Chapter 12


“The counsel of others is priceless. By their wisdom we are often able to find our way back to the path from which we have strayed. By their guidance we are able to avoid the pain of mistakes. I am on the path that I have no doubt leads to you, and I will not stray, not ever again. I will wait if I must, but I am hoping someone guides you back to the same path that will lead you to me.” ~ Thalion




Considering elves lived so long, grief was not something with which Thalion often had to contend with. And so when he did experience it, the shock of the pain was like a knife to his gut. He had sat beside his friend for a week, watching him slowly fade away until he’d finally drawn his last breath. 

The elf prince knew it was what Reeve had wanted, but that did not make the loss any less painful. As with all death, it is the realization that something so incredibly final crashes into the lives of those who are still living, still moving forward, creates an agony so deep they wonder if they will ever be able to have joy again. 

And, as it is with many things, the only healing there is for such loss is the passing of time. Time that seems to fly by at the speed of light when life is smooth and pain free but crawl like an injured snail when grief overwhelms. Thalion knew that his own grief would ease, but the hole left in their people by the loss of Reeve and his mate would forever remain.

He sat back in the chair of his library and closed his eyes, wondering what his lovely Cyn was doing at that very moment. He had longed for her to by his side while Reeve crossed over, but he had promised to give her time and he wouldn’t go back on his word. With Reeve gone, and Thalion’s story shared, he found he craved her even more. Theirs was a story worth telling their children one day—a story of love and loss, of joy and pain. A story that proved that, regardless of one’s fate, or destiny, life requires choices. Destiny didn’t live itself out. Just because it was the written story for your life did not mean there would be no bumps or trials along the road. He was ready to begin his journey with Cyn. He yearned for them to move down their own path, no longer alone, each navigating the terrain by themselves. Instead, they would be together helping each other along, encouraging one another, rejoicing with each other, and crying when life overwhelmed them. He was ready. He hoped that she would soon come to that same place, prepared to stand beside him.

“She hasn’t come?” Peri’s voice filled the silence. 

“Is there a policy against knocking for the high fae?” Thalion asked her as he turned to face her.

“No policy,” Peri denied. “But knocking just seems to waste precious time. Now, onto more important matters. Have you heard from Cyn?”

He shook his head, trying to cover the sadness his answer brought.

“She will choose you,” Peri assured him. “She’s too intelligent to walk away.”

“You’ve spoken with her, I presume?” 

“Yes, and for once it wasn’t like pulling teeth. She actually handed them over willingly. Okay, that’s a disturbing picture—a toothless Cyn.” She chuckled.

“Yes, thank you for that,” Thalion muttered. “Did she tell you that she’d made a decision?”

“No, but I know her very, very well. And since I know she will choose you, I feel it is my responsibility to give you the whole I’ll kill you if you hurt her speech.”

“By all means,” Thalion invited with a wave of his hand.

“Thalion, prince of the elves, mate to Cyn of the fae, I name you.”

Thalion’s eyes widened. He hadn’t been expecting a binding spell, but then he should have known better. It was, after all, Perizada he was dealing with.

“Should you purposefully hurt Cyn in such a way that will cause her significant problems, whether physically or mentally, you will suffer my full wrath. You will kneel before me, Perizada, high fae, ambassador to the wolves and protector and teacher of the gypsy healers, and be held accountable for your actions. Do you understand this decree as it has been explained to you?”

“I do and I shall accept the consequences should such an atrocity ever occur.”

“Well, good.” Peri breathed out. “That was fun.”

“Really?” Thalion frowned. “If that is your idea of fun, I’d hate to know what your idea of a bad time is.”

Peri’s lips turned up in a grin. “I don’t really have bad times. Being able to turn annoying people into handbags, rugs, and turds pretty much prevents it.” She gave him a wave before flashing, leaving him with those lovely images.


“You never told me why Peri so rudely snatched you from our bed, Mina,” Vasile said as he ran his fingertips up and down her arm.

Alina leaned into him, resting her head on his chest. “You distracted me, if you recall.”

She felt his chest bounce as laughter rumbled out of him. “And what a good distraction it was.”

“I’m glad you are proud of yourself, love,” Alina said, smiling at his smugness.

“Are you going to tell me what she wanted?”

“She took me to see Cyn.”

Vasile stilled. “Is she alright?”

Alina knew that her mate felt some responsibility toward the fae because Cyn had helped them so much. He was that way with all who assisted in the cause to fight evil, and it was one of the many things that made her love him.

“She’s having a hard time deciding what to do about Thalion,” Alina explained. “She loves him but can’t seem to reconcile where he fits in her life. At least that’s what I gathered.”

“And Peri felt you might be able to help her wade through the emotions?” His fingertips resumed their caressing, and Alina and her wolf took pleasure in their mate’s attention. 

“I don’t know if I helped, honestly. Their ways of finding a mate are different from ours, but at the same time, their paths kept meeting and it seems clear that they are meant for each other. I encouraged her to surrender to it.”

“There was a time when you did not want to surrender to me,” he reminded her.

She pushed back and looked up at him. “I would have been a fool to have continued down that path. But, if you recall, you wandered as well.”

“I did. It was one of the darkest times in my life. I learned during that time that I could never, nor would I ever want to, live without you.”

“It is a good thing, then, that we both realized the error of our ways.”

He leaned down and pressed a kiss to her forehead. “That it is, beloved. That it is.”


Peri stared out into the dark night, her presence cloaked by the forest around her. The fae’s eyes were narrowed as she gazed toward the Romanian pack mansion. Her mate was within those walls, and after all of her brave words to Cyn, she still could not bring herself to go to him. 

She knew he would fill the void inside of her. He would be the balm to the wound that was left in his absence, an absence that was of her own making. Peri knew she couldn’t run forever. In fact, she was pretty sure her running days were numbered. Be that as it may, her stubborn nature would not permit her feet to move from the spot where she found herself rooted. 

Would it be so bad to be mated to a wolf? Her mind screamed yes because it was programed to be irritated with the stubborn wolves. In the same way that breathing was natural, so was threatening to turn the wolves into rugs. But her heart was saying something different. Her heart was telling her that Lucian would be good for her. He was strong, not only physically but mentally. He’d proven that by coming out of the dark forest still sane after all that time in isolation. Being mated to Lucian would finally give her someone to help bear the weight of her myriad of responsibilities. But she’d also have a weakness, because she knew if she gave her heart to him, she would be unable to ever let him go. 

Peri wasn’t prone to being overly emotional, but when she decided to bestow her emotions upon a person, she gave them freely and with great abundance. Such a thing was so very scary to do, and yet it was exactly what she wanted to do with Lucian. 

Peri found a fallen tree trunk upon which to sit and lowered herself to the rough surface. Her soul would not let her wander far from its other half and the need to protect him. Lucian didn’t need anyone to watch over him, of course. He was so very strong. She felt him reaching out to her through the bond, but she kept it tightly shut, unwilling to experience such intimacy, at least not yet. Peri was ancient, though she only looked to be in her twenties. Her mind was a vast pool of experiences and memories, both good and bad. She wasn’t prepared to share those. She wasn’t ready for him to see that deep into her soul. 

I will be waiting until you are ready, my mate. 

Peri gasped at the sound of his voice in her mind. He was strong. To be able to get past her mental shields, even if only for a minute, proved how powerful he was. He was gone just as quickly as he’d entered. In his wake, he left feelings of peace, hope, and love welling up inside of her, tempting her all the more to run to him. “Stupid wolf,” she grumbled. One day she would give in to that need to cast all of her worries aside and grab onto her own fate with both hands. One day she would no longer be alone.