Chapter 14

After several hours and still no Costin and Gavril, Vasile ordered everyone to get some sleep and for Sally to call them as soon as the others returned. Jacque wiped tears away as she said goodbye to her friend, then let Fane pull her into the shelter of his arms.

"They are safe, Luna," he whispered.

"They won't be safe until they're back here with their pack." Jacque followed Fane to their bedroom, and with no more words crawled into bed, curling up in his arms. Sleep was a long time in coming as they both waited for the phone to ring.

**Eleven Days Since Departure**

Sometime in the early morning of the next day, Decebel let out a low growl from his place against the tree. Cynthia jumped up and Peri stood looking into the early morning haze. Sally sat up from her makeshift bed, rubbing the sleep from her eyes.

Suddenly Gavril and Costin emerged from the forest, a battered and weary Jen in Costin's arms. Decebel jumped to his feet, lunging toward Costin. His eyes were glowing and the growl coming from him was all wolf. Costin looked at his Beta and realized the wolf had finally won.

"Sally, back away," Costin told her. Sally had begun to move toward Decebel as he surged forward, stumbling from his weakness.

"His wolf is in control. Decebel has left for the holidays," Costin told her firmly. "Cynthia, pull Sally back."

Cynthia obeyed without question, keeping a cautious eye on Decebel.

Decebel growled at Costin, his lip lifted and his sharp, long canines showing as he spoke. "Mine."

Costin nodded. "Yes, she is yours, but she is hurt. You have to be gentle with her."

Decebel tried to take Jen from Costin but he would not relent. Costin lowered his eyes in submission but spoke firmly. "Let me lay her down, Beta. You would not forgive yourself if you dropped her."

Costin moved slowly to the pallet where Sally had been laying and gently laid Jen's limp body down and covered her with a heavy blanket.

Decebel pushed Costin back firmly. "Don't touch."

Costin bared his neck to his Beta. "I mean her no harm and I do not want her for my own. She is very sick."

Decebel crouched down next to Jen, and in a tender way Sally had never seen in any man, he brushed her hair away from her face. He leaned down and pressed his nose against her neck, breathing deeply over and over. He ran his hands tenderly through her hair and then over her arms. He pulled the blanket back and ran his hands down her legs. Sally was confused - the action wasn't sexual but it was very possessive.

"What is he doing?" Sally asked Costin.

"Putting his scent on her. She has my scent and Gavril's scent. Two males on her, it's probably driving him mad."

Decebel struggled for control and he was losing. His wolf knew her. As soon as Costin had come into view, Decebel hadn't had a chance against his wolf. It took everything in him to keep from killing Costin when he saw his mate in his arms. Now, as he looked down upon her unmoving body, so weak and vulnerable, he knew his wolf wouldn't let her out of their sight.

Decebel turned to Peri with his glowing eyes and menacing stare. "Fix her." His voice was deep and guttural, not human at all.

"We must get her and you to a safe place. We need to cross the Veil." Peri turned to Gavril. "I will contact you when it is time for you and Rachel to come. Until then, stay out of sight. She must not be captured, no matter what."

Gavril nodded, then looked over at Decebel, who was kneeling next to his mate. "Forgive us, Beta. We meant no harm toward her."

Decebel growled.

"You know you can't reason with his wolf, just make it right. That's all the apology he will need."

Gavril nodded once then turned and took off in the direction he and Costin had emerged from.

"Costin, you will need to carry Jen," Peri told him.

Costin saw the feral look in Decebel's eyes. "Sorry, fairy lady, not going to happen. He will rip anyone's head off if they touch her."

Cynthia took a step toward Decebel. She got on all fours and crawled with her head bowed. She stopped about five feet from him and made sure her head was lower than his.

"Beta, we must move her and you are too weak. Please let me carry her."

"Mine," Decebel snarled.

"Yes, she is yours. None of us mean her harm. You know us, wolf, you can smell that we are pack. Trust us to care for what's yours."

Decebel looked at Jennifer, who was struggling to breathe, then back at Cynthia. "Only you and the healer may be near her."

Cynthia let out the breath she had been holding and waited for Decebel to stand. He stepped aside so she could get to Jen. As gently as she could, she lifted her, inwardly wincing at how light she was. Jen had lost a significant amount of weight and felt so frail.

When Cynthia turned to face the others, she tensed as Decebel took a step toward her. But he simply laid a soft hand on Jen's leg, so gentle with his broken mate. Cynthia realized then that he didn't plan to leave her side and that he might not even take a hand off of her for a second.

"Let's go," Peri said as she once again lifted her arms, causing the air to shimmer. "Stay close."

As they passed through the Veil, Sally felt a warm tingling sensation. When it disappeared, she looked around and realized that they were right where they had been.

"Did we go anywhere?"

Peri nodded. "No matter where you enter Farie, it will mimic the same climate and image to humans."

"Wicked," Sally murmured.

"We aren't going far. Just keep up," Peri snapped as she took off at a brisk walk.

They had walked for about fifteen minutes when they came to a two-story stone house. Moss had grown over the house on one side, and tree branches arched over it like a protective barrier. Several chimneys towered from the pitched roof and smoke danced from each one, floating off into the sky. The front door was arched and very tall - there were round windows on either side of the door.

The closer they got to the house, the more Sally felt like she was entering an enchanted land. When they got to the door and Peri opened it, Decebel let out a low growl.

"Costin, enter and make sure this is safe for the females."

Costin nodded and stepped past the surprised Fae.

Peri rolled her eyes. "I've forgotten how annoying the males of your species can be," she told Sally and Cynthia.

Cynthia chuckled. "Annoying is being nice. If Jen were awake, she would give you a very colorful description of what she thinks about the males."

"I think I'm going to like this Jen." Peri smiled and her face seemed to light up when she did.

"Coast is clear." Costin stuck his head out the door. He reached out for Sally's hand and didn't wait for her to accept his, he just grabbed her and pulled her into the house.

As soon as they stepped inside, they were in a giant living room. A huge stone fireplace was on the far-left wall and a warm fire crackled and popped. The pitched ceiling was open all the way to the second floor and there was a railing which allowed one to look down upon the living room.

There was a kitchen at the back of the room with all the necessary appliances, and it seemed so strange to Sally to be standing in a house in a different realm, looking at a seemingly normal kitchen. There was a large couch and several overstuffed chairs close to the fire in a circle and on the far-left wall were tall shelves full of various sizes of books. On the back wall, across from the kitchen, was a door that opened into another room.

"Cynthia, take Jen into that room there," Peri instructed as she pointed to the door.

Cynthia took her precious burden, with Decebel still holding onto Jen's leg, and laid her on the bed in the room. It was a surprisingly large room with a sleigh bed. When Cynthia laid Jen down, she noticed how soft the comforter was - and plush - as it seemed to wrap around Jen as tenderly as a lover. There were several chairs in the room, a large armoire, and another fireplace. The room was warm and, despite its size, very cozy.

Cynthia watched as Decebel stood next to the bed, looking at his mate, his hand still on her leg. She grabbed a chair and pushed it toward him. "Beta, you need to rest." She motioned to the chair.

Decebel's wolf still looked out through his eyes. He nodded once to her and sat, never losing focus on Jen.

Cynthia left him there without disturbing him more. She saw that the others were sitting in the chairs and couch around the fire. Sally had placed the phone on the round coffee table in the center of their circle. She realized Sally must have called the others as she listened to Sally explain about Jen and Decebel. Her face was grave when she described how battered her friend looked; tears were sliding down her cheeks. Costin placed a comforting hand on Sally's lower back and Cynthia noticed his eyes were glowing. Obviously, he did not like seeing Sally so upset.

"I've never seen anyone look so close to death, Jacque." Sally hiccupped through her tears. Costin finally had all he could take, and he pulled Sally into his lap. He whispered words of comfort and caressed her hair gently.

"It will be okay, Sally mine," he told her gently.

Sally looked into his hazel eyes and though she knew she was probably going to regret it, gave in and leaned her head against his chest. Costin let out a contented sigh and pulled her tighter.

"Decebel is with her?" Vasile's voice came through the phone.

"Yes," Peri answered. "His wolf recognized his mate. He won't let anyone near her."

"That's good," Vasile said, then amended, "Good that his wolf recognized her."

"So, there's been no change even though they've been brought together? Can a wolf love - I mean, would his love be able to break the curse?" Jacque questioned.

"Love is what will break the curse?" Costin asked, having missed that conversation. Sally nodded against his chest "How can something so simple break something so powerful?" Costin shook his head.

"Simple?" Sally gasped as she sat up abruptly and turned to look at Costin. " You think love is simple?"

Costin's eyes widened at the fierceness in her eyes and the firmness of her voice - a deer caught in the headlights.

"Here we go," they heard Jacque mutter under her breath.

"How can it surprise any of you that love could break the curse?" Sally addressed the group, her eyes moving from person to person. Then she stared at the phone as if she could see through it. "You, whose very genetic makeup forces you to love so deeply that you can't even survive without your mate? It's no coincidence that the saying is 'love conquers all'. It's a tale as old as time."

Jacque snorted. "You've been waiting to use that line."

Sally chuckled briefly. "I finally got my day." Then she sobered and her eyes returned to Costin. "There is nothing simple about something that can fill you with the greatest joy you've ever known. It can make men build cities, crush enemies, seek out ways to move mountains, and bring even the greatest to his knees. There is nothing simple about something that can rip the very seams of your soul in half, shred every amount of dignity you've ever had, and strip every inhibition from who you are."

Costin leaned forward and reached out toward the girl who had become a woman before his eyes.

"Sally," he whispered.

She turned away from him in a rare show of severity, ignoring his hand, looking back at the phone. "Fane, do you think that curse would have worked on you? Do you think you could have forgotten your mate?"

Fane shook his head. "No. Not with the Blood Rites being fulfilled and the bond between us being complete, but I suspect the curse wouldn't work without the love between the two. You're right, Sally. There is nothing more powerful than love. Jacquelyn's and my soul have been made one through our bond. No darkness can conquer the light love sheds."

"Okay, I'm with you." Jacque agreed. "But how do we get a man who doesn't remember his mate to remember he loves her?"

"He's going to have to bond with her," Peri spoke up.

All heads turned to look at her.

"It's the only thing that will restore the severed bond and, ostensibly, draw Decebel's memories forward."

Cynthia leaned forward in her chair, leaning her elbows on her knees. "Vasile, it won't be hard to convince Decebel's wolf to do the Blood Rites, but Decebel is another story. He wants to remember Jen, he wants to love her. Wanting and doing are two different things."

"Sally. " It was Alina's voice they heard this time.

"Yes?" Sally answered.

"You need to talk to Decebel. You might be able to reach him."

"I'll try."

Suddenly they heard a deadly snarl and the sound of something hitting the floor hard.

Sally started in the direction of the room but Costin caught her around the waist.

"You aren't going in there with an enraged wolf."

"Costin, let go. That is my best friend in there. Decebel won't hurt me."

"Sally, what's happened?" Vasile's voice thundered through the speaker.

Cynthia picked up the phone and started talking as she headed in the direction of the room, following the struggling Sally and pissed-off looking Costin.

They entered the room and Cynthia nearly dropped the phone. "Alpha, we're going to have to call you back." Before he could answer she ended the call and stared, horrified by a blood-covered Decebel and a lifeless Jen.