Blood Rites Page 25


Fane turned and looked at Decebel. "Did you confirm it?"

"Yes, my prince, he is hiding something," Decebel answered.

Fane looked back at Jacque and he gently held her bandaged hand. "Love, he is here to meet you, but he is hiding another motive and we don't know what it is. It's making us very leery of him. I can't say that I like the idea of him near you."

"You will be with me, right?" she asked.

"Of course." He nodded.

"Then I won't be in any danger." Jacque said it with complete confidence in him.

He leaned down and kissed her gently. "Thank you, Luna. I will always keep you safe."

"I know wolf-man, I'm counting on it," Jacque smiled at him and gently ran her fingers down the side of his face.

Jen cleared her throat. "I don't mean to bust up an obviously promising interlude, but we kind of need to figure out what you want to do, Jac."

"I'm going to meet him," Jacque said bluntly.

Lilly looked at her daughter and gave one nod of her head that she understood. Vasile stepped up to Jacque's bed and placed a hand on Fane's shoulder, "Why don't you get some rest, Jacque. Sleep tonight and then your father can come meet you tomorrow."

Fane nodded his head in agreement with his Alpha, "I think that is a good idea, Jacquelyn. You've been through a lot today, you need to rest."

"I know I have, but I feel amazingly better. Aside from the fever I can't seem to kick," she told him in astonishment.

"That's your wolf genes coming out, we heal really fast. You are obviously going to heal much faster than a human but not quite as fast as a werewolf."

"Jen, how you be over there?" Jacque asked, using the slang that was nearly second nature with her best friends.

"Wait for it," Jen said as she began the process of unwrapping her legs and arms. Sally had started humming the song from the game show Jeopardy.

"Sally, wow, it's you! I've always wanted to meet you."

"It's me what?" Sally asked Jen, curiosity thick in her voice.

"The mayor of Smartassville of course. You should carry a sign that says welcome to Smartassville, population: 1."

Everyone in the room was trying to cover their laughs with coughs when Lilly finally gave it up and laughed out loud. "I'm sorry, Sally, but you have to admit that was pretty funny."

"I guess, for someone whose brain cells have been cooked recently, it'll do."

Jen finally had her legs and arms unwrapped and there was a collective gasp in the room.

"I must not have been burned as bad as you because I don't even have blisters on my legs anymore, the skin is just raw and really red. The ones on my chest are almost completely healed as well. Somebody will have to look at my back and shoulders to see if they have healed aswell," Jen said, sounding dumbfounded.

"What?" Vasile, Alina and Decebel all spoke at the same time.

Jen looked around the room at each of them, unsure. "I said, I don't even have blisters on my legs or chest anymore." She nearly squeaked when Decebel was at her bedside in a flash. For someone so big he was surprisingly gentle as he examined her skin.

"You will tell me if I hurt you." Decebel held her blue eyes with his golden wolf eyes.

Jen couldn't say anything, she just nodded. All she could focus on were his hands touching her leg and she didn't even try to hide the soft sigh that came out as he ran his finger across her skin. He went to pull the front of her shirt down just enough to see her collar bone but Jen slapped his hand away. "You didn't buy tickets. You don't get a free show, fine, drool worthy werewolf or not."

"Alpha, it is true, her skin is healing rapidly. Too rapidly," Decebel said, looking at Jen.

"Why are you looking at me like I've grown a second head again?" Jen asked him, confusion marked her face.

Decebel just stared before finally turning and walking away. As he walked past Vasile he said, "I will take first watch tonight at the door." And then he was gone.

Jen was confused and frustrated at the little scene that took place but she couldn't worry about that right now, she had bigger fish to fry. If there was anything bigger than Decebel that is.

"Why would I be healing so fast?" she asked Vasile.

"I don't know. We will just have to continue to monitor you. Maybe have Dr. Steele run some blood tests on you," Vasile told her.

"Okay, well, I guess I will call Dillon and let him know that he can come tomorrow if you're sure, Jacque," Lilly told her.

"I am sure. Avoiding him won't do me any good. I think I need some sort of closure or whatever else it is that psychologists call it." Jacque's voice betrayed the fact that she really was tired even though she was feeling better.

The rest of the afternoon consisted of Jen and Jacque taking naps and when they were awake they continually bantered with one another with Sally as the mediator. There was never a moment when Jacque wasn't touching Fane or vice versa, both of them constantly seeking comfort from the other.

Finally, when it was time to call it a night Sally secured some sheets and a blanket from a nurse and slept on the couch by the window. Fane pulled up two chairs and sat in one while propping his feet in the other.

"You are not going to sleep like that," Jacque told him skeptically.

"You are right my love, I am not going to sleep at all," Fane told her. "Don't try to convince me otherwise, we have a group of strange wolves in your town, one of which is the father you have never met. There is no way I will sleep under those circumstances."

Prev Next