Jacque saw Wadim next to Sorin and smiled.
"Hey, history boy," she teased. Fane growled and she elbowed him as she continued to talk to Wadim. "So you're being dragged into this mess too?"
"How could I possibly miss the end of the world as we know it?"
Decebel and Vasile snarled at Wadim’s words.
"Not appropriate, Wadim," Vasile warned.
"My apologies, Alpha. I'm just feeling a little overwhelmed by the information I need to share with you," Wadim told him.
"Let's get started," Peri interjected.
Vasile stood and began to walk slowly around the circle as he spoke.
"Decebel and I, along with our Betas, Gavril, and Costin, have been discussing how we should proceed. We have decided that we cannot wait for Desdemona to strike first. It would be better to be on the offensive instead of the defensive. This means we need to be taking steps forward to figure out Mona's plan and how we can keep that plan from bearing fruit." He paused, waiting to see if anyone had anything to say at this point. When nobody spoke up, he continued.
"Based on the information Peri has been gathering, we think it would be beneficial to send out two groups to two locations that are opposite one another in the country. We might be able to pick something up inadvertently just by being in the right place. For example, Peri and Decebel were able to get Costin a job at a bar in Ruse, which is right on the border of Bulgaria, close to the forest where we think Mona was headed. This bar is frequented by supernatural beings.
“Sally will join him, along with Jen, Decebel, Sorin, Cynthia, and Drake. And thanks to Perizada, Elle will be joining you as well. The other group will include me, Alina, Fane, Jacque, Crina, Rachel, Gavril, and Adam, again thanks to Peri’s help. Skender will stay behind and take care of my pack and Decebel will appoint someone in his place while we are gone. Our group will be heading deep into the Carpathian Mountains, in the area close to the bridge above the In Between.” Vasile stopped pacing. “Now, at one time there were tribes of pixies…"
"Whoa, hold the heck up," Jen interrupted. Decebel placed his hand on her thigh, which she ignored.
"Pixies? Seriously? Okay, right here, right now, give us a list of all the non-human beings that inhabit this great planet but live in secret all up in our Kool-Aid."
Sally and Jacque were nodding their heads in agreement.
Decebel rolled his eyes and waited to see how Vasile would respond to his mate’s outburst. He probably should have put duct tape on her mouth before the meeting began, but she tended to make things more interesting.
"I heard that about the duct tape, you Neanderthal," Jen growled through their bond.
Decebel chuckled out loud as Jen pushed his hand off her thigh. He just put his hand back, not bothered by her attitude in the slightest.
"How about I have my people get the list typed up and they will give it your people?"
Snorts of laughter rippled across the room.
Jen narrowed her eyes at Vasile. "Did you just make a joke?” She snorted, then added with a growl, “Your people had better get in touch with my people."
"Done." Vasile nodded and smiled slyly, “On both accounts.” He looked back at the rest of the group and continued. "As I was saying, there used to be a tribe of pixies near the bridge. They tend to be quite nosy and like to keep tabs on what's coming and going out of the Veil into the In Between."
"Are they good or bad?" Sally asked.
"Pixies are independent and will tend to side with the winning team. They aren’t inherently evil, but they tend to do what's best for them, not the good of everyone. Hopefully they can see that Mona has no concern for them or the outcome of their species in regard to the demons she wants to unleash."
"Great." Jacque threw her hands up in frustration. "So you're telling me that we are going into a forest close to the opening of what is essentially hell for those of us who don’t want to torture, maim, and rule the world. Then, on top of that, we don't know if the creatures we are looking for even live there anymore, and, just to add insult to injury, we aren't guaranteed to get their allegiance?"
Fane slipped his hand up under her hair to wrap it around her neck. He squeezed affectionately. "You are just a ball of warm fuzzies, aren't you, love?"
Jacque shrugged. "I'm just keeping it real, wolf-man."
"It does look like it will be difficult and quite possibly impossible, but who else is there to do it?" Vasile asked, not unkindly.
Jacque leaned into Fane with a groan. "Okay, okay. I get it. We have to save the world because we can't expect someone else to step up and do it. Gah, you just had to go there, didn't you?"
"Feeling a little frustrated today?" Fane asked her.
"It's just one thing after another. If one of us chicks aren't being chick-napped, it's some deluded, ego-inflated Alpha on a power trip, and if it's not that, then it's a witch that wants to take over the world using some demons from the pit of hell. What's next?"
"Perhaps next the pixies will rise up and decide they're tired of being used and start wreaking havoc all over the place."
Jacque leaned forward and turned to look at Fane. "Really, Fane, that's all you got? Hell, why stop there? Let's go with maybe all the supernatural beings will join forces and decide that they want rule the world."
"Oh, I got one." Jen raised her hand, bouncing in her chair like an eager child. "How 'bout the supernaturals that ban together decide that once they take over the world they don't want to just kill us outright, so they make the humans go out into the woods in groups and fight for supplies and food to stay alive."
Sally and Jacque glanced at each other, rolling their eyes in sync. "Jen, you dork, that’s the Hunger Games. As in the books and the movie."
"Oh, damn. I knew it was a good idea." Jen looked over to Decebel. "It was a good idea wasn't it, babe?"
Decebel patted her leg and nodded. "It was an awesome idea."
Jen frowned at him. "You're just humoring me, aren't you?"
"Most definitely."
Jen shrugged her shoulders. "At least you’re honest."
Vasile cleared his throat as he frowned at everyone. "Can we continue, or do you all need a little more time to think of the next hopeless scenario?"
Nobody answered, which was the wise road to take.
Sally raised her hand.
"You don't have to raise your hand, Sally," Costin teased.
"After the look he just gave us, I think I will play it safe."
Vasile smiled at Sally.
Jen rolled her eyes. "Sally, are you seriously raising your hand? We aren't in school anymore." Jen grinned wickedly at her friend. "But if you insist on acting the part of the student, what part does your dreamy, finger-liquor good mate play?"
Decebel growled.
"Would you like to explain to me why you are referring to Costin as finger-licking good?"
"Baby, I think your old age is catching up with you and affecting your hearing. I said he is finger-liquor good. It's a play on words, 'cause he's, like, a bartender. Get it?"
Decebel let out an exasperated sigh. "Could you just please refrain from describing any males in a way that indicates attraction."
"Jealous?" Jen teased.
This time when Decebel growled and looked at her, he held her eyes with his glowing ones. "You're mine. I don't share, not even your attraction. Keep your eyes to yourself, Jennifer, or you're going to get some poor wolf killed."
Jen, for once, shut up. This wasn't the time or the place.
Jacque looked over at Fane and whispered, “Does it seem like everyone’s emotions are running a little high?”
Fane nodded. “Stress, love. The males of our species don’t handle the idea of their mates in danger very well. Seems like we can’t keep you guys out of it and it’s very frustrating.”
“We’re all alive. That has to count for something,” she told him as she took his hand.
“Just surviving is not the life we want for you all. We
want to give you the world.”
Sally looked at Costin and smiled, then she glanced over at Fane. “Just think, Fane, if you guys take out Mona and her evil hoard, you will be giving us the world – literally.”
Everyone smiled at Sally.
“See? That’s why we keep you around.” Jen grinned. “When the rest of us are all ‘life sucks, we’re all going to die', Sally’s all ‘everyone hold hands and sing Lean On Me'.”
The entire room stared at Jen.
“What? I’m just saying.” She slumped back into her chair with a huff.
Vasile cleared his throat and attention returned to him. For her part, Sally thought the man had the patience of a god. With the addition of these American girls, things didn't run smoothly – or, well, professionally.
“Listen to me,” Vasile said quietly. “All jokes aside, what we're about to face is deadly. Please take some time to consider that and prepare yourselves. We head out the day after tomorrow. Any questions?”
When no one spoke, Vasile dismissed them, a somber mood beginning to descend upon them. Jen wasn't having that. As they all began to stand and file out, she loudly said, “Long live the fellowship of the ring.”
Jacque shook her head. “We were so close.”
Jen rolled her eyes. “Oh, give me a break, you were all thinking it.”
~
“Wadim,” Vasile addressed the historian, “you stay.”
Wadim nodded and returned to his seat.
Once the room was empty of everyone but Alina, Peri, Wadim, and himself, Vasile sat back down.
“Whatever information you have, Wadim, I don’t feel like the pack needs to know right now,” he explained. “Now, please tell us what is so important that it seems to make you want to crawl out of your own skin.”
Wadim took a deep breath and let it out slowly before he began to speak. The first words out of his mouth had everyone sitting up much straighter.
“The Great Luna came to me in a dream.” He paused, letting that information sink in. “She’s not happy that the Fae aren’t willing to help in this realm,” he went on, looking at Peri.
“I didn’t realize that she would act so quickly. And of course she isn’t happy about that,” Peri snapped. “They’re being spoiled brats and need their butts beaten.”
Vasile looked at Peri. “You petitioned her?” His voice held the awe that was written across his handsome features.
Peri nodded. “You have been good to me, Vasile, good to our people. It is the least I can do. But I do hope to do more.”
“Thank you, Perizada of the Fae. This act will not be forgotten,” Vasile said formally.
Wadim cleared his throat, regaining their attention. “Well, she has a solution to that problem.”
He began telling them all of what the Great Luna had revealed; her knowledge of what Mona was up to; her plans to bring Fae and Canis lupis together; her desire to let her creations know that she was pleased with them. When Wadim had finished, the room was quiet.
Peri was the first to speak.
“Damn, when sista decides she’s going to take action, she goes balls to the wall.”
Everyone turned to look at her.
“What?” She shrugged. “Blame Jen. She’s the one who teaches me these un-ladylike and totally out of character statements.”
Vasile focused on Alina, who had tears in her eyes.
“Finally,” she whispered. “Finally our wolves will have mates. The males will no longer be consumed by the darkness that relentlessly pursues them.” She looked over at Wadim and smiled gently. “She honors you to come to you.”
Wadim blushed under his Alpha’s gentle compliment.
“Did she indicate when these new mates would appear?” Vasile asked.
“No, but she did say it would start with our pack, because of our faithfulness to her and the others of our kind.”
Vasile’s head snapped up to meet Peri’s stare. “If you had to guess, which Fae do you think would first be chosen as mates?”
Peri rolled her eyes. “Do I really have to answer that, Alpha? You know as well as I do who will be chosen. She will pick the ones who are already loyal to you. Then, when more come to help their kind, the most faithful and pure of heart will be picked. I’ve only been blessed by the presence of the Great Luna one time – she is very wise and very calculating.”
“Mina,” Vasile reached for her hand, “I need your counsel in this. You are more attuned to the emotions of our pack. Do you think we should tell anyone, even my first four?”
Alina thought about this for a moment before speaking.
“At this point, it would just be one more thing to distract them. Leave it be for now. If it happens between the two we believe it will happen with, then we will cross that bridge.”
Vasile nodded in agreement. He thought about the consequences of what Wadim had revealed and, for the first time in a very long time, felt hope. Hope for his species to continue on; hope for the males to find love and be relieved of the consuming darkness; hope that he would get to have grandchildren and watch them grow up; hope that they would finally find an end to the darkness that had begun to consume their world.
Chapter 9
“There are over twenty two thousand, four hundred different mixed drinks known to man. You might think that learning their names and recipes would get a little boring. That’s because Costin isn’t your teacher. For some reason he just makes everything more fun. Well, and he’s kind of nice to look at. And touch. And smell. And – gah! I’m turning into Jen.” ~ Sally
Costin took Sally by the hand after the meeting broke up and led her to the room they'd been in the first time he showed her all his mad skills as a bartender. He pulled her behind the bar in the game room and grinned.
“Okay, beautiful, we got some training to do.”
Sally’s brow bunched together. “What are you talking about?”
“We are going to be bartending,” he said with a wink.
“What do you mean we? I thought I was just along for the ride,” she said nervously.
“Oh, no, my sweet mate, you are going to be behind the bar where I can keep an eye on you and keep groping hands and paws off of you. I would hate to blow our cover by ripping some schmuck’s arms off.”
Sally cringed at the picture he painted.
Costin tucked a towel into the back pocket of her jeans and gave her a soft pat on her backside.
Her head snapped around to look at him in shock. He just shrugged his shoulders, not remorseful in the least.
“Okay, first things first,” he began. “Drinks on tap.” Costin showed her the different beers on tap and explained how this was different from a bottled drink. Then he pulled out bottle after bottle of different kinds of liquor. He explained the technical difference between liquor and alcohol and explained each bottle’s contents. Next, he pulled out a sheet of paper that had lists of drinks and then the ingredients for those drinks.
Sally blushed as she read aloud, ‘Sex on the beach?’
Costin had his back to her, pulling down glasses.
“I figured it was a little early on in our relationship for that,” he said, “but I’m up for whatever.” He turned around to find a stunned Sally. He placed his finger under her chin and gently closed her mouth, which had dropped open.
He leaned down and pressed a gentle, yet somehow electrifying kiss on her lips. Her eyes closed as she attempted to keep breathing.
“One day, Sally mine. One day.”
When he pulled away she slowly opened her eyes and smiled.
“I really like it when you do that,” she admitted boldly.
He set the glasses down and walked her back until she was pressed against the bar. He placed his hand on the counter on either side of her, effectively pinning her in. As he leaned closer, he took a deep breath and let out a low rumble.
“I really like doing it,” he told her softly. Sally’s breathing came in short gasps as she tried to control
her racing heart. Costin slid his hands on the bar so they were touching her hips. He smiled when she stopped breathing all together.
“Breathe, Sally. How will I kiss you again if you pass out?”
“I imagine it would be rather difficult and not very enjoyable,” she rambled.