“Oh, yeah, about that,” he began.

  Jacque interrupted him quickly. “Don’t you even try to act like you don’t have something, fur ball.” She slapped his leg playfully.

  “Have I ever told you that you are a violent little thing?” Fane reached to open the bedside table drawer. He handed her a box wrapped in purple paper with a simple ribbon tied around it. Jacque untied the ribbon and unwrapped the package to find a shoe box. “Um, shoes. Great, thank you,” Jacque said, trying hard to keep the confusion out of her voice, knowing she was failing miserably. Fane’s face was blank. Jacque could read no emotion on it, nor could she pick anything up from their bond.

  “The shoes represent my ability to provide foot coverings for you and maybe one day our children.” Fane cleared his throat and continued, fumbling along as he went. “You see, it is important that you know that you won’t be without something on your feet, so--”

  Jacque held up her hand to stop Fane from going any further. “There are no shoes in this box, are there?”

  Fane laughed. “No.”

  As Jacque began to open the box, Fane heard her mutter under her breath, “Furry little liar.” He started to say something in response, but stopped when he saw Jacque’s face light up as brilliantly as the sun breaking through the early morning dew. “Fane! I can’t believe you remembered!” Jacque pulled out the first edition copy of Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstien. She held it reverently and ran her hand across the cover.

  “Open it,” said Fane. When she pulled open the cover, she could feel the binding bending for the first time, the newness of the book apparent. If it was possible, her face shone even brighter when she saw the handwritten autograph on the cover page.

  “This is so freaking awesome.” Jacque closed the book and flung herself into his arms. Fane was surprised by the motion but caught her easily and held her tight. “Thank you, thank you, thank you,” she whispered.

  “If I had known you would react this way to a book, I would have proposed with it instead of a ring,” he teased.

  “The book is amazing, no doubt. But that you remembered something so random, yet so important to me, means so much to me. You got skills, wolf-man. Serious, mad skills.”

  Fane kissed her gently on the lips and then let her pull away from him. She sat, flipping through the book, and he was content to just watch her. Jacque finally looked up from the book when she felt Fane begin to rub her back. She couldn’t help the big grin that spread across her face. He was hers. She could feel the mate bond growing stronger now that the Blood Rites had been completed.

  “Will it continue to grow stronger?” Jacque asked him.

  Fane's brow furrowed as he thought, and he was quiet for a moment. “From what my father has told me, it will be stronger because of the Blood Rites, but once we consummate our mating, it will be its strongest.”

  Jacque's eyes widened at his words, and Fane realized how that had sounded. “Jacquelyn, I’m not trying to rush you. I know you said we would make love once we were married, but if you aren't ready, I will wait for as long as you need. I will never pressure you. Do you believe me?” Fane asked her, and desperation coated his voice.

  Jacque looked up at him. “I believe you, and I love you all the more for your patience. But it's not necessary. I'm ready, Fane. I'm ready to be yours in every possible way.”

  Fane sat frozen at her words, then a slow grin stretched across his face. Jacque felt that grin from the bottom of her feet to the tips of her red hair. He stood up, and Jacque watched as he began blowing out candles until there were only four left burning, one in each corner of the room. Fane stepped close to Jacque. She tilted her head back to look up at him as the candle light danced shadows across his face. Jacque's breath caught when she saw Fane's eyes glowing wolf blue.

  He took her face in his hands and kissed her gently, then whispered to her, “I can't believe you're here, and you're mine.” His body shook with emotion as he stared into her eyes. “I love you, Jacquelyn Lupei. I will love you until my last breath.”

  Jacque took a shuddering breath. She felt him untie the robe and slowly push it off her shoulders until it fell in a gentle heap on the floor at her feet.

  Fane never took his eyes off hers as he pulled her into his arms. Jacque trembled at the skin to skin contact when his lips touched hers. She felt his hands on her back, his fingertips lightly moving over her skin. Fane pulled back, and they were both breathing hard. He continued to torture her with his gentle caresses.

  Fane chuckled at her thoughts. “It's not meant to be torture, love,” he told her gently. He pulled her closer to the bed and then tilted her chin up with his fingers to look him in the eyes.

  “I would make love to you now, Luna.” Fane's eyes continued to glow, and he stared intently at her. As Jacque felt his love pouring through their bond, wrapping around her and filling her up, she knew she was ready, ready to be Fane's mate. Finally.

  “Then why are we still talking?” Jacque whispered. He pulled her onto the bed with him and into his arms, arms that would always hold her, always protect her, and always wrap her in love.

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  Epilogue

  Jen and Sally sat at one of the tables in the gathering room, the celebration slowly coming to an end. After Fane and Jacque had left, Alina and Vasile had thrown one hell of a party in honor of their son's mating. Jen had danced until there were blisters on her feet. She had eventually taken off the ridiculous sweater that Decebel had demanded she wear, but she had felt the weight of his stare on her all night. Even now as she listened to Sally ramble about all the pack members she had met, Jen could feel his eyes on her.

  She looked around the room for what felt like the hundredth time, trying to find the gold eyes that she knew kept her in their view. But just like the other ninety-nine times, she could not see him.

  “Are you listening to me, Jen?” she heard Sally ask her. Jen turned back to her friend and saw her eyes narrow. “Who ya looking for, chicka?”

  “No one,” Jen lied.

  “Uh-huh, sure. And I'm your freaking fairy-god mother.”

  “Well, I wish you would get on a couple of my requests then instead of sitting around here yapping,” Jen teased, hoping Sally would just drop it.

  “He's awfully protective of you ... and possessive,” Sally continued, ignoring Jen's attempt to change the subject.

  “Sally, it's not going to happen, okay? In case you've forgotten, he happens to be a werewolf, and I am human. So--,” Jen didn't get to finish as she was interrupted by a voice from behind her.

  “That's not completely true.” Dr. Cynthia Steele pulled out one of the chairs at their table and sat down.

  “What's not completely true?” Jen asked cautiously.

  “You aren't human …”

  * * *

  Thank you so much for reading Blood Rites, continue on to read Just One Drop, Book 3 in the Grey Wolves Series.

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  Just One Drop

  * * *

  The Grey Wolves Series, Book 3

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  Untitled

  © 2011 Quinn Loftis

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher

  This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return it, and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

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  Chapter 1

  "Jen, you are not going back to the states so quit trying to pack your damn clothes," Sally growled. She intercepted Jen and snatched the pants she was carrying to an open suitcase, which lay haphazardly across the large four poster bed. Jen steadily ignored her and did an about face to the closet to grab more of her clothes.

  "Would you please just talk to me? Please?" Sally's voice was beginning to take on a high-pitched whine.

  "Oh, good grief. For the love of healthy ears everywhere, quit your belly aching," Jen snapped, the clothes in her hands were growing more wrinkled by the second. "Sally, there is nothing to talk about, okay? It is what it is."

  Sally threw her hands up in the air as she exhaled loudly. "No, it is not what it is, whatever the hell that means. It's a whole freaking lot more complicated than 'it is what it is'." Sally was beginning to get desperate, and although when Jen started this little stunt Sally thought that throwing her suitcase out of the window might be drastic – yeah, not so much anymore.

  As Jen continued to throw clothes into the suitcase, Sally decided that desperate times called for desperate measures. She went over to the window and pushed it open. Without much grace, she managed to push the screen out and didn't blink when it tumbled down the side of the three story mansion. Jen was still in the closet when Sally picked up her suitcase and began carrying it toward the open window.

  "Put the suitcase down, step away from it slowly, and nobody gets hurt." Jen ground out, as she came out of the closet.

  "I'm sorry, Jen, but I can't let you leave. So I'll risk your wrath and do whatever it takes to keep your cranky, sulky, continually pissed off butt in Romania."

  Jen took a step towards Sally and the suitcase that was now teetering dangerously on the ledge of the open window.

  "Back the hell off, Jennifer Adams." Sally tilted the suitcase back as if to let it fall. Jen continued to take slow, measured steps towards Sally, thinking that her usually mild mannered friend wouldn't dare let go of the suitcase … She was wrong, so very wrong. Sally didn't just let go of the suitcase; she gave it a huge shove just as Jen lunged to grab it. Sally jumped back, slapping her hands over her mouth. She was nearly as surprised with herself as Jen was.

  "What … how … why," Jen sputtered as she stared at Sally incredulously. "You bitch," she finally managed to spit out.

  "It's for your own good, Jen. Really it is," Sally told her, backing away from the fuming Jen.

  Jen leaned out the open window and saw the fate of her now scattered suitcase and clothes. She looked back at Sally, still shocked that her friend had pulled such a stunt. Shaking her head, she turned and headed towards the door of the bedroom.

  "Where are you going?" Sally asked.

  "Out," Jen growled as she pulled the door open.

  "At least take a coat. It's cold out!" Sally yelled at Jen's retreating form.

  Sally stood and stared. She didn't know if she had done the right thing, but she knew that Jen didn't need to leave. Sally couldn't explain the feeling, but something in her said that something bad would happen to Jen if she left Romania right now. She didn't try to examine the feeling; she just accepted it for what it was … for now.

  * * *

  Jen stormed down the long staircase, taking two at a time, all the while hoping she didn't pass anyone so she wouldn't have to talk. Once on the ground floor she made a right and headed down a long hallway. She passed the library, a sitting room, and the entertainment room before finally arriving at her destination. Without knocking, she threw the door open and walked inside.

  "Jen, what can I do for you?" Vasile asked, as he looked up from his desk.

  Before she answered, she shut the door behind her. Then, taking a deep breath, she turned back to Vasile.

  "I can't stay here."

  Vasile didn't look surprised at her admission and he didn't respond. Instead, he waited for her to continue.

  She took another deep breath and let it out slowly. "Look, I know you know what Dr. Steele told me about my blood results. Regardless of that, I can't change how I feel about a certain wolf. I can't change the fact that, wolf blood or not, I'm not his mate, and said wolf wants nothing to do with me. How do I know this, you ask?" Jen continued, before Vasile could say a word. "Because, he just up and left. Not so much as a 'see ya later, Jen', 'take care, Jen', 'goodbye, Jen', 'have a nice freaking life without me, Jen',"

  Jen slapped her hand over her mouth; embarrassed that she had spilled all that to Vasile. She knew the only reason she was discussing this with Fane's father was because she was desperate to get away from this place. To get away from the man—she’d come to realize over the past couple of months—that she loved. After Dr. Steele revealed to her that she had a minute, very minute amount of werewolf blood in her, she had thought that maybe there was a chance for her and the fur ball. That hope had been quickly doused when said fur ball up and disappeared. A week after Jacque and Fane's ceremony, Decebel had gotten in his Hummer and, without looking back, driven away from the pack mansion. And 62 days, 4 hours, and 22 minutes later he still hadn't returned. But who's counting?

  "Didn't you just turn eighteen, Jen?" Vasile asked her.

  Jen looked a little confused at his choice of response. "Umm, yes. I believe that loud racket you heard a couple of weeks ago was Sally and Jacque's idea of a birthday party. What does that have to do with me leaving?"

  "If you are eighteen, Jen, you are an adult. I can't make you stay here. If you want to leave, if you really think that is the best thing for you, then you can go. I will allow you to use the pack plane to get back to the U.S. if that is truly what you want," Vasile explained.

  Jen cocked her head to the side, eyes narrowed at the Alpha sitting calmly in front of her. "Just like that? No trying to convince me to stay, or telling me not to give up, or yada, yada, yada bull crap?"

  "No 'yada, yada, yada bull crap'," he agreed.

  "Huh, okay then. Let's do this," she stated.

  "Now?"

  "Yes, now. Is that a problem?"

  Vasile picked up the phone, never taking his eyes off her. "Sorin, could you please come to my office?"

  Jen took a seat in one of the chairs in front of Vasile's desk. Resting her hands on the chair arms, she couldn't keep her legs from bouncing up and down as she waited for Sorin to arrive. Vasile didn't say anything while they waited and that was just fine with Jen. She didn't want to listen to any more reasons about why she should stay. She heard the door open and close, and then Sorin stepped up beside her.

  "What can I do for you, Alpha?" he asked Vasile.

  "Jen has decided that she wants to go back to the U.S.," Vasile began, and to Sorin's credit, he didn't so much as flinch in Jen's direction. "Could you please arrange for the plane to be ready? Get her things, drive her to the air strip, and make sure she gets on the plane safely."

  "Of course." Sorin answered, as if Vasile hadn't just told him Jen was leaving only two months after arriving.

  As Jen stood up, she stopped Sorin from leaving with a hand on his arm. "Please, it's not necessary to get my things.” Sorin started to object, but Jen cut him off. "Really, I'm good to go. Right now." She turned to Vasile, looking for some sort of confirmation that this was okay. After a moment of looking into her eyes, Vasile turned to Sorin and nodded once.

  As they began to walk out of the office, Jen turned back to Vasile. "You won't tell anyone, will you? I mean, will you let me call them once I get back to the States?"

  Vasile smiled gently. "I won't say a word."

  She let out the breath she had been holding. "Thank you."

  * * *

  Jen sat in the passenger side of yet another Hummer, wrapped in a parka Sorin had grabbed. "What is with you wolves and Hummers?" she muttered, grumpily.

  "They do well in this climate," Sorin answered, never taking his eyes from the road.

  Jen glanced at him briefly, and then looked out the passenger window. Her mind wandered to a certain tall, dark, gorgeous werewolf that she so desperately wanted to see, yet longed to stab in the hand with a butter knife at the same time…funny how that temptation seemed to apply only to him.

  * * *

  Vasile waited until he heard Sorin pull away from the driveway before picking up his phone again. "I need to speak with you." He listened to the voice on the other end. "No, not necessarily right this minute, just in the next hour would be good." Ending the call, he immediately dialed another number and waited for an answer, a voice came on the line. "Stall," was all he said.

  Vasile leaned back in his chair, folding his hands in his lap. He shook his head as he chuckled. Alina was going to scold him for meddling, as she would call it, but he was Alpha. It was his job to meddle, and he was good at it.

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  Chapter 2

  An hour and a half later…

  * * *

  Fane held up the piece of paper his father handed him. He looked at his father, then back to the paper in his hand. "You want me to tell my mate that you waited an hour and a half to inform me that her best friend left to board a plane headed back to the States?" Fane growled.

  "I did not wait. I called you the minute she left. You didn't arrive for an hour and a half," Vasile answered, completely unruffled by the growl in Fane's voice.

  "With all due respect, Alpha, you could have mentioned the reason you wanted to see me."