"How is it that you guys weren't in your realm when it went into lockdown?" she asked them before they could begin giving their report.

"Ainsel likes to keep a presence in the human realm so we can let him know what the other supernatural beings are doing," the leader of the group answered.

Peri nodded. "He's a wise king for doing so. So" —she folded her arms across her chest— "what info do you have for me?"

"It isn't good," the smallest one answered.

Peri rolled her eyes. "Good to know I can count on some things to never change. Hit me."

"Word has traveled through some of the trolls that guard the entrances to the In-Between. It seems that there have been more killings of the little humans in the land called Canada. The vampires have grown in numbers while they've been in hiding."

Peri cursed under her breath. "Any idea how many covens in Canada?"

"The trolls like to exaggerate so who knows if they are right, but the rumor is that there are around thirty."

She closed her eyes and shook her head. "That's about thirty too many."

"What are we going to do?"

"Pray that the wolves are eating their Wheaties and that they bring their A game to the rumble."

The pixies frowned. "We do not understand?"

Peri waved them off. "Basically it means we need the wolves to work a miracle."

"What if they cannot defeat the vampires?"

"Then we, my little tiny friends, are—what the humans call—royally screwed."

Chapter 5

"I hurt, so I hurt you. I bleed, so I want you to bleed. I feel betrayed, so I will become the betrayer. Why is it that we treat the ones we love the most, nearly as bad as we treat our enemies?" ~Jen

Decebel stood outside of their bedroom door. It was nothing new for them to fight. It was nothing new for Jennifer to say something in the heat of the moment that she didn't really mean. But he had never before felt that she saw him as weak, as incapable of making the right decisions for their pack and family. He felt as though she'd grabbed him by the balls and successfully neutered him. He was angry, but more than that, he was hurt.

She'd shut the bond down tight. But he could somehow still feel the rage rolling off of his mate through their bedroom door. Decebel usually ran headfirst into an argument with her, but after her harsh words, he found himself hesitant to stand before her criticism again and be found wanting. He listened as she sung to their daughter and knew that it was her way of calming herself. He decided that perhaps, for once, they both needed to cool off before facing off again. At least that was what he told himself was best as he walked away from the door. He didn't examine the fact that he was afraid that if he walked into the room at that moment, he might say some very hurtful things, just because she'd so thoroughly hurt and embarrassed him. Two wrongs didn't make a right. No matter how satisfying it might have been to retaliate, the feeling would have been fleeting.

Jen listened as her mate’s footsteps faded away. Decebel had never walked away from a fight. She deserved it. Her words had been harsh, unkind, and completely out of line, and yet she couldn’t shut herself up. She'd been so angry that he'd chosen not to talk to her about the vampires that she'd just lost it. After so many secrets they'd kept from one another over the past year, so much pain they'd endured because of some delusional need to protect one another from the impossible, still they hadn't learned. They were stronger together.

Tears tracked down her face as she looked down at the little girl she held in her arms. They'd made Thia from the love that they shared. She was a living testament of how much they adored one another, but still Jen had ripped into him as if he was her most hated enemy.

"I suck, Thia girl," Jen whispered. "And not in the good way."

Thia grinned up at her, completely unaware of the turmoil Jen was feeling. Oh to be so innocent again, she thought. She lowered her daughter to the floor and then sat down next to her. There was no point in seeking him out. If he hadn't come in, it was because he wasn't ready to speak with her. So she'd spend time with Thia and hope that she hadn't done irreparable damage to their relationship.

Jen kept the bond closed, unable to bear feeling the hurt and anger that she'd no doubt caused him. For the first time in their short relationship, she wondered if he'd be able to forgive her.

Fane pulled Jacque into his lap. He'd followed her to the library and though she'd attempted to keep space between them, he wouldn't allow it. There had been enough space between them in the past and he wasn’t going to allow anger or hurt from either of them to come between his need for her touch.

"I am sorry that I hurt you," he whispered into her hair. She smelled amazing, like his.

"Yes, it upsets me that you didn't talk to me. I'm a girl. I want us to communicate and share all of our deepest darkest crap, blah, blah, blah. But I also need to remember that you are your father’s son. He is your Alpha and you have to obey him."

Fane leaned back so that he could look at her. "Really?"

She frowned. "Don't look so shocked that I can be reasonable."

"Well, you have to admit that if I'm going on recent past experiences, reasonable has not been your MO."

"True enough. Can't fault you there. Can I just say being married is hard?"

He grinned at her. "Yes, it is. But it has its benefits."

"Like?" she prompted.

"Making up," he whispered in her ear.

Jacque snorted out a laugh. "One track mind. Will that ever change?"

"I hope not," he said as he ran his hand over her belly. "I hope you never tire of me, because I assure you, I will never get enough of you."

She was quiet and Fane felt her worry. "Children, Fane. They're killing children."

"Shh," he soothed. "We will deal with them. Taking out the bad guys is sort of what we do."

"But how many more will die?"

"I don't know. I wish I could tell you none. But evil doesn't just hang out waiting for justice to kick its butt."

She leaned back against him and he wrapped her tighter in his arms. "I love you, Jacquelyn. Thank you, for understanding why I didn't tell you about the vampires."