Den of Sorrows

by Quinn Loftis

  "Everything okay?" Sally asked him. His smiled widened. His mate had asked him that every five minutes for the past hour.

  "Yes, beautiful, everything is good," he said just as patiently as he had the first time. She wanted to be there with him and Titus, but one of them needed to attend the meeting. Since Titus had specifically requested Costin’s presence, the job fell to Sally.

  She was keeping the bond and her mind wide open so that Costin could listen in on the meeting and not miss anything important. Upon hearing Vasile and Peri’s plan to travel to Phoenix tomorrow, which he knew had been inevitable, he felt his chest tighten at the thought of leaving Titus. There was no way they could take the boy with them. And he knew that Sally had to go. Technically, they could alter the memories of the children they found without Sally. But Peri said having Sally there made things much quicker and easier. Costin knew that she would go if they asked her to, but he also knew she'd stay in a heartbeat if Titus said he needed her also. And although extra warriors were certainly needed on the mission, his little healer was crucial. And neither he nor Sally would leave Titus alone, not when the child was still so fragile.

  This led to one inevitable conclusion. Sally would have to go without him. He would have to entrust her safety to the others. She would be out of his reach and out of the shelter of his arms. The thought made his gut clench. But as he looked down at Titus who was curled up against his chest, he realized for the first time what it felt like to truly understand that there was something more important than his own comfort, happiness, or desires.

  "Thank you," he heard Sally whisper into his mind. He felt her sorrow at leaving Titus—her son. He liked that she already thought of him as hers, as theirs.

  "Tell Vasile to hurry up, your mate and your son need you."

  Jen sat on the love seat, her legs outstretched and her arm propped up on the armrest of the sofa. Jacque sat across from her in a similar pose, though she looked much more awkward. Once Vasile had dismissed the meeting, she and Jacque had informed their men that they needed girl time. Jen had spent time with Thia before the meeting and now the girl was fast asleep. Decebel tried to give her puppy dog eyes, and when that didn't work, he growled at her. That had almost done the trick, but then Jacque had handed her a mug of hot chocolate. He knew then that he was beat and he pressed a kiss to her forehead before leaving for their room.

  "Sally seems to be handling this all really well," Jen said just before she took another sip of the warm, yummy drink.

  Jacque nodded. "I think, somehow, it's actually helped her…I don't know…like…shed some of the darkness that had been collecting on her. Like a dog shaking off water. Does that make sense?"

  "Yah, I get what you're saying. She was losing herself. Titus needs her, needs her light, like Costin did. That brought her back."

  They were quiet for a few minutes. Then Jacque spoke. "So, how do you think this Phoenix thing is going to really go?"

  Jen snorted. As usual, she and Red were totally on the same page. "Not the way Vasile and the other males think it will. I love how Decebel looked at me when Peri said that it might be best for me to stay behind because I would be the ultimate prize for Sincaro. I'm pretty sure he was contemplating putting me back in that crater that I was so kindly pushed into during the Gathering."

  "So here's the thing," Jacque started as she sat up and set down her cup. "They don’t know where the entrance to this vampire king’s coven is. Phoenix is huge. It's not like we can just try every manhole in the city. "

  "You know what we need to do? We need to hit up the police stations and find out where most of the abductions are taking place," Jen suggested.

  "Why didn’t you say that in the meeting?" Jacque frowned.

  "Because Decebel threatened to duct tape my mouth closed, and as tense as he is right now, I actually think he would do it this time."

  "Did he think your idea was a good one?"

  Jen shrugged. "He said it would be dangerous to draw attention to ourselves. It's not like huge Romanian guys walking around a police station would be inconspicuous."

  "So why can't we go?"

  Jen busted out laughing. "Oh man, that baby is shrinking your brain and killing brain cells. In what life do you think your mate is going to let you out of his sight or near any vampire coven after having watched a vampire snatch you up and threaten you right in front of him?"

  Jacque’s face fell. "Ugh, he's going to be unbearable."

  "Oh please." Jen waved her off. "They're unbearable already. We only put up with it because they're so freaking gorgeous." She paused then added. "And sexy." Pause. "And stern."

  "Ooookay," Jacque said loudly. "I get it. Don't need you going into all the reasons why you put up with Decebel. I concur. Though I do find that we are rather shallow."

  "No. We are honest. Besides, we love them. If they were ugly and we loved them, I suppose we'd put up with it. Maybe."

  After a few seconds she and Jacque looked at each other shaking their heads and said at the same time, "Nah."

  As their laughter died down Jen sighed. "Are we twisted? I mean here we are laughing about having ugly mates and only hours ago we'd found children who had survived being held captive by vampires. How sick are we?"

  "I disagree," Jacque said as she met Jen's gaze. "We have to be able to do this. No one else is going to go into the bowels of those cities and face those awful creatures. We are the ones who get saturated in their darkness. We are the ones who see the victims they have brutalized. But even after all that, we have to be able to get up and do it again. So we have to figure out a way to cope. If coping to us is drinking hot chocolate and laughing about the same crap we always laugh about, then more power to us.”

  “Jen." The urgency in Jacque’s voice had Jen sitting up. “We can't fall apart. We can't crumble. I think Vasile and Alina are part of the reason we haven't done so already. It's like they hold us together by their sheer will alone. If we fail, if Vasile fails, none of the other packs would be able to fight off the dark magic we've already been saturated in. The unmated males would be consumed and then it wouldn't only be the vampires taking lives."

  The air rushed from Jen's lungs. "Damn, Jacque. Way to give a pep talk."

  Jacque grimaced. "Yeah, sorry that was more Frodo than Braveheart, huh?"

  Jen nodded. "Yep, you totally had me wanting to throw myself over the edge of the cliff like hobbit boy."

  Jacque laughed suddenly and Jen rolled her eyes. "Is wolf man talking dirty to you?"

  "Wouldn't you like to know," Jacque said as she stood up and waddled her way to the door. "I'm out. He's threatening to come carry me back and you know how I feel about him lifting me in my current state."

  "Like he's a bulldozer and you're a beached whale he's trying desperately to get back in the water?" Jen grinned at her friend who was currently giving her the finger. "Night, Red," she called out as the door closed and she was left in the room alone.

  Five minutes later, the door opened again. Her mate stepped in, looking edible in a pair of sleep pants and nothing else. Her eyes trailed up his body until they reached his face. He was handsome, so very handsome, and yet he acted like he didn't have a clue.

  "Are you planning on sleeping in here?" he asked her as he walked over to the couch Jacque had just vacated. Decebel sat down and stretched his legs out in front of him as he leaned back and laid one arm over the back of the sofa and the other on the armrest. Okay, so he totally knew how hot he was because he was currently flaunting it.

  "Maybe," she said rolling onto her back making herself look at the ceiling and away from his enticing form. He chuckled and Jen felt the deep sound all the way to her toes. She bit her tongue to keep from squealing like a damn love struck ninny.

  "Playing hard to get again, mate? Pray tell, what have I done this time to earn your ire?"

  And there he went talking all proper as if she was a lady and he was her gentleman caller. He knew exactly how much she liked it when he we
nt all eighteenth century on her. She practically panted and fought the urge to say, 'Please Mr. Darcy, yes Mr. Darcy, Take me, Mr. Darcy.’ ”

  "Why would you call me Mr. Darcy?"

  "Why do you feel like my head is yours to plunder?"

  Too late she realized what she'd just walked in to.

  "Because, like your body, it is mine."

  That was it. That's all she could take. If she stayed one more second she was going to crawl across the floor on all fours and purr at him like a cat. She threw up the walls in her mind before he realized what she intended and was out of the room before he was even getting up from the couch. Jen had gotten very good at phasing in mid-run, even with clothes on. Though this time she happened to pass Peri in the hall, and just as she began to phase, her clothes disappeared. And that, ladies and gentlemen, is why you have a high fae as a bff.

  The door to the front of the mansion flew open. She threw out another silent thank you to her friend the fae and, when she heard her mate start cussing, Jen knew Peri had done something extra to him in order to give her more of a head start. She was going to have to name her next child after that woman if Peri kept helping her out with her possessive mate.

  "You can run, Jennifer." Decebel's voice in her mind had her legs pushing harder as she bolted out into the cold night air. The snow was beginning to melt as the days grew a little warmer and the ground was soft under her paws. It gave her purchase as she made sharp turns, attempting to use her agility against her much larger, and much faster, mate

  "How perceptive of you, mate, considering I am indeed running," she responded without slowing down. She knew sarcasm would only spurn him on. And in some sick twisted way she liked taunting him.

  Jen stretched her legs and headed for the cave that she'd come to think of as theirs. No one, not even Jacque or Sally, knew about it. She and Decebel had begun going there once a week just to get some privacy from the others. Rachel and Gavril often kept Thia for them, and she and Dec would go there and talk, among other things.

  "What other things?" Decebel taunted.

  She ignored him and tried to push herself faster. She could hear his breathing and knew he was very close. Just as Jen rounded a tree and saw the cave come into view, she heard her mate’s growl. She felt him cover her, but instead of a furry body, his human arms came around her. Jen phased as they flew through the air. Decebel turned their bodies so that he would land on the ground and she would be cradled against him.

  When they were no longer airborne, Jen turned so that she was facing her grinning mate.

  "You're pleased with yourself?"

  "I'm naked, and my mate is naked lying on top of me. How could I not be pleased with myself?"

  Jen couldn't help it. She laughed loud and long. So rarely did her mate look like a boy who'd gotten away with snatching cookies from the cookie jar, but in that moment, he did.

  When she finally got control of herself, her laughter died until just a smile was left. "So, you've caught me. Now what?"

  "Do I really have to spell it out?" he asked as he nuzzled her neck.

  "Maybe not spell, but feel free to provide a monologue. There's nothing better than your deep voice, Romanian accent, and dirty talk."

  Decebel's laughter filled the forest. "Dirty talk, huh?" He pulled her down and gave her a toe curling kiss and then whispered against her moist lips. "I'll see what I can do about that."

  Jacque reached down for her nightshirt that had been tossed to the floor by her overzealous mate, but as soon as she got it in her hand, it was plucked away again.

  "You don't need that," Fane growled as he pulled her back across the bed and wrapped himself around her.

  "Okay, I'll just walk to the kitchen naked. Bet my father-in-law would love that," Jacque huffed.

  "What do you need from the kitchen?"

  "Food. I'm a little hungry," she answered and her stomach backed her up by growling at that precise moment.

  He chuckled. "Did you work up an appetite?"

  Jacque rolled her eyes. "Tomorrow you are going to face down some bad ass vampire king and you're worried about your ability to wear your mate out in the bedroom?"

  Fane’s breath against her neck was warm. "Love, it wouldn't matter if the world was burning to the ground—a man needs to know he can please his female."

  "I'm pleased," she said dryly. "And hungry. Either go get me food or let me put on some clothes so I can go get me food."

  Fane growled. But five minutes later Jacque was happily munching on a turkey sandwich and chips.

  "So tomorrow," Fane began as he lay on his side propped up on an elbow watching her.

  Jacque’s eyes narrowed and she paused in mid-bite. She spoke without removing her mouth from the sandwich. "Wu aboot tamrow?"

  Fane grinned at her. "That's sexy."

  She shrugged her shoulders, chewed, and swallowed, before speaking again. "What about tomorrow?" she asked again.

  "I don't want to ever see a vampire with his hands on you again—ever," Fane told her.

  "Okay."

  He sighed. "I wish you would just stay here."

  "I can't."

  "I know." His brow drew tightly together. "What could be so important that you need to be in the US?"

  Jacque shook her head. "Don't know, but I trust my mom."

  "I do to. But it doesn’t mean I like it."

  Jacque finished off her food, brushed her teeth for the second time, and then climbed into bed next to her mate. She felt their baby move and grinned as she took Fane's hand and placed it on her stomach.

  Fane's eyes lit up when he felt their child kicking inside of her.

  "Won't be long now," she told him.

  At that he groaned and rolled onto his back. "Female, telling your mate that it won't be long until your child is born, the day before leaving to face off against a vampire king, isn't reassuring."

  Jacque leaned over and kissed him gently and then snuggled up against him. "I told you when we started this whole thing that you'd never be bored."

  Chapter 14

  "I feel like we've been here before. The world is frolicking along, minding its own business, oblivious to everything. Meanwhile evil is attempting to wrap its dirty little hands around the globe and squeeze. And here we stand—wolves, fae, warlock, and elves—ready for battle. Oh wait, it's because we have been here before. Here's hoping we can pull another ‘W.’ If not, Thia, the doghouses are for your future dogs. Please make sure they pee on your father’s grave regularly. Love mom." ~Jen

  Drake squeezed his eyes closed and turned away from the group. They have arrived in Phoenix, and everyone is currently discussing what to do next. The troubled wolf now knows that he isn't going to be able to stay in control, even though they’ve only been in the city for five minutes. The darkness that has been steadily growing inside of him is eager. It feels a kindred spirit in this city that houses the oldest and largest coven of vampires on earth, led by the vampire king Sincaro himself.

  His wolf is every bit as eager as that darkness. It feels something as well, but it's so hard to discern what that feeling is with all of the chaos inside of his mind. He attempts to push it all out and simply focus on what Vasile is saying and, for now, it works. But for how long it will work, he can’t say.

  Jen groaned as she sat down on the worn out sofa. Peri had flashed them into a vacant old office building that appeared as if it hadn’t seen any tenants in quite some time. It was like an office graveyard. There was nothing but old office equipment, ancient drinking fountains, and a few of those yellow signs containing the slipping stick man that warned people of a wet floor. Jen, Jacque, and Sally had claimed the only couch in the place.

  "So you're telling me that, now that we're here, you can't figure out what to do next?" Jen asked their fearless leaders.

  Decebel, Vasile, Peri, and Alina all glared at her. She shrugged her shoulders. "I'm just calling it like I see it. Don’t snarl at the cute messenger."

  "He'
s cloaking the damn city somehow," Peri snapped.

  "What do you mean, cloaking?" Decebel asked.

  "I mean that he’s masking his coven’s evil essence. The pixies and I were previously able to locate the entrances to the covens because of the pull of evil. I can feel it if I open myself up to it. But if I open myself up to it too many times, well, that could be a very bad thing."

  "The magic begins to saturate you?" Sally asked.

  Peri nodded. "You do not want someone as powerful and as old as I am saturated with evil."

  "Okay," Jen nodded. "Don’t saturate Fairy Peri in darkness less she become a raging bitch—got it. But what does that have to do with the city being cloaked?"

  "It means even if I open myself to it, I will not be able to pinpoint the evil. And cloaking really isn’t the right word for it. Just the opposite really. He's covered the city in it. It's everywhere."

  “So he’s using evil to hide evil?” asked Alina.

  “That’s right, and I don’t even want to imagine the things he’s done to make the city so dark,” responded the fae.

  There was quiet in the room as everyone seemed to consider the new turn of events.

  "But didn't he invite us here?" Jacque asked. "Won't he make himself known or something?"

  "Probably, at some point," Peri nodded.

  "We were really hoping for the element of at least a little bit of surprise," Vasile added.

  "Guess you're SOL, Alpha," Jen offered as she leaned back against the couch and ignored her glowering mate.

  And so the waiting began.

  Jen attempted to offer her own suggestions, as did Jacque and Sally. But each time they spoke up, Decebel or Fane shot them down.

  "What if we look at the police stations," Sally offered. "Jacque is pregnant and you know pregnant chicks can get away with anything."

  Jacque nodded. "It's true. I can literally do anything I want and people just smile at me."

  Jen nodded as well. "Totally true."