Jen’s eyes were wide and her mouth had fallen open. She was pretty sure she wouldn’t be closing it anytime soon.

“I’m sorry,” Jacque said, her voice unsteady. “Did you say she’s in a relationship?”

“She works at a place called The Dog House.” Okay, so Jen was able to get her mouth to do something more than just hang open and invite in flying insects.

Stralina blinked, looking back and forth between the two girls as though she wasn’t sure who she should answer. Peri tapped her shoulder and smiled. “I’ll take it from here, Stralina. You did good.”

“Thank you, Perizada.” She bowed her head and stepped back.

“She died and cut her hair?” Jen continued.

“Do they touch?” Jacque asked.

“Surely not,” Jen responded and shuttered.

“Ugh, do they kiss?” Jacque asked as she covered her mouth with her hand as though she couldn’t believe she’d uttered something so terrible.

“No,” Jen shook her head. “No, there is none of that. Sally wouldn’t kiss someone else, I don’t care how jacked up her head was.”

Stralina started to say something but Peri stepped in front of the pixie. “I don’t think those are the things that are really important right now. She’s alive and relatively safe and healthy. That’s what counts.”

“Sure, sure,” Jacque agreed but then frowned. “But do they touch?”

Peri groaned and plopped herself down, ungracefully, in an empty chair. “Is it really that important?”

Jacque looked at Jen; they both shuddered. “It’s just the thought of another male wolf touching me,” Jacque started but Fane’s growl interrupted her. She patted the muscular arm that was wrapped around her. “Calm down, wolf-man, there is no other furball for me besides you.”

“What Jacque is trying to say,” Jen cut in. “Is eww.”

Jacque nodded. “Exactly.”

Peri looked at each of them and threw her hands up. “So now that you know your best friend is alive and relatively safe, all you can think about is her relationship status.”

“Now you’re catching on,” Jen sang. She looked over at Jacque and motioned to the fae. “She’s finally catching on.”

Jacque nodded. “Totally catching on.”

Peri glanced over to Stralina. “Now do you see why I didn’t want to tell them?”

“Is Sally’s relationship with the werewolf connected to her lost memories?” Thalion asked.

Peri clapped her hands. “Thank you, Prince. That is a question worth my time. Not, do they touch.” She shot Jacque a glare. “And, yes, I believe the two things are connected.”

“So she isn’t safe,” Jen countered.

“I said relatively safe,” Peri pointed out.

“Jericho, Jericho.” Vasile’s voice stopped Jen from responding. “Is that the same Jericho that went missing from the Missouri pack?” he asked Peri.

She nodded. “One and the same. I went and spoke to his former Alpha yesterday.” Peri went on to explain to them about her conversation with Wadim, and then the Missouri Alpha, as well as her talk with Jericho. “As bad as all of that is,” she said, after giving all the information. “It’s not the worst of it.”

Vasile’s eyes narrowed. “You still haven’t told us who is responsible for taking Sally and using magic on her. Certainly Jericho would not be capable of such a thing.”

“Bullseye, Alpha,” Peri chuckled and tapped the side of her nose. “You’re correct, I haven’t, and that is the worst of it.”

“Bloody hell, spit it out already,” Jen groaned. “Someone needs to die and I need to know who to kill.”

“You aren’t killing anyone,” Decebel rumbled.

“Watch it, butthead or I’ll put you at the top of my hit list,” she growled back. “Who, Peri? Who did this to her?”

“Your mate is correct, Jen. You wouldn’t stand a chance against this one, I’m afraid. He’s one of mine.”

“What?” Fane, Decebel, and Vasile growled at the same time.

Peri nodded letting out a sardonic laugh. “Yes, a high fae took your gypsy healer, cloaked her mind, and is a traitor to his own supernatural race.”

“Alston,” Cyn whispered and all eyes snapped to her.

“Ding, ding, ding,” Peri chimed sardonically.

“Why?” Cyn asked her.

Peri smiled but there was no happiness behind it. “You ready for this?” Her eyes narrowed and the power around her pulsed. “He works with the Order of the Burning Claw.”

Chapter 17

“The Great Luna created the werewolves because man had turned on himself. Families were divided, countries were crumbling beneath the weight of war, and humanity did not seem all that humane. Yet, the last few enemies I have faced have not been human. The current enemy I face is not human. What does that say about us?” ~Vasile

Vasile, for the first time in a very long time, felt as if the rug had been pulled out from under him and then shoved over his face to suffocate him. Alston. Of all those he knew in the supernatural world, he would not have picked Alston as a traitor. Pompus ass? Yes. Traitor? No. Perhaps, Vasile’s instincts were growing rusty after two centuries of life.

“Okay, forgive me for not knowing everything,” Jen said as she pushed on Decebel’s arm. “But what the crap is the Order of the Burning Claw? And why do I feel like I need some sort of dramatic music playing every time we say Order of the Burning Claw?”

“Dun, dun, duuuuuuuuuun,” Jacque sang.

Peri cleared her throat. “Thank you for that, wolf-princess.”

“I do what I can, Peri. I do what I can.”

“The Order,” Vasile spoke up, deciding that it was better to go ahead and cut the females off before they even got started, “is an ancient organization—”

“What isn’t ancient with you supernaturals?” Jen muttered.

Vasile glanced at her with a raised brow as he paused.

“Sorry, continue,” she said with a bow of her head and a wave of her hand.

“How gracious of you, Jen. As I was saying, the Order is an ancient organization of supernaturals that believe that the human race is inferior to them. They do not think that we supernaturals should have to live in hiding.”