Sacrifice of Love (6 page)

“I think they decided to go to bed early after the meeting,” Sally answered.

Jen let out a hard breath as she pulled her feet from Decebel’s lap and sat up on the couch. Her baby bump was still small enough that she could lean forward and put her elbows on her knees.

“I would love to take that statement and turn it in to some graphic sex talk that would make Sally blush, but the reality is, they probably just went to sleep.”

“What’s wrong with that?” Decebel’s deep voice rumbled from beside her.

Jen’s head turned slowly to look at her mate. The look she gave him could have burned a hole through a brick building. “Did you seriously just ask me that?”

Decebel didn’t say anything. He just sat there meeting her stare.

“When have we ever just gone to…,” she was cut off by a growl from her mate.

“Jennifer stop,” Decebel’s voice was tight with irritation.

A smile spread across Jen’s face and nothing in that smile was friendly.

“You’re right Dec I should stop. That’s a dumb question for me to ask, since the answer is every night for the past two weeks.”

Decebel stood up abruptly and his power radiated throughout the room. “Why are you always discussing the details of our sex life in front of every person we know? Have you ever thought that maybe I don’t want you to discuss it? Have you ever once considered how I might feel about it?” His voice was so deep that it vibrated in Jen’s chest.

Jen stood from the couch slowly. Though she wasn’t huge, she still was getting used to having weight protruding from her stomach and she lost her balance a lot. She swayed slightly once on her feet and when Decebel reached out to steady her, she snarled at him and slapped his hand away. “Keep your damn hands off of me. That shouldn’t be too hard for you since it seems to be what you want anyway.”

After several heartbeats she looked up at his face. She mentally prepared herself to stay calm.
Just keep it together Jen
, she told herself.

“You forget that I am in your mind B. I am a constant shadow and I know how you feel and what you think,” she paused and gritted her teeth to keep from crying.
Damn pregnancy hormones
. “That is until now. So now that I can’t see what’s going on inside of you, I have to draw my own conclusion as to what has suddenly made you act like a pissed-off four year old whose ice cream has just splattered to the ground. And I’ve come to the conclusion that I must not be doing it for you anymore.”

She took a step closer to him and reached up to poke him in the chest. “How I figure it,
Decebel
, is that as long as I’m raving about how amazing you are so you can puff up like a proud peacock..., wholly crap that’s a good one,” she said with a tone of regret in her voice, but then shook it off and jumped right back in to her tirade. “As long as you look like a freaking sex god, a mind blowing fantasy for women everywhere, then you don’t mind me spouting off to everyone who will listen. But as soon as you start to lag in that area, as soon as your ability is put to question, then you are suddenly uncomfortable with your hot mate discussing the now sore issue.”

The room was wrapped in silence but the residue of Jen’s words rung out loud and clear. Jen stood there waiting for her mate’s response. Waiting to see if he would contradict her, yell at her, or decide to throw her over his shoulder and prove her wrong. She was hoping for that last outcome. She might as well have been hoping for the Fates to suddenly appear and say
you got punked; you can keep your kid.

“You should go to bed Jennifer. I imagine you’re tired after your fit.” His jaw was so tense that it sounded as if the words had to be pulled from his throat.

Sally’s mouth dropped open as she stared up at Decebel and then looked at Jen. She pushed on Costin to sit up and then stood, about to take a step towards her friend, but Costin’s arm snaked around her waist and pulled her back to his chest.

“Not a good idea,” he whispered in her ear. She nodded, though it frustrated her that they had to tiptoe around the males when they went into possessive, butthead mode.

Jen closed her eyes and counted to ten. That didn’t help so she tried counting to fifteen. Nope, that didn’t help either so she just gave up and gave into her fury.

“You’re right, Dec. I need to go lie down.” Her voice was deceptively sweet as she stepped around him giving him a wide berth so as not to touch him.

“I will be there shortly,” he told her gruffly.

Jen stopped and turned slightly so she could see him, but it was more for his benefit, so that he could see her. She wanted to make this very clear for him.

“I don’t know how they did things back when you were not over a hundred years old, but I know how we do things now. After the way you have just treated me, the chances of you getting near me, let alone while I’m in our bed, are about as likely as Peri putting on a tutu and pretending to be a fairy god mother.  And if that doesn’t make it clear then this should. If you value any of your body parts you will stay away.”

Decebel didn’t try to stop her when she turned and walked briskly from the room. He didn’t know what to say to fix what he had royally screwed up, so he decided to let her go so she could cool off. She would be more reasonable after she had calmed down.

“Decebel what aren’t you telling her?” Sally spoke up breaking the silence that had descended once Jen left.

He looked over at the healer and he knew she saw past his walls, past the façade that he had put in place to make it appear that everything was okay.

“Some things are better left in the dark,” he told her gently.

Sally shook her head. “You know that isn’t true. We can’t see in the dark. There is nothing to light the way, so we stumble. We grope around hoping to find our way safe and sound. But there is nothing to grasp onto, and in the dark we can’t see those who could help us.” Sally stepped out of Costin’s hold and walked directly in front of Decebel. Her eyes were filled with compassion and the need to help the wolves that were in her pack. But she could tell that Decebel was beyond help. “Nothing is ever better in the dark, Alpha. Darkness is for those who have lost their way. They have traveled off the road that they should take and the darkness wraps around them, pulling them in with false promises.” she paused again maintaining eye contact, which for all others, except a select few, would be impossible. Sally took a deep breath before she continued. “Now you listen to me, Decebel, Alpha of the Serbian pack, mate to Jennifer. You are pack, and because of that, the darkness cannot have you. You belong to us, and you know better than anyone that we do not give up what is ours.”

Decebel watched in stunned silence as Costin took Sally’s hand and lead her from the room. He gave Decebel a brief show of his neck and then left.

“Well, that’s a first,” Decebel said into the now empty room. “I’ve been put in my place by a gypsy healer.” He let out a low, weary chuckle that quickly faded away when he thought about the darkness that he was indeed walking into. He couldn’t tell Sally that his darkness was unavoidable because his daughter’s life was on the line. For that precious life, the life that his beautiful wife now carried, he would run with everything he had into the darkness without hesitation.

Lilly stood just inside the entrance to the mountain. She still wasn’t used to the magic. From her vantage point, she saw only a normal foyer and front door. But anyone passing by on the outside would only see a mountain, rocks, earth, and shrubs.  She refused to admit to herself that she was actually going to miss this place, though she had only spent a short time here. But in truth, it felt like home, or maybe it was just because Cypher was here and that made it her home. She ran a hand across her face as she fought against the tears that had been relentlessly trying to escape her eyes. Crying wouldn’t do any good. It wouldn’t change anything and it would only make her look like a weak ninny. So instead, she stood rigid, trying to appear nonchalant while she waited for Peri to arrive.

She had actually been relieved when Cypher had told her that Peri would be escorting her to the airport. But the relief was overshadowed by the fact that Cypher didn’t plan on going with her himself. But then again, what had she expected? The man was kicking her out. Why on earth would she want him to wave to her as she boarded the plane?
Oh I don’t know, Lilly, maybe because you love him and want him to see you at the airport and realize he is making the biggest mistake of his life. Then, in the last moment, he would run to make the plane stop and board it to beg you not to go.
Lilly groaned at her inner dialogue and pathetic scenario, which she thought must actually be from some sappy romantic comedy she had watched. She had to get a grip, and what better way to do that than by being distracted by an eccentric, ancient, and quite dramatic, fae?

“All right,” Peri nearly yelled as she suddenly appeared out of thin air beside Lilly who, for her part, yelped and jumped into the air.

“I hear you have been evicted and must vacate the premises immediately.” Peri didn’t acknowledge Lilly’s jumpiness. Instead the fae just looked at her as if she hadn’t just nearly given Lilly a heart attack while simultaneously reminding her that she was being kicked out of her man’s house, or in this case, mountain castle, which she loved.

“Thanks for that, Perizada. I’m glad that you reminded me that Cypher has decided to send me home, because I sort of forgot, even though I’m standing her in the freaking foyer with my packed bags.”

“Okay, note to self, human is touchy about eviction topic,” Peri said absently as she picked up Lilly’s bags. “Alright, have you said your goodbyes? Have you done all the ranting you require? Have you shredded all his sheets and burned the curtains? I saw that in a movie once and it seemed therapeutic.”

“Can we just go?” Lilly said as her shoulders slumped forward, her eyes devoid of their usual spunk.

“Grab my sleeve please, and try not to puke.”

Lilly closed her eyes, expecting there to be some sort of flash or rush of air. But instead there was nothing and then when she opened her eyes she was no longer in the foyer of Cypher’s home.

“Uh, Peri, I thought Cypher told you to take me to the airport,” Lilly said slowly as she looked around.

“You must not know me very well if you think that I always do what those bossy, arrogant supernatural men tell me to do. I mean, where would the fun in that be?”

“That sounds like something Jen would say,” Lilly smiled.

“Well if she does, it’s because she learned it from me.” Peri’s voice was full of her usual haughtiness.

“Whatever you say, Peri fairy.”

“I’m going to let that slide since your boyfriend just gave you the boot. Now, come on, let's go find your offspring and her cronies.”

Decebel knocked on Dr. Cynthia Steele’s door. He had debated for half an hour whether or not he should speak with her about his dilemma and finally decided that it was the best option he had. He wasn’t sure how Cynthia was going to respond to his admission, but he knew that as her Alpha he could command her to keep her silence if need be.

The door opened and Cynthia’s eyes widened in surprise.

“Decebel,” she said carefully, “is Jen alright? Do you need me to come and check on her?”

Decebel shook his head. “She is fine. I’ve come here to speak to you about something that has to do with me,” he paused and then amended, “well it has to do with both myself and my mate, but I do not want her to know that I have come to see you. I also must insist that everything that is said in this room tonight stays between you and me. Is that clear?”

Cynthia nodded as she stepped aside so that he could enter.

“What can I do for you,” she asked as she motioned him to a chair, which he did not take.

Decebel rubbed the back of his neck and Cynthia noticed then that his face was lined with worry and his eyes a little brighter than she liked. She waited patiently, not wanting to provoke an already agitated Alpha.

“I need something to keep Jennifer from being able to enter my mind while I sleep.”