7

As Sorin pulled into the parking lot of the small bar, all he could think was that Decebel and possibly Fane were going to skin him alive once they found out he'd let the three harpies talk him into taking them out. There weren't any clubs for the girls to go to, so they had helpfully suggested a bar.
Yeah, Sorin thought. I walked right into that one.
"This is going to be great." Jacque grinned as she opened the door and got out of the Hummer.
"I'm pretty sure I'll have a more positive attitude once I've been introduced to this wonderful friend called vodka I hear so much about in this country," Jen grumbled.
"Absolutely no drinking," Sorin announced.
All three girls stopped mid-stride and looked at Sorin, at each other, and then broke into laughter.
Sorin growled, which only caused them to laugh more. This was a bad idea, Sorin thought to himself as he pulled the door to the bar open. The dark interior was lit up briefly by the street light and sounds from inside filled the night as the girls walked in with Sorin bringing up the rear.
All three girls stopped and allowed their eyes to adjust to the darkness. Then Jen took the lead and headed directly for the bar. Sorin picked up his pace and met her there at the same time.
"Hey, Costin," Sorin addressed the bartender who was also a member of the pack. " Nu alcool pentru art.hot. trei musketeers. (No alcohol for the three musketeers)"
Jen turned to Sorin. She raised an eyebrow and grinned wickedly. Sorin swallowed, not liking the look in the she-wolf's – no matter how dormant she was – eyes.
Jen looked back at Costin and smiled warmly. "Hey, Costin. I've seen you around the mansion but I don't think we've been formally introduced. I'm Jen, and these are my two best friends, Jacque and Sally." The girls smiled and waved at him.
Costin winked at them, causing them to blush. That wink was all the encouragement Jen needed. She leaned closer over the bar and batted her eyes at the young wolf. "So, we've been wanting a night out to, ya know, relax. Surely you can help a girl out?"
Costin smiled widely, then looked at Sorin who was dutifully trying to stare the wolf into submission. Much to Jen's amusement Costin winked at Sorin.
"I don't think one small drink will hurt anything, Sorin."
“We are eighteen, after all,” Jen helped.
Sally raised her hand, "Well I'm no- "
Jen slapped her hand down before she could finish. "Sally's older and hates being lumped in with us younger women," she covered while glaring at Sally, daring her to contradict her.
Sally looked at Jacque, who simply shrugged her shoulders.
Jen turned back to Costin, again smiling. " Unul deget mic a bea apoi atunci, dragoste? (One little drink then, love?)" she asked in nearly flawless Romanian.
Sorin was shocked into silence, as were Sally and Jacque. Costin recovered the quickest and poured three shots of vodka. He turned and looked at Sorin.
"Tu ai luat al tău chipeş plin, frate. (You have your hands full, brother.)," Costin told him with a grin.
As each of the girls picked up a shot glass, they clinked them with each other's.
"Here's to hot Romanian wolves." Jen winked at the bartender, then downed the drink. All three girls coughed as the vodka burned their throats.
Costin chuckled. "It gets easier with each glass," he told her as he poured them all another.
Sorin growled in frustration. "Bloody hell, you better give me one of those. When Fane and Decebel skin me I want to be sedated a little."
Costin chuckled again. "It'll be okay, old man. They just want to have a little fun, and they're safe. Everyone here knows that she, " he nodded in Jacque's direction, "is the Prince's mate. No one will mess with them."
"It's not anyone messing with them that I'm worried about, Costin."
Costin watched as Jen hooked her iPhone up to the speakers of his stereo on the side of the bar. She cranked up the volume. As the music poured out, she began to dance around the room. He watched as her body swayed in perfect rhythm with the beat, all those in the room mesmerized by the blonde beauty.
Costin looked back at Sorin. "You're going to need another one of these," he told him as he poured another shot. Then he poured himself one as all three girls began dancing around the room, picking different men to dance with.
Sorin watched the girls closely. Although Costin was correct in that all the bar patrons knew who these girls were and none would dare try anything, he was still going to catch hell.

An hour and a half later Sorin watched in absolute horror as Jen danced on the bar to some song about aliens.
Sally laughed and clapped. "That's her theme song," she shouted over the noise.
"What?" Jacque shouted back.
"Remember how I told you about her getting drunk with that nurse in the hospital so that I could come see you in the ICU?" Sally asked.
"Yeah, what's up with that? Was that really necessary?"
"Okay, I will admit it wasn't our best plan, but that's not the point." Sally waved her off. "What I'm trying to explain is that after Jen's little escapade, I found her in the shower of the hospital room, singing at the top of her little inebriated lungs this Katy Perry song, only she replaced most of the words with werewolf terms. It was freaking hilarious. The best part?" She paused, eyebrows raised. "Decebel heard her!"
"Shut up!" Jacque slapped her friend on the arm.
"Didn't I tell you that part?" Sally asked.
"Um, no. I think I would remember that. I remember you telling me she walked out of the bathroom naked and you had to give Decebel a heads up."
"Oh, man. Now that was priceless. I don't know what he was saying but he was freaking out." Sally's words wound down as she let out a small sigh. "Man, good times."
Both girls watched as Jen got her groove on. Guys all around the bar cheered her on. No one touched her, especially with Sorin glaring daggers. Costin would hand Jen a shot glass every now and then, but she was so gone at that point that she didn’t even realize he was just giving her Sprite.
Sally's head jerked up when she heard Jacque swear.
"What? What's wrong?" Sally asked, concerned as she watched panic fill Jacque's eyes.
"He's on his way."
Jacque and Sally both turned to look at Jen who was now cat crawling across the bar, her perilously low-cut top threatening to give up all its secrets.
Jacque's head snapped around as she felt her mate's power fill the room, and just behind him was a very large, very pissed off Decebel. Jacque looked back at Jen. Crap, she thought. He walked in just as one of the drunk patrons got brave enough to stick a five-dollar bill in the back pocket of her jeans. To his credit, he did it so carefully that his hand never made contact with her body. Pretty impressive, Jacque thought. She was abruptly pulled from her thoughts when the loud room was suddenly plunged into silence. Well, except for one drunk, singing Jennifer Adams. At this point she had busted out into "It Girl" by Jason Derulo.
"Oh, brother. Here we go," Sally muttered under her breath.
"You can be my it girl, baby you’re the sh- " Decebel stepped directly in front of Jen, effectively pushing the other males out of the way and cutting her off before she could continue.
Jen looked around, realizing for the first time that the music had stopped. She looked back at Decebel, then over at her two friends. A big grin spread across her face when she saw Sally and Jacque.
"Heeeeeyyy!" She waved like she hadn't seen them all night. Decebel grabbed her hand.
"Jennifer, it's time to go. Now." Decebel waited for her to start climbing off the bar. When she just stared at him, he let out a low growl.
"Jennifer, don't push me right now. Let's go."
"I'm not ready to go," she said simply as she twisted her wrist out of his grasp. "Besides, Cos here has another drink for me don't ya, îndrăgostit băiat (lover boy)?" Jen giggled as Costin's eyes got big. He stepped away from the bar when Decebel's glowing eyes fell on him.
Costin held his hands up. "Beta, I've been giving her Sprite for a while now," he tried to reason.
Decebel growled but turned back to Sally and Jacque. "When in the bloody hell did she learn Romanian?"
Sally and Jacque shrugged.
"She was doing that whole Romanian thing when we first got here. Your guess is as good as ours," Sally told him.
"She is standing," Jen started as she hopped off the bar, stumbling into a werewolf who had the unfortunate fate of standing too close to the drunk girl, "right here." She stumbled again. "I mean, here. She, I, am standing right here."
Decebel pulled her away from the wolf she had stumbled into. "Yeah, we can all see how well you are standing right there."
Jen's head snapped up at his words.
"Ouch," Jacque muttered.
"Hmm, not a good choice," Sally whispered.
Fane growled at his mate and her friend. "Would you two quit pushing him?" He spoke just as softly as they had.
Jen pushing away from Decebel brought the attention back to them.
"What is that supposed to mean, you, you, mean -" Jen growled low as she struggled to think through the fog of alcohol. "Stupid wolf," she finished.
Decebel took a step closer to her. "Stupid wolf? Really, babe, that all you got?"
Jen glared at him, the frustration of the past two months building up in her alcohol-induced thoughts.
"Oh dear, we are in trouble," Jacque murmured under her breath.
"Ooo, nice Harry Potter reference. I like," Sally whispered back with a grin and a fist bump.
Jen looked away from Decebel. Her eyes scanned the area around her until they fell on what they searched for. She smiled sweetly as she gingerly stepped around Decebel, who watched her with wary eyes. Jen reached across the bar and snagged the soda gun next to Costin, who was trying really hard to look invisible.
"Jennifer," Decebel warned.
"Oh, Decy, what are you worried about? Could it be that you're scared that a little ol' dormant me could kick your bossy, grumpy, growly, fine ass?" She pointed the nozzle at him.
"This is not gonna end well." Sally cringed.
Jacque nodded her head in mute agreement.
"Jennifer," Decebel growled her name as he tried to grab the soda gun from her hand. "Don't embarrass yourself. Let's just call it a night."
Jen was trying to figure out where the trigger was, but slowly, dangerously looked up at his words. "Embarrass myself? Are you kidding me?" She threw the soda gun on the bar and turned to her two best friends. "I'm out. You two coming?"
Without waiting, Jen headed for the exit. Despite the alcohol in her system she was fuming, and truth be told, the alcohol was probably not helping contain her temper.
She could feel Decebel's eyes on her as she walked away from him and knew the confrontation wasn't over. No, he definitely had more to say to her, but he wasn't the only one that had words to turn loose. She smiled to herself. If Decebel wants to dance, she thought, then I'll dance. We'll just see if he knows the steps and can keep up.
Once out in the parking lot Jen turned back towards the door, arms folded across her chest, ready for battle.
Decebel came storming out of the bar with Sorin, Jacque, Sally, and Fane trailing behind him. He walked right up to her, their bodies only a breath apart.
"What the hell were you thinking? Dancing on a bar, drinking with a bunch of men?" As if he suddenly remembered his part in it, Decebel turned on Sorin, who took an automatic step back. "And what were you thinking bringing them here?"
"They wanted a night out. Nothing happened, Decebel. Everyone knows who they are and to whom they belong," Sorin tried to pacify the fuming wolf.
"Would you get a freaking grip, man?" Jen ground out. "It's not like I was stripping or letting any of those fur balls touch me, so I don't know what your problem is."
"My problem? " Decebel glared daggers at Jen. "My problem is you are seventeen."
"Eighteen," Jen, Sally, and Jacque all said at the same time.
Decebel looked at the other two girls, who both suddenly became very interested in the gravel on the ground.
"Whatever," Decebel continued. "You're too damn young to be in a bar drinking, throwing yourself around like -"
Jen slammed her hand into his chest, cutting his words off. "You had better think really hard about what's about to come out of your mouth, flea bag, because you can't un-say it and I won't forget it," she warned him.
Decebel's lips pressed together, his eyes narrowing. "Let's just go. We can finish this conversation later." Decebel proceeded to take Jen's arm to lead her towards the vehicle he and Fane had arrived in. She jerked her arm away and followed Sally and Jacque to Sorin's Hummer.
She turned towards Decebel, continuing to walk backwards. "You have to earn the privilege of my company. And just a tip – being an overbearing, egotistical, doom and gloom, party crashing butt head isn't exactly the way to get her in your ride. So, there's your creative insult Dec, stick that in your pipe and smoke it!" With that she turned back and continued on to the vehicle, climbing in without another backward glance.
When Decebel took a step in her direction, Fane grabbed his arm to stop him. "Just let it go, Dec. You both need to calm down. You can talk to her once you get to the house."
Decebel didn't comment but continued to glare at the car Jen had just climbed into, which was now driving away.

"The NERVE!" Jen yelled in frustration as she climbed out of the Hummer with Sally and Jacque right behind her. "He completely ruined my buzz."
Sally rolled her eyes. "Well, by all means, skin the pelt off the wolf for daring to mess with your buzz."
Jen flipped Sally off. "That's not the point. The point is that he thinks, for some reason, that he has the right to tell me what to do."
The girls headed up the stairs towards Jen's room.
Once behind her door, she threw herself on her bed and stared up at the ceiling.
"Are you okay?" Jacque asked with true concern in her voice.
"I'm just confused and all this vodka sloshing around in my brain is not helping matters."
"The vodka will do it every time," Sally put in. "Messes with the brain waves and whatnot."
Jacque looked at Sally. “What the crap are you talking about?"
Sally shrugged. "I'm just saying."
Jen laughed. "That's my line, Thelma."
"My bad, Louise. I was just going with the moment," Sally joked.
Jacque sat down on the bed next to Jen. "I really think you need to talk to him. Be blunt. I mean, we both know you struggle with being blunt but you could give it a go."
Sally and Jen laughed at Jacque's sarcasm.
"I just don't know where it's going to get us," Jen said in exasperation.
"By the way..." Sally looked at Jen, crossing her arms across her chest. "When and where did you learn to speak Romanian exactly?"
"Yeah," Jacque added indignantly.
Jen laughed. "I got on the internet and picked out a few phrases that I knew, if I used at the right time, would get under Decebel's skin." Jen continued to grin. "Worked like a charm. Did ya’ll see his face?"
"What did you say?"
"When I spoke to Costin the first time – by the way, did ya’ll notice how drool worthy he is? Okay, not the point. Anyways, I said 'one little drink then, love?'"
Sally and Jacque both laughed.
"The second time I spoke to Costin," Jen continued, "I called him lover boy."
"Huh, no wonder Decebel blew a gasket," Sally voiced.
"So, did you learn anymore?"
"Oh yeah, but I'm saving them. It's got to be just the right moment and when he least expects it," Jen explained.
Jacque leaned her head down to her hands and rubbed her face, chuckling. “I swear, Jen, I can't decide if you're a genius or a psycho."
"I admit it's a fine line," Jen said matter-of-factly, "and I'll be the first to confess that on any given day my toe grazes one side or the other."
All three laughed just as there was a knock at her door. They froze, looking at each other, then watched as the door opened.
"Are you freaking kidding me?" Jen muttered under her breath. "Knock, wait, be invited in – it's really a simple concept. But does the pissy werewolf get it? Noooo, of course not. That would be too damn polite."
Decebel stepped in. His eyes landed on Jen and his large body seemed to cause the room to shrink. Jacque stood and started to walk away from the bed. Jen grabbed her hand, pleading with her eyes for Jacque to stay. Jacque shook her head and pulled her hand free.
"Talk to him," she mouthed to Jen.
As Sally and Jacque headed out of her room, Jen muttered under her breath, "Traitors."
Jen heard the click of the door as it closed, an ominous sound that caused goosebumps to cover her arms. She continued to lie back on her bed, but after several minutes of silence she finally sat up.
Jen looked at the wolf standing across her room. He had propped himself up against the wall, arms folded across his chest. The classic Decebel pose, she thought to herself with a mental chuckle.
Neither spoke as they both continued to stare at one another. Jen met his gaze head on but eventually allowed her eyes to wander. She would never get tired of looking at him. His dark hair was cut short on the sides, and longer on top, sweeping gently across his forehead. His warm amber eyes she swore could stare a hole in a person. He had a straight, tapered nose and full lips. His face was chiseled and smooth, as if carved from stone. He was handsome – very handsome.
She wasn't sure how tall he was but he matched Fane in height and Jen remembered Jacque saying Fane was 6'4". His broad shoulders filled out the snug, white t-shirt he wore. His skin tone was a warm golden tan, a color that would take Jen weeks of laying out in the sun to achieve. He had a narrow waist and long, powerful looking legs.
Decebel cleared his throat, causing Jen's head to snap back up to his face. He looked smug, which only served to tick Jen off more.
"What do you want, Decebel?" she asked, and was pleased that her voice sounded so steady when she felt anything but.
Decebel continued to stare at Jennifer, emotions swirling inside him that he couldn't seem to get a grasp on.
"I -" he started, but seemed to be confused about what to say. "You can't go around dancing on bars and downing vodka like it's water."
Jen stood up, arms stiff by her side. "Says who? You? Well, here's a news flash: you aren't my dad, you aren't my brother, and YOU AREN'T MY KEEPER." Jen's voice got louder as her anger flared.
"I'M YOUR M- " Decebel roared, pushing himself from the wall. But he caught himself before he finished his sentence, nearly biting his tongue in the process. His breathing had increased, he was shocked at the words that nearly flew from his lips.
He didn't understand where it had come from but it felt true, right. These thoughts sped through his mind in a matter of seconds. He continued to glare at her and spoke again, no longer yelling, but his words were firm. They were law. "I'm your Beta, and as such, you do take orders from me and you will follow them." Decebel cocked his head to the side, suddenly remembering something. "And where in the world did you learn Romanian?"
Jen grinned at that. "The internet is a wonderful place to learn new things, Beta. It would be a great place for you to learn a thing or two."
Decebel took a step towards her. "I have a feeling I'm quite a bit ahead of you in the education department of most areas." His eyes sparkled wickedly.
"Oh, my furry little friend, you would be surprised at what I know," Jen said, matching his suggestive tone word for word, syllable for syllable.
Decebel narrowed his eyes at her. "What is that supposed to mean?"
Jen shrugged as she turned her back on him, having learned from their lessons on pack etiquette it was a huge slap in the face to a dominant wolf. She heard Decebel growl and take a step towards her. My Beta, my ass, she thought as she continued to ignore the wolf stalking her.
She could feel his nearness and knew that if she took one step back, she would bump against his body. A delicious thought, but she cut that off abruptly as she reminded herself that he was on her shit list at the moment, and he possibly had found himself a permanent reservation on it.
"Whether you believe it or not," Decebel's mouth was close enough to her ear that she felt the warm air from his breath cross her skin and it caused a shiver, "it's for your safety that I set such rules."
"You aren't my Alpha. Vasile knew where we were going and he had no problem with it." Jen's voice was low but no less potent than his.
"That may be, but once your behavior puts your safety in jeopardy, I have every right to order it to cease immediately."
Jen could feel her blood begin to heat, her face flushed. "My behavior?" she gritted through her clenched teeth. "I'm not a kid, Decebel. I don't need your orders."
"You are a member of this pack. You will follow orders whether you like it or not, for the safety of the pack as well as yourself. You need to get used to it, Jennifer." Decebel placed his hands on her shoulders and gently turned her around. Placing two fingers under her chin, he raised her face to look up at him.
Decebel clenched his jaw and briefly closed his eyes as he saw the unshed tears in her eyes.
"I didn't mean to hurt you, Jennifer."
"Don't flatter yourself, Beta. I'm not tearing up 'cause I’m hurt. I'm pissed." Jennifer didn’t take her eyes from Decebel's as she fumed, "You could really use a lesson in people skills. Add those to your puppy classes and learning to knock and not barge in, and that should keep you busy enough that you won't have time to worry about my extracurricular activities."
Decebel's lips turned up in a slight grin and once more his eyes twinkled wickedly. Jen did not like the thought that was obviously skimming his brain.
"Since you are so hell bent on me learning manners, perhaps you should be my teacher." Decebel took a step back and continued to watch her with a mischievous grin.
Jen couldn't help her own small smile in response to him. So, sue her, he was adorable when he smiled like that. "In your dreams, Beta."
"Perhaps," he said softly. As he turned to leave, Jen heard him say under his breath, "Goodness knows I can't get other dreams about you out of my head."
Jen flushed at his words but thought surely, she had heard him wrong. He turned back to her before he pulled the door closed. "I hope you enjoyed your little escapade tonight, Jennifer, because on future occurrences I will accompany you." His words were unbending. "In fact, if you leave the mansion for any reason, I will be your escort." Decebel winked at her, shutting the door just before a hairbrush flew across the room and smashed against it loudly. Jen's loud words followed the noise.
"The only place you'll be escorting me is to the vet so you can have the foot I'm going to shove up your behind removed!"