"Is everything okay? Do I need to come in there?" Decebel's raised voice caught Jen's attention. Great, just what Sally need, a drunk, horny, naked chick chasing a werewolf.
"No!" "Oooh, did you bring a boy home, Sally?" Sally and Jen spoke at the same time.
Of course, now Jen was eager to get out of the shower, now that Sally was thoroughly soaked. Jen untangled herself from Sally and headed straight for the smashed-in bathroom door…naked…as in no clothes. Sally was slipping, trying to catch her. She wasn't going to make it.
"DECEBEL. Incoming, drunk, naked, crazy chick!" Sally yelled as loud as she could.
A second later she heard Decebel say something that sounded curiously like Romanian cussing and Jen say, "Oooh, you're freakin hot, as in h-o-," Jen was attempting to spell out hot, it obviously wasn't going to happen.
Sally finally made it out of the bathroom, water dripping off her. She imagined she resembled a very pissed off wet cat. Decebel had wrapped a sheet from the bed around Jen, who was at the moment trying to grope him. "Have we met?" she asked, "Cuz if we haven't then we should, and by meet I mean hook up." Decebel was gallantly trying to keep Jen's hands in appropriate areas. Sally supposed she should help but this was just too good to pass up. She walked over to her backpack and pulled out her phone.
"What are you doing?" Decebel's voice was incredulous.
"I'm videoing this. This is too good to pass up. Jen is going to have a freaking heart attack when she sobers up and I'm going to have it all on video. It will be like a Christmas present that just keeps on giving. Every time I need a pick me up, I just turn on the video of Jen drunk off her rocker, groping a werewolf who has no clue how to handle a drunk, horny teenager! This is like the best gift ever, someone in the galaxy loves me." Sally was laughing by the time she was done talking. Decebel, however, was not.
Jen turned to look at Sally as if realizing for the first time she was in the room. "Sally! Look it," Jen tried to whisper like Decebel wouldn't be able to hear her, but it came out more as a hoarse shout. "What's his name? He is so yummy!"
"Jen, that's Decebel, remember? Fane's werewolf pack member?" Sally watched Jen for any recognition.
Jen was studying Decebel closely, as in had her hands on his face. Then she ran her fingers through his hair, close, all the while staring at his face. "Hmm, he kind of looks familiar now that you say that..." she continued to study him, turning her head from side to side.
Decebel looked at Sally as if looking for instruction.
Inspiration hit. "Say something bossy to her," Sally grinned at her ingenious.
Decebel growled at her, she shrugged her shoulders. "Fine, be the first werewolf raped by a drunken teenage girl. Whatever dude, it's your rep."
Decebel grabbed Jen's hands and looked her straight in the eyes. "Jennifer, go and get dressed. Now." His voice was as cold and firm as always.
Jen froze, then giggled as she said,"Decebel. Oh yeah, I know you. You're so hot when you're bossy." Great, Sally thought as she rolled her eyes, inebriated Jen thinks Decebel is sexy when he's bossy, nice.
To Sally and Decebel's surprise Jen finally relented. "Fine, I'll put on some clothes. But only because you asked so nicely." Jen began to un-wrap the sheet and she was nearly naked again when Decebel realized she meant to get dressed right there in front of him. He moved faster than he ever had before and made a bee line for the bathroom. "Tell me when she's dressed," he told Sally.
"Roger that, little buddy," Sally said sarcastically.
"Do you think he likes me? I think I like him, but I shouldn't," Jen's voice sounded like a wounded little girl. Oh no, Jen was going from silly drunk to sad drunk. Sad drunks were the worst kind.
"Jen, look at me," Sally said in the sternest voice she could muster. "Why do you think you like Decebel?"
Jen's face was blank, then she grinned. "Why would you think I liked Decebel, silly? He's bossy, cold, mean, grumpy, pushy, yummy, sexy, strong, tall."
"Um, Jen." She snapped her fingers in Jen's face, which had gone all spaced out as she continued her description of Decebel. This was bad, so very freaking bad. Jen had a crush on a werewolf who she could never have. Damn, Sally thought, why can't she be like other girls and like the captain of the football team, or even some grungy high school dropout? But no, she had to fall for a werewolf.
Jen's voice was soft. "It's no big thing, he's not an option." She swung back to the other end of the drunken spectrum and was spinning in circles with her arms out, singing, "He's not an option," over and over in the same tune she had been singing earlier. Sally grabbed Jen and helped her into her clothes and then hollered for Decebel to join them again. When he walked back into the room, Jen immediately walked over to him and leaned on him, looking up at him dreamily. He walked over to the bed as Jen continued to keep herself attached to him. When they were both seated he looked up at Sally, "So what exactly happened last night?"
Sally closed her eyes and rubbed her face roughly with her hands, trying in vain to remember what happened but there was just a black spot in her mind.
"I don't remember, Decebel," she answered honestly.
"Okay, what's the last thing you remember?"
"Jen and I had decided to sneak into the ICU to see Jacque. We wandered all over the hospital until we nearly got caught by some guy in scrubs. Jen made me go on without her and said she would stay and distract the guy."
Decebel growled. "What do you mean she was with a guy?" He looked down to ask Jen about it but she was sound asleep, her head leaned against his arm. Decebel gently laid her back and swung her legs up on the bed, then covered her with the blankets. He turned back to Sally and pinned her with his gaze. "What the hell were you two thinking? Did I not specifically say to not do anything stupid?"
It was clear to Sally that nothing she could say would calm the pissed off werewolf in front of her, so she didn't even try. "Look, Jacque is our best friend, she's all alone in a room with tubes and crap stuck to her, she's in pain, and she's scared. We were not just going to leave her like that all by herself."
"I understand that, but you could have asked for help instead of attempting it on your own," Decebel told her.
Sally's jaw dropped open, baffled by what she had just heard. "Are you saying you would have helped us?"
"I'm not going to say that I wouldn't have tried to talk you out of it, but knowing this one," he nodded his head in Jen's direction, "she wouldn't have relented. So yes, I would have helped you."
"Wow. Well, next time we want to break some rules we will definitely recruit your expertise."
"Good, now do you remember anything else? Did you make it into the ICU? Do you remember coming back to your room?" Decebel fired question after question at Sally.
"Hold up, Dec. Let me think," Sally told him, holding her hands up in an effort to get him to stop. "I remember standing in front of the ICU doors and I was trying to figure out how they opened and then..." Sally furrowed her brow, trying so hard to remember what had happened.
"Hold on, you guys got past Skender, right?"
Sally nodded her head yes and watched as Decebel got up and walked to the door. He stuck his head out and she heard him ask Skender to come in. Skender walked in, shoulders slumped forward, and Sally could tell he was getting ready for his butt to be chewed on by his pack Beta.
"Skender," Decebels' voice was low and demanded truth. "Could you please explain to me how two teenage girls were able to get past you?"
Skender looked at Sally and then at Decebel. "It must have been when I went to the bathroom. I wasn't gone that long, and the room was so quiet I figured they had gone to sleep." Skender stumbled over his words as fear rolled off him.
"Why didn't you call me and ask me to come and take over for you?"
"I don't know, Decebel. I just didn't think they would try anything."
Decebel snorted. "Have you not been around these girls for the past month? Surely you've noticed their pension for trouble."
&nbs
p; "Hey now, there's no need to be hating on us," Sally frowned.
"Speaking the truth is not hating, as you call it, it's just stating a fact," Decebel informed her.
"Okay, so we know how they left, now we need to know how they got back." Decebel glared at Skender. "Did you happen to be at your post when the girls returned?"
"Yes, I was here both times," he answered, no less nervous than before.
"What do you mean both times?"
"I mean both times. They didn't arrive back together at the same time," Skender explained, "they arrived separately. Sally was the first one back."
"I don't remember coming back," Sally told him.
"Well, I wouldn't expect you to. I found you knocked out in the elevator."
Sally gasped and covered her mouth. Decebel didn't say anything, he just waited for the wolf to continue.
"The elevator doors opened and no one stepped out, so I ran over before they could close to see if someone was in there, and there you were on the elevator floor. So I picked you up and put you back in the bed. That's when I realized that Jen was gone as well." Skender flinched at the low rumble coming from Decebel.
"Pray tell, why did you not call me at this point, Skender? Don't you think it was a pretty big deal that you found Sally unconscious in an elevator and Jennifer missing?" By the time Decebel was done talking, he was pacing the room, looking like he was on the verge of throttling the poor wolf.
"I should have called you right away, but I decided to wait and see if Jen made it back on her own. If she hadn't returned shortly I was going to call you then. I see now in hindsight that wasn’t the best idea."
"You think?" Decebel asked. "When did Jennifer get back?" he growled.
"She came back about an hour ago in the company of a guy in scrubs, she said his name was Matty. She was pretty drunk when I inquired her about the guy. He got scared and hurried off. Then I helped Jen back into their room and I've been sitting out here ever since," Skender finished.
Sally was convinced if he had been in his wolf form he would be cowering with his tail between his legs. Then again, as she looked at Decebel and the obvious rage he was battling, Sally had to admit she felt like cowering as well.
Decebel finally looked at Skender. "You can go."
Skender let out a breath that Sally didn't think he even realized he had been holding. He turned to go but before he could make it out the door Decebel told him, "Skender, I will not forget this, and it will be dealt with once everything else has been worked out. Understood?"
"Yes, Beta." And then he hastily shut the door.
Sally could feel the anger coming off of Decebel, it was nearly tangible.
"Are you okay?" she asked him.
"I'm not really sure at the moment," he answered honestly.
"Well, maybe you should take a time out. Jen's not awake for you to growl at and there's no sense in growling at me now when you're just going to do it again when she wakes up."
"That's probably a very good idea. However, I will warn you Sally, a time out will not cool my temper. If anything it may become worse as I have time to dwell on all the possibilities of Jennifer's little adventure."
"Okay, well, let's just not worry about that right now. I mean, she obviously showed up fully clothed. Skender didn't mention that it looked like she was disheveled or whatever, so you can assume that she didn't let this Matt character de-flower her."
"Sally, you're not helping." Decebel turned away from both girls, taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly. "Look, I'm going to check on Fane and see if they've heard anything since I left. Please do not leave this room until I come back. Do you think you can handle that?"
"Okay, Decebel, since you asked so nicely," Sally responded, her voice thick with sarcasm.
Chapter 25
Fane and Vasile were discussing the fact that since Jacquelyn had gotten sick the situation with Dillon had changed when Decebel walked into the waiting area.
"How are Sally and Jen?" Vasile asked his Beta.
Decebel sat down in one of the chairs across from them and ran his hands through his hair in frustration. "You're never going to believe what those two got themselves into last night."
"What have the two troublemakers done this time?" Vasile asked.
"They came up with the bright idea to sneak into the ICU to see Jacque, but their plan didn't quite hash out, if you can imagine. Sally ended up unconscious in the elevator with no memory of how it happened and Jennifer was drunk off her ass after having spent the night with some mongrel named Matty." Decebel's voice had gone deathly low at his mention of Jen.
Vasile let out a slow breath before responding, "Are they both in one piece?"
"Yes, Alpha. Jennifer is sleeping off her wild night as we speak and Sally is with her."
Fane looked at Decebel and then his father, his brow furrowed in thought. "Why would Sally be unconscious in the elevator?" Fane got an uneasy feeling and his wolf perked up, something was wrong but he didn't know what it was. Suddenly the urgency to have news on Jacquelyn's well-being overrode his sense of propriety.
Fane stood up and walked towards the ICU door. He began banging on it forcefully, not pretending at politeness. After a few moments the doors opened and a nurse stepped out. "Can I help you?"
"I want to see Jacquelyn Pierce." Fane's tone left no room for argument, but apparently the nurse hadn't got the memo.
"Sir, I know Dr. Steele told you that family and friends are not allowed in the ICU due to the seriousness of the illnesses. It further compromises their immune systems."
Fane noticed that the nurse's heart rate was quickening and she had sheen of perspiration across her brow. Fane looked past the nurse into the room behind her and saw that there seemed to be a sense of urgency from the other staff. Several other nurses were on the phones and there was a doctor pointing towards a room, his face displaying obvious frustration. Fane called on his wolf's hearing to catch what the doctor was saying. "How does a patient just up and disappear? Have you tried to get in touch with Dr. Steele?" That was all Fane needed to hear. He pushed pass the nurse and her weak attempts to stop him. Fane heard his father behind him, and Decebel was only a step behind Vasile.
Fane followed the direction the doctor had been pointing to and stepped into an empty room saturated in his mate's sent. He instinctively reached out to her through their bond, but there was only silence in response. He turned back to the doctor and knew his eyes were glowing based on his expression. Fane grabbed the doctor by the front of his shirt and lifted him effortlessly off the floor. "Where is Jacquelyn Pierce?" he snarled.
"Fane, put him down," he heard his Alpha issue the command but his wolf wasn't listening.
The doctor grabbed onto the wrist of the arm that held him in the air, his mind threatening to shut down from the fear pouring over him.
"I d-d-don't know," he stuttered. "I just got here to do my rounds and when I went to see Ms. Pierce her room was empty. I had the nurses check to see if she had anything scheduled for this morning, but they can't find anything. We can't get a hold of Dr. Steele either."
Fane could tell the doctor told the truth but was reluctant to set him down, not wanting to give up an object to direct his anger upon.
"Fane, set him down now," he heard his Alpha say again and this time he obeyed. He turned and dared to look Vasile in the eyes, earning a growl in warning.
"We need to call Dillon Jacobs," he told his Alpha before he finally relented and dropped his eyes. Turning away from the doctor, he stormed past Vasile and Decebel and back into the waiting area they had just occupied. He didn't look to see if they would follow, he knew they would. Fane watched as his father dialed Dillon Jacobs' number and waited for him to answer. He picked up on the third ring.
"Dillon," Vasiles' voice was low, "have you anything to do with Jacque's disappearance?"
Fane and Decebel had no trouble hearing Dillon's response as he yelled into the phone, "What the hell do you mean she's
disappeared!"
Vasile voice never changed in volume nor did it lose the deathly edge. "I mean just what I said, she is not here. They are unable to locate Dr. Steele as well. Are all of your wolves accounted for?"
"All of my wolves are here at the hotel." Dillon paused. "Wait, not all. Logan stayed at the hospital so he could let me know of any changes."
"Then you know that Jacque was in the ICU?"
"No, I haven't heard from Logan. I assumed everything must have been alright. Is she okay?" Dillon's voice was beginning to sound frantic.
"Jacque got sick last night. Dr. Steele thinks that because she received a blood transfusion of human blood her body is attacking the human blood and in turn attacking her body. They took her to the ICU, which was the last time we saw her, and now this morning she is gone."
Fane was losing patience. He needed action, needed to be doing something to find his mate. As Decebel placed his hand on Fane's shoulder, he told his prince, "We will find her."
"There is no other option," Fane told him.
Fane and Decebel looked at Vasile as he ended his conversation with Dillon. "He is on his way here. He said he would try to get in touch with Logan."
"What do we do until then?" Fane growled in frustration.
"Have you tried to reach out to her?" Vasile asked, referring to the mate bond.
"Yes, she isn't answering. I can't even get a sense of her presence like when she is sleeping."
"She must be unconscious. Dr. Steele probably sedated her to give her some relief from the pain," Vasile said, voicing his thoughts out loud. Then he reached out to his mate through their bond. "Mina, you and Lilly need to come to the hospital. Jacque is missing."
"How is Fane?" Her voice in his mind conveyed all the worry that she was feeling for her son and his mate.
"He is coping for the moment, although I don't know how long that will last. Come to me, meet us in Jen and Jacque's room. I will explain everything once you are here."
"We are on our way, don't let him do anything he will regret,"Alina pleaded with her mate.