She rolled her eyes. First Sariel and now the vampire prince. “Nothing, sweetie. You’re my main man—you know that.”
“Your only man.”
“That’s right.” She made kissy faces at him, and he laughed.
Her mate lapsed into thoughtful silence, plucking at the grass. Why did Micah keep checking his phone? Finally, he said, “Can you wait right here? I’ve got something I have to do.”
“What?” she pouted. “Right now? We’re enjoying this nice day together.”
“Yes, we are. But I promise I’ll be right back. I have, um, sort of a surprise for you.”
She brightened. “Oh! Well, in that case, carry on. We like surprises. Especially if they’re chocolate.”
His brown eyes sparkled with happiness. “Oh, this is better than chocolate, I assure you.”
“If you say so.”
Sitting on their picnic blanket under the trees, she watched him disappear into the crowd. For a time, she simply let contentment wash over her. She’d lost so much in her life, but she’d gained this new family. These people, the Pack, were wonderful. In spite of the rough start and history with Jax, they’d accepted her. They’d saved her life, in more ways than one.
“Jacee?”
She thought, at first, that the woman’s voice was a figment of her imagination. That she’d conjured the ghost because of her thoughts, and somehow her sister was here to watch over her in spirit. But then she looked up.
And if she hadn’t been sitting, she would’ve fallen. Passed out.
Jacee couldn’t breathe. The young woman in front of her was a pale vision of beauty. Too thin, almost as if a strong wind would blow her away. But she was real, long chestnut hair blowing gently around her face, wearing jeans and a pink blouse.
Slowly, shaking, Jacee stood, hand going over her pounding heart. “Faith?”
The woman nodded, crystal eyes flooding with tears. She tried to smile, but her face crumpled. “I’ve missed you so.”
And then they were in each other’s arms, hugging and bawling, barely aware of the attention they were attracting. Jacee didn’t care. “This is a miracle. A miracle.”
“Yes.”
Jacee repeated it, over and over. Cried her heart out, for all the loneliness and pain they’d suffered apart. When they managed to pull themselves together, Jacee took her sister’s hand and urged her to sit on the blanket with her.
“I can’t stop looking at you,” she breathed, staring at Faith. “Where have you been?”
“Like I told Micah, the Hunters took me that night.”
“Wait. You told Micah?”
“Don’t be angry with him,” her sister urged. “That night he came in so badly hurt, he saw me in Sanctuary, where I’ve been staying. He was so out of it, and he thought I was you.”
“Oh, my God.”
“Yeah, I guess it was fate, because it led him to find me and bring us back together.”
“But that was days ago. Why didn’t he tell me? Or why didn’t you come see me?”
That hurt.
“Please, don’t be upset.” Faith gazed at her, earnest. “I asked him to give me a little more time. I’ve been through a lot, and I was afraid . . . you’d be ashamed of me.”
“Never, honey,” Jacee said firmly, wiping her sister’s face clean of tears. “Nothing that’s happened since the night we were torn from each other has been our fault. What happened when you were taken by the Hunters?”
“They told me you were dead, and then they used me. Forced me into service for them as a prostitute.”