"Animals, like Fury said, only kill to protect and to eat. They're loyal to those they love. My heart was ripped out of my chest and stomped into the ground by a human. And it was Vane who came along and made me feel happy again. He picked my heart up and he cradled it carefully in his hands. I know he would never hurt me, not like that."
Bride's eyes teared up as she realized just how much she really did love her mate. "I guess if I have to choose between a human and an animal, I'm going with the animal. So be warned, Bryani. If you ever threaten Vane or his brothers again, I'm going to show you just how human I am. I will don my camouflage, hunt you down, and skin you while you scream. Do you understand me?"
A massive cheer rang out from behind Bride, startling her. Turning around, she saw the whole Peltier clan plus some others crowded in and around the doorway.
But it was Vane who held her attention. The proud look on his face made her entire body hot.
"Damn, Vane, you got a hell of a mate there," one of the Peltier quads said.
Bryani lunged at Bride. Her arm reached out from the cage as she tried to grab her. "You can't stop me, human."
"No, but I can."
Bride stepped aside as Acheron walked through the crowd to stand before Bryani.
He crouched down near the cage and held her gaze with his. "I'm going to take you home, Bryani, and I'm going to make sure that you can never leave your time frame again. No more piggyback rides with anyone else."
Bryani gave him a sullen look.
"No," Ash said as if he could read her mind. "Alastor won't help again. Your contract is nullified."
"You can't do that," she growled. "He's not free until all of them have met their mates."
Ash gave her a taunting half-smile. "You should hang around the gods more often, Bryani. They've tutored me well on loophole laws. You see, all of your sons have met their mates. They just don't know it yet."
"Excuse me?" Fury asked.
Ash ignored him. "Alastor is free of you, and for fear of my retribution, he won't enter into any new agreements with you."
"What about my retribution?" Bryani shrieked as she rattled the bars of her cage. "Where is my justice?"
Ash stood up and sighed wearily. "I'll tell you what. How about this for a bargain? You return to your time period and make sure Dare remains where he is, and I'll give you the one thing you want most in life."
Bryani cocked her head as she contemplated the Atlantean. "You swear it?"
"Yes, I do."
She made a gesture from her heart to her lips. "It's a deal. Now let me out of this cage so that I can enact my revenge."
Ash shook his head. "I'm not going to let you kill your sons, Bryani."
"But you said—"
"Your fondest wish has nothing to do with them. I'm sending you home now, and I promise you, by nightfall you'll be a happy woman."
Bryani vanished out of the cage.
"What are you going to do to her?" Fury asked.
Ash folded his arms over his chest as he turned around to face them. "What's the one thing your father has always publicly said he'd give anything for?"
Vane's jaw went slack. "To have his mate back. But that was only a lie he told so that the pack would feel sorry for him."
"Well," Ash drawled. "You should be careful what you wish for. You just might get it."
Vane whistled low. "Remind me to never piss you off."
"You're not really going to put the two of them together, are you?" Bride asked.
Ash shrugged. "They were fated to be together and it's time that they dealt with each other. Whatever happens between them though is their business."
"What do I owe you for this favor?" Vane asked.
"It's gratis. When you helped Talon out, you paid a higher price than anyone should ever have to. Consider this a wedding present from me and Simi. Neither your mother nor your father will ever again threaten you or your children."
"Are you predicting the future, Acheron?" Nicolette asked.
"Not exactly. I'm not telling them what will happen. Only what won't."
"Thanks, Ash," Vane said.
"Since you're in a giving mood," Fury said from the doorway, "want to tell me who my mate is?"
Ash gave him a roguish half-smile. "It's up to you to find her."
"Yeah, but—"
"Hang it up, wolf," Colt said, clapping him on the back. "The great Acheron isn't going to answer that."
"Ah man, this is going to drive me crazy. You know I've met thousands of women in my lifetime, right?"
"Yes," Ash said, "but you haven't slept with them all."
Fury looked like he was in pain.