by Quinn Loftis
“How you holding up?” she asked Costin through their bond. Sally could feel his emotions building and wondered if there was a way she could stop the tidal wave that was sure to come.
“My only concern is for you,” Costin said, his voice sounding gruff even in her mind.
She squeezed his hand and leaned into his side, hoping the touch would calm them both.
“Skender has been with the Order,” Vasile said. “He claims to have met his true mate and that she is a member and has been her whole life.”
Sally focused on Costin and trying to push her peace, what little she felt, into him. Helping him seemed to help her keep from losing it.
“He also claims to have heard about Sally’s abduction but that he couldn’t do anything to help because he didn’t want his mate harmed.”
Costin shot to his feet, pulling Sally with him. She didn’t think he was even aware he still clutched her hand. He was shaking with rage, his breaths coming in rapid pants. Sally could feel the mix of emotions rolling through him like an ocean being stirred up by the winds of a coming storm. She tried to push reassurance through their bond but wasn’t sure how much he was feeling considering his thoughts and the thoughts of his wolf were focused on the prey Vasile had just handed them.
“He betrayed his pack?” Costin growled. “He betrayed a healer?”
“He did,” Vasile confirmed.
The images that filled his mind nearly drove Sally to her knees. Everything he’d seen in her mind—the things done to her … the things she’d done—ran through his mind like a bad movie on repeat.
* * *
Costin knew he needed to pull himself together, but he felt as though he’d been gutted. A pack member had betrayed them, and that betrayal had cost his mate so, so much. We will kill him, his wolf snarled softly in his mind. Any that played a part in her being taken from us, being used and violated, being stripped of who she was, will bleed and then they will die.
Costin agreed with his wolf. He would personally kill them all one by one for the pain they’d caused his Sally, his brown-eyes. The nickname felt like a piercing knife in his heart as he remembered why Sally didn’t want him calling her that anymore, and it only made his already volatile state grow more explosive. Costin forced himself to drop her hand, and he stepped back away from her. He wouldn’t risk hurting her, not even unintentionally. Turning away from the eyes on him, he reached up and grasped the mantle above the fireplace. He felt his claws sink into the wood, not even realizing he’d begun to phase.
“Costin,” Sally’s soft voice reached out to him. But instead of soothing him, it stirred the beast. He and his wolf hadn’t been able to protect her. It was their fault she’d been taken in the first place. And since punishing himself would hurt her, he wouldn’t. But Vasile had just given him an outlet for the barely contained fury.
When Costin finally spoke, it was his wolf’s voice that emerged. “Then Skender’s a dead man walking.” Costin took two deep breaths before dropping his arms and turning to face his mate, who had moved to stand beside him. He looked down at Sally, his eyes, no doubt glowing with his beast, peering out at her. He reached up and ran his thumb across her cheek, catching a tear, and inwardly vowed to replace every tear she’d shed with laughter, pleasure, and joy. Costin leaned down and pressed his lips to her forehead before saying, “I cannot allow Skender to live.” Costin’s voice was a rough whisper. He was fighting for control, control he rarely lost. He wanted to destroy the room around him. He wanted to throw something through a window, the way Fane had done when his mate had been in the hospital. Costin wanted to roar like a lion, the way he’d heard Decebel do many times over his own mate. But he couldn’t. He couldn’t do that to Sally. She’d been terrified when they’d found her. His mate had come a long way in defeating that fear, and he would not add to her fear with his own wrath.
The need to hold his Sally, to have her touch, suddenly overwhelmed him. Costin wrapped his arms around her and pulled her tightly against his chest. He tangled one of his hands in the back of her dark hair and pressed his face into the long locks. His wolf breathed deeply, over and over, saturating himself with her scent. “I love you, Sally mine,” he said through their bond. His throat was tight with emotion, and he didn’t think he would be able to say anything out loud that wouldn’t sound like a snarl or growl. “Are you alright?” he asked while at the same time reaching through their bond to look into her mind. His wolf wanted to make sure their mate didn’t try to sugarcoat her emotions, because it knew she would. His sweet, gentle mate would not want to cause him worry.
* * *
Sally bit her bottom lip to keep from pouring her heart out in front of an audience of more than just her mate. He was peering into her mind and could no doubt feel her worry and fear through their bond. She tried very hard to lock it down so it wouldn’t add fuel to the fire.
“I’m afraid for you,” she answered honestly.
“Me? Why?”
“Skender has been a friend for a long time. Taking his life, no matter the reason, will affect you.” Sally felt dark humor wrap around him even as a low chuckle filled her mind.
“You’re right, Sally mine, it will affect me. It will settle my beast for a little while knowing that another of our betrayers has been removed as a threat. Every prey that I hunt, find, and kill will add to my peace.”
Sally shivered at the cold, calculated tone of his voice. She understood why he was so angry. Learning that Skender was part of her abduction was a slap to the face. But she hated that the joking, flirty Costin from an hour ago was gone. In his place was a dominant male wolf reacting to a threat to his mate. Sally had never seen anything as compelling as the protective instinct the male Canis lupus had for their true mates. And though her mate wasn’t usually as intense as the others, he was every bit as protective. “Don’t leave me,” she said, as her heart clenched painfully in her chest. “Darkness still lives in you, my love. You keep it at bay because you have me to help keep you from feeding it. Killing is a feast to the darkness. Don’t feed the darkness.”
Costin pulled back so he could look down at her. His lips were pulled tight in a straight line, his cheekbones seemed stark and more defined. The dimples she loved were nowhere to be seen. “I’m not going anywhere, not physically, emotionally, or mentally. I’m yours—all of me—darkness, light. They’re yours. But don’t ask me to allow your captors and their accomplices live. We aren’t human, Sally. Our justice is not the same as the human way.” He took her hand and placed it over his heart, “You’re my light. As long as you are here the darkness will not take over. Trust me.”
She understood what he was saying. She knew supernaturals had to be policed differently from humans, but it didn’t make her okay with her mate having blood on his hands. Sally also understood that trying to change his mind was futile. She could feel his resolve. “I trust you,” she said a minute later.
Vasile cleared his throat and suddenly they were back in the Alpha’s office with Alina and Lilly. Sally had been so focused on her mate that everything else had literally faded away.
“I requested that Skender return here and tell me his story face to face so I could discern truth from lies,” said Vasile. “He arrived earlier with the woman he claims is his true mate, and I have already interrogated them.”
“He’s here?” Costin asked, his eyes slowly left her face and focused on Vasile.
“Skender’s in a cell in the basement,” Vasile confirmed. “He is aware that you have killing rites. The female is aware that her life is forfeit because of her association with The Order of the Burning Claw. Even if she hasn’t directly taken a life with her own hands, she’s a conspirator to their atrocities. And she, too, had to have known about Sally. “
“Do you believe anything he has said?” Sally asked. She’d turned around so her back was pressed to Costin’s front. He had barely loosened his hold to allow her to move, and as soon as she’d stilled, he’d tightened his hold a
gain.
“His tale is interwoven with lies. There are some truths, but he isn’t being completely forthright. I don’t know why. He knows his life is forfeit no matter what. He claims to have information concerning the Order’s future plans.” Vasile’s eyes glowed when they looked up at Sally and Costin. “I am leaving the decision up to you as to when the sentence will be carried out. If you want to get the information from him first, I will support you. If your wolf will not stand for the traitor to continue to live, I will support that as well.”
“What about his mate?” Sally asked. “What if they aren’t bonded? If she doesn’t die automatically at the same time as Skender, then does Costin still have to”—she paused and swallowed before finishing the question that make her a tad nauseated—“be the one to execute her?”
“She is a member of the Order, so…”
Sally held up a hand to stop Vasile’s statement. “I understand she is a part of an organization responsible for countless crimes. She has chosen her fate, but must my mate deal out her judgment?” The thought of Costin killing the female, having that on his conscience for the rest of his long life, didn’t sit well with Sally. She knew he’d already killed two females, had seen it in his memories and knew that a part of him felt guilty for not finding out first what their part had been in the whole scheme. Had they known what had been done to Sally? That was a question she caught in his mind every now and then. She didn’t want to add to his burden.
Vasile shook his head. “No. It is my job to be the one to pass judgment and carry out her sentence. I assure you it is not something I am looking forward to. It breaks my heart to take the life of a female Canis lupus.”
Sally let out a breath she’d been holding and felt Costin lean down next to her ear. “You worry too much, Sally mine.” His warm breath caused a shiver to run down her body. He kissed the spot just behind her ear and, though he was still wound tight as a coiled spring, she felt relieved he was calm enough to show her such affection.
“How will you get him to tell you what you want to know?” Lilly asked, circling back to the topic at hand. Sally had been wondering the same thing until the realization hit her.
“NO,” Costin snapped, the gentleness he’d shown her seconds ago was suddenly gone. “No way in hell.” A low growl rumbled in his chest, and she felt it against her back.
Sally looked at Lilly, ignoring her mate. “I could get the information from him.”
“The hell you will,” Costin spoke through their bond. Sally knew if her mate was cursing, then he was about to go into a full-blown rage. Costin didn’t swear often or lightly. She didn’t respond. Instead, she kept her attention on the rest of the people in the room.
Vasile, Alina, and Lilly, were on their feet, but it was Peri who spoke.
“No one would expect you to do that, healer,” the high fae said as she stepped away from the wall upon which she’d been leaning.
“No way in seven hells will I allow it. Just forget it, female. It is not going to happen,” Costin snarled.
“I can do it,” Peri said, looking at Vasile.
“Can you do it without killing him?” Alina asked.
“I can turn his brains to mush while still keeping his body alive,” Peri said casually, as if she were talking about making a salad instead of turning someone’s brains into coleslaw.
“I want him able to fight,” Costin said. “He does not deserve an easy death.”
“You’re going to fight him?” Sally asked.
“Do you doubt my ability to best him in combat?” Costin asked, his voice sounding tight in her mind.
“I know what you’re capable of. Don’t be a butthead. I’m your mate. I’m allowed to worry. Keep your ego in check.”
“What did those sprites do to you? You’re a lot mouthier lately,” he said while nipping her ear.
“Stop that.”
“Two things will satisfy my wrath right now, killing or you. Which will it be, mate?”
Sally sucked in a sharp breath as she felt the blood rush up to her neck and face, no doubt turning her a lovely shade of red. She pinched the arm that was wrapped around her and didn’t respond to his seductive statement. It would only encourage him to keep taunting her. Instead, she turned her attention back to the high fae who was still talking about mushy brains. Lovely.
“Have you ever had your brains turned to mush?” Peri asked, raising her brow at him. “I’m guessing, and this is just purely from observation, that there is nothing easy about it.”
“Regardless, the kill is mine. If you cannot keep from harming him, then you cannot be the one to extract the information.”
Peri’s eyes flashed like lightning, and Sally shuddered under the intense glare the fae was shooting at her mate.
“Why don’t we sleep on it,” Lilly suggested. “It’s not good to make decisions when emotions are high. Skender and his mate aren’t going anywhere.” She looked at Costin and gave him a small smile. “Your mate needs you right now. Not your anger, indignation, or alpha possessive, protective stuff. She needs you … her mate.”
“We will meet here again in the morning. Nine o’clock,” Vasile said.
Costin stood stone still as Alina hugged Sally. He didn’t release her, making the hug a little awkward. “If you need anything, you know we’re here.”
Sally nodded, afraid if she spoke that she’d fall apart. Lilly was next, wrapping her familiar arms around her. “Draw on the light from your necklace,” Lilly whispered, reminding Sally of the power it held. “I can’t imagine how painful this is for you right now, but I want you to know that if you need a break again, we can head back to the realm of the sprites at a moment’s notice. Okay?”
Sally smiled, remembering how it felt to have the magic of the sprites flowing through her. “I’ll let you know if it gets to that point.”
“Good.” Lilly patted her one last time before stepping away.
“Stay strong, Sally,” Peri said. She didn’t embrace her, and Sally decided it was because Peri wasn’t exactly in control of herself at the moment. Sally just now realized the high fae was giving off a faint glow, a sign that her power was leaking out.
“Thank you,” Sally said.
Costin released Sally and took her hand. Without saying anything to anyone, he pulled her from the room. He walked quickly, and she struggled to keep up. “What’s the hurry?” she asked him.
“I want to take a bath,” Costin said.
Sally’s head snapped back as she frowned at his back. “A bath? Right now?”
“Yes. Right now.”
“Care to explain why?”
“Because if you’re naked and sudsy, I’m less likely to go kill Skender.”
Sally sucked in a sharp breath. Her stomach filled with the frolicking butterflies that often appeared when her mate flirted. Though he wasn’t really flirting now. But how could she not get butterflies when he was talking about getting naked and bathing together? “I never said I wanted to take a bath,” she said. Giving his wolf a different kind of hunt might help just as much as the naked and bathing part.
Costin growled and paused long enough to swing her up into his arms. The breath whooshed out of her at the sudden movement, and she wrapped her arms tightly around his neck as he took off at a run. She often forgot how fast he was.
“Don’t be difficult, woman,” he said, letting his voice drop as it filled her mind.
“I have to admit, I’m a little surprised that this is where your mind is, considering…”
Costin’s brow drew together as he looked at her, his gait slowing to a walk. “I told you, my wolf wants one of two things right now: Skender’s blood beneath our teeth or our mate beneath our body. Which one are you willing to allow?”
“You didn’t put it quite like that.” Sally was used to his frankness and appreciated that he didn’t play games. He always simply told her what he wanted or needed. This directness, no doubt, prevented a lot of hurt feelings and unnecessary confu
sion. “I don’t want you to kill Skender,” she answered. Sally ran her fingers through his thick, dark hair as she watched the emotions play across his face.
“Bathtub it is,” he said and once again picked up his pace.
Chapter Nine
“Passion is a beautiful thing when it is wielded in love. But passion comes in other forms, and those aren’t always so beautiful. For instance, a male werewolf is passionate about protecting his mate. Sounds beautiful, right? It’s not. It’s annoying and absurd, and I want to stomp on his stubborn feet with pointy shoes.” ~ Bethany
* * *
“I’m going to meet Jen, Jacque, and Sally tonight for hot chocolate,” Bethany said as Drake, freshly showered and wearing only his sleep pants, walked into the living area of their suite. Bethany forced herself not to stare at him. She’d decided that torture was just a part of her life. First, the vampires, and now a mate with a body that would make a nun question her vows, even with the scars his previous Alpha left upon Drake’s chiseled torso. Though they’d completed the mating ceremony and consummated their bond, now Drake held himself back from her. The second time they’d made love, Drake had been a tad more aggressive than the first, and his hands had phased during the process. His wolf’s claws had scratched her, and they’d been far from superficial. The self-loathing he felt the moment he realized what happened broke her heart. Since that night, he’d kissed her and held her, but that was the extent of his physical affection. They’d talked about it until she was blue in the face, but he refused to budge on the issue. A part of her was afraid to admit it, but she feared his rejection. It had been so long since she’d been able to give or receive affection. Having him offer it so freely only to then take it away caused insecurities concerning their relationship to grow in her heart.