Decebel slowly turned his head and his eyes widened as he saw the others. He stood abruptly, still holding Jen in his arms. She was really here with him.
“Decebel, put me down,” Jen told him as she patted his shoulder.
Decebel shook his head. “No. If I put you, down it might not be real and I’m not ready to face that. I can’t lose you. I can’t watch you hurt any longer.”
“I’m real baby,” she pulled his face to look at her. “I’m real and I’m not going anywhere.”
He nodded. “Okay, if you’re not going anywhere then there’s no reason I can’t hold you.”
Jen rolled her eyes. “Fine, hold me. Wear yourself out lugging my fat pregnant butt around, see if I care.”
“Glad we’re on the same page,” Decebel told her and pulled her tighter to him.
“You’re really not going to put me down are you?” She asked him after several moments.
Decebel shook his head as he continued to watch the others pull themselves together, gradually realizing one by one that their mates had come. They had said they would, and now they were here, to take them back from the grips of hell.
“Fane, please look at me.” Jacque pleaded with her mate. He was kneeling on the ground while low growls emitted from him. His body shook under her hands as she gently rubbed his back. His sweat soaked shirt stuck to him and Jacque tried to give him some relief by pulling the shirt away from his skin.
“Fane, dammit, I said look at me,” Jacque snarled.
Fane’s head rose slightly at the command in her voice and his lip showed sharp white fangs. His eyes glowed blue and Jacque saw that Fane’s wolf was very close to the surface. Seizing the opportunity, she grabbed his face while it was upturned and held his stare.
“Fane, it’s me, Jacquelyn.”
Fane’s eyes narrowed and he took a deep breath, leaning closer to her to catch her scent. Cotton candy and snow hit his senses and nearly knocked him over. He howled loudly and the others joined in with him.
“Mate,” his voice was guttural as he spoke. He reached up and caressed her face longingly. When he ran a finger along her lips Jacque opened her mouth and nipped his finger playfully with her teeth. As he started to reach for her, a voice behind him had him jumping to his feet, shoving Jacque behind him as he snarled.
Peri stood with her hands in the air as she looked at Fane.
“Peace, Fane, I mean no harm,” she told him, calmly.
Fane looked at her, and then for the first time noticed all the commotion going on around him. He backed up further, pushing Jacque back until her back hit the wall. His wolf was urging him to protect her, to keep anyone from coming near her and hurting her. His eyes shifted wildly from person to person, all of them a possible threat to what was his.
“His wolf is in control,” a deep voice came from the left.
Fane’s head whipped around to meet the eyes of his Alpha and father. He knew him, but that didn’t matter. Down here, nothing could be trusted, his wolf reminded him. He lifted a lip in a snarl at Vasile.
“Fane,” Vasile’s voice rumbled and Fane felt the push in it. “We aren’t going to hurt her. You need to get control of your wolf.”
Fane felt a small hand on his back and then and arm slipped around his waist from behind.
“Fane, come back to me love.” He heard Jacquelyn’s voice in his mind and something in him broke.
He turned around crushed her to him.
“I thought I’d lost you,” he told her. “I thought I’d never hold you again.”
“I’m here,” she told him, out loud. “I’m here and we have to go.”
Fane pulled back and looked down at her. He caressed her cheek and leaned down, kissing her gently.
“Don’t leave my side.”
His glowing eyes told her what his soft voice didn’t. Fane was still not fully in control.
He turned back to face everyone and held Jacque’s hand tightly in his own. He met his father’s gaze and exposed his throat to his Alpha quickly, before watching everyone with weary eyes.