“I’d kick you in the balls if you did,”Heathersaid.
“Um, Heather, I know you’re blind, but … you do know about boy parts and girl parts, right? I don’t think Crina has balls,”saidAdam.
Heather’s eyebrows rose. “Oh?” Heather’s voice rose in question. “So could you explain what kind of parts she hasexactly?”
Adam rolled his eyes at the same time that Stella nearly fell off the stump at the choked laughter she tried toswallowdown.
Crina patted his chest, grinning. “You walked intothatone.”
Stella wiped tears of laughter from her eyes. Yes, they were in a tough spot. Yes, they had no clue what was going to happen. But she was pretty sure that, with the friends she’d recently made, they could get through just about anything. Or at least go downlaughing.
Chapter3
“I never knew what I was willing to do, what I was willing to sacrifice, until I felt her. Most of my life, she’d simply been an idea, a story told to me by my family. She was a vague amorphous ghost that I waited in vain for, hoping against hope that she’d one day be there for me. And now that day has come. I feel her, and nothing could have prepared me for the emotions that have taken over me and my wolf. And nothing will stand in my way of getting toher.” ~Nick
Nick,Kale, Ciro, Bannan, and Drayden had been running for two days. Nick was pretty sure they were running in circles. He was also pretty sure the other males knew it, too, but no one wanted to admit it because then they’d have to admit they were lost. Hell would freeze over before a male wolf, with the sense of smell of a bloodhound, would admit to being lost. So instead, they simply ran, hoping that, somehow, they’d find a newtrail.
Kale finally came to a halt just as the sun was setting on the second day. He phased and the others did the same. Nick wasn’t bothered by the fact that there were four naked men standing around him. It was the way of their lives. Unless they carried clothes with them, they just had to get used to being in the buff when theyphased.
“Any of you ’ave any ideas?” Kale asked, his Irish lilt thick withfrustration.
“I feel like the forest is working against us,” Drayden, Nick’s Alpha, said. “It’s like as soon as we begin to attempt to take a new direction, the trees shift to put us back on the same trail. I know”—he held up a hand,—“it soundscrazy.”
“Not entirely,” Ciro, the Italian Alpha, told him. “Magic can have a powerful effect on nature. This forest could very well have been bespelled so that anyone with the specific intent to find something would simply searchinvain.”
“Did any of us consider that might happen?” Nick asked, his own frustration coming out in agrowl.
“Nick,” Draydenwarned.
Nick lowered his eyes. His Alpha was right. Allowing their emotions to cloud their judgment wouldn’t help the wolves get out of the mess in which they’d foundthemselves.
“You think this is the work of Volcan?” BannanaskedCiro.
Ciro nodded. “He’s managed to lock the pixie realm. Who’s to say that he can’t bewitch a forestaswell?”
“Are we going to be able to find our way back to the veil into Farie?” Draydenasked.
Kale’s eyes narrowed. “I don’t know the answer to that. All we can doistry.”
“We’re just going to give up?” Nickasked.
“No,” Ciro told him. “We’re going to regroup and come up with a plan that won’t have us running in circles for daysonend.”
Nick knew what they were saying made sense, but it felt as if they were just tossing in the towel. He didn’t want to leave the forest or stop looking for the veil into the pixie realm until he had Kara by his side. But no matter how much he wanted that, it wasn’t possible right now. He had to be smart, rather than act on hisemotions.
“Alright, let’s see if we can find our way back to Farie. We’ll figure out what’s next when we get there,” Kale said as they allphased.
Once again on all fours, merged fully with his wolf, Nick stretched his legs as they ran. He appreciated the fact the others seemed to run as hard as they could as well. He was in no mood for easyloping.
The wind moved through his fur like fingers, and it made him wonder what it would feel like to have Kara’s hands stroking his coat. Every day seemed harder. She was beginning to consume his thoughts. He didn’t understand that, since she wasn’t yet of age. Gypsy healers weren’t supposed to feel their mate until they turned eighteen. Why did he feel the bond so strongly with her already? Why was he consumed with thoughtsofher?
These were questions that wouldn’t be answered until they were back in Farie. He’d ask Drayden, his Alpha, first. And if he didn’t know, then Nick would have to wait for Perizada to return and ask her. He had to be patient. It wasn’t one of his strong suits, at least not when it came to Kara, but hewouldtry.
Kale wasready to bite someone.Two damn wasted days. They’d accomplished nothing except some impressive exercise. Why hadn’t it occurred to him that Volcan would have other tricks up his sleeve? This was not a one-trick pony they were dealing with. Kale had been foolish to think the dark fae wouldn’t have a backup plan in order to keep them from getting into the pixierealm.
Now they had to get back to Farie and face Lucian, who was bound to be one ticked off wolf. Regardless that some of them were Alphas, they had formed a makeshift pack of sorts when they came to Peri and Lucian’s home, and that made Lucian the Alpha male in the situation. The fact that five wolves had decided to run off on their own was not going to sit well with the Alpha. Kale knew if some of the wolves in his pack had pulled something like that, even as Beta, he’d have them limping for days when he was donewiththem.
As much as his wolf would want to fight back, Kale would accept whatever punishment Lucian dealt out. He knew Lucian was a good man and a loyal wolf. He would be fair. But that didn’t make the situation any lesshumiliating.
