Jen wanted to live, but even if she hadn't, she still felt so blessed to have had that four days with her wolf, her mate.
Sally nearly ran into Peri's back when the fairy came to an abrupt halt. She raised her arms and Sally, Costin, Cynthia, and Decebel watched with wide eyes as the air in front of them rippled and shimmered.
"This is the veil of the Fae. Our world is in another dimension. No one other than a Fae can open the veil and only a Fae can grant permission for others to cross over."Just as Peri was about to step through the veil, a deep voice rumbled through the trees.
"Perizada!"
Costin and Decebel moved into a protective stance between the woman and the unidentified male that was coming out of the trees straight at them.
"Gavril." Peri actually sounded surprised, something that seemed out of character for her. "I presume you come because of the dormant?"
Decebel growled and took a step toward the wolf she called Gavril.
"Where is she?" Decebel snarled.
Gavril looked at him and then realization dawned. "You are her mate?"
Decebel nodded once and continued to growl. His eyes were glowing deep amber and his claws had emerged. Costin laid a restraining hand on his Beta.
"You are the healer's mate, you have Jennifer." Decebel didn't question it because he smelled something on the wolf that was familiar, but not at the same time. He took another step toward Gavril and took a deep breath, then he turned back to Costin and Cynthia. "Does he bear her scent?"
Costin and Cynthia took deep breaths in through their noses. Both let out low growls.
"Yes, he has been with her." Costin realized too late how that comment sounded and had to restrain Decebel further and clarify himself. "He has been in the same room with her, Beta." Costin lowered his eyes in submission, trying to calm Decebel's raging wolf.
"Gavril, how is she?" Peri interrupted the wolves' interaction.
"Not good. She is rarely conscious and she has began to vomit blood." Gavril's voice was void of emotion, but his eyes didn't hide the fear and pain he felt for the dormant.
"She is worsening more quickly than I realized," Peri said more to herself than those around her. She looked back into the veil and then back at the group who stood staring at her, waiting.
"Gavril ,you must bring her to me. Rachel cannot and must not come."
"I will go with him to get her," Decebel announced, and then without warning fell to his knees. His breathing came in gasps and when he looked up Sally and Cynthia gasped themselves.
"Decebel, your nose is bleeding – and your ears." Sally crouched down in front of him and laid her hands on his chest. She closed her eyes and let the magic in her flow out. She felt his wolf struggling with the man, wanting to be in control, needing to find their mate. Sally realized Decebel's wolf knew who Jen was, he had recognized her scent, and it was making him very dangerous.
She pulled her hand away and opened her eyes. She looked over to Cynthia and Costin. "His wolf recognized her scent. He is in a rage. I don't know how long Decebel can hold off letting his wolf have control, especially since he is so weak."
Cynthia's voice was a near whisper. "If his wolf takes over while in that state we would all be in danger. He will take out anything in his path until he has her back."
"Costin, you will accompany Gavril to his home and retrieve Jennifer. Gavril, you must hurry."
Gavril nodded and without waiting to see if Costin would follow, turned and took off through the woods. In mid-step he phased into his wolf and hit the ground on all fours. Costin stepped over to Sally and lifted her chin to look up at him. He leaned in close, his mouth resting next to her ear. Sally shuddered when she felt his breath on her ear and neck.
"Be safe," Costin whispered and his lips grazed her sensitive skin. "I will be back for you."
Before she could respond he turned and took off running, phasing as he did so. Sally noticed his fur was a silvery grey that shimmered. She tried to take in some deep breaths after their little encounter and when she turned back to look at Cynthia and Peri, Cynthia was raising a single eyebrow.
Sally blushed. "I don’t know, Cynthia, so don't even ask."
Cynthia chuckled, turning back to Peri. "What now?"
"Now we wait," Peri stated as she found a fallen tree limb. After brushing off the snow, she sat down.
"I suck at waiting," Sally muttered as she and Cynthia both sat on fallen branches across from the Fae.
Decebel moved to sit in front of a large tree trunk, listening to the voices around him but keeping his eyes closed. It took all his concentration to keep his wolf under control.
"How do you think things are going with Jacque and the others?" Cynthia asked Sally.
"I don't know. I wish I could call them but my phone isn't getting a signal."
"Bring me your phone," Peri told her without preamble.
Sally looked up at her then to Cynthia. Cynthia shrugged in a 'why not' fashion. So Sally stood up and walked over to Peri. She handed the woman her phone and watched as Peri touched it gently. A small, glowing light appeared under hand briefly and then was gone.
"There you go," she said casually, handing the phone back to Sally.
Sally looked at the screen and saw that she had full signal bars. "Wicked. How did you do that?"
"I'm Fae," she said simply.
Just then, as if on cue, Sally's phone began to play a song. Sally nearly jumped out of her shoes in surprise at the noise breaking the silence of the forest. She listened for a moment before answering it. The ringtone had been changed to Brooks and Dunn's “My Maria” song. The ringtone started with the line, "Gypsy lady, you're a miracle work for me. You set my soul free like a ship sailing on the sea. She is the sunlight when the stars are grey, she treats me so right, lady, take me away."
Sally laughed as she answered the phone. She had no doubt in her mind that Jen had somehow confiscated her phone and put that ringtone on there after they'd found out Sally was a gypsy healer.
"Hello?"
"Sally! Oh my freaking gosh! I didn't think we would actually get you but I thought it was worth a try. You're on speaker phone and we have some info for you, my sweet gypsy." Jacque sounded so excited to talk to Sally that it nearly brought tears to Sally's eyes.
Decebel perked up and opened his eyes at the sound of the red head's voice.
"What do you have for me?" Sally asked eagerly.
"We know what will break the curse. You ready for this, chica?"
"Let me have it." Sally prepared for the worst, fearing that it would be some horrific sacrifice that would have to take place in order to fix Decebel. The answer was much simpler than she ever imagined and yet more powerful than anything physical sacrifice one could give: the sacrifice of one's heart to love – the ultimate personal sacrifice.Vasile and Alina sat in the makeshift headquarters they'd created in the village tavern. As always, the room was lit with oil lamps and a fire burned in the large stone fireplace. The room was surprisingly clean, the floors free of dirt and dust. Alina noticed, not for the first time, that no pictures hung on the walls, no decorations adorned the small end tables or book-filled shelves, but it was still surprisingly warm and inviting. What wasn't was the air. It was thick with worry and the impatience to move forward, to do something.
Across from the Alphas sat Fane and Jacque. Sorin was propped against the far right wall, Crina was folded onto the floor in front of the fireplace. The fire crackled and the wind made the fragile glass windows shudder. The silence was deafening as the Alphas waited.
Jacque stared at the phone she had laid in the middle of their circle, as if she could see Sally if she stared long enough.
Finally, Jacque spoke. "Love." She shook her head. "Love is what breaks the curse."
The group heard Cynthia groan loudly from somewhere close to Sally. "Are you kidding me?"
"That's what I said," Jacque agreed.
Suddenly Vasile spoke up. "Sally before we get into this please give me an update. I assume since your phone is working that you found Peri?"
"Hi, Vasile, my old friend," they heard a musical voice chime through the speaker.
Vasile smiled. "Hello, Perizada. You are well?"
Peri chuckled. "As well as can be expected in such times."
"Fair enough. Sally, how is Decebel?"
"Not good. His wolf is struggling to be free." Sally began to explain everything from the time they'd left until the current moment.
"So we're waiting on Gavril and Costin to return with Jen," she finished.
Jacque realized Sally must have put her phone on speaker as well when they heard Cynthia's voice loud and clear. "How is the curse going to be broken when Decebel doesn't know his mate and therefore doesn't feel love for her?"
There was quiet across the line.
"Sally, you said his wolf recognized her scent on Gavril?" Vasile broke the silence.
"Yes."
"That may be enough to help pull Decebel's emotions to the surface. His love for her isn't gone, it's just buried under that curse."
"What about blood?" Jacque asked. "What if they exchanged their blood? Would that maybe bring the bond back together, and in turn trigger Decebel's feelings toward Jen?"
"It's a possibility, and it probably wouldn't be difficult since his wolf still claims Jen," Vasile agreed.
"We also found out the witch's name. It's -"