by Quinn Loftis
Beyond the Veil
Quinn Loftis
© 2012 Quinn Loftis Books LLC
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Praise for
Beyond the Veil
“Wow!!! What a Ride!!!” ~The Book Whisperer
“I just finished Beyond the Veil and I sit here now soaking it all in...*thinking*
AMAZING.... INTRIGUING.... NAIL BITING....how these are just a few words to begin my description of this book!!” ~TSK, TSK, What to Read BlogSpot Book Reviews
“My only problem with this book is that it ended before I wanted it to be done.”
~Delphina Reads Too Much Book Reviews
“Quinn has blown me away yet again with the next book in the Grey Wolves Series, Beyond the Veil. I have absolutely fallen in love with this series. The story and characters are incredible. Hands down, Quinn has the hottest werewolves imaginable and I one want so bad.” ~ Always YA at Heart Book Reviews
“Quinn’s writing gets better with each book, just when you think she couldn’t be more creative, or you think you have it figured out, she throws something out of left field.”
~ The Grey Wolves Series Blog Spot Book Reviews
Prologue
"No one ever thinks of the consequences of promising to name your firstborn child after your best friend. If your best friend is Jen, however, you should think of any and all possible consequences which are, more often than not, created simply by her presence."
~ Sally
Jacque just happened to be walking by the door when she heard one of her best friends yell, "Bloody hell!"
She backpedaled to Sally's door and, without knocking, turned the knob and quickly pushed it open.
"Sally, sweetie, you okay?" she called tentatively into the room.
"I'm over here, Jacque, and okay is taking a vacation at the moment."
Jacque followed the sound of Sally's voice into the attached bathroom.
She found her friend standing in her bra and shorts with her back to the mirror, holding a handheld mirror in one hand so that she could see her reflection from behind. Jacque's mouth dropped open at the sight.
"Yeah, that was my first reaction too." Sally nodded at Jacque's dropped jaw. "But then I moved quickly into the next possible reaction of, 'what the hell is on my back?'"
"Your markings," Jacque whispered. "So he really is your mate."
"That, or some random wolf is walking around out there with new markings that he wasn't expecting. If you hear a loud, deep voice reacting in kind, then we will know." Sally's voice was shaky, but she was beginning to regain her bearings.
"Peri said that when you turned 18 the mate signs would show up." Jacque motioned with a head bob to Sally's back. "Guess the old Fae knew what she was talking about. Today is your birthday."
"I don't hear anything in my mind." Sally closed her eyes and scrunched up her face.
Jacque laughed. "You won't have to make funny faces in order to hear your mate, Sal, although you probably will until you get used to hearing a disembodied voice in your head. In which case Jen will be sure to ask you if you're constipated."
"Who's constipated?" They heard Jen's voice coming from Sally's room. "You know, they make stuff to help unclog the pipes down there." Jen came into the bathroom doorway and grinned at her two best friends. "So, you guys started the party without me, I see. Sally's already started stripping."
"Yeah, Jen, we didn't want to invited you so we decided to have Sally's birthday party in her bathroom because, ya know, that is all kinds of cool," Jacque rolled her eyes at Jen.
"Mother of pearl," Jen murmured as she saw Sally's back. "Well, welcome to the mated family, Sal. I will tell you now that the sex is fantastic. Just in case you were wondering."
"Gee, Jen, that's exactly what was crossing my mind right about now, as I realize that my life has just changed for, I don't know, EVER!" Sally yelled.
Jen calmly replied, "Now, have you gotten the shrieking out of your system or do you need to hang your head out the window and let it rip?"
Jacque silently watched Sally's thoughts pass across her sweet, gentle face.
"No, I don't think I need a hanging out the window moment right now. However, I reserve the right to have that moment when it is deemed appropriate." Sally was taking slow, deep breaths as she spoke. She had a hand pressed to her heart as if that could keep it from beating out of her chest.
"Your request is duly noted," Jen said with a curt nod.
Jen jumped up on the bathroom counter and began to swing her legs. She felt warmth flow over her as her mate spoke through their bond.
"How is she?" Decebel's voice was deep, and yet very gentle.
"Actually, not doing too bad. She didn't have a break down, and oddly enough she wasn't interested in hearing about married sex life with a werewolf."
"Imagine that, baby, someone not obsessed with the physical relationship between mates. Someone who doesn’t feel the need to discuss them with others and who would, more than likely, listen to her mate when he asks her to keep her trap shut."
Jen let out a low growl. "You are getting entirely too comfortable with the concept of sarcasm, my dear mate."
"Can I help it if I have had the best teacher known to man?" Decebel's voice was tinged with humor and Jen swore she could feel him swat her butt.
"That's enough, B. I've got a party to get ready for."
“You do understand that that nickname no longer applies? I’m an Alpha, not a Beta.”
Jen snorted out loud. “Oh, my sweet fur ball, I wasn’t using the letter 'B' to refer to your former Beta status. Nope.” She grinned to herself. “The B now has a whole different meaning. You’re a smart cookie; you’ll figure it out.”
She sent him an image of her winking at him and blowing him a kiss. “See you later, alligator.”
"Behave." Decebel's voice took on a deep timbre. "And, Jennifer, you will keep your clothes on at this party."
"Why, my dear hubby, whatever do you mean? A well-bred southern girl like me would never participate in such public spectacles." Jen laid on the thick southern accent in her thoughts as she teased him.
"Don't say I didn't warn you."
"I feel the need to tell you that Decebel has informed me that I must keep my clothes on tonight at the party," Jen told her friends as she examined her nails, looking for all the world like she had no plans to oblige him.
Sally's head snapped to look at Jen. "Actually, that's not a half bad idea."
Jen's jaw dropped. "You want me to strip at your eighteenth birthday party? You do realize that a stripper is typically used at a bachelorette party, not a birthday party? If a stripper is used for a birthday party, it’s really only appropriate for the big two-one. And even then it has to be at the beginning of the party because shortly after it starts everyone is smashed enough to think that they have the body to be a stripper as well. That’s when things get ugly – literally.”
Sally and Jacque stared open-mouthed at Jen. Before they could talk she quickly added, “Oh, and
in case you haven’t noticed, I am very much a female. I would think that if you must have a stripper at your party then surely you would want someone, oh, I don’t know, who maybe has the absence of breasts. Unless, of course, you are into man boobs. But I think you would find it hard to find a male stripper who is endowed with said boobs. Especially if you were wanting someone with my -”
Sally interrupted Jen’s commentary with a loud shout. “SHUT IT, JENNIFER!”
Jen’s mouth snapped closed as her eyes widened, staring at Sally in surprise. “Wow, kitty has grown some claws,” she muttered.
"The point is not for me to enjoy the show, Jen,” Sally snapped. "The point is, if you strip, you would keep the attention off me."
"It's your party, you goober smooch. The attention is supposed to be on you."
Jacque snorted out a laugh. "Did you just call her -"
Jen interrupted her redheaded friend. "Yes, a goober smooch. It is completely warranted at this point in the conversation. Also, I don't think you two understand the wrath that I would endure from the Alpha of the Serbian pack for even taking off my shoes and wiggling my cute little toes at everyone."
This time Sally and Jacque laughed together.
"Man, that would totally be a Mastercard moment – priceless."
"Who said your toes were cute?" Sally added.
"Don't be brash, Sally." Jen rolled her eyes. "You just asked me, me of all people to take my clothes off in front of at least 50 people, maybe more."
"Jen, you played strip poker with the enemy. You flashed your not-quite mate in front of the other males of our pack, you -"
Jen snapped her fingers together in front of Sally's mouth with a, "Shh!"
"That was the old Jen. This is the newly improved, mated Jen," she said, the look on her face daring them to contradict her – and, of course they did.
"Do you really want me to get into the fact that I saw you running to your room in the middle of the night just a few days ago…in your underwear?"
Jen clapped her hands together, laughing. "Oh, man, you guys should have seen his face. I thought he was going to kill me."
This time, Sally and Jacque crossed their arms across their chests, giving their own smirks back.
"Okay, okay. So maybe I still have a tendency to run about in less than acceptable attire. Still, this is a major, seriously owe me, like, name your first child after me request."
"That's okay," Sally said enthusiastically. "The chances of me getting pregnant are slim to none, so I can go with that. And of course, if it's a boy, I won't have to name him after you."
Jen clucked her tongue at Sally. "Oh, you naïve, sweet thing. You think a little thing like the sex of your child will get you out of naming him after me if I do this for you?" She shook her head as she took slow steps toward the brown-eyed healer. "Oh, no, gypsy woman. You will name him after me. I don't care if it's JenBo, JenBob, or JenJakifer; I don't care if it's as blatant as YesIAmABoyNamedJennifer. But know this: I will sign my freedom away by simply suggesting that I'm going to undress. I will have to watch my oh-so-possessive mate stare daggers at me while I dance on a table. Then I will have to tuck my furry little tail and run for my life from said possessive mate. For all this, you will owe me."
Jacque let out a low whistle. "Man, Decebel must be tying her up whenever she steps out of line. She's usually jumping at the opportunity to get freaky in a crowd – the bigger, the better."
Sally was looking at Jen with her mouth dropped open, but nodded, acknowledging Jacque's words.
Jen stepped back and clapped her hands together with a grin. "So, now that that's settled, when does this hoedown get started?"
Chapter 1
"In the event of some sort of gathering, if one of the bossy, overbearing, possessive fur balls has not flipped his switch and attacked some poor young pup in some misguided attempt to protect his woman's virtue, then the night is not over." - Jen
Costin paced his room like a caged tiger after having stood in front of the mirror for an hour, staring at the markings that now encompassed more than just his right shoulder and right shoulder blade. The markings had moved up the right side of his neck to behind his ear and down his right arm. There was one swirl that came just an inch over his right shoulder, close to his collarbone. He was more surprised by that than anything. It meant that he had the potential to be an Alpha. The right-sided markings revealed his dominant status, but only Alphas had markings on the front of their bodies.
His natural inclination after seeing them was to head straight for Sally's room and demand she bond with him – now. But, surprisingly, his wolf had stopped him and reminded him that she wasn't a wolf, she was human, and wouldn't totally understand the need for him to claim her. So after pausing to think about it, he realized that after all these months of seeing Sally and her friends interact, she would need them as she discovered that they were indeed mates and with the physical evidence to prove it.
Of course, that made Costin want to jump up and down like a teenage boy who had just landed a date with the girl of his dreams – which, to some degree, was exactly what had happened. Only this date was going to last a lifetime. He had no problem with that, but he had known his whole life that he would be mated to someone the Great Luna had made just for him. Sally wasn't from his world, despite having lived in it for nearly six months. Humans chose their mates; Canis lupis had one perfect mate out there that carried the other half of their soul.
With those thoughts running through his mind, he decided to give her some time.Well, until her party started. Then she had to face him. A wicked grin spread across Costin's face as he pulled a deep green dress shirt over his head and buttoned it up, leaving it untucked. He rolled the sleeves halfway up his forearms. Then he slipped on a faded pair of well-worn, loose jeans and grabbed his brown steel toe boots.
He looked in the mirror one last time and ran his fingers through his dark, messy hair. Shrugging, he thought that for a bartender he looked pretty good.
Good enough.
Finally, whistling a random tune, he headed out of his room – dimpled grin and all – to hunt down his mate.
Sally tensed at the sound of the knock on her door.
She had tried to leave her room with her two best friends, but they'd insisted she wait for Costin. Her response was, “What if he doesn't come and get me? How dumb would I look?”
Jen and Jacque's responses were identical, with a snort, rolled eyes, and a, "Yeah, good luck with thinking that your mate won't always come find you."
She walked over to the door and smoothed the simple black dress she wore. It was knee-length, and flared out from the empire waist; just below the bottom hemline was one inch of black lace – a small black bow was tied at her left hip. It was the dress that she had planned to wear to her senior prom. It had a small V back that ended just between her shoulder blades. If her hair was down, it covered the markings on her back, which Jen and Jacque had been adamant about. Covering them in public was important, but it was actually good that the dress showed a little of the marks. Sally had asked why and Jacque had explained how important the markings were to the males and that Costin would want to look at them.
Sally knew that she was safe with Costin, but she had never really had a boyfriend. She didn't figure that Steven Mathews attempting to kiss her by shoving his tongue in her mouth after school in the seventh grade counted. Everything with the whole true mate stuff seemed so intimate in comparison with anything she knew about relationships.
Another knock brought her out of her thoughts. Apprehensively, she grasped the door knob and pulled it open.
Costin's contagious, dimpled smile was positively breathtaking on his handsome face. She took in his appearance and liked how he hadn't changed who he was for her party. He didn't try to look fancy or be something he wasn't; his untucked dress shirt and jeans fit him perfectly and a little voice inside her whispered that he was freaking hot. She called that voice her “inner Jen”.
Jacque and Jen did not know about her inner Jen – it was her little secret when she needed a boost of confidence.
Sally smiled back and stepped aside to let him into the room.
"You look beautiful," Costin told her as he stepped close. Sally noted, not for the first time, that he had no sense of personal space boundaries – at least not when it came to her.
"Thank you." She felt the blush creep up her neck. "You look handsome."
He winked at her. "Pretty spiffy for a bartender in Romania."
Sally let out a small laugh. "I prefer it to a suit."
"Excellent." Costin smiled. He began to circle her slowly and his smile turned intense and there was a wicked gleam in his hazel eyes. Sally took in a short gasp when she noticed they were glowing.
"Do you have something to show me, Sally mine?"
It was then that Sally noticed the markings climbing up the right side of his neck and the ones that crawled down his right arm from underneath his rolled-back sleeve.
"Umm," Sally stalled.
"My markings have changed. Surely you noticed." He was teasing her and the tone of his voice helped her relax.
She slipped her hand under her brown hair and swept it over her shoulder to reveal her back to him.
A low growl came from him as he stood behind her. She nearly jumped away when she felt his fingers like a whisper of silk against her skin. Starting at the top of her neck, his fingers traced the marks until the dress halted his progression.
"Easy," he whispered to her when she jumped.
Sally swore she could feel the oxygen being sucked from the room as Costin's dominance filled the space.
"Umm, Costin," Sally squeezed out through her tight lungs. "Sort of short of breath here."
Costin immediately reigned in his possessiveness at the sight of the beautiful markings, which climbed up her spine like a vine. He pulled her hair back over her shoulder to cover them.