“Really, and what might those be?” Fane asked her flirtatiously.
“I want Jen and Sally at the bonding ceremony thingy,” Jacque blurted out.
“Is that all?” Fane asked, surprised.
“Give me time. I’ll think of more, but for now that will do.”
“Done,” Fane answered.
“Let me run up and tell Jen and Sally that we're going over there.”
Thirty minutes later, Fane and Jacque were sitting in the Henrys' living room across from Sara and Brian. Both looked a little shell-shocked by what Fane had just told them. Fane wasn’t talking now, he was just letting it sink in.
“Sara, Brian,” Jacque spoke gently, “are you okay?”
Sara looked at Jacque as if she just realized she was in the room.
“Are you okay?” Sara turned the question on Jacque. “I mean, you’re his mate, right? Are you okay with that?”
“I’m great with it. I mean, I’m still a little shocked and it does seem very surreal but other than that, I’m rosy,” Jacque told her.
Brian still hadn't said anything and Jacque was beginning to wonder if he was going to be able to process this without freaking out. Then he surprised her by saying, “I knew there was something different, something special about you, Fane. I’m not saying I understand all of this, but I trust you, and I want Jacque and Lilly safe from whatever's going on. We believe you and support you.”
“I truly appreciate your trust. I am going to try to limit my time here because I don’t want to give Lucas a reason to use you against us. Please stay alert for anything odd or out of place,” Fane told them.
“We can take care of ourselves, you just worry about what it is you need to take care of. You said your father is coming to help?” Brian asked.
“Yes, my father is coming and so is my mother, but they will only be here to keep the challenge fair. My father is a very, very strong Alpha and there are few who would dare to challenge or defy him.”
Jacque stood up, went over to Sara and hugged her, then Brian. “Thank you guys for being so awesome,” she told them.
“Yes, I have to agree with Jacquelyn. You both are very awesome,” Fane said, shaking Brian’s hand and hugging Sara as well.
The rest of the morning and afternoon was spent with Fane, Jacque, Jen, and Sally all hanging out in Jacque’s room. Occasionally they would talk about the whole challenge thing, but mostly they just quizzed Fane on all things Romanian. They asked him what different words were in Romanian. Jen wanted to know how to curse in Romanian, go figure. He told them about the folklore of werewolves and vampires. Jacque steered the conversation quickly away from that because she didn’t really want to know if vampires were real. She was just coming to terms with werewolves, and there was no need to overwhelm her already wavering sanity.
Fane was a good sport, even when Jen tried to ask about Fane’s personal dating experiences and the like. He just winked at her and politely said, “A prince doesn’t kiss and tell, love.”
Of course, the wink nearly made Jen hyperventilate, so it was only fair for Jacque to slap Fane on the arm for nearly making her friend pass out because he was so freaking hot.
“I don’t understand why you’re hitting me, Luna. She is the one who asked about my previous experience with girls,” Fane defended.
“I’m hitting you because you flirted with her and nearly killed her. Do you even realize how drool-worthy you are?” Jacque asked him.
Fane cocked his head to the side and narrowed his eyes. “Drool-worthy? What does this mean?”
“What it means, Romeo, is that when you walk into a room every chick there forgets she is with the guy standing right next to her and wishes she was with you,” Sally piped in.
“Exactly. Well put, Watson,” Jacque told Sally.
“That’s what I’m here for, Sherlock,” she responded.
Jacque looked over at Jen to see if she had recovered from her swooning. Jen was lying on her stomach, propped up on her elbows, staring dreamily at Fane. Sally followed Jacquelyn’s line of sight, then slapped Jen on the butt.
“OW!” Jen yelped. “What the hell, chicka?” She glared at Sally.
“I was thinking maybe we should go see what we can round up for dinner,” Sally said, looking at her phone to check the time. “It’s already five fifteen, and you know how you get if you go too long without eating, Jen.”
“Yeah, yeah. Just call it what it is. You want to give Simba and Nala here a little privacy. It’s all good,” Jen said as she followed Sally out of earshot.
Jacque shouted, “He’s a wolf, you nymphomaniac freak, not a lion.”
She heard Sally and Jen laugh as they descended the stairs.
Chapter 24
Fane looked over at Jacquelyn, who was on her bed, still grinning over the Lion King reference Jen had made. Fane was so thankful that she had friends with such great sense of humor. Laughing could get you through a lot.
“How are you doing, Luna?” Fane asked her.
Jacque looked at him and smiled sweetly. “I’m doing. How are you?”
“I’d be better if you were closer to me,” Fane told her with unabashed honesty.
“Where did all this boldness come from?” she asked him with a grin.
“When I realized I could lose you at any moment, I decided I wouldn’t waste any time I have with you. And seeing as how I love being close to you, touching you, I feel it’s a major waste when you aren’t next to me,” he explained, making it sound like such a logical answer.
“Oh. Well in that case,” Jacquelyn paused as if to think about it, “naw. I’m too comfortable to move.”
Fane laughed, caught off guard once again. He stood up and walked over to her, sitting down next to her. He placed his hand on her back and rubbed in circles, just enjoying her nearness.
“Keep that up and I’m gonna be sound asleep,” Jacquelyn told him with a sigh.
“I will rub your back for you every night if you like, my Luna.”
“What does Luna mean?” Jacquelyn asked, not for the first time.
“It means 'moon' in Romanian,” Fane answered.
“And why exactly do you have a pet name for me that refers to a big, round space crater?” Jacquelyn asked skeptically.