It was the early hours of the morning when they finally made it home. Katie raised her nose, sniffing the air to see if he was there. Devlin—the only thing on her mind for the past couple of hours.
They shifted back into their human forms to walk the last few meters toward the front door.
The inhabitants barely stirred as Theon twisted the key in the lock and banged the door into the wall. Katie followed as he yanked the princess by her hair and threw her into the living room. She fell into the sleeping pack, all curled up and snoring in a neat pile between the two sofas.
Scanning the group, she saw Devlin's hair and had to fight back the jealousy as she recognised the lap his head was nestled into. Her best friend in the world.
'Quit being a paranoid freak,' she told herself, running a shaky hand through her hair. They had probably shifted and moved while sleeping. T
Jade, hearing her brother's voice, shot from the house without bothering to check her state of dress or put shoes on. "What?" she asked him. "What's going on?" she followed up without waiting for a reply."Every vampire from every Clan is circling the village as we speak. They want revenge, Jade. On all of us."Jade turned to Theon. He was a monster, yes, but could he take on an entire race?His face, as always, was impossible to read. As Jade waited, listening to the wind whispering through the trees, a thought occurred. 'It's too quiet.'Even if they walked at a ninja's pace, skulking between the trees, her advanced hearing would pick up something. Animals, having even greater instinct, would be scarpering in great numbers if what Jason said were true. As sneaky as the vamps were, there was no way to quieten the wildlife in those woods."Someone's coming," Theon whispered. He frowned deeply, causing the line across the bridge of his nose to wrinkle and fold. It wasn't an express
"How could I not know?" Theon asked. He stared at the floor, his dangly hair covering his face.Katie breathed deeply, trying to summon up words of comfort, but they wouldn't form. A cold breeze pushed a flurry of dried leaves past their feet and into the now-empty house. It was so quiet. Only Jade, Katie, Jason and Theon remained. They weren't exactly the A team, but things could have been worse. Three of them were Alphas--and one an oversized mutation. Katie knew she was the only weak link. "Haley?" Katie uttered, suddenly realising her friend had vanished with the others. "S--she was here. She was just here. They must have kidnapped her."Theon's arm draped over her shoulder. "She's with him now. His scent was all over her. I'm sorry, Cuz." He nuzzled her head with his, and for a moment his support kept her together. Then the tears began. Haley had been her best friend from birth. No male would ever come between them... they had a pack to stipulate as much."We can take 'em,"
'Theon Kilgrayne.''An alpha with a unique skillset and immunity to a vampire's powers—feared by his enemies and valued by his pack. A merciless killer. A natural leader. And... my cousin.'As Katie peered through the slats of his wardrobe, she wished she had been born into another family. Any other family would do. Being the cousin of the strongest, most vicious Alpha in the pack might sound like an advantage, but she knew the truth. At eighteen years old, not only was she a mateless virgin, but she'd yet to even kiss a boy. Or a girl, for that matter.Despite being considered the most beautiful Omega her peers had seen in decades--according to her friends at least—she had never dated. She'd watched her friends pair off and dreamed of being in love—of forming that special bond with her mate. The problem was—none of her potential mating partners would dare so much as look at her.
Katie paused for a moment, lost in her thoughts, before dashing to answer the doorbell.She pulled the door with so much force the knocker rebounded and made her best friend yelp in surprise."What's gotten into you?" Haley cried with a frown. "Calm down your biceps, Super Girl.""Sorry... I had too much coffee," Katie admitted. She'd drank an entire pot while waiting for the boys to arrive—a decision she'd regretted once trapped inside the closet without a toilet. "In fact... I need a wee. Be right back!"After speeding to the toilet, she returned to find Haley in the kitchen fixing herself a drink. The smell of cheap instant coffee filled her nose.Haley turned and looked up sheepishly as Katie entered. "You said coffee so...""So you had to have coffee," she finished with a smile. "It's okay. You can make yourself at home here."
"How could this happen?!" The veins in her father's neck stood out as he swept the breakfast dishes from the table with his thick forearm.Jade blinked away droplets of milk from her eyelashes, frozen in horror as a waterfall of plates, cereal, and glasses crashed to the floor."I, uh, I d—don't—" Jason stammered, shaking his head. He reminded Jade of one of those rickety old ventriloquist dummies as his teeth chattered, struggling to explain something he couldn't have foreseen.'But you foresaw it, didn't you?'Jades’ conscience whispered.'You saw it coming and you never said a word.'Jade hung her head.'Because I'm to blame for this,' she concluded."You won't be able to beat him," her father was saying, pacing through the shards of broken china. "That boy is a monster. Even if we fought him four on o
Jade's mind raced, filling with questions that had no answers. Why would he want her as a mate? Was he simply teasing her? Would he really let her brother live?What would it be like... to be his mate?Her eyes ran over his form, taking in his shape. He was tall and solidly built—muscular with long limbs. And it wasn't just his human form that was oversized—his wolf was immense. A monster among monsters.What would it be like to mate with him?The thought brought a blush to her cheeks. She pictured him naked, pressing against her, his sharp teeth and hot breath bearing down on her neck."Well?" he pressed. "Do we have a deal or not?"Without thinking any further, Jade nodded. She would do anything to save her brother, but in that instant, it wasn't saving Jason that spurred her to action.'Do I want to be
The group were deathly quiet as they walked home, but it wasn't an ordinary silence. It felt almost as if there was a weight to it. Or some other tangible element. Even the birds and squirrels were keeping their distance.Theon had remained behind with the elder members of the council. Katie figured he was either going to lay down the law or transform and eat them. He wasn't one to be bossed about by people with what he called 'borrowed power.' His power was real; backed up by teeth and claws. He would not give an inch to anyone weaker than himself, which included pretty much everyone. Alexander had been smart enough to figure this out and had left him to his own devices, never once giving him an order.Theon challenging Jason's leadership was a shock to just about everyone else, but not to Katie. She knew there was no way he would live under the rule of a guy his own age. Especially not a stuck-up prick like Jason. Alexander wasn't gr
The silence that fell over the hall as the last straggler departed was deafening. Jade heels clicked over the hardwood floor, making an echo that alerted Theon's attention. As he turned to face, her she froze on the spot—a deer in headlights.'A deer,'she thought.'I'm one of the strongest Alpha's in this pack, and he makes me feel like prey.'A shiver ran down her spine as he approached slowly, placing steps carefully as if stalking her—as if he knew the effect he was having on her body.Her knees were like jelly when his feet bumped against hers. He loomed over her, face still puckered with marks from the transformation. The veins on his neck stood out, throbbing with the slow and steady beat of his heart. He wasn't excited or afraid—but entirely at ease.For a horrible moment, as he stared without blinking, she couldn't remember the words she wished t
"How could I not know?" Theon asked. He stared at the floor, his dangly hair covering his face.Katie breathed deeply, trying to summon up words of comfort, but they wouldn't form. A cold breeze pushed a flurry of dried leaves past their feet and into the now-empty house. It was so quiet. Only Jade, Katie, Jason and Theon remained. They weren't exactly the A team, but things could have been worse. Three of them were Alphas--and one an oversized mutation. Katie knew she was the only weak link. "Haley?" Katie uttered, suddenly realising her friend had vanished with the others. "S--she was here. She was just here. They must have kidnapped her."Theon's arm draped over her shoulder. "She's with him now. His scent was all over her. I'm sorry, Cuz." He nuzzled her head with his, and for a moment his support kept her together. Then the tears began. Haley had been her best friend from birth. No male would ever come between them... they had a pack to stipulate as much."We can take 'em,"
Jade, hearing her brother's voice, shot from the house without bothering to check her state of dress or put shoes on. "What?" she asked him. "What's going on?" she followed up without waiting for a reply."Every vampire from every Clan is circling the village as we speak. They want revenge, Jade. On all of us."Jade turned to Theon. He was a monster, yes, but could he take on an entire race?His face, as always, was impossible to read. As Jade waited, listening to the wind whispering through the trees, a thought occurred. 'It's too quiet.'Even if they walked at a ninja's pace, skulking between the trees, her advanced hearing would pick up something. Animals, having even greater instinct, would be scarpering in great numbers if what Jason said were true. As sneaky as the vamps were, there was no way to quieten the wildlife in those woods."Someone's coming," Theon whispered. He frowned deeply, causing the line across the bridge of his nose to wrinkle and fold. It wasn't an express
It was the early hours of the morning when they finally made it home. Katie raised her nose, sniffing the air to see if he was there. Devlin—the only thing on her mind for the past couple of hours.They shifted back into their human forms to walk the last few meters toward the front door.The inhabitants barely stirred as Theon twisted the key in the lock and banged the door into the wall. Katie followed as he yanked the princess by her hair and threw her into the living room. She fell into the sleeping pack, all curled up and snoring in a neat pile between the two sofas.Scanning the group, she saw Devlin's hair and had to fight back the jealousy as she recognised the lap his head was nestled into. Her best friend in the world.'Quit being a paranoid freak,' she told herself, running a shaky hand through her hair. They had probably shifted and moved while sleeping. T
"Why on Earth would you do this?" Harley screamed. "What did you think you were going to achieve? Yes, we are alive but for how long? We are going to have to live out the rest of our lives like sewer rats. I'd rather be vampire food."He was right, of course, but she couldn't bring herself to admit it."Don't speak to me that way. I'm still your ruler—""No, you aren't," he spat. "You're nothing now. We are both homeless, worthless monsters."The wind picked up, spreading the trash from an upturned bin in their direction. She watched, mesmerised by a cola can that skittered across the tarmac, trying to think of a solution to this mess.Harley stood and kicked an empty can into a bush. "Screw this. I'm going home.""No." She grabbed onto his slender leg, holding him with all her strength."You can't force me to stay with
The stairs creaked under their feet as Haley followed Devlin up to Theon's room. It was bigger and neater than she'd expected and a whole lot larger than Katie's room. His belongings were stacked neatly in a dark wood bookcase that matched his wardrobe and dresser.His bed, however, had a sturdy metal frame. It creaked as Devlin took a seat atop the perfectly tucked black sheets.Feeling a growing sense of dread, Haley shifted nervously before deciding it was best to turn the computer chair and perch. It was better than sitting on the bed next to him.Devlin laughed at her. "Come here."He patted the space next to his bum."Why?" she asked."Because I told you to." He smiled sweetly. "Do as you're told."Fighting the urge to argue, she stood and took a seat next to him on the bed, albeit not as close as he'd indicated.
'This is it,'Katie thought.'This is how I die.'As she waited for his teeth to puncture the flesh of her neck, a cold hand pushed her aside. It was gentle yet firm, moving her all the way from the bed to the floor."Adam, dear sweet Adam, this girl is a rare treat," the newcomer cooed. "You don't devour a delectable treat such as this one in a single bite."When Katie dared to look up, she thought she must be seeing things or dreaming."Devlin."'It's all just a dream,'she thought, chuckling to herself. She stared up at her rescuer, seeing now that it wasn't Devlin, just a look-a-like.'Is he assuming Devlin's form like Adam did?The longer she stared at him, the more differences she saw. The poor lighting and terror-addled senses were to blame for this case of mistaken identity.
Angelica waited by the gates of the graveyard. The black cast iron that curled and formed wing-like patterns was cold against her back. A chill worked its way up her spine—a feeling she was not accustomed to, being a warm-blooded creature of such elegant design.As she looked around, she saw no one visiting the tombstones to tidy the dying flowers or tend to the grass. The dark church windows seemed to watch her, but nobody occupied this building—at least, the boarded-up door would suggest as much.It struck Angelica as a rather cliche choice to use as a meeting point with a vampire—an abandoned graveyard. They might as well have asked her to join them in a Transylvanian castle.The smell of their arrival hit her nose just before she heard them rustling through the thick blanket of leaves. Her smile was joyous and automatic as she realised they had kept their word. Harley was with them. She would
Haley felt sick with worry as she pulled up outside Theon's house. The plans she'd made with Jade seemed insignificant with everything that was going on, but she had promised to help Jade move her belongings in."Hey." Jade ran outside, her bare feet slapping the pavement. "How did it go? Is everything okay?"Haley nodded. "So far so good. She wasn't allowed to take her phone and Theon is a slow replier, as you'll soon find out, I'm sure.""Oh." Jade shifted, tucking her hair that kept blowing into her face. "He doesn't have much to say to me, so...""Have you guys... you know?" Haley made a gesture with her fingers that caused Jade to screw up her face."Not yet. He's been busy," Jade said. "I think he wants to take things slowly, which is just... not what I expected at all."The wind picked up and whipped at the girls’ clothing and hair, forcing
After arriving and waiting in Angelica's quarters for a day and a half alone, Jen finally joined her."It's done," Jen informed her. "The new deal has been negotiated."Katie exhaled as she nodded, expelling a tensive lungful of breath she hadn't noticed she was holding. After following the quiet girl to the town centre, she waited patiently in the town meeting hall for the princess to gather the other omegas to join her.Some of them cried while others remained outwardly strong, but they all huddled together in a cluster of shared terror and mistrust. These people had been pulled from their lives and forced to make the ultimate sacrifice.'And this has been happening for years,'Katie thought, filled with a sudden burst of pride that she and her kin were about to end this evil tradition.Unable to comfort the others, she had no choice but to imitate the