There was a crack as something inside of me broke open.As my magic surged through me, I felt a jolt of surprise. It was... different. Where before it had been a cool, controlled stream—one that easily slipped through my fingers if I didn’t concentrate hard enough—it now coursed through my veins lik
CaiusA low growl rumbled deep within me as I caught the first hint of Anastasia’s intoxicating scent. Knight had been correct in his crude assessment of her. She smelled like a fucking candy shop. Buried beneath the rich notes of melted chocolate and cream were hints of something sharp and metallic
My lips twisted into a predatory grin, “Mine.”There was a long beat of silence as everything, even the forest itself, held its breath. Then I lunged, the distance closing between us rapidly. Beautiful, exquisite fear transformed her expression into something otherworldly. I was only able to glimpse
AnastasiaI did that! I fucking did that!Anastasia: 2Caius: 0I ran faster than I ever had before. The adrenaline was an atomic bomb, and I was still reeling from the aftereffects. Branches lashed at me left and right, but I couldn’t stop.Caius’s sinister chuckle split the quiet air, “Where are y
I sent a wild swing at his face, determined to get a blow in, but he grabbed my wrist as if it were nothing. Lashing out with the other ended in the same result. I arched my back, trying to break free from his hold. His grip only tightened. I snarled quietly at the ache of my wrist bones grinding to
AnastasiaHis thrusts started out smooth and forceful, a slow rhythm that left me with a building ache but quickly grew in pace. When he released my wrists, hiking my legs over his arms, I knew I was done for. I could have swung at him in that moment, or threw a handful of dirt in his face, but my b
The hand in my hair tightened until I was unable to move. He held me there, rutting into me, using my body for his own pleasure.“Come on my cock, Anastasia. I need to feel you.”Ecstasy rolled through me in waves that dragged me under again and again. Caius’s name spilled from my lips like a prayer
AnastasiaThe flickering lamplight cast long shadows across the office, deepening the veins along the marble of the hosts mask. He leaned forward, his eyes boring into me. They were the color of wet grass.I was intimately aware of the dried blood on my throat, and the fact that my scent was now hea
The healer arrived then, knocking softly on the door. I didn’t pay them any mind as they entered, or as they touched around my forehead with cold fingers. My mind was lost, replaying Caius’s words.Once the healer left, taking with them my throbbing headache, I took a slow, steady breath and looked
AnastasiaCaius’s jaw clenched, his eyes flashing dangerously. A crack of thunder sounded from outside. “I should have torn them apart,” he growled, his voice low and menacing.I shrugged, trying to maintain my nonchalant facade. Caius’s rage was like being swept away in a storm. “You didn’t know. B
I watched in utter bewilderment as his face slowly transformed into a grin.“You steal my shirt, interrupt my hangover, and now you’re making jokes?”At some point we must’ve made it to his office, because he nudged open the door and stepped inside all without jostling my coffee. The retort died in
AnastasiaI had done an excellent job of avoiding Caius all morning. Or so I thought.Once Evangeline went home, I froze time long enough to make a mad dash downstairs. The throbbing in my head was relentless. Every werewolf knew magic and alcohol did not mix, but most of us were too stubborn to lis
“I’m doing this because I’m a good person,” I announced, purely because I was becoming more and more intoxicated, and I needed to remind myself why I shouldn’t go through with Evangeline’s revenge plot. This felt like the simplest reason. “Hype me up before I do something I’ll regret, and we both kn
AnastasiaEvangeline’s eyes shimmered with mischief. “I have a fun fact for you. The Windsor family spent upwards of 1.4 million dollars in PR firms, cybersecurity experts, and legal teams. They staged a scrub that spanned the globe, Ana. That takes money and power. It’s like CIA level shit. I’m tal
“Blackwell adventures.” As we descended into laughter, neither of us commented on the undertone of sadness in our voices, or how it fell upon the room like a dark shroud.I leaned back against the headboard and searched through the snippets of my memory. “There was something else. At one point the h
Anastasia“I’m a coward, aren’t I?” I brought my knees up to my chest with a huff. The bruises peppered along my body had healed long ago, but still I felt the phantom ache, the incessant reminder, of what had happened between Caius and I in that forest.I swore it was the mark playing tricks on me,
“This entire thing is incredibly barbaric,” I whisper-hissed. “They didn’t let me clean myself, as I’m sure you and everyone else know.”Radiating an air of pure smugness, Caius leaned down and murmured in my ear. “Because I ordered them not to.”As if on cue, an upbeat melody drifted through the ai