“She felt like Jacque had a right to say goodbye to her mother,” Vasile explained.

Of course she had a right to say goodbye to her child, Cypher thought. He hadn’t even thought to ask her if she wanted to see Jacque before she left. “So you all know why I sent her away?” Cypher stood from the chair and walked slowly toward one of the windows on the far side of the library.

“We know that you made a difficult choice, and you will make more before this whole thing is over.”

Cypher turned slowly and saw that all of the males were now standing. Their faces were grim, but the looks in their eyes told him that they understood the choice he had made.

“So why did you send your mates with Lilly?”

Growls rumbled through the air and Vasile let out a toothy grin. “We did not send them king; they sent themselves.”

Cypher chuckled. “Of course they did.” His face sobered then. “She is well?”

“She was ticked off when we saw her last,” Costin told him with a smile. “But she wasn’t in the clutches of a psycho dark warlock, so I guess you have to pick your poison.”

“Well he’s picked his poison alright.” Peri hitched herself up on one of the tables in the library and smiled at the group of stunned males. She wiggled her finger at them. “Toodles.”

“Peri,” Vasile said dryly.

“Alston!” Peri’s smile widened. “I’m so glad that you made it. I see that Vasile had no objection to you being here?”

Alston shook his head. “No, he was quiet pleasant about the whole matter.”

“I knew he would be. I told you that he would even mention that he should have thought to call on you himself.”

“He did.”

“I’m standing right here,” Vasile growled at the two fae.

Peri waved him off. “Don’t mind him, he’s just cranky because he isn’t getting any.”

Vasile growled a warning at the fae, which she promptly ignored.

Alston looked at her questioningly. “Getting any what?”

Costin started laughing so hard he was choking and Fane was beating him on the back, trying not to laugh himself.

“You’ve caused enough mischief Perizada of the Fae,” Cypher spoke up, “surely you have more of a purpose here than to torment these wolves.”

Peri’s brow rose as she looked at the warlock king. “Surely you do not know me very well if you think there is anything more important to me than tormenting these very wolves before us.” She waited for his response as she unfolded herself from the table and stepped down to the floor. He watched her but did not speak. Peri gave him a slight tilt of her head and then turned to face the two Alphas. “Have you come up with a plan?” she asked her playful tone replaced by the snappy, business like voice.

“We hadn’t made it that far yet,” Decebel told her.

“What the crap have you been doing? Giving each other facials and reading self-help books to help your bruised egos?”

“We were getting everyone caught up to speed,” Decebel snapped back. “It would be stupid to rush off with some half-assed plan without making sure we have everything straight.”

“So now that you have everything straight, you can rush off with your half-assed plan?” her voice was syrupy sweet as she smiled at the Alpha.

Decebel growled low as he bit back a snarl.

“Relax, Independence Day, don’t get your panties in a wad.” Peri winked at Decebel as she watched his eyes widen. She saw the recognition of the reference in his glowing amber orbs and knew she would pay for that comment later―if he could catch her.

Vasile stepped forward to stand between the two. “I’ve decided to go to Reyaz myself and see if there are any terms that can be negotiated for peace.”

A collective “WHAT!” rang out across the library as all eyes turned on Vasile.

“Vasile, you know that there are no terms he will meet,” Cypher implored.

Vasile nodded. “Yes, and there are no terms that I will accept or meet either. I simply want him to think that I’m…an idiot.”

Peri cleared her throat. “That shouldn’t be too hard. You all just sent your mates across a flipping ocean without any male protection. I think the idiot part is pretty much a given.”

“Peri,” Costin said softly, “let’s not poke the already angry Alpha wolf, no matter how fun it seems at the time. It’s all fun and games until a little fairy gets eaten.”

Peri threw her hands in the air. “Fine, have it your way! You,” she pointed at Vasile, “go to the crazy warlock and prove again what an idiot you are, and you,” she pointed at Cypher, “get in line behind Vasile because you’re just as big an idiot as he is, and the rest of you,” she motioned to all the other males, “put your tutus on and blindly dance behind them like the little idiots you are. Well,” she paused and then looked at Decebel, “except for you. You might as well put on a tutu, a tiara, and carry a scepter because you’re the queen of the idiot procession!” And then she was gone.

“Is she always so respectful towards you all?” Alston asked.

“Yes, dad, we’re back in the states,” Jacque told her father. Though it was nearly midnight and they had only been back in the states for eleven hours, she had decided she had better go ahead and call him and give him a heads up. She thought that Vasile might have already talked to him since they had been gone nearly twenty-two hours, but based on his reaction he hadn’t heard anything from anyone.