Author: J.D. Tyler

“Tell me. I’ve got to call him before long.” She made a face that told without saying how she felt about that task.

“What are your plans?” the basilisk asked between bites of spaghetti.

“Stay for a while, try to fit in.”

The young shifter blinked. “Fit in among misfits? That’s a good one!”

Selene chuckled. “You have a point.”

“Well, hello,” a familiar, friendly voice said to Selene.

Looking up, she smiled. “You must be Blue—I mean, Prince Sariel.”

“I see I’m famous,” he said good-naturedly, easing himself down by Belial. The basilisk scooted over, shooting Blue a nervous look. As well he should—for all that Belial was rare and dangerous, Blue, an eleven-thousand-year-old Fae, was even more so.

“Of course you’re famous. You’re royalty, after all.”

Some of Blue’s humor faded. “Used to be, but no longer.”

“I’m sorry,” she told him, sympathy etched on her face.

“It’s of no importance. At least I don’t have all of those boring council meetings anymore.”

They ate in companionable silence for a bit, or rather, everyone ate except Blue. The prince just pushed his spaghetti around, eating an occasional noodle to be polite. Zan knew, because he’d seen the act time and again.

“You don’t eat much.” Selene studied his plate.

He shrugged. “I don’t tolerate the food on this plane very well. But Melina may have finally figured out why.”

“Hey, that’s good news. Right?” Zan asked when Blue didn’t respond.

“Maybe. She says she thinks the problem is psychological. That it stems from me missing my family in the Seelie realm.”

“Like grief, or depression?” Zan frowned.

“I suppose so. Who knows?”

“If that’s the case, what can she do to help you? Give you medication?”

“Not without knowing how human drugs will affect me. Of course, the best medicine would be to find a way for me to visit my brothers, or for them to come here. Perhaps Kalen and I will be able to figure out how to open a portal like the one I was dumped through in the first place.”

That didn’t seem likely, though, a fact that was reflected on Blue’s sad face. Everyone hated seeing him down, especially Zan. He was a Healer, but he couldn’t fix broken hearts.

Another visitor came over. Seemed the group was finally letting curiosity and their natural warmth overcome their reservations.

“Hello, I’m Kira, Jax’s mate,” the petite blond said, holding out her hand.

Selene took it, and they shook. “I’m Zan’s surprise mate, Selene Westfall.”

“Oh, we’ve heard.” She smiled. “I just wanted to welcome you and let you know that some of us girls like to get together over a glass of wine occasionally, except for Mac, of course—she’s all about juice and milk these days. Anyway, we wondered if you’d like to come to our next gathering.”

Selene looked to Zan, and he nodded in encouragement. He realized she’d be hesitant. She didn’t know anyone here, so she had to wonder if the offer was sincere. Suddenly, he recalled that they should be able to use mind-speak now that they were mated, and he tried it out.

You can trust these women, Selene. They would never do anything to harm or humiliate you. Her face reflected surprise, and if he wasn’t mistaken, pleasure. Whether at the new form of communication or the information itself, he didn’t know.

You think so?

Yes, absolutely. If they’re inviting you into their circle, accept.

All right. I’ll trust your word.

She’d trust his word. He liked that, and so did his wolf.

“Thanks, I’d like to join you,” she said to Kira. Her smile didn’t quite reach her eyes, as she didn’t yet want to let down her guard, but she was making an effort.

Zan wondered if part of her had been starved for this sort of companionship with friends. Considering what she’d told him about her birth pack so far, he wouldn’t be surprised if folks just weren’t all that warm and fuzzy.

Kira returned to her table, and Zan saw her discreetly poke her mate in the ribs. He grunted, frowned, but then rose and made his way over to where they sat. Zan knew that accepting Selene would be harder for the men on the team than the women, because she’d tried to harm Nick. Jax’s gesture would go a long way toward swaying the rest of the guys. But it still stung a bit that he’d needed a push from Kira to hold out the olive branch.

“I’m Jaxon Law, Kira’s mate,” he told her.

“Jax is a Timebender and a PreCog,” Belial supplied helpfully. “Isn’t that cool? They can all do neat stuff. Aric can set shit on fire and he’s a Telekinetic, Ryon’s a Channeler who talks to dead people, Hammer is a Tracer, Kalen’s a Sorcerer and Necromancer, Micah’s a Dreamwalker, and then—”

“Belial,” Jax interrupted. He arched a brow, and the basilisk deflated.

“Oh. Sorry.”

With a sigh, Jax returned his attention to Selene. “Anyway, despite the rough start, I hope you’ll find a place here with Zan. He’s my best friend and a great guy, and you could do a lot worse than to be saddled with his ass.”

“Thanks, I think.” Zan scowled at him.

“You’re welcome.” With a nod at Selene, he returned to his table.

As Zan hoped, Jax’s gesture brought the rest of the guys and their mates around to say hello. Kalen, Mac, Ryon, and Daria she’d already met, but she was greeted by Rowan, Aric, Micah, Hammer, Nix, A.J. and Noah. After they’d gone, Belial continued to happily be a fountain of information.

“That’s everyone except Raven DeLuca,” he said, flipping his bangs from his face. “He’s stuck in wolf form and relegated to Block R, maybe forever.”

A light seemed to dawn on her face. “Is he the one who’s howling and snarling down there?”

“One and the same. He was a Navy SEAL in Zan’s unit. Right, Zan?”

“Yeah. After we were turned in Afghanistan, he shifted in the hospital and never returned to human form, the poor bastard. He’s pretty much out of his mind. It’s so bad, the doctors might not be able to let him go to the new building that’s almost finished for the residents who need special care. They’re trying to work it out.”

“That’s horrible!” she gasped. “Do they know why he’s stuck?”

Belial shook his head. “No. And it’s not like they haven’t tried to heal him. Even Zan’s had a shot at it, and nothing doing. That wolf is totally messed up in the head.”

Selene sat back in her chair and grew quiet for a few moments. Finally, she said, “Okay. Raven was turned during the fight with the rogue werewolves.”

“Yes,” Zan affirmed.

“And then he went to the hospital, where he was recovering, at least at first?”

“Correct.” She grew silent again. “What?”

“I know I’m just the newbie on the block, but would it be possible for me to see Raven?”

All of Zan’s protective instincts surged to the fore, and his reaction was swift. “Absolutely not.”

That earned him a dangerous look. “Want to try that again, in a different tone?”

Shit. “What I mean is, Raven is extremely unstable and very dangerous. As in, nobody can get close enough to him to even touch him. Sedatives don’t work on him, either. So he’s trapped in his misery, and six years of hell have made him mean. So I’d prefer that you stay far away from him.”

“But what if I can help?”

He blinked at her. “What light could you shed on his condition that nobody else has ever been able to?”

“Oh, ye of little faith,” she quipped. “Don’t forget, my clan is different from what you guys are used to.”

“So?”

“Did it ever occur to you that I may have seen something like this before?”

His heart sped up, and hope bloomed. “You can really help him?”

“I should clarify I don’t know if I can physically help him, but I might know what’s wrong with him. Give me a chance to meet him. If I’m right, the doctors will at least have a new avenue to pursue.”

“All right. Let’s talk to Mac and Melina, see what we can do.” Seriously? He didn’t want her anywhere near Raven, the poor lunatic. But if she really could give them a clue what was wrong with their fallen friend, he had to let her try.

Finishing their meal, they headed for Kira’s table, since she was in charge of rehab and the soon-to-be-opened building, Sanctuary. Selene quickly gave her the rundown of their conversation about Raven, and Kira got excited.

“Come on,” she said, jumping to her feet, meal forgotten. “Let’s go talk to Melina about this.”

Jax wasn’t about to let his mate go anywhere near Raven without him, either, so the four of them walked quickly to the infirmary. But the doc wasn’t easy to convince.

“No. I can’t take a chance with our own Pack getting near him, much less a newcomer.”

“Just a few moments?” Selene entreated. “The story Zan told me very much resembles something that happened to one of my own clan members a few years ago. If I’m right, it’ll give you a direction to help with his healing.”

The tiny doc was skeptical. “We’ve been studying him for six years and—”

“Without success. So, what will it hurt?”

“He’s dangerous.”

“Is he restrained?”

“Yes, but—”

“Five minutes. Please?”

“Dammit.” When Melina blew out a breath, they knew Selene had won. “Fine. Five minutes, though I don’t know what can be accomplished in that time.”

Rising, Melina moved from behind her desk and led them out of the infirmary. Down the corridor to Block R, the most barren place in the building. Zan was glad the new Sanctuary would be far more welcoming than this place. A better environment for the residents.

As soon as they went through the solid double doors to the block, the howling assaulted their ears. The mournful racket was soul-wrenching, and Zan hated it every time he came down here to speak to Raven, who never seemed to hear him. They reached the correct cell, and Melina typed a code into the box beside the door. It slid open, and she went in first.

Zan and the others followed her, keeping a respectful distance. The howling stopped, but the large black wolf in front of them began a low, ominous growl that rumbled in his chest like thunder.

“Hey there, beautiful,” Selene crooned, crouching. Making herself as nonthreatening as possible as the wolf continued to growl, head down. “Aren’t you a big, beautiful boy? Are you lonely in here? Of course you are. What if I told you that I understand? That we’ll do everything in our power to find her?”

At that, for the first time in Zan’s memory, Raven stopped growling. Completely. He looked at Selene, right in the eye.

And incredibly, he gave a soft whine.

“Holy shit,” Zan whispered. “That’s it.”

“What? What’s going on?” Melina demanded, her gaze bouncing between Zan, Selene, and Raven.

Still crouching, not taking her gaze off Raven, she said, “When a born wolf scents his mate, if he doesn’t claim her within a certain amount of time, he’ll sicken and die. I’m assuming it’s the same for turned shifters?”

“Yes, as far as we’ve been able to discern,” Melina said slowly. “And?”

“I’ve seen this before, with a member of our clan.” She stood, backed away from Raven carefully, and then faced the doctor. “Have you ever wondered what happens when the shifter can’t claim his mate but doesn’t die?”