Drake laid her down and stepped back. He looked down at her longingly. She was breathtaking and she was his.

“Drake,” she said. His name was breathless on her lips and it drove his wolf crazy.

He covered her body with his own and was careful not to put too much of his weight on her. Her hands came up to cup his face and the love staring back at him through her eyes took his breath away.

“I love you, Bethany,” he whispered as he leaned down and pressed his lips to hers. From that moment on, everything was a blur of passion, hands, mouths, whispered words, and breathy gasps as he showed her with every touch how precious she was to him.

“Everything okay with your friend?” Sally asked as Jen walked back over to her and Peri. Jacque trailed behind her, giving her the stink eye, which Jen ignored. They’d met at Sally’s apartment that morning, after an entire night outside—thanks to Peri.

“She’s in a new relationship and unsure of herself. He’s older, more knowledgeable, and it intimidates her,” Jen explained.

“And Jen here thinks she is the relationship expert in our posse,” Jacque said.

“Don’t be bitter,” Peri said patting Jacque.

Jacque shot her a dirty look. “You are not off the hook. You left.” She paused and glanced at Sally, then corrected herself. “You locked us out last night and said it was a prank!”

“Lucian called and I didn’t want to be disturbed,” Peri said a little too eagerly for Jen’s liking.

Jen smirked. “If you two would just sext like the rest of us instead of talking out loud, we could have slept in our own damn beds,” she snarled.

Sally was covering her mouth trying not to laugh.

Jacque smiled at her. “Sorry, we don’t really have filters.”

Sally shook her head as she chuckled. “By all means, be filter-less. This is the most fun I’ve had in—” She paused to think about it. And then she grabbed her head. “Ow!”

“Sally?” Peri asked as she placed a hand on her shoulder.

“Sorry,” she said breathlessly. “I’ve been getting these headaches and they seem to be getting worse.”

“Does something trigger them?” Jacque asked.

“Actually, yes. It’s weird. They happen every time I try to remember anything before my parent’s death. Not only does my head hurt, I can’t remember anything. It’s like there’s nothing there. It’s a big void.”

“Maybe it’s just because it’s a painful memory,” Jacque offered.

Jen shot Peri a look and she shrugged. Fat lot of help she was.

“Anyways…” Sally blew it off. “Any other stores y’all want to go in?”

Later that night, they said goodnight to Sally and Peri flashed them back to the Romania pack mansion. This time Peri didn’t leave them behind. As soon as Jen’s feet were on the ground, she opened the bond. It wasn’t night yet in Romania, but the time change was killing them and they needed to catch some sleep while they could.

“How is it going, B?” she asked him.

“Where. Have. You. Been.” Whoa, he sounded pissed. And that just turned her on.

“I’ve been helping Jacque take care of things,” she hedged.

“What things?

“Girl things. Now, how is it going?”

She heard him sigh and felt how tired he was. “He killed a human.”

“What!” Jen was shaking her head as if that would somehow make Decebel’s words untrue. “Are you going to have to kill him?”

“I don’t know. We still haven’t caught up with him. He’s a damn smart hunter and knows how to evade us.”

“Don’t kill him if there is any chance that Sally can bring him back,” she pleaded with her mate.

“He murdered someone, Jennifer. I can’t ignore that.”

She wanted to yell at him that she didn’t care if he murdered the whole dang continent, he was her best friend’s mate and Sally would be devastated or dead. She wasn’t really sure which. Even though Sally and Costin were bonded, no one knew to what degree the bond had been damaged or completely severed.

“I love you,” Decebel told her.

“I love you back.”

“Behave,” he growled.

“You know most mates tell their females to be careful,” Jen teased.

“They aren’t mated to you, baby.”

Jen gave him a mental kiss and then headed off to find her daughter. She needed some Thia snuggling time desperately.

Jacque felt Fane’s frustration before she said anything.

“You closed the bond.”

“Not completely,” she countered.

“What are you and Jen up to?” Fane asked, suspicion lacing his tone.

“Wouldn’t you like to know,” she teased.

“Jacquelyn,” Fane growled at her. Why was that hot? Jen must be rubbing off on her.

“I’m safe, isn’t that what matters?”

“How’s our son,” he asked, ignoring her comment.

Jacque walked into their suite right when he asked and saw her mom rocking Slate.

“He’s asleep, and he’s beautiful,” she told him, dodging yet another attempt at him trying to catch her in a lie. She knew exactly what her mate was doing.

“Have you had any problems with him nursing?” Now he was just reaching because, seriously, who asks that?

“Are you just trying to get a conversation started involving my girls?” Jacque asked.

She could feel his frustration. Giving up, he filled her in on the Costin situation and Jacque felt sick over the human’s death. She wondered what Jen had to say about it.

“Get some sleep, Luna, I can feel how tired you are,” he told her finally.

“You too, wolf-man. You sound exhausted.”

“I miss you. I miss Slate. And I’m just frustrated with everything.”

Jacque understood where he was coming from. “I miss you too. Be safe. I love you.”

She felt his lips on her forehead and closed her eyes, enjoying the sensation. When she opened them again, her mom was smiling at her.

“Little chat with your mate?”

Jacque nodded. “I was strategically answering questions, hoping to avoid having to lie.”