“So Lilly has known this Jacquelyn’s whole life and never told her?” Fane asked him.
“She didn’t think she would ever have to. For all she knew, the rules did not apply to Jacquelyn because she is not full-blood. She knows who you are, Fane, and what you are. I called and spoke with her about what is going on and she took it really well. She agreed to let Sorin stay with them as he would be added protection,” his father explained.
“I know I can trust Sorin, but you know how hard it is for a male wolf to allow another to be so close to his mate, especially when the bond ritual has not been performed,” Fane told his father.
“I know it is going to be hard on you but you are going to have to set your wolf nature aside and recognize what will keep her safe. Still, I don’t know if Sorin will be enough of a deterrent to keep the other pack from attempting to take Jacquelyn.”
Fane growled at the idea of his mate in the hands of a pack to which she did not belong.
“How can they possibly want her when she is not a true mate to any of them?” Fane asked.
“I know it is hard for you to understand because you are so young, and you've found your mate so quickly, which is rare. Most go decades if not centuries before they find their mate. Female Greys are not abundant and after such a long time some Greys get desperate enough to settle for less and hope that over time their wolves will bond. What they don’t know, because they don’t remember what our ancestors have taught, is there is only one mate for each. Only one,” his father emphasized.
“Is Sorin going to need me to pick him up?” Fane asked.
“No, he is going to rent a car for the duration of his stay,” his father answered. “I will keep you updated as I learn things. You lay low, Fane. I don’t want my only son and the future Alpha of this Pack killed.” His father used his Alpha voice. It demanded obedience and could not be defied.
“Yes, Alpha,” Fane replied, recognizing that in that moment he was not speaking as son to father, but Pack to Alpha.
Fane hung up the phone and lay back on his bed, staring up at the ceiling. He decided to wait a couple more days before he confronted Lilly and Jacquelyn, but he was going to have to convince Lilly to tell her daughter. He would obey his father and not tell Jacquelyn before then.
Because he needed her touch, even if only mind to mind, Fane reached out to his Luna. “Are you awake, meu inimă?” He patiently waited for her response.“Well, I am now. Is it customary in Romania to wake people at the crack of dawn?” she replied grumpily.
“It is not the crack of dawn, Luna. It is already ten thirty,” Fane told her.
“Oh, my bad. It’s moved up to still-too-freaking early,” Jacquelyn responded.
Fane chuckled at her grumpiness and found it rather endearing.
“So I take it you are not a morning person?” he asked her.
“I’m not a person until after noon, so make a note to yourself to keep your thoughts out of mine til then.”
“Duly noted. I will not seek you out until one minute after twelve,” Fane said jokingly.
“Aren’t you just so clever?” she retorted.
Fane wondered what she looked like in the morning, hair all a mess, rumpled clothes. He imagined she was adorable.
“I would rather you not see me first thing out of bed, nor imagine what I look like. I assure you, ‘adorable’ would not be the description you choose,” Jacquelyn told him.
“I believe how I see you is not really up to you, my Luna,” Fane said gently.
“What exactly does loona mean?” she asked him.
“I will tell you soon but not today. Rest assured it is a high honor to be called that,” Fane said. “I was planning on picking you up at five thirty. Is that too early?” he asked her. He hoped not because Fane would actually go pick her up now if he could. He so desperately wanted to spend time with her and get to know her. He wanted her to know him and he hoped that she liked what she learned. He wanted to be worthy of her because she brought him balance and control and love. Fane was careful not to let those thoughts be open to her.
“Five thirty is good. Are you going to tell me what we are doing?” she asked him.
“I was thinking that golf game Americans play that has the all the different obstacles,” Fane answered.
Jacquelyn giggled at his description and Fane grinned, glad he could make her laugh, even if it was at his expense.
“You mean putt-putt. That sounds like fun. Are you going to be in my head anymore today?” she asked him.
Fane’s voice was very soft and intimate when he answered, “Do you want me to be in your head, Luna?”
Fane felt Jacquelyn respond to his voice. When she answered, even her thoughts sounded breathless. “I um, I don’t know.”
“I will take that as a yes and you can tell me to leave at anytime. Talk to you later, meu inimă,” Fane said to her sweetly.
“Bye,” was all Jacquelyn could manage to get out.
Chapter 15
“Hello, earth to Jacque,” Sally said as she snapped her fingers in front of her friend's face.
Finally Jacque turned her head to Sally, looking quite spacey and out of it and said, “I’m in trouble.”
“What is that supposed to mean?” Jen asked her as she sat in the floor painting her toenails. She'd apparently found Jacques nail polish and, as always, helped herself.
“I was just talking to Fane and his voice got all sensual on me and it was like…”
Jacque didn’t know how to finish so Jen offered up, “Phone sex, virtual mind sex, I would say sex on a stick put that really only applies to Dove ice cream bars.”
“Jen, paint your toenails,” Sally ordered.
Jen stuck her tongue out , but obeyed.
“I could so fall hard for this tasty Romanian,” Jacque told them.
“There’s nothing wrong with that. Just make sure it’s not a rebound from the whole Trent thing,” Sally told her honestly.
“I hear what you’re saying, Tonto,” Jacque told her with a smile.
“So what’s the plan for the whole date thing?” Jen asked.
Jacque thought about Fane’s cute description of putt-putt. She was actually looking forward to it, she hadn’t been in a long time.
“He’s picking me up at five thirty and taking me to putt-putt. I think it will be interesting to see a Romanian hottie play something he didn’t even know the name for,” Jacque told them.
“He didn’t know what putt-putt was called,” Jen laughed, “that’s awesome.”
“It’s the little things, Jen, the little things,” Sally told her.
Jacque spent the day discussing various scenarios for her evening with Fane. Naturally, all of Jen’s included vivid make out scenes and somehow always ended with their clothes off. She truly was a piece of work. You can’t help but love her, Jacque thought.
At three thirty, Sally and Jen sat Jacque down on the edge of her bed and began pulling various options of outfits to wear. She decided right away that a skirt or sun dress was out because of riding the motorcycle. Finally she was down between a pair of jeans with holes in various places and “Daisy Duke” shorts that looked worn out, only they weren’t because that was how she bought them. She had already decided on a hunter green, spaghetti strap shirt with various sparkly designs on it.
“Just go with the jeans,” Jen said. “They’re sexy in a bad ass kind of way and they'll help keep your skin intact if you're in a motorcycle wreck.” Sally glared at Jen. “What? I’m just saying,” Jen defended.
“Yeah, I think I will go with the jeans. They leave something to the imagination,” Jacque decided.
“Okay, hair up or down?” Sally asked.
“I’m thinking down for the motorcycle ride because of the helmet. It's putt-putt, Sal, no need for a French twist,” Jacque told her. “I’m just gonna wear my green flip flops.” Jacque hated wearing shoes and if they weren’t required she avoided them, just another of her weird quirks.
She took a shower while her two best friends picked out eye shadow for her to wear. When she got back to her room they had Jen’s phone hooked up to her computer speakers and were jamming to Lynard Skynard. Jacque just shook her head at them. She got dressed and then Sally pushed her down into her desk chair and went to work on her unruly hair while Jen started on her eyes. “Man, I’ve got good friends,” Jacque thought to herself, not for the first time.
By the time they were finished with it was five. Sally and Jen looked spun her in a circle to see their finished product. Then they looked at each other, bumped fists, and said at the same time, “Damn, we’re good.”“I would have to agree, ladies. Ya’ll are fantastic. Thank you both so much,” Jacque told them.
“Oh, hell no. Don’t go getting all sentimental on us. If you mess up the work I did on your eyes I will not hesitate to kick your butt between your shoulders,” Jen said sternly.
“I love you too, Jen,” Jacque said sarcastically.
“Are you nervous?” Sally asked her.
“If I said I wasn’t I'd be lying. But I would also be lying if I didn’t say I was absolutely beyond excited,” Jacque told them.
“Why do you say that?” Jen asked in a rare moment of seriousness.
“I wish I could tell you guys this without ya’ll thinking I’m a total nut, but no matter how I put it, it’s still going to sound crazy,” Jacque admitted.