“Simply reminding you to keep your beast in check. There is too much riding on this for you or Decebel to go feral,” Cyn responded calmly.
Decebel met the warrior fae’s eyes and gave her a sharp nod. He agreed and would fight his wolf’s need to go after their mate and child.
“Chris,” Vasile said as he looked at Sally’s father, who was staring at the compound as if he could will himself inside of it. “Are you going back to the sprite realm to be with your wife, or do you feel the need to stay close and go with Dillon’s pack?”
Chris finally looked away from the compound and turned to Vasile. “I imagine Cindy is already aware of what has happened,” he said. He must have been talking about the seer sprites. They didn’t interfere, but they saw the future. “But I need to be with her. Sally has her mate with her and she’s strong.”
“That she is.” Vasile nodded. “Very well. We will see you soon.”
Vasile gave his son a brief hug and then placed his hand on Vale’s arm. The rest of the wolves in Vasile’s pack moved to Riven, Nissa, Cyn, and the other fae warriors who held out their arms.
“Fae warriors who aren’t transporting Vasile’s wolves,” Nissa said, her voice loud enough that it would carry across the battlefield, “please work with the other leaders to get everyone where they need to go. I think it would be wise to be training while you wait to hear from Vasile.” She flashed, with the others right behind her.
Decebel turned to look at the large building that Dylan said headquartered the Order of the Burning Claw. He sought out Jen through their bond. It was weak but still there.“Are you alright?”
“I have Thia back, so I’m not going on a killing spree. They’ve got us locked up in a room. They’ve separated us.”
“Whatever you do, stay alive,”Decebel urged.“Our daughter needs us.”
“I know. I won’t try to be a hero. I love you.”
Decebel closed his eyes as the words and emotions of his female washed over him. He hated being separated from her and Thia. It was going to be the greatest test of his self-control to keep from going after them until Vasile gave the order.“I love you, baby. I’ll be coming for you both. Very soon.”
Chapter 3
“There is nothing that can prepare you for the sight of your child in the arms of someone who is willing to harm them. It is in that moment that you realize what violence you are truly capable of.” ~Fane
“Wolf-man?”
The second Fane heard his mate’s voice fill his mind, he took in a deep breath. It was as if he hadn’t breathed from the moment she’d shown up on that battlefield.“Jacquelyn, are you alright? How is our son?”He was desperate to know that they hadn’t been harmed. He’d been so angry on the battlefield, and focused on controlling his wolf, that he hadn’t even tried to use their bond. That just proved to him how seriously out of control he’d been.
“We’re fine,”she said quickly, no doubt feeling his wild emotions.“Slate and I are in a room by ourselves. I’m assuming the others have been divided up as well.”
“Skender helped Alston,”he said. He didn’t ask because there was no other explanation.“I should have killed him when we had the chance. Costin’s decision be damned. Skender should not have lived any longer than it took for him to step foot out of the car when he arrived.”
“At the moment, I can’t disagree with you,”his mate replied.“I just don’t understand how he could do this to his pack. He always seemed so loyal to Vasile, to all of you.”
“The Order has brainwashed him. That’s the only explanation for such evil behavior from someone who has never exhibited anything remotely similar in the past.”
Fane felt his mate pushing her love and comfort through their bond. She understood him, knew he needed more than words. He neededher. She was a part of him. Being apart from her was like having one of his body parts removed—heart, lungs, and brain. He couldn’t live, breathe, or think without her.
“We’re going to be alright,”she reassured him.“We will get through this, just like we’ve gotten through all the other crap we’ve faced.”
He took another deep breath and let it out slowly.“I love you. Never in my wildest imaginings did I think I would ever have the honor of having one such as you as my mate. I won’t lose you because we will always be together, but I’m not ready for this to be over, Jacquelyn. I’m not ready to leave this life. I want to see Slate grow up and find his own mate. I want to see Thia drive Decebel crazy. I want to see Titus become president, because what else could a child that intelligent become? There’s no other option than for us to get through this and for you to be back at my side.”
“Then that is what will happen.”
He could hear the tears in her voice. He hadn’t meant to make her cry, but he needed her to know just how much he adored her and the life they had. He didn’t care about the fights they’d had or would have. It didn’t matter how hard it was to be mated and married to a person who was just as flawed as he was. He refused to let this be how it ended.
“I love you back, wolf-man. Please try not to worry too much.”She sounded so brave, so in control.
“Stay safe for me. Don’t do anything to piss Alston off.”
She laughed.“I think Jen is the one who needs to hear that. I’m going to wait and watch. Maybe they will make a mistake somewhere and we will be able to escape.”
“We will get you, Luna. Don’t do anything to jeopardize you or Slate.”He was growling, but he couldn’t help it. She and Slate were everything to him.
“I promise,”she said quickly.“I will stay safe and keep Slate safe.”
