by Quinn Loftis
"I can actually do you one better than that if you would like," Sally spoke up.
"Sally," Jacque's voice was thick with warning, "I thought we agreed not to go down that little path."
"Oh chilax wolf princess. I can show him the pictures of her with the sheet wrapped around her-granted she is still pawing all over him." Sally's eyes twinkled with mischief. Costin watched the brunet with fascination, still not understanding why she was quickly becoming something he and his wolf were inexplicably drawn to.
"You have pictures of her?" Decebel asked eagerly as he pulled his eyes away from the fire to look at Sally.
Sally nodded as she pulled out her cell phone. She went over and sat down next to Decebel on the hard wood floor, warmed nicely by the heat of the fire.
"Now before I show you let me explain why she is so scantily clad," Sally grinned as she remembered the night she and Jen had decided that it was their job to rescue Jacque from loneliness in the ICU, yeah that had worked out so well. Sally began the story at the wreck the girls were in with Jacque's mom. She weaved the story holding Decebel in thrall knowing that he was soaking in every word to learn more about the woman he no longer remembered. Finally, a half hour later she concluded, "So that is why your beloved is wrapped around you dressed only in a hospital sheet."
Sally looked over at Jacque who had her hand across her face as she shook her head at Sally's story.
"Geeze, hearing you tell it makes us sound like nut cases," Jacque murmured.
"Truth be told Jac, you aren't far off the mark," Crina teased.
Sally looked back at Decebel who sat wide eyed and speechless. Finally he said, "Show me."
Sally pushed some keys on her phone and held it up to him, "Scroll side to side by swiping the screen."
Decebel took the phone from her hand and stared at the blonde beauty who, wrapped in the hospital sheet as described, had one arm wrapped around Decebel's neck, her other hand rested on his chest. She stared up into his face with a look that could only be described as complete adoration. He scrolled through each picture noting the different looks of confusion and panic on his own face as he struggled with what to do with the girl they claimed was his mate.
Finally the last picture Sally had captured was of him looking down at the sleeping girl. He noted that his own face held a fierce protectiveness as he stared at the one who had obviously captured his heart and most likely his soul.
He handed the phone back to Sally and pulled out his own phone. "Could you please send me a few of those," Decebel quickly explained his request, "Not because I'm being-" He struggled to find the words.
"We don't think you are trying to lust after her Decebel. Relax. If I had forgotten Fane I would want pictures of him as well, and if they happened to be of him half dressed-well then lucky me." Jacque laughed as Fane nipped her neck gently with his teeth, "Wicked women," he murmured against her skin.
Decebel looked up at Jacque while Sally worked on sending him the pictures.
"Did she like me?" He asked her apprehensively.
Jacque grinned, "Does she like you, you mean?" Jacque clarified, "Decebel, she is still alive and we will get her back. And yes, she is crazy as hell about you."
Decebel's lips lifted slightly in a small smile, "Do I like her?" his eyes twinkled wickedly.
Fane chuckled and answered before Jacque could, "I think like is putting it mildly, although she did cause you to lose considerable amounts of sleep."
Decebel's face broke into a full grin making his strong features appear boyish, "Would she be worth it if she didn't?"
"Good point," Fane conceded.
The room grew quiet as they each turned to their own thoughts. The silence was comfortable even with the darkness that loomed over them. They each had accepted their part in the trials that would come.
Sally felt the hair on the back of her neck stand up as she realized she was being watched. Slowly she turned her head in the direction she felt the stare coming from. Her eyes collided with Costin's. She felt goose bumps rise across her skin at the heat that filled his deep hazel eyes. The pull she felt between them was strong, and like nothing she had ever felt. She didn't understand how it was possible when she knew that she had no werewolf blood in her. Sally let a small smile form on her lips as she thought about how she would need to tread carefully with this or she would inevitably end up with a broken heart. Costin had an easy charm about him. He was light hearted, shamelessly flirty, unbelievably handsome and dominant to the core. Yea, Sally thought, this one has the potential to rip my heart out, grin and wink all the while with me swooning at his good looks and unbelievable charisma.
Her heart dropped to her stomach as a breathtaking grin spread across his face. He cocked an eyebrow at her and winked, mischief danced in the depths of his eyes as she felt the blood rush to her face while she looked upon his sensual lips and felt the easy confidence that he wore like a favorite shirt, pouring off of him.
Sally finally pulled her eyes from him as she heard Decebel take in a sharp breath.
Every eye turned to him as they watched him raise his eyes, wide with confusion and look at them, "I feel her. She's seeking me out." His words were so soft that even the crackling of the fire threatened to drown them out.
"Has she spoken to you?" Jacque asked him gently as if to keep from spooking him.
"No, she needs comfort. She's hurting." Decebel instinctively pictured the image of her from the pictures on Sally's phone in his mind and then imagined caressing her face. He didn’t' know what he felt for her, he didn't know her, but feeling her in his mind called to his wolf. And his wolf refused to deny this woman anything she needed.
"Jen?" he reached out tentatively.
Chapter 6
Jen felt her body being laid onto a soft surface. Even with the unbelievable gentleness in which the arms placed her, the pain from her injuries still rolled through her body. She gasped at the sting, opening her eyes at the same time. Without thought, she reached out for Decebel. She didn't speak; she simply sought the touch of his mind, needing the comfort of his strength through their bond.
As soon as she felt him, she knew something was wrong. She didn't know what, but his mind seemed jumbled and restless. Before she could speak to him, the face of a woman came into view as she leaned over Jen. Rachel, Jen remembered.
"How are you feeling?" the woman asked her.
Jen swallowed and licked her lips trying to dispel the dryness that had coated the inside of her mouth.
Her voice was hoarse when she responded, "Aside from feeling like a bull has danced the cha-cha on my body and then passed me along to his bully friends for the same mind blowing experience, well I'm just dandy."
Rachel scrunched her brow at the bruised face of the obviously beautiful girl before her. Her words indicated that she was in definite pain, but the tone of her voice was so upbeat. It confused the healer.
Jen, noticing that Rachel had obviously not caught on to her sarcasm blew out a shallow breath and took pity on her rescuer, "Sorry, I tend to have a smart mouth in painful, tense and otherwise completely unbelievable circumstances."
"So you aren't doing well, correct?" Rachel asked for clarification.
"Correct. I am most definitely not doing well."
"I'm going to give you an herbal tea with healing properties to drink. Then, if you are ready, I will try to explain where you are. Would that be alright?"
Jen tried to focus on Rachel's words even as she heard noise around her, cabinets being opened and closed, things being shuffled on the floor and then a cold breeze rushing over her as a door was opened and then closed.
"That's Gavril, my mate," Rachel explained, "He is gathering the things I will need to help you. You have a long recovery ahead of you." Jen could tell that Rachel was not convinced that she could indeed heal her. This made Jen realize how close to death she actually was.
Rachel stepped away for a moment and then returned with a cup. Steam rose from the cup re
vealing the warmth of the liquid. Rachel gently place an arm under Jen's neck and raised her enough to be able to safely swallow the tea.
Jen sputtered as the tea hit her tongue.
"I know it's not the best tasting drink, but truly you need to drink it. Please."
Jen didn't know how she knew to trust Rachel, but something in her said she was on Jen's side. Jen held her breath as she forced herself to swallow the bitter liquid until the cup was empty. Once again Rachel gently lay Jen back down. She stepped from Jen's view and Jen could hear running water, cabinets opening and closing again. She heard Gavril whisper something to his mate and then a soft noise that sounded like a kiss. Jen's heart ached at the tenderness in that sound.
Rachel came back over, her arms full of towels. She laid them on the end of the bed. When she disappeared again, she returned with clothes and a blanket.
"Gavril has stepped out to give you privacy. We need to clean your wounds and I need to check your ribs."
Jen nodded. She knew this was coming but she seriously dreaded moving . Rachel helped her sit up. Instead of making her pull the shirt over her head Rachel pulled out a pair of scissors and cut the shirt off.
"Good call healer," Jen smiled.
"I have my tricks," Rachel teased back, "Although I'm afraid the pants won't be so easy."
"Oh well, what's a day not spent writhing in pain simply from removing clothing? I mean seriously who wants to go through life without that experience."
Rachel chuckled, "I bet you bring amusement to your mate."
"You might call it amusement; I think he calls it being a pain in the ass."
Jen winced as she laid back and tried to help Rachel remove her pants. Rachel laid the blanket across her, only baring the part of her that she was cleaning or looking over. She ran the warm wash cloth across Jen’s head cleaning a cut on her forehead. She probed Jen's scalp with her fingers and stopped when Jen let out a gasp.
"We are going to have to wash your hair to get all the blood out so I can make sure this doesn't need stitches." Rachel walked away again and came back with a large bowl of water and some sort of soap.
"It's a cleansing soap, I make it. It will help keep infection out," Rachel explained at Jen's questioning look.
Jen laid there with her eyes closed while she let Rachel wash her hair. She didn't move as she continued to endure the menstruations. They discovered that no stitches were necessary. Rachel explained that head wounds tended to bleed bad and look worse than the really were. Jen was out of breath by the time Rachel had helped her slip on the warm sweat shirt and sweat pants.
"I know you are hurting so I'm going to give you more tea, but this has some pain controlling properties. It should help take the edge off."
"Thank you Rachel," Jen breathed out as she tried to calm her breathing and quite her racing heart.
"That's what I'm here for. Truthfully I have missed using my gift. Gavril swears that I have let him get injured on our outings just so I would have someone to tend." Rachel laughed at her own words and Jen smiled once again at the beautiful sound.
Finishing the tea, she watched as Rachel took a chair next to the bed.
Jen noted that the woman looked to be in her late thirty's or early forties. She was voluptuous but by no means overweight. She had dark chocolate hair that fell in natural waves around her elegant face. Her eyes were blue, but not just blue, more like azure and nearly glowed. She had full rose colored lips and Jen could see she had a small gap in between her front teeth that, instead of detracting to her beauty, added character. There was a peace about her that reminded Jen of Sally. Rachel's eye's met Jen's drawing Jen back from her scrutiny.
"What do you know of gypsy healers?" Rachel asked simply.
"Not much," Jen admitted, "I just found out one of my best friends is one."
Rachel's eyebrows rose on her forehead and her azures began to definitely glow, "A gypsy healer? Here in Romania?"
Jen nodded, but caught herself when she felt the sharp tingles and answered instead, "Yes."
"Is she wolf as well?"
"No, she's home grown, all American human," Jen said dryly.
Rachel thought about the revelation for a few quiet moments. About what it meant that a gypsy healer had returned to the Romanian wolves after three centuries of absence. She didn't count herself since she and her mate had effectively slipped from view.
"You said you are a healer?" Jen asked.
"Yes, I am. But I am not only a healer."
"Your eyes glow," Jen's words were soft as she pieced the puzzle together, "Mother of pearl; you're a dormant aren't you?"
Rachel's mouth took on a slight curve as she smiled at Jen's odd words. "Yes, I am a dormant. I'm the last one born in 5 centuries, both gypsy healer and dormant Canis lupis."
"Why are you living here all alone without a pack?"
"Try to relax. This could take a while," Rachel sat back in her chair and crossed one leg over the other. She looked off at nothing unparticular gathering her thoughts and trying to decide where she should begin her story.
"Gavril, my mate was a mighty Alpha three centuries ago to the Western Romanian Pack,"
"Western Romanian?" Jen interrupted.
Rachel cocked her head, a very wolf like gesture.
Jen raised her hands in surrender, "Sorry, got it. No interrupting, hold all applause until the end of the show."
Rachel shook her head, "You are very strange."
"You have no idea," Jen muttered under her breath but kept her attention on Rachel, waiting for her to go on.
"For centuries the Romanian packs were divided. Eastern and Western. Both were ruled by powerful Alpha's who were surprisingly agreeable most of the time. They had a shaky alliance that turned into a friendship over the years. My great-grandmother was the gypsy healer to the Western pack. Eastern pack did not have a healer and because of the friendship between the Alphas, the Eastern Alpha would allow my great-grandmother to go and attend their wolves when needed. She wound up having an affair with a werewolf, although now I believe she was actually his mate. Through that pairing a daughter was conceived and so on and so forth until I was born. At first, I thought that I was just a fourth generation healer and dormant. Gavril was the pack historian. He had no reason to know otherwise, so that is how he recorded me. But after the werewolf wars, and my mother's death, it became apparent that I was the only healer left. That was when I was finally told who I really was. She had finally decided that it was time to remind the wolves of their history."
"She who?" Jen asked.
"We will get to her soon enough."
Rachel paused momentarily and Jen took advantage of the silence, "Okay back up a sec Charlie Brown, what do you mean they think your great-grandmother had a mate? Wasn't she human?"
Rachel nodded, "She was human," before Jen could interrupt Rachel held up a finger stopping her, "But more importantly, she was a gypsy healer." She didn't elaborate but just let that sink in.
Jen's mouth fell open. Even though it hurt horrifically, she propped herself up on her side gingerly, "Bloody hell, you can't be saying what I think you are saying. But you are, aren't you? Gypsy healers can mate with Canis lupis."
"Not 'can'," Rachel clarified, "will."
"Will?" Jen's eyebrows rose at the declaration.
"Gypsy healers are always the mate to a Canis lupis."
"Then why aren't their more dormants?"
"It is very difficult for werewolves to procreate, there is a reason for this but we won't get into that right now. It's even rarer with healers and a wolf. A child born of a healer and a wolf only comes every four or five centuries. I was the last known gypsy healer/dormant."
"Okay, so how can there be gypsy healers that aren't dormants then?" Jen challenged.
"How was the mate of the Romanian Canis lupis prince conceived and not full wolf?"
"Touche'," Jen conceded, "So there are gypsies who have chosen to be with humans?"
"When th
ey could not find their mate, or their mate died before they were bonded. Then yes, some chose a life with a human and would wind up bearing children from that union," Rachel explained.
"Okay, I'm with you. Hit me with some more," Jen laid back down, her lips flattening in a tight line as she eased onto her back.
"Since my mother was a healer, I grew up around werewolves but most of my friends were from a village a couple of miles away from the pack den. My mother kept me, for the most part, away from the males for as long as she could. I believe she was worried that I would find a mate at too young an age. When I hit puberty, I began to exhibit unusual physical attributes that were getting difficult to conceal from the humans. My eyes, for instance, took on a slight glow. When I would feel strong emotions, they would glow just like a full blood Canis lupis. I had to be careful and learn to control my emotions. Although my mother wanted to keep me from the males, I had to learn the skills of being a healer. As I continued to get older I started going with her to see her patients. I would see Gavril from time to time and began to feel a pull towards him. When I mentioned it to my mother she told me that it wasn't time. I didn't really understand what she meant until later.
"One day, I was with one of my friends from the village and she saw my eyes glow—really glow. You have to remember that this was a time when the mere mention of witchcraft would get you hung, or burned. Anything out of the ordinary was looked upon as suspicious. She promised not to tell anyone, but naturally, her fear overcame her loyalty to me. After she told her mother what she had seen, her mother convinced her to bring me to their village. I trusted her; she told me she had something to show me. And because I trusted her, I followed her to my death."
Jen's breath caught as she heard the raw emotion in Rachel's voice. She saw her eyes glowing but also the steely determination written on the healer’s face.
"What did they do to you?" Jen asked gently.
"They tried to burn me at the stake," she answered matter of fact like.
"What?" Jen's mouth dropped open and her eyes, wide as saucers, revealed the indignation she felt at Rachel's revelation.
