Den of Sorrows (25 page)

She flashed the pair into the Serbia basement, which was basically a square room containing two very strong cages—put there for just such an emergency. Peri pushed Drake into one of the cages with her power and then slammed the door shut. She held her hand out and spoke in her own language, ensuring that the door couldn't be opened by anyone but her. If she died in the coming battle, Drake was SOL. Too bad, so sad.

Peri let go of Bethany's arm, keeping her on the outside of the cage and a good five feet away from it. "Okay," Peri breathed out. "I don’t have time to walk you through all of this. So here are the cliff notes. That" —she pointed to Drake— "is a werewolf. He can understand everything you say. You should be safe from him because he thinks you're his mate. But, stay away from the cage anyway. You are to stay here until I return. We will not hurt you. Your days feeding the vamps are over. Now, are you going to have a panic attack, or pass out?"

Bethany stared at her with wide eyes. "I don’t think so."

"Good. Oh, one more thing." Peri glanced back at Drake and then to the dormant girl. "If he phases back into a man, under no circumstances are you to let him talk you into biting him. Are we clear?"

"Uh, I'm a hundred percent positive that I won't be biting a werewolf."

Peri laughed. "Yeah, that's what I said too." Peri flashed from the room leaving the pair alone and wondering if she'd done the right thing, not that she'd had a choice. She reappeared back in the underground dungeon where an all-out war had erupted. Only there were no vampires involved, at least not yet.

"ENOUGH!" Vasile’s voice boomed against the walls and a hush fell over the room. The Alpha turned to look at her. He did not look pleased. "When this is all said and done, if we live, we are going to have a long, long discussion on why listening to these three" —he motioned to Jen, Jacque, and Sally— "is detrimental to your health."

Peri flashed him a smile. "Please don't expect me to learn my lesson. That's just way more effort than I'm willing to put in."

V
asile felt his mate’s hand on his arm—smart woman. He was at his breaking point. He took a deep breath and then focused back on the matter at hand. "You three are to stay here." When the girls started to argue, Decebel cut them off.

"Jennifer, enough." His voice was not harsh, but it was firm. "The malice that fills this place is enough to choke a demon. You have to stay here if I'm going to be able to fight. Fane I'm sure feels the same way. And, Sally, if something happens to you while under my protection, Costin will have my head. You've had your adventure. In some jacked up way you even helped. Now please just wait for us."

To Vasile's surprise the girls all nodded.

"Good," Vasile said and then addressed the others. "Alston and Peri will flash back closer to the surface. We are to keep ourselves between the girls and the vampires. If we come across any dormants alive, Peri will flash them here to the girls. Fight smart, fight to kill. Do not prolong the battle by taking your anger out on the vamps. It will only cause unnecessary risks. Am I clear?"

Everyone agreed. He turned to his mate. "Do you think you should stay here with the girls?"

Alina's jaw was tight. "No, I will help look for survivors while you fight. The girls will be fine without me. Decebel has trained Jen well and Sally is not without defenses."

He pressed a kiss to her forehead. This had been hard for his tender mate. Alina loved children. She'd always wanted more, but it hadn't happened. And now they were finding out there were dormant children alive in the world being tortured. It would take a long time for her to heal from this once it was over.

D
ecebel took Jennifer’s face in his hands and tilted it up so that she was looking at him. She was so damn beautiful, and infuriating. "I love you."

She smiled at him. "Even though I drive you crazy?"

He leaned down and pressed his lips to hers, intending it to be a quick kiss, but she tasted so good and he'd been so worried about her, he deepened it and groaned when he felt her respond to him. Her hands slid under his shirt and pressed into his back. His wolf rumbled his approval at the skin on skin contact. When Decebel pulled away, they were both panting shamelessly.

"Be careful, B," she said softly. "I'd hate to have to save your ass and make you look like a pansy."

He chuckled. "Yes, I'm sure you'd hate that."

"I love you too by the way," she told him, responding to his earlier comment.

Decebel smacked her on her backside just before stepping away. "Behave, female. At least until I return for you."

"I make no promises, fur ball."

F
ane placed his hand on his mate’s stomach. "Are you sure you're okay? You seem tense."

Jacque laughed. "Really? I don’t know why I'd be tense. It's not like we found a dormant teenage girl locked in a cage that caused Drake to lose him mind and bite her on the neck."

Fane tapped her on the nose. "There's no need to be smart. I’m just worried about you."

She rose up on her toes and pressed a kiss to his lips. Fane pulled her close, needing to feel her against him, needing to know she was alright.

"I'm fine. You go fight. Come back with your shield or on it and all that jazz."

Fane chuckled. "You and Jennifer watching 300 again?"

"You know how Jen feels about men fighting in capes and Speedos," she teased.

"Take care of yourself and our child. I love you." Fane pressed his forehead to hers and took in a deep breath. He savored her, allowing her touch and scent to comfort the wolf who was demanding to stay with her. Fane knew they had to fight, and they couldn't do that if Jacque was in the middle of the battle.

"I love you back, wolf man."

C
ostin was pacing the suite he shared with his mate. Titus had fallen asleep watching a cartoon and that had left Costin with his thoughts, and only his thoughts, because his mate was not sharing hers.

"Costin?"

He froze midstep and let out a relieved sigh.
"Brown eyes."

"Just wanted to check in with you."

"Why'd you close the bond, Sally mine?"

"I don’t want to argue,"
she said in the small voice that always wanted to make him slay dragons for her.

"Fine, we'll argue when you get back and I can spank you."

She laughed and he soaked up the sound.

"The group is about to confront the vampires here in Phoenix. Jen, Jacque, and I are going to be safely tucked away from the fight. I thought you'd like to know that. How is Titus?"

Costin loved the way she tried to skip over the whole vampire slaughter that was about to happen by trying to distract him with their son.

"He's sleeping. We've played every game I could find. We’ve read every childrens’ book Jen and Decebel have and played with Thia until she crashed. He's smart, Sally. He's going to be a cunning wolf."

"With you as his dad, I've no doubt."
She paused and he could tell she was distracted.

"Everything okay?"

"Yes, it’s just that they're about to go and Jen and Jacque are looking worried. I'm going to see if I can distract them. Love you, kay?"

"I love you, Sally. Be safe. Come back to us."

The bond narrowed, though it didn't close completely. She left her end open just enough that he could feel her, but not really pick up on any of her thoughts or emotions. Costin ran his hands through his hair, uncaring how mussed it was becoming. He was here, and his mate was there—with vampires. He couldn't protect her and something in his gut was screaming at him that she was desperately going to need protection.

Chapter 16

"How much more can really go wrong? There, I asked it. Now I will sit back and wait for the sky to open, the earth to crack, and aliens to invade. I'm planning for the absolute worst case scenario. That way, whatever happens will seem so much better than the alternative." ~Peri

S
incaro stared at the one standing before him. He couldn't decide if it was brave, or incredibly stupid.

"You can either join us,” it said, “or wait until your entire race is wiped out. Then the ones left will be loyal to the Order."

The vampire king considered the invitation, if that's what it truly was. He'd heard of the organization a very long time ago, but he’d never thought it actually existed. "What's in it for me and my kind?"

"Freedom. You live in the bowls of the city like rats. You are a king of your race, are you not? Do you really belong down here in the sewer? Join us and you will be a part of a revolution. The revolution will happen with or without you.  The pieces are falling into place. We only need a couple more key players."

"And those would be?"

"Secret. But one of them is here now intent on destroying your people,
without
her mate,” the figure said. “Keep the group busy long enough for her to be taken in the chaos. After that we don't care what you do with the others. When the time is right, we will be in touch again."

After a few moments of deliberation, Sincaro decided that no harm would come in at least entertaining the offer. He would see if this
Order
would indeed deliver. "Fine. I will wait to hear from you."

"One more thing, as a show of good faith, I will share this info with you. If you don't want to lose the majority of your vampires in Canada, I suggest you have them get moving, now."

Sincaros eyes narrowed. "Why?"

"Thalion, prince of the elves, is leading an army out of his realm with the sole mission of destroying the covens in Canada."

Sincaro’s gaze bore into the spot where his guest had just been. Then he picked up the phone and dialed Caine’s number.

"Get everyone out. Use the underground tunnels. Use the forests at night. The elves are coming, if they aren't already there."

"Elves?” the younger vampire responded. “I thought the elves didn't involve themselves in the business of other supernaturals.”

"Apparently, they've changed their stance."

P
eri followed the wolves and the warlock king up through the tunnels. Alston was bringing up the rear. Nissa still hadn't returned from Jeff Stone's pack and she was beginning to wonder if something had happened to the high fae. Cyn was helping Thalion eradicate the vampires in Canada, or at least she hoped that was what was happening. Peri had a strange feeling in her gut. Something just didn’t feel right, but she couldn’t pinpoint the reason for her anxiety. As they moved through the tunnels, searching for their enemy, she felt as though something important was eluding her.

She heard the vampires before she saw them. She pushed away the feelings that were quickly threatening to suffocate her. She needed to be able to fight with a clear head. She'd worry about this new mystery anxiety after wiping Sincaro and his vermin from the earth.

One minute they were running through tunnels and the next they were being herded. Vampires seemed to be crawling out of the crevices of the walls coming at them from all directions. Who knew they could move like that? Peri watched in horrid fascination as they came crawling down the sides of the walls and ceiling of the tunnel like cockroaches. They hissed and began dropping to the ground and that’s when all hell broke loose.

Peri held out her hand and a silver short sword appeared. It had been a long time since she'd used the weapon, and she'd honestly hoped she'd never have to use it again. Apparently, when you are an immortal being, such things are too much to ask. Epic battles between good and evil seem to happen every so often. You just can’t sit on the sidelines; then you’d miss all the fun. The high fae swung the blade and it became an extension of her will. Every vampire that came within reach of her lost its head. She thrust a bit of her power into the blade with each swing. After all, what good was having vast powers of light if you couldn’t use it to decapitate a few vampires?

Peri heard Alina snarl and watched as the she-wolf held up a vampire by its throat with one hand and then punch her clawed other hand into the thing’s chest cavity. Bitch was bad ass. The Alpha female turned and met Peri's eyes. Blood was splattered across her cheek and her eyes were glowing. She looked like a supernatural warrior. Peri bowed her head slightly to her. Alina returned the gesture and then turned just as a female vampire leapt at her.

Peri turned her attention back to her own battle as more and more vampires came at them.

"Where are they coming from?" Cypher yelled as he cut down two vamps at once with the huge blade he wielded.

Peri didn't have an answer for the warlock king. All she could do was continue to fight and hope that, at some point, Sincaro would run out of warriors.

“
S
o you’re a werewolf?” Bethany asked, still a little skeptical despite having heard the woman called Peri tell her this and then disappear before her very eyes.

The wolf paced in the cage, stopping every now and then to look at her. Then he would huff as though it was her fault he was locked in a cage, and he would continue pacing.

Every time he stopped to stare at her, Bethany wanted to fidget under his intense gaze but she refused to be intimidated. She'd spent eleven years of her life afraid; she wouldn't live like that anymore.

"
You never have to fear me. I would never hurt you. I only want to keep you safe, and if it's in my power to do so, keep you happy
."

Her breath froze in her lungs. Okay, so now she was afraid. The voice was in her head again. And the wolf had been looking right at her when she heard it.

"Are you talking to me in my mind?" she asked him as she pressed herself back against the wall as if it could absorb her body.

"Yes. All true mates can speak through their bond. You can speak to me mentally, if you want."

"I think I'll just…keep talking to you like this," she pointed to her mouth as if he wouldn't understand without the motion.

He sat down on his haunches—okay that's a weird way to think of it if he really was a man—and stared straight at her. He was a beautiful animal. His fur was soft and was shiny; his eyes were like liquid silver, bright, if not a tad wild looking.

"How old are you?"
he asked as he continued to study her just as closely as she was studying him.

"Eighteen. How old are you?" Was she really doing this? Was she really going to sit here and have a conversation with a wolf?

"Would you prefer I take my human form?"

The question took her off guard. Would she? She didn't know. She'd never been around a human man before—at least not as a grown woman. She'd been with the vampires so long she didn't even know how to feel about men.

"About me?"

"What?"

"You don't know how to feel about me, not just any man."

"Do you have to do that? Read my thoughts? It's kind of unnerving."

"I've been waiting for you for so long. I want to give you the space you need, but you are all that is keeping me sane. Either I touch your skin or I touch you mentally through our bond."

Bethany didn't know what to say to that. She was talking to a wolf who could speak to her through her thoughts, and he'd just told her that she was the key to his sanity.
Her
? As if she was sane herself. She stood suddenly and the wolf stood as well. She felt as though the walls were closing in on her. The room was getting smaller and the air was being sucked out and she was going to suffocate.

"Bethany, listen to me."

His voice filled her mind but all she could think about was trying to get air into her lungs. She leaned over, placing her hands on her knees as she tried to keep her balance. The world was beginning to break apart into little squares and she could feel herself falling forward. Then the world went black.

D
rake phased faster than he ever had before. He flung his arm out through the space in the bars and caught Bethany's head before it could hit the ground. He lowered her gently down and brushed the hair from her face. She was exquisite. Her hair was as black as pitch and her skin as fair and creamy as milk. It was striking in its contrast. Her eyes were a startling color of aquamarine. She had long eyelashes and full pink lips. Her nose was small and cute and her cheeks were high, hinting at an aristocratic appearance. She looked like a fairy queen. She was small—at least a foot shorter than his 6'2" frame. His hands easily encircled her wrists and he felt as though the slightest amount of pressure could snap her bones. She seemed so fragile and yet she'd survived living with vampires. She’d been fed on for years. She wasn't fragile, she was strong—resilient—and she was his.

Drake ran a finger across her cheekbone and down her jaw. He couldn't stop touching her. Just this small touch pushed the maddening darkness back enough that he could think a little more clearly.

Several minutes passed before she started to come to. Her eyes fluttered several times before finally opening. They met his and Drake felt as though he'd been punched in the gut.

It took her a moment to realize that she was looking at a man and not a wolf. He saw the moment she realized this as she pushed herself up and scampered back away from him. Drake was mindful of the fact that he was completely unclothed and kept himself in a position that would not give her an eyeful.

When he spoke, he did so softly, not wanting to startle her any further. "Would you throw me a pair of those pants?" He pointed to the far left of the room where a shelf stood in the corner containing stacks of folded sweat pants.

Bethany's eyes didn’t leave him as she slid sideways until her hands hit the shelf. She grabbed a pair and stepped to the part of the cell furthest from him and pushed them through the bars. Drake waited until she was back in her spot, pressed tightly to the wall, before moving.

"I'm going to stand now, so unless you want a quick anatomy lesson, you might want to turn your head or close your eyes."

He waited for her to comply but she just sat there staring at him. "Bethany," he said her name softly. "Are you okay?"

Still she didn't speak. Drake didn't know what to do, but he knew he couldn't just sit there naked. So he stood and turned to grab the sweatpants. He pulled them on quickly, his back turned to her. When he turned back around, he nearly smiled because her once fair skinned face was now as red as a ripe cherry.

"I warned you," he told her with a small amount of laughter in his voice. He sat down less than a foot from the bars, directly across from where she sat. Drake met her gaze and then waited. It didn't bother him to just sit and stare at her. She was here, his true mate, finally. He could wait for as long as she needed, just so long as she would stay close to him.

Drake could feel the confusion, disbelief, and uncertainty running through her mind. He was trying very hard not to just read her thoughts. He didn't want to violate her privacy but he needed to keep the bond open. If he was going to keep the darkness from completely taking over again, he needed her light.