The Burning Claw
Page 69

“You bit me,” he rumbled at her.
“Did you figure that out all by yourself?” Jen asked as she gave Jacque an air high five. “Way to take charge, Red.”
“Well you bit me first,” Jacque snapped back.
“You’re my mate,” he growled back.
Jacque nearly smacked herself on the forehead. “Of course, I’m your mate, genius, I married you. I had your son. It’s sort of a done deal.”
“It’s my right,” he began but his father cut him off.
“Enough, Fane.” Vasile walked over to them and motioned for Jacque to step aside with him.
Fane was right on her heels.
“Okay,” Jacque said as she glared up at her father-in-law. “What is wrong with him?” She stabbed a finger in the air toward Fane and it nearly poked him in the eye because he was standing so close. “Look at him, Vasile. He hasn’t been this possessive since before the Blood Rites.”
“Decebel and Fane have never had someone so close to them go feral. Not only were they close but their wolves were close to Costin’s wolf as well. Costin has lost his light. You wonderful, beautiful girls forget just how precious you are to us. Costin is a reminder to them of where they would be without you. So they are both running on very, very high emotions from both wolf and man. Grant him a little grace.”
Jacque’s mouth had dropped open as she listened to Vasile explain why her mate had reverted back to caveman tactics in regards to her. She nodded at him to let him know that she heard him and then turned to face Fane.
He looked down at her with bright blue eyes that were no longer glowing. His jaw was tightly clenched and his arms were rigid at his sides. He was trying not to touch her. Goddess love him, he was trying to curb his own instincts, for her.
“Fane,” she reached out to him through the bond. His eyes snapped down to her. “I have a feeling this is going to be a long meeting and I’m tired of standing. You wouldn’t happen to have an available lap, would you?”
His lips twitched as though he fought a smile and his jaw relaxed just a bit. “My lap is always at your disposal, Luna,” he said softly as he swept her up into his arms. He carried her over to one of the empty chairs and sat down, positioning her on his lap so that she could lean against his broad shoulder. It also put his mouth very close to her neck. She came to realize later, after she’d felt his tongue dart out and taste her a few times, that his positioning of her had been for his own benefit. Sneaky wolf.
Decebel listened as Vasile explained to Jacque why Fane was being so possessive. He hoped his own mate was listening because he wasn’t in control enough to explain it again. His wolf was almost fully in control of him and no matter how he struggled, he couldn’t push the beast back. Seeing the carnage, knowing that it was solely because Costin had lost his mate, had triggered something inside of him and his wolf. And from the moment they had stepped foot back into the pack mansion, he hadn’t been able to let Jennifer further than a couple of feet from him.
His mate laughed when Fane swept Jacque up into his arms and carried her to a chair where he sat and then placed her on his lap.
Jennifer started to pull forward, attempting to leave his embrace. He pulled back.
“Dec,” she huffed as she smacked his arm. “I just want to sit.” Being the quick learner that he was, Decebel swept Jennifer up and over his shoulder and carried her to an unoccupied chair. He sat down and then pulled her back down onto his lap.
Her hair was all over the place and she was growling as she attempted to tame it. Once it was all out of her face, she glowered at him. “Fane didn’t throw her over his shoulder like a freaking cave man.”
Decebel’s wolf bristled at being compared to another male. “I am not Fane,” he said in a deep voice that caught her attention. Her eyes were wide when she looked at him—really looked at him. Her lips formed an O when she finally saw that it was his wolf she was dealing with. If Decebel was possessive, his wolf was that and more.
“You’re right,” she said as she reached up and patted his cheek. “You aren’t. You’re mine.”
“Good girl,” Decebel whispered into her mind.
“He’s not going to go crazy and bite anyone who gets near me, is he?” she asked him, speaking to Decebel about his wolf.
“Just to be safe, steer clear of getting too close to any males.”
She let out a sigh as she leaned back against him. Decebel felt her nose against his neck and then her lips as she placed a tender kiss there. His wolf was ready to go. Meeting be damned, he wanted some alone time with their mate.
Jennifer placed a hand on his knee and squeezed, getting his attention. But she addressed Peri, not her mate.
“Peri, I think you were about to fill us in on all the gritty details of what you discovered in the past twenty-four hours. Oh and why haven’t you introduced your sidekick?”
Peri pursed her lips at her. “Was that before or after your males started peeing on things, including their mates? Stralina, meet the idiots. Idiots meet Stralina.”
“Hello,” Stralina said with a warm smile.
Peri shifted, purposefully drawing attention away from the pixie and back to herself. The air was disturbed by her movement and Decebel’s wolf got a good whiff of their scent.
“You smell,” his wolf snorted, trying to get the scent from their nose.
“Two words that should never begin a conversation when addressing a female, Decebel. I know Jen has raised you better than that,” she purred at him.
Decebel wasn’t sure, but his wolf had detected scents on Peri that contradicted the cool façade she was wearing.
Decebel looked up at her with glowing amber eyes pinning her in place. She may be a powerful high fae, but Alpha wolves such as he and Vasile still should be given their due respect.
“You smell worried, fearful, and unsure,” he began again. “These are not scents that I would ever associate with Perizada of the high fae.”
“First time for everything, wolf.” She was well aware of who she was dealing with and Decebel was glad for it. His wolf was unpredictable right now and he didn’t need Peri poking him and unknowingly provoking his beast.
“You obviously have news,” Vasile interrupted the exchange. “Let us not interrupt you any further. Please, what have you found out?”