“Then I suggest you brush up on your fighting skills. She was amatedgypsy healer, under the protection of not only her mate but also the Romania and Serbian packs, and you know who the Romanian Alpha is. Obviously, her disappearance has not gone unnoticed. I’d be willing to guess that Peri is just a scout. The rest will be coming. Her mate will be coming and he will die before he lets you keep her,” Cross warned.
Jericho’s chest tightened at the thought of losing Sally. It angered him that he could lose her but it didn’t sadden him, a subtle reminder that she wasn’t his true mate. His true mate had died at the hands of a vampire before Jericho had had the chance to perform the Blood Rights, so instead of being able to join his mate, he was left on earth with only half a soul and no desire to carry on. The darkness had won and his only chance at redemption had been lost to him.
Cross motioned to the door. “If you don’t mind, I have some phone calls to make. The Order needs to be made aware of what’s going on.”
Jericho took his leave and made his way back up to the front of the bar. His nose twitched at Sally’s scent lingering in the hall. She’d been there very recently. As soon as he rounded the corner, he saw the note under the bottle of vodka; it was the only bottle out of line of the others. He snatched it up and unfolded it. His eyes scanned it and he let out a breath.
“Jericho, I know you wanted to do lunch but I really just want a break from the bar. I’m going to head to the beach for the day. I’ll call you when I get home. Xoxo, Sally.”
Nothing in the note aroused his suspicions. There was no hint that she might have heard their conversation earlier. He was actually glad she wasn’t going to be hanging around the bar today, just in case Peri or her little spies were watching.
Cross was right, Perizada was a game changer. He’d have to move up the timetable. When Sally called him tonight, he’d seduce her and claim her as his own. He didn’t have time to make sure she was head over heels in love with him. He already knew she was infatuated with him. That would have to do for now.
Chapter 16
“Yes, Iwouldlike fries with my order ofthe world is coming to an end, just quit trying to save it. I think that’s the #544 value meal.” ~Jen
Jacque had no clue what Cyn was talking about, but by the looks on some of the other faces it was clear that she’d just dropped a bomb on them and the aftermath wasn’t pretty.
“What is the Order of the Burning Claw?”she asked Fane silently.
Heroh so helpful matejust shrugged his shoulders. He and Decebel had both been short and snarly with her and Jen since they’d returned from the horrible scene in the forest. Something was wrong and it wasn’t just the shock of Costin going feral.
“The Order?” Vasile’s voice had deepened as his wolf, who he rarely lost control of, surged forward. His eyes flashed and his canines lengthened as he visibly fought for control. Jacque found herself taking a step back from her father-in-law. It wasn’t until Alina placed her hand in his that he was able to bring his wolf to heel.
“Interesting you should say that, Cyn,” Peri spoke up, though she looked like she’d rather shoot herself in the foot with a nail gun than address this audience. “I too seemed to have stumbled across something that has to do with the Order during my own investigations.”
“Spill it, Peri Fairy,” Jen called out. She started to take a step toward the fae but Decebel’s large arm wrapped around her waist and pulled her to his chest. Jen looked down at the offending appendage and then turned her head to look up at her mate. He was looking at Peri. When Jen’s eyes landed on Jacque, all she could do was shrug.
“First, can we please thin out some of these stragglers?” Peri asked. “The information I have is only for absolute need-to-know individuals. The babes and their nursemaids can be on their way.”
“Oh man, you did not just call Alina a nursemaid,” Jen laughed, still stuck in the hold of her mate.
Alina smiled at Jen before turning to say something in Vasile’s ear. Then she kissed him and moved toward Fane and Jacque.
“Say goodnight,” she told them as she held Slate out. Jacque took him and pressed a soft kiss to his forehead. Then Fane did the same, but he was very reluctant to give over his son.
Jacque nudged him. “We need to be here. Slate will be fine with your mom.”
Fane handed the little bundle to Alina and then pressed a gentle kiss to his mother’s cheek. He watched her until the door closed behind her blocking his view. She started to step around him to talk to Jen but Fane pulled the same act as Decebel. He wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her back to his chest.
“What’s up, wolf-man?” she asked him as she turned her neck so that she could look up at him.
“You’re mine,” he said simply.
Jacque frowned. It was something he hadn’t said in quite a while, mainly, she thought, because it wasn’t necessary. She bore his marks, his bite, and even his child. How much morehiscould she possibly be?
“Yes. Are you worried that my status is going to change?”
He growled and his blue eyes lit up as his wolf stared down at her. Okay, so that had been the wrong thing to ask. If his comment had surprised her, it was nothing compared to what he did next.
To Jacque’s complete shock, Fane used his free arm to move her hair off of her shoulder, exposing her neck. She knew what he would see, what anyone would see—his bite mark. But him looking at it wasn’t what shocked her. Fane turned them so that his back was to the room and no one could see her smaller frame. His breathing was rough and there was a persistent rumble in his chest.
“Fane?”
He didn’t answer. He bit.
She felt his teeth before she felt his lips latched onto her skin. He was marking her, again, in a room full of people. Jacque stood very still as her own wolf stirred inside of her. Her wolf wanted to submit to him, to comfort him, and calm the wildness that was riding him. Jacque wanted to know what the hell was wrong. Sometimes she and her wolf didn’t see eye to eye.
