child of a Canis lupus. Only a man with a death wish committed such an act.
“We’re going to get them back, Fane.” Dillon’s voice filled with a snarl.
“Of course we are,” Fane said, his voice deep and guttural with his wolf. “There’s no other option.”
Chapter 13
“Blood, sweat, and tears. These are three things that you are guaranteed to shed when attempting to save the world.” ~Costin
“I know why they need me,” Sally said as she paced the room, walking in a large circle around Titus, who sat on the floor. She’d been avoiding the topic for the past couple of hours since she’d been returned to her mate and child because she knew revealing her suspicions would potentially set off Costin’s wolf. When their captors had last brought them food, Tenia, the female fae, had been with them, and she’d brought Titus some coloring books, paper, and crayons. Titus had said thank you and then promptly sat on the floor and began coloring. He hummed a song Sally couldn’t identify and appeared quite content for the moment. She was beginning to wonder if he was in some kind of shock. Tenia had given Sally an apologetic look but hadn’t attempted to speak to her. And Sally hadn’t tried either. The compassionate healer didn’t want the woman getting into any more trouble, despite the fact they were on opposite teams.
“A healer’s magic is very unique,” Costin said. He’d given up on trying to get her to be still and stood leaning against the wall with his arms folded across his chest. Sally was impressed with his patience, considering she kept stepping past him every couple of minutes. She was also extremely concerned about him because he seemed much too contained, especially after having been glued to her side for the first hour since her return.
She could feel the rage inside of him simmering just below the surface. She would have been less concerned if he were yelling and growling, but no, he was simply brooding. Brooding was a Decebel thing, not her Costin’s thing. Sally was worried that at some point the pressure building inside of him was going to fill him to the point that he could no longer contain it. Her mind went back to that day in the bar when they’d come to rescue her and Costin had walked in. His rage had been contained then as well. Until it hadn’t been. Then she had seen a side of Costin that she only thought existed in the males like Vasile, Decebel, and even Fane. But apparently, if you pushed a wolf even as laid back as Costin, you would deal with his beast.
“Your magic is pure. There is no other like it in all of the supernaturals,” he continued. “Unfortunately, that means that it is too tempting for the corrupt to not try and steal it.”
He was spot on, to some degree. It wasn’t only hers that they needed. But it was because hers was unique, like any healer’s. She made sure her mind wasn’t fully opened as she thought about the machine designed to try to literally suck the power from her body. It caused her stomach to churn dangerously and made her wonder if she should ask for a trash can, just in case her previous meal decided to make an appearance.
Costin let out a low growl. “What did they do to you, Sally mine?” He pushed away from the wall and walked to her, forcing her to stand still as he took her face in his hands. “I won’t lose control. I know that’s why you don’t want to tell me. Nor will I let it happen again. I will not let this be your life. Believe me when I say that I will kill every single one responsible for taking you away from me and putting you and our son in danger. I will protect you both.”
Sally wished she could keep the tears from escaping but seeing the pain in his eyes was too much. What she had been through had been horrible but knowing what he had been through because of it, that was worse. She wanted to kill those responsible despite the fact that killing wasn’t really her thing. She was usually more of a “let’s all talk this out and come to a reasonable conclusion” kind of girl. But she was learning that everyone was capable of murder if pushed to their breaking point, and Sally was well past hers.