by Quinn Loftis
“Yes, what does that mean to you?”
He let out a slow breath. “You are unmated. You are a healer and unmated.” His voice was becoming more urgent as he spoke, and Sally realized that she wasn't bonded and they didn’t know she was Costin’s.
“No, no, you are mistaken,” she told them quickly. “I have a mate. It’s Costin.” She pointed over her shoulder to the bar. “He’s my mate.”
“You do not bear his mark,” the light-haired one said, not unkindly, simply as an observation.
“You should not be walking around un-bonded. You are a healer.”
Sally was growing frustrated with their inexplicable responses.
“Why does it matter that I’m a healer?”
“Your mate must be young if he doesn’t understand.”
Again with the vague answers. Sally growled. Then she stiffened as she felt Costin’s eyes land on her. She saw the other two men begin to slowly stand. She turned to see Costin moving swiftly toward her. He took her hand and gently pulled her behind him.
“Hello, gentlemen,” Costin said in English. Both of the wolves took a step back.
“We mean her no harm,” the dark-haired one said.
“Why aren’t you bonded to her yet?” the one with the lighter hair asked and based on the snarl that came from Costin, that was not a question he appreciated being asked.
“Not that it’s any of your business, but she is new to our world.”
They both nodded.
The room was quiet and thick with anticipation as Costin continued to stare at the two wolves. They had dropped their eyes, instantly recognizing Costin’s dominance over them. Sally’s head whipped around when the door to the bar opened. Decebel came striding in with Jen in tow. Decebel looked hastily around the room, assessing the situation. He made eye contact with Drake and trusted him to watch their backs.
As he approached Costin and the others, he held up a hand to stop the unknown wolves from moving back again.
“You do not want to continue moving backward. You know this. You will simply provoke his wolf to hunt,” Decebel told them coolly.
“Decebel,” the dark-haired one acknowledged, and dropped his eyes and exposed his neck. “Didn’t know you were Alpha again.”
“Many things have changed.”
“Costin, this is Creed and Josef. They are members of the Bulgarian pack.” Decebel motioned to the two wolves. “This is Costin, my Beta, and his mate and our pack healer, Sally.”
The two wolves bared their necks to Costin and bowed their heads to Sally. Both stared at her as if she were a precious stone.
“How long, Decebel, has it been since there’s been a healer?” Creed asked him, his eyes never leaving Sally.
Costin began to growl as he watched the wolf stare at his mate.
“Creed, it would be wise to look away,” Decebel told him.
Creed’s eyes dropped from Sally and looked toward Decebel, though not in his eyes.
“Why are they not bonded, Decebel?” Creed’s voice was earnest. “Do you not remember the importance of healers being bonded to their mates?”
Decebel snorted. “There hasn’t been a healer in so long, and I no longer remember their place or effect on the pack,” he admitted without shame.
“She will draw wolves to her, especially damaged wolves. If she were bonded, that pull would be only because they were seeking healing, but un-bonded, she is a temptation to other needs besides that.”
Costin snarled and Sally grabbed his arm. She wrapped an arm around his waist and snuggled in close to him, trying to get his attention on her and off of the other males.
“Look at me,” she whispered.
Costin looked down, his eyes glowing, but his face softened.
“I am yours,” she told him with a smile. “Only yours.”
Costin leaned down and kissed her soundly on the lips for all to see. He looked back up at the other males smugly. Sally looked over at Jen who had crossed her arms and rolled her eyes.
“Men,” she mouthed at Sally in exasperation.
“How do you know this?” Costin asked the males, now that he felt he had made it perfectly clear to whom Sally belonged.
Creed answered, “Our pack had a healer, a very long time ago. We have records on her. We are very good about keeping our pack educated on these things. It will not do good to forget our history.”
Decebel nodded. “It seems that we have spent much time looking forward and not much looking back.”
Josef nodded. “It’s important to remember where we come from, and what we've been through.”
Jen stepped up next to her mate and smiled sweetly. “Not to interrupt up this little meeting of the Confucius -” Jen waved them off. “Who am I kidding? I totally mean to interrupt. What you guys are saying, just for clarification purposes, is that Sally is like a wolf magnet?”
Creed and Josef looked at Jen and then at Decebel. Decebel let out an exasperated breath.
“Gentlemen, this is my mate Jennifer. She is a force to be reckoned with, and I usually do not try. Do not flirt with her and you will live to see tomorrow.” He added that last bit with a low growl.
Creed and Josef nodded toward Jen but didn’t make eye contact or speak to her.
Jen slapped Decebel’s arm. “How am I going to make friends if you are always scaring them?”
Decebel gave her a wolfish grin. “You won't.”
Jen rolled her eyes.
Creed cleared his throat. “Um. Basically, yes, she is a wolf magnet. The healing spirit, the purity and light calls us to her. It’s part of the reason she can work with injured werewolves and not risk getting her arm torn off.”
Costin pulled Sally tightly to him and glared at the two wolves. “Mine,” he growled.
“Easy.” Decebel’s eyes met Costin’s. Costin held them for a heartbeat, then dropped his gaze.
“It would be wise of him to complete the blood rites with her as soon as possible,” Creed told Decebel.
“Thank you, Creed, Josef. I appreciate your help, as does Costin.”
Costin had begun to lead Sally away when she called back over her shoulder.
“Wait,” she said urgently. “Tell Dec what you guys were saying about the pixies and the witch and stuff.”
Costin froze and turned slowly to pin the two wolves with his hazel eyes.
“I was telling Josef that I usually hunt in the Carpathian Mountains this time of year, but the forest is a mess with spells and magic right now,” Creed explained.
“What do you mean 'a mess'?” Decebel asked carefully.
“The pixies are casting magic on anything and everything that comes through there. The witch has promised them something, something that is significant enough for them to choose a side.”
Decebel murmured his thanks to the two wolves again and pulled Costin aside.
“I will see if I can get in touch with Vasile. You need to finish out the night here, then you need to deal with your mate.” Decebel met Costin’s eyes. “Are we clear?”
Costin nodded. “Yes, Alpha.”
Sally let Costin tug her back toward the bar.
Jen was glaring at her mate.
“Did you just tell him to deal with his mate?” she growled.
“Jennifer, not now.” Decebel took her hand and led her to the door of the bar. Jen turned and looked at Sally and smiled in encouragement.
“I got this, Sal. Don’t worry, okay?” she hollered to her best friend above the noise.
Sally gave a short nod.
Decebel was growling as he pulled Jen behind him.
“How could you tell him to deal with her, like the blood rites isn’t important and intimate as hell?” Jen was angry. Decebel had made it seem like Sally was a problem to be dealt with.
Decebel didn’t answer.
Once in their room Jen slammed the door behind them and stood with her hands on her hips, glaring at her mate. He ignored her as he pulled out his phone to ca
ll Vasile.
Jen lunged forward and grabbed his phone.
“NO!” she yelled. “I am your mate and I am speaking to you. Everything else can wait.”
Decebel let out an exasperated breath.
“Jennifer,” he began.
“Just tell me why you had to say it like that? Sally is being cheated out of her special day and you cheapened what she will have by saying she needed to be dealt with. I am so freaking mad at you. She is my best friend. There are only a few people in this world I will kill for and she is one of them. How could you act like that? How could you?”
“STOP!”
Jen jumped and her words froze in her mouth at the snarl from her mate.
“I didn’t mean it like it sounded. I’m sorry, Jennifer.” Decebel took a step toward her, only to have her take a step back. He had scared her. He hated it when he put that look in Jennifer’s eyes.
“Baby,” he cooed softly. “Please, come here.” He held out his hand and after several moments, Jen finally took it. He pulled her into his arms and tilted her face up to his, then leaned down and kissed her gently.
“I’m sorry. You are right.”
Jen reached up and placed a finger over his lips, halting any further words.
“That is all you have to say,” she said seriously.
“Please let me make it special for her. Let me give this to her.”
Decebel nodded once, understanding what Jen was asking. She reached up on her toes and kissed him again and grinned. “Thank you.”
“Keep Cynthia with you,” he told her as the door closed behind her.
He picked up the phone she had dropped on the bed and dialed Vasile’s number. He let it ring ten times before finally hanging up. When Vasile hadn’t picked up on the fourth ring he knew something was wrong. But he had let it ring a little longer, allowing himself hold on to a little bit of hope.
~
Jen knocked on the door of the room Cynthia was staying in and waited. When the door finally opened Jen smiled at Cynthia and said, “We have work to do.”
When Jen had explained her plan, Cynthia grinned. “I’m in. Let’s help the healer out.”
~
Costin’s usual happy go lucky demeanor was gone. Ever since the two wolves Creed and Josef had explained about Sally drawing wolves to her, he had been brooding. Sally wasn’t sure what to do. If she tried to help him at the bar he would smile gently and nudge her back against the counter. If she wandered over to the side to people watch, he would grab her hand and pull her back over to the middle of the bar and put her back against the counter in exactly the same spot. When he did it for the tenth time, Sally snarled at him.
Costin’s eyes snapped up at hers and Sally smacked a hand over her mouth.
“Did you just snarl at me?” he asked her, trying very hard not to grin.
Sally took her hand away from her mouth. “Of course not. I would never snarl.”
Costin stepped closer and she backed up until she couldn't back up anymore.
“I think you did, Sally mine. I think you snarled at me, and do you know what else I think?” His voice had gotten deep, and sensual.
Sally shook he head as she stuttered, “N-n-n-nope.”
Costin closed his eyes and took in a deep breath. When he opened them again, they were glowing. “I think it was sexy.”
Sally felt the blush heating her face. What exactly was she supposed to say to that?
“Why are you acting so weird?” Okay, maybe that wasn’t the right thing to say, but she wanted to know.
He cocked his head to the side and watched her before he answered.
“You are mine.”
“We’ve established that,” she muttered.
“You do not bear my mark or my scent. My wolf doesn’t like it; I do not like it. I’m trying to be cool and not let it bother me, but I guess it’s not working.”
“You won’t let me move from this spot, Costin. I would say it’s definitely not working.” She looked deeply into his eyes, searching for some way to help get him through the rest of the night.
“What can I do? Do I need to leave so that you can work?”
“No,” Costin said quickly. “I need you with me. I need to be able to see you, touch you, smell you.”
“Okay,” Sally said as she reached up and ran her fingers through his hair. He closed his eyes and a rumble emitted from his chest. She watched as the muscles in his face relaxed and he let out a slow, deep breath.
“You know no one will take me away from you, so why do you freak out?” she asked him calmly, not wanting to provoke his wolf.
Costin’s eyes opened slowly and met her brown ones.
“I wish I could explain it. I wish that when I did explain it, it would make sense. But you are human. You do not have the animal inside you, driving you with its instincts. The wolf in me cries out for its mate and longs to make sure that everyone in the world knows that you belong to us. He doesn’t understand that you won’t choose anyone else. He is all instinct, and it’s very hard to separate my emotions from that. Does that help at all?” Costin raised his eyebrows at her, searching for understanding in her face.
She nodded once. She started to say something, but stopped when a person behind him at the bar called out for Costin’s attention. Costin stiffened at the man’s words. Sally didn’t know what the guy had said because he wasn’t speaking English.
“What did he say?” she whispered to him.
Costin shook his head and didn’t answer. He took a slow breath before he turned around. When Costin spoke he sounded cordial, but the way the man’s face paled told Sally that his words did not match his tone of voice. Sally watched the other man shove his bar stool back as he stood. He continued to talk to Costin and Costin continued to grow more and more still with every word the man spoke. Sally reached out and placed a hand on his back.
“Costin,” she whispered. “Come on, why don’t we call it a night?” She was hoping to stop things before they came to blows.
Drake started to walk across the room, moving toward them. Drake made a motion for Sally to step back, which she did. Finally Costin started speaking in English, which she figured was for her benefit.
“She is mine. You belong to no pack, you mongrel. It would be wise of you to remove yourself from this place.”
“This is a sanctuary,” the other man said. “I can be here regardless of whether I am pack or not.”
“That may be, but it is not wise for one who does not have a pack to be insulting another’s mate. Who will fight with you? Who will save you when I rip you limb from limb?” Costin snarled.
Okay, Sally thought. Enough is enough.
“Okay, gentlemen,” she said as she stepped around Costin and held up her hands between the two wolves, regardless of the fact that there was a bar in between them. “There’s no need to start tearing limbs apart. Let’s just call it a night and go our separate ways.”
“She is not your mate,” the other man spoke coolly, not even acknowledging Sally.
Costin lunged forward, at the same time pushing Sally gently out of the way.
“SHE IS MINE.” Costin’s eyes glowed and Sally saw that his hands now had claws extending from them.
She looked at Drake and mouthed, “Do something.”
Drake moved quietly behind the man whose attention was locked on Costin. Drake wrapped an arm around the man’s neck, putting him in a choke hold. Costin started to jump over the bar but stopped when Sally placed a hand on his arm.
“Please don’t,” she told him gently.
“He challenged me, Sally,” Costin snarled.
Sally’s spine stiffened. “I don’t give a damn. I need you with me, not beating the crap out of some idiot. Please let Drake deal with it and take me back to our room. I’m done. I’ve had all I can handle tonight. I need you.”
Costin’s glowing eyes started to fade and he began to regain control. He nodded and pulled her close to him.
&n
bsp; “Get him out of here, Drake,” Costin ordered.
“I’m sorry, Sally. I’m sorry,” he told her as he ran his hand down her hair.
“It’s fine, Costin. But I’m ready to go. I want to know if Decebel has found out anything about Jacque and the others.”
Costin found the owner, Andon, and told him that they were leaving.
Costin pulled Sally down the hall until they stood before the door of the room they were sharing. He lifted his nose in the air and took a deep breath. A mischievous grin spread across his face.
“What are you smiling about?” Sally asked him. Costin shook his head, but continued to grin.
“Maybe we should go talk to Decebel before we go into our room,” he suggested. Sally just shrugged and followed him to Decebel and Jen’s room. He knocked on the door and the door swung open before the second knock.
“What are you two doing here?” Jen asked accusingly.
Sally frowned. “Well, it’s nice to see you too.”
Jen smoothed her facial expression and smiled. “Sorry, didn’t mean to snap at you. Is there something you need?”
“What is wrong with you, Jen?” Sally asked through clenched teeth. “We’re coming to find out if everything is okay with Jacque and the others. Haven’t you guys been trying to get in touch with them?”
Decebel stepped around the door and his face looked grave. Jen elbowed him in the gut and suddenly a smiled formed on his lips. Although the smile looked painful, it was there nonetheless.
“I am waiting to hear back from them. We will let you know as soon as we hear something,” Decebel told them. Sally thought it sounded rehearsed.
Jen gave Costin a pointed look. “Okay, well, I bet you guys are tired so you might want to call it a night.”
Costin chuckled under his breath.
“What is going on?” he heard Sally say in his mind as she continued to glare Jen down.
“Nothing, beautiful. I think maybe we interrupted something.” Costin saw Sally blush from the corner of his eye. He winked at Jen and then pulled Sally along behind him.
“Come on, Sally love, let’s let Jen and Dec get back to their evening.”
Sally muttered for Jen and Decebel to have a good night.
