The Warlock Queen: Book 13 of the Grey Wolves Series

be exceptions to that, especially if they use their combined power,” she explained. “I’ll talk to Thadrick about seeing if we can get some djinn power to add to our own.”
“We would appreciate it,” Fane said. “Now I think it’s time we call it a night.”
There were tired nods throughout the room. Fane watched as the girls hugged one another. There were more tears, though they quickly wiped them away.
When everyone else had left the office, only  Fane, Jacquelyn, and Slate remained. The room suddenly felt as if it was closing in on the new alpha. His mate sensed it, and she quickly tucked her arm in his and pulled him toward the door.
“Let’s get our little man down, and then I could use a shower,” she said as she opened the door.
Fane felt as if he was moving in a drug-induced stupor. By the time they made it to their suite, he couldn’t even remember walking there. Jacquelyn took Slate from his arms and went into the nursery, where Fane watched her tuck Slate in and turn on the small fan to create a gentle hum.
When she returned to the main living area, Fane still stood there, unsure of what to do with himself.
“Why am I able to act like a functioning wolf when I’m in front of our pack, but the moment I am alone, I’m like a broken robot?” he asked her as she undressed him.
“Because out there”—she motioned to the door—“that’s who they need you to be. But with me, you can be vulnerable.”
Once he was naked, she pulled him toward their room and their bathroom. She quickly undressed, and it said something about where his emotions were that he wasn’t pouncing on her. It feels like an eternity since we’ve made love to him, he thought, which of course she heard through their bond.
“There’s plenty of time for that,” his mate said with a coy smile.
His wolf perked up as he thought, Is there, though? How much time do we really have left in this life, his beast asked. How many more times will we have to love our female?
Fane’s eyes roamed over his mate’s lovely form. Her soft skin called to him, and her scent suddenly filled the small space. A different, yet familiar ache arose within him, temporarily putting aside his grief and concern over what was to come.
She turned on the water and checked the temperature as he stepped up behind her. Fane rested his hands on her hips and then ran them around her to her stomach. He felt the goosebumps rise on her skin as she shivered.
He leaned down until his lips were next to her ear. “I need you,” he said, his voice thick with the sound of his wolf.
Jacquelyn leaned back into him, the flesh of her back touching his chest only making him want to be closer to her. He turned her and reached down, placing his hands under her thighs and then lifted her, making her wrap her legs around his waist.
She stared into his eyes and the love, devotion, and need that he saw there broke his control. The moment she felt it through their bond, she leaned her head back, exposing her throat. Fane lunged forward and let his teeth sink into the bite mark she would forever bear, marking her as his mate.
He stepped into the shower and pressed her against the tile wall. Fane let go of everything he’d been focusing on and gave his mate his full attention. And he greedily asked for her full attention in return. She didn’t disappoint.
“I love you,” she whispered as he finally released her neck and tilted his head to the side, inviting her to remark him. Fane placed his hand on the back of her head, pushing her face toward his neck, needing to feel her possessive bite.
As her teeth sank into him, he pulled her tighter against him. “You are my everything.”
Sally tucked Titus into bed and pressed a kiss to his forehead. “Please give him pleasant dreams,” she prayed to the Great Luna. “He deserves them.” She closed the door behind her, leaving a small gap to allow a sliver of light to penetrate the darkness of his room.
When she entered her bedroom, Sally found her mate laying shirtless on their bed, his arms behind his head as he stared up at the ceiling. Her mind drifted back to a different time when she’d found this male on her bed shirtless, and she couldn’t help but smile at the memory. It was the first time they’d ever slept in the same bed, and all they had done was sleep … sort of. She grumbled as she remembered some of the mental thoughts he’d shared with her, including the comments he’d made about her chest.
“It still stands true, Sally-mine,” he said as he picked up on her thoughts. “There is a shortage of perfect breasts in the world. It would be a pity to damage yours,” he said with a wicked grin.
“We were not yet mated. Just because you wrapped your comments into a movie quote doesn’t justify them.” She scolded him with a glare she knew was completely ineffectual.
“It’s a classic and so is the line.” Costin shrugged. “Not to mention it makes you blush anytime I say breasts, especially regarding yours. It’s a win-win for me.”
Sally rolled her eyes, and her cheeks heated because she knew he was right. Even after all this time, and all the intimacy between them, he still embarrassed her with his suggestive words.
“It’s endearing, brow—” he began but stopped himself.
Sally flinched and then ground her teeth. The Order had taken something that had once been so precious to her. Costin’s nicknames for her were like verbal caresses against her skin. They were special and only for her. She didn’t want him to have to censor himself because of… she pushed the thought from her mind. The memories of Jericho were still there, and it