“Neither Daniel or Dev would hurt Neil,” Felix added.
Lee’s amusement rumbled through his body. “They sure as hell wouldn’t do it if they thought Zoey could ever find out. That wolf will be safe here. Trust me, she has her boys by the short hairs and she’s not letting go.”
“Eww. That’s rude.” Sometimes Lee’s turns of phrases were a little vulgar.
“It’s also true,” Lee shot back.
Jane held up a hand. “All right, then, I’ll work on the premise that Zoey is in charge of her household.”
“Does all of this checking Z out mean you’ve convinced him to come home?” Sarah asked.
“He’s willing to meet with you and Zoey,” Jane affirmed, and my heart soared. “He’ll meet with you tomorrow at noon. I’ll guide you to the spot in the north woods. Just the two of you, though.”
“Not a chance in hell, lady.” Lee stood over the blonde, his face a grim mask. “You think I’m letting her run around the woods in the middle of a thousand freaking werewolves by herself?”
“I’ll be with her.” Jane stood as well, erasing Lee’s height advantage. She didn’t mind getting into his space either. “I’ll make sure nothing happens to them.”
“Over my dead body,” Lee growled.
“That can be arranged,” Jane growled right back.
Sarah and I exchanged a nervous look. I wasn’t sure if this was going to be a fight or if I was watching some strange werewolf mating ritual.
“I think Jane can handle it, Lee,” I said calmly, not certain I wanted to stop the fight. It might be interesting to see if Jane could handle Lee.
When Lee stared at me, I felt the full force of his will. He was one pissed-off wolf. “Look here, Zoey, have I done everything I promised? I let you kill that weird-ass thing with the bird. I let you fight the freaky zombies. I hijacked a damn truck with you and became an art thief. I let you castrate me in front of fucking John McKenzie who I hate. Foot’s down now, Zoey.”
I knew then that I’d hit Lee’s brick wall. I smiled at Jane. “Lee will be accompanying us.”
“Damn straight,” he muttered under his breath.
“He might run.” Jane backed down.
Lee shoved a hand through his hair. “He won’t get far. I’m sick of Zoey being upset over this. He’s being a stubborn idiot. If he runs, I’ll chase him down and haul his ass home.”
“That actually might be for the best,” Jane said with a sigh. “I was going to recommend bringing him in whether he wants to come or not. He’s very sick.”
My stomach rolled at the thought. It was what I’d been really worried about. Though Neil was a werewolf, he’d lived in the city all of his life. He had all the instincts necessary to survive in the wild, but I worried about his will to live. Before he became Danny’s servant, he’d had a rough life. The loss of Chad and Neil’s whole support network would have taken a hard toll on my friend.
“Do I need to call in a doctor?” I was sure I would be able to find at least one doctor among all these wolves. It wasn’t a profession known for a high werewolf population, but there had to be at least one.
“I won’t know until we get him to change forms,” Jane admitted. “As far as I can tell, he’s been in wolf form for months with no physical contact at all.”
Lee whistled at that. “None? No wonder he’s sick.”
“I don’t understand,” I said.
“When Neil was around, did he seem to require physical contact more than say a normal human would?” Jane asked.
I nodded vigorously. “Oh, yes. Neil was always holding my hand. If we were watching TV, he would lay his head in my lap and I would rub his belly.” I gave Lee a pointed stare because he had been serious about that no-petting rule. “And he didn’t like to sleep alone. He had his own bed, but most of the time he ended up cuddled up with me. It surprised Dev the first time he turned over and Neil was in bed with us.”
It had surprised him, but in true Dev fashion, he’d merely taken back his fair share of the covers, rolled over, and gone back to sleep.
“All wolves need that contact,” Jane explained. “It’s necessary for the wolf to be healthy. Without it they tend to fade. I think that’s what’s happening to Neil. I’m hoping he’ll come out of it when he realizes he’s still loved and wanted.”
I reached out and held Sarah’s hand. There was a sheen of tears in her eyes I knew mirrored my own. “He is wanted. And he is definitely loved.”
And tomorrow, one way or another, he was coming home.
Chapter Twenty-One
It was difficult for me to fall asleep that night. I sat up for the longest time in the enormous bed Dev had managed to get hauled into the wilderness. It was so big I felt tiny as I sat in the center of it, wearing only a T-shirt of Dev’s that hung down to my knees. The night air was slightly chilly even though it was June, so I pulled the quilt around me. I had convinced Lee that I could handle being in the room by myself. He seemed wary about the amount of wolves around. I’m not sure what he thought was going to happen, but my guard was just a little on edge. I think he would have slept at the foot of the bed if I’d let him.
I sat up and listened to the music playing in the distance. There was a big party going on somewhere, and I wondered if Danny and Dev were in the midst of it. I had considered forcing Lee to accompany me and checking out the rave that was going on, but I would have been thinking about my problems the whole time. I’d said good night to Sarah and Felix and sat in the dark, worried about Danny and Neil.
I spent more than my required contemplative hour thinking about what Felix had said. Was I being self-centered thinking that if Danny left, I was the only one it really affected? Would Dev miss Daniel? Then there was the question of whether Daniel could leave me at all. He needed my blood or he would go through some serious withdrawal pains. I was pretty sure Marini wouldn’t just allow Daniel and me to split up without repercussions. If he thought Daniel had given up rights to me, I could only hope that Marcus had enough money to buy me if Marini even let me hit the auction house. I knew what Dev would do if he thought the Council was coming for me. I would be seeing a whole lot of Faeryland.
It was something to think about.
I still managed to fall asleep before the boys returned. My dreams were filled with visions of Daniel leaving and Neil dying because no one would touch him. Lucas Halfer showed up in there somewhere, holding that useless paw we had fought over, but I discounted him. He’d been the bogeyman in my nightmares for two years now. I doubted that would change anytime soon. You just don’t forget the first man to show you the horrors of Hell.
Sometime in the night, Dev had crawled into the big bed beside me. Morning light filtered through as I saw his beautiful face through half-awake eyes. I reached out and rubbed that perfect jaw with the hint of a beard. He would ruthlessly get rid of the whiskers as soon as he woke, so I had to enjoy the sight now. I loved the roughness of his face in the morning when he rubbed it against me. I studied my lover in the early morning light. It had only been a few weeks, but his hair was already longer. Before too long, he would pull it back in a queue. It was so dark and soft. I let my fingers run through it, and he sighed in his sleep. I was just about to kiss him when I felt Danny move at my back.
I closed my eyes against the sweet warmth of his leg shifting over mine. I said a silent prayer of thanks to whoever listened to such things. His arm curled around my waist and pulled me firmly into his hard body. I wondered how late I’d slept because while Danny was able to handle some daylight, he usually didn’t wake until after noon. I decided to relax though because Sarah would have awakened me. There was no way she was going to miss our meeting, and Felix was a morning person.
I sighed contentedly and wondered just how much time we had before I needed to get ready for the meeting with Neil. It would be nice to wake up Dev and let him and Danny have their wicked way with me. We could roll around together and then have breakfast in bed. It was one of Dev’s favorite things to do. Maybe if we could remind Daniel how good it was between the three of us, he would think twice about whatever he was planning.
Danny’s hand moved on my hip and I put mine over his, leading him under the T-shirt and up to my chest. His hand cupped my breast and played with the nipple, which hardened immediately. I stretched, filling his hand. His lips found the back of my neck, nuzzling the skin there softly and giving me sweet little goose bumps. I let my eyes close as he pressed his erection against my backside. This wouldn’t be another quickie. No. I wasn’t going to allow it. This would be long and lush and loving. Everything it should be between us.
My eyes flew open when I heard the sound of yet another gun being primed as I felt Dev shift in bed. My lover was suddenly on his knees, holding a gun pointed at Danny’s head.
“Dev, what the hell are you doing?” I didn’t move because I wasn’t about to startle him and cause him to fire. What had happened last night between them?
“Take your hands off her, brother,” Dev ordered, his face a tight mask of fury.