Just One Drop
Book 3 of the Grey Wolves Series
By: Quinn Loftis
Published by Quinn Loftis at Smashwords
© 2011 Quinn Loftis
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher
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Acknowledgments:
First I want to thank God for blessing me with a creative spirit. He has blessed me beyond measure. I also want to thank my husband for all his support, for the teasing that he gives me for writing teen paranormal romance. I like to remind him that at least he's never bored being married to me. I also want to thank a friend who has been a blessing to me, Melinda Senter, for her help in the creative editing. Her wicked sense of humor and eye for details has truly been a help. I also want to thank her for the beautiful cover art she has created for me. I want to thank Rachel Carr for being a fantabulous editor. I have been so blessed to get to know Rachel and her help has been invaluable. Thank you also to Jennifer Nunez for also editing and encouraging me to keep writing. Thank you to all my beta readers and reviewers. I cannot express my thanks for all your feedback and help. Finally, most important in many ways, thank you to everyone who has taken a chance on an unknown, self published author and purchased my book. Thank you for the reviews good and bad. Thank you for taking your valuable time and spending it with my characters and their story.
Table of Contents
"Jen, you are not going back to the states so quit trying to pack your damn clothes," Sally growled. She intercepted Jen and snatched the pants she was carrying to an open suitcase, which lay haphazardly across the large four poster bed. Jen steadily ignored her and did an about face to the closet to grab more of her clothes.
"Would you please just talk to me? Please?" Sally's voice was beginning to take on a high-pitched whine.
"Oh, good grief. For the love of healthy ears everywhere, quit your belly aching," Jen snapped, the clothes in her hands growing more wrinkled by the second. "Sally, there is nothing to talk about, okay? It is what it is."
Sally threw her hands up in the air as she exhaled loudly. "No, it is not what it is, whatever the hell that means. It's a whole freaking lot more complicated than 'it is what it is'." Sally was beginning to get desperate, and although when Jen started this little stunt Sally thought that throwing her suitcase out of the window might be drastic – yeah, not so much anymore.
As Jen continued to throw clothes into the suitcase, Sally decided that desperate times called for desperate measures. She went over to the window and pushed it open. Without much grace, she managed to push the screen out and didn't blink when it tumbled down the side of the three story mansion. Jen was still in the closet when Sally picked up her suitcase and began carrying it toward the open window.
"Put the suitcase down, step away from it slowly, and nobody gets hurt," Jen ground out as she came out of the closet.
"I'm sorry, Jen, but I can't let you leave. So I'll risk your wrath and do whatever it takes to keep your cranky, sulky, continually pissed off butt in Romania."
Jen took a step towards Sally and the suitcase that was now teetering dangerously on the ledge of the open window.
"Back the hell off, Jennifer Adams." Sally tilted the suitcase back as if to let it fall. Jen continued to take slow, measured steps towards Sally, thinking that her usually mild mannered friend wouldn't dare let go of the suitcase…She was wrong, so very wrong. Sally didn't just let go of the suitcase, she gave it a huge shove just as Jen lunged to grab it. Sally jumped back, slapping her hands over her mouth. She was nearly as surprised with herself as Jen was.
"What…how… why," Jen sputtered as she stared at Sally incredulously. "You bitch," she finally managed to spit out.
"It's for your own good, Jen. Really it is," Sally told her, backing away from the fuming Jen.
Jen leaned out the open window and saw the fate of her now scattered suitcase and clothes. She looked back at Sally, still shocked that her friend had pulled such a stunt. Shaking her head, she turned and headed towards the door of the bedroom.
"Where are you going?" Sally asked.
"Out," Jen growled as she pulled the door open.
"At least take a coat. It's cold out!" Sally yelled at Jen's retreating form.
Sally stood and stared. She didn't know if she had done the right thing, but she knew that Jen didn't need to leave. Sally couldn't explain the feeling, but something in her said that something bad would happen to Jen if she left Romania right now. She didn't try to examine the feeling; she just accepted it for what it was…for now.
Jen stormed down the long staircase, taking two at a time, all the while hoping she didn't pass anyone so she wouldn't have to talk. Once on the ground floor she made a right and headed down a long hallway. She passed the library, a sitting room, and the entertainment room before finally arriving at her destination. Without knocking, she threw the door open and walked inside.
"Jen, what can I do for you?" Vasile asked as he looked up from his desk.
Before she answered she shut the door behind her. Then, taking a deep breath, she turned back to Vasile.
"I can't stay here."
Vasile didn't look surprised at her admission and he didn't respond. Instead he waited for her to continue.
She took another deep breath and let it out slowly. "Look, I know you know what Dr. Steele told me about my blood results. Regardless of that, I can't change how I feel about a certain wolf. I can't change the fact that, wolf blood or not, I'm not his mate, and said wolf wants nothing to do with me. How do I know this, you ask?" Jen continued before Vasile could say a word. "Because he just up and left. Not so much as a 'see ya later, Jen', 'take care, Jen', 'goodbye, Jen', 'have a nice freaking life without me, Jen',"
Jen slapped her hand over her mouth, embarrassed that she had spilled all that to Vasile. She knew the only reason she was discussing this with Fane's father was because she was desperate to get away from this place. To get away from the only man – she'd come to realize over the past couple of months – that she loved. After Dr. Steele revealed to her that she had a minute, very minute amount of werewolf blood in her, she had thought that maybe there was a chance for her and the fur ball. That hope been quickly doused when said fur ball up and disappeared. A week after Jacque and Fane's ceremony, Decebel had gotten in his Hummer and, without looking back, driven away from the pack mansion. And 62 days, 4 hours, and 22 minutes later he still hadn't returned. But who's counting?
"Didn't you just turn eighteen, Jen?" Vasile asked her.
Jen looked a little confused at his choice of response. "Umm, yes. I believe that loud racket you heard a couple of weeks ago was Sally and Jacque's idea of a birthday party. What does that have to do with me leaving?"
"If you are eighteen, Jen, you are an adult. I can't make you stay here. If you want to leave, if you really think that is the best thing for you, then you can go. I will allow you to use the pack plane to get back to the U.S. if that is truly what you want," Vasile explained.
Jen cocked her head to the side, eyes narrowed at the Alpha sitting calmly in front of her. "Just like that? No trying to convince me to stay, or telling me not to give up, or yada yada yada bull crap?"
"No 'yada yada yada bull crap'," he agreed.
"Huh, okay then. Let's do this," she stated.
"Now?"
"Yes, now. Is that a problem?"
Vasile picked up the phone, never taking his eyes off her. "Sorin, could you please come to my office?"
Jen took a seat in one of the chairs in front of Vasile's desk. Resting her hands on the chair arms, she couldn't keep her legs from bouncing up and down as she waited for Sorin to arrive. Vasile didn't say anything while they waited and that was just fine with Jen. She didn't want to listen to any more reasons about why she should stay. She heard the door open and close, and then Sorin stepped up beside her.
"What can I do for you, Alpha?" he asked Vasile.
"Jen has decided that she wants to go back to the U.S.," Vasile began, and to Sorin's credit he didn't so much as flinch in Jen's direction. "Could you please arrange for the plane to be ready? Get her things, drive her to the air strip, and make sure she gets on the plane safely."
"Of course." Sorin answered as if Vasile hadn't just told him Jen was leaving only two months after arriving.
As Jen stood up, she stopped Sorin from leaving with a hand on his arm. "Please, it's not necessary to get my things.” Sorin started to object but Jen cut him off. "Really, I'm good to go. Right now." She turned to Vasile, looking for some sort of confirmation that this was okay. After a moment of looking into her eyes, Vasile turned to Sorin and nodded once.
As they began to walk out of the office, Jen turned back to Vasile. "You won't tell anyone, will you? I mean, will you let me call them once I get back to the States?"
Vasile smiled gently. "I won't say a word."
She let out the breath she had been holding. "Thank you."
Jen sat in the passenger side of yet another Hummer, wrapped in a parka Sorin had grabbed. "What is with you wolves and Hummers?" she muttered grumpily.
"They do well in this climate," Sorin answered, never taking his eyes from the road.
Jen glanced at him briefly, then looked out the passenger window. Her mind wandered to a certain tall, dark, gorgeous werewolf that she so desperately wanted to see, yet longed to stab in the hand with a butter knife at the same time…funny how that temptation seemed to apply only to him.
Vasile waited until he heard Sorin pull away from the driveway before picking up his phone again. "I need to speak with you." He listened to the voice on the other end. "No, not necessarily right this minute, just in the next hour would be good." Ending the call, he immediately dialed another number and waited for an answer, a voice came on the line. "Stall," was all he said.
Vasile leaned back in his chair, folding his hands in his lap. He shook his head as he chuckled. Alina was going to scold him for meddling, as she would call it, but he was Alpha. It was his job to meddle, and he was good at it.
An hour and a half later…
Fane held up the piece of paper his father handed him. He looked at his father, then back to the paper in his hand. "You want me to tell my mate that you waited an hour and a half to inform me that her best friend left to board a plane headed back to the States?" Fane growled.
"I did not wait. I called you the minute she left. You didn't arrive for an hour and a half," Vasile answered, completely unruffled by the growl in Fane's voice.
"With all due respect, Alpha, you could have mentioned the reason you wanted to see me."
"No, I couldn't. I told Jen I wouldn't say a word," Vasile emphasized.
"Jen didn't catch that little loophole?" Fane asked, his eyebrows raised.
"Don't you think you ought to tell your mate what's going on? I don't know how much longer Sorin can stall the plane before Jen figures out something is going on."
Fane's head snapped up at his father's words. "She hasn't left yet?"
"Do you honestly think I would let her leave?"
"Luna, I need to speak with you. Could you please come to my father's office?" Fane sent Jacque his question through their bond. It had become so strong since their mating that she was a constant presence and comfort in his mind.
"Why do I hear worry in your voice, wolf-man?" Jacquelyn asked him suspiciously.
Without answering his mate, he glared at his father. "I will get you back for this, Alpha. Just to warn you ahead of time."
Vasile winked at his son. "A little lesson in dealing with conflict with your mate will be good for you."
Fane looked at his Alpha in amazement. "Father, you do realize who I'm mated to, right?"
Vasile cleared his throat. "You do have a point there." But he still offered no apology for his nonchalance in the matter.
The door to the office flew open as a frustrated looking Jacque stormed in with a worried looking Sally right behind her.
"What's going on, Fane?"
"First, it's not as bad as it sounds," Fane began.
Jacque held up her hand to cut off her mate. "Spit it out, fur ball."
"Sorin took Jen to the pack plane to fly back to the States."
"WHAT!" Jacque and Sally yelled at the same time, causing both wolves to grimace in pain because of their sensitive hearing.
Jen sat on the plane, drinking the second Coke Sorin had brought her while she waited for the runway to be cleared. Apparently, December in Romania got icy. Go figure. She didn't really care about the runway or the plane being ice-free, she just knew that the longer she sat here, not in the air, not moving towards North America, the more nervous she became that she would be discovered by her two neurotic best friends who she knew meant well, but didn't get why she had to leave.
Everyday Jen woke up hoping that she would go downstairs and find Decebel; she went to bed every night wondering why he left. She had no idea if he knew about her wolf blood, and she was to the point that she didn't want to care. Easier said than done, she thought. Why couldn't she fall in love with a normal guy, someone who didn't go furry at will? No. That would be too stinking easy.
She leaned her head back and closed her eyes. Her mind wandered back to the night of Jacque and Fane's bonding ceremony. Her life forever changed when Dr. Steele had explained that the blood test she had run on Jen after the car wreck had come back abnormal. Abnormal as in not human. Jen remembered feeling like the walls of the room were closing in on her.
"What do you mean, 'not human'?" she had asked Cynthia.
"You have werewolf blood. Though it is a very minute amount," Cynthia had answered.
Sally'd been sitting next to her, and her reaction had been what Jen wanted to say: "SHUT UP." Sally yelled this, causing everyone around them to stop and stare. Jen hadn't really noticed. The only thing she'd been able to focus on was a certain wolf who had been eyeballing her all night.
"What does that mean, exactly?"
"It means that somewhere in your family, generations ago, was a werewolf." The doctor seemed baffled by this. "I don't even know how it's possible unless all of his descendants mated with humans and the bloodline gradually diluted."
Jen and Sally had listened to the doctor explain that maybe something as traumatic as the accident had triggered the very dormant gene – perhaps that was why her wounds had healed so quickly. Jen asked if she thought she would develop any other werewolf characteristics. Cynthia felt that since Jacque hadn't, and she was half-were, that Jen was in the clear. But she truly didn't know what it would mean for Jen or her future. "You are the first dormant I have ever met," she told Jen.
For two months after learning about the werewolf blood that lay dormant in her blood, she had been constantly watching for any other wolf-like attributes. The only thing that she felt was different was that she could sense emotions. Well, strong emotions to be exact. She didn't really understand it, but she could almost smell them and each emotion smelled differently. Jen mentioned it to Sally and Jacque and they both had wanted her to go to Dr. Steele. She never did.
Jen heard a car door slam, which brought her back to the present, to the wonderful fact that she was sitting in a plane, a plane that would take her away from all this werewolf stuff.
She tapped her foot impatiently and drummed her fingers on the arm of the seat. "What could possibly be taking so freaking long," she said to the empty plane. With an exaggerated huff she undid the seat belt and stood, tired of waiting. It was time to take things into her own hands.
She looked out a window and her breath froze in her lungs at the sight. Where there had only been one black Hummer, now sat two. No way, she thought. It's not him. Vasile has, like, a million black Hummers. She had long ago decided it was a wolf thing.
Jen stepped back from the window, taking some slow, deep breaths. She closed her eyes and tried to regain her bearings. I got this. Finally ready, she walked towards the exit sign.
To what, she didn't know.
"Don't you think you should call him?" Jacque asked Fane as they walked out to the car, moving slowly, trying not to slip on the snow covered ground. Fane opened the passenger door for Jacque but she didn't get in. He realized she wasn't moving until he answered all of her questions.
"My father will be the one to decide if Decebel should be called."
"That's not good enough," Jacque growled. "Not when it's my friend making possibly the biggest mistake of her life." She turned and, holding her arms out for balance on the slick ground, headed back into the mansion.
Sally stood next to Fane, her arms folded around her waist in an attempt to ward off the cold. She watched her friend leave. "She's going to tell your father what he should do, isn't she?"
"I keep telling her it's going to bite her in the butt one of these days.”
Jacque pushed the door to Vasile's office open without knocking. Alina stood in front of Vasile's desk and Jacque stopped beside her.
"Don't mind me. Carry on," Jacque said to them when they both stopped talking to stare at her.
"Did the concept of knocking somehow diminish when you left your country?" Vasile's eyebrows were raised.
"I apologize, Alpha, but it's important," she answered and was proud when her voice came out without wavering.
Alina wrapped an arm around Jacque's shoulders. "What is important?"
"I think Vasile should call Decebel and tell him to go talk to Jen. I think Jen would listen to him," Jacque explained.
"What would lead you to believe that Jen would listen to Decebel?" Vasile asked. "It was my understanding he was the reason she was leaving."
Jacque's jaw dropped open. "She told you that? She actually told you about how she felt about him?"
"Well, not in so many words, but I saw how she looked at him at your ceremony. There is only one reason a woman looks at a man like that." Vasile winked at his mate.
"Vasile, quit torturing your daughter-in-law," Alina admonished. "Go on and tell her."
"Tell me what?" Jacque asked eagerly.
"I called Decebel just after you left my office."
"You did?" Jacque asked as her brow furrowed. "What did he say? Is he going to go and get her? Did he care at all?"
"Slow down, little one." Alina chuckled.
Vasile stood from his desk and walked around to Jacque. "I can't speak for Decebel's feelings. Although, the snarl he let out when I told him Jen was leaving would lead one to believe he felt something for her. And yes, he is going to see her. Hopefully Sorin can continue to stall the plane without Jen getting suspicious."
"Crap," Jacque whined. "She's probably already snuck off the plane and decided to swim to North America. This is Jen we're talking about. She's suspicious of everything."
"I would advise that you three stay here and let Decebel handle this for now," Vasile said soberly, making it clear to Jacque that it was really more of an order.
Jacque nodded and left his office in search of Fane and Sally. They were where she'd left them, standing next to the car.
"Well?" Sally prompted.
"He had already called him," Jacque told them.
"There is a reason he's Alpha," Fane teased.
"Yeah, yeah. Soak it up, wolf-man," Jacque said, narrowing her eyes at her mate. "Your dad advised that we stay here and let Decebel handle it."
"So he's going to get her?" Sally's eyebrows rose in surprise.
"According to Vasile."
"If I could be a fly in that plane..." Sally said as she rubbed her hands together.
"I know, right?" Jacque agreed.
With her mind made up, Jen quickened her steps towards the plane exit. She grabbed the handle, yanked it open, and walked into a solid wall.
"Ummph" Jen grunted, then froze. She knew that smell. Great, she thought, there I go with the smell thing again. But she did know that smell: woodsy, spicy, and male. A very, very pissed off male. She took a step back and slowly raised her chin to look up into the face of the wolf whose memory had haunted her for the past two months.
"Going somewhere, Jennifer?" Decebel asked, eyes narrowed and lips drawn tightly.
Jen stared up into glowing, amber eyes. She couldn't speak, couldn't move, and at this point even breathing seemed to be too much for her body to ask of her. The spell was broken when she heard Decebel growl and realized that she was staring him straight in the eyes. His wolf would see that as a challenge. She took a step back but, challenge or no, did not avert her eyes. Slowly, the anger and hurt that plagued her came rushing back in, flowing through her numb body, giving her life and the ability to speak again.
"As a matter of fact, I am going somewhere. Not that it's any of your business." Jen raised one eyebrow as she folded her arms across her chest. "So if you would kindly leave, I can be on my way." Jen couldn't believe the pain that pierced her heart as she told Decebel to leave. It took everything she had not to flinch at her own words.
Undeterred by Jennifer's haughty attitude, Decebel stepped into the plane. And unless Jennifer wanted his chest pressed to her, made her take another step back.
"I have to disagree with you. I consider it very much my business when it concerns you."
Decebel watched the emotions play across Jennifer's face, so transparent to him. He waited for her to respond, knowing it would be quick-witted and sharp, one of the many things he admired about her. She did not disappoint.
"Funny that," she began. “If I'm so much your business, where have you been for the past two months? If I am so much your freaking business, then you must have a phenomenal excuse for not even coming to my eighteenth birthday party." Jen couldn't hide the hurt behind her words. She ducked her head, biting her lip to keep from crying. It didn't work.
Decebel took a step forward, drawn to her for reasons he didn't yet understand. All he knew was that standing there seeing her hurt was unbearable to him. He placed his fingers under her chin and raised her face to look into her tear-filled eyes. In that moment he was in a different time and place. He looked into a face with green eyes, not blue. A face with dark chocolate locks framing it instead of blonde. He watched as he held her fragile body in his arms, her life draining away. He held on until her form was still, only a shell left to wither from the earth.
"Decebel." The sound of Jennifer's voice brought him back to the present, but the memory of that lifeless body reminded him what happened when he cared about someone, what happened when he was unable to keep those he loved safe. He dropped his hand from her chin and took a step back, not missing the hurt that flashed across her face.
"You are my business because you are my prince's mate's best friend. As Beta it's my job to keep you safe," he answered, his demeanor suddenly much more formal.
"Well, I'm relinquishing you of that job by leaving. So no worries, Dec. I'm perfectly capable of sitting on a plane by myself." Jen turned to go back but didn't get far before she felt a strong hand close around her arm. Decebel turned her to face him and she could see emotions running across his handsome face. For the life of her she didn’t know what they were.
"You aren't leaving, Jennifer. Jacque needs you and Sally right now. For some reason I thought you weren't the type of friend to bail on those who depend on you." Decebel figured the easiest way to get Jennifer to cooperate would be to piss her off and present her with a challenge.
Jen jerked her arm from Decebel's grasp. She pulled her shoulders back and stood up as straight as she could. Then she took a step forward and he swore that there had to be steam coming off her skin. She jammed her finger in Decebel's chest as she glared at him.
"First, you don't know a damn thing about me so don't you dare tell me what kind of friend you think I am. Second, I would never, ever bail on one of my friends. Unlike one furry canine that I know, I don't take off without dealing with whatever my friends need. Jacque knows I need to go back to the States. She has Fane and Sally."
"Is that so?" Decebel challenged.
"Yes, Cujo. That is so." Jen's jaw jutted forward as she ground her teeth together.
"If Jacque is so understanding, then why did she go to Vasile to have him call me to come get you?" The look on Decebel's face when he finished talking was that of a cat who had just caught a little birdie. He watched as Jennifer's jaw dropped open at his words. He stood silently and let the information set in. Finally, she looked up into his eyes again – the only one other than his Alpha allowed to get away with it – and rubbed her hand over her forehead.
"Is that why you came, because Vasile sent you?"
Decebel could tell that his answer had the ability to crush her and possibly push her away, making it easier to keep his distance. He stared into her blue eyes, eyes that pleaded with him for the truth, painful or not.
"Vasile called me." Jennifer's face fell, so Decebel continued quickly. "But he did not order me to come get you."
Her head snapped up at his words, her eyes searched his face for any hint of a lie. Decebel was sure she would ask why he came but instead she took a deep breath. She suddenly looked tired, defeated.
"Fine, I'll stay. But not because you said I have to. I'll stay for Jacque." Jen went to step around Decebel and head out of the plane exit. As she pushed the door open and felt the cold December air and the sun on her face, she turned back to the wolf who watched her silently. "I'll stay, but you need to make sure you stay out of my way. I don't need you thinking I need a big brother to watch over me and tell me what to do, so don't." She stepped out of the plane and the crisp, frosty air burned her lungs. Sorin stood with the passenger door held open for her.
Decebel stared at the empty space that had been Jennifer. He closed his eyes and took in a deep breath through his nose, relishing her scent. Shaking his head, he opened his eyes.
"Jennifer," he whispered her name reverently to the empty plane. "I most definitely don't see you as a sister, and I don't think I could stay out of your way even if I wanted."
Jen sat in the garden behind the mansion, still wearing the parka she had put on hours ago. It was late and cold, but she didn't want to be inside just yet. She didn't feel like answering the questions she knew her two best friends would undoubtedly bombard her with. She lifted her head up to the clear sky, marveling at the thousands of stars that lit up the darkness.
A twig snapped on the ground to her left. Jen turned in the direction of the sound to see Alina coming towards her, wrapped in a heavy coat, carrying two coffee mugs. She couldn't help but smile at Alina as she took the offered mug. Jen felt the heat from the steam rise and caress her face as she drew the cup to her lips.
"So, tweedle dee and tweedle dumb sent you, I see." Jen indicated to the hot chocolate she was thoroughly thankful for.
Alina let out a small laugh as she sat down on the bench next to Jen. "Guilty as charged, I'm afraid."
Jen shrugged her shoulders, accepting that there was no way her two friends would leave her alone. She was glad it was Alina who had come. Something about her was so peaceful and comforting.
"Jen, are you unhappy here?" Alina asked gently.
"No," Jen said quickly. "No, Alina. Your home is wonderful and you and Vasile have made us all feel so welcome."
"Then why do you want to leave so badly?"
Jen looked slyly at Alina from the corner of her eye as she took another sip. She swallowed slowly, savoring the warmth that traveled through her. "No offense, Alina, but I know that you know about the fur ball." Alina laughed at Jen's insistent digs at Decebel.
"Okay, guilty. Yet again." Alina smiled, then it faded slowly as she placed her hand on Jen's arm. "Give it time, Jen. If it's meant to be then it will be." Jen started to interrupt but Alina continued before she could. "I know you think that because you aren't having any of the mating signs it's hopeless, but we've never been around someone with werewolf blood as diluted as yours. There is no telling the repercussions, so be patient, little one. He'll come around."
Jen slowly nodded, even though inside she still had serious doubts.
"I guess I need to go see Jacque and Sally and do a little damage control." Jen grimaced.
"That would probably be wise," Alina told her as they stood and walked back to the mansion together.
Jen opened the door to Sally's room to find her two best friends sitting on the floor, going over the homework their tutor had assigned them. Neither of them stopped to acknowledge her and she could admit she deserved the snub.
"So, I guess I need to apologize for being a complete ass," Jen told them, remorse written across her face.
Sally looked up at her slowly. Her eyes were drawn together in a glare that would stop a grown man. "Look, Jacque. The prodigal wolf returns. Isn't that sweet of her."
Jen winced at Sally's words, which were laced in sarcasm and dripping with vehemence.
Jacque gave Jen a passing glance as if she were nothing more than a gnat. "Huh, so it is." And she went back to her homework.
Crap, Jen thought. She was going to have to grovel. How she hated groveling. "I really am sorry. I know that you guys were worried and that you're mad at me for being selfish."
Sally sat up abruptly. "Worried, yes. Mad, no. Hurt, definitely. Jen, you won't talk to us about what's going on. You've been sulking around here for the past two months. You won't talk about the wolf blood thing, you won't talk about Decebel, and then you throw the hissy fit of the century and start packing your stuff, spouting off how you can't do it anymore. We are sitting in the dark twiddling our freaking thumbs." Sally's voice had slowly gotten louder as her rant continued. "I change my mind, we are mad. Hurt, mad and worried."
Jacque stared at Sally like she had grown a third eyeball while Jen was looking for a hole to crawl into.
"I'm sorry, Sally. I don't know what else to say, but truly I'm sorry. I've just been so, crap, I don't know. Frustrated, scared, lonely-"
"Lonely?" Jacque interrupted, obviously hurt.
"Not because you guys haven't been there," Jen added quickly. "I can't describe it. Okay," Jen stopped and sat down by her two best friends, "you want me to talk, here goes. When Decebel left after your ceremony, I felt like a hole had been cut inside of me. I don’t know how to describe it other than utter loneliness. I've been so stinking frustrated because I don't ever get depressed over a guy. I mean, hello, I'm Jen. I don’t need a guy." She ran her hands through her long blonde hair in agitation. "But there I was, pining after a werewolf and I don't know why. I don’t understand why he just left like he didn't give a damn." Jen wiped the tears that were now staining her face. "And bloody hell, I'm sick of crying."
Jacque sat up and took Jen in her arms; Sally wrapped hers around them both. The three girls sat there silently while Jen tried to get her scattered emotions under some sort of control.
Finally, Sally broke the silence. "Well, you're forgiven. Just quit being so stubborn and talk to us, okay?"
Jen nodded as she wiped the last of her tears away. "Talk, got it. I'm all over it, boss," she teased.
"So, you going to spill what happened today? You know, with you and…" Sally hinted.
"Between me and White Fang? Well, I will admit that when I saw Decebel I was shocked. As in 'what the hell do you mean a woman sat on a toilet so long that she became attached to it' shocked."
"Oh, snap. I forgot about that. That was wicked." Jacque cringed.
"Hey. Lucy, Ethel, focus," Sally snapped.
"Oh, right." Jen shook her head. "So shocked, because he was the last wolf I expected to see. To top it off, he was sweet. Which only ticked me off..." Jen trailed off, remembering how Decebel had momentarily gone to another place while looking into her eyes.
"What?" Sally asked.
"It's probably nothing, but there was one point when he was looking at me and he sort of zoned out. I had to say his name several times before he snapped out of it. Then I felt him pull back, if that makes sense. I mean emotionally. It was like he put a wall up between us."
"Hmm, sounds like it's time for me to investigate," Jacque said.
"Oh, by all means. We know your sleuthing skills are legendary." Jen rolled her eyes.
"Hey, I'm just honing my skills," Jacque said indignantly.
"Whatever you say, Sherlock," Jen teased.
"Alright, so spill the rest. What else did he say?" Sally asked eagerly.
Jen proceeded to tell them, at their insistence, word for word what was said between her and Decebel. And true to form, Jacque and Sally spent the remainder of the night dissecting the conversation. Jen swore they had it down to an art form.
Decebel lay on his bed, staring aimlessly at the ceiling. He couldn't sleep. Every time he closed his eyes he saw her face. Jennifer. Her scent was burned into his brain, and the hurt he had caused was etched in his memory. Her face had been clouded with it on the plane. For the first time in his long life he was truly unsure about the path he was to take.
The feelings that were stirring inside him towards Jennifer were foreign to him. The only thing he could compare it to was what he had felt for Cosmina, his younger sister. She had been the brightest light in his life. Sweet, kind, and gentle. There wasn't a day that went by that he didn't feel the hole inside caused by her death. Somehow, when he was with Jennifer he didn't feel so empty, so alone.
He kept waiting for the mating signs to happen, to hear her thoughts, for his markings to change. At the same time he feared the changes. If the mating signs appeared he would have no choice. He would have to claim Jennifer, and that scared him more than anything had since the day he watched his sister die in his arms.
He thought back to that gruesome day, how helpless he had felt. Cosmina was being courted by two wolves, one of which was her true mate. After several months of more or less passive pursuit, they challenged one another. Cosmina had to be present at the challenge per pack law. Decebel had begged her not to go but she wasn't a rule breaker. Cosmina always did what was expected of her. The wolves fought and the victor took pity on the other wolf and let him live. The losing wolf had gone feral at the idea of not having Cosmina and attacked her before anyone could stop him.
A true mate would never be able to lay a hand on his mate – it went against everything inside them. Their wolf would sooner die than lift a hand against his mate. The wolf had decided that if he couldn't have Cosmina then no one could. Decebel had reached the wolf a moment too late – Cosmina's throat had been ripped and the blood poured out of her in a flood.
Cosmina's true mate had been consumed with so much rage he became dangerous to the pack, and because it was Decebel's sister he choose to be the one to kill him. It wasn't uncommon to have to kill a true mate that hadn't been bonded yet. Decebel couldn't imagine wanting to live without his mate bonded or not.
The rage that consumed Decebel had given him more than enough strength to kill the guilty wolf and he had torn him limb from limb. As he held his sister and watched the light fade from her eyes, she spoke her final words.
"When the time comes, brother, don't fight destiny. Let it happen even if it doesn't happen the way you think it should." And then she was gone.
Cosmina had always had the ability to know things, future things. Nobody understood it and the pack had long ago accepted it.
Now as Decebel laid on his bed, his emotions a turbulent storm inside him, he had to wonder if she had been talking about Jennifer.
He grabbed his phone off the nightstand to check the time. One a.m. He groaned. Tomorrow – or today, rather – was going to be miserable if he didn't get any sleep. As pack Beta it was his job to train the younger wolves. Even in the twenty first century it was necessary for the wolves to know how to defend themselves, in human and wolf form.
After the training he was due to attend a conference call with Vasile. Some of the surrounding packs had called and asked to speak with Vasile, but didn't specify what it was about. When Decebel had asked if he had any inkling of the topic, Vasile nodded solemnly and told him that whatever it was he didn't think it was a good thing. Although packs tried to keep peace between themselves, there were times it was easier said than done. Werewolves were extremely territorial and it didn't take much for them to get in a pissing contest – no pun intended.
With a frustrated sigh he grabbed the ear buds to his iPhone and put them in, then turned on Jason Walker's "Down." He normally listened to classic rock, but he needed something soothing to calm him tonight, something to help him focus. He closed his eyes and listened as the words of the song poured over him. As he listened, he felt like it was written just for him. With every word Jennifer's face became clearer in his mind. Her infectious smile, her eyes twinkling with mischief, the quick wit that could cut a person in half – or make them feel like the most important person in her world.
Pictures ran through his mind of his time in the States when she was in the wreck, the fear that had ripped through him when he had seen her still form on the ground. He remembered feeling so out of control as the doctors tried to treat Jen when his wolf didn't want anyone near her. He let out a low growl as his mind wandered to her little stunt with the human male, Matt. Decebel clearly remembered the name Jennifer had whispered in his ear. He still hadn't talked with her about that night, about what had happened with this Matt character. He grinned slowly to himself as he finally began to drift off. He planned on talking with her very soon about Matt, and Decebel had a feeling she wasn't going to be too pleased about it.
That just made his smile bigger.
"Jen, wake up." Sally pulled the covers off her sleeping friend, allowing the cold air to flow over her. "If you don't get up, I'm getting some water and we'll relive some of those fond memories from the hospital."
"I really think you need help, Sally," Jen mumbled. "Throwing water in my face, throwing my suitcase out of the window, and you think I'm disturbed? It's time for the wicked witch to look in the mirror and ask who's the fairest of them all."
Jen sat up and tried to rub the sleep from her eyes. "What time is it?" she groaned.
"It's nine a.m. and we are supposed to meet with the tutor in thirty minutes. Get moving. We all know how long it takes you to become a person in the morning. I swear you're as bad as Jacque," Sally admonished as she grabbed Jen's hand and pulled her off the bed, pushing her in the direction of the bathroom.
"Bloody hell, Sally. I'm up," Jen whined. As she closed the bathroom door, Sally heard her mumble, "Note to self, lock bedroom door at night to keep perky morning people out."
Jen stood in front of the bathroom mirror, a towel wrapped around her, and combed the tangles from her wet hair. She wasn't going to lie to herself and say she wasn’t nervous about today – she was beyond nervous knowing he was here. Decebel, the werewolf she couldn't seem to let go of, no matter what her mind was telling her. Her heart was giving her mind the finger.
Jen jumped at the sound of Sally banging on the bathroom door.
"Okay, sleeping beauty, let's go. You're not going to a beauty contest."
Jen snatched the door open. "Try a different Disney character Thelma, 'cause in order for me to be Sleeping Beauty I would have to be asleep." Jen's words came out a little louder than she intended, but Sally didn't seem to be phased by it.
"Okay, Jen. Talk. What's up?" Sally narrowed her eyes. Her best friend was wound tighter than a roll of fishing twine.
Jen stepped out of the bathroom and headed towards the closet. She grabbed a pair of underwear and a bra from the dresser and began sifting through clothes. Finally settling on a pair of low rise Levi's and a warm fleece pullover, she stepped out of the closet and took a deep breath. "I'm nervous. Decebel's back, as in he's here in the mansion, which means the chances of me seeing him are much greater than when he was gone."
Sally stepped up to her friend and wrapped her arms around her for a quick hug. "He's really gotten to you." It wasn't a question. Sally had never seen steady, confident Jen in such turmoil.
"I need to do something, Sally. I don't know what but I can't stand this. I've never wanted a guy I couldn't have. As conceited as that sounds, truth is truth."
Sally's finger was tapping her lips as she closed her eyes in thought.
"Um, what's cooking in that sadistic brain of yours?" Jen asked nervously.
Sally's eyes snapped open. "I was just thinking that maybe if you met someone else then you could get past your furry problem."
"My furry problem? Really? You make it sound like I have abnormal leg hair growth or something." Jen rolled her eyes.
"Look." Sally stopped Jen before she could walk out of the room. "Let's just give it a go. You, me, and Jacque – tonight. We'll get Sorin to take us somewhere where there are going to be guys. Then you can do your thing."
"My thing?" Jen asked, raising her eyebrows.
"Yeah. You know, your thing. The hottie hunting thing."
Jen laughed. "Man, it sounded like such a good idea at the time."
Sally groaned. "Oh, come on, Jen."
Jen interrupted her before Sally could continue. "Don’t. Don't do that whiny voice."
"Then say you will go tonight," Sally challenged. "Or are you chicken?"
"You really like living on the edge, don't you, Thelma?"
"Hey, I'm just calling it how I see it." Sally shrugged.
Jen growled as she threw her head back. Sally knew she couldn't stand to be called a chicken. Jennifer Adams was many things, but a chicken was not one of them.
"Fine, I'll go." She paused, thinking about Sally's idea. "I think a night out is just what the doctor ordered."
"Excellent." Sally grinned, rubbing her hands together in suppressed glee.
"Man, you scare me sometimes, Sal. Truly, you do." Jen grabbed Sally's hand and began walking towards the bedroom door. "Let's do this."
"If that tutor tries to cram anything else into my head, I swear it's going to explode," Jacque whined.
"I feel ya. This three hours a day is kicking my super fine butt." Jen groaned as she slid into a seat in the dining room. "I mean, I get that she has to get seven hours of school into three, but seriously."
"I know, right?" Sally agreed as she laid her head on the table after taking a seat across from Jen.
Jacque sat at the head of the long table and leaned back against the chair.
"How are you, Luna?" She heard Fane's voice in her mind and felt his fingers run across her cheek. It made her shiver involuntarily.
"Oh, ya know, aside from my brain feeling like it's going to become mush and ooze out of my ears, I'm great." She heard him chuckle which made her grin like an idiot.
"I see you've been working on that constipated-looking face when you talk to Cujo," Jen teased.
Jacque just rolled her eyes at her friend.
"The girls are wanting to go out tonight. That okay with you?" she asked Fane.
"Sure, what time? My father has a conference call that was supposed to take place this afternoon, but has been pushed back to later this evening."
"That's fine. We were going to get Sorin to take us. They kind of want it to just be the girls."
That really made Fane laugh. "I'm sure Sorin will be so happy to know that you all consider him one of the girls."
Jacque laughed out loud, causing Sally and Jen to roll their eyes at her. "Sorry," she mumbled.
"So you cool with that, wolf-man?"
"I guess as long as Sorin is with you then I can deal with it. I love you, Jacquelyn."
"Funny that. I was just thinking the same thing about you." Jacque felt Fane's lips against hers. She was still getting used to being able to feel him even though he wasn't with her.
"Got the green light for tonight." Jacque grinned
Jen looked at Sally, then back at Jacque. "Did you smoke something this morning and not share?"
Jacque rolled her eyes. "Do you really think I have to smoke something to get happy when I wake up next to Fane every morning?"
"Okay, point to you," Jen said, waving Jacque off.
"Operation 'forget bossy werewolf guy' has been green-lighted?" Sally asked.
Jen covered her face and groaned at Sally's words. "Did you seriously just say that? Operation forget bossy werewolf guy? Really, Sally?"
Sally nodded in all seriousness.
"Well, if you're going to call our night out an operation – and you know how I love ops – at least get it right. It's operation 'forget freaking fine, brooding, bossy werewolf guy'," Jen supplied.
"Good call." Sally bumped fists with Jen, glad to see her friend was regaining her snarky sense of humor.
"Okay, girls. I think we need to head out and begin phase one of operation triple F, double B, WG." Jacque tried to say it with a straight face but as soon as she realized that B and G rhymed in her little abbreviation she lost the battle. Jen and Sally were laughing along with her as they all headed up the stairs.
"What exactly is phase one?" Jen raised her eyebrows at Jacque.
"Phase one, my dear, is find your inner hoochie mama."
"Ahh, I get it." Sally nodded. "It's all about embracing your inner skank."
Jen shook her head. "I think the air is thinner here because you two are clearly not getting enough oxygen to the brain."
"Oh, come on. Give us a break. Out of all of us, you've got inner skank-embracing down to an art form," Sally told her.
"True, very true, Sally. I am expert on all things skank." Jen was laughing as hard as Jacque and Sally when Decebel came around the corner.
The three girls froze while Decebel continued forward until he stood in front of Jen.
For a brief moment they simply stared at one another. The intensity that flowed between them was strong and nearly suffocating.
"I put your clothes and your suitcase in your room," Decebel told her.
Jen took a step back, surprised at his words. Decebel had seen the clothes in her suitcase, and by clothes she meant her womanly garments. She knew her face must be bright red because Decebel's eyes were glowing as she looked back at him. Before she could respond he leaned down and whispered in her ear.
"Please don't allow your friends to throw your clothes out the window. I had to make sure the wolves who found your things gave up all of the souvenirs they took – souvenirs that would cause your beautiful face to turn ten shades of red." She felt his breath on her neck, and he inhaled deeply before walking away.
Jacque had once told her that when a werewolf pulled that little stunt, he was taking in a person's scent. She shivered at the thought and couldn't help turning to watch Decebel walk away.
Jen finally noticed her two friends, who were staring at her with mouths open wide.
"Did you two hear that?" she asked.
Both girls shook their heads, still unable to speak, still stuck in their state of shock at Decebel's behavior.
"Bloody hell, you two. Don't just stand there. Get in my room so I can give you the 411." Jen pushed her two best friends towards her bedroom door, all the while trying to figure out what had just taken place in the hall.
Once in the room Jen shut the door and leaned back against it. Head pressed back, she closed her eyes and slowed her breathing. Blasted wolf was going to give her a heart attack. Frustration rippled through her. Why him? Why did her heart have to pick the one guy she would never be able to have?
"What did he whisper in your ear, Jen?" Jacque questioned.
Jen shook her head, trying to clear it. "He told me to not let my friends throw my clothes out of the window," she paused and looked pointedly at Sally, who had the good sense to look sheepish, "because he had to get my clothes back – which he called souvenirs – from the wolves who apparently found them." She chuckled to herself, knowing she was once again the color of a beet. "And from the tone in his voice, said souvenirs must've been my womanly garments."
Jacque laughed. "Did you just call your bras and panties 'womanly garments'?"
"That is classic." Sally laughed along.
"Could you two Pollyannas focus, please?" Jen admonished.
"Sorry," Jacque said, trying to pull herself together. "No, really. I'm good. Please continue."
Jen rolled her eyes. "Then he did that whole sniffing thing that you said Fane does to you."
Jacque's head snapped up. "He scented you?" The alarm in her voice caused some unease to rear its ugly head in Jen.
"Um, yeah. That a problem?"
"It's just awfully possessive – and very intimate. If Fane saw another wolf scent me he would tear into him."
Jen pondered on this only briefly before she decided it was time to move on. "Let's forget it all. I don't even want to get into the fact that Decebel has seen -"
"Your undergarments," Sally snorted as she interrupted Jen.
"Oh, shut up, Thelma," Jen snapped as she headed towards the closet in search of the night's outfit. Okay, she thought to herself, need to draw on my inner skank. She laughed as she started flipping through her clothes. Sally and Jacque joined her in the large closet and began their own searches.
"Ooo, how 'bout this?" Sally asked as she held up a short, distressed denim mini skirt and halter top.
"Um, Sally, we are in Romania in the winter time. Ring any bells?" Jacque asked.
"Oh, right. Cold. Got it," she said as she hung the outfit back up.
Jen pulled out a pair of low rise Lucky jeans. She and Jacque shared a love of the brand. Next she grabbed a deep plumb colored sweater with a plunging neckline. It had a fitted cut for a snug fit.
"I like." Jacque nodded in approval.
Jacque and Sally each borrowed shirts of Jen's. Sally chose a deep red sweater with wide arms that hung elegantly off her shoulders. Jacque picked her color of choice, a hunter green sweater dress that she planned to wear with dark grey leggings and boots. With their choices made, they headed off to their prospective bathrooms to change.
"Okay, meet back here in twenty for phase two," Sally advised.
"Dare I ask what phase two is?" Jen asked apprehensively.
"It's been too long since we've been out if you have to ask," Sally told her. "Hair and makeup, Jennifer. We have to take all this natural beauty up in here and make it shine."
"Riiiiight, shine. I'm on it, boss," Jen teased.
"Come on! Really, Skender? That's all you got to give these pups?" Decebel growled as he watched the wolves he was training spar.
Decebel knew that his frustration wasn't really coming from the wolves' inadequacies but from a certain mouthy blonde who had her claws in him so deep he could feel the blood running down his back. The sad thing about the whole situation – he liked it. Yeah, he thought, there is definitely something wrong with me.