Den of Sorrows

by Quinn Loftis

  "Jen and I could go with her to the police stations and come up with some story about her missing cousin or something. I bet we could find out where most of the kidnappings are happening, then—" Sally was cut off as Fane's phone beeped. Fane answered it, looked at Sally, and then held it out.

  "Stop trying to be helpful," Costin growled through the phone. Fane had obviously set it on speaker.

  "You already snarled at me in my head. Why did you have to call Fane?" Sally was seething.

  "Because I wanted to make sure everyone heard me tell you to NOT do all the ideas popping up in your head that you think will be helpful. Did everyone hear that?" Costin called out.

  "Reading you loud and clear, dimples," Jen called back. "Ow!" she yelled when Sally pinched her.

  "You're supposed to be on my side," Sally gritted through her teeth.

  "I'm on the side of sexy, Sally. And no offense, but your mate’s dimples do a whole hell of a lot more for me than your big, brown eyes."

  "Nice," Jacque held up a fist for Jen.

  Sally glared at both of them and then glared back at the phone. "Are you done acting like a damn possessive animal?"

  Costin chuckled. "Sally, mine, I am not human. I am a damn, possessive animal. So, no, I am not done acting like one, nor will I ever be. Keep yourself safe or I'll spank you myself and let Jen watch."

  The phone went dead as he ended the call. There was silence in the room. Sally was staring wide eyed and opened mouth at the offending device while everyone else seemed frozen.

  Peri was the first to recover. "I don’t know who's worse anymore, her" —she pointed at Jen— "or bar boy."

  Jen couldn't help the proud smile. "I really didn't know he was going to turn out so good. This is one of those proud mama moments."

  "Oh shut up," Sally huffed as she stood from the couch and started pacing.

  Sally was fuming. She'd been trying hard to keep Costin from hearing too many of her ideas, but she'd also been trying to keep the bond open enough that she could pick up things about Titus as well. She, Jen, and Jacque had gotten a little overzealous with their suggestions, and she'd totally forgotten that Costin was listening in.

  The bond was closed now, not completely but hopefully enough that he couldn't just listen in. She knew he was afraid of anything happening to her. She totally understood that, but he also knew that she was a gypsy healer. She couldn't just stand by and not help.

  Jen's leg shot out and kicked her as she walked by and Sally turned to glare at her. Jen's brow was raised and her eyes spoke volumes as they bore into hers. Sally's lips twitched and almost broke into a smile. Her scheming friend had a plan; she would just need to be patient.

  "Perhaps, that best thing to do would be to wait until nightfall, and then see if the evil is stronger in any particular area of the city," Alina suggested. Sally noted that the Alpha female had been very quiet over the past two days, and she looked as though she wasn't sleeping well.

  Peri nodded. "That might just be our only option."

  Jacque's stomach growled loudly enough that several eyeballs landed on her. She looked back at them and raised her hands. "Sorry, but I'm hungry."

  "I could go get you something to eat," Fane offered.

  Jen suddenly jumped up as she grabbed Jacque's arm, pulling on her. She nearly jerked it out of its socket. "That won't be necessary, wolf boy," Jen smiled. "I think it would probably do Jacque and the baby good to get some fresh air. We can accompany her to an eating establishment."

  "Why are you talking like that?" Jacque asked. Jen shot her a look that clearly told her to shut her trap.

  "I agree with Jen," Sally jumped in. "And as the healer and caregiver of our pregnant she-wolf, I think fresh air and walking is definitely a good idea."

  "I can join you," Fane said, his eyes meeting Jacque's.

  "Not necessary," Jen said quickly. "Fairy Peri can come with us. She's plenty powerful enough to keep us safe. Right Peri?"

  Peri glanced at the three girls. She must have seen something in Jen's glare because she shrugged and said, "Why not." She reached out and grabbed Jen and Jacque’s sleeves in one hand and Sally's in the other and then flashed them from the room.

  "Jacquelyn!" Fane’s voice in her mind was a sharp bite.

  "Just give us a bit to just chill. Can you do that? I'm sick of sitting still. I'm hungry and I need to pee. Nothing is going to happen to me." She was begging, but she didn't care. Fane’s presence was suffocating her. Not only was he hovering but his worry and frustration were flowing through their bond so strongly that Jacque couldn't tell if they were her emotions or his.

  "Fine, but please don't be too long."

  "Peri, we need to do something," Jen said as she grabbed the fae’s arm and pulled her to a stop once they were a block from the building.

  "What do you suggest?" Peri asked them.

  "I really think going to the police stations and nosing around might be productive," she told her. "But the guys are never going to let us. If they have their way, they will lock us in that room."

  Peri didn't offer that she was considering the same thing, but she had to concede that Jen's idea had merit. "Okay, let's say I'm in agreement. How am I supposed to convince your mates to let you help? They are quite determined to keep you all confined."

  It was Sally's voice that answered her. "So bind them."

  Peri was pretty sure she’d heard the healer wrong. “Come again?”

  “Maybe you should just bind them again,” Sally repeated. Three heads swung around to face her with wide eyes and open mouths.

  Peri was the first to break the silence. “You want me to bind your males?”

  “Man this is deja-vu,” Jen muttered.

  “No,” Sally offered. “I want you to bind everyone but us.” She motioned to them.

  Jacque was grinning from ear to ear. “Sally, what has Peri been teaching you while you’ve been gone? Where is our soft, sweet Sally?”

  Sally rolled her eyes. “I’m just as sick of Costin being a tyrant as you guys are of your mates. It’s getting a tad ridiculous.”

  “A tad?” Jen asked. “Um, my amazing, wonderful mate followed me to the bathroom and then proceeded to go inside, because he didn’t want me out of his sight. Okay, I’m not sure when in a marriage that peeing in front of each other becomes an acceptable thing, but I’m pretty sure it isn’t at the ten-month mark.”

  Peri smirked. “You girls need to put your feet down. Give them an inch and they will take your whole freaking world.”

  “That’s why we’re coming to you,” Jacque smiled at her. “You are how we are putting our foot down.”

  “Grrreat,” Peri drew out. “As if chasing a power hungry high fae and killing hundreds of vampires isn’t enough, I also need all of your mates pissed of at me. Quick, someone give me a streamer so I can get this party started.”

  The three girls laughed at her and Peri didn’t appreciate it. She really wasn’t being as sarcastic as they thought. If she bound the males, again, they would probably do everything in their power to turn her into puppy chow. She tapped her lips with her long fingernail. Then again, she thought, ticking off werewolves was one of her favorite past times.

  “What are you planning, love?” She heard her mate’s voice in her mind.

  “Nothing that concerns you, unless you feeling like being unable to move for a few hours.”

  He chuckled and she loved the rich sound. “Just try not to upset too many of the males. I know you think I’m invincible but even I have my limits.”

  “Fair enough, I’ll leave at least one of them alone. Now leave me be so I can work. Oh, and I love you.”

  “I adore you, Perizada.”

  She felt him pull back from her mind but could still feel that he was there if she needed him.

  “Peri?”

  The sound of Jen’s voice reminded her that she wasn’t alone. “Sorry, Lucian was checking in and making sure I was behaving.”

  “
Did you ask exactly what behaving entailed?” Jacque asked.

  “Better to ask forgiveness than permission,” Peri pointed out.

  “True,” Jen and Sally said at the same time.

  “So, are we doing this?” Sally asked.

  Peri let out a sigh. Who was she kidding? She was totally going to bind their overbearing furry butts. She focused her attention on the building where the others were waiting and whispered under her breath, allowing her magic to flow freely. After several minutes, she rubbed her hands together and smiled tightly. “What’s the plan,” she asked.

  Jacque smiled. "That was quick."

  "Is your mate yelling at you too?" Jen asked.

  "In Romanian," Jacque said with a chuckle.

  Four hours and three police stations later, all three girls were wincing at the sounds of their mate’s voices snarling in each of their heads. Only the promise that they were on their way back kept the males from coming after them. They were so worked up that they didn't even ask why Peri wasn't just flashing them back.

  The information they'd gleaned from the police wasn't nearly as helpful as they thought it would be. The kidnappings weren't localized in any one section of the city. The vamps were doing a very good job of spreading them out. Peri thought that, though the vampires were looking for dormants, the majority of their prey were probably simply human children. Like a shark who gains a taste for human flesh after enough attacks, the vampires had grown very addicted to the young blood.

  “Okay, that was frustratingly fruitless,” Jen said as she rubbed her forehead. “We—” Jen suddenly stopped in midsentence and narrowed her eyes. She was looking at something behind Peri.

  The fae turned to find Drake crossing the street some twenty yards away from them. The girls watched as he turned and strode purposefully away from them.

  "Why isn't he frozen?" Jacque asked.

  "And where is he going?" Sally asked the other question they were all thinking.

  Something was wrong. "He must not have been in the building when my magic hit it," Peri said as she continued to watch the wolf. His gate was stiff and his shoulders tense. Drake's jaw was clenched and he seemed to be holding onto his control by a mere thread.

  "New plan," Peri said, never taking her eyes off of Decebel's third. "Follow that wolf." Peri started after him and the others hurried to keep up.

  "What about the others?" Sally asked.

  "I'll release them once I know what's going on. I don't want Decebel interfering just yet. Not to mention, they are going to be pissed. I don’t really feel like being snarled at. Do you?"

  All three girls were quick to agree.

  "Is he alright?" Jacque asked, motioning toward the male they were following.

  Peri's lips drew tight across her face. "Honestly, I don't think so."

  Drake could feel her. He knew something was off when they first arrived, but then out of nowhere, he'd felt her and she was terrified. He'd removed himself from the group with the excuse of having to use the restroom. Now he was walking down the streets of Phoenix trying his hardest to not look like a crazed werewolf.

  He could feel his wolf attempting to force him to phase. He wanted to move faster; he needed to run, to get to her, to save her, to protect her, to claim her. That last thought nearly had him stopping in his tracks. For a moment the darkness cleared and he was able to think. It was his mate. He was feeling his true mate. How the hell had he missed that? He should have known the minute he felt her fear, but all he could think of was death. He wanted to kill whatever it was that was hurting her. He wanted flesh between his teeth and blood coating his fur. Drake wanted to howl in victory as he stood over his fallen foe, and then he wanted to lay claim to the one female who had been created for him. He wanted it with a strength that was nearly violent in its power.

  Drake didn't want to examine that thought too carefully, not when he knew the darkness was so very close to consuming him that it actually might have already won. The sky was nearly pitch dark now and the city lights were glowing harshly. Something seemed to shift in the city, something sinister and malevolent weaving its way through the air. Drake felt it rubbing against him, welcoming him like a long lost friend.

  His feet continued to move forward though he had no idea where he was going. He only knew that he needed to find her, needed to make her his. His steps quickened with his urgency and he felt fur begin to ripple over his arms. He wasn't even able to completely hold his human form anymore. He didn't stop to consider the consequences of that development. Just as he rounded a corner that would lead him between two tall buildings, Drake heard her scream not only in his mind but with his ears as well. At nearly the same moment, two forms sprang from an open manhole nearby.

  They froze at the sight of him and then hissed like pissed off wet cats. “Vampires,” his wolf snarled to him.

  Drake didn't even think. He moved faster than he ever had as he lunged for them. His claws raked across the stomach of one of the vamps and its intestines spilled from the huge wound. At the same time, Drake wrapped his other hand around the throat of the second vampire and gave a sharp jerk, snapping his neck.

  He wasted no time ripping their hearts from their chests and dropping them next to their limp bodies. His breathing was harsh as the rage rolled through him. He started toward the manhole from which the vamps had emerged, but stopped when he heard a curse behind him. Drake turned, ready to fight again, but stopped when he saw the four figures standing before him.

  “They’re up to something,” Decebel growled.

  Fane scoffed. “What gave you that idea? Being suddenly unable to move, or was it your mate closing the bond up tight?”

  Decebel's wolf hummed with anger. “Those three are worse than a plague. They should come with a damn warning label."

  This brought a laugh from Vasile, who was sitting in the chair at the lone table in the hotel room.

  “They are no different than any of our she-wolves. They’re strong. We wouldn’t want them any other way because, otherwise, they would not be able to handle our world.”

  “That doesn’t mean that I’m fine with them having that irritating high fae bind us—again,” Fane pointed out.

  "How long do you think Peri will leave us like this?" Cypher asked.

  "Until they're in so much trouble that they finally realize they need our help," Decebel answered.

  Cypher's eyes widened. "You're being serious, aren't you?"

  "They will be fine," Alina attempted to reassure them. "They just need to feel helpful. Once they've done something that they feel will help, Peri will release you."

  "Can't you do something?" Fane growled at Alston, who was just as unmoving as the rest of them.

  "Had I known what she was doing before it had affected me, yes I could have. But I didn't and therefore the spell is just as effective on me as it is you."

  Decebel closed his eyes and said a prayer to the Great Luna to keep his mate safe. His eyes popped open when he got a quick flash from their bond. "Drake has lost his mind." The words slipped into his mind and then the bond was slammed shut.

  Chapter 15

  "Rage like I've never felt was washing over me in great waves. Mixed with it was need, confusion, desire, and darkness. They aren’t my emotions and yet they are so intense it seems impossible for them not to be. Whoever they belonged to, they were coming, for me. She was sure of it, and with him, death would follow." ~Bethany

  Pain radiated down Bethany's thigh along with a trail of blood. Sincaro had been especially brutal in his feeding and had bitten her multiple times, all in areas where there were large veins. He'd only bitten her on her upper thigh a handful of times before. This was the femoral artery, he'd explained to her once. For whatever reason, there were times when he would tell her exactly what he was doing. She was pretty sure he did it to increase her fear—sometimes it worked. Sometimes it just made her angrier.

  The barred door to her cell slammed shut. The vampire that had carried
her back to her cell turned and walked away without a word, taking the light with him and leaving Bethany in complete darkness.

  She was anxious. If her leg didn't hurt so badly, she'd have been up pacing. But as it was, she couldn't walk without causing herself significant pain. So instead, she closed her eyes and attempted to center herself. She needed to figure out what was happening to her.

  She didn’t understand what was going, but something was definitely different. Sincaro had sunk his long teeth into her thigh and she’d screamed in agony. In that instant, she'd felt a new presence inside of her. It was as though someone else was in her mind. The presence felt distinctly male. She wasn't sure how she knew it, but she guessed it might have been because of the possessive nature of his thoughts. They had to be his thoughts because they definitely weren't hers.

  "Mine," the deep voice growled. It was raw, animalistic, and something inside of her was agreeing with him. No, she tried to tell herself. I am not his. No matter how she tried to convince herself of that fact, however, there was another voice inside of her that disagreed. Somehow this new voice was both hers and yet not hers. And this voice said that she was definitely his.

  Bethany leaned her head against the wall behind her. Her body ached from Sincaro’s rough treatment and her mind was a turbulent storm of thoughts and feelings that she couldn't separate. So instead, she just tried to shut it all down. Attempting to ignore the deep voice and the pain, she let exhaustion settle over her and begged for sleep to claim her.

  Peri couldn't believe what she was seeing. Drake had lost it. She had really believed that he'd be able to hold on, but the feral look in the eyes of the man/wolf looking back at her told her otherwise.

  "What's wrong with him?" Sally asked quietly.

  "He's feral," Jen answered before Peri could.

  The male stared at them for a few minutes longer before turning back to the manhole and suddenly jumped down into it and disappeared from view.

  "How did he find the entrance?" Jacque wondered out loud.