Vasile had frowned at her question, then a mischievous smile played across his handsome face as he told her; "If she gives you a hard time, which you need to expect, just ask her if she would at least please make sure fairy dust hits your butts, along with the door, on your way out."
"How are you doing up there, brown eyes?" Sally was pulled from her thoughts by the sound of the deep, playful voice behind her.
Cynthia had stopped a few feet ahead and was taking a drink of water. Sally turned to look at Costin. She wished she could say her heart didn't stutter when he grinned and winked at her, but she would be a liar. Sally was many things: coward, shy, awkward, but not a liar. So, yeah, her heart stuttered and her palms were as sweaty as a stuffed hog.
"I'm good. Well, really I'm just trying really hard not to fall on my ass," Sally slapped a hand over her mouth just as the word ass slipped out. She knew her face was turning bright red from the heat burning off of her. "Sorry, um, Jen has rubbed off on me. Well, that's the excuse I'm using anyways."
Costin chuckled. "Well, don't try to keep from falling on that beautiful backside for my sake. I will make it my mission to make sure I'm where you land." Costin's smile was beautiful and so big that a dimple appeared in his right cheek. Sally had to laugh at his flirtation and cockiness.
"Does that line work with all the girls?" she teased back as she turned to continue following the now-moving Cynthia.
"Don't know, don't care. There's only one girl I'm concerned with it working on." Sally's head turned back of its own accord at the sound in Costin's voice. All playfulness was gone, the cocky grin only a memory. Her eyes landed on a dominant Canis lupis who had found its prey. Sally's breath quickened as she realized just how serious he was. Costin gently nudged her forward but didn't say anything more.
Costin watched as Sally turned back in the direction they were going. His words had obviously hit home. He hadn't intended to scare her but his wolf was pushing him to make it perfectly clear that he was claiming her. Costin agreed with his wolf, but he didn't understand how it was possible when Sally was one hundred percent human. He watched her flip her brown locks behind her shoulder as her eyes wandered over the landscape of his homeland, wonder filling them. She smiled when a rabbit scurried across their path, then gasped when a hawk grabbed the critter in his talons, swooping him up and off into the cold crisp air. And when Sally Morgan turned back to look at him with glistening eyes, the sadness of seeing an innocent little one taken in the circle of life he knew he would tear down mountains to take that sorrow from her. Human or not, Sally Morgan was his.
Chapter 10
Post-Fire Day 2
It was mid-afternoon when they finally arrived back at the mansion. Jacque stretched as she climbed out of the Hummer. Although she was stiff from the long drive – and hungry – she was eager to start digging through the past of the Canis lupis to figure out a way to break the curse on Decebel and stop the witch.
"Okay, Sorin," Jacque said, cocking a brow at him. "Lead the way to the archives."
Fane took Jacque's hand, pulling her with him as they walked into the mansion. Crina followed silently, still tired from their drive. They traversed the long corridor where Vasile's office was located. When they reached the end of the corridor, Fane opened the last door on the left.
"I always wondered what was in here," Jacque murmured as she watched Sorin enter a code on a keypad located on the wall just inside the room – which ended up being a closet…or was it?
"Niiiiiice." Jacque grinned. "You didn't tell me this place had secret passageways."
Sorin shrugged. "You didn't ask," he responded dryly. After the code was entered, Jacque watched as what appeared to be a solid wall at the back of the closet began to slide to the right, leaving an opening that revealed a descending stone staircase.
"That is pretty wicked. Did you know about this?" Jacque asked Crina.
"Jacque, I'm 27 years old, unmated, and although I'm a dominant, they don't tell me jack around here." Crina winked. "So, no. I didn't know about this."
"Alright, then. Well, we learn something new every day," Jacque rambled as she followed Fane through the opening.
"I have a feeling we are going to learn more than something today," Fane said as he turned back to look at Sorin. "You should lead. You've been down here before, right?"
Sorin nodded. "Yes. It's easy to get lost once out of the main room, so stay together."
The group descended the stone steps, which spiraled downward. Jacque noticed the wall sconces that lit the way. The passage was narrow, with stone walls following the spiral of the stairs. The air was kind of stale and cool, and even with the lights, it seemed to grow dimmer the farther they went.
After reaching the bottom of the staircase, Sorin came to a stop in the center of a large rectangular room. Along the far left wall was a large desk. There were computer screens, Jacque counted 6 in all, on the wall in front of the desk and paper was scattered over the top, halfway covering a keyboard and mouse. On all the walls of the large room were shelves packed with books and objects. There was a plush couch and two overstuffed recliners directly to the left of the stairway. Across the room on the far wall were several archways that led into darkness. In front of the arches there were several round tables with chairs around them. Jacque could tell there was something on the tables, but she was too far away to see what exactly it was. Stepping past Fane and Sorin, Jacque's moved closer to the tables and realized what was on them, or in them rather.
Carved into the tops of the tables were scenes. Each table had a different carving. The first one was of a pack of wolves running together through a forest. The crafter had given it so much detail that she could see where the wolves kicked up snow behind them. Their faces all looked light and carefree – no burdens or shadows in their eyes. The next table was a scene of two massive wolves locked in battle. Around them stood other wolves looking on, waiting. The two wolves fighting one another were on their hind legs, each attempting to slash their enemy. Both sets of teeth were bared and saliva dripped from their mouths. Jacque shuddered as she studied it; she could almost feel the tension the on looking wolves must have felt.
The third and final table held a much calmer scene. It was so touching that Jacque could feel a pull deep inside her, a longing for what she saw. A massive wolf sat tall and proud. His head was turned down, looking at the smaller wolf pressed closely against him, and pressed against her was a small pup. The she-wolf stared up at the proud male wolf in wonder, while the look in the male's eyes held intense emotion for the two in his care.
Jacque was amazed at the detail depicted and the amount of emotion somehow carved into the faces of these wolves.
"It's who we are, who we've been, and who we want and need to be." Jacque heard a voice coming out of one of dark arches. She turned back to look at Sorin, Fane, and Crina. Fane walked over to where she stood and pushed her behind him.
"So this is the prince's mate?" the voice spoke.
"Quit being dramatic and come out, Wadim." Sorin rolled his eyes.
"Sorin, did you just roll your eyes?" The voice, now named Wadim, asked.
"I've been with American teenagers for months now. I've learned a lot more than just eye rolling."
Jacque and Crina laughed out loud but abruptly stopped when a figure emerged from the middle archway.
Jacque attempted to step around Fane to get a better look at the guy, but Fane kept moving with her.
"Fane." Jacque's voice was stern as she spoke to him through their bond.
"Don't move from my side," he told her as he relented and allowed her to move next to him.
Jacque cocked her head to the side as she looked at the new male. "You're not old and dusty?" The man before her looked to be in his early thirties, tall, wavy black hair. He is totally rocking the Aragon look, Jacque thought to herself, comparing Wadim to the Lord of the Rings character.
"Is that wide-eyed wonder I hear in your voice, Jacquelyn?" Fane had
obviously heard her thought.
"Chillax, wolf-man. I only have eyes for you."
"Good, I would hate to have to find a new historian." Fane's voice was a growl in her mind.
"Feeling possessive today, are we?" she teased.
"Behave yourself."
"I'm hearing that a lot lately from you." Jacque gave him a mental picture of her smiling graciously at Wadim.
Okay, so maybe that wasn't the brightest idea, she realized as Fane once again pulled her behind him. She let out a loud huff but settled for standing on her tiptoes and looking over his shoulder.
Wadim was wearing a faded gray t-shirt. Printed on the center was, "I can only be nice to one person a day. Today is not your day…tomorrow doesn't look good either." He had faded blue jeans and black converse sneakers. This was the pack historian?
Really? Jacque thought.
Wadim chuckled at Jacque's skeptical expression. "Old and dust? That depends on who you ask," he teased. He looked back at Sorin and smiled. "It's been a while, old friend."
Sorin nodded. "It's been a busy few months, as I'm sure you know."
"Knowing is my job, so please feel free not to share." Wadim pulled out a chair from the first round table and sat down, facing the group.
"Nice shirt," Crina spoke up. Her eyes shot over to Jacque, who gave her a thumbs up.
"My sister." Wadim grinned. "She sends me these shirts with different sayings on them. She says it's to help me keep my sense of humor. Apparently I'm surrounded by boring facts."
"What did you mean earlier?" Jacque asked from around Fane, who still wouldn't let her past.
"You were looking at the tables; you feel the pull of them."
Jacque nodded but didn't speak. She felt Fane wrap an arm around her waist. He pulled her beside him, firmly against him.
"These tables were carved by the Fae. Now, the Fae never do anything without reason.” Wadim gestured to the first table. “This image is of who we were created to be. I'm sure you know the legend behind the Canis lupis – how the moon goddess created us?"
Jacque nodded. "Yes. She created you to save the species of the grey wolves."
"It's deeper than that." Wadim stood up to look at the carving. His fingers traced the wolves as he spoke. "The great Luna saw that man was dividing itself. Family was no longer important. She saw the wars, the hatred, and the children affected by it."
Jacque stepped away from Fane and pulled out a chair from the third table. The others followed suit. As they continued to listen to the pack historian share his knowledge, it was obvious to Jacque why Wadim was the historian. He was so passionate about their history.
"So she looked upon the wolves, who were dwindling in number, and back to the humans who no longer cared for their own, and combined their spirits. She took the loyal, protective, possessive nature of the wolf and took the intelligence, emotions, and love of the human and brought them together. She designed us to be pack.
“The Canis lupis, both wolf and man, were meant to be a family with one another. We gain strength through our bond with each other. This first table depicts what the goddess wanted for us. The second table is who we are today. We have attacked our own, divided our species, even had a civil war. We suffer for going against our very nature.” Wadim shook his head.
“In any event, the third table is who we need to be. We can't survive without children. But the moon goddess has seen the human children suffer because of the wars and division in their species. Her way of ensuring that we understand how precious a child is is by giving so few. She never wants us to forget the blessing of children and the hope they bring. History reveals our path – we are in the circumstances we are today because of the choices we, as a collective species, made. This third table pulls at our wolf. The wolf in us longs for pack, for family, for touch, for children. These tables created by the Fae were designed to draw one's wolf closer to the surface, to open our human eyes in order to see what needs to be done."
They all stared in silence when Wadim finished speaking.
Finally Sorin spoke. "Thank you for that, Wadim. It is important that we remember why we are here."
"Well, I'm sure you didn't come for a history lesson on the moon goddess and our species. What can I help you with?"
"Didn't Vasile contact you?" Fane asked, his brow furrowed.
"No, I haven't heard from our Alpha."
Sorin looked wary. "Vasile told me he would call Wadim to let him know we were coming."
Fane met Wadim's eyes. "Has anyone been here to see you today?"
Wadim thought for a few minutes, trying to remember, but his mind was foggy and the thoughts stayed just out of reach.
"I don’t remember. I don’t even remember what I've done today." Just as his words came out Fane, Sorin, and Crina all whipped towards the archways.
Crina gasped. "Is that smoke?"
Then they were all up and running in the direction of the smoky smell. Fifty feet down the hall, the smoke began to surround them.
"Wadim, go find some blankets – and hurry!" Fane yelled.
Wadim took off in the direction of his room. A minute later, he arrived in the largest archive room and saw piles of parchment, paper, and books on the floor. Flames were steadily reaching out toward them. He threw a blanket to Fane, one to Sorin, and took the remaining one. When he covered the fire with it, stomping as quickly as he could, Sorin and Fane followed suit.
Jacque and Crina looked on in horror.
"This is so not good," Jacque muttered.
"I think that is what you Americans call an understatement," Crina said, unable to tear her eyes from the scene before them.
"Of the century," Jacque added. She began to cough from the smoke, which filled the room as the fire was extinguished.
Fane leaned back against the bookshelves behind him. His breathing was labored and his chest tight as he tried to suck in what little clean air was left in the room. "This has to be the work of that witch."
Wadim's head snapped up. "Witch?" he asked in horror.
Late in the night of the day the two groups had set out, Alina stood at the window of the room she and Vasile shared in the tavern. Her eyes looked out into the night. The sky was clear and stars dotted the darkness. The moon was a crescent, which gave off an eerie glow. She didn't know why, but she felt like she could push her pack on by sheer will, and if she took her eyes away from this view for a second all would fail. She heard the door behind her open and close softly. Strong arms wrapped around her waist from behind and she let her head fall back and rest on the strong chest of her mate.
"I feel your resolve, Mina." Vasile's breath whispered softly across her hair.
"I feel like if I step away, or stop thinking about them for even the shortest breath, their feet will falter and their courage fail. How vain is that?"
Vasile chuckled. "My love, you are an Alpha. It is in your nature to control and protect. Give yourself a break. We have sent out the ones who love Jen and Dec the most. They will keep going until all is right again. I do not doubt them."
Alina knew he was right, but it didn't make it easier to sit and wait to hear from them. To hear if they were all safe and any closer to finding Jen and restoring Decebel.
"You need rest. We both do. Come." Vasile pulled her towards their bed and laid down beside her. "Sleep, Luna. Trust in your pack to be strong."
Alina drifted off to the sound of her mate's low, gentle voice singing softly. She smiled to herself as she thought about how the other males would tease him if they knew he sung his mate to sleep.
Sally and Cynthia gathered twigs while Decebel and Costin broke tree branches to build a fire. Sally couldn’t remember a time when she had ever been so cold. Once a strong fire was burning, the four sat around it as close as possible. Each was wrapped in layers of clothing, hats, scarves, gloves, and blankets. Decebel passed out the jerky and bread that the tavern owner had provided them. Protein and carbohydrates and water. Amazingly enough, Sally k
new from her tenth grade health class that the body could sustain itself on even less if need be.
"How are we going to know when we've gotten to where we are supposed to be?" Cynthia asked no one in particular.
"Vasile said she would find us. That we just needed to get farther into the mountains and eventually Perizada would make herself known." Sally looked at each of her friends, her pack mates – odd as that sounded, it felt right.
They were all quiet while they finished their food and drinks, each staring into the red, yellow, and orange flames that danced before them. The silence was broken when Sally turned to Decebel.
"I know it's a private thing between mates, but I would really like to know how Jen is doing. Has she been communicating with you?"
The three watched as Decebel visibly tensed. His face grimaced, almost as if he were in pain.
"I -" Decebel began, but stopped. He ducked his head briefly trying to shake off the feeling that something was very wrong, "I can't feel her. When I try to reach out it's like the bond that linked us has been severed."
Sally shook her head. "Why didn't you say anything?"
Decebel growled at the accusation in the healer's voice. "And what exactly would you have done?"
Costin let out a low growl and moved to sit in between Decebel and Sally. "I know you are my Beta but you will not speak to her that way."
"Costin," Sally's voice was soft, "he's hurting, he doesn't understand. Cut him some slack."
Costin turned and looked into Sally's honey brown eyes, which were full of gentleness and understanding. "I understand he is hurting. But you are a healer and mine to protect."