“Thank you all for coming on such short notice,” Fane told them.

  Sally’s eyes scanned the room and briefly stopped on Skender, who had one arm wrapped around Tenia. The small fae female had her back resting against Skender’s stomach while her head was laid back against his chest. Sally felt nothing when she looked at the male that played a part in her abduction. She wasn’t angry or bitter, only indifferent. Maybe that was because she really liked Tenia and Torion, and she knew if something happened to Skender, it would hurt them. Sally didn’t want that. So she decided to forgive, but not forget. She’d always have her guard up around Skender. That was an unfortunate side effect of betrayal. Sometimes trust could never be reestablished. Costin seemed happy to follow Sally’s lead in this. That or he was secretly plotting Skender’s untimely demise, and he was keeping her blissfully unaware.

  Sally turned and looked at Costin.

  “What?” Costin’s face was completely neutral.

  “You’re not planning anything, are you?” Sally poked him in the chest.

  “Brown eyes,” Costin said, his trademark dimples appearing. “You’re my mate and you’re hot. I’m always planning something.”

  “That’s my boy.” Jen held up a fist.

  Decebel grabbed her arm and pulled it down. “Costin’s not your anything,” he added gruffly.

  “You know what I meant,” Sally said to Costin through the bond.

  “I told you I wouldn’t retaliate against Skender if you didn’t want me to. My word is true, Sally-mine.”

  She nodded and entwined her fingers with his. “I know. I’m sorry. I don’t know why I’m feeling paranoid.”

  “You are probably secretly worried about Jen planning his demise but transferring it to me,” Costin offered.

  Sally thought about it, and then sniggered. “You’re right. If anyone in here is crazy enough to go against Fane’s decree to leave Skender alone, it would be Jen.”

  “I called you all here so you could hear what Sally and Kara learned from talking to Alice, the gypsy healer that is working with Cain at the Area 51 compound.” Fane drew Sally’s attention back.

  “Do we really need a plan?” Myanin asked as she proceeded to clean under her nails with her knife. “I say we just get within zapping distance and, when Cain climbs out like the filthy cockroach he is, we take him down. Boom, done.”

  “Boom done is typically how a bomb ends things,” Lilly said. “We don’t need any more mass casualties. For all we know, Cain has instructed his vampires to kill every dormant in that complex if something happens to him.”

  Fane nodded at Lilly. “Good point.”

  Though Myanin’s suggestion to simply assassinate Cain was tempting in its directness, they knew their mission would not be that easy. Not if they wanted to avoid massive bloodshed.

  “We need to get eyes on the inside first. Intel on Cain’s numbers, routines, security. I can send scouts from the pack, but it would help to have someone already in place.” Fane looked at Sally. “Can we trust Alice?”

  Sally sighed and shook her head. “I can’t say yes with complete certainty. Apparently, she has genuine feelings for Cain. That complicates things.”

  Myanin’s brow drew low. “What’s complicated about having feelings for a narcissistic, bloodsucking ass that would just as soon slurp out all your blood until you’re a husk as he would give you a love bite? Seems pretty cut and dry to me. She should take a note from Kara’s playbook and seduce him, then chop the son of a bitch up.”

  Lilly cleared her throat. “Thank you, Myanin, for all the wonderful visuals you just implanted in our heads. I’m sure I won’t need to scrub my brain out more than twice to get rid of them.”

  Kara shook her head. “Regardless of her feelings, Alice wants out. We have to trust that she’ll help us if it means freedom. She’ll do the right thing. And she cares about Lizzy and Finn. She won’t do anything to jeopardize their safety.”

  Myanin toyed idly with her knife. “And if she betrays us, I’ll liberate her head from her body. Easy peasy.”

  “Beheading people is my thing.” Jen sat straighter and stared the djinn down. “Poison is yours. Stick to what you know.”

  “There will be no beheading potential allies,” Fane said firmly. Myanin just grinned and then winked at Jen.

  “We never should have let those two meet,” Sally muttered to Costin. “Two psychos as friends can’t be healthy for anyone near them.”

  “They might balance each other out,” Costin offered. “Maybe they’ll be too busy arguing to go on killing sprees.”

  “For now, I’ll go with Dillon, Dalton, and…” Fane paused and glanced around the room. “Where’s Dalton and Jewel?” he asked the Colorado pack alpha.

  Dillon’s face went blank as he folded his arms in front of him. “They’re dealing with some stuff. So I had him stay behind and keep an eye on the pack. Tanya will be heading back after this meeting to be there with them.” The female alpha nodded, giving her mate a tender smile. Sally wondered what in the world could be going on with Jewel and Dalton. Their relationship had started on rocky ground, but she’d thought all of it had been worked out.

  Fane held Dillon’s stare long enough that Sally wondered if they’d developed some way to communicate without words, similar to the way Fane could with members of the Romania pack. Finally, Fane nodded. “I’ll take Dillon, Nick, Gerrick, Myanin, Skender, Tenia and Drake to hunt down Claude.” He turned to Decebel. “You take Costin, Adam, Crina, Jen, Jacque, Cyn, Thalion, Sorin, Elle, and Lilly to hunt down the Nushtonia. That book cannot be in the hands of anyone wanting to get revenge.” Then Fane looked at Thad and Jezebel. “I’m not sending you with them because I need you to figure out a way to get your powers working right again. Maybe the queen of sprites can help?”

  Thad nodded. “It’s worth a try.”

  “Good.” Fane gave a sharp nod. “Boain and Lorna are still seeking dormants, attempting to get to them before the vampires can.”

  “What are Boain and Lorna doing with the dormants when they find them?”

  “For now, Crina, they’re bringing them into the sprite realm via another veil, and Andora has been kind enough to provide lodging for them. Lorna, Cindy and Chris Morgan, along with Wadim and Zara”—Fane glanced at Wadim’s true mate, who’d been a dormant held captive by the vampires—“are helping teach them what they are and keeping the situation from becoming one of a bunch of hysterical dormants.”

  Sally’s heart warmed in her chest as she listened to Fane break down all the things going on, which was a ton. He was handling it like a boss. His father would have been so proud.

  “That he would,” Costin silently agreed.

  Fane shifted his stance, and his eyes swept the room. “Get your groups together quickly and get on the move. I’ll check in with the other pack alphas and see how it’s going for them on finding dormants. We will meet back here in two days at 2200 hrs.”

  “Totally digging the military time, Alpha,” Jen said with a stupid grin. “I always knew you were secretly a GI Joe fan.”

  Sally rolled her eyes as laughter rippled around the room.

  The group dispersed to follow their alpha’s orders. Sally stood up and watched as Kara caught Tanya’s arm before she left.

  “Hey, I just wanted to thank you again for sharing your story a couple weeks ago,” she said earnestly. “I know it was hard to revisit all that pain. But it made an impact, and I wanted you to know it.”

  Tanya smiled warmly. “I appreciate you saying that. Remembering the past is worth it if it helps protect others now.” Her expression sobered. “I meant what I said about choices having far-reaching consequences. That goes for you, too.” Tanya glanced at Sally. “Both of you.”

  Kara’s hand drifted to her barely there baby bump. Tanya’s warning was clear: Kara needed to be smart for the sake of the life she now carried.

  Sally nodded as Kara spoke. “I’ll remember,” Kara assured her.

  “Tanya.” Sally spoke up quickly. “Is Jewel okay?” Sally couldn’t help but worry about one of her fellow healers. They’d become just as important to her as Jacque and Jen.

  Tanya’s face softened. “She’s going to be fine, and I’m sure she will call you when she’s ready. Just know I am right there with her. But don’t worry. Okay?”

  “Okay, I trust you.” And she did, which kind of surprised Sally, considering the weird circumstances that made Tanya a part of the pack. Some might think she’d be an outcast because of the Dillon/Lilly dynamic, but she fit right in. Thank the Great Luna, because they did not need any more drama.

  Costin pulled Sally aside as everyone went about getting ready for their tasks. “Please be careful when you … visit”—he used air quotations, the dork—“Alice. You and I both know that putting your consciousness in someone else’s mind can be dangerous.” He was thinking back to when she went into Zara’s mind to help her break the tie she had to the vampire who had abused her.

  Sally took his face in her hands and pulled him down to give him a quick kiss, which he then turned into something not so quick. When she was good and breathless, she looked up at him and knew her face was probably beet red. “I promise to be careful. You do the same. I’ll let Titus sleep as a wolf on your side of the bed after he’s rolled around in the mud if there’s a single scratch on you.”

  Costin grinned. “My boy can phase. He’s welcome to roll around covered in mud in our bed all he wants to.”

  Sally scrunched her face up. “I’ll have to think of a better threat.” Her eyes lit up. “I will forbid you to —”

  Costin clamped a hand over her mouth. “Don’t you dare,” he warned, his hazel eyes glowing with his wolf.

  She bit his palm, just enough to smart. He still didn’t pull it away. Finally, she nodded, giving in to his demand, even though she had been only joking.

  “That’s nothing to joke about Sally-mine,” he told her seriously.

  “Was she going to forbid you to touch her again?” Jen walked up beside them. Sally noticed Decebel talking to Fane, but his gaze continually bounced over to where Jen stood. Dude watched his woman like a hawk. Sally didn’t blame him. Jen was like a poorly wired bomb. You never knew when she was going to go haywire and explode.

  “Jacque wants to talk to us before we all head out on our missions,” Jen told Sally. She held up a hand to Costin. “Keep yourself safe FAHDEH. I’d hate to have to bring you back to life just to beat the living crap out of you for getting my BFFF killed along with you.”

  Costin tilted his head, giving Jen a wolfish look. “How’s Thia? Still dismembering dolls?”

  “I’ll totally turn her loose on you, dimple boy.” Jen pointed at him as she walked backward, grabbing Sally’s shirt to tug her along.

  “Dec, get your woman under control,” Costin called out much louder than necessary, considering everyone in the room was a supernatural being and possessed superior hearing.

  “I’ll get right on that,” Decebel replied. “As soon as I get some ice water for that thirsty man in hell.”

  Sally was grinning like a fool at her FAHDEH as he winked at her.

  “That’s strike two, bartender,” Jen called out over her shoulder.

  “What happens at strike three?” Costin asked, with a mischievous glint in his hazel eyes.

  Jen paused and turned slightly. She tapped her chin with her finger and then shrugged as she looked at him. “I don’t know. My mom never got to three when she counted, so I have no freaking clue exactly what she was going to do. I just knew I was scared of the number three.” She tilted her head and pursed her lips. “I’ll ask Thia. I’m sure she’ll have some creative ideas.” Then Jen continued dragging Sally with her as Sally blew Costin a kiss. He pretended to catch it and then pressed his hand to his dimpled cheek.

  Chapter

  Seven

  “The eternal dance of wanting what isn’t good for you is still strong with us females. Eve started it in the garden of Eden over an apple. Seriously, Eve? An apple was worth the wrath of your Creator? Then again, who am I to judge? My heart seems set on a supernatural psychopath. I just made all your internal conflicts seem easy. You’re welcome.” ~Alice

  “The last time you asked me to take a seat, you poured out your life story.” Alice attempted to get more comfortable. “It was depressing. I don’t really want any more depressing news.”

  “Don’t worry yourself, Alice.” Cain began to pace. “What I’m about to tell you won’t depress you. It will, however, most likely make you want to put a stake in me.”

  Alice crossed her arms protectively over her chest as Cain strode back and forth before her. His agitation was palpable, filling the space between them with restless energy. When he finally turned to face her, his expression was more open and vulnerable than she’d ever seen. Alarm prickled across her skin.

  “There are things I must tell you, Alice. The truth, or as much of it as I can bear.” He raked a hand through his dark hair. “You were right to push me away. I sought only to control you, to take away your choices, at first.” He held up a finger as if to emphasize his point. “But these last days without having you near, with the cold shoulder you’ve given me, have been … difficult.”

  Alice remained wary but silent as he collected himself.

  “When you were unconscious, I drank from you. Only twice. Your blood, it was like nothing I’ve experienced in centuries as a vampire.” His voice filled with awe as he spoke. She could even see his eyes light up at the memory.

  Revulsion twisted Alice’s gut. He’d fed from her without consent while she was helpless.

  Cain’s keen gaze didn’t miss her recoil. “I know how it sounds. Another unforgivable trespass. But you must understand. Your blood has changed me, Alice.” He took a step toward her, but halted when she flinched away. Sighing, he ran a hand through his hair again, leaving it rumpled, so unlike his usual put-together self. He shook his head, and his fist clenched as he dropped his hand to his side. “For the first time since I was turned, which was over 300 years ago, the thirst receded. My mind was clear, free of the gnawing hunger that has ruled me.”

  Alice shuddered, unable to keep images of him at her throat at bay. Part of her liked the idea that she, and only she, could give him something so profound. But the other part of her felt betrayed and violated.

  His voice hoarse, Cain continued. “I cannot defend keeping you unconscious. I can only explain that a part of me hoped to keep you close, to experience that clarity again.” His eyes were twin points of intensity. “You brought me peace, Alice. A glimpse of the man I might have been. The man I could perhaps still be—with you.”

  Alice wavered, hating that his remorse was cracking her resolve. But could she forgive what he’d done?

  As if sensing her weakening, Cain dared to step closer. “You know I care for you. I want you to stay for more than just the blood. I…” He faltered, these words clearly foreign to him. “I need you, Alice. And”—he paused and swallowed visibly hard—“I fear I’m lost without you.”

  Alice stared at Cain, her heart and head at war. She wanted to believe he cared for her beyond her blood, that he could change. But how could she trust him after everything he’d done?

  Cain seemed to read her turmoil. Halting an arm’s length away, he said gently, “You owe me no forgiveness. I know I must earn back your faith.” He lifted a hand as if to touch her face but let it drop without making contact. “All I ask is that you leave the door open to the possibility. A chance for me to prove myself. The man you knew in that dreamlike state, that’s who I want to be, and that’s who you make me.”

  Alice saw the sincerity in his eyes, and it again caused her to waver, her emotions seesawing. She glanced away, struggling within herself.

  Cain waited with uncharacteristic patience as she waged this inner battle. When she finally met his gaze, his expression held only that nameless, vulnerable thing she’d glimpsed earlier.

  “I can’t promise anything,” she said at last. “Except that I’ll try to hear you out, try to understand. I’m pissed. Don’t get that wrong for a second. But I can’t lie to myself or you and say there’s nothing between us.”

  Cain’s shoulders slumped in relief. “That’s all I ask.” Tentatively, he reached for her hand. When she allowed it, he brought it to his lips in a fervent kiss. “Thank you,” he murmured against her skin. Straightening, he grazed her knuckles once more before releasing her hand.

  Alice flexed her tingling fingers, off-balance. She knew this changed nothing, not yet. But the sensation of his lips, so reverent, called to something inside of her—that foreign thing she couldn’t put her finger on.

  Over the next few days, Cain was the picture of restraint, keeping a careful distance. Alice watched him, searching for glimpses of the man he claimed she brought out in him.

  She caught it in fleeting, unguarded moments—his lips curving at some private thought, a look of wonder passing over his face as he gazed out at the sunset. He seemed lighter somehow, the perpetual tension in his frame eased.

  He was also unfailingly patient and non-pressuring with her, as if he could sense her lingering wariness. Like the predator he was, Cain was playing a subtle game of pursuit designed to slowly win her trust.

  And despite her misgivings, Alice’s reservations steadily melted away. There was just something about him that called to a deep, primal part of her spirit. An affinity she couldn’t deny. So she found herself, almost against her will, softening toward him. She sought out his company, reminiscing over shared moments, real and imagined. The bond between them was complex and flawed, but undeniably real. Or at least it felt that way.

  One evening, they sat talking quietly together as twilight deepened to dusk. Alice grinned, a mischievous light entering her eyes. “Did I ever tell you about the time I nearly blew up my high school chem lab?”