Alina sat down in a huff with a string of Romanian flying from her lips. Each of them looked at each other helplessly, hoping that an idea or solution would simply pop into one of their minds. An hour later they still sat staring aimlessly off into the room. The tension was growing by the minute and by the time there was a knock at the door, they all nearly came out of their seats as the sound reverberated through the stillness.

Lilly started towards the door but Alina intercepted her and gave a small shake of her head, making it clear that she wanted to open the door. Alina stepped up to the door and tilted her head up to take in a deep breath of air. She frowned and sniffed again. There was nothing. No smell of any kind. She listened and heard a heartbeat but other than that, there was only the noise of the breeze through the trees. Just as she reached for the door it flew open and Alina stumbled back. A pair of arms held her steady as she righted herself. Elle let her go and then stepped up beside the Alpha and her eyes widened.

“What are you doing here?” Elle asked.

“Is that the kind of reception you give to your own kind?” Lorelle asked as she stepped into the house. She sidestepped Alina and Elle and her eyes widened at the room full of females. A wicked smile spread across her lips and her eyes flashed with humor. “This is simply too good to be true.” Lorelle turned and looked at Alina. “Why on earth would you bring all of these females to one location without the protection of any males?”

“Uh, excuse me but we don’t need protection.” Jen stood up and walked towards the fae. Her eyes were narrowed in suspicion. “Who the hell are you and why did you just walk your fairy butt up in my friend’s house?”

“Please tell me you’re just fat, because I can’t imagine why the wolves would let you procreate.” Lorelle was looking at Jen like she was slime on her shoe that she was trying to figure out how to wipe off.

Jen let out a low threatening laugh as she stood up from her spot on the couch. “Oh honey, I’m more than a step up from your gene pool. Considering your sister issues, and probably mommy and daddy issues, any child of yours would be the poster child for the fae’s new psychiatric facility. So throw me a freaking bone and keep your procreation remarks to yourself. Unless of course you would like a facelift, which I would be more than happy to assist you with.” Jen gave her a toothy grin as she took a step towards her.

Lorelle raised her hand as if to strike at Jen but Elle and Alina stepped in front of her, blocking her view to the pregnant she-wolf.

“It might be wise not to poke the pregnant werewolf,” Cynthia snapped at the fae.

“Lorelle what are you doing here?” Elle asked again wanting the answer as much as she was trying to get the fae’s attention off of the wolves. She knew what Lorelle was capable of and if she was here and Peri was not, things could get dangerous very quickly.

“I’m here at the request of my employer, for lack of a better term, to get the merchandise he requires.”

“Give me a freaking break,” Jacque growled. “Are you telling me we’re being kidnapped? Because seriously I’ve been kidnapped one too many times in my life and I’m really tired of it. Can’t we do something else? How about a competition of some sort? That would at least be more interesting.”

“Good call, Jac,” Jen spoke up, “kidnapping is so old school.”

“I have to agree,” Sally said. “If your boss wants to be original as a villain in today’s market, he really needs to be more inventive than the run-of-the-mill kidnapping.”

Lorelle’s eyes widened. “Are they for real?” she asked Elle.

“They’re just getting started,” Elle smirked. “Just wait, it gets worse.”

“Are you working for Reyaz?” Alina gently pushed Elle out of the way and met the fae’s eyes. The set of her jaw made it clear she expected an answer.

“We have an arrangement. And as it pains me to hear that you think my methods lack originality, there is something to be said for the rate of success. So I’m afraid that I have to say, yes, this is me kidnapping you.”

“How exactly are you planning to take all of us?” Cynthia asked.

“Good question doc.” Jen nodded and gave her a thumbs-up. “But a better question would be: in what world could you possibly take on this many wolves and a fae?”

Lorelle smiled and it was a smile that said she knew something they did not, and it was an important something.

“I spoke too soon didn’t I?” Jen asked. “I hate it when I do that.”

“Totally takes the bad assness out of it,” Jacque told her.

“I’m pregnant, Jacque. I’m pretty much out of bad assness at this point.”

Lorelle reached into a pocket in the cloak she wore and pulled out a dark stone. She held it in the palm of her hand and it began to glow red.

“Why do I feel like that rock is more than just her pet rock, Earl?” Jacque muttered as all their eyes locked onto the stone in the fae’s hand.

Elle’s eyes widened at the sight of it. She turned and held her hands out to the room and shouted something but Lorelle was faster. She pushed Elle back causing her to stumble and whatever protection she was attempting to cast over the females crumbled. Alina lunged for Lorelle but slammed into an invisible barrier, one much like the kind she had seen Peri conjure.

The room around them began to shimmer and shift and then suddenly it was gone and there was only darkness.

Jen attempted to reach out to Decebel as the darkness swallowed her and the others.

“DECEBEL!” she screamed at him tugging on the bond that was so fragile and barely there. She needed him, needed his strength and assurance that he would find her. She waited, hoping against hope that he would feel her even though he had shut down their bond. Maybe if she pushed enough, he would feel her. Maybe if she sought him out with everything inside of her, then even he wouldn’t be able to keep her out.

“Please B, hear me!”

“Jennifer?” The sound of his voice in her mind, after so long without it, made her gasp and caused the ache in her chest to intensify. “What’s wrong Jennifer? What’s going on?”

He was angry and his anger spurred hers, pushing away the hurt and sorrow over their breaking bond.

“You would know what was wrong if you hadn’t severed our bond. You would have known that Lorelle showed up at Lilly’s house and calmly informed us that she was kidnapping us. You would have known that we have been worried sick about all of you because we haven’t heard a damn thing from you. That’s what’s going on Decebel. Welcome to the party.”