Costin’s eyes narrowed.  Though not glowing as bright as they had been, they still had not returned to their normal hazel.

“Are you telling me we are sharing a room?” he asked hopefully.

Sally grinned and nodded. “I figured that we will need each other’s presence after being in the bar with me trying to avoid males and you trying not to kill them.”

Costin wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close. He pressed his face into her hair and neck and took a deep breath. Sally was frozen. They had not shown this much affection in public and she wasn’t exactly sure how to respond.

“Thank you,” he whispered against her skin. “You honor me as your mate by thinking about what I would need from you, and by being honest with me about what you will need.”

Sally pulled back and, making an impulsive decision, stood up on her toes and pressed a kiss to his full lips.

Costin was still for all of one beat of his heart and then he was pulling her tighter against him. Lifting one hand to the nape of her neck, he guided her head to the side so he could deepen the kiss. It wasn’t until Jen’s voice pierced the haze of her mind that Sally pulled back.

“Well, if I had known that all it would take to get these two prudes together was to walk them into a hotel lobby I would have done it weeks ago,” she said. The others chuckled while Sally turned a bright shade of red.

Costin had a smug smile plastered on his face, obviously pleased that his kiss had made Sally forget her surroundings.

Sally noticed his smugness and elbowed him in the stomach. Costin leaned down and nipped her ear just enough to retaliate and then kissed her in the same spot.

“Would you please try to behave?”  Sally asked, using their bond.

“Behaving would mean that I can’t touch you, kiss you, bite you, or lick you.  That is unacceptable”

Sally choked as she swallowed, his words registering in her mind.

“Did you just say lick?” Costin could hear how breathless she was.

“Indeed I did.”

“Oh, boy,” she muttered under her breath, a laughing Costin following as they headed for their room.

It was decided that Cynthia, Peri, and Elle – when she arrived – would share a room. Decebel would be with Jen ,and Sorin and Drake would share a room. Decebel had made sure to have the girls’ room and Costin and Sally’s room in between his own and the other males. He also had requested that the rooms be on the ground level next to an exit.

As they reached the rooms Decebel stopped and turned and addressed the group. “After everyone gets settled and rested we will head on over to the bar to meet the owner. Take an hour to relax and then we'll be on our way.”

~

Jacque stretched her legs as she stood next to the van. Four hours cramped in the vehicle had made her stiff. Her thoughts kept wandering back to Sally and Jen. She had tried texting them but hadn’t received a response from either one. Fane, of course, kept telling her not to worry, but that was easier said than done.

“How are you doing?” Alina asked as she came up beside Jacque.

Jacque let out a slow breath before she answered her mother-in-law.

“It’s just weird not being with them. We’ve always gotten in all our trouble together.”

Alina chuckled. “You are implying that at least one of you will be getting into trouble.”

Jacque grinned. “I will ask you the same thing I asked your son – you do realize we are including Jen in this scenario right?”

“Okay, I can concede to that. That one could find trouble in the simplest of situations.”

“No doubt,” Jacque agreed. “And just imagine, she is going to be in a freaking bar.”

“Decebel is definitely going to have his hands full.” Alina wrapped an arm around Jacque’s shoulders and pulled her back toward the van.

“Only six hours left to go.”

“Oh, is that all?” Jacque asked, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

Alina, now used to it, just chuckled as they climbed back into the van.

Fane grinned at Jacque as she once again sat down next to him.

“Everything okay?” he asked gently.

“Just ready to get this show on the road.”

She turned her head to look out the window and Fane wrapped an arm around her and pulled her close. Jacque watched the trees begin to pass by as Vasile pulled out onto the road. Soon her mind wandered to the unknown that lay before them.

Freaking pixies, she thought. Go figure.

Chapter 11

“Humans make plans – plans where to live, plans where to die, plans for whom to marry, and when to have children. They think they are in control. What they don’t know is that there are others out there with powers enabling them to arrange and rearrange those plans, others who have plans so much more important than life of a measly human. Others like me.” ~Desdemona

Water, earth, wind and fire,

Head my words, grant my desire.

Give me a voice that is not my own,

Make her see what is shown.

Take this sacrifice of life,

Cut from me with the sacred knife.

This blood of mine that flows free,

Will make her believe what I see.

Water, earth, wind and fire,

Head my words, grant my desire.

Bring her to me when I call,

Love desired will make her fall.

Mona opened her eyes after the spell was cast. She wrapped a towel around her bleeding arm and felt the magic pouring over her. After several deep breaths she stood and walked over to the table in the small kitchen. She had broken into a human’s home and cast a spell on the owners. By now they were probably halfway across the country, believing that they were on the vacation of a lifetime. She picked up her cell phone and, thanks to the wonderful invention of the internet, dialed the number she had recently found. After four rings someone answered and that someone was just who Mona wanted to talk to.

“Hello?”

“Hi, it’s Alina,” Mona responded. The spell she had cast on herself allowed her to have the voice of another. Mona listened as her prey asked about the girls and how they were doing.

“They are doing very well, adjusting to life here nicely. Vasile and I wanted to invite you to come and stay with us, but we want it to be a surprise for Jacque.”

Mona made sure to assuage all of Lilly’s fears and suspicions.

“Yes, they have been invited as well. But they aren't sure yet if they can make it. So it might just be you.”