Sally leaned over and wrapped Jen in a hug. “I promise no one could ever take your place, Jen. You put the fun in dysfunctional.”
“You put the we, in weird,” Jacque joined in as she climbed over to the other couch and wrapped her arms around her two best friends.
“You put the poss in possible,” Sally continued.
“That isn’t even a thing,” Jen growled though she was hugging them back.
“True, but if there were, you would be the poss,” Jacque agreed.
Jen was smiling when she shoved them away. “Enough sap, and enough about the new gyps. I want to hear about the new males.” Jen stopped midsentence and frowned. “Is it just me or are your men blocking you two as well?” she asked them.
Sally felt the walls in Costin’s mind go up. She immediately tried to get through his defenses, but the more she pushed, the stronger he made them in response. “Costin’s not letting me in.”
Jacque nodded. “Fane isn’t either.”
Sally’s eyes narrowed. “Costin mentioned,” —she tapped her head indicating that he’d shared the information via the bond— “just a little while ago, that he was going to speak with Vasile.”
“So did Decebel,” Jen growled.
Jacque’s jaw clenched. She hated it when Fane blocked her. It brought back the painful memories of just a couple of months earlier when he wouldn’t let her in because of his struggles with what she’d endured at the hands of the witch, Desdemona. “Wolf boy better have a damn good reason for blocking me,” she practically snarled.
“Whoa, baby mamma’s got claws.” Jen grinned, momentarily forgetting her irritation with her own mate.
“And she called him wolf boy, not wolf man like she usually does,” Sally pointed out.
“The hormones are starting to get to you, aren’t they?” asked Jen.
Jacque pinched the bridge of her nose. “One minute I’m fine and the next I really, really want to throw something at someone.”
“Okay…well, sitting here wondering about what team fur ball is meeting about, heavy emphasis on the ball part, isn’t going to help keep prego calm. So back to these new wolves that were brought in to help with the new healers. Any of ’em hot?” Jen asked as she waggled her eyebrows at Sally.
Jacque slapped Jen with a pillow just as the door to the suite opened.
“Any of who hot?” Decebel growled as he prowled into the room, his eyes focused on his mate.
“Do you have a radar that tells you when to walk in on me talking about inappropriate things?” Jen asked as she narrowed her eyes on Decebel.
“Considering you are always talking about inappropriate things, I don’t really need a radar. It’s pretty much a given that when I walk into a room you will have just said, or be in the middle of saying, an inappropriate comment.”
“Oh, good one,” Jacque cooed as Sally reached out her fist to her friend.
“Agreed.” Sally nodded.
Jen’s head snapped to the side as she pinned her two best friends with a glare. “Nobody asked for commentary from the peanut gallery.”
“I would like to think we are less peanut and more awesomesauce gallery,” Sally said as she glanced at Jacque. “Wouldn’t you agree?”
“Totally agree.”
Jen gave up giving them the death glare, considering it wasn’t working, and turned back to face her mate. “What’s up, B? Maybe you’ve come to tell us why you superior males have kicked us out?” She tapped her head at the same time she tried to breach his mental block.
He gave her his best wolfish smile, which he knew made her all gooey inside. Damn wolf, she thought to herself.
“Perhaps, I’m just blocking you because of my own inappropriate things that may or may not include something or someone hot.”
Sally and Jacque pushed themselves back further on the couch as Jen stood up slowly. “If you’re thinking about something hot, it had better be a freaking desert or South Texas in August.”
“And if it’s not?” Decebel asked as he took a step toward her, his eyes flashing to the glowing amber of his wolf before going back to their usual color.
Jen let out a low growl.
“Oh dear,” Sally muttered.
“We should video their fights. It’s so much better than anything the CW has,” Jacque murmured attempting not to attract the attention of their seething friend.
“Then tell me, B, what it is that you might be thinking about that is hot? What is it that you are thinking about that is so inappropriate that you have to block your mate from your mind?”
“I don’t understand why you are getting so upset, Jennifer.”
“He’s using that freaking soothing calm voice. I hate it when they do that,” Sally huffed quietly.
“Totally hate it,” Jacque agreed as she bit her nails and watched her friend and her mate intently.
Decebel continued as Jen took a step toward him. “I have to deal with you checking out other males, discussing other males, and purring over other males.”
“Oh, that last one was said with a little bite,” Sally chuckled.
“He totally wants to give her a little bite,” Jacque added and the two snickered as quietly as they could.
“I. DO. NOT. PURR,” Jen bit out through clenched teeth.
“Wanna bet?” Decebel’s voice dropped low as his eyes began to glow again with his wolf. This time they didn’t stop glowing.
“Okay, that even turned me on,” Sally continued her commentary.
“Totally hot and bothered,” Jacque said fanning herself.“We are not discussing whether or not you make me purr. I may notice attractive people—”
Decebel let out a snort of laughter. “Notice, good one.”
Jen ignored him. “But I do not purr over them. And considering you have access to my thoughts, because I don’t block them from you, you should know that the only thing that I think about that’s hot is you. I may talk a lot of smack, but you know better than anyone who I really am. Am I a mate who sits around pondering about the six pack abs on another wolf? NO! I’m not. I might notice them, just as you notice attractive females, but it stops there. So, I’ll ask you again, mate,” Jen snapped. “What is it that you are blocking me from? It had better be something like the world is coming to an end tomorrow, because if I find out it’s thoughts of another female, so help me, Decebel, I will cut off your man parts and feed them to the chickens.”
"Chickens?" Decebel asked seemingly taken off guard.
"Yes, chickens, because they will peck the hell out of them before they ever eat them. Double the satisfaction, if I do say so myself."
“Okay, that sounds like she’s given it a little thought. Should we be worried that Jen’s pondered what she would do with her mate’s man parts if she ever removes them?” Sally asked Jacque.
Jacque shook her head. “If she ever comes home with chickens, then we should totally be worried.”
Jen’s head turned slowly to glare at her friends.
“Uh-oh,” Sally sung. “She’s got the look.”
“Totally has the look,” Jacque agreed.
“What’s with you and the word totally?” Sally asked glancing at Jacque from the corner of her eye.
“I don’t know,” Jacque said thoughtfully. “It’s just seemed like the appropriate word for the situation. Decebel has totally gone and gotten himself so deep in smelly crap that Jen might castrate him, and Jen is totally threatening to castrate him and feed some chickens that mess. Totally—as in all encompassing—the situation is dire.”
“Are you two done?” Jen snapped. “Decebel is over here hiding important information from us and y’all are worried about Jacque’s lack of vocabulary?”
“Priorities, Jen,” Sally said curtly. “Jacque is about to bring a precious life into this world. Do we really want her child to be labeled ignorant because her mama can’t teach her a wide variety of words?”
“I’ve got some words for you,” Jacque muttered as she gave Sally’s leg a pinch. Sally yelped but didn’t say anything more when Jen pointed a finger at them both.
“I will deal with you two later.” Jen turned back to Decebel. “You and I are going to have a little talk.
“Is that what you’ve started calling it?” Decebel asked as he grabbed her and slung her over his shoulder.
“Put me down you big, hairy, flea infested, stupid male!”
Decebel smacked her backside as he tilted his head at Jacque and Sally. “Don’t be too hard on your mates,” he told them and then turned to leave. Jen continued spewing expletives at her mate as he carried her from the room.
“Now she has a good vocabulary,” Sally nodded as she watched the door close behind the couple.
“She seems a little uptight today,” Jacque said as the door closed behind Decebel and Jen.
“You know she hates it when Decebel keeps things from her.”
Jacque nodded. “True, but she’s never really let it bother her when he’s accused her of being a tad free with her praise of the opposite sex.”
Sally hmm-mmmed her and then patted her legs. “So now that drama mama is gone, what do you want to do?”
“Drama mama,” Jacque laughed. “Classic.” She tapped her chin with her index finger as she thought and then said with a smile. “Take a nap. Since Fane is being a butt and blocking me and I won’t be able to find out why until he shows up, cause goodness knows I’m not about to waddle around looking for his handsome butt, I might as well rest up for the argument that’s bound to happen later.”