“Do you feel scarred for life?” Elle asked Anna who, though she was legally an adult, at times seemed so innocent.
Anna shrugged and as she often did surprised them with her answer. “I won’t ever be able to look at Mr. Snuffleupagus from Sesame Street the same again.” That brought another round of laughter from the group.
“So are we really not going to tell Peri about this?” Heather asked after they had finally pulled themselves together.
Stella saw Elle shoot Adam a look, one that her brother had sent her many times when he was trying to get her to read his mind. But then Elle and Adam weren’t humans, maybe they could read each other’s minds.
“I think that for now we should keep this little morsel to ourselves,” Elle finally said with Adam’s nod of agreement endorsing her. “I’m not saying we will never tell her, but I’m thinking it should wait until we no longer need the pixies to save our bacon.”
“Good point,” Heather agreed.
“Well,” Anna breathed out as she took a seat on a log that had been positioned to be a chair. “I don’t know about you all, but that totally taps out my what the hell quota for the month, and quite possibly the year, and that’s saying something because I’m from New Orleans. People in the Bayou take weird to a whole new level. And honestly, I’m kind of disappointed that there is still three months left in the year. I mean what could follow that?” She motioned back towards the direction they had come from.
“I have to agree,” Stella nodded as she took a seat next to her. “I thought having two crazy white chicks magically appearing in my dressing room at the club was my what the hell moment of the year. Who knew it could be beat.”
“And by a pixie with a penis on his face at that,” Heather added.
“Say that three times fast,” Adam joked as he too took a seat and pulled Crina into his lap.
“If Sally were here she would no doubt dub him PP face,” Elle chuckled.
“When this is all said and done, we should get him a personalized license plate, PPF, maybe as a Christmas gift or something,” Heather grinned.
“Yes!” Anna laughed. “He could attach it to the front of his carriage.”
“What does it say about us that we, thirty minutes later, are still laughing about this?” Stella asked.
Heather stepped in the direction of Stella’s voice, shuffling her feet until they hit the log the two others were sitting on. “I think it says that, perhaps like the rest of the American culture, we have an unhealthy fascination with penises.”
“Or faces,” Anna added.
“What about those of us who aren’t American?” Adam asked.
Heather shrugged. “Not my problem that you haven’t discovered what disturbing qualities are running through the populace of your race, but I suggest you figure it out. It will come in handy when you have to one day blame someone for the things about yourself that you’re sure couldn’t possibly be your fault.”
Adam’s brow rose as he looked at the blind healer. “What happened to your silver lining, half glass full attitude?”
“Adam, it is all fun and games until a pixie ends up with a penis on his face where his nose should be.” Heather started to laugh along with everyone else at Stella’s clever quip—the girl was full of them, but a sudden stab of pain in her head had her gasping instead of laughing. For a split second she saw a bright flash, she actually saw something though it was so fast and so painful that she didn’t care to try and evaluate it at the moment. Her hands flew to her head as she squeezed her eyes closed gritting her teeth.
“Heather,” Stella’s voice sounded as if it were coming through a tunnel. “What’s wrong?”
She held up a hand to her friend and took several deep breaths. Finally the pain left, just as quickly as it had come, but in its place was something she could only describe as a yearning, a hunger so ferocious that her heart began to beat faster and her palms began to sweat.
“Did the pixies spike the drinks they gave us earlier? Because I’m beginning to feel like one of those cry baby drunks.” Heather finally released her head and sat up a little straighter taking several deep breaths.
“You looked like you were in pain,” Anna offered.
“That would be a correct evaluation. But it was more than that; I saw something, as in like for a second there wasn’t only darkness. It was just a flash that had me cringing away.”
“It was something bright then,” Stella told her.
“If you say so,” Heather said as she rubbed her chest.
“Okay wait a second,” Anna said in a voice that was unusually sharp. “You just rubbed your chest. Why did you do that?” There was an urgency coming off of her that had Heather wanting to stand and pace, but she remained sitting. She found that sometimes going against her immediate instinct kept her out of hot water.
“And you,” Anna continued. Heather assumed she was talking to Stella because her voice had changed directions. “You were doing the same thing earlier, rubbing your chest. Why?”
“Woaw, I’m feeling a little pressure that if I answer this wrong she’s going to go all voodoo doll on me,” Heather muttered as she leaned closer to Stella.
“Anna, why are you asking about them rubbing their chests?” Elle asked her voice coming closer to the three of them.
“Because I was rubbing my chest and have been periodically since we started our little journey. There’s been this, this I don’t know how to describe it other than an ache in the same place that Stella and Heather have been rubbing. And I feel this strong need to go back.”
“Go back?” Elle asked. “To…?”
“To Peri’s,” Heather answered for her, completely understanding the need.
“I’ve felt the same,” Stella finally admitted. “But along with those wonderful things, I’ve also felt this sorrow, I don’t know why.”
“It’s the mate bond,” Sorin’s voice joined theirs.
“But we aren’t mated,” Anna told him, though he obviously already knew that.
“Your mates must be among the males that are at Peri’s now, which is what Peri had thought would happen. Maybe because they have gotten closer to you the bond is beginning to tug a little.”
“I would totally be okay if it decided to tug in a little less painful way,” Heather said as she once again found herself rubbing her chest.
“Is this going to get worse?” Stella asked.
“I would like to tell you no, but it seems like in the past year as more and more wolves have been finding their true mates, what we had always considered usual, or normal hasn’t been the case. So it might worsen, or it might just stay the same until you finally meet him.”
“I’m going to go out on a limb here and say that we won’t be that lucky.”
“So we really are going to have mates?” Anna asked after several minutes of silence. Heather noted the excitement and hopefulness in her voice and her heart echoed those sentiments. After hearing all of the girls’ stories, their pasts and pains, she knew that it was well past time for them to have something positive happen. If it came in the form of a huge, handsome, dominant werewolf, so be it, who was she to complain?
~
Volcan stood staring out into the barren realm of the draheim. He felt like a sewer rat since he had had to take up residence in a cave in this forgotten realm. But it was his only option at the moment. He had to rebuild his coven. He was patient. He had not become as powerful as he once was by acting rashly. A roar in the distance drew his attention back to the fact that living with animals that humans would have considered dragons was definitely something that would have to be a very short term solution. The draheim weren’t known for their hospitality, and he was sure that soon enough they would pick up on his scent. Judging by the appearance of their landscape, it did not look like they had been eating well, not in a long while.
He didn’t think he would be stuck here much longer. The young healer that he had fed on was now filled with his essence.
He had literally fused himself into her blood. He just needed the link to be opened and then he would be able to siphon her power, power he would need in order to once again create witches. As soon as the bond between her and her mate opened, he would have access to her. During the battle in the dark forest he had seen how the grey wolf had stood over her body protecting her from not only the enemy, but everyone. He was no fool. That was mate behavior. It was only a matter of time. He just had to be patient and keep from becoming the draheim’s dinner. That would definitely put a damper on things.
~
“It’s been over two weeks, Perizada,” Dillon said as he and the other wolves practiced fighting off her magical attacks in the forest outside of her home. “When are we going to make a move?”
“I’ve learned a thing or two in my three thousand years on this ball of dirt,” Peri told him as she threw a particularly nasty fireball at Kale. “When your enemy is not making ruffles, it means he is more than likely somewhere attempting to figure out his next move. Now, while he is making his plans, we too are planning. And one of the things that we need to decide is if, when, and how to go on the offensive.”
“Yes,” several of the males spoke up interrupting her, which earned them each a power bolt to the chest knocking them on their backsides.
“Or,” Peri continued, “do we wait to see what his move will be? I have been going through the archives of the fae, attempting to see how Volcan came to power the first time. I want to know exactly who helped him and who was loyal to him. And I want to know if they are still loyal. While you lot have been snoozing away like dogs lying in the sunshine, I’ve been going out and doing my own surveillance. Right now all of our people are safe. The other healers are hidden, and Volcan doesn’t know that we have obtained help from the other packs. I want to keep that upper hand. If I send you barbarians out into the world like bulls in a China shop we lose the element of surprise.”
“Why don’t you send one of us to check on the señoritas?” Gustavo asked attempting to sound innocent.
“Nice try, Casanova,” Peri said as she flicked her hand at the Spain pack Alpha sending him flying into a tree. He stood as a growl slipped out. It was quickly cut off when Lucian stepped out from the shadows of the trees, his eyes trained on Gustavo. “Relax wolf,” Peri, said to her mate. “Posturing doesn’t bother me. It’s not like he could get within five feet of me anyway. And if he ever wants to meet the other healers, he will play nice. Won’t you?” she asked the Alpha as a single brow rose on her elegant face.
“Knee jerk reaction,” he told Lucian. “Perdón.”
“It is in our nature to want to take action,” Lucian spoke to the group after giving Gustavo a nod. “We are hunters; we seek out prey. When we feel like those who are ours are in danger, our patience runs thin. What we must not do is give into the need to do something for the sake of doing something. There must be purpose behind every decision. That is the only way to guarantee success. For all of her flippant attitude and sharp answers, my mate cares deeply for those who need protection. She will not do anything to jeopardize the safety of the healers or anyone else. If you need more reassurance than my word, then contact Vasile. He trusts Perizada and that is good enough for me.”
The males, one by one, nodded.
“It is good to have a level-headed wolf with us,” Drayden, Alpha of the Canada pack, admitted.
Peri tsked her tongue at the Alpha. “There is no such thing as a level-headed wolf.”
“What would you call your mate then?” Kale asked.
“Depends on the day, or hour. On a particularly difficult day it might be a minute by minute change in description. I can assure you level headed has never been one of those descriptions.” She tapped her chin thoughtfully. “But if you wanted to know what he gets called most,” she paused when Lucian let out a deep growl. A twinkle of mischief danced in her peridot eyes as she said, “lucky.”
“You call him lucky?” Nick, Drayden’s Beta asked.
“Let me guess,” Dillon chuckled. “It’s because he’s mated to you.”
“Good guess but no, I call him lucky because I’ve yet to turn him into a rug. I have a feeling some of you will not have such good fortune.”
Ciro, Alpha of the Italian pack, leaned against the side of the house, taking a break from the sparring while the others spoke to Perizada. He found that the exercise was helping to curb his restlessness, though it didn’t remove it entirely. Like Dillon, Ciro was ready for some action. He had come to help defeat Volcan, and to find his mate. He wasn’t about to be modest and say that he only came for the noble reason of assisting. When he had received the call from Vasile asking for him to join Perizada and the others, he knew. Like a clear bell ringing out in his mind, he knew that it was just right that he go. The words had barely left the Romania Alpha’s mouth and Ciro knew that one of those healers was his. Once he had arrived in Peri’s home, the pull he felt in his gut confirmed that he was getting close. His wolf was pacing inside of him, itching to phase and run for the pixie realm. He had a feeling it wouldn’t go over well if he tore through the veil and burst into their land, spouting off that he wanted to see his mate. He would wait. It helped that he was pretty sure the pull he was now feeling was the mate bond. He liked knowing that the connection was already forming. So yes, he would wait, but he didn’t know how much longer his patience would last. Alpha males weren’t exactly known for their forbearance when it came to their mates.
~
Dalton was beginning to feel like a creeper as he stared into Jewel’s window—especially since the one who held him captive wasn’t even legal according to human laws. He had one week left. One week until his little dove turned eighteen and then their bond would form and he would finally be able to talk with her—at least that was his hope.
He had yet to tell her anymore about his past. He honestly didn’t know why he was stalling. Waiting to tell her would not make the truth any less horrific or make her any more accepting of him. He needed to just rip the bandage off fast and get it over with. The problem was that it was a big ass bandage. He knew that if he didn’t tell Jewel everything himself, then there was a chance that she would hear it from someone like Kale who had known him for a very long time. Though the information Kale thought he knew was indeed false, it still would feel like betrayal if the information, true or false, did not come from her mate.
Footsteps behind him and the scent of magic on the air alerted Dalton that he had company before he heard her speak.
“You could stay with her all of the time, you know,” Peri said as she stepped around him so that she could see him and the window at the same time. “You don’t have to keep leaving.”
Dalton felt the words like a knife to his gut. Keep leaving, two little words, and yet when spoken in regards to how he had been treating his mate, they felt as heavy as a steel beam.
“Hmm,” Peri continued. “Who would have known that even the stoic Dalton Black could look like a kicked puppy if just the right buttons are pushed? Granted, I know what to look for, anyone else looking at you would still see the mask you keep in place. It is very subtle, but it gives me hope that you feel some depth of emotion, more than just a mate wanting to claim what is his. Perhaps Sally is right and there is hope for you yet.”
“I do not like the way they smell—so close to her.”
He saw her brow raise from the corner of his eye. “Okay, you’re still back at the very first sentence I spoke. So you are referring to the fact that I said you could stay with her. You’re saying you can’t because…,” she drew the word out prompting him to finish for her.
“Control,” he bit out not liking the fact that Perizada was very good at working people to do what she wanted. He didn’t like being a puppet. He didn’t like explaining himself, and he knew the only reason he was saying anything at all was on the off chance that Jewel could hear or someone took it upon themselves to share with her what he had said or not said.
??
?The bane of every male werewolf,” Peri agreed. “The constant battle to keep control of a beast who is a predator and fiercely protective.”
Dalton didn’t respond. He didn’t know what she wanted him to say, and to be honest he didn’t really care. Since the moment he had laid eyes on the fair skinned redhead, she had become his world. He had tunnel vision and she was the only thing he cared about. For all he knew the world was crashing down around them with Volcan at the center of the storm and all he could see was Jewel.
“Has Sally told you about her times with Jewel after each time you leave?” She paused but when she realized he wasn’t going to respond she continued. “She does her little healer stuff and looks inside of Jewel. Sally said that every time you go what she feels in Jewel is something that she would compare to a panic attack. Sally said she can feel her anxiety rising and can feel her soul become restless and fearful.”
This got Dalton’s attention. Finally he pulled his eyes away from the window of Jewel’s room and met Peri’s gaze. He knew that his wolf was peering out and his eyes would be glowing. It was all the control he could manage. He was lucky he wasn’t walking around with canines showing and claws lengthened. Peri held his gaze for longer than most wolves could but when she finally looked away he knew it wasn’t an act of submission but rather a willingness to humor him and his dominance.
“Why didn’t Sally tell me this?” he asked and failed at keeping the gruff sound from his voice.
“Have you looked at yourself in the mirror lately? You aren’t exactly the picture of a warm fuzzy puppy. I mean seriously, man, nothing about you screams, please come talk to me, I’m so nice and won’t bite your head off at the first chance. If anything, you pretty much look like one of those deranged purple minions from that movie Despicable something or other. Have you seen that movie—total riot? But alas, I digress. So what it all comes down to is Sally didn’t say anything to you because you’ve been acting like a complete ass.”