Jacque tried not to laugh because she was angry, but it was impossible not to because the look on Decebel's face was priceless.
"Duly noted." Vasile spoke for the group.
Jen wrapped her arms tightly around Sally and she felt her sweet, tender friend begin to cry.
"I tried, Jennifer. I tried, but you wouldn't breathe."
"It's not your fault Sally. You aren't God. Healer or not, you can't fix everything. And you have to be okay with that or you'll drive yourself crazy."
Jacque stepped up and wrapped her arms around both girls, "You know the world has gone to hell in a hand basket when Jennifer Adams is the voice of reason."
Everyone chuckled tentatively, not wanting to disturb the fragile peace that had descended.
Jen pulled back and looked at her two best friends. "So are you done being mad at me, Jacque? And have you finished blaming my untimely death on yourself, Sally?"
"Sure, why not?" Jacque teased.
"I'm good," Sally added.
"Okay, peeps, we gots lots to discuss. I'm calling a pack meeting." Jen looked over at Vasile with a wink. "No offense, A, but I gotta lead this one. I'm in the know, and you all are in the need to know."
Vasile looked over at Decebel. "You okay?"
He nodded once. "I apologize for earlier."
"Not needed, Beta. Your mate had been taken from you, and in a cruel twist of fate you weren't allowed to follow because the Blood Rites weren't completed. I would have done what was necessary."
"And for that I will always be in your debt." Decebel bared his neck to Vasile in submission and respect.
Jen turned to her mate, took his hand, and began pulling him in the direction of the door.
"Okay, everyone kosher? Let's call this meeting to order."
Decebel rolled his eyes. "Glad to see that a little dying didn't take the smart ass out of you."
"Did you honestly think a little thing like dying would adjust my attitude?" Jen smirked at him as they all took a seat in the large room by the fire.
"I would hope not, because then you wouldn't be my Jennifer. I don't want someone who always does as they're told, or just goes with the flow. Where's the fun in that?"
Jen rolled her eyes and this time she spoke out loud. "Where indeed would be the fun in bossing a person around who just agreed to your every whim?" When she tried to sit down next to Decebel on the couch, he wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her into his lap. She cut her eyes at him. "Is this really necessary?"
"You just died, baby. If I seem a little clingy you can just get the hell over it." To Decebel's surprise, instead of a smart ass retort his mate laughed.
"Oh man, this life is going to be fun." Jen was wiping away tears while everyone looked on, still in shock that she was here before them…alive, laughing.
Jen wiggled on Decebel's lap so that she was facing everyone and then looked at Peri, who was standing close to the fire with a quiet Elle, sitting on the hearth.
"I can tell them everything, right?"
"Like I could stop you," Peri snorted.
Jen nodded her head. "Good point. Okay, then. So, as you all know, I died."
"Thanks for that heads up there, Jen, we weren't real sure since you didn't have a pulse and weren't breathing," Jacque snapped, still irritated that her friend had been in the room groping her mate while she and the others had sat in the main room in serious grief.
"You done?" Jen asked, raising her eyebrows at her red-headed friend. When Jacque waved her on, Jen continued. "So I woke up in this white room. That's the only way I know to describe it. It was white and full of light. I'm looking around, thinking I'm not in Kansas anymore, when suddenly our friendly neighborhood Fae appears."
Everyone in the room turned to look at Peri, who was looking back at them in boredom.
"So I ask Peri if I'm dead and she, so kindly and for clarification purposes, said yes – oh, and no. I asked her if she could bring me back. She said yes, but that it would mean that we would be interfering with the fates. I politely -" Just then Peri snorted at Jen's words once again. Jen looked over at the Fae. "I was polite in comparison to my usual standards. Anyway, I told her basically that I had just been mated to a freaking hot werewolf and hadn't really made plans to die a virgin. So here we are."
Decebel had begun to choke at Jen's words and, much to everyone's surprise, was turning bright red.
Sally was shaking her head at her best friend while Jacque covered the laugh that was going to bust out at any moment.
"I did inform her that there might be consequences to defying the fates," Peri added.
"Might be?" Vasile questioned.
Peri rolled her eyes. "Might be, will be, whatever," she said with a dismissive wave of her hand.
Decebel sat up, nearly dumping Jen off his lap, having sobered up from his mate's embarrassing remarks, "What do you mean, 'might be consequences'?" He looked at Jen."You didn't mention this." His words were a growl.
"Well you were a little busy panting over my neck, if I recall," Jen snarled back.
"Jennifer," he said in warning.
"Jen, now might not be the best time to test his lacking sense of humor," Vasile pointed out.
Jen nodded in agreement in a show of backing off – a rare thing for Jen.
"What kind of consequences?" Decebel asked Peri.
Peri pushed off the wall she had been propped against and came closer to the group.
"Honestly, I don’t know. Nor do I know when they might bestow them upon her. It could be tomorrow or it could be a century from now."
"Ooookay. Well, that sucks," Jacque muttered.
"Hey, I was dead, Jacque. I wasn't ready to be dead. I'll deal with the fates when they deal with me."Jacque held her hands up. "I'm not saying I wouldn't have done the same thing in your shoes, Jen, I'm just saying it sucks to not know when they might drop a bomb on your head."
Decebel growled at Jacque's words, which in turn had Fane growling.
"ENOUGH!" Vasile stood and the room pulsed with his power.
"Decebel, Fane, pull it together. Now." Vasile turned his eyes on the girls. "Females, you are going to, for once, consider that your sarcasm and smart ass remarks could possibly cause a fight between your mates. Everyone is feeling possessive and protective right now. Decebel is off the scale in those departments. So mind your tongues."
Jen, Sally, and Jacque were all staring at Vasile and really seeing their Alpha. It was the first time he had ever really reprimanded them and it wasn't a feeling any of them were familiar with.
"I apologize, Beta." Jacque looked at Decebel, but made sure not to make eye contact. "I meant no disrespect to your mate."
Jacque's words had the desired effect. Decebel visibly relaxed.
"So now what do we do?" Cynthia spoke up from her perch on the end of the couch arm.
"Now we need to bring Rachel and Gavril here." As Peri spoke she watched Vasile and Alina for their reaction. "Sally needs to learn what she can do. It will be up to her and Rachel to banish the witch."
"No." Costin stepped up. He had been standing quietly against the wall behind the chair that Sally occupied.
"What?" Peri snapped at the young wolf.
"Sally and Rachel cannot do this alone," Costin growled.
"And why exactly do you say that, wolf? Because you have been around for centuries and know the past, know the history of witches and healers?" Peri's words were a slap in Costin's face. He didn't back down.
"No, fairy, I'm not old, I'm not knowledgeable about the past. But I go where Sally goes. There is no negotiation on that."
It was very apparent to everyone that Peri was losing her patience with Costin. If Costin noticed, he either didn't let on or didn't care.
Sally stood up and went to Costin. She pushed him back and he reluctantly relented. After Peri had broken eye contact, he turned his attention to Sally.
"What are you doing?" she asked him.
"I'm protecting you. I told you – I will protect you no matter what."
"Why, Costin? I don't understand. I'm nobody to you other than the healer in your pack. Why all this sudden interest in me?" Sally was becoming flustered under his intense gaze. "I can't handle this. I can't get sucked into feelings that can't go anywhere. Please -" Before she could continue, Costin pulled her close and leaned down so that his mouth was next to her ear.
"I don't understand it either, and I'm sorry if my behavior is distressing to you. But I'm not going anywhere. Where you go, brown eyes, I go. I need you to trust me, Sally mine, I won't hurt you."
Sally pulled back abruptly, as if he had slapped her. "But that's just it, Costin. You will. You will hurt me. You won't mean to, but one day you will find your true mate and I will be kicked to the curb. I'm not strong like Jen and Jacque. Once my heart is given, I can't get it back. Once it's broken, it's beyond repair. How can you expect me to risk that for some crush?"
Costin snarled at her. "It's not some crush, Sally Morgan!" He had taken a step closer without even realizing it. He and Sally were so close their bodies were nearly touching. Both took heavy breaths, trying to contain their anger.
Costin lowered his voice when he spoke again. "It's not some crush. I don’t know what it is. I don’t understand why it's happening now. What I do know is I've never felt this for anyone and my wolf won't let you go, even if I wanted to – which I don't"