She'd let Decebel take the lead but she'd been right on his heels as they’d rushed into the cave like room. There had been no pause in her feet, no hesitation, as she began swinging the two blades Peri had given her—fae blades that seemed to know what she wanted before her arm was even moving. She couldn’t hear the sounds of the dying or fighting over the pounding of her heart. Her arms moved gracefully, the way her mate had shown her, and she barely even saw the bodies that dropped when she was done with her work. The only vampire she could remember had been a blonde who'd taunted her. 'Your males allowed a weak little dormant female to fight the big bad vampires? Why didn't they just put you on a platter like the others? Of course, you won't be as sweet as they are. Their blood isn't tainted yet. It's pure, clean, and goes down smooth.' Just remembering the sound of the woman’s voice grated on Jen’s nerves. The female vamp had pissed Jen off so royally that she'd tucked the blades down in the boots and phased her fingernails to the powerful claws of her wolf.

Jen knew the smile on her face probably looked a little sadistic, but the calmness of her voice when she responded to the vamp was even worse.

"You aren't worthy of a death by my wolf. But since I’m pissed, I’ll show you how us weak, little, dormant females fight." Jen moved with her wolf’s speed as she lunged forward and ran her claws across the woman’s face. She flipped around just as the woman passed her and Jen raked her claws across the woman’s back, leaving deep lacerations that stretched from shoulder to hip. The vamp screeched like a wounded cat and came at Jen as though she was possessed. Jen stood her ground as the woman ran full speed toward her. Just before she would have reached her, Jen held her hand up, claws extended and muscles locked. The stupid vamp ran herself through on the wolf’s claws. Jen didn’t think about the fact that her hand was imbedded in a vampire’s chest and wrapped around its heart. Instead, she allowed her wolf to lift the woman and slam her onto her back against the blood covered ground.

Jen leaned down over the female vampire, making sure the last thing she would see was the eyes of Jen’s wolf, and she whispered, "And that's how we dormants do it." And then she pulled the heart from the vampire’s chest. It wasn't near as easy as they made it look in movies.

The cold Philadelphia air burned her lungs as she continued to breathe it into her body. She shook her head and arms as though she was shaking off the memory of the fight. There were just some memories that had no business taking up space in her mental files.

"You okay?" Jacque asked.

Jen stood up and looked at her very pregnant friend. Everyone thought Jen was the tough one. They were clueless. Jacque was the beast in their little trio. She was one of the strongest people Jen knew, and she proved it as she stood outside a vampire coven about to pop out a baby.

"Or she’s just foolish," Decebel’s words filled her mind. Of course, he wouldn't think Jacque’s actions were a show of strength because like all male flea motels, he expected her to hide from danger like a mouse hides from a cat.

"Is it really foolish for the mouse, which is physically smaller and weaker than the cat, to hide in order to stay alive?"

Jen ignored him long enough to address Jacque. "I'm good. Not even a scratch on me."

"If you'd have gotten a scratch on you, Decebel would have flipped more than just his lid," Jacque quipped.

"True," Jen sighed. "Perhaps, I should allow the scratch just for that reason."

Jacque laughed. "You are unapologetically diabolical."

"Hey, I could be a lot worse things."

"Like a mouse hiding from a cat?" Decebel asked.

"Stay the hell out of my conversations you freaking hair ball," Jen growled out loud, not even giving him the luxury of the bond.

Everyone froze as they looked from Decebel to Jen. Jen thought their heads looked like they were at a tennis match.

Decebel was standing next to Vasile and Peri as he stared at Jen. She didn't see any anger in his gaze. In fact, she couldn't read his expression at all, and that just pissed her off more. He didn't get to say aggravating comments in regards to a conversation that he hadn't even been invited into and then stare at her blankly while she tried to keep from throwing her fae blades at him.

"There have been enough fae blades used to mark my skin, female. There's no need for you to add to them," he said in his cool, detached voice.

"Female?" Jen growled as she took a step towards him. "Female!"

A voice that wasn't hers or Decebel’s interrupted the massive ass chewing she was about to give her mate. "Everyone needs to calm down, take a breath, and think before they speak."

Jen's head turned slowly to look at Cypher. She was surprised that he was the one who was attempting to defuse the situation.

"I am calm," said Decebel as he looked at Cypher like he had suddenly sprouted horns.

Cypher met her mate’s eyes and gave a slight nod. "Then maybe you should focus on the thinking before you speak part of my suggestion."

"Burn," Jacque whispered to Jen.

"I'm liking this warlock king more and more," Jen chuckled.

"Jen, I'm speaking to all of you," Cypher scolded her.

Her mouth snapped shut, not because of her own choice. Her eyes shot to Peri, who gave her a shrug. “Damn, meddling fae,” she thought.

Cypher turned away from her and addressed the whole group. "I've been watching everyone since the third coven we took out yesterday. I’ve noticed your behavior changing. At first I didn't understand it. But this time I felt it."

"It's the magic," Alston spoke up.

Cypher nodded.

"What magic?" Costin asked.

"The magic that lived inside the vampires," Cypher answered. "We aren't all called supernatural beings for nothing. We each have magic in us. Vamps, trolls, warlocks, wolves, all of us. When the body that no longer contains that magic dies, some of the magic is released. Though it fades over time, the way we are killing these vampires in groups like this…"

"It's like walking into a sauna of dark vampire mojo," Jen finished for him.

"Exactly," Cypher agreed.

Jen nodded. "Okay then, B, I totally forgive your lapse in judgment because of the dark vampire mojo."