The rest of the hour, the forest was quiet as they climbed deeper and deeper into the mountains. The only sounds were the soft rustling of leaves and foliage as they passed.
After what seemed like the longest and most uneasy hour of Jacque’s life, they finally stopped. There was a small clearing to the right of the crude path. A few large rocks enclosed the area, giving the illusion of cover. The guys dropped their packs and immediately started gathering wood for a fire. The girls began organizing spots for sleeping gear; no tents. Jacque had asked why and Fane had replied that, “You can’t see your enemy through a tent.”
So that was how they slept, as close to the fire as possible without getting burned. The guys took up rotation of keeping watch through the night, a night that would become the last memory of peace for a very long time – a memory they would reach for in the coming darkness.
Chapter 14
“Sometimes what you think is true, what you think is safe and good, is actually evil in disguise. Evil so enticing, so deceiving, that you don’t know it’s evil until its wrapped you up and caressed you as a lover. You gaze into its eyes, enraptured by the pretty words it whispers softly in your ears, realizing too late that the pretty words were all just twisted lies.” ~ Jacque
Adam watched the group from afar as they settled down for the night. One person in particular had held his attention from the very second he had flashed into the forest. Crina. It was taking everything in him not to go to her, to wrap her in his arms, and never let her out of his sight. Something had changed in him the moment he saw her, and something in him defined that change with one word – mate. She was his mate. So Peri had been right. He had been chosen by the Great Luna to be a mate to one of her wolves. He couldn’t believe the instant intensity and the passion he felt for Crina. He understood now why the males of their race acted the way that they did. Something in him cried out for her. He didn’t want her to be in a group with a bunch of males, whether they were mated or not. He didn’t want to be so far from her.
He'd decided that it would be best to wait to reveal himself sometime the next day. In truth, he was stalling. For the first time in his very long life he felt insecure. He knew she would be drawn to him, but what if she didn’t like him? Adam had always been confident, cocky even. He’d been with females of his race. Never anything serious, though, so this whole mate thing was definitely new territory as far as commitment went.
The Fae kept the cloaking magic over them as they slept, and watched as the males each took his respective turn keeping watch. It was a long night. His eyes rarely strayed from Crina’s sleeping form. He wondered what she was dreaming about and hoped that it wasn’t about another guy.
Whoa, where’d that come from? Adam thought to himself. I have never been jealous but the idea of her dreaming or fantasizing about another guy, well, pisses me off. He decided that he needed to walk away from that line of thought and instead focused on what he would say when he finally stepped out of the shadows and into her life.
~
Morning came and went. After they packed up their camp and resumed their hiking, the forest came alive.
Jacque smiled as she watched rabbits scamper away from them, birds swoop down, searching for a meal, and squirrels barking from the tops of the trees. Even the trees themselves seemed to be reaching out, beckoning the sun to guide them from the cold winter into the vibrant, new spring.
Crina smiled as she walked up beside Jacque.
“It’s amazing how refreshing it is during the day and how foreboding it is at night,” Crina commented.
Jacque nodded. “It certainly does feel different than it did last night.” She looked over at Crina. “How you holding up?”
Crina looked up at her and Jacque froze at what she saw. There was a haunted look in her eyes, as if they were vacant of any personality.
“Crina, honey, what’s wrong?” Jacque asked softly.
Crina shook her head and tears began to slip down her cheeks. She looked at Jacque, desperate for understanding.
“Is this what it feels like?”
“What, what feels like, sweetie?” Jacque asked calmly, though she felt anything but calm. In fact, she was beginning to feel uncharacteristically agitated.
“To not be with him, to know that he’s out there, but unable to be close to him – unable to connect?”
Jacque’s mouth dropped open. “You mean a mate? To not have your mate close?”
Crina nodded and the tears came even faster.
A strange feeling cut through the group, and Rachel turned around and noticed that all the males had glowing eyes and seemed to be on edge, shifting from one form to the other. She herself was feeling odd, as if her emotions were amplified somehow.
Rachel stepped forward and wrapped her arms around Crina. She murmured soft words in her ear as she tried to calm the hysterical she-wolf.
“What the hell?” Jacque said loudly. “Is anyone else concerned that we have an unmated female in tears over not being able to be with her mate? She’s acting like he is out here somewhere and she can’t get to him.” When nobody answered, she grew even more frustrated.
Fane was watching Jacquelyn and his wolf began to stir. He didn’t like to see her upset. Looking around, he tried to see who was upsetting her. Who did he need to take down for messing with his mate? A low growl escaped his throat as he watched his Alpha approach her.
“Jacque, look at me,” Vasile told her calmly, in the form of a command. “How are you feeling?”
Jacque looked at her father-in-law like he had lost his mind. “What do you mean, how am I feeling?” She threw her hands up in agitation. “I’m feeling like my friend is hurting and I don’t know how to help. I just want to scream.”
Vasile looked at Rachel. He noticed that she was watching everyone closely.
“What do you think, healer?” he asked her.
“Something is influencing our emotions. I feel upset, though I don’t know why. Something is in the air.”
Vasile stepped off the path toward the forest.
“We come peacefully into your territory. We do not mean any harm.” Vasile’s voice rose and carried through the trees and over rocks. He waited; all the while Crina remained on the ground, where she had just collapsed. Rachel continued to hold her, trying to console her. Ever so slowly, the heaviness that had fallen over them, that they hadn’t even realized was there, began to dissipate.
Jacque let out a deep breath. Fane came over and wrapped his arms around her, laying his cheek on the top of her head.
“That was so not cool,” she growled out. “I seriously felt like I was completely out of control of my emotions. I knew I was overreacting, but I couldn’t make myself calm down.”
Rachel stood up with Crina. “How are you?” she asked the distressed she-wolf.
Crina took several deep breaths. “Better, but my wolf is pushing me for control. She senses something and I still feel like I’ve lost something so important...breathing is difficult.”
Everyone whipped around at the sound of footsteps. The males took up defensive positions in front of the females. Adam walked purposefully out of the trees. Without giving the others a passing glance, he walked straight to Crina. Their eyes connected as everything and everyone around them faded into the background.
“Are you alright?” Adam asked her softly as he cupped her cheek gently with his hand. Crina leaned into his hand, unable to stop an action that was as natural as breathing to her.
Adam didn’t know everything there was to know about the Canis lupis, but he knew that touch was important, a source of comfort and reassurance.
Crina nodded slowly before answering, “I am now.” Her lips turned up in a small smile. “You’re my mate?”
“That I am, beautiful.” He winked at her, digging deep for the confidence that he usually wore like a favorite pair of pants.
“How can this be?” Crina’s head turned to look at her Alpha for the answer.
; “We need to talk,” Vasile answered tersely.
Half an hour later, after everyone had taken seats on any surface they could find, Vasile finished explaining all that Wadim had told him. The group was quiet; the only sounds were the life in the forest, which were carrying on as if no destinies were being forever changed, and no species were forever altering the history of their race.
Adam looked over at Vasile and the look he gave him asked for privacy. Vasile stood, motioning for the others to follow. Adam took Crina’s hand in his to keep her next to him. He waited until they had gone far enough that they could not be seen. Adam reached for his magic to create a barrier so the others could not hear their conversation.
“They can’t hear us,” he told her with a grin.
Crina smiled back.
“How are you?” he asked her.
“It’s a little bit of a shock.”
“Are you -” Adam paused, steeling himself to ask the question that he wasn’t really sure that he wanted to know the answer to. “Are you okay with this? I mean, do you want me as your mate? You know, even though I am Fae?”
Crina didn’t respond right away and Adam took that as her answer. He let go of her hand and scooted back, giving her space.
“I understand if you don’t want to be mated to me. I’m not exactly what you thought you would end up with.” His words were gentle, but Crina could hear the hurt beneath them.
She scooted closer to him, closing the distance he had created. She took the hand he had pulled away and looked up into his face.
“It is a shock, but it is not a disappointment. I’ve known all of my life that I would one day have a mate, someone I would spend the rest of my life with. I knew that I would be bound to him and would be enamored and completely in love with him. Yes, this is different than what I expected, but it is still a joyous thing. I am scared, but so excited to finally have found my mate.” Crina looked down, suddenly not as confident. “My apprehension is that this is not something that you would have expected or prepared for. Can you love me? Can you choose this, us?”
Adam leaned forward and wrapped an arm around her waist and lifted her onto his lap. He pulled her close to his chest, enjoying the feel of her body against his.
“I won’t lie and say that I ever thought that I would spend my life with one female. But I look at you and my soul feels like it has been searching for you forever. For the first time in my life I feel complete and excited about what is to come. I choose us, and I know that we are going to have to get to know each other. We'll take it as slow as you want.
“I can tell you that whatever crazy thing created this bond has also created a very protective and jealous man. I understand now why your males are so possessive. I have been watching you since last night and it has taken incredible control not to take you away from these others males. I also understand the importance of touch. I look at you and long to be close to you, to feel you, whether it be just your hand or more.”
Crina blushed at his words, her usual in-your-face demeanor softening as the words of her mate poured reassurance into her.
“So we just go forward from here?” she asked him.
“I wouldn’t want to go backward, to before you were mine.” He leaned forward and looked into her eyes. “May I kiss you?” he asked her, not wanting to take such a liberty too soon.
She nodded shyly. Adam cupped her face and pulled her closer. Their lips touched, and what was meant to be a simple, chaste kiss became laced with passion. Crina reached around his neck and pulled him closer. Adam refrained from seeking entrance into her mouth, satisfied that she had let him be so close to her, and he reveled in the fact that he was not the only one feeling the fire between them.
He pulled back but did not let go of her face. She stared back longingly and it took all of his self-control to not continue what they started.
“The others are waiting for us,” he whispered to her.
She licked her lips as she smiled.
Adam groaned. “Please don’t do that.”
Crina laughed, and for the first time in a long time, felt joy, real joy, fill her heart.
Adam stood, placing her feet on the ground at the same time. He lifted the magic that kept the others from hearing them.
“Vasile, we are ready.” Adam didn’t raise his voice; he knew that the Alpha would hear him just fine.
As the group came into view, Jacque made a bee line for Crina.
“Are you okay?” she asked, her brow furrowed, searching intently for anything that would indicate otherwise.
Crina looked up at Adam and smiled. “I’m better than okay.”
Jacque let out a breath and smiled back. “Excellent. I was really hoping the guys wouldn’t have to kick Adam’s ass if he hurt you.”
Adam glanced at the males with a single brow raised.
“I knew you would make the right choice,” Vasile told him confidently.
Adam nodded his thanks.
“Okay.” Vasile turned to look at the path they had been following. “We need to continue on. The pixies showed an interest in our presence earlier with the little emotion stunt. We need to be on guard and move quickly.”
“When are we going to finally talk to the little buggers?” Jacque asked.
“When they are ready to show themselves,” Vasile answered. “Until then, we keep moving.”
Minutes after they had continued on their trek there was a loud crack, like a gun shot. The group stopped abruptly, everyone going into full alert. The males created a circle around the females and prepared for anything that might lunge out of the forest. Another crack sounded, seeming to come from above them. Adam glanced up and saw a large branch begin to fall from the tall tree.
“RUN!” he yelled as he pushed the group up the path. They jumped into action and took off. As they ran they continued to hear frightening cracks – branches were crashing together as limbs fell all around them.
Vasile was in the lead when a crack much louder than the others broke into the air. He began to sense that the danger had moved ahead rather than behind them. Suddenly a branch the size of a small tree fell in the spot Vasile’s foot had just been about to land. The other wolves crashed into his back as he pulled to a halt.
“We can’t stop moving,” he told them as he looked left and started off into the trees. He saw large boulders up ahead, stacked on top each other. One of them stuck out, creating a covered area that would protect them from the falling branches. He ran full speed ahead, looking back once to make sure that everyone in their group was moving in the same direction.
Jacque screamed as a branch landed next to her, and had Fane not pushed her out of the way, it would have landed right on top of her.
After what seemed like the longest run of their lives, they poured into the covered area. Vasile and the other males pushed the ladies behind them against the rock wall and covered them from the opening as branches continued to snap and fall all around them.
Jacque looked at the other females, ensuring that they were all okay, and then let out a laugh laced with sarcasm.
“What happened to, ‘the pixies aren’t evil, the pixies won’t hurt us, the pixies blah, blah, blah?’” She let out a frustrated growl. “Because I hate to break it to you, but they just tried to crush us like bugs with tree branches. Anyone think that maybe means they aren’t into negotiations?”
When no one answered her, she slumped back against the wall in frustration and fear.
Vasile, Fane, Adam, and Gavril did not turn around until the commotion outside had stopped and a branch-free twenty minutes had passed. Finally, when they did turn around, the males checked their mates over with a near-embarrassing thoroughness.
“Jacquelyn, I am going to overlook your insolence because of the stress and fear we are all experiencing. In the future, however, it would be wise of you to remember that though I am your father-in-law, I am also your Alpha.”
Jacque lowered her head, her wolf wanting to submit
, though Jacque wanted to tell him to shove it because she was so upset about her mate and her friends being in danger.
Vasile turned away. “What do you think this means?” he asked, directing his question to Gavril.
Gavril pulled Rachel closer to him, needing to reassure himself that she had made it through the treachery unscathed.
“It could mean that Desdemona has already secured the pixies' loyalty,” he answered as he looked out into the now-destroyed forest.
“That is my thought as well,” Vasile agreed.
“Do we really need to talk with them?” Alina asked, speaking up for the first time in a while.
Vasile, like the other males, looked out into the forest, eyes scanning, watching for any potential danger. “Mischievous beings tend to know things that honest ones do not.”
“So, in other words, yes, we need to talk to the little demons,” Jacque quipped.
Vasile took a tentative step out from underneath the cover of the rock. He looked around and above them into the forest, attempting to scent anything that might give away the enemies' next move.
“Be vigilant,” he told them as he took Alina’s hand and began to move back into the forest. Their progress was much slower as they maneuvered around and over branches.
The day quickly turned into night as the sun sank into the horizon, taking the last of the light with it. They set up camp in an area with few surrounding trees so as to keep from being under potentially deadly branches. The males once again got a fire started. They ate some of the Fae food that Adam had brought with him, which was more satisfying than the bread and other items they had each packed for themselves. They all gathered around the fire, seeking its warmth against the night chill.
“Vasile,” Jacque looked at her father-in-law from across the fire, “can you explain a little about why the supernatural races are so divided? Why was the In Between even brought into existence?”