Blood Rites (32 page)

Chapter 33

Fane
was back in his human form as soon as he
heard Jacquelyn's pain-filled scream. He rushed to her side just as
she lost consciousness. Taking in the bruises on her face and the
teeth marks on her neck, he nearly lost his barely contained
control. He reached for her body, pulling her up into his arms, and
stood. He turned to look at his father who was still in his wolf
form. "No matter Dr. Steele's part in this, right now we need her.
We need to know how to fix my Luna."

Vasile gave a small snort and Fane took that to mean
that his father would not take any action towards the
doctor…yet.

As Fane, Decebel, and the five wolves approached the
vehicle his gaze locked with Lilly's. She rushed forward as tears
ran down her cheeks, sinking to the ground as Fane lowered
Jacquelyn's body. He helped Lilly lay Jacquelyn's head in her lap
and then quickly took a pair of sweatpants his mother was handing
out for each of the wolves to put on.

"Okay, girls. They are all decent," Alina
announced.

Jen and Sally came around from the other side of the
vehicle and rushed to Jacquelyn's side. Both girls were crying as
they looked their friend over, making sure she was really alive and
really here. It took everything in Fane to keep from taking her
from Lilly and holding her close to him so he could assure himself
and his wolf that she was safe.

Fane turned to his father as Vasile approached. "We
need Dr. Steele awake."

"I will force her to phase once we are back at the
hotel. Then she can tell us what we need to do to make Jacque
well."

Fane watched as one of the wolves that had phased
back and was now wearing a pair of sweats approached Lilly. Fane
couldn't help the low growl that came from his chest. Dillon Jacobs
looked up at the sound of the growl. "She's my daughter, too."

"I understand that. Do not touch her while you check
on her. I know that you want to make sure she is okay, but no male
is to touch her." Fane's voice was lethal as he issued the
order.

Dillon nodded in acknowledgment of Fane's request as
he knelt down next to Lilly.

Vasile gave everyone a few more minutes before he
announced they needed to be getting back to the hotel.

"Dillon," Vasile said, turning to face the other
Alpha. "You may come back to the hotel but I would ask that your
other wolves stay away. Fane will not be comfortable with other
wolves around Jacque right now. As it is, he is on the verge of
losing it."

Dillon agreed to this and told him that he would meet
them at the hotel after he dropped his wolves off.

Fane went over to Lilly and knelt down. "Can I take
her, Lilly?"

Lilly watched as Fane shook with the need to be close
to his mate. Lilly gently lifted Jacque's head so Fane could slip
his arm underneath it, and his other arm came under her knees as he
stood up with her. He carried her to the SUV, not waiting for
anyone else, and climbed in with her in his lap. He looked down at
her face, brushing hair away from her once-pale cheek now marred
with a bruise, and reached for her mind.

"
Meu inimă
,
can you hear
me?"
Fane continued to run his fingers across her cheek as he
waited for her response.

"It hurts, Fane."
Jacquelyn's voice
was soft in his mind.

"We are going to make you better. Can you
open your eyes for me, love?"

He watched as slowly her eyes began to
flutter and then open. He sheltered her with his large body, not
wanting anyone else to see she was awake, needing a few moments of
her all to himself. He leaned forward and kissed her lips gently
and whispered, "Don’t move right now, just let me look at you."

"Someone would have to pry me from your arms,
Fane," she whispered back with a small smile, which quickly turned
to a grimace as her body throbbed.

Fane's heart clenched as he watched pain fill
her eyes, hating that he could do nothing for her.

"Just rest, my love."

Jacquelyn closed her eyes and Fane pulled her
close to his body, sharing his heat with her.

Just as they had arrived at the woods in
silence, their trip back to the hotel was just as quiet.

Alina laid a blanket over Cynthia Steele's
wolf form lying on one of the hotel beds. Vasile, Fane, and Lilly
stood over her as they watched her begin to phase back to her human
skin. Jen and Sally sat on the other bed next to Jacque's supine
form and Decebel leaned against the back wall, his arms folded over
his chest, looking even more ominous if that were possible.

Cynthia blinked several times as her eyes
opened. She didn't know where she was, she just knew she was no
longer in the woods, and she was alive.

"Cynthia Steele, we need your help," she
heard a voice say to her.

She began to sit up. Her arm and leg that had
been broken healed during her phase but they remained stiff and
still ached. She felt the warm fabric against her skin. Realizing
it was a blanket that covered her very bare self, she clutched it
to her as she sat up fully to look at the room full of faces
staring holes into her. She began to recognize the faces and then
everything that had happened came rushing in.

"Where is Jacque? Is she okay? Is Logan still
alive?" Questions flowed from her mouth like water from a faucet as
her eyes darted from person to person.

It was Fane who answered her. "Jacque is
alive but in severe pain. Please tell me how to heal her."

"She needs blood," Cynthia told him.

"She has already had blood." Fane's voice was
deadly. "Logan forced his blood on her, she is not better."

"Not just anyone's blood, Fane. She needs
your blood, the blood of her mate."

Fane stepped towards the bed as hope began to
inch its way into his heart.

"You're sure?" he asked.

"Scientifically, no, I'm not. But Fane, we
are werewolves, science cannot explain us. In my gut I know it is
your blood she needs. I don’t think one bite will do it since she
has gone so long and her body has slowly been attacking itself. She
will probably have to bite you several times over the period of a
few days."

Fane turned to his mother. "Get her some
clothes, please."

Alina brought Cynthia some sweatpants and a
shirt and all the males stepped out of the room. Lilly and Alina
helped Cynthia dress. Although her broken bones had mended when she
phased, her body was still very stiff and sore. Nobody spoke as
Cynthia dressed. Alina opened the doors and let the wolves back in.
Fane walked over to Jacquelyn's side and stared down at her in
silence. Everybody in the room waited, watching to see what he
would do. Fane made a decision.

"Everyone, please leave," he requested
without ever taking his eyes off of his mate. "She wouldn't want
anyone to watch this."

Without a word, the room emptied and as soon
as Fane heard the click of the door he sat down next to Jacquelyn
on the bed.

"Luna, can you wake for me?"

Jacquelyn turned her head in the direction of
Fane's voice. Her eyes opened. "Am I really here? Are you really
with me?"

"Yes and yes," he answered as he lay on his
side next to her.

She reached her hand to touch his face but
pulled back in pain. Fane gently caressed her face as he turned her
face to look at him.

"Dr. Steele says you need my blood, that you
will have to bite me several times in order to fully heal." Fane
paused before he continued. "Do you think you can handle biting me
or would it be too much since you were forced before?" His voice
got softer and softer as he spoke, his eye lids shadowed his eyes
and his lips were held in a tight line.

"Fane, I didn't bite Logan. He bit himself
and poured his blood into my mouth. Biting you will be weird but
not because of Logan." Her mouth turned upwards as she tried to
reassure him but she must not have succeeded because he still
looked stricken.

"Fane, tell me what to do. Unless," she said,
looking away from him as her voice quivered, "unless you don't want
me to bite you."

Fane growled. "Why would I not want my mate
to bite me, to take my blood?"

Jacque shivered at the anger she heard in his
voice. "Because I've had his blood, because he tainted me," she
sobbed out.

Fane began to wrap his arms around her but as
his hands touched her back she cried out in pain.

Fanes eyebrows rose as he jerked his arms
away. "What is it? Where are you hurt, love?"

Jacquelyn's eyes fell as her lips trembled.
"He clawed my back when he saw my markings," she whispered.

Fane gently tugged her forward so that she
was lying on her stomach. He began to raise the hem of her shirt.
"I will be gentle," he told her, his voice tight and strained. As
he continued to pull her shirt up, revealing more and more of her
skin, he finally saw the angry red slashes that marred her
beautiful body. They sliced from her neck to below her bra. Fane
couldn't stop the low growl that rumbled in his chest at the sight
of his beautiful mate's precious skin so angrily torn.

"His death was too merciful for the pain he
caused you." His voice trembled, exposing the depth of his hurt for
her. Fane leaned forward and gently kissed her injured back and
neck. Pulling back and lowering her, shirt he helped her lay back
on her side.

"I want you to take my blood. I am your mate.
You will take my blood so you can get better and then you will take
it so we can complete the Blood Rites."

Fane tilted his head back, bearing his neck
to Jacque. "Your instincts should help you out, love. Just close
your eyes and bite."

Jacque looked at Fane's neck, his beautiful
smooth skin and the markings that ran across it. She couldn't
believe she was going to do this, but she was in so much pain that
she no longer cared. She did as Fane told her and closed her eyes.
She scooted closer to him, leaning forward and gently touching her
lips to Fane's neck. She kissed him once before parting her lips
and pressing her mouth down. As her teeth began to apply pressure
to his skin, to her surprise, she felt her incisors lengthen and
then she was able to pierce his skin with almost no resistance.

She squeezed her eyes tight as the taste of
Fane's blood hit her tongue. Instead of thr metallic taste she had
been expecting there was almost a spicy quality to Fane's blood.
She felt him pull her tighter against him and she tightened her
mouth as she continued to swallow his blood. It should have grossed
and freaked her out, but instead it felt right.

Fane closed his eyes as he felt Jacquelyn's
mouth on his neck. His body stiffened briefly as he felt her teeth
sink into his flesh. He couldn't describe the feelings stirring
inside at the pull of her mouth if he wanted to do. It was
something so private and special between mates. He let her continue
to take in his blood for several minutes. When he thought she had
gotten enough for this time he reached into her mind. The thoughts
he found there gave him pause before he finally spoke to her.

"Love, it is enough for now. You may
stop."

Jacque slowly pulled her mouth away from
Fane's neck. She blinked several times as Fane's face slowly came
into focus. His breath caught as he saw Jacquelyn's teeth. He
lifted her upper lip to look at the incisors that had lengthened.
"Interesting," he muttered. As he pulled his hand away he watched
them retract.

"That was," Jacque paused as she swallowed
and caught her breath, "intense."

Fane grinned at her, rubbing his hands up and
down her back. "That's putting it mildly, Luna."

She looked into his eyes, enjoying being so
close to him, once again being able to touch him, smell him, and
taste him. "Will it always be like that?"

Fane cocked his head to the side at her. "I
don't know, but you are welcome to find out anytime you want." He
grinned and was encouraged to see a little smile on her lips.

"How are you feeling? Any better yet?"

"The pain has actually dulled quite a bit.
It's still there but it's not keeping me from breathing."

"Do you think you can move?" he asked her
gently.

"As long as you aren't asking me to run
through the woods from a crazed wolf," she teased. Fane didn't find
it funny as he growled at her.

"I'm ready to take you home, to Romania. I
want to be bonded to you, Jacquelyn. I want to complete the Blood
Rites. If you are up to it, we were going to fly out tonight."

"What about my mom? Jen and Sally?"

"They are coming with us. My mother and your
mother somehow convinced their parents. Do you think you can
travel, Luna?" Fane was really hoping she would say yes. He wanted
out of this country. It seemed like only bad things happened to
Jacquelyn here. He wanted her home with him, where she
belonged.

"I'm ready to be bonded to you, too. Let's do
this." Jacque winked at him and he felt that wink all the way to
his soul.

Fane stood up and began to go towards the
door."Wait, where are you going?" Jacque asked him. He turned to
look at her face and saw panic in her eyes. He realized then that
his brave, sarcastic, fierce Luna had not walked away from this
unscathed.

"I'm just going to let everyone back in to
tell them we are going." He sat back down on the bed next to her
and took her hand. "What is it, Jacquelyn?"

She hesitated but then looked him in the eyes
with her chin held up. "I hate to be weak and to feel helpless, and
I refuse to always be this needy, but right now the idea of you
where I can't see you terrifies me. If that makes me pathetic then
so be it." Fane could tell it took so much of her to admit her fear
to him.