Rachel pulled her hands back and opened her eyes. She looked up at Gavril, tears rolling down her cheeks.
"Rachel, Luna, what's wrong?" Gavril's voice was gentle as he watched his mate.
Rachel shook her head. "She's dying and it's my fault."
Jen finally stopped vomiting and Rachel took the moist towels Gavril had brought her and wiped her mouth and face.
"What do you mean she's dying?" he asked her.
Rachel looked deep into her mate's eyes. "You know how the darkness was beginning to consume you before you met me?"
"The darkness begins to consume all males without their true mate," he answered.
"I broke their bond."
"What does that have to do with it?" Gavril stepped around Jen's bed. He put his fingers on his mate's chin and gently raised her head so he could see her azure eyes.
"There is darkness in her, consuming her. The kind of darkness I found in unmated males anytime I had to heal them. It's killing her. There's no balance in her without him and somehow when I severed the bond, it's like the darkness in him, the darkness she would keep at bay, somehow seeped into her. I don't know how to describe it."
"It sounds like dark magic." Gavril stroked her face gently watching as his mate's heart broke over the dormant. "You were only protecting us," he whispered gently.
Rachel's head snapped back as if he had slapped her. "It's my job to protect her, to protect others! I'm a HEALER!" Rachel was shaking – so angry with herself, with the Fae, with everything. As a healer, it broke her heart to think she had hurt another. If Jen was going through this, what was her mate enduring?
"Peri said that her mate had been cursed by the witch. Maybe that is why the bond being severed has caused this reaction in her. It may not have anything to do with you."
"Regardless, you and I both know we should have risked whatever we needed to get her back to her mate."
Gavril lowered his eyes, something an Alpha rarely did. Rachel reached up and touched his cheek. He pulled her into his arms. "If I was her mate I would kill me." His voice was soft and deep. "You're right, love. If someone kept you from me, if someone took our bond, I wouldn't be able to stand it." He stepped back and raised her chin once again. "We will fix this."
Rachel nodded once and looked down at Jen. Her eyes were closed and her breathing was labored. She propped a pillow under her to raise her chest up. She took a seat next to the bed and held Jen's hand. "We have to."
Decebel fell to his knees as he doubled over in pain. He felt nausea rolling through him, but nothing came up. His head hung and sweat dripped from his brow despite the cold air. Sally, Cynthia, and Costin surrounded him but didn't touch him.
"This is the sixth time today," Cynthia spoke quietly to Sally. "It's been a week since we started off. He gets worse every day. Pretty soon he isn't going to be able to walk."
Sally took a deep breath and pushed it out through her teeth. Frustration threatened to overwhelm her as she watched the powerful wolf fight an invisible enemy.
Sally growled in frustration. "ARGH! We've been wandering all over this cold freaking mountain for a week! Where is this fairy? What are we supposed to do, drag a half-dead, huge werewolf through the mountains shouting, 'Here fairy, fairy. Come help the poor whittle healer.'"
Costin walked over to Sally. She looked up at him and snarled. Costin lifted a lip in a return and tapped her on the nose. "Calm yourself."
Sally's jaw nearly hit the ground at his audacity. Did he just tap me on the nose? Calm myself? What the -
"Calm myself?" Sally's voice was low as she looked up at the handsome wolf.
"I know you're frustrated, I get that. I know you're scared, I get that too." Costin stepped closer to her and laid his warm hand against her cold face. "But you don't get to lose it right now. You don't have that luxury, okay? You will pull yourself together and we will get Decebel through this. We will find Peri."
Sally tried really hard not to close her eyes and lean her face into his large warm hand, honestly she did. When she opened her eyes Costin's eyes were glowing. Crap, she thought.
She took a step back and nodded once. "Pull it together. Got it. I'm good now, I just needed to have a freak out moment. I've had it, I'm good to go."
Costin smiled that breath-taking smile. "Excellent." Then he stepped over to Decebel and knelt down. "How are you doing, Beta?"A low growl emitted from Decebel. "Something is very wrong."
"Can you walk?"
He nodded once and struggled to his feet. Cynthia stood on his left, ready to help if necessary. Finally he stood, and Costin and Cynthia backed off.
Decebel's glowing eyes met Sally's. "We really need to find that fairy."
Sally nodded. "I know, Decebel. And aside from screaming at the top of my lungs I don't know what else to do."
"We just keep walking," Cynthia said firmly.
Costin nodded his agreement. He looked at Decebel. "Let's keep going until it gets dark. Can you handle that?" Costin knew the challenge would spur the Beta on.
Decebel growled.
Costin chuckled. "Good. Let's go, then." He turned to Sally. "You coming, healer?"
Sally stuck her tongue out at Costin as he waited for her to pass him. He simply chuckled at her, making her want to stomp on his foot – childish…maybe. And although she really wanted to slap him for his earlier Alpha-wolf show, she had needed someone to snap her out of it. If it had been Jen, Jen would have slapped her and told her to pull it together. So maybe having a hot wolf like Costin tell her that instead wasn't as bad as she thought.
The four continued on a non-existent path, Cynthia leading, Decebel, Sally, and Costin bringing up the rear. So it had been for the past week. As they walked and the day dragged on, Sally began to feel like they were being watched. She paused as they topped another long hill.
"Is it just me or does it feel like the trees have eyes?" she asked wearily.
"No, I've been feeling like we are being watched as well." Decebel's voice was raspy with pain.
Costin took a protective step in front of Sally as they each peered into the darkening forest. The sun began to set and the temperature continued to drop. Finally, after standing there for several moments feeling like they were in a standoff, Sally yelled, "Show yourself! We know you're there!"
They each let out a breath they didn't realize they had been holding. Then a voice came from up ahead.
"You have to be one of the bravest, mouthiest healers I have met in some time."
Decebel stepped forward, placing himself in front of their group. Costin stepped up beside him, blocking both Sally and Cynthia.
Sally rolled her eyes, looking at Cynthia.
Cynthia smiled. "Alpha males," she murmured, and winked as if that were explanation enough – which it was.
As they all looked straight ahead in the direction the voice had originated from, they saw a soft glow emerge from the trees. There was a flash of light, which caused them all to turn their heads and cover their eyes. Then, just like that, it was gone. In its place stood a beautiful woman. She looked to be in her mid-twenties, but the weary look in her eyes said she was much older and had seen more than her share of heartache. She was tall and slender, with waist-length white hair that shimmered with her movements, as if little lights were attached along each strand. Her lips were ruby red and her high cheeks had a natural blush to them. Sally noticed that she did indeed have pointed ears, although not so prominent as to stand out. Her most striking feature were her eyes. They were a pale peridot green with a very soft glow.
This was Perizada.
"I will admit that the bright light is a little ostentatious and not necessary, but I figured it's your first time to meet a Fae, might as well go all out."
Nobody said anything as they stared at one of the eerily beautiful Fae.
"Perizada?" Sally wanted to confirm.
"The only." The fairy smiled sweetly.
"Excellent," Sally murmured with a wicked smile as she started toward the woman. "So bloody nice of you to finally grace us with your presence,” she growled as she continued forward.
Costin grabbed her around the waist, pulling her back against his chest. "Easy," he whispered in her ear.
"While you have been taking your sweet damn time reveling yourself to us, our friends are in trouble. Decebel is on the verge of keeling over and who knows what's happening to Jen! So please do tell. What has been so freaking important that you have taken a week, A BLOODY WEEK, TO CONTACT US!" Sally was panting and continuing to pull against Costin's hold.
Perizada stepped closer, her eyes running over each of them, then back to Sally. "Are you sure you're a healer? You're awfully temperamental."
"AHHH!" Sally screamed against Costin's hold. "You haven't seen temperamental until you've seen Jen. I'm a peach compared to her. Where the hell have you been! Why did you take so long? Don't you get it? Decebel is -" Sally stuttered and pointed at the weakened Beta, "and Jen is, is, well -"
"Jen is dying," the Fae said matter of factly.
Sally gasped and would have collapsed had Costin not been holding her.
Decebel's knees buckled as he howled a sound so painful that Sally thought her heart would tear from her chest.
"You don't know that! You don't know what you're talking about!" Sally couldn't believe the way she was acting, but it just all hit at once. She was cold, tired, and scared. And now this Perizada stood there, speaking so casually about the demise of her best friend. It was just too much.