit the end key and tossed the phone back to Jacque.
“Uh, Peri, I was sort of talking to my dad,” Jacque said.
Peri snorted. “You were sort of talking, but I can guarantee he was sort of not listening.”
“Why do you say that?” Sally asked as she came into the living room and joined Jacque on the couch.
“Because he has a penis,” Peri said matter-of-fact like.
Jen’s foot hit the bottom step just about the time Peri finished talking and she had a wicked grin on her face. “Peri busted out the P word! Ok.” She hurried her pregnant self around to the love seat and sat down. “Now, what’s with all the penis talk? Are we comparing notes, learning new techniques?”
“As truly interesting as any of those conversations would be, that is not why I busted out, as you put it, with the P word.” Peri fold her arms across her chest and glared down at the three girls.
“Okay,” Jacque prompted, “so can you tell us why you felt the need to use a man’s body part as way to make a point?”
“Which by the way, you picked the perfect part if you indeed were trying to make a point,” Jen added.
Peri’s lips twitched and Jen reached over and held her fist out to her two best friends. “I made the fae twitch with her own penis point.”
Jacque and Sally’s heads whipped around at Jen’s words and they busted out laughing. Jen shrugged. “I know, I know, I’m freaking hilarious.” She looked up at Peri and grinned when she saw the fae smothering her own laugh with her hand.
“Okay, pull it together you perverts,” Peri finally told them as she collected herself. “I went and saw your males during their meeting with Cypher,”
“What happened?”
“Are they alright?”
Sally and Jacque asked at the same time.
“Pipe down you two. Your men are fine. Although, after I told them they were all idiots, they might have been less than happy with me.”
“You told Decebel he was an idiot?” Jen asked in awe.
“Sort of, I actually told him he was the queen of the idiots.”
“Nice,” Jen grinned.
“Um Peri, I’m totally in agreement with penises and idiots, but if Costin is alright then why has he not used our bond to contact me and why is he not responding to me when I try to contact him?” Sally asked.
“Yeah,” Jacque agreed, “what she said, only with Fane’s name in his place.”
Peri gave both girls a dry look. “You both know that I love you right? But do I look like a couples’ counselor to you? I don’t know why they won’t get their heads out of their asses and talk to you. What I do know is they’re idiots.”
“And they have penises,” Jen added.
“Thanks for the clarification, Jennifer,” Peri rolled her eyes.
“Just want to make sure we stay on the same penis, I mean page.”
Jacque and Sally were laughing again as Peri glared at Jen who shrugged. “I told you. I’m freaking hilarious.”
“Actually,” Jacque said as she wiped the tears from her eyes, “I think we are just so tired that you could add the word penis to anything and we would laugh.”
“But don’t,” Peri said quickly, “we don’t need a verbal vomit of your favorite P word.”
Jacque and Sally groaned as Jen’s smile widened.
“Oh fairy Peri, who told you penis was my favorite P word? They were mistaken. My favorite P word is by far p—,”
“Fire!” Sally yelled interrupting Jen.
Jacque jerked around and looked her. “What?”
Sally shrugged. “I was just trying to keep Jen from saying her favorite P word. You know how I hate that word.”
Jen laughed. “It’s just a word Sal.”
“Not the way you use it,” Sally said with a pointed look.
“You are correct Sally dear. It ceases to be just a word when I use it.” Jen laughed at her blushing friend. “Married, mated, no longer a virgin... and she still blushes.”
“Okay, I realize that the change in time, location, altitude, longitude or whatever has messed with your little brains, but could we please focus?” Peri nearly snarled.
The three girls stared up at Peri in shock. Peri looked down at herself and noticed she was floating off of the ground. She took a deep breath and released it and then her feet were planted firmly on the ground again.
“Now, as I was saying,” she started, “I saw the males. They were making no progress in putting together a plan and when I pushed them on it, Vasile had the brilliant idea that he is going to go see Reyaz face to face.”
“What?” The three gasped at the same time.
Peri nodded. “I know right.” She shook her head and began to pace. “I don’t know why they think Reyaz is going to play nice, or why they thing he is going to leave Lilly alone.”
“If you didn’t think he was going to leave her alone, then why didn’t you speak up before we all left?” Jacque asked her.
Jen let out an exasperated sigh. “Because they have penises. Haven’t you been listening?”
“Thank you Jen.” Peri nodded her approval. “I didn’t say anything because I was hoping they were right.”
“And in the nearly twenty-four hours that have passed since we left, what has changed that made you see that they were wrong?” Sally asked.
“I saw Reyaz,” she said too nonchalantly.
“What do you mean you saw Reyaz? Where?” Jacque asked as she slowly stood from the couch.
Peri shrugged. “In your front yard.”
“Well crap,” Sally retorted.
“You’re sure it was Reyaz?” Alina asked Peri.
Jacque called a house meeting after Peri had made her little announcement. Now, after midnight, nine tired and worried females sat in Lilly’s living room waiting to hear about the crazy warlock who might have been in the front yard.
“It was Reyaz, but it wasn’t Reyaz,” said the fae.
“Explain.” Alina crossed her legs and leaned forward on the edge of the couch where she was perched.
“It was a projection of himself,” Peri told them. “That part I understand. Its dark magic. What I don’t understand is how he accomplished it.”
“What do you mean?” Elle asked.
“In order for something like that to work so specifically he would have to have something personal of Lilly’s or Jacque’s. He knew exactly whose house he was in front of, so it wasn’t a blind projection of himself, or a vague projection. It was very specific.”
“Okay, so this is new to us,” Sally spoke up. “Is this something he can do simply because he uses dark magic?”
Peri nodded. “Yes, like many who crave power but don’t have it, they seek it out and care not how they obtain it or who it hurts or kills in the process. Black magic is fueled by blood and death. So whatever he had to conjure to make that little trick work, something had to die.”
“Life just gets cheerier and cheerier,” Jen muttered as she rubbed her swollen stomach.
“Did he say anything?” Cynthia asked.
Peri snorted. “He said he’d see us soon.”
“Oh snap,” Jacque muttered.
“I think we’re beyond being snapped, Jac. We have moved on to being well and truly screwed,” Jen said as she stood and yawned. “I know that we basically just found out that a crazy warlock dude is planning a visit, but I’m tired so wake me when he gets here.” She waved at the group as she turned and headed back up the stairs to Jacque’s room.
“Don’t tell Vasile for now,” Alina told Peri.
Peri smiled. “Keeping secrets from the wolves. I like your style Alpha.”
Alina chuckled. “Yes well, I don’t feel there is a need to alarm him until absolutely necessary.”
Everyone nodded their agreements and then began making their way back to their designated sleeping quarters. Peri spoke up before everyone could leave.
“Elle and Cynthia, could you two please wait a second. I would like to speak with you.”
Elle shot Cynthia a worried look but sat back down. Cynthia took a seat next to her and they waited as everyone else cleared out of the room.
“Oh good grief, Elle, quit stressing out. I’m not going to dissect your mind or anything,” Peri huffed as she watched her nervous comrade.
“Wait, could she do that?” Cynthia asked nervously.
Peri quirked a brow at her mischievously.
“Honestly doc, I wouldn’t underestimate anything about Perizada. Not anymore.”
“Dually noted,” Cynthia mumbled.
“So ladies,” Peri said dramatically, “my, my haven’t we been busy.” Both Cynthia and Elle squirmed under her gaze. “I take it the block on Decebel’s mind is your handy work?” she directed the question to Elle.
Elle nodded. “He asked me to.”
“Why?” Peri asked.
“He made us promise not to talk about it with anyone,” Cynthia spoke up quickly hoping to keep Elle from falling under the pressure of someone she obviously considered her boss.
“Doctor Steele, I have the highest respect for you, but I’m going to have to ask you to shut it.” Peri looked back at Elle. “Why?” she asked again.
“He wanted to keep Jen from being able to see into his mind while he is sleeping.” Elle slumped forward once the words were out, as if a weight had been lifted from her shoulders.
“How are you involved?” she looked back to Cynthia.
“He came to me first to see if I could help him. When I told him I couldn’t, I thought of Elle. He seemed very distraught and it’s very weird to see Decebel that way.”
“I imagine it is. Probably just as weird as seeing him fidgeting like a four year old.” Peri sat across from the two women and stared at them, but she wasn’t seeing them. She was lost in thought, remembering just how out of character the Alpha had been acting when she had popped in on their meeting. “He’s hiding something very important,” she finally said, “and if I know anything about our wolves, it’s that they will do anything to protect their mates.”
“You think he’s doing something to protect Jen and the baby?” Cynthia asked.
“I think he’s figured out a way to save his child. And he knows his mate would kill him if she knew his plan.”
“What?” Elle and Cynthia asked at the same time.
Peri shook her head. “Let’s just say that if what I think is happening, is really happening, it’s going to get so much worse, and never better.”
“Don’t you mean it will get much worse before it gets better?” Cynthia asked.
“If he’s doing what I think he’s doing doc, then there is no getting better.”