by Quinn Loftis
“Our baby is fine,” Bethany said, understanding that was what the high fae meant.
Peri reached her bed and then sighed. “Let me guess, a certain goddess told you that?”
Bethany frowned. “How’d you know?”
“Because people only know stuff they shouldn’t when they’ve been paid a visit by said goddess.” Peri pinched the bridge of her nose and shook her head. When she looked up again, Bethany saw the weariness that she’d missed when Peri hadn’t been standing right next to her. Now, up close, she could see the dark circles under the high fae’s eyes and the red left over after tears had filled them. Bethany saw the heavy weight of what was to come and what had already happened sitting heavily on the woman’s shoulders.
“I’m sorry,” Bethany said quietly. “For Alina and Vasile.”
Peri’s shoulders tightened, and she clenched her jaw. “Thank you. It’s your loss, too.”
“I didn’t know them like you did, though. They took me in, made me a part of their pack, and for that, I will forever be grateful. I know they will be missed.”
“More than any words can express,” Peri agreed, her voice soft as her eyes glistened. “Now, why is it that the moment you woke up from your mate’s injury you called for me and not for him?”
“I have a message for you from the Great Luna.” Bethany’s heart was in her throat as she remembered the things she’d seen on the battlefield, and the words that had been given to her to pass on.
Peri’s back straightened and her chin lifted. “What did she say?”
“She said to tell Perizada that I have seen, heard, and felt the pain of my children. This is only the beginning of what must take place.”
The high fae swallowed hard, but her face didn’t betray any emotion other than determination. “So be it,” she said after several heartbeats of silence.
Suddenly, there was a loud crash followed by a shout.
“BETHANY.”
“It appears that your mate is awake and not dead.” Peri’s lips turned up in a small smile, though it didn’t meet her eyes.
“Guess he wants to see me,” Bethany said sheepishly.
“They tend to get testy when they think their mate might be hurt or in danger.”
“You have to calm down,” a woman’s voice warned.
Bethany pushed the blanket away and swung her legs over the side of the bed. Peri stepped forward and held out a hand. “Thank you.” Bethany took the offered hand and pushed herself off the bed and onto her sock-covered feet. It took her a minute, once she was standing, to get her bearings, but after several deep breaths, she realized she was fine. Her stomach was a little sore, but other than that, she was okay.
Bethany stepped around Peri and moved toward the ruckus. There were beds lined up and separated by curtains, much like in a human hospital. She passed three beds with sleeping figures. Some were wrapped in bandages, and some simply looked like they’d just found a place to rest and had taken the opportunity.
When she reached Drake’s bed, she pulled back the curtain and had to press her lips together to keep from laughing. Drake was attempting to sit up, but three females and one male were practically laying on him to keep him flat on the bed.
“If you move around too much you will undo all that Diedre has done,” said Rachel, who was holding onto a leg.
Bethany hurried around the bed and pushed aside the male whom she didn’t recognize. “Drake,” she said firmly and took her mate’s face in her hands. “I’m fine. You need to be still so you don’t hurt yourself.” She had no idea what injuries he had suffered but assumed because of the pain she’d felt in her abdomen when she’d fallen that he’d sustained a wound to his midsection.
“Bethy,” he whispered, her nickname coming out reverently as he lifted his hands. One touched her hair as the other trailed fingertips across her cheeks, which were growing warm. They had an audience, but she was trying to ignore that fact. “You’re okay?” he asked and then quickly followed with, “The baby?”
“We’re both fine.” She nodded as tears built in her eyes. Seeing the emotion in his eyes, how much he loved her and worried for her, made her realize her life was richer than she would have ever expected.
“Thank the Great Luna.” He sighed as he pulled her head down to his and touched their foreheads together.
“Are you alright?” Bethany asked softly. “What happened?”
“I got skewered like a stuffed hog,” he said as he rubbed his nose against hers as if what he said was of little consequence.
* * *
She frowned and pulled back so she could look at his face. “You were stabbed?”
He nodded. “In my stomach. I won’t lie. It was bad.”
Bethany stood up and finally looked at the people who’d been holding down her mate. The only one she recognized was Rachel. “You all saved him?” she asked the group that was staring at her.
The male held up his hand. “I just held him down when he went into frantic-mate-mode. I’m Adam, mate to Crina. She’s a member of your pack, but we’ve been off fighting other bad guys.”
Bethany nodded. “It’s nice to meet you.”
Rachel stepped forward and motioned to the two women standing on the other side of Drake’s bed. “Bethany, this is Diedre.” She motioned to the woman with long brown hair that was braided and resting over one shoulder. She had a kind face, and a radiance filled her eyes. “She is a sprite and the head of the clan of luminous sprites.”
Bethany didn’t lift a brow at the news that sprites existed. She wasn’t surprised by anything anymore. There was really no point.
“And this,” Rachel continued, “is Lanora. She is a healer sprite. They are the reason your mate, and in turn you and your child, are still alive.”
Bethany didn’t even try to stop the tears as she hurried around the bed and first hugged Diedre and then Lanora. “Thank you, thank you,” she said over and over again. “There’s no way I can ever show you my gratitude for what you’ve done.”
Diedre reached out and took one of Bethany’s hands in hers and squeezed. “It is what we are here for, and we are so thankful that we were able to help you both. Your mate is strong and stubborn. Both of those things actually help us do our job.”
A smile stretched across Bethany’s face. She was well aware of how stubborn her mate was.
“I am very thankful that we could save him,” Lanora said, her voice soft with a musical quality.
Diedre turned to Drake and narrowed her eyes on him. “You are not to get out of this bed without assistance and only for necessity until we tell you otherwise.”
Drake, surprisingly, didn’t argue. He simply bowed his head. “Thank you. Truly, I am in your debt.”
“The debt has been paid,” Diedre said, her voice full of sorrow.
Bethany felt pain through the mate bond, but it wasn’t physical pain. It was emotional. The loss of their alpha pair. She wondered if that was the payment of which Diedre spoke.
One by one, the others stepped away until Bethany and Drake were alone.
“Come here, please.” Drake held out a hand to her.
She walked over and let him pull her next to him on the bed. She sat, trying not to move too much for fear of causing him pain. “I’m so sorry about Vasile and Alina,” she whispered.
Drake let out a deep breath. “Losing them is a huge blow to our pack,” Drake admitted. “There are people in this world who are selfless and willing to do anything for others. That’s the kind of people Vasile and Alina were. They took me into their pack knowing the type of pack I came from. But they never treated me any differently.”
She held his hand tighter and sat quietly, letting her love flow through the bond, hoping she could offer him some comfort. She felt the pain of the alpha pairs' loss, and it was so much worse through her mate’s emotions because he had a deeper attachment to them than she.
After a few minutes, Drake released her hand and then pressed it to her stom
ach. She loved the warmth that seeped through her clothes and set her hand on top of his, pressing it more firmly into her.
“Our child is alright?” Drake asked, worry filling his voice.
Bethany nodded. “I have it on very good authority that our little one is just fine and will do great things in his or her life.”
Drake’s brow rose. “The Great Luna?”
Bethany nodded. “She paid me a visit while we were both unconscious. She took me to the battlefield.”
Drake frowned. “You shouldn’t have seen that.”
“I’ve seen blood and death, Drake.” She hated reminding him that she’d spent a long time in the hands of the vampires. “The only reason it was hard to be there was because I knew you’d been there and somewhere on that field was your lifeblood.”
He tried to pull her down beside him, but she shook her head. “You’re not going to hurt me,” he told her.
“Diedre said—”
“Diedre doesn’t understand that the touch of a true mate helps a wolf heal. I need you close.”
“Alright.” She gave in, mostly because she needed to be close to him, too. She stretched out beside him and settled her head on his chest. He smelled like magic, but underneath that, she could also pick out his scent. She breathed in deeply and let it remind her that he was safe.
“I love you, Drake,” she said as she pressed her face into his bare skin.
“I love you, my sweet Bethany.”
“What happens now?” She worried about the fact that they were leaderless and the enemy was no doubt doing a victory dance over the huge blow they’d dealt.
“We regroup.” He sounded so sure, for which she was thankful. “We get ready for the next fight.”
“Who will be alpha?” Bethany had felt the emptiness, the loss of the bond to the alpha pair. But then she’d felt a new connection, though she wasn’t sure where that connection started.
“Fane, Vasile’s son, has taken the pack bonds, and Jacque is the alpha female,” Drake answered.
Bethany’s breath shuddered out of her. “He must be in so much pain. His mate and son were taken, and now his parents are gone.”
“He’s strong,” Drake said. “He will do what needs to be done.”
Bethany took comfort in her mate's confidence that Fane would be able to step into his role, despite the fact that he had to be in tremendous grief. She settled even closer to Drake and closed her eyes. There was much to be decided, but for now she was thankful that her mate and child were alive and well. But even as she gave thanks, the words of the Great Luna filled her mind. “This is only the beginning of what must take place.”
Chapter 17
“A time to search and a time to give up, a time to keep and a time to throw away, a time to tear and a time to mend…” ~Human Bible, the Word of the Creator of humankind.
* * *
Peri left the Keep’s infirmary and headed for the great hall. “Have you gathered everyone?” she asked her mate through their bond.
“I have all the leaders assembled. We will begin when you get here. Are you flashing or do you need a minute?”
Peri smiled. “I need to gather myself. I’m going to walk there to get it together.”
“We will get through this,” Lucian said, his voice fierce. He was the one being strong, despite the fact that he’d lost his brother and sister-in-law. “There is no shame in grieving, my love.”
“I know. It’s just been a long time since I’ve felt this kind of pain. It’s a shock to my system, and there is nothing I can do. I honestly don’t know how to deal with that. They’re just gone.” Her heart hurt for Lilly and she mourned for Cypher, but the ache in her soul for Vasile and Alina was beyond anything she’d ever experienced.
“It was their time. We all have an appointed time to return to our Creator. Though that doesn’t make it easier when our loved ones are called home.”
“I’ll be there in a minute,” she said curtly to stop the conversation. She was an emotional mess and needed to pull it together if she was going to kick the Order’s ass. Which she was definitely going to do.
When she finally reached the doors leading into the hall, Peri took a deep breath and then pushed them open. At the front of the room, gathered in a circle, were the pack alphas who’d been brought by the fae. They’d answered the call by Andora, the sprite queen, to fight with the Romania pack to protect the Keep. They’d all fought in Arizona as well. Surprisingly, Lilly was present, though she looked like Peri felt. Jareth, the djinn warrior, Nissa, Chris Morgan and his wife Cindy, Riven, the fae warrior, and, to Peri’s surprise, Ona, the female fae warrior was there as well. Ona hadn’t been in the battle at the Keep. Peri would have to remember to ask the female where she’d gone, though she already could see by the pain in the warrior’s eyes why she was here. Cyn and Thalion, the elf prince, were also present. Despite all of the ones filling the room, there were huge empty spots where the girls should have been with their mates, where Cypher should have been next to Lilly, and the largest void, Vasile and Alina.
Peri walked the length of the room and pushed the painful thoughts from her mind. She walked through the group and to the side of her mate. Lucian immediately took her hand, lifted it, and pressed a kiss to it. She leaned into his large body and gave him the affection she knew he needed. Then they turned and faced the group.
“Thank you for meeting with us,” Peri began. “Lucian and I have been discussing our next course of action. As you know, we’ve got our fallen in a room that I’ve spelled to keep their physical bodies from breaking down.” She paused and swallowed down the bile. The thought of her friends’ bodies decomposing made her want to turn and run from the room, but she managed to stand firm. She noticed Lilly’s jaw clench, but the warlock queen raised her chin and kept her composure.
“Fane and Jacque have taken the yoke of the pack bonds,” Lucian continued, giving Peri the minute she needed. “As a pack, we must check on his wellbeing and also make his position official.”
“You’re going to do the Alpha Rites?” Tyler, the Springfield alpha asked. “Don’t you think we need to be—”
“What we think is that the Romania pack has lost their beloved alpha pair, and they need to know they have a leader.” Lucian’s eyes narrowed on the younger male. “You know if the dominant wolves don’t have someone powerful in place to keep them in check, they will start challenging one another for the alpha spot. Fane must be given the Rites by the Great Luna. Even though he is already tethered to the pack, it must be completed and blessed since the former alpha was his sire.”
Jeff Stone, the Coldspring alpha, spoke up, his eyes wide. “The pack bonds have attached to him? Not the beta? Decebel is old, powerful.”
Lucian nodded. “But Fane carries the blood of the most powerful alpha in the history of our race. He may be young, but this is his destiny. He was born to lead his pack.”
“What about you?” Jeff asked. “You’re Vasile’s brother. And damn dominant. Don’t you think that in this time of strife, you would be the more appropriate choice for the position, at least in the interim?”
Peri almost rolled her eyes but stopped herself. Jeff was relatively young and had not been in a healthy pack. There was probably a lot about the nature of the Canis lupus that he needed to be taught.
“It doesn’t matter that I’m of Vasile’s bloodline. A lot goes into the appointment of an alpha, including the former alpha’s will and pack magic. The final decision lies with the Great Luna. Vasile chose Fane long ago. If he hadn’t, then when he died, the bonds wouldn’t have tethered to Fane. If he’d thought I would be the better choice, then he would have made sure to pass his magic to me. But he didn’t, and I agree with him.”
“Fane is so young,” Tyler pointed out. “He’s only, what, two decades old? He’s practically an infant.”
“He’s powerful,” Peri said. “He’s honorable and was raised by two of the most amazing people I have ever known. Does he have
much to learn? Of course. But he’s perfectly capable of leading his pack.”
“And what about those who disagree?” Jeff asked as he folded his arms across his chest.
“Then they have the right to challenge,” Lucian answered. “But they do so knowing that he has the right not to just make them submit, but to take their life if he feels it is what is best for the pack.”
“I don’t think any of that is a priority right now,” Thalion, the elf prince, spoke up, and Peri wanted to applaud him. There was no point in arguing if Fane should or shouldn’t be alpha. He was. Period. “Not only do Peri and Lucian need to help with the Romania pack, there is still the matter of the pups and mates in the hands of the Order. All of those are members of the Romania pack and are no doubt feeling the loss. Jacque, Fane’s mate, is enduring this without the help of her mate. These are the things we need to be focused on. We need to be working on a plan to get them free. I think the Order is riding pretty high right now on their recent victory over the deaths of Vasile, Alina, and the Warlock King. Given that, they might make mistakes. It might give us the edge we need in order to reclaim the captured.”
“Thank you, Thalion,” Lucian said. “You’re right and make very good points. Alston is arrogant enough to think we will be falling apart, and though we are hurting, we are not defeated. We will not roll over on our backs and submit. What we are asking now is that each of you go back to your respective homes and gather your warriors in force. It is time we face the fact that this isn’t going to be a quiet battle. The Order is going to force us into the open, and we need to be prepared for that.”
Peri could see the questions burning in the others’ eyes, but she was done wasting time. She felt an urgency she couldn’t explain, and it was telling her to get her butt to Colorado. “We will continue with the original plan to meet in the sprite realm. I will send fae ambassadors to each of you when it’s time.” She looked at Lilly. “Your daughter and grandson are with the enemy, your son-in-law has lost his parents, and you’ve lost your mate. Where is it that you want to be?”
