Decebel let out his own growl as he gently took Jen’s arm and pulled her away from Fane’s side.

  “Hey, what the-” Jen began to protest, but when she looked up at Decebel’s face, she shut her mouth. Decebel’s eyes were glowing, and his canines had lengthened. Something told her it would be better to just sit this one out.

  * * *

  Fane tried again to reach Jacquelyn, “My love, I’m here.” And what he heard in response tore his heart in two.

  “I’m sorry, Fane. I’m so sorry.” Jacquelyn’s voice in his mind was so broken and helpless. He knew then that he would rip Logan’s heart from his chest for being the cause of that sound.

  “Jacquelyn,” Fane groaned as he knelt on the floor, the depths of his despair etched in every syllable of her name.

  “Fane, please, what’s wrong? Is she okay?” Sally asked him gently.

  Fane looked up into Sally’s fearful eyes. “I don’t know.” Then he looked at Jen. “I don’t know if she’s okay.”

  * * *

  Jen sat on the park bench, and although she looked to be watching some kids play on the playground, her eyes were glazed over, her thoughts far from where she sat. Moisture rolling down her cheek snapped her out of her stupor. She couldn’t remember a time when she felt so helpless. Even during the wreck, she was at least able to do something to help, but all she could do right now was wait. Wait for Vasile to get the travel arrangements made, wait for Fane to hear from Jacque that she was okay, wait for the freaking world to open up and swallow her because she couldn’t imagine a world without Jacque. She wanted to scream at the injustice of it all. Jacque was one of the nicest, most loyal people she knew. Why was this happening to her? Jen closed her eyes and tried to fight the overwhelming fear that threatened to crush her spirit. She felt a big, warm body sit next to her on the bench, and for some reason, she was not startled or surprised at his arrival.

  “What’s wrong, Jennifer? I’ve never seen you so distant.” Decebel’s voice conveyed the worry he was trying to hide.

  “I’m tired, Decebel. I’m worried, and I don’t have any humor left to help ease the tense situation.” Jen’s face showed the fear that for the first time she allowed him to see. “I know I’m sarcastic, and I joke a lot, even in the most serious situations. It’s how I deal, how I cope so I don’t fall apart. But I don’t have the strength to be the one who lifts the spirits of everyone. I don’t have it in me to hide the sick ache that threatens to choke me for fear that I will never see Jacque again or that something terrible has happened to her.”

  Decebel pulled Jen close in a show of gentleness that she was beginning to notice he only displayed with her. “You don’t always have to be the strong one.”

  “That’s where you’re wrong, Dec. I do, for them. Sally, Lilly, and at times even Fane. I have to be the one who believes so strongly that we will get her back that I can be sarcastic. That I have the luxury of bringing humor, be it light or dark, into this majorly messed up situation. And not that we will just get her back, but that we will get her back whole. There are worse things than death to a woman, Decebel.”

  Decebel wasn’t really sure how to respond to that. He didn’t know how to handle a discouraged Jennifer. Sarcastic, bitchy, playful, Jennifer, yeah, that he could deal with. But this crushed, fragile spirit? He didn't know what to do about it. He pulled her closer and laid his chin on the top of her head. “I would do anything to take the fear from you, to bring your friend back to you unharmed.”

  Jen pulled back so she could look up at Decebel, taken back by the words that were thick with emotion.

  “I believe you,” Jen told him as she stared into his eyes.

  Decebel leaned forward slightly, and for a moment, Jen thought he meant to kiss her, but he caught himself. He coughed to cover the awkward moment. “Well, I guess we better get back up to the room and see if they are about ready to head to the airport.”

  “Yeah, I guess we better.” Jen stood and turned to head back to the hotel. Despite Decebel’s kind words, she felt worse. Not only was her best friend in the hands of a psycho wolf, but the guy she was falling for could never be hers. What had she been thinking to even consider a fling with a guy, a man, like Decebel? It would break her heart when he found his mate. She wasn’t as strong as Lilly. Once Decebel was hers, she would never be able to let him go.

  * * *

  Fane watched as everyone boarded the plane. He had reached for Jacquelyn several times since the last time she had contacted him, and still she would not let him in. He was beginning to get angry at her rejection. Why would she not let him close to her? Did she not understand how painful it was to be separated from her? Did it not hurt her as well? For the first time since he had met her, Fane felt the fear of the possibility that she didn’t want him, didn’t love him as he loved her. But he knew that couldn’t be true. She was his mate, the other half of his soul; she must be feeling the pain at their continued separation. Something had to have happened to cause her to keep him away. As soon as he was alone and could concentrate, he would, for the first time, force her to let him into her mind. He knew he shouldn’t, but enough was enough. He was her mate. How could he help her if she wouldn’t let him in?

  * * *

  Sally watched Jen buckle into her seat on the plane. The blonde’s face was devoid of emotion. It was the only time Sally could remember ever seeing her sarcastic, outspoken friend look so lost. She sat down next to her, buckled in, and then took her hand.

  “Talk to me, Jen,” Sally said.

  Jen looked at Sally, and to Sally’s surprise, Jen leaned forward, burying her face into Sally’s neck. Sally felt Jen’s shoulders shaking and realized she was crying.

  “Oh, Jen.” Sally wrapped her arms around her broken friend. “Sweetie, tell me, did that wolf hurt you? I’ll kill him, just say the word, and I’ll gut him like a fish.”

  Jen’s shoulders shook harder. Finally, she pulled back and looked at Sally. “I’m just so scared for Jacque. What if that piece of crap has hurt her? What if, god Sally, what if ...” Jen couldn’t finish the thought; it was too horrible to even consider.

  “Then we will help Fane rip him apart. Afterward, we will love her so fiercely that she will know we will always be there for her. No matter how long it takes for her to heal, we will be there for her.”

  Jen nodded solemnly. “In the middle of worrying for Jacque, I think, crap I don’t know. I feel something for the big, dumb wolf, but I shouldn’t. He will only break my heart.”

  “Oh, my little Jen. Who would aim for the stars if not you? Don’t give up, not yet, okay?” Sally told her.

  Jen just shook her head. She wouldn’t continue to hope for something that would never be. She would focus on getting Jacque back, and then she would have to seriously think about whether she could handle being in Romania, where he would also be.

  * * *

  Decebel looked over at Jen across the aisle from him. Her face was blotchy from shed tears, her eyes swollen. He felt his chest tighten and an unfamiliar desire to protect her, to rip anything who dared to harm her, to pieces. It was killing him not being able to do anything about her pain. How did you fight an invisible enemy? How do you repair an irreparable situation? Decebel growled and leaned his head back against the headrest. He closed his eyes, though he would glean no rest, not while Jen’s fear was pulsating over his skin. He wouldn’t rest again until he could see the light fill her eyes and the sarcasm roll easily from her tongue once more.

  OceanofPDF.com

  Chapter 17

  Cynthia ran a warm washcloth down Jacque’s back, trying to wash off the dried blood. When she had finally come to after being knocked out by Logan, the doctor had yelled until he had finally come back into the room. She had shamed him for the treatment of his so-called mate, and he had finally relented and brought her some warm water and a cloth so she could clean Jacque’s bloody skin. She had wanted to try and talk Logan into letting her help Jacque take a hot bath, but she hadn’t been able to rouse the poor girl at the time. Cynthia imagined Jacque was in shock from the brutal treatment of the wolf. Hell, she herself was in shock. Now that Jacque was awake, she feared how her mind would handle all that had happened to her at the hands of Logan.

  “Why did he do it?” Jacque finally raised her head and looked Cynthia in the face.

  “Oh, honey, come here.” Cynthia pulled the chair her leg was cuffed to closer so she could take Jacque in her arms. Jacque began to cry silently, her face buried in Cynthia’s shoulder.

  “He made me drink his blood, and then he took mine. How will Fane want me now?”

  “He will always want you, Jacque. You are his mate, his and his alone,” Cynthia told her as she gently rubbed her back.

  “I still hurt. I thought his blood was supposed to make me better,” Jacque told her.

  Cynthia pulled back to look at Jacque. “Really? You don’t feel any better?”

  Jacque shook her head. “No, I still feel like I’m on fire, burning from the inside. He didn’t do anything sexually to me, but I feel so violated, so dirty.” Jacque closed her eyes, and tears slowly streamed down her face.

  “In some ways, what he did was more intimate than sex.”

  “It was supposed to be Fane, Cynthia. God, it was supposed to be Fane. It wasn’t supposed to be like this.”

  “I know, sweetie. I know. It’s my fault, Jacque.” Now, Cynthia was crying. Cynthia knew what she said was true; it was her fault. She had helped this monster get his hands on Jacque. How could she live with herself ? “I was so angry at Fane for taking my brother, I didn’t want him to be happy, to have you. I didn’t think Logan would hurt you. I thought because he wanted you as his mate, he would treat you reverently as most males do their mates. But you aren’t really his. You aren’t taking his darkness, and it’s only feeding his madness. I’m so sorry. I did this, and I will deserve any punishment that your alpha decides.”

  “I’m not mad at you, Cynthia. I don’t have any emotions left to be mad. I just want Fane. I just want my mate.” Jacque pulled back and leaned against the chair she was cuffed to.

  “Can you still feel him through your bond?” Cynthia asked her.

  “Yes, but I don’t want him to know what happened. What if he doesn’t want me anymore? How will he ever want to touch me after Logan has?”

  “Jacque, listen to me,” Cynthia growled at her firmly. “Fane is your true mate. There is nothing in this world that could keep him from wanting you. He will never stop looking for you. You have to believe that. Let him in, let him love you. That’s the only thing that will heal you emotionally, and I suspect only his blood will heal you physically.”

  “What if he doesn’t find me in time? What if I die before he can give me his blood?” Jacque thought she would be sick at the idea of never seeing Fane or her friends and family again.

  “Don’t spend this time separated from him. Reach out through your bond. You have to know it’s killing him for you not to let him in, and I can tell it’s killing you.”

  Cynthia’s head jerked toward the door a second before it opened. Jacque couldn’t help the whimper that emitted, but steeled herself before she would let her fear overtake her. She decided then and there this asshole would not break her. She wouldn’t let him take Fane from her.

  “You’re awake, finally.” Logan glared at her, the contempt obvious on his face.

  “Yes, well I’m sorry to keep you waiting, but it takes a little out of a girl when she’s assaulted. You will have to forgive my lack of consideration toward your feelings,” she spat out, knowing she shouldn’t provoke him but unable to stop himself.

  Cynthia placed a hand on her leg, a silent warning.

  “Yes, well like I said, you pushed me, Jacque. Now, you know. If you push, I will push back, and I will always win.”

  Jacque didn’t respond; she simply glared at him, meeting his stare without flinching.

  Logan chuckled. “I see you really are an alpha, good to know. I would hate for you to be so easily broken. Where would be the fun in that?”

  “Logan, I told you earlier that if you want her as a mate, then you are not going about it the right way.” Cynthia tried reasoning with him.

  “I will feel better once my mate no longer bears the marks of another. I will have you give Jacque some of that sedative, Cynthia. That way, she won’t be in too much pain when I have them burned from her body.”

  Cynthia gasped. “You’re not going to touch her, Logan. I will die before you lay another hand on her.”

  “Oh, don’t worry, Cynthia. That can be arranged. But first, I thought you would want to see this through, since you helped me and all. Doesn’t it feel good to know that the wolf who killed your brother will never have his mate? I thought you would be happy,” Logan taunted.

  “I can’t wait to watch Fane rip your limbs off one at a time. I will revel in your screams and then bathe in your blood,” said Jacque. The look she gave him was feral, and even she was surprised at the bloodthirsty sound of her voice.

  “You are a feisty one. I like that. I’ll bring your dinner in a moment, and then you should get some rest, love. Tomorrow looks to be a rather trying day for you.” Logan chuckled as he turned to leave.

  Jacque watched as he shut the door behind him. She doubled over as pain uncoiled in her body.

  “Jacque, is the pain getting worse?” Cynthia asked gently.

  “Yes, it just hurts. Will you talk to me, distract me, please.”

  Cynthia thought for a moment, trying to figure out what to talk about, then she remembered about Jennifer and her blood.

  “I found out what was different with your friend’s blood.”

  Jacque looked up, genuine interest on her face. “Really? What is it? Is she okay?”

  “She has werewolf blood.”

  “Shut up!”

  “Um, okay,” Cynthia said, confused.

  “Oh, no, I don’t mean really shut up. It’s more like an ‘oh crap’ statement,” Jacque quickly explained.

  “Oh, well then, let me explain. Jennifer has werewolf blood, although just a little bit. There is this thing called the one drop rule. It was actually used to describe the amount of mixed blood a person had back in the civil war days when there was beginning to be interracial relationships and people were beginning to see mixed children between African Americans and Caucasians.”

  Cynthia spent the next couple hours explaining to Jacque all about the one drop rule and how it applied to Jen. Jacque couldn’t believe what she was hearing, and the conversation undoubtedly kept her mind off of her pain. So, maybe it was possible that Decebel was her mate?

  “Decebel has been acting so protective of Jen. Is it possible he is her mate even though they haven’t heard each other’s thoughts and she doesn’t have his marks?” Jacque asked.

  “I guess it’s possible since Jennifer’s blood is rather diluted. Perhaps, it could require something more for the mating signs to reveal themselves.”

  “What do you mean something more?”

  “Maybe a major physical or emotional reaction is required to trigger the mating response,” Cynthia explained.

  “Huh, that sounds like what I learned in psychology about how people with dormant genes of mental illness sometimes have to have some sort of major life event to bring the gene to the forefront.”

  “That’s a good point, Jacque. It’s quite possible it’s similar to that.”

  Both women were quiet after the long conversation, each thinking of the possibilities. Jacque finally laid down, grabbing a pillow off the chair. She turned onto her side, facing away from Cynthia, needing some time to think. She felt Cynthia lay a blanket over her and said a silent thank you that the woman seemed to understand that Jacque needed to be left alone for the moment. The alone time didn’t last long. She felt a hard push in her mind that came with such power she could have done nothing to keep Fane out if she had wanted to.

  “Jacquelyn, don’t shut me out. Please don’t ever force me to push into your mind like that again.” Jacque could hear the desperation in his voice.

  “I’m sorry I blocked you, Fane, but I don’t know how to face you right now.” Jacque bit her lip to keep from crying. She wouldn’t break down before she had told him everything. He had a right to know.

  “Tell me, Luna. Tell me whatever you need to, but first hear this. I will always love you, always need and want you. Don’t you dare ever doubt that, are we clear?”

  Damn that wolf, she thought as tears escaped her eyes. “Crystal.”

  “Good, now tell me.”

  Jacque decided she just needed to rip it off like a band aid and maybe it wouldn’t hurt as bad. “He forced me to take his blood, and then he bit me. I tried to fight him, Fane, I tried, but he was too strong. He clawed my back because he saw your marks.” Before Jacque could stop herself, she was pouring everything out. “He told me that tomorrow he is going to burn your marks from my back. I was afraid you wouldn’t want me anymore because he bit me.”

  Jacque could feel Fane’s rage emanating through their bond, and she tried to reassure herself it wasn’t directed at her.

  “There is nothing that could keep me from wanting you. Nothing you could do or not do would stop me from being with you. You are mine, Jacquelyn. Mine no matter what.” Jacque felt the tears run down her cheeks. She felt Fane’s lips on her own as he sent her the thought of him kissing her, holding her.

  “I miss you, wolf-man,” she whispered.

  “I’m coming for you. We know where you are.”

  “What! Where? Where am I? When will you be here?” Jacque couldn’t believe what she was hearing. He’d found her. She knew he would, never doubted he would, but to hear it brought a relief she had never known.

  “You are in Missouri in the Ozark mountains. We don’t know your exact location, but we arrived in Springfield a couple of hours ago and are on our way to Ozark now. If I have to search every cabin in the Ozarks, I will find you.”