Jacque nodded. “Will do. You try to keep your clothes on in that bar.”
Jen snorted. “No worries. I’m under contract with Dec, and Sally is a witness.”
Sally nodded. “She’s locked in tight. No loopholes.”
“Sally, you know better than that. Jen always has an out. Always,” Jacque pointed out.
Sally hugged Jacque once Jen stepped back.
They all headed to the foyer, where the others had already gathered.
Vasile and Decebel were off to the side, talking quietly while the bags were being loaded into the vehicles.
“Vans?” Jen snorted. “Hey, babe, at least the Hummers were cool. These are just so 'juvenile detention, here we come'.”
Decebel didn’t outwardly acknowledge that but she felt the swat on the butt he directed at her in her mind. She still thought that stuff was freaky. Freaky, but definitely had potential for freaky in the right variety.
“I’m just saying,” Jen muttered. “If we’re going for bad ass then this is definitely not the way to go. But then nobody asked me, now did they?”
Sally stood off to the side as she watched everyone wait to load up into the vans. Peri walked up beside her and smiled.
“Are you nervous?” Peri asked.
“Not really,” Sally answered. “What’s the point? It won’t change anything.”
“True,” Peri conceded, “but sometimes nerves are what keep us on our toes.”
“Peri, are you going to tell me more about the stones? I would feel more comfortable using them if I knew more about them.”
“I will tell you more about them on our drive down,” Peri answered.
“You’re going with us?” Sally asked as her eyebrows rose in surprise.
Peri nodded. “Decebel, Vasile, and I decided that you need me more than Rachel at this point. Vasile doesn't want two healers in the same place. Too risky. That is why he is splitting you up.”
“That makes sense.” Sally nodded.
Decebel had decided to temporarily house the Serbian pack in a mansion located in the Romanian city of Ramnicu-Valcea. He wanted to be close to Vasile’s pack until things had settled down and the Serbian pack was more stable. The drive from the Serbian mansion was going to be an hour shorter to Ruse than it would have been from Brasov, where the Romanian pack mansion was. To Sally this was both good and bad. Good, because obviously that meant less time cooped up in a van. Bad, because it meant they would arrive at the bar sooner. The bar, which was close to the forest where who knows what waited for them. Although, she decided this trip was much better than the ten plus hours that Jacque and the others would spend on their way to the Carpathian Mountains. That was going to be a doozy.
“You ready to go, beautiful?” Sally jumped when she heard Costin’s voice directly behind her.
“You okay?” he asked as he gently turned her to face him.
“Yeah, I was just lost in thought. You surprised me.” She smiled at him.
“Peri has informed me that I am not allowed to flirt with or distract you,” he told her as he raised his eyebrows in question, a playful grin stretched across his face.
Sally laughed. “She said she was going to talk to me more about the Fae stones. I just want to understand their power a little more. I think I would feel more comfortable using them if I understood where the power comes from and how I can direct it. Does that make sense?”
“Definitely. It’s always important to know and understand the weapon you are wielding.” Costin grabbed her hand and tugged her toward the vehicles and helped her inside.
Fane and Jacque got into the van they would be sharing with their group and watched as she stared longingly at the other vehicle.
“They will be fine, love,” he assured her.
“I know they will, but who’s going to keep them out of trouble?” Jacque asked.
“I’m sure Costin and Decebel can handle it.”