“Can I hold you yet?” Dalton’s deep, rich voice filled her mind.
Her hands fell to her sides as her gaze met his, his eyes glinting with a faint, otherworldly light. She could sense the wolf inside him, just beneath the surface, and could feel its frustration at her distance. Jewel found it fascinating how easily she could communicate with Dalton’s wolf. Its mind was so different from that of the man, more primal and instinctual. To the wolf, she was his, and he was hers, and they should be touching at all times. She couldn’t help but smile at the thought as she walked toward him. As soon as she was within reach, Dalton reached out and enveloped her small wrist in his much larger hand, pulling her close to him so that she stood between his outstretched legs.
She rested her hands on his broad shoulders and leaned forward until their foreheads touched. “Better?” she asked, her voice breathless. His touch still did that to her. As soon as their skin came into contact, she was suddenly in his orbit and surrounded by his atmosphere. The rest of the world seemed to fade away, and there was just Jewel and Dalton.
“Much.” He sighed, his warm breath fanning across her face. His arms wrapped around her waist, pulling her to him until their bodies nearly touched. His heat warmed all the cold places inside of her where the fear had infiltrated. “Everything is going to be fine, little dove. We’ve been to hell and back. We can do it again if we need to.”
“I’d rather not go to hell again, personally.” A voice Jewel hadn’t heard in several weeks came from behind her.
Excitement rushed through Jewel, and she pushed away from Dalton. But he wouldn’t let her go, so she turned in his arms. She grinned from ear to ear at Kara. “You’re here!” Jewel practically squealed.
Kara’s answering smile was a balm to Jewel’s heart. She’d been so worried about her friend and had felt so helpless to do anything after hearing everything Kara had suffered.
“I’m here.” Kara nodded and hurried over to Jewel, whose arms were outstretched.
Jewel waved her hands back and forth as if to coax her friend into a hug. She wrapped her arms around Kara, and memories flooded her mind. They had been through hell with each other but had come out the other side—not unscathed, but alive. “Dalton,” she grumbled. “This would be easier if you’d let me go.” Jewel was trapped between Dalton and Kara like a healer sandwich. She was glad Jen wasn’t there to witness the scene. The woman would surely have something terribly embarrassing to say.
After a moment’s hesitation and a growl from his wolf, Dalton released her. Jewel stepped closer to Kara and embraced her even tighter, as if her hug could somehow take away all the pain her friend had suffered at the hands of Ludcarab. Kara buried her face in Jewel’s shoulder, and Jewel heard a small sob.
“Oh, Kara.” Jewel ran a hand down Kara’s hair. “I’m so sorry.” She saw movement out of the corner of her eye and looked in that direction. Nick shifted on his feet, his hands fisting and opening at his sides as his gaze bore into his mate. His strong jaw clenched, and his wolf eyes glowed brightly. She also saw two fae standing side by side. They must’ve been the ones who brought Nick and Kara.
“I don’t know why I’m crying.” Kara’s voice wobbled, and her shoulders shook.
Tears ran down Jewel’s face. She saw in Kara the terrible marks left behind by yet another evil supernatural being. Though Ludcarab was dead, the consequences of his crimes remained. “Crying is good for the soul,” Jewel said gently. All previous worries of her mission fled in the face of her friend’s pain.
“No random fact about how people need tears to wash out their tear ducts to prevent infection or something?” Kara’s voice was muffled as her face pressed against Jewel’s shoulder.
Jewel chuckled and then sniffed as her nose ran from crying. “My brain is a little fried right now. I’m all factoided out.”
They stood that way for a few more minutes, holding one another, taking comfort in the bond they’d built through the crucible they’d survived.
“Your mate looks like he’s about to rip you away from me at any second,” Jewel whispered as softly as she could, though she was sure Nick heard her with his werewolf hearing.
“Yeah.” Kara nodded. “He’s been slightly overprotective since he brought me home. Finding out we’re having a baby might have pushed him over the edge. I think he’s decided to permanently attach himself to my body.”
Jewel pulled back and wiped the tears from Kara’s face. She saw joy in the younger girl’s eyes as Kara lowered her arms and pressed a hand to her stomach, which already showed a slight bump. “A baby?” Jewel whisper-shouted. “I’m going to be an aunt.”
“I’m not sure that’s how it works, dove,” Dalton said from behind her.
Jewel waved him off. “We’re wheeler sisters. I’m definitely this baby’s aunt.”
Kara gave a sharp nod. “Abso-freaking-lutely.”
“Babe.” Nick’s deep voice rumbled through the room. There was a plethora of meaning packed into that one word. Like “get your fine butt over here,” and “if you don’t move, I’m going to bite someone,” and possibly even “I’ll bite someone anyway because you’re in someone else’s arms instead of mine.”
Kara rolled her eyes and gave Jewel’s hand a squeeze before returning to her mate’s side. His hand slipped under her hair, and Jewel could see his fingers as he wrapped them possessively around the back of Kara’s neck. His body relaxed slightly at Kara’s proximity, but his eyes didn’t stop glowing.
Jewel heard Dalton move. A second later, he stood with half of his body blocking hers. “We’ve not met.” He motioned to the two fae.
The male stepped forward, his arm outstretched. His dark eyes were a tad creepy to Jewel, but she saw no malice in them. “I’m Aphid.” He clasped Dalton’s forearm. “Perizada asked that we assist you in your mission.”
Dalton released the man’s hand, and the fae woman stepped forward, her arm held out the same way. “I’m Tassi.” Her voice was clear and smooth, holding a slight accent that Jewel had previously noticed in a few other fae. “Though Peri commanded us to be here, we would have come willingly. Know that we sympathize with your mission and want to help in any way we can.”
“Thank you.” Dalton released her arm and stepped back, slipping his hand into Jewel’s and entwining their fingers. “This is my mate, Jewel.”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you,” Jewel smiled, but she knew it didn’t meet her eyes, “though it would be nicer under different circumstances.”
“Like the kind where we aren’t attempting to contact an unknown gypsy healer who might or might not be working with the vampire king to create a not-supposed-to-be-possible hybrid army?” Kara offered.
