“I keep thinking that at some point I will no longer be surprised by anything in this world that Jacque, Jen, and I have found ourselves in. But then, as if the universe is laughing at me, it blows my mind again. ~Sally
Jen clapped her hands once as she followed her mate into Vasile’s office. “Please tell me that we’re going to let the pregnant chick chase after vampires. I’m dying to see her waddle along while holding a stake.”
“Thanks for that,” Jacque retorted.
“It’s what I do, Red,” Jen said with a wink.
Jen didn’t miss the tight look on Fane’s face. It was very obvious that he was totally not on board with his prego mate hunting vampires.
“I’ve decided to leave it up to the mated pairs when it comes to who will be traveling to the US,” Vasile announced.
Jen could tell by the looks on Jacque and Sally’s faces that they were just as surprised as her, especially since Jacque carried his first grandchild.
Peri materialized in the center of the room. “Good, everyone is here,” she said as she looked around the room. “Let’s get this show on the road.”
Vasile made a motion for the fae to continue. Jen folded her arms across her chest as she waited to hear Peri’s news. She attempted to brace herself for whatever horror the fae might reveal.
“Alston, Nissa, and I visited Phoenix last night. Turns out that Phoenix is the location of the largest vampire coven in North America.”
“How do you know?” Decebel asked.
“The pixies have been helping us out. They’ve been tracking disappearances across the country. Phoenix has the largest number of missing children in the US,” Peri explained.
“So is that where we’re headed first?” Sally asked, earning her a frown from her mate.
Jen nearly snorted at the scowl on the handsome bartender’s face. This was going to be fun, she decided. Driving her mate crazy was one of her favorite things. Getting to watch her two besties drive their own mates insane was just icing on the cake.
“At first that is what we thought,” Peri agreed. “But then we realized that we couldn’t just go in and declare a war on a coven of that size without revealing ourselves to the humans. It was decided that the best option would be to drive our enemy out of hiding. We will start by taking out the smaller covens. My bet is that since Phoenix has the largest coven they probably have the oldest and most powerful king as well. He’s not going to stand by while his people are being killed off, especially not by me and the wolves.”
“Sounds like you’ve run across this king before,” Costin pointed out.
Peri shrugged. “I’ve been alive a very long time. There are very few supernaturals that I am not acquainted with in some way or another.”
“Well then where do we strike first?” Jen asked. She heard Decebel growl beside her and she leaned into him, allowing her nearness to comfort him. He didn’t want her going, but he knew arguing with her was futile. Where her man went, she went.
“The smallest coven the pixies were able to find is in the city of Little Rock, in the state of Arkansas. It’s a smaller city but has a large enough population and such a high crime rate that they can still operate inconspicuously.”
Jen looked over at her friends and smiled. “Looks like we’re going back to the South ladies. Good food and tons of trucks—with yummy cowboy drivers.”
Sally and Jacque laughed.
“Would you like for me to change my attire?” she heard Decebel’s voice in her mind. “Perhaps, I could wear one of those ridiculous hats and a pair of boots.”
Jen pictured her mate in a cowboy hat and boots. “Babe, you’d look hot in anything, especially just boots and a hat.”
Her grinned widened when she felt his hand on her back, but as it moved lower the grin faded and she began to feel a different emotion. “Behave,” she whispered.
“You started it, minx,” he growled back.
His hand stopped low on her hip and Jen let out a relieved sigh. His touch affected her in ways that were best kept behind closed doors.
“A good Southern meal sounds amazing.” Jacque smiled wistfully.
“Any meal sounds good to you,” Sally pointed out.
Jacque looked at the brunette and growled.
Jen couldn’t help the burst of laughter that jumped out of her. “Did you just growl at one of your best friends? Damn girl, pregnancy doesn’t agree with you, or your butt.”
“If I hear one more wisecrack about how wide my butt has gotten, so help me Jen, I will do things to you in your sleep that will make most of your pranks look like child’s play.”
Jen smirked. “Kinky much? I didn’t realize Fane was into sharing you.”
Vasile let out a loud sigh, drawing Jen and the others’ attention. “I’ve forgotten what it’s like when the three of you get in a room together. It’s exhausting.”
“All the more reason to get this party started,” Jen told him. “When do we leave?”
“We won’t be dividing up like we’ve done in the past,” Vasile explained, ignoring her question. “Fighting vampires will require our combined efforts. Some of you might have some experience with them but most of you do not.” Vasile glanced at Costin and then Drake—Decebel’s third. “We will leave at first light. And our first priority will be to locate where they are nesting.”
“Nesting?” Sally asked with a furrowed brow. “You make it sound like they’re a flock of birds.”
“It’s what they call their home. A group of vampires is called a coven, and where they congregate is called a nest,” he explained.
“We aren’t going to find a bunch of slimy eggs hanging from the ceiling right?” Jen asked.
Jacque rolled her eyes. “You watch way too many movies.”
“Dude, with the past year and a half that we’ve had, can you really blame me for asking?”
“Point,” Jacque conceded.
“Don’t worry about packing clothes. Only pack weapons. The fae will assist us with changes in attire when we need it. Any questions?” Vasile asked as he looked around the room. When no one spoke up, he offered, “Comments?”
Just as Jen spoke, she heard Jacque mutter. “Did you really have to ask that?”
“Maybe we should get a group picture,” she suggested. “We can hang it on the wall and title it, The Fellowship Rides Again.”
Jacque grinned mischievously. “When you say ride, is it going to be anything like the time Decebel woke you up and informed you—”
“I’m not above growling at a pregnant female,” Decebel interrupted.
If Decebel noticed the subtle way Fane maneuvered his giggling mate slightly behind his body, he didn’t acknowledge it. Though Fane was chuckling himself, he was as protective of Jacque as Decebel was of Jen.
Jen glanced around the room as she bit back her own laughter and noticed that the others, even Alina, were trying to do the same.
“Get some rest. Meet back here at 0500,” he said with a dismissive wave. The group filed out of the room, all except for Cypher and Jacque who stepped to the side and started talking. Jen knew her redheaded friend was asking about her mom. Jen was actually surprised that Lilly wasn’t there. She imagined Cypher was every bit as protective as the wolves, maybe he’d tied her up or something. She laughed to herself, picturing a spitting mad Lilly tied to a tree. She hoped for the sake of Cypher’s man parts that he didn’t tie her up.
“What’s funny?” Decebel asked as he led her from the room.
“Just picturing Cypher tying up Lilly,” she told him.
Decebel pinched the bridge of his nose. “Do I want to ask why you are thinking about such things?”
“Probably not,” she teased as she nudged him with her shoulder. “Let’s get home so we can spend some time with our girl before we have to leave.” Jen couldn’t keep the worry from her voice.
“You don’t have to go. You could stay with her,” he told her gently.
“I know. But I also know where I’m needed and I know she’s safe here. I trust our female pack mates to care for her. I go where you go. If I was worried about her safety, then I wouldn’t leave her. But, then again, you wouldn’t either. We agreed from the start of this” —she motioned between them— “that we were a team. We stick together no matter what, yeah?”
He pulled her to a stop and turned her to face him. Cupping her face he whispered, “Yeah.” Then he pressed his lips to hers.
“Besides, how long could you really last without getting to kiss me like that?” she asked when he pulled back.
“Not very long,” he admitted without shame.
“Good. Remember that when we are on our little quest and I do something to piss you off,” she said and then took off at a run, avoiding the hand that reached out to smack her rear. Her laughter carried down the hall as she heard his feet hitting the ground as he pursued her. She knew he needed this. He needed the closeness, the touching and playing, to take his mind off of the danger that they would be facing. Well, that and he just liked to chase her. She’d never admit to him that she loved being chased by him.
“Like I didn’t know,” she heard his growling voice in her head.
Jen picked up the pace as she pushed open the front doors and nearly plowed into Peri. The fae grabbed her arm and, looking past Jen, gave Decebel a wave before flashing them both away.
“You’ve got amazing timing,” Jen said breathlessly as they appeared in the Serbia pack mansion.
Peri shrugged. “It’s one of my many talents. Now, I suppose I should go back and get your mate?”
Jen shook her head. “Naw, let’s make him work for it.”
Peri laughed and waved to her before she flashed.
“You coming home, B?” she asked through their bond.
“Maybe,” he huffed.
She laughed. “Don’t be a sore loser.” She flashed him a few images from her mind. And loved the low rumble that he sent to her.
“Wait for me in the foyer,” he ordered and the urgency in his voice made her grin widen.
“Maybe, or maybe I’ll be playing with little Thia and you will just have to wait.” Jen knew it was cruel, but then she never professed to being sweet. She sent him a few more images that she knew would drive him insane and then closed the bond just enough that they could still feel each other, but that she wouldn’t be able to hear his growling. She practically patted herself on the back as she headed in the direction of Thia’s room.
She knew Decebel wouldn’t let her get away with teasing him, but his payback would be well worth it.
“I don’t want to argue about this,” Fane said as he and Jacquelyn entered their suite.
“Good,” she answered him. “Then don’t argue.”
Fane growled. He knew that the argument was unavoidable. His mate was so stubborn that he was pretty sure her face was next to the definition in the dictionary.
“We need to discuss it,” Fane told her, attempting to keep the anger from his voice. He knew his own anger would only spur hers on.
“There’s nothing to discuss. You aren’t leaving me here,” Jacquelyn informed him.
“It’s not like I want to leave you. I want to protect you and our unborn child,” he said, practically snarling the last part. He couldn’t help it. The idea of his mate and child in danger made him crazy.
“Do not pull the unborn child card on me,” Jacquelyn snapped back. “I know that I’m pregnant. I don’t need you to remind me as if I don’t give a crap about the safety of our child.”
“Of course, I don’t think that. I just don’t understand why you would want to put both of your lives in danger. What if something happens to you and you lose our baby? I don’t want you to have to go through something like that.” Fane hated to bring up something so horrible, but he desperately needed her to see why it was so important that she not go.
“Then you should stay here as well,” she countered.
Fane was surprised by her response. He hadn’t been expecting her to suggest something like that. And he was a little insulted that she would think he needed protecting. “You don’t believe I am capable of defeating our enemy? You find me to be weak?”
Her eyes widened and he saw the minute she realized she’d hurt him, but anger quickly replaced the emotion. “No, you idiot!”
“Luna, we agreed not to call each other names when we fight,” he reminded her and instantly realized it had been the wrong thing to say.
“Then don’t act like a dense…a… well…a,” she sputtered over her words and finally blurted out, “sheep!”
Fane frowned at her. “A dense?” He paused. “Sheep?”
“Yes,” Jacquelyn said a little more confidently. “A dense sheep because sheep are the dumbest animals on the freaking planet and you are obviously a distant cousin.”
He wasn’t sure if he should laugh or be offended. A dense sheep, well that was a new one.
“I know you can take care of yourself. I don’t doubt for a second that you are capable. But if I have to stay behind because you can’t stand the idea of us” —she made a motion to her protruding belly— “in danger, then you can’t go either. Do you know what it will be like to sit here while the father of my child is fighting vampires? That makes me every bit as crazy as it makes you. I don’t understand why you dumb males think you’re the only ones with strong emotions when it comes to the idea of their mate being in danger.”
There she went with the name calling again. Fane hoped some of it was the hormones from her pregnancy making her a tad more volatile.
“I do know that you don’t like me being in danger. But I just figured you’d be more understanding that you being pregnant makes the situation different from when you are not pregnant. You won’t be able to fight, Jacquelyn.”
“You’ll protect me.”
Her matter-of-fact answer and the look of complete trust in her eyes caused all of the other things she’d said to vanish. It moved him in unbelievable ways to know that she had that much faith in his abilities.
“And it is my privilege to protect you. But what if we get overwhelmed? Vampires are fast and strong and vicious. If they got their hands on you…I know that we would die together, but not before I had to watch them tear into your throat. Please don’t put me in that position.” He was pleading with her and it didn’t make him feel any less like a man because he would do anything to protect his mate, even if that meant begging.
Fane waited for her answer as his heart beat painfully in his chest. She was standing across the room from him and he desperately wanted to wrap her in his arms, but he knew his touch would not be welcome in that moment. So he would attempt to be patient with her—though when it came to being able to touch Jacquelyn, patience was not one of his strong suits.
Jacque completely understood why Fane didn’t want her going and she might have agreed if it hadn’t been for what Cypher had told her. She didn’t know how to tell Fane what was going on. Apparently Lilly had some sort of vision last night and had insisted that Cypher ensure that Jacque make the trip to America. Whatever the vision was, it must have been terribly serious. Jacque knew that, under normal circumstances, her mother would want her as far away as possible from any fighting. Jacque was still trying to get used to the fact that her mother had begun to develop this seer type magic, but she trusted her regardless of whether she understood why it was happening to her.
Movement from across the room brought her attention back to the matter at hand. She turned to face her mate and met his gaze. The worry that filled his blue eyes was nearly painful to look at. It hurt her heart to know that she was going to cause him even more consternation, but she didn’t know what else to do.
“Listen, Fane,” she finally spoke. “Cypher’s just told me something important.”
“What did he tell you?” Fane asked as he took a step toward her.
“You aren’t going to like it.”
“We don’t keep secrets, Luna,” he reminded her of their vow.
Jacque took a deep breath and let it out before she spoke again. “Mom had a vision.” She paused as her mate let out a string of expletives that had her eye widening. Fane rarely cursed. It was in Romanian, but there was no missing the tone of the words.
“I hate it when you start a sentence that way,” he grumbled as he ran a hand through his dark hair.
For a moment she was sidetracked by the movement and how sensual it appeared as his arm flexed and his shirt rose up, giving her a tempting view of his well sculpted stomach. She frowned at that thought as she looked down at her own, not sculpted, stomach.
“You’re beautiful,” he said reading the disgust on her face. “Do I need to show you just how beautiful you are to me?”
She held up her hand. “Don’t take another step wolf-man. We aren’t done.”
“Very well, what did your mother see?”
“She told Cypher that it was absolutely imperative that I go to the US with the group. She couldn’t tell him exactly what she’d seen because it was too clouded from her conscious mind. But without a doubt she felt that if I didn’t go with you, something terrible was going to happen.”
“Something terrible to you, if you stay?” he asked.
Jacque shrugged. “She couldn’t say whether the terrible thing would happen here. Fane you have to know that I don’t want to hurt you. I understand why you want me to stay here and I want to protect our child just as much as you do, but I trust my mother’s judgement.” She waited to see what he would say. Jacque watched as her mate’s jaw clenched and his hands fisted at his side. Finally after several agonizing heartbeats he looked at her.
This time when he started walking toward her, she didn’t stop him. When he was standing in front of her, Jacque had to tilt her head back to look up at him. At six feet, two inches, he towered over her. But instead of feeling intimidated by his size, she felt sheltered and safe.
Fane reached out a hand and caressed her face gently. “I suppose we don’t have a choice then. I don’t like it. In fact, it terrifies me, but if your mom says that you need to go, then you will go.”
Jacque closed her eyes and let out the breath she didn’t realize she’d been holding.
“Just promise me, Jacquelyn, that you will listen to me, and if I tell you to run, or hide, or whatever, that you will do it.”
Jacque couldn’t help but take the opening he’d given her. Jen would be proud. “Uh-huh and just how am I supposed to run with a belly and butt this size? Aaaand where exactly would you expect me to hide my big’ol self?”
Fane frowned at her. “I don’t understand what you and Jen go on about. You are not bigger anywhere but your stomach than you were before you were pregnant and even your stomach isn’t that big.”
Jacque looked down at her chest and then back up at him. “Dude, these” —she pointed to her breasts— “did not look like this before I got pregnant.”
Fane’s eyes darkened and the look that he gave her could have melted butter. “Not that I didn’t appreciate your beautiful body before you carried our child, but I will not complain in any way about the new, shall we say, developments?”
Jacque smacked his chest. “You’re such a perv.”
“Enjoying my mate’s body is not me being a perv. It’s me exercising my rights.”
Jacques brow rose. “Is that so?”
Fane nodded confidently.
“And what if I revoke your rights?” she challenged, and her wolf loved the way his wolf rose up in response, needing to be the more dominant. It was sexy, though she would never in a million, billion years admit it to him.
Fane leaned down and placed his mouth next to her ear. His warm breath against her skin caused a shiver to run through her body. “I have a feeling I would be able to earn them back.”
The tone in his voice, more than his words, had her knees trembling. Fane wrapped an arm around her waist to help support her. And when she looked up at him, she saw the satisfied smirk on his face and tried to push away. He refused to let her budge even a centimeter.
“Is it such a bad thing to have me love your body, in whatever state it is in?” he asked her, his voice still thick with desire.
Jacque huffed. “No. It’s just how entitled you sounded. It gets on my nerves.”
He smiled at her. “You are just as entitled to me. You have the very same rights in regards to me that I have to you. Does that make it better?”
Jacque pushed back to look him up and down. Her mate’s form was something to behold. “I suppose it helps,” she sniffed stubbornly.
He chuckled. “Stubborn, stubborn, female.” Fane leaned down and pressed a tender kiss to her lips. “I wouldn’t have you any other way, you know?”
She nodded.
“Now,” he said stepping back and looking her up and down the way she’d just done to him. “Let’s get back to the new developments. Are those going to stick around after our child is born?”
Jacque’s jaw dropped open. He would never cease to amaze her. He’d been bold before they’d bonded, but since they’d mated and married, he’d given bold a whole new meaning.
“We’re going to be searching for a vampire coven tomorrow. And you’re worried about whether my girls are going to stay this size?”
Fane looked completely baffled as to why this surprised her. “Beloved, the world could be burning to the ground and I would still have thoughts about your amazing, sexy, mine body.”
“Mine body? That doesn’t even make sense.”
He shrugged. “When I think about your body sometimes all I can think is…mine.”
She let out a groan. “I will never understand the way your mind works.”
“That’s okay,” he assured her. “All you have to do is understand that when I do this,” —Fane pulled her close and leaned down and nipped her skin where his mark was on her neck— “it means I need you—now.”
She gasped at the intimate contact. “I can try to remember that,” she answered breathlessly.
“Good. Now go get ready for bed. We need to get some rest. Five a.m. will come all too soon.”
Jacque ignored his bossy tone and pretended to herself that it was totally her idea to get ready for bed. “Freaking Neanderthal,” she muttered under her breath.
“I don’t consider that an insult, mate,” he called out to her.
Jacque shot him an un-ladylike gesture but couldn’t stop the smile when she heard him say, “Even doing that makes me desire you more.”
“Does everything I do turn you on?” she asked silently.
He seemed to be thinking about it and she waited as she brushed her teeth and washed her face. Finally he answered her. “Yes.”
Costin pulled Sally closer to him as they lay in their bed. Peri had been kind enough to take them back to the Serbia mansion, though they had a room in the Romania mansion as well. Decebel had wanted to talk to Drake and Costin about the mission and Costin, of course, wanted Sally close by.
“Whatchya thinking about?” Sally asked him as he ran his hand up and down her arm.
“That things are going to get messy very fast.”
“Is that pun intended?”
He smiled. “Actually no, though it is very fitting.”
He heard the hesitation in her breath as she started to speak but then paused.
“What is it, Sally Mine?” Costin asked her gently.
“Are you afraid? I mean, this isn’t just one enemy. It’s…well,…we don’t even know how many vampires are out there. You know? How can we fight something so big?”
“Well, as the saying goes—one vampire at a time.”
She sighed. “Guess that’s all we can do.”
“I can give you some small comfort.” Costin rolled until his body blanketed hers. “We won’t be fighting alone. Just like with all the other battles we’ve been in, we will have those we trust and love around us.”
The sweet smile she graced him with caused his heart to stutter, just as it always did when she smiled at him.
“You’re right. At least we aren’t facing this on our own, nor are any of the others alone. Thank you for reminding me of that.” Sally lifted her chin while her eyes made it clear that she wanted him to meet her halfway. Costin never was one to deny his mate. He leaned down the rest of the way and pressed his lips to hers. His wolf rumbled at the contact and took comfort from the touch and scent of their mate.
He understood Sally’s fear and, truth be told, he was afraid, but he couldn’t just stand by when such horrible things were happening to innocent children. When there were people as kind and pure as his mate in the world, Costin couldn’t fathom how evil like the vampires could be allowed to continue to exist. But since it was partly up to him, he’d do his best to ensure that they wouldn’t be existing much longer.
But that hunt would wait until tomorrow. He had one more night with his mate before they had to dive into the darkness of blood and death. Tonight he would wrap her in his love and remind her that she is protected and cherished, and, perhaps, the memory of this night would get them through the more painful ones sure to come.
Vasile watched the flames from the fireplace cast dancing shadows across the walls. He and his mate had retired to the library after everyone had gone their separate ways after the meeting. He was restless and she refused to go to their room without him. Stubborn female, he thought, knowing she’d hear his thought.
She chuckled and patted his leg. “If the situation was reversed, and it was I who couldn’t sleep, you wouldn’t leave me alone either. You are not so innocent, Alpha of mine.”
Vasile leaned over and pressed a kiss to her forehead, breathing in her comforting scent. Even after two centuries, she was a breath of fresh air to him. Just as she had been the first time she’d ever stood her ground, refusing to stay and talk with him when he’d asked it of her. Okay, maybe not asked, it was more of an order. Vasile smiled at the memory of his mate, standing before him so confident and fierce, telling him and the two wolves with him that they could wait for her parents but that she had somewhere to be. He’d been at a loss for words when she’d defied him, but he wouldn’t have had her any other way.
“I couldn’t have you thinking that I would just do everything you told me to,” Alina said having caught his thoughts. “It would have made you much too arrogant. You’re barely tolerant as it is.”
He smiled at her. “So your defiance has kept me at a tolerable level of arrogant-ness?”
“Arrogant-ness?” she laughed. “Our daughter-in-law and her friends are beginning to rub off on even you.”
He shrugged. He didn’t necessarily consider that a bad thing. As long as he didn’t start throwing out sexual innuendos or drinking hot chocolate every time things got difficult, he’d be alright.
There was a knock at the door and he shifted so that his body blocked his mate’s. He knew it probably wasn’t necessary, but his wolf didn’t take that into consideration. He only cared that she was protected at all times.
“Come in,” Vasile called out.
Perizada walked in, her demeanor uncharacteristically subdued. It immediately raised his hackles.
“Has something happened?” he asked as he stood from the couch.
The high fae looked past him to the fire burning and seemed to be lost in thought.
“Peri?” Alina asked as she also stood.
Finally she realized they were talking to her. “What?”
“I asked if something has happened. What has brought you here this late?”
She waved him off. “Nothing with the children, or at least nothing that I’ve heard of at this point.” She began to pace slowly as she bowed her head and creased her brow. “Something has been nagging at me. The power I felt while in Phoenix—the darkness that is growing there—it felt familiar.” Peri was silent again as she paced some more.
Vasile didn’t want to interrupt her train of thought so he just let her pace and waited for her to continue. Alina stood next to him, just as patient as always, waiting with him.
Suddenly the fae stopped and snapped her fingers. “Where’s that history boy of yours?”
“Wadim?” Vasile asked.
“Is that the one with the ridiculous, yet hilarious, shirts?”
Alina laughed. “Yes, that’s him.”
“He might be able to find the information I’m looking for. Is he still in his dungeon?” She flashed before they could answer her.
A few minutes later she reappeared with a very tired, very grumpy Wadim standing next to her.
“Could someone please talk to her about boundaries?” Wadim growled.
“You’re the pack historian, isn’t there some rule that says you have to be available twenty-four hours a day?” Peri asked as she crossed her arms in front of her and took a step away from him.
“Read the shirt, fae.” Wadim pointed to his chest.
Vasile snorted as he read his historian’s shirt. ‘If you can’t find me, consider it an invitation not to look for me.’
Peri didn’t look impressed.
“Why do you need Wadim’s help, Perizada?” Vasile asked before their pissing contest could turn into an all-out clawing and magic throwing brawl.
“Do you have records as far back as 1502?” she asked the wolf.
Wadim’s eyes widened and Vasile mirrored his surprise at the question.
“That’s, wow,” Wadim laughed. “How old are you?”
Peri narrowed her eyes at him. “Answer the question, history boy, or you won’t have to worry about people bothering you anymore because you will disappear—permanently.”
Wadim cocked his head to the side as a sly smile spread across his face. “Do you threaten Lucian like that? Bet he likes it.”
Peri turned to Vasile. “What the hell is wrong with your wolves?”
Vasile just shook his head at her. Peri was an expert at poking his wolves so she generally deserved what she got, not that she couldn’t handle what they dished out.
“Do you have the records or not?” She turned back to Wadim.
He scratched his jaw, appearing as if he really had to think about it. “I can take a look and see. Is there anything in particular you want me to look up?”
“A vampire named Sincaro.”
“Who is he?” Vasile asked, noticing the slight pinch in her lips as she said the name.
“He is an enemy that I thought had fallen long ago during a previous purge of the vamps,” she explained.
“You think he’s alive?” Alina asked the question before he could.
“The power that I felt in Phoenix was distinct. It was old and dark. If he is still alive, he is most likely the oldest vampire still walking the earth, which would make him very, very powerful.”
Wadim shifted on his feet. “How soon do you need this information?”
“We are planning to leave at first light for the US,” Vasile said.
“So, plenty of time to look through thousands of files,” Wadim said dryly. “Perfect.”
“Wadim,” Vasile warned.
“No offense, Alpha, but I think your wolves need to be reminded who’s in charge.”
“I don’t interfere with your people, Perizada. I suggest you don’t interfere with mine.”
“Wadim, get the information as quickly as you can. Search the database first, then hit the archives.” Vasile turned to Peri. “Do you want to help look in the archives or do you have other things you need to do before we leave in a few hours?”
“I want to scope out the first city. If I have time to help after that, I will.”
She disappeared without another word.
“I can’t say that I envy Lucian having that one for a mate,” Wadim muttered as he turned toward the door. “She could have at least taken me back—”
His words were cut off when Peri suddenly appeared next to him, grabbed his arm, and then disappeared again.
Alina laughed. “She never ceases to amaze.”
“If she didn’t care so much, I don’t think that I could put up with her antics.”
His mate huffed. “You have liked that woman from the minute you met her. She’s strong and you respect strength. She’s also a faithful comrade to have.”
“Let’s try and get some sleep before we have to start saving the world once again,” he told her, not commenting on her remarks regarding the high fae.
Alina took his offered hand and let him lead her from the room. “What do you think she’s going to do if this Sincaro is still alive?”
Vasile shook his head. “I have no idea, but knowing Peri, it might include leveling an entire city.”