She told me 'you cannot die at this time healer'. I asked her who she was. 'I am Perizada of the Fae. If you die, the balance of life in the supernatural world will be thrown off. That cannot happen. There must be a healer at all times. You are the only one who knows what and who she is. The next to come is not for centuries. Though others with your blood may be born, they have not been called. You and your wolf must live'. I told her that as long as my presence was known, the Serbian Alpha would seek me out. So she agreed to spread a rumor that we had died. But in realty she hid us away from the other wolves. There is a spell on our home given by the Fae. If you don't seek me out with a pure heart and pure motives, then you cannot see this home. Any person seeking to do us harm will just walk right past it. She also gave me simple Fae magic to cloak myself and Gavril's presence when we are out. So we have lived here, in silence, in hiding. Waiting. Perizada said that when the next healer came, the last witch could be destroyed. It's very possible that the very same witch three centuries ago that helped the Serbian Alpha, is still helping him today."

Jen couldn't believe what she was hearing. Thad had a witch working for him. An honest to goodness witch. A thought donned on her then, "Why does he want a healer so badly?"

"Healers can do several things. They know herbs that can heal. They can look inside a wolf and see what plagues them. They have connections with the Fae, and believe me you do not want to be an enemy of the Fae. But the most important and most guarded reason that an Alpha wants a healer is that she can protect a pregnant Canis lupis."

"What do you mean protect?" Jen asked.

"Gypsy healers don't just use herbs. There is magic in what we are, in who we are. Fate made it nearly impossible for Canis lupis to procreate, but it did give them one advantage—the healer. That's why there has to be a gypsy healer in existence at all times. Without one, the chances of a female caring a pregnancy to term is much, much, lower. Not saying that it doesn't happen, but a healer guarantees a successful pregnancy."

"Hoooooollllly crap," Jen ground out, "I didn't even pay attention, but there are no children in the Romanian pack. I mean, none, as in zilch, nada, zero, not one iota," Jen stopped when she realized Rachel was looking at her like she had grown a second nose, "Sorry, my vocabulary tends to get out of hand when I'm stressed."

Rachel nodded with raised eyebrows but smiled at Jen.

"So now you know. That's why we are in hiding."

"How did you find me?"  Jen's brow furrowed.

"Gavril was out gathering herbs for me. He heard you, and then he smelled your pain. So he came and got me. We had been watching the area because of the disturbance in the air.

"What kind of disturbance?"

"When you get a group of werewolves together that large, especially with multiple packs involved, the air becomes electric. It's been pulsating for the past few days.I knew something was up. There hasn't been a gathering of that size in quite some time."

"So what now?" Jen let out a breath and laid an arm across her face, covering her eyes.

"I need to ask you, have you been communicating with your mate?"

"I did briefly when Gavril was carrying me. But now," Jen shook her head, her voice full of frustration, "now he's blocking me."

"Maybe something has happened and he's trying to protect you," Rachel offered.

"No, it feels like something is ‘off’ inside of him."

"Jen, I have to tell you that while you were in that hole, that witch that I was telling you about attacked the mansion. She set it on fire."

Jen nearly fell off the table trying to sit up, "WHAT!" Rachel went to help her just as Gavril opened the door.

"Something isn't right out there Luna," Gavril's face was tight with worry, "Something foul and evil laces the wind."

"She searching," Rachel's voice was grim as she looked towards the front door. Her eyes bore into it, as if, if she stared hard enough, she could see straight through it. "We have to be careful. But we need answers Gavril. We need to see her."

Gavril shook his head, "It's too great a risk."

"See who? What risk?" Jen was trying to keep up, but the pain from sitting up so abruptly was beginning to make her dizzy.

"Perizada, she will know what is going on. If what you say is true and your friend really is a gypsy healer, then she is the one Perizada spoke of. She is the one who must help me defeat the witch."

"I can honestly say that of all the things that I could ever see Sally doing, going toe to toe with the wicked witch of the west was not on the top ten list." Jen laid back down closing her eyes once more as Rachel and Gavril looked at her with what Jen was sure had to be 'what have we just drug into hour house' faces. Yeah, well my mom asked herself that every day, healer, so it's not a new look to me. Jen was laughing at her inner monologue until she felt a light caress across her face bringing in a sharp breath. The she heard his voice as he said her name.

"Jen?"

Chapter 7

Mona's eyes were closed as she stood at the edge of the forest. Night turned into day, and snow had began to fall. The cold mountain air whipped her midnight hair around her face; her body was relaxed, but her focus was relentless. While she had been casting the spells on the Romanian wolves she had felt it. A current of power. Not dark power, not witch power. It had been centuries since she felt the smooth, cool tendrils of Fae magic, but she had felt it early this morning while the moon still shown and the fire roared through the silent sky. She had felt Fae power, and beneath that was something even more subtle. Gypsy. And this wasn't a young, new gypsy like the one in the Romanian pack. This was old blood, powerful magic.