Jacque smiled. "That was quick."

"Is your mate yelling at you too?" Jen asked.

"In Romanian," Jacque said with a chuckle.

Four hours and three police stations later, all three girls were wincing at the sounds of their mate’s voices snarling in each of their heads. Only the promise that they were on their way back kept the males from coming after them. They were so worked up that they didn't even ask why Peri wasn't just flashing them back.

The information they'd gleaned from the police wasn't nearly as helpful as they thought it would be. The kidnappings weren't localized in any one section of the city. The vamps were doing a very good job of spreading them out. Peri thought that, though the vampires were looking for dormants, the majority of their prey were probably simply human children. Like a shark who gains a taste for human flesh after enough attacks, the vampires had grown very addicted to the young blood.

“Okay, that was frustratingly fruitless,” Jen said as she rubbed her forehead. “We—” Jen suddenly stopped in midsentence and narrowed her eyes. She was looking at something behind Peri.

The fae turned to find Drake crossing the street some twenty yards away from them. The girls watched as he turned and strode purposefully away from them.

"Why isn't he frozen?" Jacque asked.

"And where is he going?" Sally asked the other question they were all thinking.

Something was wrong. "He must not have been in the building when my magic hit it," Peri said as she continued to watch the wolf. His gate was stiff and his shoulders tense. Drake's jaw was clenched and he seemed to be holding onto his control by a mere thread.

"New plan," Peri said, never taking her eyes off of Decebel's third. "Follow that wolf." Peri started after him and the others hurried to keep up.

"What about the others?" Sally asked.

"I'll release them once I know what's going on. I don't want Decebel interfering just yet. Not to mention, they are going to be pissed. I don’t really feel like being snarled at. Do you?"

All three girls were quick to agree.

"Is he alright?" Jacque asked, motioning toward the male they were following.

Peri's lips drew tight across her face. "Honestly, I don't think so."

Drake could feel her. He knew something was off when they first arrived, but then out of nowhere, he'd felt her and she was terrified. He'd removed himself from the group with the excuse of having to use the restroom. Now he was walking down the streets of Phoenix trying his hardest to not look like a crazed werewolf.

He could feel his wolf attempting to force him to phase. He wanted to move faster; he needed to run, to get to her, to save her, to protect her, to claim her. That last thought nearly had him stopping in his tracks. For a moment the darkness cleared and he was able to think. It was his mate. He was feeling his true mate. How the hell had he missed that? He should have known the minute he felt her fear, but all he could think of was death. He wanted to kill whatever it was that was hurting her. He wanted flesh between his teeth and blood coating his fur. Drake wanted to howl in victory as he stood over his fallen foe, and then he wanted to lay claim to the one female who had been created for him. He wanted it with a strength that was nearly violent in its power.

Drake didn't want to examine that thought too carefully, not when he knew the darkness was so very close to consuming him that it actually might have already won. The sky was nearly pitch dark now and the city lights were glowing harshly. Something seemed to shift in the city, something sinister and malevolent weaving its way through the air. Drake felt it rubbing against him, welcoming him like a long lost friend.

His feet continued to move forward though he had no idea where he was going. He only knew that he needed to find her, needed to make her his. His steps quickened with his urgency and he felt fur begin to ripple over his arms. He wasn't even able to completely hold his human form anymore. He didn't stop to consider the consequences of that development. Just as he rounded a corner that would lead him between two tall buildings, Drake heard her scream not only in his mind but with his ears as well. At nearly the same moment, two forms sprang from an open manhole nearby.

They froze at the sight of him and then hissed like pissed off wet cats. “Vampires,” his wolf snarled to him.

Drake didn't even think. He moved faster than he ever had as he lunged for them. His claws raked across the stomach of one of the vamps and its intestines spilled from the huge wound. At the same time, Drake wrapped his other hand around the throat of the second vampire and gave a sharp jerk, snapping his neck.

He wasted no time ripping their hearts from their chests and dropping them next to their limp bodies. His breathing was harsh as the rage rolled through him. He started toward the manhole from which the vamps had emerged, but stopped when he heard a curse behind him. Drake turned, ready to fight again, but stopped when he saw the four figures standing before him.

“They’re up to something,” Decebel growled.

Fane scoffed. “What gave you that idea? Being suddenly unable to move, or was it your mate closing the bond up tight?”

Decebel's wolf hummed with anger. “Those three are worse than a plague. They should come with a damn warning label."

This brought a laugh from Vasile, who was sitting in the chair at the lone table in the hotel room.

“They are no different than any of our she-wolves. They’re strong. We wouldn’t want them any other way because, otherwise, they would not be able to handle our world.”

“That doesn’t mean that I’m fine with them having that irritating high fae bind us—again,” Fane pointed out.

"How long do you think Peri will leave us like this?" Cypher asked.

"Until they're in so much trouble that they finally realize they need our help," Decebel answered.

Cypher's eyes widened. "You're being serious, aren't you?"

"They will be fine," Alina attempted to reassure them. "They just need to feel helpful. Once they've done something that they feel will help, Peri will release you."

"Can't you do something?" Fane growled at Alston, who was just as unmoving as the rest of them.

"Had I known what she was doing before it had affected me, yes I could have. But I didn't and therefore the spell is just as effective on me as it is you."