Once we finish breakfast, I take Micah’s hand and walk through the corridors and up the vast amount of steps until we reach the open terrace at the top of the North Tower.‘Practising spells?’ Micah guesses.‘Yep,’ I say.We sit together on the stone bench. Micah holds the book for me while I wave my wand repeating incantations and spells.‘Visionous Memorious!’ I say firmly, holding my wand.‘Tremendous Nebulus!’ I say, flicking the wand.Nothing but a natural cool breeze blows past my face.‘Focus, Lylah,’ I say.I face the small pot plant, pull my sleeves up, and wave my wand, ‘Lifto Levitatous,’ I repeat a few times in different tones.After an hour of failed attempts at casting spells, I sigh and turn to Micah, ‘Let’s do something else,’ I suggest.‘What do you want to do?’I tap my foot and look around in thought and an idea springs to life, ‘Catch me,’ I smile.‘Catch you?’ Micah says, confused.I shake my head yes, race from the open terrace back into the tower, and run down t
‘Lylah,’ Micah calls out.I wake as my name is being called. An alluring smell of Thyme and cedarwood drifts through my terrace and into my room. An overwhelming urge takes over my senses. I find myself subconsciously racing towards the terrace and clutching the stone rail. My body trembles with delight as I see Micah waiting eagerly below my balcony.Our eyes instantly meet, ‘Mate!’ we say in unison. It feels as if we are the only two people that suddenly exist. Just when I thought I couldn’t love Micah any more than I already do, my body explodes internally with vast feelings of overwhelming love. An urge to never be out of Micah’s sight, an urge to always be by his side, an urge to touch him, an urge to make sweet love to him.I feel a wholeness that I never knew needed filling. My heart beats rapidly as my eyes stare hungrily into Micah’s. As Micah steps forward to climb up my balcony, my body has other plans and cannot wait for another second, longing for Micah’s touch. I leap of
Chapter 44Micah lays on my bed and watches me as I pack my bag, placing a change of clothes and a torch on top. Then, noticing cake smeared on my hoodie, I laugh, pull it off, and toss it aside before grabbing a fresh one from my wardrobe and putting it on.‘Ready to go camping? It’s going to be nightfall soon, and we haven’t even left yet,’ Micah laughs.‘Yeah, well, it’s not my fault Dad had my party drag out all afternoon,’ I reply.‘Alpha Maximus was just so excited for you, for us, that we are fated mates. He was definitely making the most of it and was very proud to show us off. It was also a great party,’ Micah laughs.‘Yeah, I’ll admit it was lots of fun,’ I say, swinging the bag over my shoulder, ‘Ready?’ I ask.‘I’ll carry your sleeping bag. Do you want me to carry that bag too?’ Micah asks, pointing to the bag over my shoulder.‘Nah, I’m a big girl. I can carry this myself,’ I say and kiss his cheek.Micah smiles and nods then follows me downstairs to where we find everyon
The moon hides behind dark clouds. It’s pitch black, whichever direction I look. I can’t see anything. I can only feel Micah’s soft fur I have clenched tightly in my hands.‘Micah,’ I whisper as he gets down as low as possible. He looks around carefully and slowly as the creatures dash past us. Micah creeps backwards and begins to run in the opposite direction to the creatures. After a few minutes of running, we are further away from the campsite—Micah shifts and dresses.‘We will take the long way around, back to camp to avoid the creatures,’ he says.‘What were they? What did you see?’ I ask, panicked.‘I don’t know what they were. There were at least a dozen of them, maybe more. They were dark and fast. Faster than any werewolf I have seen.’‘What do you think they want?’ I ask.‘Death. That’s all I could smell on them, old blood, fresh blood, the flesh of many.’ Micah says. ‘I thought I saw… never mind,’ he says.‘Saw what? What did you see?’ I ask.Micah frowns as he makes eye co
My mother hovers her hands over Micah, crying, while my father squats down to be eye level with me, and he grabs my face.‘Who did this to him? What happened?’ He asks me. I can see the anger and heartbreak in his eyes.‘I couldn’t see them at first. Even Micah struggled to see them. He said they were so fast. Faster than werewolves and smelt of death. There were so many of them, Dad. There eyes…’ I say, and my hands begin to tremble.My dad takes my hands in his and holds them firmly to cease the shaking.‘Keep talking, Lylah. We need to know,’ he says,‘Their eyes were red like blood. I saw one. He was tall in a black cloak, and he was….’ I take a few moments, feeling dizzy. ‘He was drinking Micah’s blood and only let him go when I heard your howls. The others with him had already fled before I could get a look at them. Vampires did this. They did this to my mate,’ I say, bursting into tears again.Billy and Leo are vomiting in the bushes from the gory sight of Micah’s body. Nathan,
Chapter 47My mother lifts the torn shirt from over my head and gasps when she sees three deep claw marks across my back. I didn’t realise my back had been clawed through the fight. The doctor dabs the wounds with something cold and wet.I bite my bottom lip, ‘It stings,’ I cry.‘I’m sorry, Lylah, but we must clean it to prevent infection,’ Doctor Matlin says.I never felt the wound until he began cleaning it. The stinging becomes a horrible burning pain. I roll onto my side and hug myself, ‘Stop! It hurts too much,’ I cry.‘Doctor, let me try and heal some of her wounds,’ my mother says, stroking my hair.‘Of course, Luna,’ he says.She hovers her hands over me and says an incantation. The claw marks heal over but leave three long thick scars across my back. The inflammation in my ankle reduces by half, and some of the scrapes on my legs completely heal.‘I’ll need to rest for a while before I can conjure more healing powers,’ she says and kisses my forehead. ‘Kayla might have some r
Kayla wipes the tears from her face as she sees me entering the apothecary. Her dark skin tone shimmers against the many coloured liquids bubbling throughout the apothecary in the beakers, flasks, pipettes, and test tubes. Her long, dense wavy hair sits in a large braid with thick gold chains. Kayla’s obsidian eyes flicker with sadness as she holds her arms out and approaches to embrace me. ‘Lylah,’ she sobs. ‘I’m so sorry,’ I allow her to embrace me, even though I don’t want to be touched by anyone, ‘I’ve come to see Micah,’ I whisper. ‘Of course,’ Kayla nods and walks me down the spiral stone slope. There are tall wooden shelves along every wall that reach the ceiling. The shelves are mainly stacked with books with objects, such as the odd animal skull, candles, and jars. Tables are aligned with Bunsen burners, tripods, flasks, and a mortar and pestle. There are bottles of potions and other substances. Bouquet garnies of parsley stalks, bay leaves, thyme, rosemary, tarragon, basil
Chapter 49Everyone has returned to the hall to continue mourning. I remain behind, standing in the rain, watching Theo and Leo shovel the dirt onto the coffin until the plot is filled. Theo and Leo place a hand each on my shoulder, giving me a sympathetic gaze before leaving me be.I fall to my knees and can’t believe this is happening that my beloved mate, Micah is dead and now buried. I stare at the muddy grave in a trance until a lightning bolt strikes nearby, bringing me back to reality. I look to the flowers on my right, lean over and pick some before placing them neatly onto Micah’s grave.After a while, I notice guests beginning to leave. I must have been sitting out here for a while and lost track of time. I almost want to laugh at the thought of time now. Realising that I’m mateless and no longer have Micah in my life, that time no longer matters to me.An oversized coat is placed over my shoulders. I look up to see my Dad. He looks down at me sadly. ‘Lylah, you will become
We arrive back in the underground and enter the castle. ‘Tonight, we will celebrate our victory and our official lady of the coven, Lylah.’ Talon shouts. The coven cheers and dissipates to prepare for the celebration. I face Talon, Soren and Nadia. ‘There is something I need to do first before we celebrate. Can you take me down to the crypts?’ I ask them. They give each other a confused and unsure glance. ‘Cedric should celebrate with us.’ I tell them. ‘Lylah,’ Talon says, ‘You know he doesn’t want anyone to see him in this state. You know he has gone mad?’ ‘I know, but I need you to trust me on this.’ I say, my eyes pleading with his. ‘You know you always have my trust. Come on then, let's go down to the crypts.’ Nadia carries a fire torch as we descend through an abundance of stairs and narrow passageways. As I enter the crypt, I gesture for them to wait at the entrance as I slowly approach the shadow in the corner. ‘Cedric.’ I say and watch the shadow flinch. ‘We’ve met befor
Talon watches, intrigued, as the werewolves shift into their wolf forms while my father and brothers shift into their Lycans. Talon gestures for me to climb onto his back. I wrap my arms around his neck as he holds my legs. Together with the pack, we run forward for many hours until we meet the coven of vampires awaiting us.‘Lord Talon, Lady Lylah.’ All the vampires say, bowing as they greet us.Nadia and Soren approach and stand by our sides as if to guard us. I look over at my father and nod to indicate we’re ready. We head in the direction of the mountain we last saw Lord Atticus. It becomes dark very suddenly before we even approach the mountain. Hundreds of black whisps whip by us and then circle us. They are extremely fast, and I know exactly what they are. ‘Blood Dwellers.’ I mutter under my breath.‘He’s here!’ Talon shouts, warning everyone.‘I see you brought the entire coven and even the wolves to watch you pledge your allegiance to me, along with my dinner.’ Lord Atticus
‘Alpha Maximus, Luna.’ Talon says to my parents as we face them in the dining hall. ‘We have to put Lord Atticus to an end. Over one hundred years ago, he went on a murderous killing spree. He even killed our father as well as beloved members of our coven.’ ‘Your brother is who’s responsible for all of these deaths? For Micah’s death?’ Theo asks. ‘Unfortunately, yes. He is my brother. We had managed to send him through a portal into an abyss of darkness. Since he freed himself over a year ago, he began where he had left off, continuing to kill and murder whilst growing in strength by feeding off his victims. He knows Lylah is my Blood Flame and, unfortunately, has managed to taste her blood. He would have figured out not long after we escaped from him that the small taste of Lylah’s blood he had, has greatly strengthened him much more than anything else he has ever fed off. Lylah’s blood is unlike anyone else's. Just one cut, one drop, can send any vampire within a distance into a Bl
My breath catches, and I realise at this moment how much I truly care for Lord Talon, that I’ve fallen for him so hard, like ocean waves crashing into rocks. Like lightning that has struck the ground. Like the sound of thunder that ripples through your body. I’m in love with Lord Talon. I place my forehead against his and use my free hand to cup his cheek. We breathe heavily in unison as a sense of overwhelming love and desire takes over us.My walls come crashing down, and my lips slam into his with a fiery passion. My lips coax his open, and our tongues entwine and dance as if they were meant to be.We gasp for air as we part, and I pull Lord Talon’s shirt from over his head and toss it. Our hands explore every inch of each other as we kiss again. I straddle his lap and begin to undo his belt as he pulls the laces undone on the back of my dress and yanks it down, exposing my breasts.Now, completely naked, we both pause with our foreheads touching, taking in as much of each other as
I arrive at a set of stone steps that lead to nothing but a dark dead end. I feel the ceiling and realise it’s a large paver. Using all my strength, I push it open and climb out. I look around and see I’m in a very old graveyard. I know where I am. I saw it on the map. I run east toward the mountain where Lord Atticus awaits Lord Talon.After hours of running and jogging, I have to rest. The sun will be rising soon. I lay next to a large tree and sleep for a while before I continue east. It’s almost nightfall, and I’m exhausted. Lord Talon would have come to check on me through the night to find I’m gone and see I’ve escaped through the window. I continue to look over my shoulder every so often, knowing Lord Talon could catch up to me any time now. That’s if he knows I’m heading toward Lord Atticus. He might think I’ve possibly escaped to return home to my pack.I’m feeling very hot and flustered. At first, I thought it was from all the running, but no matter how much I rest, it only
I run from one hall to another and then one corridor to another through many rooms and down staircases I haven’t seen before. I have no idea where I’m running to, but I don’t care. I just want to get away. I’ve passed many vampires along the way, but I completely ignore them as they stare curiously at me. Once out of sight, I lean against the grey stone wall in the shadows before sliding down to the ground and hugging my knees. Lord Talon is my mate. That’s why he hasn’t killed me. That’s why he wants to keep me alive and protect me. This is why I’ve been developing feelings toward him. Lord Talon knew this whole time since we met that we were Blood Flames. No wonder he looked devastated and heartbroken every time I tried to kill him. I feel terrible, among many other feelings. I’m angry that Micah and Lord Talon kept things from me. I feel I’m betraying Micah by being attracted to Lord Talon. I’m upset and heartbroken that Micah isn’t alive. I’m frustrated at myself for not figuring
A plate of vegetables with a steak is placed in front of me, whilst a serving of blood is poured into Lord Talon’s goblet. I refuse to make any eye contact with him. Instead, I watch the flames of the candles on the table flicker.Halfway through silently eating my meal, five vampires I’ve never met before enter the dining room, marching. One leads the others as they approach Lord Talon and bow. Nadia and Soren enter behind them and sit at the dining table.‘My Lord,’ The lead vampire says.‘Mervin, tell me you have returned with good news? Where are the others?’ he asks.‘My Lord, they are all dead. Along with many more human casualties.’‘What!? You were supposed to observe the whereabouts of Lord Atticus and return to me as soon as he was found.’‘Forgive us, Lord Talon. When we found him, he was in a rural town. We were well hidden and observed him. He killed every single human as if it were a sport and drank the blood from some of them before he had them ripped apart. We tried to
Lylah‘I’m Becky. I’ve heard so much about you.’ she beams and squeezes herself closer to Lord Talon.A burst of jealousy from Becky touching Lord Talon’s arm ignites within me.‘I’m sure….’ I say while telling myself not to care that Becky is practically rubbing herself all over, Lord Talon. He keeps glaring at her and giving her back-off looks. But she persists in fluttering her eyes at him anyway.Not wanting to stare at her face or acknowledge her. I ignore her and look at Lord Talon.‘You should find that blood flame of yours and feed off it. It's quite silly, starving yourself of blood when a human is living here against her will. The last thing I need is you trying to bite me.’ I say sarcastically.Becky bursts into laughter and begins elbowing Lord Talon in the ribs, ‘Master, you should take this human's advice and feed off your blood flame. In fact, you should do it right now?’‘Becky, that’s enough!’ Lord Talon growls. ‘I can live off the blood of animals for as long as I ne
Lord Talon‘Becky, it’s healed,’ I say as I enter the room.She is brewing something in a small cauldron, and it smells horrendous. ‘What’s healed?’ she asks, walking around the table and toward me.I unbutton my shirt and watch her jaw drop. ‘What did you do?’ she asks. ‘I didn’t do anything.’ I tell her.‘Something must have happened? Tell me everything you did from last night up till now.’‘I was sitting on the window ledge watching the lake until I heard Lylah yelling and crying in her sleep. I raced in there and held her in my arms, and I spent over an hour comforting her until she fell asleep on me. I did notice the pain from the wounds had gone by then but didn’t think much of it as I was too worried about Lylah. I woke up with Lylah sleeping against me. We spoke, and she told me Micah is her mate who she thinks I killed, and I bolted out of there freaking out she had a mate, then ran into Soren and told him. My chest itched from the stitches, so I ran my hand over it, and th