Ella “NO!” I scream, but the word is transferred instantly to a roar as I transition into my wolf, my bones and body shifting in a flash. It hurts – less than it did the first time, of course – but I barely notice it because I shake myself out of my captor’s hands and am halfway across the room a
But it’s a waste of breath. I coil my limbs and leap for him, my paws hitting him in the chest first and slamming him back into the wall moments before I sink my teeth into his neck, ripping out his throat. The man falls gurgling to the floor with me on top of him, growling down into his face as
Ella “We have to go,” Sinclair commands, looking at his brother and then at me, both of our eyes trained on him. “To one of the bunkers. Where we’re better prepared for a siege, if need be.” I don’t know what he means – not entirely – but I just give my mate a single nod, agreeing to his plan, t
We’re done packing in only a few minutes and head for the bedroom door – which I suddenly realize is shattered off its hinges. “Do we need anything else?” Sinclair asks, passing through and not even looking at the splintered remains of our entry. “Probably,” I shrug, following close behind him.
Cora picks up the third call and I narrow my eyes at her even though she can’t see me. I can tell she was screening my calls and only picked up because I’d never, ever triple-call her unless something had happened. “Ella?” I hear her worried voice say, “what’s wrong?” “Where are you, Cora,” I de
The driver pulls us into the next free space and Sinclair and I quickly unbuckle our seatbelts and prepare to get out of the car. The other car pulls up next to us and I see Sinclair’s men likewise on the move. “Is it all underground?” I ask, looking around. “Most of it,” Sinclair replies, “for
Sinclair I know the moment that Roger arrives at the bunker because he’s loud as hell, making sure that we all hear him pounding through the metal hallways. I wince a little, groaning and reminding myself that though metal is secure, it is loud. Roger’s angry footsteps pound down the hallway tow
“What’s wrong?” I ask, suddenly knowing that something is truly, deeply wrong – as if I didn’t know it already, from her absence the past five days, her unwillingness to return Roger’s calls. “What’s wrong with me,” Cora gasps, bringing her hand to her face as she studies me. “Ella – you’re covere
He shakes his head at me as tears fill his own eyes and he leans forward, pulling me against him while somehow miraculously managing not to crush our children between us as he holds me tight in his arms. “So, I guess it wouldn’t matter,” he murmurs against my hair as I sniff back my tears and nod.
“Even more than the kids!?” I gasp, my mouth falling open a bit. “I mean, the kids,” he says, shrugging as if they’re not much, which makes me laugh. But then he goes a little rigid as he realizes something, raising his eyes to glare at me a bit. “Wait, are you saying you like the kids more than m
Ella “Nope,” Sinclair says, heaving himself out of bed and grabbing his phone off the bedside table as he does. “I can’t live like this, Ella – I’m calling Roger, I’ve got to know –“ “Dominic!” I say, laughing and grabbing for him, trying to catch the edge of his pajamas and failing because I’v
She laughs and I look first at Sinclair, who shrugs, and then back at my sister. “Come on,” Roger says, nodding at the crowds of people waiting to congratulate us and at the small table of refreshments. “Let’s decide this over some champagne.” Sinclair nods at me and I sigh, moving with my famil
The last image, though, lingers. Ariel, with Rafe and Jesse on either side – as they always are – and her two mates behind her. All standing together on a battlefield with Ariel at the center, magic welling between her hands and passing to her brother, to her cousin. Their faces are serious as t
Cora The images of Ariel’s future come in quick flashes, and somehow I get the impression that the Goddess is eager to share these glimpses of her life. The ones that come first are what I sort of expected, especially after seeing some images of Rafe’s childhood and hearing about the ones that
“We are not,” Cora scoffs, gently taking Ariel into her arms as Sinclair and I laugh. Roger grins, leaning forward to kiss me on the cheek before passing Jesse to me. “You know I’m kidding, right, Ells?” he whispers. I smile at my brother-in-law and gently pat his cheek. “When in doubt, Roger,”
Ella Three weeks later – Ariel was born under a waning quarter moon, not a new moon like her brother and her cousin – I stand anxiously in the woods, my little girl held tight in my arms. “I’m sensing some anxiety,” Cora says, grinning at me with a little too much glee as she comes up to my sid
“Oh my god,” I say, the words spilling out of my mouth. “Oh my god,” I sit up straight, staring at Henry, my eyes flicking to his legs – because honestly, I don’t even notice his chair anymore, or think of him at all as someone whose abilities are hindered. Or of me as someone who is able to do an