Cyn shrugged. “You didn’t ask.”

  Thalion stood and the others did as well. “I need one night to get everything together,” he told them. “I’m going to ask that you pass back to your realm and wait for me there.” Then he walked over to Cyn and took her hand. “Excuse us for a second please,” he said to Cypher and Lilly as he pulled Cyn several feet away.

  Cyn looked up at Thalion in surprise. He frowned at her.

  “Don’t look surprised, Cyn. You’ve known for a long time.”

  She dropped her eyes, not wanting him to see the truth behind them, but he wouldn’t let her hide that easily. He tilted her chin up with a finger until her eyes met his.

  “Why have you stayed away for so long?”

  “Why have you?” She countered.

  “You know that it is hard for me to leave. I don’t have someone in place to take over while I’m gone like the wolves do. I don’t have a council watching over my people like the Fae do. It is me and me alone that the burden falls to.”

  Cyn nodded. “I know.”

  Thalion’s eyes narrowed. “And?”

  “And what? We both have responsibilities that we can’t just walk away from. I am a guardian, you are a prince, and those are the facts. We do not have the luxury of following our hearts.”

  A small smile appeared on the prince’s face. “So, your heart leads you to me?”

  “You know it does,” she whispered, shyly.

  Before she could anticipate his next move, his lips were suddenly pressed to hers. It was a firm, quick kiss—it was a promise.

  “I’ll see you very soon.” He gave her one last meaningful stare, and if looks could wrap arms around a person and possess them, then she would be locked in his.

  Cyn walked back over to Lilly and Cypher in a daze.

  “You didn’t see that coming did you?” Lilly asked.

  Cyn shook her head, still unable to put any words together.

  “Yeah well, there’s a lot of that going around so welcome to the club.”

  ***

  “SHE DID WHAT!” Desdemona yelled and the walls of the small building shook. The windows rattled and threatened to shatter as a wave of her power whipped through the air. Mona stared in the direction of the voice, though she could not see the owner. Once again, the Fae traitor had come to her, offering her information, because she hated one of her own.

  “They are no longer in the In-Between,” the Fae reiterated.

  “Yes, I kind of figured that’s what you meant when you said that Peri rescued them,” Mona spat at the cloaked figure. She still could not determine the identity of the Fae and it was really beginning to tick her off.

  “Don’t take your incompetence out on me,” the Fae snapped back.

  Mona froze. Very few beings would dare to talk to her that way and live to tell about it. She turned slowly to face the figure. Her hands itched to work their magic and the darkness swirled inside her pulsing, pushing to be released.

  “I told you I could help you, Desdemona. I also told you that you were not my only option. I bring you this information to show you that I am telling you the truth when I say I want Perizada stripped of her power, kneeling before me knowing that her death is upon her.”

  Mona couldn’t help the shriek of laughter that bolted out of her. “Damn, I thought I was bloodthirsty, but I’m beginning to think that some of you so-called good guys are even nastier than little ‘ole me.”

  The cloaked figure stepped forward and the darkness around it slowly faded as the hood fell away. Mona laughed as she saw who stood before her.

  “You have got to be kidding me,” she clapped her hands with glee. “This is just too much. Does Perizada have any idea that you, Lorelle, are so hard up for her demise?” Mona watched as a small flash of emotion passed over the high Fae’s face and was gone just as quickly as it appeared.

  “I feel the element of surprise is much more satisfying when plotting the demise of one’s sibling, don’t you?” Lorelle’s eyes filled with a hatred that Mona fully understood, though she didn’t know one of the Fae was capable of such loathing.

  “Thurlok is still at the bridge, though he is cowering under it in hopes that you will not find out what he has done.”

  Mona turned and glared out of the window into the poor, tiny village tucked away in the mountains, untouched by progress or time. She had been surprised when Lorelle had asked her to meet in such a place, because it was not a setting that most Fae would choose to spend time, owing to their disdain for anything quaint and opulence free. Had she any semblance of caring she might have thought the village charming, but as it were she could care less if it burned to the ground.

  Mona turned back to Lorelle, “You have tracked them?”

  “Yes, she keeps us informed of their progress. She believes that we all have truly seen the error of our ways and are fully on board with the Great Luna’s plans.”

  Mona’s skin crawled at the mention of the deity who created her foe.

  “Where are they?” She snapped.

  “They are making their way back to the Romanian stronghold. They are moving quickly through the forest and it seems that Peri is able to influence the plants and animals to aid them. They are drawn to the light she and the healers represent.” Lorelle explained.

  Mona’s eyes narrowed as she bared her teeth. “Well, we will just have to remedy that, won’t we?”

  Though Lorelle had allowed her selfish desires and quest for her own power to twist her intentions into something evil, she still shuttered under the feral violence that surrounded Desdemona. It enveloped her completely, leaving no space for compassion, sympathy, or regret. Even now, something in Lorelle still opposed the idea of hurting her sister. But, she could see that Mona would gladly tear the wolves, limb from limb, reveling in their screams of agony, and then casually eat a meal afterward without a second thought to the lives she'd just destroyed.

  If she were honest with herself, she would admit that she didn’t want her hate of Peri to twist her that far, but somehow honesty just wasn’t her strong suit.

  Chapter 11

  “I watch her sleeping. I can’t tear my eyes from her for even a second, for if I do I will see her battered, broken body. She’s so worried about me. I try to put on the smile she needs, but I know she sees through me. My desperation to touch her, taste her, and smell her are complete giveaways to what is really going on inside of me. I can feel it from the other males, even Vasile. The effects of the In-Between run much deeper than we could have ever imagined. Though we are free from the physical prison, I fear that it could still be what destroys us.” ~Costin

  Sally stood breathless from the brisk pace that Peri insisted they keep. They had been pushing through the forest for two days and still, the males teetered on the edge of violence. The once unified wolves that had trusted each other were leery and edgy around one another. Their eyes darted, constantly waiting for the danger they seemed so sure would come. The males wouldn’t let their mates more than a foot from their sides, Costin included. Sally would have laughed at their ridiculous possessiveness, but the fear in their eyes crushed any humor.

  Costin walked up to her. He was not out of breath she noticed, irritably. His hand reached up and brushed away hair that had escaped from her ponytail while they were running. His touch was tentative and gentle and she hated that he, who had once been so confident and bold in his pursuit of her, was now hesitant to touch her—his mate.

  “Not for the reasons you think,” he told her as he held her eyes.

  “Then why?”

  She could feel his need to protect her and, though she appreciated it, at that moment it enraged her. She knew that she was his and he felt an unwavering, all-powerful need to protect her, but he was hers too, dammit. How could she protect him, even from himself, if he didn’t let her in?

  “You feel the tension, especially because you are a healer. The darkness that we all have kept at bay, the control we have kept on our wolves, is all but gone. We are fighting what we have always feared would destroy us.”

  “Why? I thought your true mates balanced that darkness. I thought we helped you keep control. I know you all have been through hell. I know you have this insane need to protect us, but you have us back. The physical touch is there and the mental bond is strong. Why are you not in control?” Sally’s voice broke the silence. She was desperate for an answer, and hopefully one that she could fix. Costin, being so distant and yet possessive beyond reason, was beginning to scare her. The others turned to watch them and Costin tensed at all the attention. His head bowed as he broke eye contact with her and Sally felt shame running off of him like a turbulent rainstorm, hell-bent on wearing away his resolve as rain from the storm would wear away earth and rock.

  “They won’t let us be what they need.” Rachel’s voice broke the pin-dropping silence. Sally’s head snapped around to the other healer.

  “What do you mean?” Sally asked.

  Gavril stepped up beside his mate and placed a hand on her face gently pulling her to look at him.

  “Don’t.” His voice was a growl though she didn’t seem threatened by him.

  Rachel shook her head at him. “This has to be said! One of you, or all of you, is going to end up killing each other. I won’t let your own pride and misplaced good intentions destroy us. We can’t go marching into a mansion full of Alphas and dominant wolves with you all so edgy. You have your friends, your closest confidants, men you trust with your lives and you are willing to die for and even with them you can’t control your possessiveness. When one of those males gets too close to your mate, how on earth do you think you will be able to keep from ripping his throat out?”

  Jen’s hand flew to her mouth as she stifled a gasp. “Bloody hell,” she whispered through her hand. She hadn’t considered the other packs. She had been hoping that with each day, the males would begin to relax and trust one another again. She might as well have been hoping for world peace and all that other crap that the Miss America chicks were always spouting. The tension between the males was not lessening; it might even be getting worse. Decebel was possessive on a good day, but now that she was pregnant and he had just endured the very worst depths of hell. She didn’t even know if possessive was an adequate term for what he would be once they got back to the mansion.

  “So you’re saying they are doing this to themselves?” Jacque asked before Jen could and she nodded at her best friend for taking the words out of her shocked mouth.

  Rachel met the eyes of each male briefly before she finally nodded.

  “I did something that I would not normally do because I don’t like to invade someone’s privacy, not even my mates, but I’m worried.”

  Gavril stiffened next to his mate and his eyes narrowed as he looked down at her.

  “What did you do Rachel?” His voice was not unkind but brokered no argument that she was to answer him.

  “I searched inside of you.” Rachel hurried on before Gavril could respond. “We have been mated for centuries Gavril, centuries! We have been through much together, and in all that time, you have never drawn away from me. But now, you have. You only touch me when it gets unbearable for you not to. You only use the bond when absolutely necessary. You constantly keep your body between mine and anyone else’s. You are treating me more like a possession than the other half of your soul!” Rachel’s voice had risen to a near yell as she released the pain that had been building over the distance her mate had put between them. “I’m the light to your darkness, or have you forgotten that little detail of our mating? I was created for YOU! Do you get that? When you are hurting, I’m the one who can comfort you. When you are joyous, I am the one who can truly understand that joy. When you are raging and the wolf fights to take control, I am the one who can calm him. ME! The darkness that was consuming you when we met was breached and conquered by my light. Your need to protect me, your need to bear this pain on your own is destroying my light. The In-Between gave the darkness a place to seep through back inside of you and instead of welcoming our bond as you once did you nurture the darkness. You caress IT as a lover INSTEAD OF ME!” Rachel was gasping for breath when she finished and the air seemed to spark around her as her temper flared.

  Sally’s chest was tight as she mirrored the pain and anger that surged from Rachel’s words. She had not been able to put into words what she had been feeling, but Rachel had tied it up in a rage-induced bow. She looked over at Jen and Jacque and could see the realization snapping into place in their minds. Even Elle, Crina, and Alina looked stricken by the truth in the healers’ words.

  “The worst part,” Rachel tried to hold back the sob that pushed out with the words, “the worst part is that you know what you’re doing, yet you don’t stop it.”

  Alina stepped forward as the anger in Rachel, which had been so much more prominent than her pain, began to subside and the hurt began to take over. Alina’s face was stoic and the distance between her and Vasile shadowed the usual compassion that shined in her eyes. She took a deep breath before she spoke and the voice that came out was one of an Alpha.

  “I have been trying to figure out what it is that has been causing the distrust and suffocating grasp of our males. Hearing what Rachel has seen inside of her mate's mind, inside of his soul, I know that she speaks the truth. My wolf echoes loudly the truth of her words. But, my wolf and I are not in agreement on how we should feel about this revelation.” Alina’s eyes narrowed as she honed in on Vasile. “Had you not been aware of what was going on inside of you, had you not knowingly been keeping me from you, I could have understood. I could have empathized.” Her voice never wavered as her words filled the hush that had fallen over the forest; a hush that none of them seemed to notice. “As it is, you have decided for me what I can handle and what I cannot. You made the decision to keep a part of you from me. So, I am making a decision for you,” she paused as she watched Vasile’s fear morph into anger as he already saw what she was going to say. She said it out loud anyway. “You have denied me what I so desperately need and so I will deny you. An eye for an eye, yes? I don’t do this to be mean, childish, or vindictive; I do this because it is time for desperate measures. I have no idea how to tear down the wall you have so diligently and fervently built between us. So, I will no longer use human ways to reason with you. I’m going back to the nature that comes so naturally to us—to the nature of the wolf. The wolf doesn’t understand emotions as much as actions and the here and now. I’m giving your wolf something he can understand. Your touch is uninvited.”

  A collective gasp from the females and low snarls from the males filled the stagnant air. To a human, it would seem unimportant and possibly even silly, but to a Canis lupus, touch was vital. Touch between mates was as life-giving as the air that filled their lungs. The need to touch and be touched, whether for comfort, encouragement, or desire, was at the core of the wolf’s heart.

  Vasile took a step towards her, but Alina held up her hand to halt him and took a step back.

  “I am yours, Vasile, as Rachel has told her mate. I am the other half of your soul and when you are ready to give me the respect I deserve as such, I will give you back your rights to me. I never want you to have to deal with your darkness on your own. I want to help you get through the horror you experienced, but I will not beg. Not even for you.” Alina turned and walked across the path, far from her mate. Vasile stared as he tried to see through the red haze that had begun to blur his vision. She was denying him. HIM! He stood utterly dumbfounded and unable to move because of it.

  Peri watched in part horror and part awe as the Alpha female put her foot down. She was doing the right thing. The males were too far gone, they hadn’t made it in time, and if they continued on this path, their wolves would take over. Words would no longer penetrate the darkness to the man’s mind; the only thing that might work would be to take action that the wolf would understand. Though Peri wasn’t a wolf, she had learned something about them as she had been around them for more centuries than she could count. She had come to realize that the man was protective, possessive, and utterly devoted to his true mate, and the wolf was even more so. What Alina was doing would result in one of two things, the males pulling their heads out of their asses and allowing their females to be what they were meant to be or the darkness would consume them and they would all die. That would suck, she thought. She stood a little straighter as she watched what was unfolding before her and her mouth dropped open. She began to gather her power knowing that it was a big possibility that she was going to have to use it.

  Sally was the first to move after the shock of Alina’s words had frozen them all. She looked at Costin and searched for any indication that he would deny Rachel or Alina’s words. She saw and felt his shame at hurting her, but she also felt his resolve that it was the only way to protect her. That was enough for her to make her decision, though it nearly made her knees buckle as she turned and walked away from him. Her heart threatened to beat through her chest as it pounded inside her. Despite the cold air, her hands were sweating and she felt sweat trickle down her back. She swallowed against the pain of her choice but knew deep inside of her that it was the only option. The thought of not touching Costin, of not feeling his touch, took her breath away and as she reached Alina’s side the Alpha wrapped an arm around her to help steel her composure.

  “Sally,” Costin growled. “Come back.”

  She could hear the anger and pain in his words and she nearly ran back to him. She didn’t want him to hurt but she wanted her mate back more than she worried about the temporary pain that the separation would cause.

  “No,” she answered defiantly, not even giving him the intimacy of their bond. His eyes narrowed as he caught the subtle defiance in refusing him access to her mind. “Your touch is uninvited,” she told him with eyes full of unshed tears. Sally finally looked away, not down, as she would not show submission, but away because watching him shake with rage was too much.