Piercing Silence (10 page)

Jen’s jaw had dropped open but she quickly
snapped it shut. “I’m sure they were going to get around to it,
weren’t you Lucas?” She spat at the Cold Spring Alpha.

Okay, Jacque thought, so maybe she’d
forgiven Jacque, but it was obvious Jen still did not like
Lucas.

“They haven’t told us any of that.” Sally’s
soft voice broke through the tense moment as she stepped up beside
Jen.

Vasile’s countenance softened immediately
and Jacque wondered if he knew what she was.

Vasile bowed his head to her and pressed a
hand over his heart. “Then I’m sure they have not bothered to tell
you how precious you are, healer.”

Yep, he knew.

“Alpha, you know how I hate to be left out
of a good challenge.” Costin’s voice came from just behind her. He
walked past Jacque, obviously unable to see her and straight toward
Sally.

The grin on his face was all
Costin―confident, cocky, and funny. But Jacque didn’t miss the
hostility lurking in his hazel eyes. Costin had not been unaffected
by the two years without Sally.

Vasile let out a heavy sigh. “Who are you
challenging for?”

Costin winked at Sally. “Brown eyes, do you
have a male here who claims you?” he asked gently.

Sally seemed at a loss, so it was Jen who
answered. “She’s dating that one.” Jen pointed to a short, stalky
male with sandy brown hair and grey eyes. He was currently glaring
daggers at Costin, but like the other males, he seemed unable to
move.

Costin nodded to Jen. “Thank you. I
challenge that one,” he said and motioned toward the one Jen
indicated, “for brown eyes.”

“She has a name,” Jen told him sharply.

Costin grinned, dimples and all. “I’m sure
she does and I imagine it’s as beautiful as she is. When she’s
ready she can whisper it to me.”

Jen coughed as she looked from Costin to
Sally. “Oh girl, he’s good.”

Sally blushed but still didn’t say
anything.

Vasile looked back at Sorin. “Do you want to
challenge as well?”

Jacque could tell he was really hoping Sorin
said no.

“I think I’ll just watch,” Sorin told his
Alpha.

“Fine,” Vasile turned back to Lucas. “You
have your three challenges. Do I need to go over the rules or do
you know them?”

“I know them.”

Vasile nodded. “Good, here’s my card.” He
handed Lucas a small, square piece of paper. “Call me in twelve
hours with the location and time. The challenge must take place
within three days of issuance.”

As the group broke apart, Jacque watched her
future self stare after Fane who was walking backward while staring
at her. Lucas turned her to face him and Jacque could tell she was
forcing herself to ignore Fane.

“So it doesn’t matter what I do, we are
still going to end up together?” Jacque asked the Great Luna as she
watched her two best friends lead her future self into her
house.

“You and Fane, like Jennifer and Decebel and
Sally and Costin, were created for each other. After so many long
years of darkness, you are the generation that must reunite my
wolves. The supernatural world has been on the brink of
self-destruction for quite some time. The division among them is
weakening them, and the magic that has been in the human realm is
fading. The fae have always held the supernatural races in check,
but when they stepped back and hid away in Farie, they didn’t
realize the future consequences of their actions, not unlike
someone else I know,” she said narrowing her eyes on Jacque. “I
realize that I have asked a lot of you and your companions and of
my wolves. But it takes a spark to start a fire and you three
ladies are my spark.”

Chapter 10

“S
o is that it?” Jacque asked, waiting to see if the Great Luna
would now take her back to the present.

“Not just yet. I think it is important that
you see the consequences of your decisions. Though you may still
end up with your mate, the consequences will be extreme. In your
reality, when Fane challenged Lucas, they were the only two wolves
that suffered the consequences. Lucas was the only wolf that
forfeited his life. In this reality, that will not be the case. Not
only will many more die but the risk of revealing yourselves to the
human world becomes very real.”

The Great Luna placed a hand on her shoulder
and, in the blink of an eye, they were standing in Jacque’s room.
Jen, Sally, and Jacque were all in various sprawled positions, all
looking a tad worse for wear.

“Okay, so a year and a half ago when you
finally came clean about what Lucas was, I thought I’d seen it
all,” Jen said as she stared up at the ceiling fan as it rotated
hypnotically. “I was so very, very wrong.”

Future Jacque nodded. Her eyes were wide and
she looked very lost. “I don’t even know what to think.”

“So that stuff that main guy was talking
about, what was his name?” Jen thought for a minute. “Vasile.” She
snapped her fingers. “Yes, that was it. Was that stuff happening
with you and the hottie who challenged Lucas? Were you able to hear
his thoughts in your mind?”

Instead of answering future Jacque jumped up
and jerked her shirt over her head.

“Okay, so just thinking about him has you so
hot and bothered that you have to strip?” Jen asked as she sat up
and watched her friend walk over to the mirror on her dresser.

Jacque hesitated before lifting her hair and
turning so she could look over her shoulder. The breath whooshed
from her body as her eyes took in the black, tattoo like markings
that ran across her back from shoulder to shoulder.

Sally and Jen both stood and walked over to
her. Their eyes were every bit as wide as future Jacque’s.

Sally was next to strip off her shirt and
turned to look over her shoulder, pulling her brown locks out of
the way. She too had markings; only hers were down the center of
her spine.

Jen took a step back. “For the first time, I
really don’t want to take my clothes off.”

Future Jacque rolled her eyes at her blonde
friend and then jerked Jen’s shirt up. She turned her friend side
to side looking her over. “There’s nothing.”

Jen let out a sigh. “Thank goodness for
that. I thought I was going to be saddled to that cave man. I’m not
saying he wasn’t hotter than the seventh level of hell, but let’s
face it, his conversational skills need some serious work.”

“You never answer her question,” Sally said
as she looked at future Jacque. “Could you hear his thoughts?”

Future Jacque nodded. “He apologized to me
for making me wait.”

“I heard that guy who challenged Eli in my
mind,’ Sally confirmed.

“You mean dimples?” Jen asked with a grin.
“I bet he has girls falling at his feet begging him to let them
lick those suckers.”

Sally frowned. “You are so disturbed.”

Jen shrugged. “There is nothing wrong with a
good dimple licking if it happens to be on someone that looks like
that wolf.”

Future Jacque slipped her shirt back on and
Sally did the same. Jen headed for the door as the other two took
seats on the floor.

“This calls for hot chocolate. You two are
looking a little pale and we obviously have strategy to discuss.”
She left the room, leaving Sally and future Jacque looking after
her.

“She’s taking this rather well,” Sally
pointed out.

Future Jacque nodded. “But then she took the
'whole werewolves are real' thing really well too.”

“That was just because she finally realized
why you were being so weird.”

“True,” future Jacque agreed.

“How do you think Lucas is doing?” Sally
asked.

Future Jacque pinched the bridge of her nose
and slowly shook her head from side to side. “I imagine he is just
sort of blowing a gasket. You know he doesn’t share well.”

“Or at all,” Sally added.

Jen was back several minutes later with a
tray of coffee mugs and a package of Oreo cookies. “Okay, heifers,
let’s get serious,” she said as she sat the tray down in the middle
of their circle and took a seat. “What are we going to do if these.
. .wait. . .what nationality are they? Russian?”

Future Jacque froze. Her breathing increased
as her hands curled into tight fists. “Romanian,” she finally
said.

“Did he just tell you that using his mind
mojo on you?” Jen asked.

She nodded.

“Man, this crap just keeps getting deeper
and deeper,” Jen muttered. “Okay, so what are we going to do if
those Romanian wolves manage to win these challenges?”

Future Jacque looked at Sally. “Do you feel
anything for Costin, the one who challenged for you?”

Sally paused before nodding. Her skin
flushed as she took in a shaky breath. “It was like coming home,”
she whispered. “The minute he looked into my eyes I just wanted to
walk into his arms. It was both unsettling and wonderful at the
same time.”

Future Jacque let out a small huff of
laughter. “I don’t think I could have put it better.”

“Okay, hold up,” Jen said leaning forward as
her brow furrowed. “I will admit that the idea of throwing myself
in Tarzan’s arms definitely crossed my mind. But more than anything
I just wanted to hit him in his too handsome, cocky face. I mean, I
felt something, definitely a level of attraction that I’ve never
felt before, but I wouldn’t say that it was unsettling and
wonderful. I’m going to go with more along the lines of volatile
and possibly a little bit dirty.”

Jacque laughed and smiled even wider when
she saw the Great Luna smiling at Jen’s comment. The girl always
did have a way with words.

“Why do you think they called me a healer?”
Sally asked before taking a sip of her hot chocolate.

Jen shrugged. “Beats the heck out of me. But
it sounds like our men have been keeping quite a bit to themselves,
which makes me just a tad perturbed.”

“A tad?” Jacque and future Jacque said at
the same time.

“Fine, it pisses me off. Happy?” Jen
conceded.

“Being honest with yourself is an
important—”

“Spare me the psychobabble, Florence,” Jen
growled.

“Florence Nightingale was a nurse, not a―”
Sally started but was cut off by Jen again.

“Don’t care. I told you when you started
taking those classes that I didn’t want you analyzing my every word
or behavior.”

“Speaking of classes,” future Jacque
interrupted. “When do yours start back?”

Sally and Jen both shrugged. “A couple of
weeks. Summer gets shorter and shorter. I thought being in college
meant longer breaks.”

“Are you still taking this semester off?”
Sally asked future Jacque.

Jacque looked at the Great Luna. “Why would
I take the semester off?”

The Great Luna turned her gentle eyes on the
redhead. “Your mom hasn’t met Cypher. There are things you or your
mother don’t know about her gift. Back in our reality, she is just
discovering that the magic that is part of her mate’s people—the
warlocks—has saved her from the ill effects that her gift can
cause. But here, since she isn’t exposed to that healing magic,
over time her ability to sense things in people has grown stronger
and is affecting her ability to function in normal everyday life.
You chose to stay home to help her with the bookstore.”

Jacque’s mouth had gone dry and her stomach
was turning into one big knot. How could so much be affected by one
little choice? Her mom needed Cypher, just as she needed Fane. And
Jacque would be taking that away from her if she went through with
her plan and the Fates granted her request.

As day turned into night, Jacque and the
Great Luna stayed, listening to the girls talk, speculate, and
attempt to plan a future with all of the new information thrown at
them. Jacque appreciated the goddess letting her spend time in
their presence. She hadn’t realized how much she’d missed them all
being together. It was obvious, looking from the outside in, that
they found energy and confidence and security in being with each
other.

It was after midnight when future Jacque’s
phone rang. She looked at the screen and frowned. “It’s Lucas.”

“I can’t believe he waited this long to
call,” Jen scoffed.

“He was probably trying to make sure those
Romanian wolves weren’t anywhere around,” Sally pointed out.

Future Jacque answered it. “You’re on
speaker phone,” she told him.

“Are you alright?” Lucas asked and it
sounded as if he genuinely cared.

“I’m fine, Lucas, just a little
confused,”

“Uh, try mega, freaking Disney World size
confused,” Jen cut in.

“Is everything they said true?” future
Jacque asked.

“I want to talk to you about it, but not
over the phone. We’re down the street waiting for you three. I’m
not going to let them keep us apart right before a challenge.”

“Isn’t that breaking the rules?” Sally
asked.

Lucas chuckled. “When have I ever cared
about rules when it came to my mate?”

Future Jacque frowned at the phone. “What
will happen if they catch us?”

“Babe, trust me. It will be fine. I need to
see you. Please come.”

Jen rolled her eyes and make a gagging
motion.

“Don’t do it,” Jacque muttered under her
breath, though she knew they couldn’t hear her.

“Okay we’ll come,” future Jacque acquiesced
and ended the call.

“Why do I feel like this is the dumbest idea
we’ve had since going to that club without telling the guys?” Jen
asked as she stood.

“How were we supposed to know they’d flip
their lids over a little dancing?” Sally asked.

“Let’s just get this over with,” future
Jacque told them as she headed for the door.

Chapter 11

J
acque blinked several times to clear her head after the Great
Luna once again moved them through time and space. She looked
around to get her bearings, expecting to be with Jen, Sally, and
her future self. Instead she was faced with the males of the
Romania pack all stuffed into a large SUV. It was a lot of
dominance squished into a small enclosed space.