“Yes Jen, Warlocks are real and Cypher is their King. He has been their King for a very, very long time. Like all of the supernaturals in the human realm, their magic is waning. He grows weaker by the year and his race is dwindling in numbers. He had yet to find a mate, until recently, and like any of us we are weaker without our mate.”

  “So, he’s found one?” Sally asked.

  Peri nodded, the look on her face was apprehensive.

  “Why do I get the feeling we aren’t going to like who this mate is?” Jen muttered.

  “Cypher is not a bad person, but he is in a difficult place. He needs to protect the future of his race and so he made a deal with Desdemona. Cypher is the only being who knows how to open the Veil to the underworld. In exchange for him opening the Veil, Mona promised him a mate. She delivered Lilly Pierce to the King.”

  “WHAT!”

  “BLOODY HELL!”

  A chorus of disbelief rippled through the circle of woman, as they took in the information Peri had just shared.

  “Is she okay?” Crina asked.

  “She is fine,” Alina was the one who answered. Their heads all whipped around to look at the Alpha.

  “You knew?” Sally gasped. “You knew and didn’t tell us?”

  “Vasile advised me not to and you know when an Alpha advises, what he is really saying is don’t or else.”

  “Vasile wouldn’t have done anything to you,” Elle stood up.

  “No, but I set an example for other wolves. And, Vasile had his reasons for keeping the information to himself. Lilly is safe. Cypher has not hurt her.”

  “And, who’s to say that he won’t?” Cynthia asked.

  “Cypher won’t hurt her because he loves her and has chosen her as his mate.” Peri looked at Jen, and then at Sally. “I have one of the guardian Fae with him and she has reported to me that he has no intention of helping Mona. Lilly has talked some sense into him.”

  “You trust him?” Jen asked the Fae.

  “I have known Cypher for a long time. He is a good man and only wants what is best for his people. He made a poor choice, but the Fates have given him a second chance with Lilly.”

  “Yes, and we should all trust the Fates,” Jen growled.

  “I need you all to know that he isn’t holding Lilly against her will. She wants to be with him.”

  “He isn’t green with horns or anything is he?” Sally’s face scrunched up as she asked.

  Peri laughed, “No, he is actually quite handsome.”

  Jen cocked her head to the side and frowned at Peri. “Wait, why is he going to be hard to find if you have one of your fairies with him?”

  “Because he is very powerful, and even though he is weakening, he has the ability to shield himself. Although my Fae is with him I have no way of knowing where they are, no way of flashing to them, nor can Cyn, the guardian, flash to me. It’s really quite inconvenient.” Peri added in a tone that said she felt very put out by the King.

  The women fell silent as the day wore on and darkness of night began to fall. Alina and Crina hunted and brought back small game for them to eat, and then they each, one by one, lay down for the night. They had set up a schedule for someone to sit with Jacque and rotated throughout the night. Jen was first. Just when Jen was about to take up her vigil next to her friend, she felt a gentle hand on her shoulder. It was Cynthia.

  “The doctor side in me is coming out, and I need to know how you are doing Jen.”

  Jen smiled hesitantly. She was excited about her and Decebel’s baby, but it was also a source of pain. Jen sat and Cynthia sat across from her, legs folded in front of her, elbows leaned on her knees. She waited patiently for Jen to answer.

  “I feel fine physically,” her hand instinctively went to her abdomen. “I haven’t even been sick, no pain, and no weird other female problems I’d rather not describe.”

  Cynthia laughed. “As long as there isn’t anything weird, you don’t have to describe it. How do your moods seem to you?”

  “At times I feel a little out of control, like I can’t decide if I’m okay or a mess, you know? Then other times I feel like everything is going to be fine. Dec will be back, he will fix this whole problem with the Fates, and we’ll have a healthy baby girl.” Jen looked down at the ground, absentmindedly tracing a design in the dirt. “Those are the thoughts I have to cling to.” She met Cynthia’s gaze and tried to smile, but it didn’t reach her eyes. “I’ll let you know if there’s a problem, okay?”

  Cynthia returned the smile. “Okay, but when you start getting farther along, we will have to start doing physical exams.”

  Jen shrugged. “I’m no stranger to taking off my clothes doc.”

  Cynthia chuckled as she stood and headed off to her makeshift bed. Jen looked down at the dirt where she had been tracing with her finger and her eyes filled with tears, as she saw she had drawn the markings that covered Decebel’s skin.

  She turned away from the drawing to face Jacque and took her hand. Jen held it between her own, rubbing it, probably more for her comfort than for Jacque’s. She looked at her redheaded friend and her heart ached to see her in such a helpless state. Jen stared, pushing her will at Jacque as if that would be enough to make her open her eyes. If Fane were here, he would be going crazy; but he wasn’t. None of their mates were, and for the first time, she felt alone. She needed Decebel, no matter how much it bothered her to need him, she did. Jen needed his strength and comfort. She needed his brooding presence so that she would have someone to be sarcastic with and she knew he would be able to take it. Jen needed to hear him tell her she would be okay and that their baby would be okay. She needed him to tell her when she needed to shut the hell up because as her fear rose so did her sarcasm and irritability and she knew none of the others needed that nor deserved it.

  “Damn you Desdemona for taking him from me,” she muttered, into the cold, dark night. Her eyes narrowed and she looked out into the forest, wishing that the witch would come walking out in all her evil glory. Jen never thought she was capable of being cruel, but she decided then and there that she would peel the flesh from Desdemona’s writhing body while she still lived. Was she a little bloodthirsty? Maybe, but then the witch had taken her mate, putting him in danger and causing him immeasurable suffering. For that alone, she had signed her death warrant, not to mention all the other atrocities she had already committed in her long, meaningless life.

  “Jacque where are you?” Jen asked her friend. “I want you to know that I will take care of you, always Jac. And, I’m going to give you hell for lying there on your back while we do all the work.” Jen snorted out laughter to herself as she thought of the remark Jacque would give to that comment.

  Her heart sank as she continued to watch the steady breathing of Jacque, but no other signs of life could be found. Jen wanted to run. She wanted to shed the human skin and let her wolf run free, howling at the pain that she felt for the loss of everything. Jen missed her parents and she smiled to herself, thinking it was a feeling she had never thought she would ever feel. But, when she stood to lose something that she never imagined loosing, she admitted that she didn’t want to lose them, no matter how tense their relationship had always been.

  She continued to sit staring into the night, a lone sentry guarding her friends. Part of her was eager to go to sleep hoping to hear from her mate again, but another part of her dreaded hearing the desperation in his usually calm, secure voice. He needed her just as badly as she needed him and here she sat unable to do a damn thing for him. Jen growled in frustration and gradually all the ugliness of her reality set in and took root in her heart. She bowed her head and closed her eyes giving into the monster of defeat if only for a little while, she would let herself be weak, let herself fall apart while there was no one to watch.

  Chapter 3

  “I pride myself on my ability to hate indiscriminately. Truly, I look at the world from a viewpoint of total equality when it comes to the depths of my abhorrence. If life were fair, I would be honored for my impartial treatment and lack of favoritism. But, life isn’t fair. Life is cruel and dysfunctional. It kicks you in the ass and then laughs as you crash into others, taking them down with you as you fall. And, that is why I love to be alive. It means I get to watch all of you suckers go down and rest assured, I will wish equal amounts of pain and disfigurement on each of you. If I’m lucky; I will get to be the cause.” ~Desdemona

  “Tell me why I should believe that you are willing to betray your race? Why should I trust a Fae?” Mona glared at the cloaked figure that stood across from her.

  “Perizada has been a thorn in my side for too many centuries. I am done standing in her shadow. I am done taking orders from a god that cares only for wolves and has no respect for my people. She expects us to jump up, rescue her weak children, and it is time for someone to do something about it.”

  “And that someone is you?” Mona crossed her arms. “If you are so brave, then why won’t you reveal yourself to me?”

  The Fae laughed. “You honestly believe that I would show you all of my cards at once? I am no fool. Think about what I have told you and decide quickly. You are not my only option.” And then the Fae was gone.

  Mona closed her eyes and reached out with her will attempting to follow the path that the Fae had taken, but there was no trace left. From the moment the person had appeared in the cloaked guise, Mona had been subtly attempting to unmask her. But, this was one of great power, able to block her attempts. That in itself told her something very important. If one, so high up in the Fae council was seeking her out; there was no doubt dissension among the Fae. A weakness had been exposed and it was only a matter of time before that weakness brought everything crashing down.

  Mona laughed out loud. “I don’t even need to lift another finger to destroy my foe. They are going to do it for me with their lack of loyalty.” If there was one thing Mona knew, it was even the strongest defense could fall if a tiny crack emerged.

  ***

  Costin closed his eyes and reached for Sally, his Sally, not the imitation that sat before him, broken and afraid. He didn’t know how long he and his pack mates had been in their own personal hell, but it was getting harder and harder to have moments of clarity like the brief glimpse that he was experiencing now. The only thing that had allowed him to gain this insight was remembering the first moment in which he had felt her. It had been like a drink of water in a dry, parched land and it had brought him a minuscule amount of relief. Then it was gone. With every moment that he was forced to endure the unrelenting torture of watching his mate die, be tortured, raped, ripped apart, and taken from him, he prayed for one second of his mate’s real presence. He knew that he was fighting not only for his life but for hers as well. It was a fight he refused to lose.

  He pushed out with everything in him, reaching through the bond, thin though it was, to draw her to him. Costin held his breath as he waited for her to answer him. One beat, two beats, his heart pumped in his chest and then, she was there. His brown-eyed gypsy and all the gentleness that she possessed.

  “Sally mine,” he whispered, through cracked lips.

  “Costin?”

  For a moment, he imagined that he could hear her calling out his name. He strained his ears, listening for the sound of her voice.

  “Costin?”

  There it was.

  “I’m here Sally,” he spoke even though he knew it was an impossibility that he was truly speaking to her. If this were all he could have, then he would take it and run as far as he could.

  “How can I hear you?” She asked him.

  “You’re not real,” Costin, answered.

  “Are you?”

  Costin heard the Sally before him, the one he knew to be false, scream. He squeezed his eyes closed and clenched his jaw as he tried to focus on his mate’s, calm, un-tortured voice.

  “I am really my love. Real, scared, and so empty without you.” He sounded desperate even to his own ears, but to hell with his pride. He was scared and empty. It was futile to deny it.

  “We’re trying to figure out a way to get you all out and we’re doing it as quickly as we can. I love you, Costin. I love you and I need you to fight.” Sally pled with her mate, though she knew that she might be asking the impossible.

  Costin struggled to hold onto the connection between them, but it grew ever weaker. The tortured Sally lying before him, once again, began to take over his reality and his Sally. His whole, sweet Sally was slipping away.

  “NO!” Costin shouted into the bleakness of the In-Between. His eyes opened and he stared at the horrific sight before him, telling himself over and over that it wasn’t real. It wasn’t enough to convince him. His wolf struggled to get free, to rescue their mate and Costin knew the battle raging inside him was becoming too much. He was losing and no matter how hard he fought, the will of his wolf was growing stronger and more insistent. Costin couldn’t make the wolf understand that what they were seeing wasn’t real. All that his wolf saw was their mate, broken, devastated and terrified sitting before them, reaching for them, begging them for help. He threw his head back and a soul-piercing howl ripped from his chest, but there was no one to hear him.

  ***

  Sally woke with a start. Her breathing was rapid and despite the cool morning air, her forehead was dotted with sweat. Once again, she had heard his voice, heard his desperation and once again, there wasn’t a thing she could do about it.

  It was several moments before she realized that it was quiet, too quiet and her vision cleared as she blinked away the painful dream.

  “Good morning sleeping beauty,” Cynthia smiled over at Sally. The cool early morning air caressed her face as she tried to sort out in her mind between reality and the dream. She remembered Costin’s agony and it was beginning to become her own. She looked over at Peri who was helping to gather their packs so they could continue on.

  “Peri, we must hurry. Wherever you are leading us, we must move more quickly.” Sally’s words were laced with desperation and resolve.

  ***

  Peri led them at a brisk pace as Sally’s words repeated ominously in her mind. She had told them she had a plan, and she meant it, but she couldn’t tell them what it was. She had told them they needed the help of the Warlock King, and at that time, she had believed it, but now she had a different plan. Peri knew that Alina would not approve. Her need to protect the women she no doubt now considered pack, herself included, would be too great to allow Peri to put them in such peril. But it was the only way to bring back their mates. Everything worth anything came at a price. Peri knew that all too well. She pushed on, looking back behind her to see if everyone was keeping up. Her only worry, and that alone bothered her because she never worried, was that Alina would figure out that she had been leading them in a circle for days. She had led them through the Transylvania Alps and all the way to the Carpathian Mountains and they were actually very close to their destination, but she wasn’t quite ready. She didn’t yet have the bargaining chip that she needed and so she had to keep their presence unknown and keep Alina and the others from figuring out her ploy. She looked back once again and caught Alina’s eyes. Uh oh, Peri thought to herself as she saw the light bulb in Alina’s mind beginning to flicker. Peri knew that she was going to have to create a diversion. One that would hopefully take Alina’s mind off of whatever she thought she had figured out. Peri smiled to herself as she thought: it’s a damn good thing that I specialize in chaos.

  Peri began to whisper under her breath, calling on the elements, drawing power to her through the life in the forest. It was harder than it should have been, but she knew that this was because of the evil that Mona had unleashed. Dark clouds began to gather overhead and they were suddenly enveloped in the murky forest with no light to show their way.

  “What the heck is going on?” Cynthia yelled over the wind that began to whip and whirl around them.

  Peri continued to chant so low that she could not be heard as she began to bring down rain. Lightning crashed all around, and thunder shook the ground beneath them. They all stumbled as they tried to stay upright and though Jacque’s magically floating cot didn’t need a steadying hand, Peri grabbed onto it anyway.

  Peri called on the lighting again and sent it crashing down so close to the group that it briefly lit up the woods around them. Each saw the fear written on the faces of their friends. Peri continued to crash lighting around them lighting their way as she yelled for them to follow her. She ran through the pelting rain and tried to feel bad for scaring them, but she knew it was for their own good. She ran until she found the large rocks that she had been looking for. There was a large overhang that they could crowd under and wait out the supposed natural storm.

  They all took cover and turned to watch the lighting dance and the thunder boom. The ladies shivered from the cold rain and tried to huddle together for warmth. After an hour, Peri began to try to calm the storm. She immediately became worried. The storm no longer heeded her command. The thunder and lightning continued, unabated. The rain continued to pelt their makeshift shelter. I swear if I think the word worry one more time I’m going to stab my own eye out with a spoon, she thought to herself, as she began to hunt for the magic that was thwarting her—the magic that was now controlling her storm.

  Chapter 4

  “You don’t realize the sacrifice you are willing to make until your child is in need of you. You don’t realize that you are truly capable destroying the world around you, crushing anything that gets in your path, bringing your enemies to their knees until you learn that the one thing that your world revolves around is being ripped from you. God help the one who gets in my way. Is it possible that even God might not be able to protect them from my wrath?” ~Dillon Jacobs