You’re going to need to call me when your daughter makes a stupid decision. How do I know? She’s a gypsy healer and they seem to be full of stupid decisions. Talk to you sooner rather than later. ~Peri
She wasn’t surprised that the fae had been right; she was surprised that the fae had a cell phone.
“This had better be life and death,” Peri growled into the phone.
“Perizada, it’s Gem Stone.”
“Ahh, you got my package did you? As you now know, she’s done that something stupid that I told you she would do. But honestly, I didn’t think the genius had it in her to carry out something this imprudent.”
“She’s young, Peri. I think you supernaturals forget us humans really are the age we look. Eighteen years is not much time to live before facing the challenges she has faced.”
“I will concede that your reasoning is sound. She deserves a tad amount of grace. Now, please tell me you’ve talked some sense into her.”
Gem sighed.
“No, do not sigh. I don’t like sighs. Sighs mean you’re about to give me an answer that is going to cause me turmoil. I like turmoil even less than the sighs I don’t like.”
“She wants to have tonight to herself. She’s physically and emotionally worn. I think she will go back to him, but she needs some time to process what has happened to her and what the future holds.”
Peri let out a string of curse words. “Doesn’t she realize that he will help ease those things? That’s the whole point of having a mate. They bear what you cannot. She needs him now ― not tomorrow, not when the bruises heal, not when she thinks she’s ready to talk. She. Needs. Him. Now.”
“I can’t force her,” Gem told the fae. “It has to be her choice, you know that. How is he?”
“Homicidal. Thanks for asking.”
Gem smiled despite the fae’s sarcasm. Peri cared very much, not only for the wolves but for the healers, including Jewel. That meant a lot to the girl’s mother.
“I’ll be there in an hour to get her. She doesn’t have to see him tonight, but having her here will make it less likely that Dalton will lose the precarious hold he has on his wolf.”
“I understand.” She ended the call and then debated on telling Jewel that Peri was coming for her. She decided that sometimes the element of surprise was necessary, and she really didn’t want Jewel to put up a fight. Peri was right ― she needed Dalton and he needed her.
Gem looked up when Jewel stuck her head in the kitchen door. “I’m going to bed. I just wanted to say goodnight and I love you.”
Gem stood up and walked over to her. She cradled Jewel’s face and for a moment she saw her daughter as an infant, a toddler, a young child, a preteen, a teen, and then she was back in the present ― her Jewel now a young adult. “I love you. I’m so proud of you. Don’t forget those two things.”
“Mom, I’ll see you in the morning,” Jewel said with a tight chuckle. “You can get all emotional then.”
“I’m your mother. I can get all emotional when I want to,” she teased and patted her daughter on the cheek. “Sleep well, Little Jewel.”
She watched her walk down the hall back to her room. Gem’s chest tightened as she closed her eyes and let the vision flood her mind. Once it had passed, she turned and stepped out the back door to the small porch. She covered her mouth from the pain that was attempting to pour out of her in the form of a wild yell. She’d told Jewel that no matter what she knew of the future, she couldn’t change it. There were rules that had to be followed. And she was right. But it hurt so very badly to know she’d just seen her daughter for the last time.
“So much for a night just for us,” Peri grumbled as she leaned into Lucian’s embrace.
“It wasn’t a complete failure,” he teased and kissed her just below her ear. “Try not to be too hard on her.”
Peri stepped back and lifted a single brow. “Me? I would never be too hard on someone.”
“What about that poor wolf you almost killed earlier?” Lucian chuckled and her insides warmed at the sound. She loved his laugh.
“If I didn’t do it, you would have.”
“Well, maybe, but I wouldn’t have been able to provide the fireworks show at the same time.”
“Not everyone can have my skills, I’m afraid,” she sighed wistfully. “But now you get the fun job. Go find our wounded warrior and let him know what’s going on. Please don’t kill him and please stress that she needs a night of peace.”
It was Lucian’s turn to raise a brow at her.
“Yeah, yeah. I know. Keeping him from her, once she’s back here, will be like attempting to lasso a hurricane. Love you, bye.” She flashed from the room and reappeared just outside Jewel’s bedroom door. Peri was trying to decide whether to spell the girl to stay asleep or wake her when the door opened.
“Come on in,” she said pushing the door further open.
Peri was caught off guard by the calm response to her appearance. In fact, it was just down right weird. “Why aren’t you throwing a hissy fit?”
“Will it change the outcome of this encounter?”
“Nope,” Peri said popping the ‘p’ at the end of the word.
“Then there is no point to waste my energy on something that won’t help. Did you know that it takes more muscles in your face to frown than to smile? And it takes more energy to be angry than to be happy?”
A slow smile spread across Peri’s face. “First, I’ve missed your weird, random fact dropping, and second, could you do, like, some sort of motivational speech to all of the gypsy healers? We could call it, ‘Pissy Fits Don’t Work, so Why Waste Your Energy Workshop?’ ”
Jewel’s lips lifted slightly. “I’m sure it would be something they would all be interested in hearing ― right along with drinking their own pee for survival purposes.”
“I heard about that,” Peri laughed. “Okay, so you’re right, it would fall on deaf ears. Okay,” she clapped her hands, “you ready to do this?”
Jewel shook her head. “No, but I’ve never seen my mom fall apart like I did when I told her I wasn’t going to be with Dalton. I can’t ignore her warnings.”
“Is that the only reason you’re going back?” Peri asked, trying not to get frustrated with the girl.
“No.”
“That’s all you’re going to say? No?”
“Yes.”
Peri shrugged. “Just so long as you both know that if one of you breaks the other’s heart, I will be very put out.”
Jewel pinched the bridge of her nose. “Did you know that it takes the body twice as long to heal if you are stressed and aren’t getting adequate rest?”
“Really?”
“No, but I’m really tired and would like to skip the typical Peri threats and move right on to acceptance of your intent to harm anyone who annoys you.”
Peri grabbed her arm as she smiled. “Finally, someone who understands me.” She flashed them to the upstairs room where the other healers had stayed when they’d all been there. “I figured maybe you wouldn’t want to sleep in the room where you were in a coma.”
“Thanks,” she said softly as she made her way to the closest bed.
“Jewel,” Peri said her name softly. “Dalton isn’t the only one who wants you here. I hope you know that.”
She nodded, “I do.”
Peri flashed to where she’d felt her mate’s presence. She wasn’t surprised to find Dillon with him as they both tried to reason with the agitated wolf.
“Dalton,” Peri said flatly. “She’s here. Remember what I told you. You can sleep outside her bedroom door, but that’s as close as you are getting tonight.” When he started to snarl something back at her, she held up a hand. “Let’s not do this again. You are not mated yet. She is still mostly my responsibility and I am telling you to back off.”
“I marked her,” he said with a deadly voice. “She’s had my blood many, many times. She is my mate. Consummation will not make it any more valid.”
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“She’s human. To her, it takes a marriage to make you mates. Look, I know what you both need. I get it. But she doesn’t and I won’t force your presence on her.”
“I just need to see her, to touch her, and know that she’s real.”
Peri was pretty sure she’d never heard such desperation from a man as big and frigid as Dalton. He was truly a man brought to his knees by the woman he loved and, dammit, if it didn’t melt her resolve.
“Fine, I will let you see her. But you will not wake her. You will see her, touch her toe, and then leave.” She took Lucian’s hand and grabbed Dalton. Just before she flashed she shot Dillon a smile. “Sorry, Alpha, you’ll have to get home the old fashioned way. I can only deal with two of you walking rugs right now.”
Dalton was shaking like a junky as he stepped into the room behind Peri. His eyes immediately locked onto her sleeping form and he drank her in like a man who’d been living in hell with no water for a decade. She looked so small and fragile. The bruises on her face caused a growl to rumble out of him.
“Stop,” Peri whisper yelled at him.
He reigned in his rage over seeing her hurt. Once he was standing right beside her, he knelt down so that his face was level with hers. He took in a deep breath and her scent filled him. To his surprise, his wolf settled a little at just her scent. The bond was still completely gone, but Jewel’s scent still called to his wolf. Ours, his wolf purred. He wanted the man to phase so that he could jump up in the bed with her and curl around her. The need to touch her was so overwhelming that Dalton couldn’t stop his hand from reaching up and gently pushing back the hair that had fallen over her face.
He was so thankful she was alive, so thankful she was here, but he was also so very angry. She’d left him. After being taken by their enemy, tortured, and then released, she’d begged Peri to take her away from him.
“Why, Little Dove?” he whispered roughly.
“That’s enough. We need to go,” Peri’s voice interrupted his thoughts. His wolf nearly turned to snap at the fae but Dalton kept him in check. Or at least he thought he had, but when he phased suddenly, he realized his wolf was not as controlled as he appeared. He turned and stepped out of the shredded clothes. Sitting down on his haunches he looked at Peri, meeting her gaze in challenge. He wasn’t leaving. They would have to kill him and drag his dead body out before he left willingly.
“Dammit, Dalton,” Peri snapped as loudly as she dared.
He raised his lips at her, revealing his sharp fangs.
After a minute or so of another stare down, she cursed him, threatened him again, and then left.
Dalton turned back to his still sleeping mate and just stared at her. He was afraid if he took his eyes off of her she would disappear. Her chest rose and fell with each breath and he thanked the Great Luna for each one. He had been so sure that she was dead, beyond his reach and lost to him forever. But it had just been the bond dying. He could handle no bond. He couldn’t, however, have handled a world without Jewel Stone in it.
He didn’t know how long he sat there staring at her, but he finally gave in to the exhaustion that wracked his body. Dalton laid down directly beside her on the floor. His massive head rested on his paws and he took in another deep breath, finding solace in her scent. He decided he would sleep for just a little while, since it had been so long that he’d actually had any good rest, but he would leave before Jewel woke. He didn’t want to scare her, but he wouldn’t go far. He and his little dove were going to have a long conversation about why it is not okay to make decisions about them without both of them being involved. His wolf huffed, Silly female.
Sleep pulled him under, and for the first time since Volcan had taken Jewel, Dalton slept without nightmares plaguing him.
Chapter 10
“The calm before the storm — that’s what they call it when you know all hell is about to break loose, but for whatever reason the universe makes you wait. The anticipation increases, along with your blood pressure, and you eventually begin to wonder if the actual storm will be as bad as the calm.” ~Kara
Kara listened as Stella and Heather argued. She was beginning to think that the argument was nothing more than a tactic to distract them all from the growing ache inside. Stella wanted to leave; she was restless and kept saying that there had to be something they could do to help. Heather wanted to stay, because obviously Peri knew the dangers, as did the wolves. And they’d put them in the pixie realm for a reason.
“Are you scared?” Stella asked Heather. “Is that the problem?”
Heather laughed. “Scared of what? I can’t see jack crap to be afraid of.”
“Why would you want to see this Jack Crap?” Gustavo asked. He’d been watching each of them with interest. Kara knew it wasn’t romantic interest, however. It was pure curiosity. She didn’t think he’d spent much time with human females. He was reserved and it was more than obvious that he was also restless. She imagined he too was trying to distract himself.
The group laughed. Gustavo looked to Adam, the only other male in their group. It was obvious he thought Adam would be on his side. But Adam was laughing just as hard at the puzzled Alpha. After a few minutes, the laughter subsided.
“It’s just an expression,” Adam told him. “Honestly, I don’t understand half of the human expressions. It’s best to just pretend to comprehend them.”
The Spanish Alpha gave a non-committal grunt. He turned back to look at the forest where he’d gone in search of Anna. If he wasn’t watching the girls, he was staring off into the trees. Kara thought the longing on his face was heartbreaking. But she understood Anna’s reasons for taking off. Everything to do with the Canis lupus was intense. Not only did they have constant danger surrounding them but they also had to come to terms with the fact that they would each be mated to one of the wolves ― not necessarily a bad thing, but still overwhelming.
“Why are you so quiet?” Crina asked as she took a seat on the ground next to her.
“Maybe I’m not necessarily quiet,” Kara offered. “Maybe it’s just that those two” ― she motioned to the still arguing Stella and Heather ― “are so not quiet, that everyone else just seems quiet in comparison.”
Crina laughed. “Yes, they are quite the pair.”
“It’s a good friendship. There’s a kindred spirit between them.” Kara watched as Stella attempted to bat Heather’s hand away from her hair. The blind healer was just finding out that Stella’s hair was a different texture than her own and apparently felt the need to feel it every few minutes. Kara found it amazing how accurate Heather’s sense of direction was. The slightest sound and she could turn in the exact direction of the noise. Because of Stella’s repeated attempts to tell Heather to stop, Heather knew the exact location of the girl’s head.
She and Crina laughed when Heather nearly tackled the other girl. They rolled around for a moment until they were both laughing and out of breath.
“How about you? You doing okay?” the she-wolf asked Kara.
Kara wasn’t really sure how to answer that. Health-wise, sure she was fine. Mentally, yes, for the most part, she was fine. But there was something in her spirit that was agitated. That wasn’t fine. But could she tell Crina? She really didn’t know how to put it into words. And if she did tell the she-wolf that there was something wrong with her spirit, would she think Kara was a French fry short of a Happy Meal?
“Look,” Crina began when Kara took too long to answer. “I don’t want you to think that I’m checking on you because you’re sixteen and younger than everyone else. I can see in your eyes that your age has nothing to do with how mature you are. I’m checking on you because sometimes the wolf inside of us senses things we do not, and my wolf is telling me that all is not as it seems with you.”
Well damn, Kara thought. How could she argue with that? She didn’t want to lie to Crina. She’d been lied to too many times herself and she refused to lie no matter how hard the truth was.
“I’
m seventeen,” she told Crina. Her birthday had come and gone and she hadn’t told anyone because frankly there was a whole heck of a lot more important things going on than her turning a year older.
Crina’s eyes widened. “You had a birthday and didn’t tell us?”
Kara was surprised at how upset the she-wolf seemed to be over the fact that no one had known about it. “It’s no big deal,” Kara assured her.
“Correction, birthdays are always a big deal.”
“No, really” ― Kara put her arm on Crina’s arm stopping her from getting up ― “I’d really rather not have to answer a bunch of questions about it or—”
Crina cut her off. “I get it. I won’t say anything. Being in the limelight isn’t your thing.”
Kara shook her head. “I’ve spent my life trying to keep from being noticed.”
“One day, when you’re ready, if you need to talk with someone about it, I’m here.” She gave Kara a pat on the leg and then headed back over to where Adam sat. She watched as Adam pulled Crina into his lap and kissed her on the neck. There was a tenderness in his eyes that Kara had never seen in any of the eyes of the men she’d been around growing up.
While Kara appreciated the she-wolf’s offer at being a listening ear, there was only one person she could think of that she would ever want to pour her heart out to like that, and it didn’t make sense to her why his name was the one that kept popping up in her mind. For whatever reason, Nick had imprinted himself in her mind, and she was afraid that the ache growing inside of her had something to do with the Canadian wolf.
Kale had listened to the other males grumble about being bored. He didn’t understand why they’d been called in to help if all they were going to do was work on their fighting skills while in Farie. He understood their frustration. Kale too was quite put out over simply doing nothing. He sat on the top of a hill on the very far edge of the land Peri claimed as her own. He’d asked her if the fae shared all the land in Farie. She’d responded that she never shared and the rest of the fae was welcome to everything she hadn’t claimed as her own. When he asked her how much of it was hers, she simply smiled and said all of it. He chuckled to himself and, not for the first time, thanked the Great Luna that she was not his mate. He did not envy Lucian’s circumstances.