Maxim took her hand and pulled her closer to him. His warmth didn’t just affect the connection, but it enveloped her.
“You will have this now. You are my mate, a part of my pack, which is now our pack. You don’t have to live life on your own anymore,Malishka.”
“Thank you,” she whispered, hoping his supernatural hearing would hear her words.
Adam and his mate stepped in front of them. A mischievous grin spread across his face, and Alice got the feeling the expression was second nature. “You two ready to go?”
Crina nudged him. “Stop with your psycho smile. It’s freaking Alice out.”
“Good thing you like my psycho, babe, ’cause you’re stuck with me.” He darted over quickly and pressed a kiss to her lips. The grin remained.
“Let’s get this show on the road,” Jen saddled up beside Alice. She leaned an arm on Alice’s shoulder, and her eyes roamed over the woman’s face. “You’re a fighter.” Jen nodded her head and then tapped Alice on the nose. “You didn’t let the bloodsucker win, and you haven’t let any of us intimidate you.”
“You haven’t met my father. Few things are intimidating after dealing with him.”
“Ahh.” Jen nodded. “Grade A asshole. Yup, you’re definitely a fighter. I like her,” she declared loudly. “We’re keeping her.” The people standing nearby rolled their eyes.
“Why are you the one who gets to declare who we adopt?” Stella asked, joining their circle.
“You guys realize that Alice isn’t a puppy we found on the street, right?” Crina’s forehead wrinkled as her brow rose. “Howmany times do y’all have to be reminded you can’t just ‘keep’ people?”
“I carry the heads of my enemies around, therefore, I get to make declarations. It’s like how old people and pregnant people can get away with saying just about anything, and no one gets offended.”
Crina shook her head. “She’s gonna pull that one out of the bag just as much as she did with ‘I gave birth in a cave.’”
Adam put his arms out, and everyone around put their hands somewhere on him. Maxim did the same with her hand in his. He looked down at her. “Don’t let go.”
“Where are we going, Max?” Adam asked.
If the nickname bothered him, he didn’t let it show. “My pack is on the outskirts of a large city in Belarus.”
“I thought you were Russian,” Alice said.
He smiled. “I am, but I’m also old and Russia has changed a lot over the centuries.” He looked back at Adam. “Can I project it to your thoughts?”
Adam nodded and closed his eyes.
Maxim closed his as well. A second later, the ground beneath Alice’s feet fell away. Darkness surrounded them, but it only lasted a few seconds. Then her feet were once again on solid ground. Her attention was immediately drawn to the chorus of growling and snarling surrounding them.
She released Adam’s arm and turned slowly, her eyes roaming the area. They were hemmed in by huge wolves with hackles raised and teeth bared. Each was crouched, clearly indicating that they were ready to attack at a moment’s notice.
A large man dressed in dark pants and a grey shirt stepped out from between two of the snarling wolves. His eyes were on Maxim. “You don’t write, you don’t call. We didn’t know if the fae were lying and had abducted you. I’m hurt, Alpha.” The manpressed a hand to his chest, right over his heart. “I thought we were closer than that.”
“Aleksey,” Maxim said dryly. “Quit your whining. You’re just bored. The rest of you”—he looked at the wolves—“stand down. Now.”
The wolves all dropped to their haunches, and the growling stopped. They stared at Maxim, their alpha, as if waiting for him to tell them what to do next.
“Phase,” Maxim barked.
Alice’s mouth dropped open.
“Finally, something interesting happens,” Jen said as her mate cursed.
They were no longer surrounded by wolves. From one breath to the next, they were suddenly surrounded by a host of naked men.
Five
“The supernatural world is many things. It’s dangerous, magical, interesting, and surprising. The one thing it is not is boring. No, seriously, there is never a dull moment with this crowd. Possessive mates? Check. Mom turned warlock queen? Yup. Little boys who turn into adorable wolves that bite? Absolutely. Naked men? Check, check, and double check. Okay, so there should be a lot more checks because, dang, that’s a lot of skin.” ~Jen
