“Her flight leaves at eight o’clock.”
“I will be here at seven fifteen.”
Cypher shook his head. “That won’t give you time to get to the airport.”
Peri rolled her eyes. “I’m not planning on taking a car.”
“Oh, right,” Cypher said absentmindedly.
Peri was about to leave when a slightly wicked idea emerged. She tilted her head to the side as her eyes narrowed at the king. “Have you thought about what might happen if you send her back?”
Cypher didn’t respond.
“Lilly is a beautiful woman. Her daughter is grown and gone, leaving her at home by herself every night, every weekend. At some point a man will pursue her. At some point she will let her heart heal and move on, and let somebody else give her what she needs. She’s done it before.”
Peri watched as her words began to sink in. Apparently he had not thought about this scenario at all. His eyes began to glow an eerie shade of yellow and his skin flushed with anger. By the time Peri had said that Lilly would move on, Cypher’s large hand was wrapped around one of the smaller trees and he was squeezing it so hard that he left indentions in the trunk.
“Alright,” Peri said cheerfully not bothering to acknowledge his anger, “my work is done here. I’ll be back to get her in a little while.” Before the king could respond she was gone.
Cypher did not make any move to leave—not yet. He needed to calm down before he went back into the mountain. Peri’s words had ignited a feral rage inside of him and he feared that the slightest annoyance might set him off and some poor innocent warlock would get killed. He had not considered that Lilly would move on. He thought that he would eventually get her back once it was safe. He had no idea how long that could take, but he just assumed she would wait for him. But he couldn’t entertain that idea, or he would keep her here, and if she was here, then she was in danger. He pushed the idea of her with another male as far from his mind as he could and brought his thoughts to the matter at hand, his brother and the threat he posed. Everything would have to wait, even his desire to have his mate by his side.
Jacque sat quietly on the bed in her room. After Vasile had dismissed them from the meeting, Fane had taken her back to their room and then gotten her something to eat. He hadn’t said much, but he did ask her how she was and if she had spoken with her mom recently. Afterwards, at the request of Vasile, he had gone to do some training with Adam. Now she sat in solitude, lost in her thoughts. She could go hang out with her friends, but right now she just wanted to be alone.
After Sally had spoken with Fane, he had been genuinely apologetic about his actions. They had talked for hours and had even done more than talk, which was a vast improvement over the short kiss good night he had been giving her. He had once again been keeping their bond open, and she could feel the torment and anger that still raged inside of him. He had told her he was angry with Costin, but he knew in his mind that he had no right to be. Costin had not done anything to deserve Fane’s wrath. She could see that he was afraid: first, that she would no longer desire him, and second, that he had pushed her too far.
Jacque had gone to talk to Cynthia about the situation because she wanted to know if werewolves ever needed antidepressants. Jacque thought it nearly laughable, except for the fact that her mate needed something and she was desperate to help him. Cynthia had explained that the males feel emotions extremely intensely about their mates, and she didn’t know if we could even begin to understand the depth of those emotions. Because of that, everything was magnified—their joy, love, anger, pain, fear. All of it was multiplied by a number greater than could be counted. Jacque asked if there was anything Cynthia could do, and Cynthia had surprised her with her answer.
“He needs to get the rage out,” she had said. "If your presence, your touch, is not helping, then he needs to somehow exonerate it. For a male wolf, that would be fighting or something less violent, if you get my drift.”
Jacque had blushed furiously even though she commented, “Yes, well that’s not doing a damn bit of good for either of us, so let’s talk about fighting.”“You said he is angry with Costin because he is the male who was in your mind from the curse, right?”
“Yes,” she had answered.
“Then he needs to fight Costin.”
“Excuse me?” Jacque had been completely dumbfounded, more so, because it was Jen’s suggestion and now the good doctor was on the same page.
“I know it sounds crazy, but if Fane can fight the object of his pain then it may be enough to bring him closure, to heal a wound that just continues to fester.”
The sound of the door opening brought Jacque back to the present. She watched as a battered looking Fane walked in, shutting the door quietly behind him. He looked at her from across the room and his lips lifted in a small smile. Her heart flipped and her stomach tightened from something so small but so needed.
“Feeling better?” she asked hesitantly.
“I don’t know if better is the term I would use, but being able to release some of the pent up energy has brought me a sliver of peace.” His voice was slightly more emotional than the monotone he had exhibited as of late and that too gave her hope. Maybe he could just fight anyone and begin to heal; maybe it didn’t have to be Costin.
She felt the growl from across the room before she heard it. And when her eyes met Fane’s they werewolf blue.
“Why is his name in your thoughts, Jacquelyn?” Fane’s voice was now laced with a totally different kind of emotion. She hadn’t realized he was listening in. She would need to be careful to keep her mind separate from his when she was talking about his problems to others, but the small amount of joy she had experienced at seeing her mate’s smile had caused her to let her guard down.
“Fane,” she said as she stood slowly from the bed. She took cautious steps toward him and kept her eyes from meeting his own. “I was not thinking of him in a romantic way. You know better. You feel what I feel and see what I see. There is no room for doubt in our relationship.”
She continued forward until she was standing mere inches from him. Her hand reached up and, just as it would have made contact, she began to drop it.
“Don’t stop.”
Her hand froze in midair at his desperate plea.
She finally met his eyes and sucked in a sharp breath at the change she saw. They still glowed, but no longer with anger. Now it was something much more intimate. She felt his hands on her waist as he pulled her closer until her body was flush with his. He leaned his head to the side until her hand was cupping his cheek and he let out a shaky breath.
“I need you like I need my next breath. The way I want you is like a dying man in a desert wanting even the smallest drop of water,” he whispered and she felt his warm breath against her face.
“I have felt like you needed space from me, Fane.” Jacque tried not to sound upset or hurt, but when she saw his jaw clench, she knew she had not succeeded.
“That is my fault. I have been too proud to ask you and too arrogant to think that I could handle this alone. Even after we talked I still tried to keep it from you.”
Jacque reached up with both arms and wrapped them around his neck. Her fingers wove into his dark hair as she pulled his head down until their foreheads were touching.
“Are you ready to let me help? Are you ready to deal with your anger at Costin?” she asked gently.
He growled again. “Please don’t say his name, not right now. The only name I want coming from your lips is mine. For the rest of the night, it is just you and me.”
Jacque trembled under his possessive tone, and as his hands slipped under the hem of her shirt and moved tenderly up her back, all thoughts of anything but Fane fled.
“Jacquelyn,” his lips grazed her skin as he lowered his head to her neck and breathed deeply. A soft moan slipped through her lips and she heard him chuckle. It had been so long since she had heard that sound and her desire for him soared.
She pulled him towards their bed and as she laid back, she tugged on his hand until his body blanketed her.
“So all it takes is my laugh to get you in bed?” he smiled at her and nipped at her lips with his teeth.
“All it takes is you,” she told him with a sincerity that took Fane’s breath away. When she pulled his head down for his mouth to merge with hers, he gave no resistance.
Fane felt his mate’s relief at having him touch her. He felt her complete and total trust that he would show her only love and care with that touch. With every graze of his fingers, each touch of his lips, she seemed to glow brighter and brighter. He watched in awe as she gave herself to him absolutely without reservation and it humbled him.
She whispered to him as he loved her and her words began to mend the brokenness inside.
“I love you Fane,” and then she kissed his shoulder.
“I need you,” a kiss to his chest.
“I’m yours alone,” he kissed her deeply at that last declaration and he took everything she gave him, soaking her up greedily.
“Mine,” The word rumbled from his chest as he watched his wife, his mate, bask in their shared passion.
“Vasile,” Adam bowed his head slightly to the alpha as he grabbed his shirt from a chair in the gym.
“Adam, how did things go with my son this evening?”