Beyond the Veil (25 page)

All of the males were suddenly on alert, creating a circle around the females. They looked into the forest in all directions as if waiting for the enemy to come charging at them.

Sally watched tiny bodies emerge from the darkness. They hung from the tree limbs or stood on them, but in every instance they made sure to stay above eye level. One by one they appeared, several of them, waiting. They were human in appearance, but they had an ethereal beauty. A soft glow seemed to create a halo around them. Sally thought she saw wings, but couldn’t be sure because they seemed to come and go almost as if they were flickering off and on.

Costin let out a low growl. Vasile stepped toward the largest of them. He was no more than a foot in height and was lithe in form. He had short dark hair, high cheekbones, and eyes that were an iridescent green.  He stood regally, his chest puffed out, shoulders drawn back.

“You have chosen a side, pixie King?” Vasile asked.

The pixie tensed but quickly schooled his expression.

“It is nothing against you or yours, Alpha wolf.” The pixie King’s voice was surprisingly deep for such a small being.

“That is where you are wrong. Her magic is hurting mine. Your choice is causing harm to what is mine.” Vasile’s eyes were beginning to glow and his voice was guttural.

“Careful, great Alpha,” the pixie King warned. “You are in my realm now.”

“You cast your magic against my daughter-in-law and son, you seek to trap my pack, my brothers, and then you tell me to be careful?” Vasile snarled and took a menacing step forward. “Maybe you, pixie, should be careful. It has been a while since my wolves have had any good meat, and pixie is looking awfully appetizing.”

An orchestra of hissing rippled across the trees where the pixies perched and hung. The King hopped down to a lower branch, getting closer to Vasile.

“We’ve come for the males. We can do this the easy way and you can come with us, or you can make this difficult. It is up to you, Alpha.”

Decebel snarled and lunged toward the nearest pixie. He stopped short when he heard Jen scream in pain, reaching her just as her form hit the cold earth.

“Jennifer, love, talk to me.” Decebel brushed her hair from her face and kissed her gently.

Meanwhile, Costin lunged forward and grabbed a pixie in his now-phased hand. He growled.

“What have you done to her?” he asked as he pointed to Jen.

It was the pixie King who answered.

“It’s what will happen to all of your women if you do not come with us.”

Costin threw the pixie from his hand and it hit a tree and crumpled.

Almost simultaneously, Sally screamed in pain. She folded in on herself, trying to stop the sharp stabbing in her abdomen.

Costin snarled, “STOP THIS!”

One by one the females fell – Rachel, Alina, Cynthia, Elle, Crina, and even Peri.

Vasile lunged for the pixie King and out of nowhere a spear appeared in the pixie’s hands. He parried Vasile’s lunge and Vasile just barely sidestepped the jab.

The other males jumped into action. Adam began wielding his Fae magic, tossing bolts of power at every pixie he could see. He hit as many as he missed. They were fast, dodging left and right and engaging with their own war tactics – which mainly included hand-to-hand combat.

Adam managed to put a shield over the males. He tried to help the females, but whatever the pixies had done, he could not undo.

Gavril had phased into his wolf form and held nothing back when he got his teeth on a pixie. It was not pretty, but with every whimper he heard from his mate the more feral his wolf became.  

Drake and Costin
teamed
up and
fought
back-to-back, but with every pixie they dispatched another five literally came out of the woodwork.

Lightning crashed to the ground and thunder rolled through the charged night air.

“ENOUGH!” the pixie King yelled in a booming voice.

The wolves froze – not because they wanted to. The King was holding them with his magic.

“Enough of this, Vasile, Alpha of the Romanian pack. Say your goodbyes to your women. You cannot win against us and I will not continue to let you kill my people. Say your goodbyes and then pass through the portal. If you refuse, I will continue to torture your women in front of you.”

As soon as the King stopped talking the wolves were able to move again.

Decebel made to lunge once more and Vasile caught him.

“We must pick our battles, old friend,” Vasile told him quietly. “Go to your mate.”

Decebel didn’t move for several moments. Then he nodded once and turned to Jennifer.

Costin knelt down beside Sally and pulled her up into his lap.

“Are you still hurting?” he asked gently.

Sally nodded with a tremble on her lips. “Please don’t go,” she whispered to him.

Costin closed his eyes and pulled her close.

“I have to, Sally mine. I don’t want to, but I won’t watch them torture you. It would kill me.”

Sally tried to stop the tears from falling, knowing she needed to be strong for him, but the more she tried to stop them, the more they fell. She looked up into his eyes and leaned forward, pressing her lips to his. When she pulled back, she saw the glistening wetness in his hazel eyes.

“I’ll be back. You can’t get rid of me this easily,” he tried to tease, but the effect was lost in the pain that filled his voice.

“I’m coming for you, Costin,” she told him with conviction. She gathered herself and straightened her spine.

Costin shook his head. “Don’t. I need to know you are safe.”

“Too damn bad,” she snarled. “You are mine and no damn crazy ass pixie is taking what’s mine without a fight.”

Sally heard Jen’s weak voice from behind her saying, “I second that motion.”

Costin smiled at his mate and closed his eyes, letting out an exasperated sigh.

“I love you ,Sally Morgan.”

“Bet your hot butt you do.” Sally tried to keep the catch from her voice.

Costin and she stood,
and then
he wrapped her in his arms.

Decebel pulled Jennifer to her feet and placed his hand gently on her stomach.

“Are you alright?” he whispered.

Jen looked up into his too-handsome face.

“She’s fine,” she answered his real question, covering his hand with her own, speaking of their unborn child.

“We will find you, Decebel.” She held up her hand before he could argue with her, “I don’t want to hear it. You are my mate. I’m carrying your child and I’ll be damned if I’m going to go through this pregnancy without having you around to make miserable as I get fat. So get used to the idea. I’m going to find you and when I get my hands on that witch I’m going to gut her.”

Decebel’s eyes were glowing when he leaned down and kissed her. “You’re really sexy when you’re blood thirsty.”

Jen snorted as he pulled her close.

“Stay safe, please. Be careful, and do whatever it takes to keep our baby safe.”

Jen nodded and smiled up into her mate's face.

“Give 'em hell, babe.”

Adam kissed Crina passionately.

“That’s for you to think about while you’re missing me.” He winked at her as he pulled back.

“Adam, don’t do anything stupid,” Crina growled at him.

“Dec is right, you females are hot when you’re snarling. I’ll be back before you know it, and then, my sweet she wolf, we have business to take care of.” He looked at her pointedly and Crina blushed.

Sorin held Elle closely as he watched his pack mates and his Alpha tell their females goodbye. He had never felt so helpless in his long life.

“You need to go to the Fae,” he told Elle solemnly. “You can’t do this without them. You need to petition them, threaten them, do whatever you have to – but get their help.”

Elle nodded. “Okay.” She was looking at him intently, memorizing every feature.

“Hey.” Sorin spoke softly. “This isn’t goodbye, my love. I’ve only just found you.” He held her face in his hands and kissed her, a deep and slow kiss that spoke passion. When he pulled back, he smiled sweetly. “That’s just a glimpse of the plans I have for you, my beautiful mate. This is no goodbye.”

“ENOUGH! It’s time to go!” the pixie King yelled again.

Jen’s head whipped around and she snarled, “Enough my ass!” Then she took menacing steps toward the small King, Decebel by her side the whole way.

“Hear me now, little King.” Jen began to shake with anger as she spoke. “The next time I see you, I’m going to stuff you and turn you into a Harry Potter prop. You have messed with the wrong pregnant Alpha female. Prepare yourself because you are on my list.”

Sally clucked her tongue and in her best Filch voice from
Harry Potter
said, “Oh dear, we are in trouble.”

The pixie King turned his attention to her. Sally shrugged.

“I’m just saying, you do not ever want to be on Jen’s list. You are
so
screwed.”

Jen gave the King one more snarl for good measure before turning back to her mate.

“You take care of yourself.”

Decebel kissed her quickly,
and
then walked to the portal the pixies had opened. The other males, minus Vasile, followed suit.

Vasile looked at his mate and kissed her in an intense way.

“You know where they are taking you?” Alina whispered as she pulled back.

Vasile nodded once.

Alina closed her eyes as a lone tear escaped. “Remember, it’s not real,” she told him.

“I will try, Mina. I will try.” He kissed her one more time and joined the other males in front of the portal.

With one last look behind them, they walked through the shimmering door, disappearing as if they had never been there at all.

When they were all gone, Jen looked around, realizing they were alone. All of the pixies, including their King, had vanished.

“Alina,” Jen turned to the Alpha, “where are they taking them?”

“The In Between,” Alina answered flatly.

“Damn,” Sally growled.

“Understatment,” Jen added solemnly.

Peri was brushing her clothes off. She grinned as her hands slipped into the pockets of her cloak.

“Look what we have here.” She pulled her hands from her pockets and held up the Fae stones for the others to see.

Rachel and Sally both took a step toward her.

Sally smiled. “It’s so on.”

Rachel returned the smile and nodded her agreement.

Alina was kneeling next to Jacque as she spoke her next words. “Peri, it’s time to go to your people.”

The women watched the Alpha female brush Jacque’s hair back away from her face as she continued to speak. Her voice grew stronger and they each began to see the Alpha she truly was.

“It’s time for the Fae to get off their butts and get their heads in this game. Too much is at stake. I refuse to leave my mate to the fate of the In Between – it is a fate worse than death.” Alina lifted her face and met the eyes of each of the women. “Desdemona wants a war? Well, she’s got one. And when I stand over her watch the life drain from her eyes I will explain to her the folly in taking a female Canis lupis’s mate from her side.” .

“I can’t feel Costin,” Sally gasped as her hand pressed to her heart.

Alina nodded her head. “The bond doesn’t work in the In Between; the fear and pain are too much. The wolf will take over their minds once their human minds can no longer stand what is happening. What they are seeing isn’t real, but to their minds it’s as real as the blood flowing through their veins.”

Each of the females reached for their mates through their mental bonds and one by one their shoulders slumped as the pain of that reality hit.

“Alina, what are we going to do?” Jen asked matter of factly.

Alina pulled a blanket up around Jacque’s neck and then stood. She looked at Peri as she spoke. “Can your people help my son’s mate?”

“We can try, Alina. We will take her across the Veil. The magic there is stronger.”

“Good,” Alina stated and looked at Jen. “We’re going to get Jacque help, then we’re going to petition the Fae council, and then we’re going to gather the packs. It’s time we joined together as a race and stood by one another. Then we’re going to kick that evil witch’s ass.”

“That’s what I’m talking about,” Jen whooped as she threw a fist into the air.

They began packing up their camp in a rush. Once they were all standing with packs on their backs, Peri used her magic to make Jacque a floating gurney.

“The closest crossing to the Fae realm is deeper into the mountains,” Peri told them as she began to walk, and beckoned them to follow.