“Uncloak yourself, Fae,” Desdemona growled.
Adam stumbled as she pushed him back but then caught himself. He removed his cloak and stood tall, shoulders back, and showed no fear or weakness.
“Why are you following me?”
“Who said I’m following you?” Adam smirked. “You aren’t really my type.”
Mona rolled her eyes. “Oh please, boy. I was bumping uglies with Egyptian pharaohs when you were still cutting your baby teeth.” She began to circle him and Adam turned with her, never giving her his back.
“Now, because you are so pretty to look at, I will ask again. Why are you following me?”
Adam cocked his head to the side and flashed a smile that would have any other girl melting on the spot. He folded his arms across his chest, effectively accentuating his chiseled arms. “Fine, I will admit it. I’m bored.”
“Bored?” Mona repeated skeptically.
“Yeah, bored. I’ve been over here doing my good deeds, fighting the good fight and, frankly, it’s getting a little old. Not to mention the chicks – talk about boring. So I’m looking for a change, some excitement, some indulgence, if you will.” Adam’s voice took on a seductive quality as he narrowed his eyes at Mona and allowed a little of his true appearance to show.
A Fae in its true form is close to perfection in beauty. And though Adam was indeed beautiful, he was far from feminine.
“I think you are something I could definitely indulge in.” He took slow measured steps toward her, continuing to allow a little more of his true form to show. Mona’s eyes followed the movement of Adams’s lips when he spoke. Her eyes traveled up his muscular legs as he drew closer to her. Adam needed to catch her off guard if he was going to flash himself out of there. She had been using some sort of power to keep him in the room, but as he distracted her, her concentration on the spell diminished.
When he was mere inches from her face, he reached up and slowly ran his fingers through her thick, black hair. He tugged gently on the white strip of hair that framed her right cheek.
“I like this,” he murmured. “It’s very unique.”
Adam reached up with his other hand and gently traced her lips with his finger. He watched as Mona closed her eyes and gave herself over to his seduction, drawing her magic back inside her as she did.
Adam leaned down and placed his lips next to her ear. He blew gently on it before he spoke. Mona leaned even closer into him as she listened intently to his words.
“Desdemona.”
She moaned at the sound of her name on his lips.
“I need to tell you something.” His words were accompanied by warm air caressing her skin.
“Please,” she whispered.
“Before my time is done, I will watch the light fade from your eyes as you are sent to the hell you so deserve.” Though his words promised destruction, the cadence of his voice still held her in a seductive rapture.
Just as what he said registered in her mind, Adam flashed from the room back to where he had left Elle. As he left, he heard a soul-piercing scream, a sound that vowed retribution for fooling her. Adam knew what really pissed her off was that she had shown that she was capable of being seduced, that she still had those urges. He grinned to himself as he approached Elle.
“What did you do?” Elle narrowed her eyes at him.
Adam shrugged innocently. “What? All I did was seduce the wicked witch.”
Elle’s mouth dropped open as she stared at her friend.
“You seduced Desdemona?”
Adam waved her on to follow him deeper into the forest.
“We need to get to Peri and tell her what we’ve found out.”
Elle still didn’t move.
“You slept with the witch?” she nearly yelled.
Adam turned around and rolled his eyes. “Seriously, Elle? Do you really think I’m that desperate? I just distracted her so I could get out. Look, I’ll explain it when we get to Peri. Let’s get out of here.”
Elle and Adam stepped farther into the trees, then both closed their eyes. They reached out through the Fae bond, looking for Peri. Once they found her they let her know they were on their way. She gave them the image of the place she wanted them to flash to and then they were gone. The forest became as quiet as if they had never been there.
~
Peri waited, standing behind the small café. Adam and Elle had let her know that they were heading back and she didn’t want the wolves to know they were here just yet.
There was a slight ripple in the air, and then Adam and Elle stood before her.
“He seduced Desdemona,” Elle blurted out.
Adam huffed as he crossed his arms over his chest. “I did not seduce her into bed. Good grief, Elle.”
Peri’s head snapped from Elle to Adam.
“You had direct contact with her?” she asked, her voice full of concern.
“She knew we were following her, even though we were cloaked.”
“So how did you end up with her?” Peri asked briskly.
“I followed her into a tavern. She went all the way to the back and through a door. I followed, still cloaked, and when I got to the door and tried to listen it swung open and I was dragged inside.”
When he stopped talking, Peri glared. “Do I have to beat it out of you or are you going to get on with it?”
Adam tried to disguise his chuckle as a cough. Judging by the gleam in Peri’s eyes, it didn’t work.
“She asked me why I was following her,” he continued quickly. “I tried to flash out but she was preventing it with a spell. So I decided distraction was the best course of action.” He flashed Peri with his heart-melting smile, a twinkle in his eye. “So I put the moves on her.”
Peri shook her head. “You put the moves on her?” she asked indignantly. “And it worked?”
Adam clutched his chest as if he’d been stabbed. “Perizada, ouch. You wound me with your skepticism at my seductive abilities.” He took a step towards Peri, his eyes going into bedroom mode. “Shall I demonstrate how persuasive I can be?” His voice, dropping low, was a caress against the skin. Elle shivered and shook her head to clear her mind and pull herself from the spell he seemed to weave.
Peri stood still, seemingly unaffected.
“So that worked, is what you’re trying to tell me?”
Adam let out an exasperated sigh as he went from Don Juan to agitated Fae in the blink of an eye.
“Yes, dammit, it worked. I distracted her enough to get her mind off the spell and onto more interesting venues. She even said please,” he told them with a cocky grin.
Peri was quiet for all of two seconds and then busted out into body-shaking laughter. She was able to compose herself several moments later, and wiped the tears from her eyes.
“Oh, man, I would give your left kidney to have seen the look on her face when she realized she’d been fooled by a man, and a Fae at that.”
“So glad that you feel comfortable enough with our relationship to pass out my organs,” Adam told her dryly.
Peri waved him off.
“So, please tell me you did more than just try to make skunk head think you wanted in her pants.”
“We definitely have more for you,” Elle began. “She met with the warlock King.”
Peri groaned. “That’s what I was afraid of.”
“But we listened to the whole conversation,” Adam added grimly. “It wasn’t good, Peri.”
“She is asking Cypher to open the veil to the underworld. And in return for his help she is promising him a mate.” Elle paused for emphasis. “A human mate – one who is familiar with the supernatural world.”
Peri’s eyes widened at Elle’s words, the meaning of them hitting her hard in the chest. She knew Desdemona was desperate, knew that there was no light left in her, and still it surprised her, the depths that her depravity had indeed reached.
“Are you guys thinking what I’m thinking?” Peri asked her comrades.
&nb
sp; Adam nodded solemnly. “That bloody hell is going to break loose and the wrath of an Alpha, his son, and two packs are going to descend on Mona and the warlock King when they find out that Lilly Pierce has been traded to be the king's mate? Cause that’s what I’m thinking.”
“I know that we should inform Jacque and Vasile of this, but I think that if we allow Mona to think that she is still in control and that her plans are still unknown to us, then we have a better chance of catching her by surprise.”
Elle looked at Peri like she had lost her mind. “You want to let Mona get her hands on Jacque’s mother?”
“Lilly is Mona’s ticket to Cypher. She isn’t going to hurt her,” Peri assured them.
“What about the King? Will he hurt her?” Elle asked nervously.
“It’s been a very long time since I’ve had dealings with the warlock King, but if he is even a quarter of the male he used to be then he will treat her just as preciously as the wolves treat their mates.” Peri stared off into the distance, remembering something from long ago. “King Cypher and his clan were once a mighty race, strong, and very magical. They, like the wolves, are getting closer and closer to extinction. The King is old, though he doesn't look it. He should have been mated long before now.”
“If I didn’t know better, I would think you were hoping this thing between Lilly and Cypher would work out.” Adam narrowed his eyes at Peri.
“I want what’s best for the supernatural beings and the humans. If somehow the Fates have determined that Lilly is what’s best for Cypher and Cypher is what’s best for her, then who the hell am I to say otherwise?”
“You said otherwise when the Fates decided it was Jen’s time and you brought her back,” Adam so helpfully pointed out.
“Sometimes the Fates get it wrong, but it’s only once a millennia. So the chance of them getting Lilly’s fate wrong is virtually nil,” Peri snapped.
Adam and Elle stood silently and watched their leader as she collected her thoughts. They trusted her, even if she did seem bat shit crazy sometimes.
“Okay, I’m going to keep tabs on Desdemona, but I’m going to let this play out for now.” Peri’s face grew tight as she continued. “Now, there’s something else I need to talk with you two about.”
Adam stiffened at the sudden change in Peri’s demeanor.
“I have found out some very good, albeit very unsettling news. Wadim was visited by the Great Luna.” Peri paused as she crossed her arms across her chest. “She has decided to step in and assist her wolves.”
Elle broke into a smile and Adam let out a deep breath.
“That’s great.” Elle beamed. “Now we might really stand a chance.”
Peri’s face did not change. Her lips did not move at the sight of Elle’s smile and she didn’t look relieved, as Adam did.
“She feels that the Fae are being reclusive stuck-up asses and has decided that if they will not voluntarily get involved, she will give them the proverbial shove.”
Adam’s brow furrowed as he looked first at Elle, whose smile had begun to slip, and then back to Peri.
“She has made the Fae compatible true mates to the Canis lupis.”
Elle let out a squeak while Adam cursed under his breath.
“True mates?” Elle asked once her brain started firing again.
Peri nodded. “I just want you two prepared. You have been protectors and advocates for the wolves. The Great Luna has seen this. It wouldn’t surprise me if she picked one or both of you to start this extraordinary change.”
Peri watched the two Fae as they processed the information. She had wanted to prepare them before they joined the pack groups, just in case. She understood that it was a huge bomb to drop on them, but it was also a very good thing. The Great Luna had given both species a gift, and she really hoped that they would see it that way.
Adam finally looked at Peri and gave her his signature grin. “So what you’re saying is I might get some tail?”
Elle choked and her eyes widened at her friend.
Peri snorted. “You’re more liable to get a swift paw to the jewels than a shake of the tail.”
Adam laughed. “Well, guess we’ll find out soon enough. Where are we headed?”
“Elle, you are staying here and will help Decebel’s group with infiltrating the bar and trying to obtain more information on Desdemona’s plan. What you guys gleaned from your excursion is good, but I imagine it is only a small part of her grand scheme.
“Adam, you will be going to the Carpathian Mountains to help Vasile’s group. They should be arriving shortly and you all will be heading into the pixies’ territory. Vasile is going to need your help in dealing with the pixies. If you recall, they are finicky and easily offended.”
Adam chuckled. “Definitely going to have to tread carefully with that lot.”
Before they headed their separate ways, Elle grabbed Peri’s arm. “What do we do if we are mated to one of them? What if we aren’t ready?”
Peri smiled and patted Elle’s hand. “Then you tell the hairy beast to wait until you are ready. I assure you he won’t be going anywhere once the bond is discovered.”
“That’s what I’m afraid of,” Elle muttered.
Adam gave a both females a slight nod before he flashed.
“Follow me, Elle. I’ll show you your room and then we can walk to the bar together,” Peri said. “The others have already gone.”
Elle followed Peri, but her mind was far from present. She couldn’t stop the feeling that her life was about to change. Something was about to happen and it terrified her.
Chapter 12
“Change is coming. I can feel it in me. Darkness has begun to devour me from the inside out and I’m beginning to wonder, if I ever find my true mate, what will be left for her to love?” ~ Sorin
As Costin entered the bar, he felt the weight of magic boiling over him. The feeling pressed strongly in on him. Being dominant, it was in his nature to press back, so he did. His power filled the room and suddenly it was quiet. All heads turned to look at him and the group that was filing in behind him. Decebel stepped up and put a calming hand on Costin’s shoulder.
Costin hadn’t realized that he was already on the defensive, ready for a fight that might never come. Though it took a considerable amount of strength, he reigned in his power and let out a slow breath. This mating was going to be the death of him. He usually had total control over his wolf; he was still young, after all. But just knowing that Sally stood next to him, unmarked, un-bonded, in a room full of supernatural males, did not make it easy to keep his lighthearted nature.
“Pull it together,” Decebel murmured and then headed for the bar, Jen close to his side. Costin followed, tugging Sally along behind him.
When Decebel reached the bar he spoke to a large, friendly looking man who wore an easy smile.
“I’ve brought my Beta to work for you as we discussed. I appreciate you giving him the chance to learn from you.”
The owner knew the real reason behind the wolves coming to his bar. They had already agreed, however, owing to the number of regulars in the bar, that they would need a cover story. They had decided to say that Costin was coming to learn more of the trade from the owner, because Decebel was interested in opening a bar owned by the pack.
“It is an honor to have you here Alpha,” the bartender answered.
Decebel motioned to Costin. “This is Costin, my Beta, and his mate Sally.” Nodding to Costin the bartender smiled. “I’m Bo, the proprietor of this luxurious roach motel. And I also double as the usual bartender because most of my other employees tend to be ‘sick’ a lot.”
Sally stood motionless as the exchange between the men went on. They were speaking in Romanian so she didn’t have a clue what they were saying. Cynthia walked up to her side and Jen maneuvered herself around Decebel so she was standing with them.
“I tell ya what, ladies,” Jen said with her hand on her hip, “this place has potential, but damn if it’s
not going to take a lot of work.”
Cynthia smiled, shaking her head at the ever-persistent Jen.
Sally leaned over to Cynthia, speaking loud enough for Jen to hear. “It should make us nervous that the wheels are already turning in that pretty blonde head and we’ve been in this place all of three minutes.”