Nick paid no attention to his alpha and turned back to Ciro. He took a deep breath and tried to inventory his injuries. He definitely had a broken rib or two. His leg, where the Italian alpha had grabbed him, wasn’t broken. So Ciro had just used the appendage to throw Nick, not to make him lame.
He ignored the pain in his side and walked toward Ciro. He would not submit. He would not turn belly-up while Kara needed him. Rational or not, theywouldhave to kill him if they believed he wouldn’t hunt his mate. He would search for her until his body gave out, or he’d turned every realm inside out to find her, whichever came first.
* * *
“It’s been a damn month, Peri.”Tenia ran a hand through her hair. Peri had noticed a stir-crazy look come into the fae’s eyes a couple of weeks ago. Since then, Peri had been doing her damndest to keep Skender’s mate from doing something stupid like leaving the draheim realm before Lilly said it was time.
Peri understood Tenia’s frustration, but she also understood that if they acted at the wrong time, they could wind up getting people killed. There was clearly a reason Lilly had been blessed with the gift of foresight. They would be foolish not to use that gift to their advantage. Though Peri kept repeating this to the fae, Tenia continued to grow restless.
“Do not mistake my lack of inaction for lack of concern, Tenia.” Peri’s voice was cool with her own anger. “You have seen what I am capable of if I allow myself to take action without considering if that action is part of the Great Luna’s plan. It is a lesson I never want to relearn. My impatience cost many people their lives, and I will not be pushed against a wall because of your anxiety.”
Skender stepped forward, placing his body in between them. “Arguing is not productive.” He looked at Peri and then at his mate. “I know you’re desperate to see Myanin and Lilly. But we have to do this the right way.”
Tenia threw her hands up and turned away. “I know. I know,” she said again, finally sounding reasonable. “It’s just, I feel useless. Myanin is my friend. And I imagine she’s not dealing with any of this very well. She’s not exactly the most stable person, even on a good day.”
Peri laughed. “That’s putting it mildly, though she seems to have more control than you give her credit for. Every time I go to the veil to check on things, everyone is still alive. She has been sparring with those who are dumb enough to agree, but she hasn’t mortally injured anyone. The djinn is a skillful fighter, even without her magic.”
“Is Gerick with her?” Tenia asked, though Peri assumed the fae already knew the answer.
“Yes,” Peri replied, trying and probably failing to sound patient. “He hasn’t made a run for the hills yet. And I’m sure by now he’s realized his mate is a borderline psychopath. You will be happy to know Myanin has formed a bond with Jen.”
Skender frowned. “And why would that be a good thing? Jen is way past the borderline of psychosis. She is the last person Myanin needs to befriend.”
Peri clucked her tongue at him. “Jen has grown over the years. Matured even. Well, maybe matured is a bit too strong of a word. Nonetheless, she is keeping Myanin distracted. Mostly because Jen needs to get rid of her own pent-up energy.” Peri sat on a chair she had magicked to their little abode. “Nissa has been taking the females with children back to the Sprite realm so they may care for their younglings. This appears to help curb Jen’s thirst for blood momentarily. But Myanin helps even more.” It also helped that she and the other females were taking turns getting to see their mates, courtesy of the fae flashing them to their males. Peri knew first hand how difficult it was to be separated from your true mate, and she was glad that Nissa and the others were able to take the females, especially the healers who were all newly mated, to see their mates.
Tenia took the seat across from Peri. “That’s something, at least. You mentioned Thad is there with Jezebel. Does Myanin seem bothered by that?”
Peri shook her head. “The amazing thing about mates, as you should know, is everyone else ceases to exist in any way other than an acquaintance or friend. Nothing more.”
Tenia looked at Skender, her eyes softening as she met her mate’s gaze. “Yea.” She nodded. “I get that.”
Skender grinned at her, and Peri thought of her own mate. He was always in the forefront of her mind, even as she waited to hear from Lilly for approval to make their next move. Thoughts of Lucian created a constant pang in her chest. The need to see him, touch him, beg him to forgive her, choked her up and made breathing hard.
“You are already forgiven, my love. How many times do I have to say it?”Lucian asked through their bond.
“Why are you never at the veil?”Peri went every single day, not only to find out if there was any change in their circumstances but also with the hope of seeing him. But he’d yet to be there.
“My wolf is restless. Moving, hunting, distracting him until we can touch you keeps him from running headlong into the impenetrable veil that stands between us. I was a fool to walk away from you, Perizada.”
“No,”she said quickly, “It is I who am the fool. I should have turnedtoyou, not away from you. I should have trusted you to stick with me even while I was a complete mess. But instead of allowing myself to be vulnerable, I destroyed the bond we’d built. Though it wasn’t as strong as it could have been because of my own insecurities.”Peri shook her head.“Thousands of years old, and yet I acted like an adolescent human.”
“We will get through this, beloved. And we will be stronger because of it. Please believe that.”She felt his hand on her cheek and fought back the tears that always seemed to be on the verge of spilling.
“I do believe it. I will never doubt you again.”
“MOM!” Torion’s bellow jerked Peri’s attention from her mate. She jumped up and followed Tenia and Skender to the opening of the cave. She watched as Torion jumped off the draheim, Galan, who’d become his constant companion. The boy hit the ground at a run and sprinted to them. In his hand, he clutched several pieces of paper. Tenia made sure her son had pencils and paper at all times because of his own gift, just in case he saw something Lilly did not.
“I’m here, Peri. Do what you need to do.”She felt Lucian recede to a far corner of her mind, where he could watch without distracting her.
She knelt down where Torion was spreading out three pieces of paper. He put them side by side, and Peri saw the drawings on them connected perfectly, flowing into one large picture. As she stared at them, the drawing came to life, and the figures on the pages began to move.
“Who is that?” Tenia pointed at the female in the picture.
Peri recognized the healer immediately. “Kara.” She breathed out as she watched the drawn form of Nick’s mate walk into a room. “She’s the gypsy healer the Order has abducted.”
“That’s Ludcarab,” Skender said. He pointed to a male form that stood in front of an oversized bed. The figure held out his hand to Kara, beckoning him to her.
“Torion, come with me,” Skender said quickly. He grabbed the boy’s hand and pulled him up away from the picture. It wasn’t difficult to figure out what was happening on the page, and Skender was right to get his son away from it. Peri didn’t want to watch it, but she had to.
