“You saw something?” Jacque asked. Peri and Jen were both on their feet at her question.
“You and Jen have to be with Sally, especially when Costin finds her. It is imperative that you be with her,” Lilly said in a desperate voice.
“Mom,” Jacque said. “What did you see?”
“Tell Vasile that he has to find Costin. There’s going to be more bloodshed before they find him. But if they don’t find him in time, he will cross the line and he won’t be able to come back.” Lilly paused and let out a mournful sigh. “So much darkness surrounds him. He’s empty. He’s aching for her. I felt it, Jacque, in my vision. I felt what Costin is feeling. It’s…” She swallowed thickly. “It’s awful.”
“They’ll find him. They will,” Jacque assured her.
“I’ll be there before you leave tomorrow,” Lilly told her. “I love you.”
“Thanks, mom. I love you too.”
Jacque disconnected the call and slipped the phone back into her pocket. “Mom says we have to be with Sally.”
Peri didn’t look pleased by the information. “That doesn’t mean your mates will be okay with the situation.”
“Okay with what?” Fane’s voice said from the doorway.
“With us having a multi-pack orgy. We’ve planned one for the fall and we’re trying to pick a theme,” Jen said conversationally as if she was talking about shopping for a new summer blouse. “We were thinking of doing like a Village People thing, but that just seemed a bit cliché. So I think we’re just going to play up the whole beauty and the beast thing.
“Jacquelyn,” Fane growled. His eyes had turned a bright blue as he closed the distance between them. “Make her stop talking.”
Jacque turned to look at Jen and then back to Fane. She was about to ask if he was serious, but he surprised her by sweeping her up in his arms. He turned and carried her from the room without a backward glance. Jacque stared back at them helplessly as her mate carted her off.
“Are you okay?” she asked him as he walked up the stairs to the floor where their suite was located.
He looked at her, his eyes still glowing, and then buried his face in her neck. Fane took in deep breaths as he continued to walk. Jacque didn’t know how he wasn’t walking into a wall, but then his mouth started moving against the flesh where his bite was located, and her mind couldn’t think clearly.
They reached their door and he pushed it open as he pulled back and looked into her eyes. It worried her that his wolf was still looking back at her.
“I heard what your mother said about Costin,” Fane said finally. He set her on her feet on the ground but didn’t step away from her.
Jacque’s stomach dropped. “How much did you hear?”
Fane’s head tilted, an action that reminded Jacque of exactly what his wolf would do. “Just the part about Costin and how awful he feels. Was there something else?”
“She said that you guys needed to find him quickly,” Jacque said as she turned toward the nursery. “Is Slate—” she started to ask.
“Mom’s got him. She wanted to let us get a good night’s sleep. She has everything she needs. There was frozen milk, so I gave her that.”
Jacque nodded, disappointed that she didn’t get to hold their son before she went to bed.
“How are you feeling?” Fane asked her. His eyes were intense and he watched her closely.
“I feel fine,” she told him honestly. “I can’t even tell that I had a baby…or nearly died.”
He growled at her mention of their near death. “Do you?” Fane paused and took a step closer, placing both his hands on her waist. Touching her seemed to bring him a measure of calm that he really needed. “Do you feel up to…” His breathing hitched as Jacque’s mind caught on to what he was asking.
She felt her skin heat up and trembled when Fane ran a finger across her blushing cheek. He seemed mesmerized by her. His eyes were roving over her face as if he was trying to memorize it.
He leaned his head down until his forehead was pressed against hers. Jacque could feel his warm breath on her face. His finger continued to trail across her jaw, down her neck, and across her collar bone. As he reached the swell of her breast, his chest rumbled. “I need you,” he told her simply.
Fane’s voice was thick with emotion and guttural with his wolf. There was so much he was trying to convey to her in those three little words. Jacque pulled her head back and then took the hand that was still resting on her hip. She linked their fingers together and then pulled him to follow her. Fane trailed her, his other hand grazing her hair and back, into their room.
Jacque was trembling as she turned to face him once again. The bond was open and all of Fane’s emotions were filling her, adding to her own intense feelings.
“You are so beautiful,” he murmured as he pushed the hair away from her neck. His hands trailed down to the front of her shirt and he began unbuttoning her blouse. Jacque was shocked to see Fane’s hands shaking as he slipped button after button through the little holes. As soon as the last one was undone, Fane reached up and pushed the shirt from her shoulders. She let it slide down her arms, the fabric brushing against her sensitive skin causing her to shiver.
