“That it is,” cried Jen. “Followed closely by pussywillow.”
“What the heck is a pussywillow?” Lorna asked.
“One definition at a time,” the pack historian said. “According to this random dictionary on the internet, tits is actually ‘a titmouse.’”
“And a pussywillow,” added Adam, “is a small species of shrubby willow common throughout North America.”
Fane cleared his throat, obviously trying to get the meeting back on track, though Peri could see a small smile on his lips. “If we are quite done with mammary glands and shrubbery, I believe we need to return to the matter at hand.” Fane ignored Jen’s whine of protest and glanced around the room.
Thadrick took a step forward, gaining the attention of the room. “I, too, will join the female alpha’s group.”
“And that means me as well,” Jezebel said.
Jen pushed her mate’s hands away and climbed off the table. She reached to pull out her infamous knives, but Jacque gave her friend a subtle shake of her head. The blonde rolled her eyes and slipped her hands into the pockets of her black cargo pants instead.
“That is acceptable,” Fane said. “Are there any objections to my mate’s orders?”
Peri could see the relief in Costin and Drake’s eyes. Even Decebel seemed a little more relaxed than when he’d walked in.
“Do you think you should join them?”Lucian asked through their bond.
“No,”Peri answered, though it was hard for her to let her girls go without her.“Alston is too big of a threat. I need to be there. I need to see him die in order to make sure he truly has been removed and is unable to hurt anyone any longer. What do you think?”
“I believe you have a valid point, and I think the females can handle themselves, not to mention Thad will be there.”She felt Lucian’s understanding as he poured love through the bond. She knew that if he disagreed, he would have spoken up. And they’d come so far in their relationship that she would actually listen to him. She would consider his advice because she realized, finally, that she could not continue to act on her own if she wanted them to have a chance at making this thing between them work. True mates or not, they still had to be willing to make compromises. And Peri hoped that she had finally pulled her head out of her ass, though it had cost many lives for her to come to that realization. She still lived with the guilt of her actions. No matter how many evil Order members she’d taken out, she’d also taken out innocents … and that was unacceptable.
“All right,” Fane said. He took a step forward, moving into the circle instead of standing as a part of it. “The rest of us will take on the compound that Alston has built into the mountains. We are not sure of his numbers, or how powerful his allies are. We’re going into this relatively blind. We’ve interrogated the prisoners that we managed to capture, but they’re not speaking.”
“Have we ever gone into battle any other way?” Adam cracked his knuckles and tilted his neck from side to side. He looked as eager as ever to engage the enemy. Still bloodthirsty as ever, Peri thought.
“I can take a crack at the prisoners,” Peri offered.
“We threatened to let our females have a go,” Decebel admitted.
Jen leaned her head back and sighed. “And why wasn’t I informed of this?”
Adam snapped his fingers. “Dang it, I knew there was something I was supposed to bribe Crina with last night.”
Wadim frowned. “How on earth did you forgetthatconsidering you said it would get you out of the doghouse?”
“I distracted her in other ways.” He purred and waggled his eyebrows.
Zara nudged Wadim. “You didn’t mention any prisoners, history boy.”
“Are you seriously complaining about not discussing prisoners last night after I schooled you on decades of knowledge in all things pleasurable?”
Bethany raised her hand. “I just have to ask, are there any books that codify those decades of knowledge?”
“Shoot me now.” Jacque huffed.
At the same time Drake whispered, “Bethy, so help me.”
Peri sighed and muttered to her mate, “How long do you thinkthistopic will last.”
“Are we taking bets?” Lucian’s voice was filled with humor.
“I’ve been in your archives, Wadim,” Jen added. “I ain’t seen any such books. And I can sniff that stuff out like a bloodhound.”
“She really can,” Sally agreed.
