He felt her hand brush the back of his neck and her lips against his own.
“When I figure it out, I’ll let you know,” she teased.
Vasile growled at her cheekiness. “I swear I’m going to have to limit her time with those girls and that damn fae as well.”“Were you ever going to tell me what you saw?” Costin asked Sally as they headed to the pack healer’s room. She had been working with Rachel on different herbal remedies, going through the archives of their people and relearning all that the gypsy healers once used to tend the wolves.
“I think there is some sort-of healer/wolf confidentiality that Fane is entitled to,” Sally told him with thinned lips.
“Did you really have to go see him alone? I don’t like you being with a male by yourself, especially an unpredictable one.”
Sally huffed. “Fane would never hurt me, Costin, and he’s mated. You are going to have to curb your possessive instincts in order for me to do my job.”
“No, you are going to have to learn to let me in. We are a team. It’s my job to protect the healer and I can’t protect you if you don’t let me near you.” Costin’s voice was becoming more and more gravelly with each word.
“Why are you so cranky?” Sally asked as she pushed open the door to the healer’s study. Shelves filled with plants, herbs, and odd looking stones lined the walls. Books were scattered across the two tables that ran the length of the room.
“How do you feel about it?” Costin asked quietly.
Sally knew what he was asking. He wanted to know if she was angry about what Jacque experienced. But how could she be angry when she had experienced something very similar?
“How are you not losing it like Fane over what I experienced?” she countered. “Why aren’t any of the other males killing each other over what their mates felt while under the curse? You have to know that all of you males fear us going to other men. So we all went through that same thing.” She walked over to him and looked up into his hazel eyes—eyes that shown with such love that when they gazed upon her, it took her breath away.
“I know you want no other than me. I know that you would never touch another male and because I know that, deep in my soul, I have let go of what happened under the curse. You showed me the night we were bonded that there is nothing that could ever take your love from me. So what do I have to be upset about?”
Costin reached up and tucked her hair behind her ear and Sally leaned into his touch. He leaned down until their foreheads touched and inhaled her scent through slow deep breaths.
“Thank you,” he whispered softly. He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her close to him. It was his favorite place to be—wrapped around his mate, protecting her, loving her, and reminding her that she was his.
“I love you,” she told him gently.
He grinned at her flashing his dimple. “What’s not to love?”
Sally rolled her eyes as she pulled back from him and he reluctantly let her slip away.
“I swear you and Jen were separated at birth,” she grumbled as she turned to open up one of the healing books.
“So what are we doing today?” he asked as he rubbed his hands together like an eager child.
“A tonic,” she told him as she flipped the pages.
“A tonic for what?”
“Overbearing, jealous, obnoxious, yet hot, werewolves.”
Costin let out a laugh that filled the room and flooded Sally’s heart with joy.
“Will it affect my good looks?” he asked her playfully.
“Oh, yes perfect,” she muttered to herself ignoring his question.
“What’s perfect?” he asked as he leaned over her shoulder to see what she was doing.
“You just reminded me that I forgot to add something to shrink your ego.”
He put his hands on her hips and leaned down to her ear.
“As long as we aren’t shrinking body parts love, then it’s all good.”
Sally leaned her head back against him and closed her eyes with a huff. “I can’t win.”
Costin chuckled low and she felt his warm breath against her neck.
She finally leaned forward and pushed him away. “Alright Romeo back up. I’ve got work to do.”
“Work away, gypsy lady. I’ll just sit over hear and supervise.”
Sally blushed but refused to comment, knowing she would only encourage his teasing, which would only lead to her becoming a pile of goo at his feet begging for his attention. Yeah Sal, that would be so dignifying, she thought to herself.
Chapter 2
“Waiting sucks. I can’t think of a time where waiting is fun. Wait, I take that back, but if I get into that Dec will have an aneurysm. But those of you grinning, and you know who you are, know what I’m talking about. But I digress. Right now we’re sitting here twiddling our thumbs while we wait for this psycho warlock to go all crazy on us. I mean, seriously people, there is only so much hot chocolate I can drink. All I’m saying is I’m pregnant, bored, and ready to kick some warlock ass. Can I get an amen?” ~Jen
“Jacque, it’s been two months. If this dude doesn’t make a move soon, I’ll be too big to kick him in his baby making parts and that just won’t be cool,” Jen grumbled as she slumped down on the couch in the library of the Romanian mansion. She had been travelling back and forth between the Serbian and Romanian packs, mainly because she hated being away from Jacque and Sally. Since Sally was working with Rachel and Peri, Jen was stuck by herself at the Serbian pack mansion. Of course, there were pack members in and out all of the time talking to Decebel, but it wasn’t the same as having her girls with her. Not to mention, she was so emotional these days that most people could hardly stand her. She alternated between gushing about how glad she was to know her friends or raging because she couldn’t control her emotions. Each passing hour was a toss-up.
“This is one of those rare instances when you say making a move and you don’t mean a guy going for the bases,” Jacque told her best friend with a quick glance and then turned back to the book she had been reading.
“We all know that I don’t have to complain about Dec not making a move. My man has plenty of moves. But if I tried to kick him in his baby making parts, he would just get more excited.”
Sally laughed. “When you first told me you were interested in Decebel, I honestly thought that there was no way you two would ever work. But man, you are both such freaks, I honestly don’t think anyone else could put up with either of you.”“Or keep up with us.” Jen winked.
“Ugh,” Jacque groaned, “Jen please. The more your little baby bump shows, the weirder it is for you to talk about your sex life with your mate. I mean, seriously, we just don’t need the mental image.”
“Speaking of sex lives,” Jen pointed at Jacque, “how are you and your fur ball?”
Jacque’s head fell back against the chair as she closed her eyes. She blocked her thoughts from Fane, despite the fact that she would hear about it from him later. But she didn’t need him listening in right now, and she knew he would be.
“He talked to me after Sally went and spoke with him.”
“That was all your father-in-law,” Sally interrupted quickly.
“I told you I was cool with it, Sally, and I meant it. Fane knew I was at my breaking point.”
“Sooo,” Jen prompted her to answer her previous question.
“He’s still distant, but he’s trying. I’m just at a loss as to what to do to help him.” She looked down at her hands and bit her lip to keep from crying. She hated crying.
“It’s just going to take time, Jacque,” Sally told her gently.
“How much more time? He still won’t go anywhere near Costin.” Jacque’s eyes narrowed as she felt the familiar spark of anger ignite in her. She and Fane hadn’t even known each other a full year yet and so she had never seen him like this, so angry and almost out of control.
“Vasile is going to step in before too much longer,” Sally warned but tried to soften the harsh-sounding words.
“Maybe he and Costin just need to have a go at it and get it out of their systems,” Jen suggested.
Jacque’s eyes snapped over to Jen and fear flashed in the emerald orbs quickly and was gone just as fast. “They would kill each other, Jen.”
“Naw, not if there were Alphas there to keep things in check. You know how guys are, Jac. Sometimes they just need to get it beat out of them.” Jen threw her head back and laughed. “There I go again. I swear I need a notebook for all the awesome innuendos I come up with.”
Sally coughed and Jacque shook her head at her nympho friend.
“Okay,” Jen continued, “I’m serious. They need to just beat the living crap out of each other and then they will be able to move past this.”
“I’m not about to suggest that to Fane,” Jacque shook her head. “I honestly don’t know if he could stop himself from doing something he would later regret, when he…,” she paused and took in a shaky breath, “if he ever gets back to normal.”
Like an indolent cat stretched out for an afternoon nap, Reyaz sat lazily on a large tree branch. He leaned back against the trunk of the ancient tree with his legs stretched out in front of him and his hands behind his head. Though his body gave the appearance of being languid, his eyes were ever watchful and vigilant.