Alston looked thoughtfully at the Alpha. “Just you?”
Gustavo nodded. “I feel the pull of my mate and it is too strong to ignore. I respect Peri’s position as a high fae, but no one will keep me from what’s mine.”
“How do you plan to get there?”
“I was hoping Costin would be willing to show me the way.”
Sally huffed and folded her arms in front of her, mimicking Gustavo’s position.
The alpha didn’t acknowledge her.
“Perhaps, it would be faster if I took you,” the high fae suggested.
This time Sally’s mouth dropped open as she nearly shouted, “What?”
Costin held out his hand to keep his mate from moving any closer to the high fae.
“Do you really think that is the best course of action?” Costin asked.
“I think that Peri has no right to keep the males from their mates. But I do agree that it wouldn’t be wise to have all of them meet at once. Perhaps, if we just allow one of them to go and explore the possibility, then a mated pair may indeed be the result. And this would be a great boon for our side. A mated alpha male is a much stronger wolf than an unmated Alpha. And we need all the power we can get. Volcan will not be defeated easily, especially if he controls a healer. And this healer will only be the beginning. His hunger for power is insatiable, and he will not stop until he has enslaved all of the healers. How better to protect the females than to have them paired with their mates?” Alston pointed out.
“Peri is going to be pissed that you interfered,” Sally argued.
“Probably,” Alston agreed. “But then, I’ve never really cared if Peri was unhappy with my actions. If I did, I would spend my entire life disappointed. We both know that Peri is only pleased when everyone else is doing exactly what she tells them to.”
“She’s doing her best,” Sally defended.
“I’ve no doubt that she has been, but she can’t do it all on her own. She needs help and I’ve been hesitant to step in in the past. We cannot afford to let Volcan reestablish himself in the human realm. The human world would not recover, and Volcan’s depravity would eventually spread to all the realms.”
“So you and Gustavo are going to take a little field trip to meet the healers,” Sally said. “What then?”
“I’m sure Peri has given them specific orders of some kind. Maybe Gustavo can help. There is no harm in just checking in on them.”
“What of the other males?” Costin asked.
Alston made a dismissing motion with his hand. “They don’t need to know anything until we’ve gone.”
“Maybe we should go too,” Sally said turning to Costin.
He grinned at her. “You don’t want to be here when Peri comes back, do you?”
“Do you?” she asked, her voice rising slightly.
Costin thought about it briefly then shook his head. “You’re right, Sally mine, we totally do not want to be here with she shows up.”
“I don’t really care who tags along,” Gustavo spoke up. “I’m just ready to be gone.”
“Then it is settled,” remarked the high fae genially.
Alston started to hold out his arms for them to grasp.
“Wait,” Sally said as she hurried to the stairs, “we can’t leave Kara here with these males.”
“Good point,” Costin agreed.
“She is one of the healers?” Alston asked. “Has she no mate in the group?”
“She’s only sixteen,” Sally snapped. “She’s not ready to have to put up with a possessive, bossy, butthead just yet.”
“Hey” ― Costin threw his hands up ― “I’m standing right here.”
“You can’t refute the facts, babe,” Sally retorted as she headed up the stairs taking them two at a time.
The three males stood in the living room waiting on the two gypsy healers to join them. Gustavo was growing more and more restless with the need to meet his mate. The need had been growing gradually and now it was nipping at his heels like a relentless pup determined to make him do what it wanted. Finally, the two girls appeared at the bottom of the steps.
“Okay, let’s go before the other wolves come in from their practicing.” Sally motioned them all over to Alston. She narrowed her eyes on Gustavo. “You’d better know what you’re doing.”
Gustavo thought it was funny that the little female was attempting to give him orders. He didn’t take offense but he didn’t back down either. “I figured you would argue that we bossy, possessive males could never possibly know what we are doing.”
Sally snorted. “Good point.”
They each grabbed a place on Alston’s arms, and a moment later they were swallowed by darkness.
When they reappeared, they were surrounded by thick forest.
“Ainsel, king of the pixies, I request entry into your realm,” Alston called out in a booming voice.
There were several heartbeats of silence before a short man suddenly appeared. “Peri did not inform me that more of you would be coming,” the king of the pixies huffed.
Gustavo stepped closer to the pixie and spoke before the high fae could. “My mate is in your lands and I am requesting entrance to see her.”
“And you are?”
“Gustavo Rivera, Alpha of the Spanish pack of Canis lupus. I was asked by Vasile to assist Perizada with the disposition of Volcan, the evil sorcerer. In the process of that assistance, I’ve discovered that my mate is one of the healers that has recently been discovered.”
Ainsel began to pace in front of the group. “Does she know you are coming?”
“Probably not,” Gustavo admitted.
“Does she even want to meet you?” Ainsel challenged. “I’ve been charged with their protection.” The pixie puffed himself up proudly.
Gustavo let out a deep growl. “I do not want to disrespect you, little king, but you and any army you could muster would not keep me from her.” The large wolf stared at the pixie evenly for several moments. “But you needn’t worry. I will not harm her.”
“But you sure as hell might scare her if you don’t tone it down a notch or two,” Kara spoke up for the first time.
Gustavo shot her a questioning look.
“Dude, she doesn’t know you. She’s been told about the whole mate thing, of course, but she’s human. And being told something and coming face-to-face with it are two very different things. If you don’t get your crap together, you will send her running in the opposite direction.”
“Then I will give chase,” Gustavo said with a toothy grin. “My wolf loves a good hunt.”
“And you’ve just stepped past possessive land into creepyville. Seriously, you need to get that mess under control.” Kara motioned with her hand from his feet all the way up to his head.
“Are you not only sixteen, niñita?” he asked, a frown marring his handsome face. “I am centuries older than you. Forgive me if I think I know a little more about true mates than you.”
“Yeah, well I’m more human than you, not to mention a tad more female. So forgive me if I think I know a little more about the human female you are attempting to claim,” Kara snapped.
“I’ll ask again, do you really think you want one of these healers as your mate?” Costin asked, his brow raising as he glanced between Gustavo and Kara.
“She’s right,” Sally told him. “You’re going to have to get your natural instincts under control if you don’t want to scare her.”
Ainsel looked at the high fae. “Can you subdue him if he gets out of control?”
The high fae nodded then added, “I don’t believe he will be a problem. He simply wants to meet her.”
Sally coughed. “Meet her, claim her, bite her, and drag her to his den by her hair,” she muttered.
Costin smacked her on her backside. “Behave.”
She stuck her tongue out at her mate, earning her another swat to her rear.
The pixie king let out a long sigh. “I suppose I might as well let you al
l in. He’s just going to stand out here until I do.” He motioned to Gustavo, “And I don’t like hulking Alphas roaming the borders of my realm. It sets my people on edge.”
“Good idea,” Alston agreed.
Ainsel made a motion with his hand and the air in front of them shimmered. “Welcome to our most glorious realm.” He swept his arm forward dramatically inviting them in.
The group stepped forward, transitioning from one realm to another.
Gustavo nearly fell to his knees as emotions swarmed him. Anxiety, confusion, fear, desperation, need, curiosity, and frustration all bombarded him in the same instant. He heard Kara gasp and Sally mutter, “Here we go.”
He knew his eyes were glowing as his wolf pushed forward, and he felt his canines lengthen. She was so close. His wolf pushed closer to the surface, causing him to throw his head back and let out a loud howl — a call to their mate. If Gustavo could put the howl into words it would have said I’m here, I’m a safe place, come to me where you belong. Instead of feeling her move closer to him, she moved further and her emotions began to bounce all over the place. Gustavo closed his eyes and let his instincts take over. He allowed his wolf control for a moment, using his superior senses to guide him. He shed his human form, bursting into his wolf skin, clothes falling in shreds all around him.
“Holy crap,” Kara shouted. “He’s huge.”
“I thought you said you could control him,” Ainsel said, an edge in his voice.
“He’s not going to hurt her,” the Beta, Alston, assured.
“But he might tear this realm apart to find her,” Costin pointed out.
Gustavo pushed all of their voices away as he took off at a sprint, his paws chewing up ground as he ran. His only thought was for his female. She was close. And the Beta was correct. He would remove every obstacle in his way to find his mate. So close, his wolf growled. After several minutes, his paws came to a skidding halt as he came upon a group of humans and wolves, four of which he recognized. There were two other females that he did not. Not ours, his wolf confirmed.
“Gustavo,” the male he knew as Sorin said and stood stepping in front of his female, a fae warrior named Elle.
Gustavo shifted, uncaring that he was naked. “Where is she?” he asked, unable to keep the gruffness from his voice.
“I totally get that you werewolves are comfortable with the whole phasing and lack of clothing thing, but us mere humans prefer the essentials to stay covered,” the dark skinned female bit out.
“Wait, he’s just standing there in his birthday suit?” the girl he figured must be Heather asked as a thick southern accent rolled off her tongue.
“Naked as the day he was born,” the other female confirmed.
The blind female smacked her leg. “Ain’t that the way of it. Blind chick misses out on all the fun.”
“Stella, Heather,” Sorin snapped. “Now is not the time for your antics.”
“Is that his way of saying we should put a cork in it?” the one they called Stella asked.
“I’m assuming, since you two aren’t his mate, Anna must be, and she isn’t here at the moment to calm him, if you get my drift,” Crina, the she wolf Gustavo knew belonged to Vasile’s pack, told them.
“Anna,” her name rolled off his tongue like the sweetest prayer.
“At least I’m not deaf,” Heather said with a shiver. “That Spanish accent gives me the tingles.”
“There will be no tingling,” Elle growled. “You two are going to get yourselves put on Anna’s hit list once her instincts take over and she claims him.”
“Yeah, well I didn’t exactly ask to get a look at him. So, not exactly our fault, however, I am with Heather on the whole Spanish accent. That’s nice,” Stella pointed out. “I’ll totally risk her ire just to hear him talk. Go on handsome,” she encouraged. “Grace us with some more of that magical voice and accent.”
Adam, the other elf warrior in the group, pinched the bridge of his nose. “These healers are going to be the death of me.”
Gustavo was growing impatient. He didn’t give a damn if the females saw him without his clothes or liked his accent. All he cared about was Anna, his Anna. He looked back at Sorin. “¿Dondé,” he asked again.
“Perhaps, Alpha, it would be better if you waited on her to return instead of chasing after her.” Sorin tilted his head slightly to show he wasn’t challenging him. It didn’t mean that Gustavo didn’t appreciate his suggestion. He growled at the younger, less dominant wolf.
“She is mine.”
“No one is disputing that,” Elle said calmly. “But right now you are thinking with your instincts instead of with your good sense.”
Gustavo growled so low that it rumbled in his chest as his gaze bore into the female. Sorin pushed her behind him and met the alpha’s gaze briefly before dropping his eyes. “We aren’t trying to keep you from her. But she is young, she’s human, and she’s new to our world. You don’t want her to fear you, so don’t give her a reason to.”
Anna. Ours. They stand between us and what is ours. His wolf was agitated and growing more so by the minute. Gustavo understood what they were saying, but he wasn’t the one in control. His instincts were stronger than his logic in that moment. Hunt, his wolf told him. Yes, the man agreed. He phased. Fur covered his skin and his hands and feet changed to paws. His paws hit the ground and he lunged, bounding over the clearing in a single leap. He followed the only scent that seemed to travel in that direction ― the smell of sweet spices and ocean air. He knew it was the unique smell of his mate.
Gustavo felt the bond opening between them the closer he got. His excitement grew knowing he would see her soon. I’m coming, querida.
Chapter 2
“The dark ones are parasites. Without their hosts, they would wither and die. This means that they cannot live on their own, nor should they be allowed to. I only know of one thing to with parasites — purge the world of them.” ~Dillon Jacobs
The prospect of meeting with a coven of vampires would have intimidated some wolves, and certainly all men. But Dalton would meet with every bloodsucker on this continent if that is what it took to get his Jewel back. He would even fight to extinguish those covens if that is what was required — and likely it would be. Like any Canis lupus, he would go into the very fires of hell to save his true mate. He kept trying to reach through the bond, but every attempt ended the same ― nothing. It was as though the chord that connected them had been cut right at the place it attached to Jewel. Being unable to communicate with her, to at least feel her and know whether she was safe, was beginning to become an unneeded distraction. Dalton couldn’t afford to have his attention divided. He needed to be clearheaded and focused. Volcan was a cunning foe and there was no margin for error when it came to his mate’s life.
“How are you holding up?” Dillon’s voice pulled him out of his own head.
Dalton looked at his Alpha and could see the concern in his eyes. He knew that Dillon was worried, not only about his Beta’s wellbeing but also what would happen if the bond wasn’t restored. If that happened, Dalton would deteriorate past the point of no return, and it would be Dillon’s responsibility to deal with him. Dalton knew he could count on his Alpha to do what was necessary if it came to that, even if it meant that Dillon would have to take the life of an old friend. He sincerely hoped that it did not come to that.
“I’m ready to get this confrontation over with,” Dalton answered. His voice was low and reverberated in his chest with the frustration of his wolf.
They stood next to a manhole that was tucked away in the back alley of a group of congested apartments. They were built one on top of the other and stood so close together that a resident could lean out his window and touch the opposite building. He wondered if the people living there ever felt like rats, scampering in and out of their little rat holes. It was no wonder the vampires chose this particular place to inhabit. What better place for a group of snakes to make their nest than outside of a
rat hole?
“Peri, what’s the problem?” Dillon asked, shifting his attention from his Beta to the high fae. He approached her and Dalton followed, though he’d been trying to give everyone some space from his seething wolf. Wherever Peri went, Lucian followed, of course, and even though Lucian was an ally, it didn’t make it easy for three dominants to work together without the occasional snarl. Dalton being on edge, the way he was, would only make it that much harder for Lucian and Dillon to keep their cool.
Peri let out a whistle as she planted her hands on her hips and turned to face the males. “Boys, here’s a history lesson. Once upon a long time ago, there were witches lurking about, lots of them. Naturally, these witches had to support themselves. Dark rituals don’t pay for themselves, you know? So they often sold their services to those willing to pay their prices, which, I can assure you, were not cheap. But lucky for us, immortality tends to make one extremely wealthy, and one group in particular could always afford to pay — vampires. The bloodsuckers and the witches have always had a working relationship. Equally lucky for us is this — I can detect the witches’ magic. And I can tell you that one such spell has been cast on this manhole cover.”
“The entrance to their lair is right under your feet, gentlemen.”
“Then let’s go,” Dalton growled, stooping to remove the manhole cover.
“Stop!” Peri barked. “As much as I would love to see you fried where you stand, I can’t stand the smell of burnt fur. Do you think the vamps would leave the entrance to their coven unguarded?”
Dalton froze, eyes wide, staring at the high fae. Distractions, he thought to himself. I’m so obsessed with getting Jewel back that I am taking unnecessary risks. I have to get it together.
“Do you have a plan?” Dillon asked, putting a hand on Dalton’s shoulder and pulling him back a pace.
Peri scoffed. “Of course, I have a plan. Good grief what kind of high fae do you take me for?”
They waited. Finally, Lucian prompted, “Love, would you mind sharing the plan?”
Peri turned and faced the manhole, crossing her arms over her chest. “I will happily share it.” She paused. “I’m going to break the spell.”