“We too had hoped that perhaps,” Peri continued despite the level of animosity now filling the room from all of the males present, “it was an isolated problem, that maybe only that particular coven had begun committing such atrocities. Tonight proved us wrong. Vasile, Alina, and I discovered a home that they had raided, but it wasn’t the only place that they had struck.”

“How many more?” Alina asked, her own wolf peering out at them from her eyes.

Peri’s jaw clenched before she finally answered. “Six.”

“Six more children?” Vasile asked.

The high fae shook her head and made a noise halfway between a snort and a huff. “They struck in six more cities.”

“How. Many. Children?” Alina asked again. Decebel wasn’t surprised to see Vasile holding onto his mate’s wrist because Alina looked ready to tackle Peri to the ground.

“Eighteen. Three in each city. All triplets. All under the age of eight.”

“How do you know this?” Fane spoke up, his voice hoarse with emotion.

“Spies. I’ve been working with the pixies. I had the pixie king put three of his warriors in each of the cities where I believed there to be covens.”

“How did you know where to look?” Fane pressed.

“It wasn’t hard once I started checking police reports for missing children.”

Vasile pinched the bridge of his nose. “Eighteen in one night.”

“What are we going to do?” Fane asked his father.

It was Alina who answered. Her voice was cold as ice when she met each of their gazes. “We’re going to kill them.”

“All of them?” Costin asked.

“Every. Last. One,” Decebel growled.

“I knew there was a reason I continued to put up with you wolves,” Peri told them with a smile that didn’t meet her eyes. “I can always count on you to be ready to make chew toys out of our enemies.” She turned to Vasile. “Cyn will be coming to assist you. I’ll be here when I can. Tonight my people are working on cleaning up the mess the vamps have made. Alston, a couple of the other high fae, and Cyn are working on the other victims’ homes. I’m not even going to get into why Adam and Elle can’t help. Let’s just say my plate is officially off limits for any added courses.”

“Thank you, Peri.” Alina took the fae’s hand. “We know you make a lot of sacrifices for our race and we are thankful.”

“Don’t be thankful, just kick some vampire ass and we’ll call it even.” She flashed away leaving them in Vasile’s office feeling as though the weight of the world had been dropped on their chests.

“What now?” Cypher asked.

“Now we get some sleep,” Vasile told them. “We will meet back here tomorrow evening. I’m giving you all day tomorrow to get your things in order. Put capable wolves in charge of your packs.” He glanced at Decebel and then at Cypher.

“What about our mates?” Costin spoke up. “What are we supposed to tell them now that we’ve been blocking them from our minds for an hour?”

“For now, tell them I ordered you to block them because of some sensitive information that is only for the warriors. I know that our females think of themselves as warriors and, in their own right, they are.” Vasile reached over and took Alina’s hands. “But they are still to be protected, even if they don’t like it.”

“If your females get upset, have them call me,” Alina offered.

“You’re joking right?” Fane chuckled at his mom. “Upset is what happens when Jacque’s hair doesn’t do what she wants it to. Me blocking her from my thoughts, yeah Mom, that’s way past upset.”

“Can’t we just tell them” —Costin tapped his mind indicating the use of the mate bond— “that you sent us on a mission. That way we don’t have to see them tonight?”

“Chicken,” Decebel rumbled.

All of the males’ heads turned to face him. “What?” he asked.

“You, of all of us, should be terrified. Jen’s going to rip you a new one,” Costin laughed.

“Yes, but I know several ways to soften my mate’s temper.” Decebel smiled a wolfish smile at them revealing long canines.

“Do whatever you have to in order to survive the night and day, gentlemen,” Vasile told them. “But do not reveal what Peri has shared with us this night. I have a feeling life is about to get very messy. Let’s give your mates one more night of normal.”

Chapter 2

“Sally and I have decided that putting up with Jen is a small price to pay for the entertainment value she and her mate provide. Need a laugh, just sit in on one of their fights. Need to get all hot and bothered, just sit in on one of their fights. Need a good cry, just sit in on one of their fights, and then you might have to cry over the good brain scrubbing you will need. Yep, those two are a regular lineup of prime time T.V.” ~Jacque

“She’s blind? And another one is a stripper?” Jen’s voice carried from the bathroom. She, Jacque, and Sally had gathered in Sally and Costin’s suite. “The Great Luna must be having to scrape the bottom of the barrel for healers if she’s resorting to blind chicks and strippers.”

“Jen, technically you could be classified as a stripper,” Jacque hollered back from the room where she and Sally sat. “You just never require money to take it off.”

“Actually, Jen’s more of a stripper than Stella. Stella doesn’t take off her clothes. She just dances,” Sally pointed out. She leaned back on the couch and let out a contented sigh. It was good to be home.

Jacque gave her gypsy healer friend a nod. “Good point. Jen’s clothes never stay on when she dances.” Both she and Sally’s heads turned as Jen came sauntering out of the bathroom.

“Hey, Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum, nobody asked for your sideline commentary. I was simply pointing out that these news chicas, you’ve been telling us about, seem to have a lot of baggage. No judgment,” she said holding up her hands defensively, “considering I’m barely nineteen, married, and have a kid.”

“They do have a lot of baggage,” Sally agreed. “But, they’re really great. You guys are going to like them.”