"See you on the flip side, Jen? Really?" she asked herself out loud. "Do you want someone to ask you to write an expert account on how to be effectively lame? Because let me tell you, blondie, you are all over it." Pathetic, she thought, I'm a groupie and I'm talking to myself. "Ughh."
She quickly went through her routine of getting ready for bed, the whole time remembering the feel of Decebel's flesh on hers, his breath on her neck. There was no way she was going to survive this with her heart intact. She knew that when this was all said and done, she would come out an empty shell if she didn't come out with Decebel by her side.
The real question she found herself facing after her little encounter with the fur ball in the hall was, how do you go about looking for a mate when you would rather be trying to convince the one you want to pursue what was slapping him steadily in the face?
"Yeah, good luck with that," Jen told herself.
"So I guess I'll see you in a couple of days?" Jacque asked her dad through her cell phone.
"Yes. And I'm bringing Tanya. She really wants to meet you. You okay with that?"
"Yeah, it's cool. It was bound to happen one day, right? There's no time like the present," Jacque told him, her voice coming out unnaturally high. She felt herself settle as Fane wrapped his arms around her from behind and placed a gentle kiss on her neck.
"Thank you, Jacque. I know it's a lot to ask. So I'll see you soon, then." He disconnected the call.
Jacque set her cell phone down on the bedside table.
"Well, this ought to be fun. It's going to be a cozy little meet and greet," she told Fane, frowning.
"It will be okay, Jacquelyn, it's a large estate. If you and Tanya don't get on there will be plenty of places for you to slink off to."
Jacque pulled out of his arms and turned on him abruptly. "Slink? I do not slink, wolf-man."
Fane smiled and winked. "I knew that would do it."
Jacque growled and tackled him to the bed. "So you think if you prick my pride I will be less likely to evade the confrontation I so badly want to avoid?"
Fane nodded. "That about sums it up."
"How well you know me already, pesky flea ball."
"Again with the fleas." He growled and tickled her. Jacque squealed, unsuccessfully trying to fight him off. He finally relented and pulled her close.
"All will be well, Luna," he whispered.
"I know," she agreed, "but there's always a variable that isn't accounted for, ready to throw things off kilter. Then all is no longer well."
"Ahh, love. Where did such pessimism come from?"
"I guess Jen's worry is rubbing off on me. I just wish she and Decebel would fish or cut bait."
"Fish or cut bait? I'm not familiar with this," Fane told her, his brow furrowed.
"It means get on with it or move on. It's so obvious they are meant to be together,"
"He can't claim her without mating signs. She has to participate in The Gathering," Fane warned her.
"Then there will be a blood bath," Jacque told him somberly. "Because the first man brave enough to lay a finger on Jen is going to see firsthand what happens when another touches a mate. Signs or no, Decebel's wolf has claimed Jen. And Jen's wolf, what little there may be, has claimed Dec. Not to mention her heart."
Both fell silent as they thought about the consequences that were sure to come. But like a speeding train without brakes, nothing short of a miracle could stop them.
Chapter 12
"Do you think it was wise of you to make Decebel her protector?" Alina asked her mate.
Vasile continued to stare at the road as he drove towards the site of The Gathering.
He knew it was a gamble placing Jen in Decebel's care. "I don't know," he admitted. "I guess I'm trying to force him into action. Maybe if he sees others pursuing her he will get over this fear and make a move. Or I could just be setting up some poor wolf's demise."