The quiet words pierced through his focus on battles and threats, reminding him of what truly mattered right now. His mate was here, safe, loving him. The rest could wait for a moment.
With a rumbling sigh, Fane allowed his mind to settle fully into the present. He drew Jacquelyn down against his chest, savoring her warmth, her nearness. She was his anchor in the chaos.
Her lips grazed his jaw tenderly. “All things in their time, wolf man.”
The endearment made his heart swell. Turning his head, he found her mouth, pouring all his love and gratitude into the unhurried kiss.
Later, there would be dark deeds and enemies to face. But here, now, there was only her. His Luna.
Fane let everything else fall away as he lost himself in their shared connection. The coming war would wait. He had all he needed right here in his arms.
ChapterTen
“It’s all fun and games until someone mixes the supernatural blood of different species without considering the consequences of their actions. Okay, that’s not true. None of it is fun and games. These are people’s lives, dammit. Am I the only one who realizes how dumb this is? Admittedly, I don’t have the best track record since I’m actually the very first experiment. Shut yo face. Being homeless kills brain cells.” ~Lizzy
Sally focused on maintaining her connection with Alice as she quickly explained the woman’s plight. She’d gathered all the information she needed from Alice’s mind. Perhaps Sally shouldn’t have snooped, but she needed to know what they were dealing with. There was no way this could be a true bond. Therewassomething that tied Alice to Cain, but it wasn’t love, or even adoration, like Alice thought. It was a bond, for sure, but not a good one.
“From what I gather, she thinks she has feelings for Cain. She’s definitely attracted to him,” Sally explained. “But that small bit of attraction was all it took to make the sire bond stronger than it should have been. Instead of simply feeling loyal to him, Alice’s mind believes she’s in love with him.”
“So this leech seduced her into drinking his blood?” Disgust was written across Stella’s pretty features.
Sally sighed. “No, she was forced to when Claude?—”
“A vampire?” Heather interrupted. “Because only a vampire would have a name like Claude.”
“Yes,” Sally replied.
“And a stuck-up ass, no doubt?” Stella added. “Because anyone named Claude hasgotto be a snob.”
“Claude was a lot of things. At the top of that list is selfish, narcissistic ass wipe.”
“Got it. What did Claude, the narcissistic asswipe, do?” Anna made a continue motion with her hand for Sally to continue.
“He tore Alice’s throat out.”
There was a chorus of “What?”, “Seriously?”, and “Damn” from the group of healers. Sally waited until they quieted to continue.
“Apparently, Cain flipped his vamp lid and forced Alice to take his blood so she wouldn’t die.”
“She wasn’t given a choice,” Heather muttered. “Isn’t that assault or something?”
“Hewastrying to save her life,” Kara argued.
Heather shook her head, her unseeing eyes looking in the direction of the others. “Doesn’t matter. She couldn’t give consent. Deciding to turn someone into a vampire because you need their blood for your sick experiments ranks right up there with rape.”
Sally tried not to flinch, but Kara’s reaction was less muted as her jaw clenched. Sally gave her an understanding look. They’d both been violated in ways that no person ever should. And they were memories that, though they might fade, would forever live in their minds.
“So, is she bothered at all that he forced the decision on her?” Anna asked.
Sally nodded. “She wasn’t happy. And she’s been fighting to break free. Or at least she had been. I don’t have any idea what’s happened since the last time we were in touch.”
Kara picked up the story seamlessly. “But we know the vamp blood is poisoning her. We have to purge it from her system before…”
Her voice broke slightly. They all understood the unspoken words.Before it kills her.
“We won’t let that happen,” Sally said fiercely. “Alice is strong. She broke the hold Cain had on her when he was forcing her to remain suspended in a comatose state, and she isn’t alone now.”
Closing her eyes, Sally felt the others’ lights join hers, pouring strength into their embattled sister-healer. The darkness infecting Alice retreated farther beneath their combined assault.
