“I had to make a decision.”His voice sounded strained, even in her mind.“The vampires had to die, regardless of the consequences. They had to die, Jacquelyn. What Cain is doing, how he’s using them, is abhorrent.”
She heard her father’s voice in his mind and realized Fane was showing her a memory—her dad explaining to Fane what he’d found when he’d gone hunting. She could feel his turmoil, how he’d felt completely at odds with making the hard decisions that leaders often found themselves faced with, and the desire to protect those he loved at the cost of other innocent lives.
“I get it.”She hoped he would hear the sincerity in her voice and feel it through her emotions as she pushed her love through the bond.“No matter how it pains me, I will always support you. As long as it is for the good of others, I will always have your back.”
Jacque felt his body shudder and wetness on her neck. Fane buried his face deeper against her and cried. She felt the fear he kept suppressed while issuing commands he knew could take the lives of everyone inside the mountain, which would also take out any true mates who weren’t even there. His anguish at possibly never seeing their son again robbed her of her breath. She ran a hand up his back until it was wrapped around the nape of his neck, squeezing tightly, letting him know she was there. His tears didn’t make him weak, not in her eyes, and she knew they wouldn’t make him weak in the eyes of their pack. Her mate’s tears were evidence of the heart that beat inside of him for every single member he called his own. He cried for the others that could have been killed. He cried for the children who would have lost their parents and for pack members that would have been left without a leader to give them strength to endure. Tears flowed freely down her cheeks.“My father endured these kinds of decisions for centuries,”he said.“He bore this weight, and he did it with dignity, humility, and in service to his pack. I had no clue.”
“And you’re doing the same. Maybe you don’t see it while in the midst, but you, my amazing mate, are doing the same.”
“Where is she?” Decebel’s voice boomed around them, and Jacque’s stomach dropped.
Fane pulled back, and his eyes widened when he saw her thoughts and memories of what had happened when they were apart. “Alston’s dead?”
She nodded her head.
He cupped her face and leaned closer. “Like you said to me, beloved, I will always support you. You did what needed to be done. I’m sorry I wasn’t there to protect you or take that burden from you.”
Jacque shook her head. “We were both where we were supposed to be. Even if it sucks, sometimes the right thing isn’t what we want, but that doesn’t make it any lessthe right thing.” She took a deep breath. “Decebel needs us.”
Fane nodded and pressed his lips to hers, lingering only a few seconds before turning to face Decebel.
Their beta turned his eyes on Jacque, and they glowed a bright amber. “She won’t answer me.” Jacque knew he was trying to contact Jen through their mental bond.
“She needs you,” Jacque said. “No matter what you’re feeling through the bond. She needs you. Now.”
Peri, with Lucian at her side, stepped up beside Jen’s mate. “Where is she?”
“Sally and I convinced her to go to the healing room with the healer sprites. Cindy and Sally are with her.”
As soon as the words were out of Jacque’s mouth, Peri flashed with the two males.
Fane looked around them. “Everyone okay?”
There were rumbles of ”Yes” and “We’re good,” then “Still breathing” from Adam.
“I’m sorry about the damage.” Myron stepped forward. “I tried to minimize it.”
“How was the spell broken? Crina showed me”—Adam tapped his head—“that Alston was dead. But the spell was still in place.”
“The stones.” Nissa spoke up.
All their heads turned upward, but the fae stones had vanished.
“They show up when they’re needed most,” Jacque whispered, remembering the time Peri had first told them about the mysterious stones.
“There is much to discuss.” Fane’s voice grew stronger, and he pulled his shoulders back. “We must regroup. We need to—” He glanced down at Jacque, and she saw sorrow in his eyes. “We need to support a pack member who is pain. And we need to take a moment to thank the Great Luna that we won this battle.”
“Let me guess,” Elle said. Sorin wrapped an arm around her waist. “A bigger battle is coming?”
“Duh.” Adam piped up. Crina elbowed him, but he kept going. “Where is the excitement if the next battle issmallereach time we win?”
Jacque shook her head. “Have I mentioned that I think we need to hire a permanent pack therapist?”
Fane squeezed her hand, and she felt his humor through their bond.
“There aren’t any vampires left alive, at least not here,” Thadrick said. “So no bodies to clean up. Although I’m curious to see how the humans will spin this natural phenomenon.”
Elle nodded. “It will be interesting.”
