Sacred Silence: A Grey Wolves Series Novella by Quinn Loftis
“Non-thieving, non-idiot, non-blue-paint-fetish friends would be a good start,” Decebel said.
“He doesn’t mean that,” Jen hurried.
“He totally does,” Jacque said smirking at her friends’ desire to make her mate seem less homicidal. She’d have better luck selling a coat to that man in hell who is still waiting on ice water.
“Thank you for checking on us, Alina,” Jen said. “We don’t need anything, well, other than Thia back. But we appreciate you asking.”
Alina nodded as she exited the suite and closed the door quietly behind her.
Sally let out a deep sigh and looked from Jacque to Jen. “What do we do now?”
“The only thing we can do,” Jen said. “We wait.”
“Waiting sucks,” Jacque grumbled.
“Are you alright, Luna?” Fane asked through their bond. Jacque could feel his worry for her and his remorse for what had happened to Thia. He genuinely felt like it was his and Costin’s fault, that they should have been able to prevent this.
“You aren’t to blame, Fane,” Jacque assured him.
“If I can’t keep my friend’s daughter safe, what chance do I have of keeping any pups we have in the future safe?”
“Nothing is truly safe. You know that. We are a part of a world where the strong and smart thrive, and the weaker simply survive. We can’t bury our heads in the sand and act like we are somehow unsusceptible to danger. But that doesn’t mean we hide out in a bunker and stop living. The only person responsible for Thia being taken is the person who stole her.”
Fane took her hand and pulled her closer to him as they settled deeper into the love seat. Jacque figured that, unless Decebel used an alpha command on them, they weren’t going anywhere, so they might as well get as comfortable as they could.
“You are a wise female, Jacquelyn. I love you,” Fane whispered into her mind.
“Wise or not, waiting still sucks. And I love you back.”
Chapter Eleven
“Eeny, meeny, miny, moe, catch an elf by the toe.” ~Perizada, the poet and didn’t know it.
Peri and Cyn flashed onto the fourth floor of New York Episcopalian/Upper Manhattan Hospital. Peri wasn’t positive about her suspicion, but she wouldn’t leave any stone unturned when it came to Thia.
Peri glamoured herself and Cyn to keep the humans from noticing them and motioned for Cyn to follow her to Kimily Blankenship’s office. Once they were inside, Cyn spoke.
“Why have we come to a human hospital? I thought a supernatural took Thia.”
“I need some info on your man, Thalion. Without getting into any pillow talk, has he ever mentioned if the elves have the able to mask their magic?” Peri asked, not bothering to answer Cyn’s question, at least not yet.
“I’m not even going to address the pillow talk comment,” Cyn said in her usual cool voice. “As for the elvish abilities, I’ve never heard him mention something like what you’re suggesting.”
Peri considered the few people who might know the answer to her question but decided it would take too long to go and interrogate them all. She’d just have to figure out if her hunch was correct without her usual amount of research. “We’re at this hospital because Sally and Jacque asked me to snatch a nurse who specializes in breast feeding because Jen was having a difficult time. She’s the only female that isn’t pack that has recently been in their suite.”
“But you thought she was human?” Cyn asked.
Peri nodded. “I didn’t sense any magic from her. How is that possible, if she is indeed our kidnapper? I also didn’t sense any evil. Which again begs the question, if she’s who I think she is, how did she slip under my radar?”
“So what are we doing here?”
Peri started rifling through the woman’s desk. “Looking for a home address.” She opened several drawers before finally finding what she needed. “Ah-ha,” Peri said, snatching up an envelope that was addressed to Kimily. “Got it. Follow my trail,” Peri said as she flashed from the room using the address to guide her magic. She knew Cyn would follow the trace magic Peri was leaving behind, and when she appeared in front of the apartment building where Kimily lived, Cyn was only a second behind her.
“We’re doing this the old-fashioned way,” Peri said as she headed for the entrance. They took the elevator to the third floor, as indicated by the address she’d found. When they stepped out, Peri glanced at the door to her left and then the one after that. 301, 303. 302 was across the hall from the first two, which meant Kimily’s would be down that hallway and on the left side of the building.
“As soon as we’re in, you secure the child,” Peri said, operating under the impression that Kimily was definitely their culprit. “No exception. You do nothing else other than grab Thia and get the hell out. Take her straight to her parents. I will deal with the female.”
“I understand,” Cyn said, though it was unnecessary. Peri knew that her comrade would do exactly what she ordered to the letter, which was one of the reasons she had always appreciated working with Cyn. She was predictable. In high risk situations, predictable meant reliable and steadfast. Cyn wouldn’t wavier from her assigned task, and she’d die trying to accomplish her mission.
“Let’s go,” Peri said and then flashed into the apartment. As soon as she reappeared, she saw the bundled, blue baby laying in a basinet. Peri pointed at Thia. “Get her.” Cyn flashed to the child’s side, and as she was reaching for Thia, someone screamed, making a noise like a war cry. A woman leapt at Cyn, swinging a knife as she did so.
“Cyn, go!” Peri roared as she threw her hands out to stop the woman from hitting her mark.
Cyn grabbed Thia and turned her back at the same time, shielding the child. The woman froze in mid-leap. The knife was less than an inch from the fae warrior when Cyn flashed from the room.
Peri stood, staring at the motionless woman. The high fae tried to reign in her emotions. She wanted to obliterate the woman for taking Thia and for daring to harm Cyn, but first, she needed answers.
“You are going to be able to speak in a moment, but you will not be able to move. You are going to answer my questions, and then you are going to accept the sentencing for your crime,” Peri said in calm, emotionless voice. She walked closer to Kimily and took the knife from the woman’s clutched hand. Peri frowned. “A fae blade. Now, where in seven hells did you get a fae blade?” she asked and then flicked her wrist at the woman, lifting the magic that silenced her.
“You have no idea who you are dealing with, Perizada of the fae,” Kimily snarled. She looked completely different from the passive woman they’d abducted from the hospital.
“You’re correct on that point,” Peri agreed. “I thought you were a human. I was wrong which, I might add, rarely happens. So, if you need a pat on the back, that’s the only one you’re worthy of. What are you?” she asked, hoping to confirm what Fane and Vasile had scented. She narrowed her eyes on Kimily and let a little of the glamour that kept her power hidden drop away.
Kimily sucked in a breath as her eyes widened. Now she was beginning to understand just who she was dealing with. Not so brave when you aren’t holding a sharp object, are you? Peri thought to herself as she waited for the woman’s answer.
“It doesn’t matter what I am,” she finally said. “I know what my sentencing will be.”
Peri could see in Kimily’s eyes the woman knew she was staring at death. “You will die,” Peri confirmed.
“Will you not have mercy if I tell you why I took the child?”
“Mercy?” Peri snapped. “You took a three-day-old infant from her home. You knowingly put the child at risk of harm, and you think I would grant you mercy? Not even if the child had been nothing to me. But you didn’t just take any child. Not only did you take the child of an alpha wolf, you took the child of a woman I consider family. You took the child who was a miracle to even be alive. You took the child that has been blessed by the Great Luna. There is no mercy for a person who w
Kimily’s faced grew even paler at Peri’s words. She seemed to come to some sort of decision. “I’m an elf.”
“I sense no magic from you,” Peri said, talking more to herself than Kimily.
“I’ve lived in the human world, as a human, for a very long time. Magic is weak in the human realm. You know if a supernatural is separated from others of her kind she grows weaker.”
“Yes, but still, I should sense at least something,” Peri said and then stepped closer to the elf. “If your magic is so weak, how did you flash, and whose magic did you use to do that nifty trick?”
“That is information you won’t find in my mind because I don’t know. My family was kicked out of a very powerful supernatural organization when I was young because my mom had an affair with an important member. We were considered a disgrace. But when we left, I found a note and a stone waiting for me in my luggage. The note said that one day I would have an opportunity to prove myself loyal to the Order, and the magic within the stone would allow me to flash twice. The note said to use it wisely. You led me to my opportunity. What better way to prove myself than to hand them the first Canis lupus infant born in nearly two decades? I only had to wait until one of their people checked up on me, as they do frequently. I have no way to contact them.”
“How long did you say you’ve lived in the human realm?” Peri asked. “And wait, did you say the Order? I’m pretty sure that’s not what you said, right?”
“I didn’t say how long. I simply said a long time, and you heard correctly,” Kimily answered.
Peri shook her head. “No. There is no such thing. Not anymore.”
“Why would you say that? Just because you haven’t heard about them doesn’t mean they aren’t there.”
“I say that because I helped destroy them,” Peri snarled.
“You may have destroyed some supernatural beings, but you didn’t destroy the mission. The purpose behind the organization is bigger than any of its members,” Kimily said, showing more emotion than Peri had yet seen from her.
“That’s the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard, and I’m friends with the female version of the Three Stooges, so I’ve heard a lot of dumb things. Without people giving life to an idea, a purpose, or cause, there is not one. Ideas don’t form themselves. Stomp out the people and destroy the idea.” Peri held up her hand when Kimily started to say something else. “I don’t want to hear any more of your brainwashed foolishness. I need to know if you told anyone, human or supernatural, about the child.”
Kimily shook her head.
Peri nodded. “Good. Then I am done here. Kimily Blankenship of the Elves, for the crimes of child abduction and endangerment and attempting to kill a fae warrior, I hereby sentence you to death. Because you cooperated, I will make it quick.” Peri tilted her head slightly, and her lips turned up in a barely there smile. “I suppose I do have mercy after all.” Peri walked over to the woman and placed her hand over Kimily’s heart. “I almost pity you. You’ve been conditioned from a young age to believe the nonsense spouted by the Order. But you grew up into an adult who could think for herself. You made the decision to cling to the very people who cast you out as easily as yesterday’s trash because of something your mother did. For that reason, any possible benevolence I could have felt vanishes.”
A single tear fell from Kimily’s eye as Peri pushed her magic into the elf and stopped her heart instantly. Peri used her power to ease the lifeless body down to the floor then stood there trembling as her own tears fell.
“Beloved, let me help you,” Lucian’s voice whispered into her mind. “You do not have to bear such burdens alone, not anymore.”
Peri shook her head, despite the fact that he couldn’t see her. “That’s where you’re wrong, wolf. With the power I wield, I must be alone. I already care too deeply for the ones placed under my protection. I cannot add a lover to that list, not even if he has the other half of my soul. It is one thing to be willing to destroy the world for those you love, but it is a completely different thing to actually have the power to act on it.” She forced the walls back into place in her mind, which had become weakened with her emotions. Peri didn’t want to hear Lucian’s response. It would, no doubt, be something that would cause her to admit how badly she wanted to have someone care for her, the way all male wolves cared for their mates. Peri wasn’t overexaggerating when she said she would destroy the world for those she loved. The evidence of her willingness to crush those who harmed those she cared for lay at her feet in a lifeless heap.
Before she flashed, she put in an anonymous call to the human’s emergency responders. Pretending to be a tenant in the building, she said she’d heard something distressing from apartment 305 and hadn’t been able to get a hold of the apartment manager to get the door open. The police would find Kimily’s body. Whoever examined her would determine her cause of death was simply a heart attack.
Peri then used her power to leave a final spell on the home that had belonged to Kimily Blankenship. It would erase all traces of magic, as well as anything else that linked the woman to a supernatural organization. Once the apartment was empty of any living being, it would burn, but harm nothing outside of its walls. Yes, there were perks to being powerful. Incinerating an apartment without damaging any others was one of those perks.
All she had left to deal with was the aftermath of Thia’s unplanned adventure that most likely took decades of life away from her parents. Luckily, they are immortal. “Won’t this be fun,” she murmured as she flashed back to the Serbian pack mansion.
Decebel pulled Jennifer down beside him on the large couch in their suite. He could feel her exhaustion and worry but could do nothing to comfort her. Jacque, Fane, Costin, and Sally had left to go get them all food, so he was taking advantage of the privacy. He pulled her on top of him, draping her over him like a blanket. It was one of his favorite positions in which to be, his mate’s warm body covering his, their hearts beating in sync, pressed closely together. His wolf rumbled his approval at the intimate act, and Decebel sighed as his mate’s scent surrounded him. He could smell Thia on Jennifer, as well, and it only made him squeeze her tighter.
“Can’t breathe, baby,” Jennifer said through clenched teeth.
“Sorry,” he replied, quickly relaxing his hold but not dropping his arms. His hands roamed, eventually lifting the back of her shirt so he could caress her bare skin. He knew he was seeking his own comfort through being close to his mate, but he hoped it would give her comfort as well. She moaned, bringing a small smile to his face. Her body arched up attempting to get closer to his touch when he lifted his hands away.
“Don’t tease.” She growled. “Fish or cut bait, B.”
“I’m not fishing, Jennifer. I’m enjoying my mate’s body.”
“You might be enjoying it, but you know that it’s driving me crazy,” Jennifer grumbled.
Decebel chuckled. “My female likes a firm hand,” he muttered, lowering his head so that his mouth was next to her ear. Because of his wolf’s satisfaction with the touch of their mate, the man was almost able to ignore the fear that was eating him from the inside out. Decebel craved the touch, as well, but it was hard for the man to feel comfortable taking time to share an intimate moment with his mate when their daughter was missing, even if they couldn’t do anything now but wait. We need her touch, his wolf growled at him. We need the reassurance so the fear doesn’t paralyze. And she needs us. Can you not feel her anguish? Decebel froze as he considered his wolf’s words, and then he flowed into Jennifer’s mind through the bond. He didn’t normally push deeper than what she offered him but this time he did, and he felt what his wolf had described. His mate’s subconscious mind was filled with pain and loss. She was putting on a strong front for him and her friends. Decebe
“I love you, Jennifer,” he murmured against her ear as he pushed his love, need, and desire through their bond. He heard her sharp inhale and smiled as he pressed a kiss to the spot on her neck that bore his bite mark. She hummed in approval as she tilted her head back further so he could kiss down her neck to her collar bone. She tasted sweet against his tongue as he licked and kissed his way down to her exposed cleavage. Decebel slid his right hand up her body until he cupped her clothed breast and then froze.
Jen felt her mate’s body stiffen, and not in the good way, as soon as his large hand was wrapped around one of his favorite body parts. This was not his usual reaction when his greedy paws got to play with the girls. She pulled her head back to look down at him and frowned. “What?” she asked.
“Is it supposed to be wet?” Decebel asked. His words were measured and cautious.
Jen bit her lips to keep from laughing. “We’re making out like a couple of teenagers, and you ask me if it’s supposed to be wet? Really, Dec? Do we need to have a talk about what happens when a female body gets aroused?”
He rolled her eyes and let out a little growl. “I’m not talking about that. I’m talking about your boob, Jennifer.” He gave said body part a gentle squeeze. “Your shirt is soaked.”
Pushing past the lust haze that his touch was creating, Jen looked down as Decebel moved his hand and saw that the fabric over her left nipple was indeed soaked. “Guess the current brand of breast pads I’m using get an F on foreplay protection.”
Decebel frowned at her. “What?”
“Foreplay, or any sexual stimulation, can cause my milk to let down, which then in turn makes it drip out of me like a leaky faucet. My breast pads are supposed to keep this”—she pointed to her shirt—“from happening.” Her face fell as she realized another reason she was leaking. “And I haven’t nursed Thia in hours and hadn’t even thought about pumping. Looks like they’re a bit full.”