Blood Rites (26 page)

"Are you okay? Are you hurt?"
Fane had to
know. Though he couldn't do anything about it at the moment, he had
to know.

"I'm hurting, but not because anyone has hurt me.
Logan has kidnapped me and Dr. Steele."

"Are you still sick?"

"Not as bad."
Fane felt a pause before she
continued.
"I'll be okay."

"Can you describe your surroundings to me? Maybe
it will give me some sort of clue as to where you are."
Fane
knew it was a long shot, but then again there might be something
that Logan had missed that would be just enough to give himself
away.

"The room we are in has no windows. It looks like a
library or study."

Fane waited, feeling her intent to examine her
surroundings.

"Okay, it looks like maybe it's a log cabin. The
furniture is made out of some sort of wood and the walls are all
wood like a cabin. I don't see anything else that would give any
clue as to where we are."
Jacquelyn's voice was beginning to
sound panicky.

"Luna."
Fane gentled his tone to a whisper in
her mind as he pictured himself caressing her face, wrapping his
arms around her and holding her close.
"I will find you. You are
mine, I will always come for you."

"Fane, hurry. Please."

The please is what got him. His Luna didn't say
please even in the most dire of situations, his Luna commanded.
There was something she wasn't telling him, but he wouldn't push
her right now.

"Jacquelyn, I need to let my father know that you
have contacted me. We are leaving shortly to go to Denver to
question Dillon's pack. We are hoping that he confided in one of
the other wolves and maybe revealed where he was taking you,"
Fane explained, wanting her to understand if she didn't hear him it
wasn't because he was gone.

"Okay. If I'm able to figure out anything that I
think might help, I will let you know."

And because he could not tell her, he pushed the
image of him kissing her to her mind as he whispered,
"I love
you, my Luna."

"Fane, stay with me."

"Always."
His word was a solemn promise to her
alone.

Fane threw open her door and rushed down the stairs.
His father and the other wolves were all gathered in the living
room. He didn't see any sign of the girls and assumed they had not
made it back yet.

"Jacquelyn has contacted me through our bond," he
announced, slightly breathless, not because of excursion but from
the frantic beat of his heart, knowing she was alive and as of yet
unharmed.

"Was she able to tell you anything? Give you any
clues to where they might be?" Vasile asked his son.

"All she could tell me was that she thinks he has her
in a log cabin. She said the room that she is in has no windows,
but that the furniture is made from wood and the walls were wood
like a log cabin."

"Did she mention Dr. Steele?"

"She said that Logan kidnapped them both. It sounded
as if Dr. Steele was just as much a victim as Jacquelyn, but
something about that doesn't sit well with me," Fane admitted.

Vasile nodded. "I agree with you. I don't see Dr.
Steele as the victim type. She's an Alpha female, she makes her own
choices." Vasile looked at each of his wolves. "If you are not
packed then do so now, and be quick. Dillon, I will leave you to
command your wolves. I will not step on your authority."

"I appreciate that, Vasile. I have already sent
Dalton and Lee to get our things from the hotel, they should be
back any moment."

"At this point the only thing left to do is wait for
Lilly, Alina, and the girls to get back."

"Do you think Lilly can convince their parents to let
them go with us?" Fane asked his father.

"If Lilly cannot, there are few who can resist your
mother." Vasile gave Fane a knowing smile, and for the moment
because he could feel Jacquelyn's presence in the back of his mind,
he was able to give a small smile back. It was true, after all. His
mother always seemed to get her way. Somehow she was able to make
people think that whatever it was she was wanting had been their
idea in the first place. They went along with her with a smile on
their face, completely oblivious. He had never seen her use it with
ill intent, his mother was too kind-hearted for that. He nearly
laughed at the thought of poor Sally and Jen's parents falling
unknowingly under her spell.

Fane felt Jacquelyn stir in his mind.
"Share with
me what is assuaging your anger, Fane."

"My mother and your mother are at Sally and Jen's
house trying to convince them to let Sally and Jen leave for
Romania today. Obviously, that's not true but we have to tell them
something so that Jen and Sally can come along, seeing as how they
would hitchhike if we didn't bring them."

"I see you are learning,"
Jacquelyn
teased.

"Funny, my love, but Jen said the same thing to my
father."
He could feel the humor she felt at this and he was
glad he could give her some small amount of distraction.

"What I was thinking was how my mother seems to have
the ability to get whatever she wants; people just go along with
her. I almost feel bad for their parents, with my mom there, there
is no way she won't get them to agree to let the girls come and on
top of that, they will think it's the best idea of the
century."

Jacquelyn was quiet for a moment. Fane couldn't pick
up what she was thinking or feeling, her ability to block him was
getting stronger.

"Luna, you would tell me if he has hurt you."
Fane made it a command instead of a question.

"I see that distance doesn't affect your ability to
be bossy."

It didn't go unnoticed by Fane that she had dodged
his comment.

"Jacquelyn."
He let her hear a growl in her
mind.

"Under the circumstances I am as good as can be
expected, wolf-man. Tell me when you are around Jen and Sally, I
could use a dose of their kind of medicine."

"As you say, my love, so shall it be."
Fane
would give her the world if she asked it of him, and he would move
mountains to make it happen.

Jen and Sally sat in the backseat of Alina's SUV,
both dumbfounded by what had taken place at their homes. One minute
their parents were completely unsure about letting them leave and
then the next Alina was hugging them and letting them know they
were welcome to come to Romania any time. She even told them that
Vasile and she would pay for it, and get this, their parents were
eating out of Alina's hands like she was serving the best thing
since sliced bread.

"Thelma, could you please tell me what happened back
there?" Jen mumbled, her voice in a trance like state.

"I'm as lost as you, Louise," Sally said, looking
just as confused as Jen.

Alina smiled at the girls in the rear view mirror.
"It's all in the presentation, girls. If you can set a flawed
diamond in front of someone, at first all they see is the flaws.
But if you pick it up and turn it just right in the light, suddenly
the flaws fall into the background, bringing forth the radiance
that lies behind those flaws."

"Damn, she's good." Jen grinned.

Lilly looked back at Jen and Sally and allowed a
small smile to cross her face though it didn't reach her eyes.

Alina suddenly got one of those far off looks that
Jen and Sally recognized immediately.

"What's the boss man have to say?" Jen asked, not
caring at this point if it was her business or not. If it pertained
to Jacque, then as far as she was concerned it was most definitely
her business.

"How did you know I was speaking with Vasile?" Alina
asked, true surprise in her eyes.

"You got the same look that comes over Jacque when
she and her fur ball are using their mind mojo. Although, I did ask
her once if she was constipated because she just sort of got a
constipated look on her face." Everyone's eyes were on Jen by the
time she stopped talking.

"What?" she asked.

Lilly let out a small laugh. "Thank you, Jen. I
needed that."

"That's what I'm here for, Ms. P. Your own personal
comic relief." Jen looked back at Alina. "So seriously, what'd he
say?"

Alina looked at Lilly, her face softened as she said,
"Jacque contacted Fane through their bond."

Lilly took a deep breath and closed her eyes as she
let it out. "Is she okay?"

"Vasile says that she told Fane that Logan had not
hurt her but that she was still in pain from whatever it is that
was wrong before."

"We never got a chance to talk to Dr. Steele about
it," Lilly said to no one in particular.

"Did she say if Dr. Steele was with her?" Sally asked
Alina.

"Jacque did say Dr. Steele was there and that they
had both been kidnapped by Logan,"

Jen made a clucking noise with her tongue. "I don't
know if I believe that. Dr. Steele had a back bone. I don't see her
being bullied by any wolf."

"I'm with you, Vern," Sally agreed.

A few minutes later, they pulled into the driveway of
Lilly's house. They all piled out of the SUV and headed for the
front door, which opened before they even reached it. Decebel stood
in the doorway, looking as ominous as ever, Jen thought.

"What, no kiss hello?" she goaded him, for some
reason finding satisfaction when she could get a reaction out of
him. Jen wasn't ready for the look he gave her in response to her
remark. It actually looked as if he were considering kissing her.
She scurried past him and heard him chuckle, which Jen decided not
to acknowledge.

Once everyone was in the house, crowded once again
into the living room, Vasile went over again what Jacque had told
Fane. Finally, he told them the plan for once they arrived in
Denver.

"Dillon and I decided it would be best if we did not
stay at their pack headquarters, especially since we will be
questioning his wolves and some might think they are being accused
of something. So we will be staying in a hotel close by. We will be
taking my SUV, which holds 9 and Dillon's SUV, which holds 6, to
the airport. Boian, you will ride with Dillon and his wolves. It is
2:00 p.m. Now, so by the time we load the plane it will be around
3:00 p.m. The flight is a little over 2 1/2 hours, so we should
arrive in Denver around 5:30 or 6:00 p.m. Any questions?" No one
responded so Vasile turned to Dillon. "Do you have anything you
need to say?"

"Not right now. I'm ready when you are." Vasile
nodded his head and, without another word, headed towards Alina.
Everyone took that as their cue to gather up their stuff and head
out to their assigned vehicles.

Lilly was walking through the house, making sure all
the lights were turned off when she felt a gentle hand on her arm.
She turned to find Dillon looking at her with eyes that were as
haunted as her own.

"I just want you to know I will do everything in my
power to find her," Dillon told , and she could tell he meant every
word.

"Thank you," was all she could say. She didn't know
what else to say. Here the love of her life stood right before her,
close enough to touch, and yet he was forever out of her reach. But
it was enough, Lilly decided, that he loved their daughter. Even if
he couldn't love her, he loved Jacque and that would be enough.

Once everyone was loaded into the vehicles, their
bags all piled into the backs of each SUV, Sally took a minute to
look at the seating arrangement. Vasile, Alina and Lilly were in
the front, Sorin, Decebel, and Fane were in the back, and Sally and
Jen were in the second seat with Skender sitting in between them.
Sally looked around Skender to her wicked friend. "What are you up
to, Lucy?" Sally whispered.

Jen had that look on her face that Sally was all too
accustomed to. Sally thought of it as the face before the
storm.

"Oh, Ethel, how could you possibly think I would be
up to something?" Jen blinked innocently.

Sally shook her head and noticed again as she sat
back that Decebel's location was directly behind Jen. Great, Jen
was in one of her moods where she just had to poke the lion. She
just couldn't leave well enough alone. Sally braced herself for
what was sure to be an entertaining ride to the airport, no matter
how brief.

Sure enough, not ten minutes in Jen let out a
dramatic sigh. "Sally, I'm so freaking tired," she announced. She
then tried to lean against the window, looking like she was trying
to get comfortable. Once it was obvious that wasn't going to
happen, she sat up and looked at Skender. She shrugged her
shoulders in a very 'what the hell' sort of attitude and just
before she laid her head on his shoulder, Sally saw Jen wink at
her.

Sally jumped when she heard the smack across the back
of Skender's head, and turned to look at where the hit had
originated. Decebel was glaring at the wolf, his eyes glowing
dangerously. He only said one word, but it was enough to give Sally
chill bumps.

"Move," Decebel told him. Skender was up so fast that
he hit his head on the roof of the vehicle. He slipped around Sally
and nudged her leg with his to indicate he wanted her to move over.
Sally looked back at Decebel again to see that his glowing eyes
were now locked onto the back of Jen's head.

"You are a very bad girl. I've told you that before,
right?" Sally whispered in Jen's ear.

"Oh, chillax. I wouldn't mess with him if it wasn't
so easy, but he just walks right into them, ya know? I mean,
seriously, Sally. How can I pass that up."

"Well, you could do like the rest of us and grow up,"
Sally said in her motherly tone.

"Ahh, but Ethel, my dear, where would be the fun in
that?"

"Where indeed," Sally muttered.