by Quinn Loftis
“And what if you do find your mate there? What if you don’t like what you find?”
A wicked grin that was similar to the ones Jacque had seen on Decebel’s face before took the place of his frown. But unlike the wicked grins she’d seen, this one lacked any emotion. “Then I will kill him.”
Fane’s mouth dropped open briefly before he caught himself. “So if you find your female and she’s already with someone then you…” Fane’s words trailed off.
Decebel nodded. “Yes, then I’d take care of it. Though I do not feel I deserve a mate, my instincts would never allow me to walk away from her if I found her, and I sure as hell wouldn’t leave her in the hands of another male.”
Jacque wasn’t surprised by Decebel’s words, but she was surprised at how cold they sounded.
“Is that what you think you will find?” Sorin asked Fane having stood up and walked toward the door.
Fane nodded. “I should have gone when I felt prompted the first time, but I just couldn’t rationalize as to why America or why Texas. My gut tells me she’s there, but she’s no longer alone.”
Jacque’s stomach dropped to her toes as she realized what was about to happen. She didn’t feel the Great Luna’s hand on her arm or even notice the pull and empty space as they traveled. All she could think about was that Fane was coming to find her, two years after it should have happened, and he was going to find her with Lucas.
“I think I’m going to be sick.” Jacque slumped forward as the ground appeared beneath her feet. She stumbled forward but was caught by the goddess’ hand. She didn’t have time to recover or to prepare herself.
“Why are you here?” Lucas’ voice rumbled through the air.
Jacque straightened up and looked around her trying to get her bearings. She was standing in her front yard and, to her surprise, Jen and Sally were there.
“I thought they left me?” Jacque asked the goddess.
“Did you think your friends would ever really abandon you for good? They were always destined to be a part of my children. Since you and Fane did not meet at the designated time, the Fates had to make sure that they would be in the right place at the next opportunity for their own destinies to become fulfilled. Jen and Sally both are dating wolves from Lucas’ pack.”
“Do they know what they are?” Jacque asked as she looked at Jen who was standing next to a handsome, blonde guy.
“Yes, which is partly why they forgave you. They realized it must have been difficult to keep such a secret.
“I need to speak with you.” Fane’s voice drew her attention and when she looked at him she saw that he wasn’t answering Lucas’ question, he was talking to her―well, her other self. Jacque looked at the face of the future Jacque and could see clearly the confusion and shock in her eyes. Future Jacque tilted her head to the side as she stared back at Fane, and she knew that he must be using their bond to talk.
“Huh, I do make funny faces when we talk through the bond,” she mused as she continued to watch the drama unfold in front of her.
“She is mine,” Lucas snarled.
Fane looked away from future Jacque then and his face was strangely calm. When he met Lucas’ eyes, he almost looked amused. “Are you sure about that?”
“She’s been mine for two years.”
Fane took a step toward the Cold Spring Alpha. “Does she bear your mark? Does she wear markings that match your own?” Fane’s voice had dropped low as he challenged the other male. “Does she hear your voice in her mind?”
Future Jacque looked up at Lucas and the doubts were already beginning to slip through the cracks that Fane was putting in the carefully crafted reality that Lucas had built.
“If she doesn’t bear your mark, then Fane has every right to challenge you.” Vasile stepped up next to his son.
“Who are you?” Lucas asked through narrowed eyes.
“ 'Who are you?' is a more appropriate question,” Vasile parried. “You see, I am the Alpha of the Romanian pack, and I know all the other Alphas. But I don’t know you and you are not on any pack roster. Who are you, Lucas Steele, and why do you have an unregistered pack?”
Lucas tried to meet Vasile’s eyes but couldn’t. Jacque—the Jacque who was watching in horrid fascination—knew that Lucas wasn’t nearly dominant enough to hold Vasile’s gaze. Then again, few could stand against her father-in-law.
“Do you accept my challenge?” Fane asked, his eyes staring at future Jacque.
“I accept,” Lucas growled as he took future Jacque’s hand.
“She will not stay with you,” Vasile spoke up. “You know the rules of the challenge. You will remain separated from her until after the challenge.”
“Do I have a say in this?” Future Jacque finally seemed to snap out of her shocked state.
“No,” all three males responded.
She turned her glare on Fane and once again her eyes took on that faraway look. Jacque was actually jealous of her future self as the other got to speak to Fane through their bond for the first time. She missed her mate and missed that connection.
Just when Jacque thought they would be walking away from that encounter without bloodshed, at least until the challenge, Decebel walked across the lawn passing Vasile and Fane until he was standing about ten feet from Jen and the male with her.
“Decebel,” Vasile warned.
Jacque saw the claws on his hands then and realized why the Alpha was growling at his Beta. Decebel was barely in control of his wolf.
“I challenge for her,” he said in a voice barely understandable.
Jen’s eye narrowed as she looked from the guy next to her back to Decebel. “Excuse me, Tarzan, but who the hell are you talking about?”
Jacque laughed out loud, glad that no one could hear her.
Decebel look at the guy standing next to Jen, but he couldn’t even raise his head to look at Decebel. He was way outmatched. “Is this your—” Decebel paused and clenched his jaw so tight Jacque was sure his teeth would break at any minute. “Is this your—” he tried again.
“Dude, if it’s that painful to talk then maybe you should just stop,” Jen said, adding fuel to an already very volatile situation. “This is my boyfriend, if you must know.”
Vasile walked over to where Decebel stood and placed a hand on his shoulder. “What is your name?” Vasile asked Jen.
“Jennifer Adams,” she answered, though not with near as much attitude as she gave Decebel.
“You are human?”
“And you are not,” Jen snorted. “Anything else we need to cover? Maybe we need to sort out what our genders are as well just for good measure?”
Jacque smacked a hand to her forehead. She looked over at future Jacque and that was when she noticed Sally standing next to another male. She turned quickly to look back at Sorin and Costin. Sure enough, Costin was eyeballing Sally like he hadn’t eaten in about twenty years and she was a juicy T-bone.
She turned and looked at the Great Luna. “This is going to be a blood bath.”
The Great Luna raised a brow at her. “It’s a messy business trying to fix destiny when you step off the path designated for you.”
“Decebel, are you sure?” Vasile asked and Jacque turned to look back at the group.
Decebel’s eyes were glued to Jen and while Jen obviously appreciated the view, she wasn’t about to swoon at his feet. Some things never change, Jacque thought.
“I challenge your boyfriend,” Decebel growled, “for you.”
Jen raised a single brow. “And what if I don’t want you?”
Decebel took a step closer to her. The male next to her started to move but Decebel’s head snapped up to look at him and the man fell to his knees. Guess it was blaringly obvious who was more dominant between the two.
Jen looked down at her boyfriend and then back up at Dec. Jacque grinned. Jen didn’t want to admit it, she could tell, but she was impressed. No surprise there, she was Decebel’s match in every way.
; Decebel turned back to Jennifer and leaned in closer to her. He took a deep breath and Jacque saw his shoulders relax slightly.
“Are you going to answer my question?” Jen wiped the awed look off her face, obviously remembering that she was supposed to be irritated. “What if I don’t want you?”
“You will,” Decebel said softly.
Jen was speechless and, despite the circumstances, Jacque really wished she had a camera to capture the moment and show it to her friend once the nightmare was over.
Vasile watched his Beta for several more seconds before finally shaking his head. “So be it,” he said and then turned back to Lucas. “Two challenges stand for two unmarked females you claim.”
“So this is all happening because we don’t have bite marks on our skin?” Jen spoke up stepping to the side of Decebel, being careful not to touch him, and faced Vasile.
“You are human and yet you know of our race. Have they not explained to you what it means to be a true mate?” Vasile asked her. “Did your boyfriend,” (The word didn’t sound like a good thing as he said it) “not tell you about what it meant to wear his mark or about your own markings that should match his? Did he not tell you about the bond between mates and the ability to communicate without words? Surely they’ve been open and honest with you about what it truly means to be mated to one such as us?”
Jen’s jaw had dropped open but she quickly snapped it shut. “I’m sure they were going to get around to it, weren’t you Lucas?” She spat at the Cold Spring Alpha.
Okay, Jacque thought, so maybe she’d forgiven Jacque, but it was obvious Jen still did not like Lucas.
“They haven’t told us any of that.” Sally’s soft voice broke through the tense moment as she stepped up beside Jen.
Vasile’s countenance softened immediately and Jacque wondered if he knew what she was.
Vasile bowed his head to her and pressed a hand over his heart. “Then I’m sure they have not bothered to tell you how precious you are, healer.”
Yep, he knew.
“Alpha, you know how I hate to be left out of a good challenge.” Costin’s voice came from just behind her. He walked past Jacque, obviously unable to see her and straight toward Sally.
The grin on his face was all Costin―confident, cocky, and funny. But Jacque didn’t miss the hostility lurking in his hazel eyes. Costin had not been unaffected by the two years without Sally.
Vasile let out a heavy sigh. “Who are you challenging for?”
Costin winked at Sally. “Brown eyes, do you have a male here who claims you?” he asked gently.
Sally seemed at a loss, so it was Jen who answered. “She’s dating that one.” Jen pointed to a short, stalky male with sandy brown hair and grey eyes. He was currently glaring daggers at Costin, but like the other males, he seemed unable to move.
Costin nodded to Jen. “Thank you. I challenge that one,” he said and motioned toward the one Jen indicated, “for brown eyes.”
“She has a name,” Jen told him sharply.
Costin grinned, dimples and all. “I’m sure she does and I imagine it’s as beautiful as she is. When she’s ready she can whisper it to me.”
Jen coughed as she looked from Costin to Sally. “Oh girl, he’s good.”
Sally blushed but still didn’t say anything.
Vasile looked back at Sorin. “Do you want to challenge as well?”
Jacque could tell he was really hoping Sorin said no.
“I think I’ll just watch,” Sorin told his Alpha.
“Fine,” Vasile turned back to Lucas. “You have your three challenges. Do I need to go over the rules or do you know them?”
“I know them.”
Vasile nodded. “Good, here’s my card.” He handed Lucas a small, square piece of paper. “Call me in twelve hours with the location and time. The challenge must take place within three days of issuance.”
As the group broke apart, Jacque watched her future self stare after Fane who was walking backward while staring at her. Lucas turned her to face him and Jacque could tell she was forcing herself to ignore Fane.
“So it doesn’t matter what I do, we are still going to end up together?” Jacque asked the Great Luna as she watched her two best friends lead her future self into her house.
“You and Fane, like Jennifer and Decebel and Sally and Costin, were created for each other. After so many long years of darkness, you are the generation that must reunite my wolves. The supernatural world has been on the brink of self-destruction for quite some time. The division among them is weakening them, and the magic that has been in the human realm is fading. The fae have always held the supernatural races in check, but when they stepped back and hid away in Farie, they didn’t realize the future consequences of their actions, not unlike someone else I know,” she said narrowing her eyes on Jacque. “I realize that I have asked a lot of you and your companions and of my wolves. But it takes a spark to start a fire and you three ladies are my spark.”
Chapter 10
“So is that it?” Jacque asked, waiting to see if the Great Luna would now take her back to the present.
“Not just yet. I think it is important that you see the consequences of your decisions. Though you may still end up with your mate, the consequences will be extreme. In your reality, when Fane challenged Lucas, they were the only two wolves that suffered the consequences. Lucas was the only wolf that forfeited his life. In this reality, that will not be the case. Not only will many more die but the risk of revealing yourselves to the human world becomes very real.”
The Great Luna placed a hand on her shoulder and, in the blink of an eye, they were standing in Jacque’s room. Jen, Sally, and Jacque were all in various sprawled positions, all looking a tad worse for wear.
“Okay, so a year and a half ago when you finally came clean about what Lucas was, I thought I’d seen it all,” Jen said as she stared up at the ceiling fan as it rotated hypnotically. “I was so very, very wrong.”
Future Jacque nodded. Her eyes were wide and she looked very lost. “I don’t even know what to think.”
“So that stuff that main guy was talking about, what was his name?” Jen thought for a minute. “Vasile.” She snapped her fingers. “Yes, that was it. Was that stuff happening with you and the hottie who challenged Lucas? Were you able to hear his thoughts in your mind?”
Instead of answering future Jacque jumped up and jerked her shirt over her head.
“Okay, so just thinking about him has you so hot and bothered that you have to strip?” Jen asked as she sat up and watched her friend walk over to the mirror on her dresser.
Jacque hesitated before lifting her hair and turning so she could look over her shoulder. The breath whooshed from her body as her eyes took in the black, tattoo like markings that ran across her back from shoulder to shoulder.
Sally and Jen both stood and walked over to her. Their eyes were every bit as wide as future Jacque’s.
Sally was next to strip off her shirt and turned to look over her shoulder, pulling her brown locks out of the way. She too had markings; only hers were down the center of her spine.
Jen took a step back. “For the first time, I really don’t want to take my clothes off.”
Future Jacque rolled her eyes at her blonde friend and then jerked Jen’s shirt up. She turned her friend side to side looking her over. “There’s nothing.”
Jen let out a sigh. “Thank goodness for that. I thought I was going to be saddled to that cave man. I’m not saying he wasn’t hotter than the seventh level of hell, but let’s face it, his conversational skills need some serious work.”
“You never answer her question,” Sally said as she looked at future Jacque. “Could you hear his thoughts?”
Future Jacque nodded. “He apologized to me for making me wait.”
“I heard that guy who challenged Eli in my mind,’ Sally confirmed.
“You mean dimples?” Jen asked with a grin. “I bet he has girls falling at his feet
begging him to let them lick those suckers.”
Sally frowned. “You are so disturbed.”
Jen shrugged. “There is nothing wrong with a good dimple licking if it happens to be on someone that looks like that wolf.”
Future Jacque slipped her shirt back on and Sally did the same. Jen headed for the door as the other two took seats on the floor.
“This calls for hot chocolate. You two are looking a little pale and we obviously have strategy to discuss.” She left the room, leaving Sally and future Jacque looking after her.
“She’s taking this rather well,” Sally pointed out.
Future Jacque nodded. “But then she took the 'whole werewolves are real' thing really well too.”
“That was just because she finally realized why you were being so weird.”
“True,” future Jacque agreed.
“How do you think Lucas is doing?” Sally asked.
Future Jacque pinched the bridge of her nose and slowly shook her head from side to side. “I imagine he is just sort of blowing a gasket. You know he doesn’t share well.”
“Or at all,” Sally added.
Jen was back several minutes later with a tray of coffee mugs and a package of Oreo cookies. “Okay, heifers, let’s get serious,” she said as she sat the tray down in the middle of their circle and took a seat. “What are we going to do if these. . .wait. . .what nationality are they? Russian?”
Future Jacque froze. Her breathing increased as her hands curled into tight fists. “Romanian,” she finally said.
“Did he just tell you that using his mind mojo on you?” Jen asked.
She nodded.
“Man, this crap just keeps getting deeper and deeper,” Jen muttered. “Okay, so what are we going to do if those Romanian wolves manage to win these challenges?”
Future Jacque looked at Sally. “Do you feel anything for Costin, the one who challenged for you?”
