“Ouch, that had to suck,” Perizada muttered.
“I didn’t understand.” Maxim sat down. “I certainly didn’t imagine he could possibly be her lover.” The word tasted like acid on his tongue, and he once again wanted to tear something, anything, apart.
“For now, we will take you to the sprite realm,” Lucian offered. “That’s where Fane has set up a safe place for us. Originally, it was a haven from the Order. But they’ve been disbanded. Now the threat is Cain and this hybrid army he’s been creating supposedly for the United States government.”
Maxim’s head was still spinning from the torrent of revelations, but he forced himself to focus. He turned to find that his beta was standing ten feet away. He looked as shocked as Maxim felt. “Alexsey, you’re in charge while I’m away. Contact me if anything changes. Mind the vampires that are hunting dormants. Kill them on sight. Now that we know why, there’s no mercy.”
His beta nodded. “We’ll be ready when you return with your mate.”
Mate.The word sent a fierce surge of possessiveness through Maxim’s gut. No matter Alice’s history with Cain, Maxim would remind her body and soul of who she belonged to.
He turned back to Perizada and Lucian. “Take me to the sprite realm. I’m ready.”
* * *
“Sallyand the other healers have done their bond thing and connected with Alice,” Costin said as they sat crouched outside a known supernatural hangout.
Decebel’s eyes remained focused on the door to the building. “Do you need to go back?”
“No.” Costin sighed. “She needs to do this without me constantly hovering over her. Even if my wolf is raging to get back to her.”
“Sally’s pregnant, not an invalid,” Jen said from the other side of her mate. “You know, if she needs you, she will tell you in a heartbeat.”
Costin knew Jen was right, but that didn’t make it any easier to be away from his mate. Especially when he knew she was doing something so taxing, like keeping another supernatural being alive.
“How did we get this lead?” Jen shifted on the ground where she knelt. “Because so far, not a damn person has come out of that door or gone in.”
“One of Peri’s pixie spies,” Jacque answered. “You know she’s got eyes everywhere. It’s a wonder the sprite who stole the book could get her hands on it without Peri finding out sooner.”
“Why are we even waiting?” Jen threw up her hands. “Regardless of what supernaturals are in that building, they don’t stand a chance against us. Seriously, look at us: an elf king, a warlock queen, several ancient fae warriors, and some badass wolves. We totally got this.”
“We need a plan, baby.” Decebel’s deep voice rumbled in the night. “We can’t just enter an unknown situation and hope for the best.”
“Worked for us.” Jen winked.
Adam chuckled. “Only Jen would compare her relationship to a hunting operation.”
“Just speaking the truth, fairy boy,” Jen snarked.
Crina groaned. “Please quit calling my mate ‘fairy boy.’ That totally makes me feel like a creeper, and I’m centuries younger thanhim. Fairy man, fairy male, or just Crina’s mate are all acceptable alternatives.”
Jen glanced at the she-wolf, her eyes narrowing a bit. “You’re not pregnant, too, are you? Because you’re not usually this touchy about things. You’re a let-it-roll-off-your-back type.”
Adam’s head swiveled around so fast that Costin thought the usually graceful fae male would fall over. “Crina?”
“No,” she snapped quickly. “I’m not pregnant, and don’t you think I would have told you if I was?”
Decebel hissed. “Hush. Only this group of misfits would sit in the dark talking about feeling like a creeper, being pregnant, and keeping said fake pregnancy from their mate, all without bothering to keep their voices down.”
Costin thought the beta had a point.
“This is a boring field operation, Dec,” Jen whined. “What are we supposed to do?”
“Be quiet and keep a sharp eye.” Her mate didn’t miss a beat.
“The first request totally disqualifies most of us from this operation,” Adam offered.
Costin shifted restlessly, tuning out the rest of their banter. He was torn between needing to protect his mate and his pack duty. Sally was linked with the other healers, using their magic to keep a stranger alive. Meanwhile, he crouched in the shadows, tracking down a dangerous book of dark magic.
