Kane's POV The one thing Willow and I didn’t bargain on, and we should have, was that I’d be able to feel everything she felt. That catastrophic mistake doesn't become clear to me until a few minutes later, when she starts to break Agatha's spell. I barely make it down the stairs when a psychic pain so deep and profound rips through me that it renders me immobile. I fall against the mildewy wall and slide to the floor, just barely holding on to the pup. The safest place for him is the floor. It’s hard and dirty, but at least I won’t drop him. “Mother,” I mind link with Erica. “Are you awake?” “Yes.” She sounds sleepy, but she’s an experienced wolf who can handle the full moon shift much better than a young one. “Is something the matter?” The last time I contacted her after a full moon was right after Willow's first shift. “I need you to come and get Adare.” “Why?” My hands clench into fists. Something dark is coming. Dark and dangerous. For a moment, the whole world goes black
“That was uncomfortable,” Kane coughs and tries to sit upright.Uncomfortable? Only Kane will describe the horror of the underworld as uncomfortable. “Where is Adare?” I ask right away. I should be more concerned about Kane, but my baby’s not here and I don’t know if he’s safe.“With my mother.”I relax immediately. At least he’s in good hands, and I didn’t inadvertently bring him to the pits of the underworld with me. “I’m sorry, I’m so sorry,” I say, and wipe sweaty hair out of Kane’s eyes. “You weren’t supposed to be dragged into the underworld with me.”“How did I get there?”“I don’t know.” I’m so close to tears that it’s difficult to speak. Seeing my beautiful, strong mate lying limply on the floor, covered in dirt, and paler than death itself, hurts more than anything my father ever did to me. “I should have made sure you’re protected.”“No.” He coughs again, an ugly hacking sound. “You couldn’t have done both.”“I could have. I should have.”“Well, you didn’t know it would hap
Kane's POVMaybe being void of emotions is a good thing. It's a nice little break from the turmoil, and it will make it easier to execute my father when the time comes.The Alphas are set to visit us in two days’ time, and I haven’t thought about my father’s impending judgement in all this time. I couldn’t. It was just too much on top of everything else I’ve had to deal with.I sit on the couch, staring at the dead TV while I listen to Willow puttering around the apartment as she takes care of our son. Soon after my mother left, she declared that she’ll take care of supper, and I haven't seen her since. I shudder to think what might come out of that kitchen tonight.It doesn’t matter. I’m not hungry anyway.At least I can’t feel that odd longing for Dani anymore, which is a blessing in itself. “Kane?” Glenn speaks in my head.“Yes?”“The undertaker is here. What do we do with Agatha?”“I’ll let him know what the plans are. Willow wants to talk to the witches before we decide what to d
Kane fell asleep less than an hour after we ate dinner. It was frustrating trying to get him to eat. He pushed the food around his plate, and when I finally convinced him to take a bite, he gagged, his lips pulling downwards in disgust, and tried to push the food away. “Tastes like dust.” “I know, but you have to eat it anyway. Nothing will taste good for a while.” Sitting there, watching him force the food down his gullet, made me nauseous with concern. He’s bound and determined to stay dead inside until after his father’s execution, the consequences be damned. I stand by the side of our bed, looking down at my mate. The gentle rise and fall of his chest, his relaxed and calm face – I can almost believe that he’s all right, and not turning into an emotionless monster -- which is exactly what he’ll become in the end. I’ve seen it before. Even with protection, the soul reapers eat bits of your soul away, and if you go deep enough, and often enough, it becomes nearly impossible to r
Kane's POV “Go get our mate,” Dario snarls in my head for the tenth time since she left with Adare. “Quiet. I want to sleep.” “No. You are hurting her. On purpose. I won’t let you sleep until you go to her.” Fuck. I’m annoyed. Mildly, but still, it’s there. The small return of an emotion that I do not want. I drum my arms and legs on the bed like a toddler. “Shut up! It’s just for a few days. She’ll be okay.” “She’s afraid of you…of us.” “No, she’s not. She’s worried she fucked me up. And if you think about it, she did. I wouldn't be in this mess if she didn't insist on helping Agatha.” That's unfair, I know, but I'm grabbing at, and holding on to, any and every straw I can find to justify my behaviour. “Go to our mate.” Dario roars. “We will lose her if you don’t.” I sigh and roll off the bed, pausing at the window to look out at the moonless night. The gardens are calm and peaceful, the night dark and cold. I open the window, letting the freezing breeze in, and gulp in big lu
Kane’s POV “What do I need to do?” I ask, tucking stray strands of curls behind Willow’s ear. “Is there some kind of magic or something you need to use on me?” “No.” She shifts on my lap and manoeuvres herself around, throwing a leg on either side of me. Wrapping her arms around my neck, she presses her soft, warm body tightly against mine. Dario purrs happily and finally settles down. “What are you doing?” “Nothing,” she answers me, but she has the most lascivious grin on her face, and her eyes sparkle naughtily into mine. “You just need to be with the ones you love, allow us to love you.” Her delicious lips embrace mine, stealing the last little vestiges of reservations I had left. It’s just a flicker of lust followed by a tiny ripple of love, but it’s enough to remind me that I have to fight for it. Fight for her and Adare, because if I don’t, I’ll lose them – one way or the other, they will disappear from my life. “The negative emotions are always the first ones to come back,
Glenn comes running down the hallway with two guards on his heel, catching up with us in the entrance hall. “What’s up?” Kane asks. “The guards came to fetch me. They say there’s a she-wolf sitting in the garden.” “So?” Kane asks with mock innocence. “This is werewolf territory. Wolves all over the place.” “They say she’s been sitting there for hours.” “We didn’t think nothing of it the first few times we passed her, but now we’re a little concerned and don’t know what to do,” one of the guards says. “She’s been watching you all night.” “It’s Dani,” Kane says. “I’m on my way out to do something about it.” Glenn turns to the guards. “You may go,” he says. The guards look at each other, then at Kane who nods in agreement. They shrug and run outside, back to their posts. “I can actually use a witness,” Kane says to Glenn. “Great,” I pipe up. “Then I can go back to the apartment?” “Noooo,” Kane says and pulls me closer. “You need to see this too.” “Why?” “Because it will put you
I rush past Phillip into the bedroom to check on Adare. He’s still asleep, probably didn’t even notice that we were gone. “Twenty minutes on the dot,” I hear Phillip say to Kane. “Yeah, she’s pretty good that way.” I can hear the smile in my mate’s voice. I hang around the bedroom for a few minutes, waiting for Adare to wake up to nurse, but he doesn’t stir. I’m debating whether I should wake him to feed him when Kane softly calls to me. I take one last look at the sleeping baby and join Kane in the living room. “Is the pup okay?” “Yes,” I answer. “But he should be waking up to nurse any moment now.” Kane looks me up and down, his bright blue eyes swirling with nothing but lust. The air is thick and heavy with his scent. I’m at once excited and terrified. He grabs my wrist and roughly pulls me against him, my body connecting to his with a mind-bending thud. Electricity and red-hot desire courses through me, makes me breathless with the need for him. Still staring at me, he lift