Costin’s frown deepened. “What?”
She waved her hand at him. “Nothing. I’m spouting nonsense because you’re pissing me off by avoiding the issue. Why are you out here”—she pointed to the hall—“and not in there?” she asked, and then pointed to the door behind him.
“Jen, love, remember that thing we talked about … the boundaries?” Decebel asked her.
She snorted out a laugh. “Yes, B, I remember. Sally doesn’t get boundaries. She’s practically a sister. And since she doesn’t get boundaries, neither does dimple boy. Now…” She narrowed her eyes on him and took a step forward. “What is going on?”
Costin was practically shaking with the need to run. He didn’t want to talk about what was going on between him and his mate. He felt like a failure already. he didn’t need everyone in the pack knowing just how badly he’d screwed things up, even though he didn’t have a clue what he’d done wrong.
He looked up to Decebel, hoping his longtime friend would see in the brief glance that he needed the man’s mate to back off.
“I think I hear Thia calling you,” Decebel said as he gripped Jen by the shoulders and began tugging her back. “I’m almost positive she’s yelling that she needs her mommy.”
Jen rolled her eyes. “First of all, she can’t even speak in complete sentences, and second, she only knows one word—daddy. She constantly babbles it because she’s a punk.” Jen tried to shrug her mate off, but Decebel wasn’t letting go.
“Oh, now I hear Jacque calling you,” he began.
Jen swung around to look at him. “You do not hear anyone calling me so quit trying to get me to leave. And why on earth are you trying to come up with reasons to make me leave? Usually you just haul me off over your shoulder like a Neanderthal.”
“I was trying something new,” Decebel said, raising his shoulders. “It failed. So back to what works.” He leaned down and hoisted her over his shoulder and gave Costin a salute.
Jen raised her head, placing her hands on her mate’s lower back so she could pick herself up and look at the tortured wolf, his retreating form now bouncing in her vision as Decebel strode away. “This is simply a reprieve, Costin. Don’t think you and Sally can hide forever. There will be no broken relationships in this pack. The circle must be unbroken, by and by, and all that crap, so don’t you dare think I’ll just let this go.” She smacked Decebel hard and told him to stop. When he obeyed, she met Costin’s eyes. “I care too much about you both. You hear me?”
Costin held her gaze for several heartbeats before finally nodding. “Yes, I hear you, Jen.”
She gave a nod and smacked her mate on his backside. “Carry on, Neanderthal. Let’s go see Jacque.”
“How about we go back to my Neanderthal cave?” Decebel suggested.
Jen laughed. “Too bad for you. Jacque was calling me, remember? Now we have to go see what she wanted.”
Costin heard Decebel say a few choice curse words under his breath, which only made his mate laugh harder. They seemed so happy, so right together.
Costin and Sally had been that way at one time, but, in the blink of an eye, all that happiness had been stolen from them. He turned in the opposite direction of his two friends, hurried down the stairs, and out the front door of the pack mansion. By the time he hit the edge of the forest, his wolf was salivating at the idea of going on a hunt. He needed to kill something. He shed his clothing and phased in less than a minute.
When he hit the ground on all fours, Costin threw back his head and let out a long, loud howl. He heard another howl in return and recognized it as his Alpha’s. Apparently, Vasile was out hunting as well. No doubt, now that he knew Costin was there, he’d be getting a visit from the ancient wolf. Knowing he was in no mood to talk rationally, Costin took off at a dead run, moving away from the direction of the echoing sound. He was also moving away from the mansion, where his Sally sat scared and alone. She was the only person he wanted to be near, but she was unreachable. He wished he knew how to get past her defenses, but he had no idea.
Chapter Two
“If I hear one more movie or television show tell a girl to follow her heart, I’m going to vomit up my Lucky Charms. Follow my heart? My heart is as finicky as a damn cat. If I let my heart lead me around, I’d be dry humping hot guys and stuffing my face with Dove ice cream bars one day and begging for Dec’s attention and affection the next. What they should be telling girls is to use the brain they were given and learn to suck it up when things get tough. Life is hard, and it won’t always be unicorn farts and Care Bear burps. But when things get tough, you dig in deep and say, ‘I’m sticking it out. I’m not happy right now, but I’m willing to do what it takes to make this work.’ Okay, so maybe that isn’t as pretty as ‘Follow your heart,’ but at least it won’t end in a string of broken relationships. Boom.” ~Jen
“Sally, open the damn door.” Jen growled. She’d given her friend space and time, but she was done being considerate. Sally was hurting, and Jen wasn’t going to sit by and do nothing. “And why do I feel like I’ve said that before?”
“Maybe try not yelling at her.” Jacque’s voice came out softer and more hesitant.
Sally was still sitting on the floor of the bathroom where she’d closed herself off about an hour ago. Costin had left. She’d felt him moving farther and farther away from her, but she still hadn’t been able to make herself move from the spot on the cold tile.
“Sally, please open the door,” Jen said again in a much lower voice. Less than half a minute later, her voice came through the door again. “See, not yelling didn’t get her gypsy butt out here. That means yelling and physical violence are the only options left.”
“No physical violence, Jennifer,” Jacque ordered.
“I’m not going to beat her with a stick. Damn, Red. I’m just going to rip the door down and drag her out by her ankles.”
“Oh, well, if that’s all, then by all means, go ahead,” Jacque said dryly.
Sally wanted to smile, but her face wouldn’t work. She wanted to laugh, but the emotions seemed just out of her reach. So, instead, she did the only thing of which she seemed capable. She laid down on the floor, pulled her knees to her chest, and wrapped her arms around them. She buried her face in her knees, and she wept. She remembered how Peri, Jen, and Jacque had found her in Ocean Side and befriended her. At the time, Sally hadn’t recognized the women. But when she met them, Sally had felt as though they’d been friends forever. Deep down her soul knew them. Why had she forgotten them? Why did it feel like her mind was fractured? She kept trying to reconcile her time in Ocean Side with her real life, but it was so hard because everything that had happened when her brain had been wiped was real. It was a lie, but it was still so very real.
“Sally, sweetie.” Jacque’s voice came down through the bottom of the door where there was a small crack. Sally opened her eyes and could see her friend’s face through that gap. Jacque was laying on the floor with her cheek pressed to the floor. “I don’t know what you’re going through, but honey, you don’t have to go through it alone. Don’t shut us out. We won’t judge you. We won’t give our advice. We won’t say a word. But let us be there for you.”
Sally held Jacque’s stare as she responded. “It’s too much, Jacque. I thought I could handle it.” Her words sounded choked as she spoke through the tears. “But I can’t. I can’t live like this.” She paused as she tried to work through the chaotic thoughts. “I see Costin, but I hear Jericho’s voice.” A sob broke through. “How sick is that? I hear another man’s voice when my mate speaks. I know Costin’s hands are trying to touch me, but I feel Jericho. I feel his breath on my neck. I feel his eyes when I close my own. I remember everything—every whispered word, every laugh, every touch— and I can’t stand it. I can’t do this.” She breathed out as she lost control of the tears. Her body shook, and she no longer tried to stay quiet.
“I don’t want to live, not like this. I want to forget. I want to stop hurting Costin
. I want to stop being a burden to you two. I just want it all to end.”
“Jacque, move.” Jen’s voice was no longer simply her own but was filled with the essence of the Alpha power that flowed inside of her. Sally knew Jacque would have to obey.
She heard the doorknob twist until it gave a loud pop, and then the door was pushed open. It stopped just short of smacking Sally in the forehead. She didn’t look up but simply closed her tear-filled eyes. Two sets of arms wrapped around her, cocooning her in their warmth. She felt both of her friends’ bodies tremble and knew they were crying with her, for her. They spoke no words of comfort, nor did they berate her for her morbid outburst. They simply held her, letting her know by their presence and touch they would be there for her no matter what. Every pat of their hand on her back or stroke down her hair was a reminder. We are here. You are loved. You aren’t alone.
Sally relaxed for the first time in days and allowed herself to slip into sleep. She was exhausted. She’d been holding everything inside, afraid to tell anyone what she was enduring and, finally, it wasn’t her burden to bear alone. For the first time in three days she slept without dreaming.
“Get Rachel, Alina, and Lilly,” Jen told her mate through their bond as she held her now-sleeping best friend. She and Jacque had been laying on the bathroom floor with Sally for over an hour. The gypsy had fallen asleep and seemed to be in a deep rest. They didn’t want to disturb her, so they simply laid there and held her.
“I didn’t know it was this bad,” Jacque whispered.
“She didn’t want us to know,” Jen said. “She said herself she thinks she’s a burden to us.”
“She said she didn’t want to live. Do you think she’s considered it?”
Jen frowned. “You mean taking her own life?”
“Yes.”
“A few hours ago, I would have said absolutely not. But now, I don’t know, Red. She’s broken. We all thought she was coping, but she was simply hiding everything.” Jen let out a sigh. “I saw Costin earlier in the hall. He’d come out of their room breathing like a bull about to charge. I tried to get him to tell me what was going on, but he wouldn’t budge.”
“He left her?” Jacque asked.
“I saw him head downstairs. From there I don’t know where he went.”
“For Costin, the most patient of our males, to leave her side after everything she’s been through … that’s not a good sign,” Jacque pointed out.
There was a knock at the door. “Just come in. We don’t want to wake her up,” Jen told Decebel.
She heard footsteps, and then the light from the bedroom was blocked by four bodies.
Jen pressed a finger to her lips and whispered, “Rachel, we need you to work some of your gypsy mojo on our healer. But she needs to stay asleep.”
Rachel nodded as she stepped forward and knelt beside them. She placed a hand on Sally’s head and closed her eyes. Rachel’s hand began to emit a soft glow, and then it faded.
“She won’t wake,” Rachel said.
“Dec, can you put her on the bed, please,” Jen said as she and Jacque climbed to their feet.
“Why do you need all of us?” Alina asked.
“We need moms,” Jen said. “And I don’t mean us new moms who are still walking around like chickens with our heads cut off. We need the kind of moms who have been in the trenches. You’ve endured the horrible childhood hairdo disasters and dragged yourselves through the PMS valleys mixed with hormonal teen emotions. You’ve given advice to young men who needed guidance into manhood and cuffed a few who didn’t take your advice. We need those kinds of moms. That would be you.” She pointed at Lilly and Alina. “Congratulations, but your job isn’t done.”
“Is it ever?” Lilly asked dryly.
Jen deadpanned, “No. Never.” She looked at Rachel. “Can you dig around in her head and see what’s going on?” Jen held up her hand. “And before you tell me how intrusive that is and an invasion of privacy, blah, blah, blah, I’m calling the possible suicide card. Sally was talking like she was ready to walk off a cliff. She’s given us an idea of what she’s thinking, but she’s one of the few people in this world that I will not live without, so if I have to invade her privacy to make sure she keeps breathing, then I will. Can you do that?”
Rachel gave a curt nod. “I care about Sally too.”
“You can’t really know Sally and not care about her,” Jacque said. “She’s like a cute kitten. Can’t not love her.”
“True story,” Jen agreed. “Now.” She breathed out and pointed at Alina and Lilly. “You two, if you don’t mind, join me and Jacque outside. We have plans to make, a life to save, a marriage to restore, and all that noble crap.”
The four women stepped out into the hall leaving Rachel to sift through Sally’s mind. Decebel was the last one out and shut the door quietly. Fane was striding down the hall looking as grave as Jen felt.
“Jacquelyn,” he said as he reached his mate. “Are you alright?”
“I don’t know the answer to that question, wolf-man. Sally is in a bad place.”
“Dec, can you and Fane go and keep an eye on Costin?” Jen asked. “We don’t need him busting in on our intervention and going all caveman on us.”
Decebel leaned down and pressed a kiss to her forehead. “She will be alright,” he said softly. “She’s strong.”
“Yes, she is,” Jen agreed. “But everyone has a breaking point. I’m afraid Sally has met hers.”
Once Decebel and Fane were gone, Jen took a deep breath and let it out slowly. She looked at Jacque, then Lilly and Alina. “We need to send Sally home.”
“What?” Jacque asked quickly, even as Lilly and Alina both nodded. Jen had known the two women would get it.
“I agree,” Lilly said. “Sally believed her parents to be dead for months. At first, we thought maybe giving her time before going to them would be wise, but after hearing you say she’s suicidal, I agree she needs a sense of normalcy.”
“To go back to what is achingly familiar,” Alina added.
Jen gave a curt nod. “Exactly.”
“Are we going with her?” Jacque asked.
Jen shook her head. “No. I think she and Costin need to go. Titus can stay here with us, and we can corrupt him. Maybe in a few weeks, we can fly with him to Coldspring. But I think Sally needs to be reminded of where she came from, who she is, and that she is still the same amazing woman. She needs to see her family fall in love with Costin the way we know they will. That way, she will understand he still fits in her life.”
“Do you think Costin will go for it?” Jacque asked.
“He’ll do whatever it takes to get his mate back,” Jen said confidently.
“I’ll call her parents,” Lilly said as she pulled her cell phone from her back pocket.
Jen pulled out her own phone. “I’m booking their flight.”
“Couldn’t we see if one of the Fae could take them?” Alina asked.
Jen shook her head. “Let’s let her do everything the human way. The travel will give her time to prepare herself to see her parents.” Jen looked at the flights and prayed she was making the right decision.
Rachel sat on the bed next to the sleeping young healer. There were dark circles under Sally’s eyes, and her skin looked drawn as though it were stretched too tightly across her face. She ran a hand gently across Sally’s forehead and pushed back her long brown locks.
“You’re too young to be going through this,” Rachel whispered. “You should be worrying about whether Titus is learning his ABC’s and how to keep Jen from corrupting him too terribly. Not this.”
She knew she didn’t need to stall any longer, but the truth was, she didn’t want to see into Sally’s mind. Not because she didn’t want to invade the girl’s privacy, though that did prick her conscience, but because she was afraid of what she might find there.
Rachel let out a sigh and then pressed her hand to Sally’s forehead. The older healer closed her eyes and let he
r light and power flow into the young woman. She was met with immediate resistance and fought the urge to pull away. Darkness cloaked Sally’s mind. It whispered to Rachel like a lover, but the words that filled Sally’s mind were poison. Over and over, Rachel heard the hiss of a voice caressing Sally’s thoughts, telling her how unworthy and tainted she was. You are ruined, it crooned. Ruined and stained.
“Lies, Sally,” Rachel said into the girl’s mind. “Reject the lies that so easily entangle. You are precious and loved. You have suffered a horrible injustice, but you are no more tainted than a child who has been abused. You are the victim, and I know that is a horrible label to have to bear, but it does not mean you are tainted. Fight back, Sally. Don’t let this steal your joy and the life you can have.”
Rachel tried over and over again to reach Sally’s mind but couldn’t get past the darkness. She didn’t even know if Sally could hear her in her mind. After several more minutes, she pulled her hand back. Tears streamed down her face as she stood and took a step back from the bed. Rachel wanted to turn and run, to get as far from whatever evil had latched itself to Sally as she could. But she wouldn’t do that to someone she’d grown to care for. Sally needed help. The young healer needed the support and love of them all.
When she finally left the room, Rachel was going over the things in her mind that she’d seen and heard inside of Sally, and trying to determine a way to tell her two best friends. She didn’t want to come across as hopeless, but that’s how Rachel felt, as though nothing would ever be okay again. Everything was falling apart and…
“Rachel?”
Her thoughts were cut off abruptly when Jacque placed a hand on her arm.
“Are you okay?”
“I…” she began but then stopped. Was she okay? She didn’t think so. But what wasn’t okay about her? “Sally’s mind is wrapped in darkness. I’m not sure if it’s magic or her own self-loathing. It’s cloaking her mind. I tried to speak to her, but I don’t know if she heard me.” Rachel took several cleansing breaths before she spoke again. “It was whispering to her. Ugly, horrible things. Almost like it was alive.”