He chuckled, as if she was being funny. She wasn’t. Jacque frowned at him and continued her pacing. She had never been good at waiting, especially if it meant waiting to see if all of those she cared about were going to return to her in one piece.

"She's going to be fine," Jen said as she started walking beside Jacque matching her step for step.

"I know," Jacque retorted. "I'll just be happier when I can see that for myself."

"How did we handle her being gone with Peri for so long?" Jen asked as she shook her head.

Jacque shrugged. "We didn't know what she was doing. Now we know. She's possibly fighting a coven of vampires that are killing children." She turned to look at Decebel and Fane. "Should we be able to hear anything? I mean if they’ve already started fighting?"

"I've put up a sound barrier," Alston spoke up. "No noise will come up out of that opening and I'm sure Peri has done the same thing."

"So we won't know if they're getting slaughtered?" Jacque snapped.

"Love," Fane said gently as he walked over to her and took her hand. He pulled her away from the others and took her face in his hands. "Are you okay?"

She took several deep breaths. "Yes, I'm fine. It's just… I'm just worried about Sally."

"Costin won't let anything happen to her, nor would my father, my mother, or Peri for that matter. She's as safe with them as she would be here."

She knew what he was saying was true, and maybe it was just her hormones (man she was sick of that excuse) but Jacque was concerned about Sally. It was on the tail end of that thought that Sally's screams reached her ears.

Jen's eyes snapped from Jacque to the manhole from which Sally's screams were ringing loud and clear.

"I thought you put up some fancy sound barrier," Jen snarled at Alston as she made a lunge for the manhole. She heard Decebel's growl behind her, but she didn’t stop to see how close he was to snatching her out of the air. Jen dove headfirst into the hole, executing a perfect summersault that, had she not been part werewolf, she'd never have been able to pull off. She landed in a tucked roll and the momentum carried her to her feet.

As she rolled up and hit the ground running, she looked back to see Decebel land just where she'd been. Jen knew she was going to catch hell from him for acting before thinking, but if it meant getting to Sally and helping her, then whatever Dec threw at her would be worth it.

Sally's screams were still filling the air as Jen rounded a corner. She'd been pulling on her wolf’s superior senses in order to follow the sound of her terrified friend’s voice. The reverberation of her screams was painful on the wolf’s sensitive ears, but Jen was immensely grateful both for Sally's incredible lungs and her own supernatural hearing, because it meant that finding her in the underground labyrinth would be a tad easier.

"Jennifer!" Decebel growled from behind her and, based on how well she could hear his voice even over Sally's screams, Jen knew her mate was within grabbing distance.

"She needs our help, Decebel. I'm not just going to stand by and listen to my best friend scream in terror."

"In what life would I ever ask that of you? I'm simply asking that you let me go first. Let me meet whatever danger there is so that you can tend to Sally."

Okay, so maybe he had a point. She slowed a little and let him take the lead. The look he gave her as he past made Jen want to smack him. She could be reasonable—sometimes.

They rounded another corner and finally found her best friend, although it wasn't the scene Jen had been expecting to encounter. What she'd expected was hissing vampires and raging wolves. What she got was Sally kneeling on the ground with her mate wrapped around her while she sobbed. The screaming had turned into smaller wails of utter agony.

Jen took several steps forward but Decebel wrapped an arm around her and pulled her back against his chest. "Give them a moment. He is the only who can calm her," Decebel whispered into her ear causing a shudder to run through her. Yes, he still affected her, even in the most inappropriate situations. "I hope I always affect you, Jennifer."

Jen rolled her eyes. "Nosy much?"

She felt his amusement but he didn't respond.

After several minutes, Sally seemed to be gathering her emotions back together, though she was having a hard time getting Costin to release her. When Costin finally unwrapped his arms from his mate and helped her stand, Decebel let Jen go. She hurried forward and just barely kept from pushing Costin out of the way.

"How ya doing, Gypsy Lady?" Jen asked, attempting to keep her voice upbeat despite the worry she felt. When Sally's eyes met hers, Jen’s stomach fell to her feet. The look on her face was haunted.

"Do you feel it?" Sally asked her.

"Feel what?"

"The pain, the suffering. I can practically hear them crying. They were so scared. There were no arms to comfort them, no soft words to chase away the nightmare—the monsters." Several tears escaped her eyes and trailed down her face. Costin practically whined as he reached up and wiped the tears away.

"Did you know this would happen?" Costin turned to look at Peri who had just come through an arched doorway.

Peri frowned as she looked at Sally. "No, I didn't know she would be able to do this."

Jen raised a hand. "Um, could someone please explain exactly what it is she's doing?"

Peri stepped closer to Sally and reached out a hand. Costin snarled at her, attempting to push Sally behind him.

Peri's power swelled around her. "You know I would never harm her. Get a freaking grip or I swear I will shave you like a poodle the next time you're in your wolf form. Now, move!"

Costin bared his teeth at her one more time before finally stepping out of the way.

"Sally, may I?" Peri asked as she reached out her hand again.

Sally nodded

The high fae placed her hand on Sally's forehead and closed her eyes. Jen was so restless to know what was going on that she started tapping her foot as her hands went to her hips.

Finally, Peri opened her eyes and looked at Jen. "Strong emotions, especially when supernaturals are involved, leave something behind—like a fingerprint. Some humans actually pick up on it at times. Usually if a person is confused by the uneasiness they suddenly have when entering a room or building, they're picking up the emotional fingerprint that's been left behind." She paused and looked at Sally thoughtfully. "Then there are some people, usually of the supernatural persuasion, who are very sensitive to these fingerprints. Sally, it seems is one such person."