“Sally’s being consumed by darkness. She is self-destructing, and your mate went into her mind to verify it. That’s all. Geez, you males can be so dramatic,” Jen bitout.
Gavril’s eyes widened. “What darkness?” he askedRachel.
“I’m not sure, my love,” she told him. “I couldn’t tell if it was magic or her ownpsyche.”
“Where is Sally now?” Gavrilasked.
Five female hands were immediately in the air, pointing to the door of Sally’s suite. “She’s sleeping,” Jen toldhim.
He nodded. “It is late. Perhaps we all should follow her example and get somerest.”
Rachel let him lead her away, but she glanced over her shoulder, and her eyes locked on Lilly’s. The warlock king’s mate was hiding something. She’d heard it in the lie the woman had told Peri. Lilly had felt something about Sally and Costin. She knew that Lilly loved Sally like a daughter, so she couldn’t imagine that she would keep something to herself that could put the girl in danger. So what was it the queen was hiding andwhy?
* * *
Decebel stoppedwhen he felt his mate stirring in his mind.“Is everything alright,Jennifer?”
“As alright as it can be,”she answered, sounding very tired and worried.“I booked Costin and Sally plane tickets to Coldspring. They leave tomorrow afternoon. Lilly has called and informed Sally’s parents of their imminentreturn.”
“Imminent return?”he asked, unable to keep the humor from his voice.“Since when did you start using words likeimminent?”
“Since my life became a super-long battle against one evil after another. Saying that Lilly told them they were coming home just doesn’t reflect the gravity of the situation. And I’ve been reading a lot lately. Let me bask in my growing vocabulary,B.”
“As you wish,”he told her.“You are done meeting with the otherfemales?”
“Yep. Going to check on our rug rat in the flesh. I’ve had the baby monitor connected to my phone, and she hasn’t stirred. Then I’ll see if I can get some rest. Make Costin get his arse home, please. I don’t like Sally being in her bed alone. And as much as you wolves grumble about your mates being by your sides, he needs to practice what hepreaches.”
Decebel could feel the frustration rolling off her in waves. She was angry with Costin for leaving Sally, and he couldn’t say he disagreed with her. The males of his race were possessive and protective. It wasn’t right for Costin to demand that Sally stay close to him and then bail on her when things gottough.
“I’ll take care of him and be back to warm our bed as quickly as I can. Behave,”he added before he felt her pull back from his mind, not closing it, rather remaining just in thebackground.
He began to run again with Fane close at his side. Decebel stuck his nose in the air and breathed in deep. There, to the left, he could smell Costin’s faint trail. Decebel veered that direction and picked up his pace. As they descended a steep slope, both he and Fane had to dig their paws into the ground to bring themselves to a stop. There, next to a small stream, sat Costin. He was in his human form, pulling up grass from the ground and shreddingit.
Decebel phased, as did Fane. There were no clothes to don, but only males were present, and they weren’t bothered by the lack of covering. They walked over to where Costin sat and took seats on the plush grass across fromhim.
“Talk to us,” Decebel said after several minutes ofsilence.
Costin’s lip curled up in a silent snarl. “This an intervention?” His voice was harsh and bitter. He glanced up at them, and Decebel saw his eyes were glowing bright. His wolf was incontrol.
Decebel called on his own wolf and let the power that came with being an Alpha flow over him. He knew the minute it hit Fane and Costin because they both bowed their headsinstinctively.
“I have not given up my title just yet, Beta,” Decebel growled. “Know your place, or I will remind you of it. I am your Alpha, and, more importantly, I am your friend. We are here because we care about you and Sally. You are pack, family, and we don’t leave our own to face trials alone. Now tell us what the hell is goingon.”
Costin’s shoulders slumped forward as the weight of what he was bearing seemed to press down on him. It was his wolf who spoke. “She is ours,” he growled. “Ours to protect, to love, to cherish. Our true mate, but she pushes us away.” Costin’s voice grew deeper as he spoke, and his body began toshake.
“Control yourself,” Decebel said in a low, fiercevoice.
Costin took a deep breath, and, when he looked up at Decebel, his eyes were no longer glowing with his wolf’s anger. “She won’t let me touch her. She hardly speaks to me. Every minute of every day, she pushes me a little further away. Her mind is completely closed off to me. I don’t know if she even wants to be mineanymore.”
“She’s been through something very traumatic, Costin. I know this isn’t what you want to hear, but you need to give her time,” Decebel said. “She’s your true mate. She cannot live without you. You aren’t going to loseher.”
Costin let out a humorless laugh. “I could tell myself that all day long, Alpha. But that doesn’t change reality. I am notgoingto lose her. I have already losther.”
Fane growled. “No, you haven’t. She’s still there in the mansion, asleep in yourbed.”
“Her physical body,” Costin snapped. “But this”—he pounded his hand against his chest, just over his heart—“I don’t have hers anymore. She may not have given it to that other wolf, but somewhere along the way she decided it was too broken to give even to me, her damnmate.”
“You’re both hurting. You’ve been through so much for the past four months. I can understand all the doubts, but I will not stand by and watch as you two give up. You are her true mate. There is no one else on earth who can love her as you can. Let me ask you this…” Decebel shifted restlessly, hating to broach this subject, but hoping it would help. “Remember how you felt in the In Between?” As expected, Fane sucked in a sharp breath, and Costin’s body grew rigid onceagain.
