He shrugged. “Doesn’t hurt to be sure.” He opened the door and stepped out. “Maybe one of the healers in the pixie realm will be to myliking.”
“Oh, snap,” Elle huffed as she grabbed Thad’s arm. He heard snarls and growls but then was suddenly in darkness, only to reappear in the quiet of theforest.
He looked behind him and found Sorin and Elle standing there staring at him as if he’d lost his mind. “What?” Thadasked.
“Did you seriously just imply that you wanted one of the females in the pixie realm?” Soringrowled.
“I haven’t met them yet. I don’t know if I will want one of them or not,” Thadanswered.
“They’re all taken, you fool,” the wolfsnarledback.
“No,” Thad shook his head. “None of them aremated.”
“There are pack members that feel the mate bond. Blood Rites or not, those females aren’t free for you to putdesignson.”
Thad let out a tired sigh. “I forget sometimes how sensitive you wolves are about yourfemales.”
“I truly hope you find yourself a mate, Thad,” Sorin said slyly. “It will be worth putting up with you if I get to see you be sensitive, as you call it, about the woman you would die to protect and live toserve.”
* * *
Nick would have laughedif Kara wasn’t in the pixie realm and one of the females the djinn had implied might be to his liking. Instead, he, Kale, and Ciro lunged at the completely oblivious supernatural. If Elle hadn’t flashed the djinn away from them, they’d all be picking themselves up off the floor after Thad had recovered from the brief moment of surprise their combined attack would have caused. Thad would have wiped the floor with all of them as if he were swatting away a fly. But he was also completely clueless when it came to interaction with other people, regardless of their race or species, so he’d had no idea his words were going to causeoffense.
“We need to go.” Kale snarled, and his Irish accent was thick with his anger. “I don’t want him opening that veil without usthere.”
“He isn’t going to take any of your females.” Lucian spoke up for the first time since the whole mess had started. He’d been silently watching the exchange between Thad, Adira, and Elle. Nick had noticed how contemplative the older wolf had seemed and wondered what it was that Lucian saw which no one elsedetected.
Kale growled again, but Lucian held up a hand. “Enough. Thad has been recording our history before you were even a fertilized egg. He knows how we feel about our mates. He won’t attempt to take one of yourfemales.”
Elle suddenly appeared. She held up her hands as if to ward off the wolves. “You have to calm down if you expect me to take you anywhere near him.” She looked at Lucian. “Are they going tobecool?”
Lucian nodded. “They won’ttouchhim.”
Ciro put a hand on Kale’s and Nick’s shoulders, pulling them back. “Please,” Ciro said. “We will notharmhim.”
Kale shot him a glare, and Nick couldn’t stop the growl that rumbled in his throat. Lucian let outasigh.
“Elle, I can take one of them with me, if you can handle the others,” Adira said, steppingforward.
“Myself, Kale, Ciro, and Nick,” Lucian said as he pointed to each of them, “willgo.”
“I’m going,” Dalton said, stepping up next to theothers.”
Lucian looked at Dillon who simplyshrugged.
“Fine,” Lucian said. “But the unmated males will stay here.” He glanced around at Drayden, Bannan, Antonia, and Aimo. The four unmated males were often off hunting in their wolf forms or working on combat. Nick had noticed that even his own Alpha avoided being around the males that had found their true mates. Nick could understand. If he had been one who hadn’t found his mate, he wouldn’t want to be around the others either. it would be toopainful.
“We will hold down the fort,” Draydenconfirmed.
“Thank you,” Lucian said with arespectfulnod.
Nick was watching his Alpha for any sign that he was irritated at being told he couldn’t come, but he didn’t see anything other than acceptance. Drayden looked at him. “Remember the punishment that Lucian justly gave,” he told him. “Don’t flip your lid when you can’t react to her the way your wolfwantsto.”
“Bloody hell,” Nick muttered. He’d forgotten about the spell Lucian had put on them. Judging by the sounds of cursing the other two were making, they’dforgotten,too.
Elle looked at Lucian and then at the cursing wolves. “Do I wanttoknow?”
Lucian smiled. “It will be more fun to simplywatch.”
