Chapter 17

**Twelve Days Post-Curse**

Jacque stumbled as she and the others climbed a considerably steep hill. Fane wrapped an arm around her waist, catching her before she face-planted into the snow.

"Thank goodness for wolf reflexes," she murmured.

Fane winked at her and gave her a quick peck on the cheek. "I'll always catch you, Jacquelyn."

He released her and they continued up the hill, following Elle, with Alina, Sorin, and Vasile pulling up the rear.

"At the risk of sounding very much like a five-year-old, are we there yet?" Jacque grumbled.

Elle looked back at her, then the others, and realized that they were seriously dragging. Jacque more than the others because she wasn't fully Canis lupus. Elle had been pushing them hard, and in twenty-four hours she'd only let them stop twice and they were brief pauses. She looked ahead and narrowed her eyes. Fae eye sight was beyond anything humans could understand.

"It will be another day and half a night before we are there, and that's if we don't stop."

"We have to stop to sleep at least for a couple of hours," Vasile spoke up from behind them.

"No offense, Alpha, but lingering is not wise." Elle looked into the small pouch that was attached to her hip. She only ever used it as a last resort, but it was necessary at this point. She pulled out small wafers and handed them to Jacque.

"Pass three to each person. Let them dissolve in your mouth," Elle explained.

Jacque turned to do as she was instructed, then quickly turned back to Elle. "What exactly is this?"

"Its energy," Elle said simply.

"Well, that clears it right up," Jacque chirped. "You're just as vague as the fur balls."

Elle cocked her head to the side. "Fur balls?"

Jacque snorted a chuckle. "Sorry, bad habit. I meant werewolves."

Elle looked behind Jacque to Fane. "You are the prince of your people and she calls you a fur ball."

"Believe it or not, she's called me worse," Fane told her shaking his head.

Elle shook her own head in disbelief, muttering, "Humans are so weird." She started walking again and said over her shoulder, "You should begin to feel the effects of those in a few moments."

The group continued on and true to Elle's word they began to feel the effects of the Fae food. As Jacque's energy from the strange wafers peaked, she turned to look at Fane with a wicked grin.

"What's going on in that head of yours, Luna?"

"I was just thinking about what Jen would suggest those wafers be used for." Jacque laughed out loud when Fane raised his eyebrows at her.

"Who says Jen's the only one who would think of such a thing?" His voice was filled with unrepentant desire, even amidst all the turmoil they were enduring.

Jacque's response was a snicker and an eye roll at her mate who, werewolf or not, was still very male.

Fourteen Days Post-Curse

Decebel didn't understand why he was nervous about giving Jennifer more of his blood. Admittedly, it was a very intimate experience, but under the circumstances he felt like all he should feel was the desire to make sure she healed. In truth, even with her only conscious in brief stints, he was falling for her, and he desperately wanted her to still have the feelings Sally said she'd had for him.

He placed a hand under her neck and lifted gently to prop her up. Then he bit into his other arm deep enough to make sure the blood flowed freely. He placed the wound over her lips, pushing gently at her bottom lip to open her mouth. He held his breath as he waited to see if she would respond on her own. After several seconds, much to his relief, Jennifer's lips latched onto his arm and she began taking what he offered. Decebel closed his eyes, thanking the great Luna that Jennifer was finally strong enough to drink without coaxing. He tried not to think about how much it pleased him that she seemed to crave his blood, that she recognized him as hers. For a mate, that was a very potent thing.

When he began to pull his arm away, he smiled at the disappointed noise that came from her.

"You would suck me dry if I let you."

As Decebel wrapped the towel he had laid on his lap around his bleeding arm, his head snapped up at the sound of a raspy voice.

"I'm not a damn vampire flea bag."

Decebel couldn't stop the wide grin that stretched across his face as he looked down into Jen's blue eyes. Although they had a haze over them, they still held mysteries that he longed to uncover.

He gently brushed her hair away from her face and ran the back of his hand against her cheek.

"You may not be a blood sucker, but admit it, baby, you like my blood," Decebel teased her. The words seemed natural, almost second nature.

Jen rolled her eyes. "I truly want to be grossed out by it, but you taste good. I can't decide if that makes me a sicko or you a freak."

"If you're a sicko than I am as well because I can't wait to taste your blood," Decebel confessed without shame.

Jen's brow furrowed as she stared into Decebel's eyes. His words confused her.

"Do you," she took a ragged breath that had her cringing at the pain, "do you remember me?"

Decebel was shaking his head as he answered gently, "No, baby, I don't. I wish more than anything that I did."

"Then how can you say that to me? How can you want to taste my blood?"

Decebel tried really hard not to touch her but it was impossible. He could no more keep his hands from her than he could stop the tide from rolling in. He took her hand and rubbed his thumb gently across it.

"My wolf knows its mate. He remembers you. Even if I didn't want to stay here with you, even if I didn't want to remember you, remember the love I had for you, he wouldn't let me walk out of this room. If I leave your side even for second, he gets feral."

"Why?" Jen asked, genuinely not understanding.

"There is nothing more dangerous than a dominant male Canis lupus when his mate is injured and helpless. But I need you to understand, my wolf is not the only one who wants you, Jennifer. I want you. I need you to help me remember."

Jen was hurting and her body was desperately fighting to sink back into oblivion, but with the help of Decebel's blood, she was able to hold off the compulsion. She watched in utter disbelief as a tear escaped Decebel's eye. His jaw clenched and though he looked vulnerable, nothing about him looked weak or any less threatening.

He continued to stroke her hand as he talked. "I need you to remind me who I am." Decebel met her eyes, knowing the next words out of his mouth were going to be difficult ones.

"They...they know what will break the curse."

Jen's eyes widened. "Then why are we sitting here discussing me somehow trying to fill in your memories?"

"Because love is what breaks the curse." Decebel watched as Jennifer's breath became shallow. He didn't want to hurt her, it was the last thing on earth he wanted. His wolf was angry that he was causing her pain and pushing at him to give him control. "I want to love you, Jennifer. I want to love you more than anything. But wanting it and doing it are not the same when it comes to the curse. I look at you and I feel something. You draw me in and I long to be near you - not just my wolf, me, the man longs to be close to you."

Jen was shaking while she listened to the man she loved more than anything tell her he didn't love her. Oh, he wants to love her, well loddie-freaking-dah. She wants to get up off the damn bed and hit him with a 2x4, but, as she always says, wish in one hand and crap in the other and see which one fills up first.

She didn't realize she had tuned him out until she heard "Blood Rites" and "break the curse" in the same sentence.

"Wait, excuse me, say that again?"

Decebel took a deep breath. It was obvious he was getting frustrated. "I said, Vasile thinks that if we perform the Blood Rites it will pull the veiled emotions to the forefront. And it's the only thing that will save your life. Your wolf needs her mate. She's no longer dormant, and when the bond was severed between us, the darkness in me reached across to you. You won't live just on my blood, Jennifer."

The pain that was tightening Jen's chest began to turn to anger and disbelief at Vasile's suggestion.

"He wants us to bond because he thinks it will break the curse? Really? Are you freaking kidding me?" She didn't even bother with the whole saving her life bit, she wasn't going to touch that with a fifty-foot pole.

Decebel was taken aback by the venom in her voice.

"You're my mate. Why wouldn't we bond?"

Jen looked at him in disbelief. Decebel turned his head as he ran his hand through his hair. It was then that Jen saw the markings on Decebel's neck. Markings that hadn't been there before. She reached up slowly, grinding her teeth against the pain, and gripped his chin, turning his head even more so she could get a good look.

"Your markings changed?"

Decebel smiled the heart-stopping grin that always made her want to crawl up in his lap and purr. By the slight smirk on his beautiful face, it was obvious he knew the effect it was having on her whether he remembered her or not.

"Yes, they changed."

Jen nearly jumped, then groaned at the hurt it caused, as Decebel reached for the hem of her shirt and began to raise it. Her eyes widened as she saw the markings - identical to Decebel's - running along her right side, starting below the waist of her sweats and continuing up. Without conscious thought to what she might be showing Decebel, she continued to pull up her shirt to look at the markings as they traveled up to just beside her right breast. Jen didn't realize Decebel had been tracing the marks with his finger until he caught himself and cleared his throat. He took her shirt from her and pulled it back down.

She didn't know what to say. Part of her was happy beyond belief, part of her was ticked off that it happened while her mate didn't have a clue who the bloody hell she was, and still another part of her was pissed because of the location.

"Why did it have to be there?" she groaned.

Decebel narrowed his eyes in confusion. "Why does it bother you to be on your side?"

"Fane freaks out anytime someone sees Jacque's marks."

"As he should," Decebel growled.

"Oh, keep your panties on, Decebel. I'm ticked because I imagine, if you ever remember me, that you will be even worse than Fane about it. Which means I no longer get to wear bikinis. So, so not cool. Do you know how old a one piece is going to make me look?"

Decebel was shaking his head at her when he spoke. "You just found out that we have yet another confirmation that we are mates, and you're concerned about bathing suits?"

"You'll get used to it," Jen said absently. She closed her eyes briefly, trying to gather her strength.

"You need to rest," Decebel told her, his words a command.

Jen opened her eyes and cut them up at him without moving her head. "I will rest after I have said my peace."

"Are you always this unreasonable?"

"No," Jen smiled sweetly, "usually I'm worse." She held his stare - something only Vasile was allowed to do. "I won't bond with you." She ignored the growl coming from Decebel's chest. "I won't perform the Blood Rites with a man who doesn't even remember me. If I understand correctly from Jacque, the act of performing the Blood Rites is even more intimate than sex."

"You are my mate." Decebel was trying to keep his calm, he didn't want to scare her. "You bear my marks, we share a mental bond, my wolf knows you, and you love me."

His last words were a slap in Jen's face.

"I love my Decebel, MINE! You are not him. So, don't you dare try to use my love as leverage to get what you want."

"I want YOU!" Decebel stood up from the bed and was fighting the phase. His eyes were glowing bright amber. "You are mine, Jennifer, and if the Blood Rites are what will save your life, then that is what we will do."

"I'm not a bloody possession, wolf. And if I were, I sure as hell wouldn't belong to someone who doesn't know who I am." Jen hated that there were tears running down her cheeks, hated that someone had that much power over her.

"You act as if it's my fault that I don't remember you. I wouldn't have been cursed if you hadn't asked me to save your friends. I let you talk me into leaving you, my mate, to die. You must make me weak if I would leave you to that fate. I can't imagine choosing anyone over my mate, ever."

Jen's mouth had dropped open when Decebel had said she made him weak; he had spit it out like it was disgusting. Her hands were balled into fists and she thought she might break a tooth from clenching her jaw so tight. But he wasn't done. He obviously felt like he hadn't stomped on her heart enough.

Decebel knelt down on her side of the bed, getting within inches of her face. He was shaking with rage as he ground out his words.

"I won't give you up. I won't go back to a lonely, dark existence. I won't let your selfishness take your life from me, take my mate from me. I don't remember how we were before, maybe I gave into your every whim, maybe I cowered under your obviously Alpha nature, but no more. I am your mate, it is my job to protect you - even from yourself."

Jen could hardly breathe as she listened to Decebel, her mate, her love, dictate to her and call her selfish and completely disregard her feelings. She was about to tell him to get the hell out of her room, without hitting him. But he just couldn't leave it at that. He had to continue to be an asshole dominant who thought everyone should bow to him.

"I may never be the man I was before the curse, I may never be the man you loved, and I may never love you. But fate gave you to me and we will learn to make the best of it."

Nothing on earth, not her weakness or pain, not the blood she could feel beginning to flow from her nose and ears, not even her love for this wolf could have stopped her.

Jen pulled her hand back and slapped Decebel as hard as she could across his face, a face that she longed to look at for the rest of her life. She shook as tears poured from her eyes. She could hardly see as she reared back and slapped his stunned face again. He just knelt there, the shock of her actions still not penetrating his mind.

"GET OUT! GET THE HELL OUT NOW! I DON'T EVER WANT TO SEE YOUR FACE AGAIN!" Jen took a deep breath as she leaned forward and tried to push Decebel away. She screamed as she felt a sharp pain in her side, like a knife sliding into her. She was trying to talk around the gurgling in her throat - she realized blood was bubbling up from her stomach.

She was gasping for breath as she tried yelling again, but it only came out in a weak broken voice. "Don't come back." She looked him dead in the eyes when she spoke her last words before she passed out. "I don't want you."

Decebel reached for Jennifer as her body fell forward. Her blood once again soaked his shirt. As he held his mate in his arms, he realized he had gone too far. He had been the selfish one and now he'd possibly lost her for good.