“Only if you do.”

“That’s going to be a problem.”

Sally pulled back from the kiss and winked “That’s what I’m counting on.”

Perizada

“I’ve decided to move. To hang up my fairy magic and move to an obscure little town, buy a creepy looking house, and fill it with cats. Every day I’ll walk to the mail box, talking to myself and yelling profanities at annoying neighbors. Yep, I’m going to be that lady. Why, you ask? Well, because right now, that is looking a whole freaking lot better than my current situation. Yeah, it’s that bad.”

“So kind of you to grace us with your presence,” Jen said as Peri appeared in the library where Jacque, Sally, and she were drinking hot chocolate and staring at Thia like she was the best thing since sliced bread, which she was, so it was totally appropriate.

“I’ve been busy,” Peri snapped as she walked over to where they sat on the floor, circling the little baby that was lying on a blanket. “Now quit your whining and let me see the crumb catcher.”

Jen reached down and picked Thia up and handed her to Peri. Peri held her with one hand under her neck and one under her bottom, holding her up in front of her face so she could get a good look at her.

“I have to admit, she’s beautiful,” Peri smiled at her. She tucked her into a football hold and then leaned down and kissed her forehead. Then she whispered something the others couldn’t hear. A soft glow emitted off of Peri and enveloped her and Thia for several seconds and then was gone.

The girls stared at the fae with opened mouths.

“Okay, what was that?” Jen motioned to the area around Peri where the glowing had been.

Peri waved her hand at her as if batting the question away. “Mind your own business. That was between me and Thia.”

“Fine, whatevs,” Jen said with a shrug, “let’s talk about what’s really important. Why are you hiding?”

Peri’s eyes narrowed at the Alpha. “I’m not hiding.”

Jen smiled knowingly. “Oh Peri fairy, I’m totally in the know, so you might as well just spill it.”

Jacque frowned. “What are you in the know about? You didn’t tell us you were in the know. Sally, did you know she was in the know?” she rambled quickly as she looked from Jen to Sally then Peri and then back to Jen.

Sally shook her head. “I never know jack around here so welcome to my world.”

“I haven’t really had time to tell you guys because I’ve been investigating. I wanted my facts straight first,” she told them, sounding a tad defensive.

“What investigating?” Peri asked as she narrowed her eyes.

“There’s been a certain wolf hanging around the Romanian, and sometimes Serbian, mansions. And I might have followed him one day to Vasile’s office. And I might have heard him say that he knewwho his mate was when Vasile hinted that he would have a good chance of finding a mate now that the fae were compatible. And I might have noticed that said wolf has some new art work running up his neck.”

“No!?”

“Seriously!?”

Jacque and Sally spoke together as they gasped at the same time. They both looked at Peri with wide eyes.

Peri wouldn’t look at either of them, but she just stared down at Thia, smiling when she grasped her finger in her tiny hand.

“Lucian?” Jacque finally spoke after several minutes of shocked silence. “You’re mated to Lucian?”

“No!” Peri growled. “There has been no mating.”

Jen grinned. “There’s a bond though isn’t there? You guys can totally talk to one another. SHUT UP!” Jen exclaimed as she clapped her hands. “Wait, do you have markings? I mean his changed so you must have them now.”

Again, Peri refused to look at them.

“Peri, you can’t run from this forever,” Sally said gently.

“I’m not running,” Peri disagreed. “Okay, so I am hiding; I know better than to run from a predator. But hiding is a fae specialty.”

“So you aren’t interested in him at all?” Jacque asked. “You don’t find him the least bit attractive?”

“I didn’t say that, but you all know that there is no way I can be mated to a wolf. It would be like setting gun powder next to an open flame.”

Jen made an exploding motion with her hands as she said, “Fireworks, baby.” She smiled at her, “You’re telling me you’re scared of a little fireworks?”

“I haven’t told you anything you, brat. You keep putting words in my mouth.”

“Well, I feel it’s my duty as your friend and designated know-it-all to tell you that there are a few females in my pack who are totally not scared of fireworks.” She shrugged. “I’m just sayin. You got this hot wolf walking around clueless about anything and everything in this new world, and these chicks are more than happy to share their knowledge, if you know what I mean.”

Peri’s lips tightened as she listened to Jen tell her things she didn’t want to hear and didn’t want to be upset about, but she was anyway. She stood stiffly and handed Jacque the sleeping child gently and then stepped back from the girls. Her emotions were all over the place and she didn’t want to inadvertently hurt anyone. She looked at Jen and steeled herself for the words that she knew she didn’t mean but had to say because they were true.

“He deserves a wolf mate, someone not jaded by the world or bitter from seeing too much death. He’s been through much and will need someone with patience and a gentle touch and we all know I have neither of those things. He should choose someone else.”