When she reached the top of the stairs she stopped when she saw that everyone was standing there staring at where the opening should be.

“What the hell, Peri,” Jen snarled.

“Has it been over two hours already?” Elle asked.

Peri reached out her hand and placed it on the wall. She closed her eyes as she concentrated.

“That sniveling little weasel,” she spat at the wall. “It hasn’t been over two hours. Our friendly, neighborhood troll thinks to trap me, Perizada of the Fae.”

Adam laughed as he shook his head. “They never learn.” He said to no one in particular.

Peri’s eyes narrowed as she stared at the place her hand had just been. She spoke in a low voice, a beautiful language that rolled off her tongue. Her eyes gleamed and she began to glow as magic pulsed from her body. Suddenly the wall burst open and Thurlok stumbled back on the other side. Vasile and Alina were the first to pass through, and then the others followed. Once they were all out, Peri stepped through the veil, and let it close behind her. She stood looking down at Thurlok.

“You thought to trick me?”

Thurlok pushed himself to his feet clumsily. “I knew you could get out, Peri,” he told her nervously. “I had to close it in case someone came by. It would look awfully suspicious should someone come by and see the veil just sitting open.”

Peri watched him as a hawk would watch a mouse. He fidgeted under her stare as he waited for her response.

“I will let you live only because the blood oath was not broken.” Peri turned to look at Vasile and Alina. “We need to go, now.”

She took off at a brisk jog and trusted the others to follow.

“What about the stone?” Thurlok yelled.

“Check your pocket you dimwit,” Peri yelled back, but didn’t turn to see if he listened to her.

Peri and Elle got a fire started as the others grabbed logs to sit on. The camp was quiet and somber. They had run late into the night and were all exhausted.

Cynthia walked over to Peri and pulled her to the side.

“Why does that seem like it was a little too easy?” Cynthia said, squinting her eyes.

Peri let out a breath and pinched the bridge of her nose. “Rescuing them from the In-Between was never my real worry,” she admitted.

Cynthia waited for her to go on. Peri looked over her shoulder at the group as she spoke.

“That was the easy part; the hard part will be keeping the males from killing anyone.”

Cynthia’s eyes narrowed. Peri motioned for Cynthia to look and so she did.

Decebel sat with Jen in his lap, her head on his shoulder. She was talking to him softly while his eyes shifted from person to person, narrowing and glowing amber. His shoulders were tense and he looked poised to attack, even though his mate was in his arms.

Costin sat with his back against a tree and Sally in between his legs, with her back to his chest. He held her tight and Cynthia watched as every so often he would kiss her hair or gently brush his finger along her cheek. But his eyes never left those around him. He never looked down at her, but instead watched each person carefully. She looked at each male and saw as they held their mates the distrust in their eyes as they steadily watched one another.

Cynthia looked back at Peri who was watching her expectantly.

“Now you see?” She asked her.

Cynthia nodded. “We would never be able to stop a fight if it were to break out among them.”

Peri shook her head. “Not with these dominants.”

“What do we do?” Cynthia asked.

“We’re going to have to first make them aware of their behavior. So, that they might think before they act on instinct.”

“And second?” Cynthia prompted.

“Second,” Peri breathed, “hope against hope that no one does anything stupid.”

“Then we’re done for,” Cynthia told her.

“Pretty much,” Peri agreed.

Chapter 9

“If, when you find out that out the largest number of werewolves to ever gather in history are coming to your town, your first thought is, did I pee on everything I want to keep, then you might be a werewolf… or you have an over active imagination and an unhealthy fixation on the Calvin and Hobbes stickers portraying Calvin peeing on, well, everything. Choose your poison.” ~ Jen.

Skender stood in the library of the Romanian pack's mansion staring out onto the lawn. Rows of cars lined the drive as, one by one pack Alpha’s, and their top wolves arrived. It had been three days since the call went out and already six of the eleven other packs had arrived. The Alpha’s from Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland, Ireland, Spain and Italy, plus their top three, were each currently in residence at the mansion. Only half of who would be coming had arrived and already things were tense.

He ran a hand through his hair and let out a low growl as his frustration and agitation grew. He was fourth in his pack. Dominant? Yes, but not dominant enough to prevent a war between any would be enemy Alpha’s . Where the hell was Vasile? It had been weeks since he and the others had set out and though he knew through pack bonds that Vasile was still alive, that was all he knew. Before three days ago, Skender had just thought that it was taking Vasile longer than he anticipated discovering Desdemona’s plan. But, then the call had gone out and that was when Skender realized that something had happened to Vasile and the others. For the Great Luna to send out a call to all her wolves it had to be bad.

A knock on the door pulled him from his thoughts. “Enter,” he answered the knock.