As always, it is painful, almost unbearable, to say goodbye to my son, made so much worse by the fact that his first birthday is coming up, and knowing we’d probably miss it. "At least he'll have a birthday," Suri tries to comfort me. "I suppose." But oh, what I wouldn't give to be there with him, to see him open presents and enjoy his first taste of birthday cake. “Can I get one of those energy thingies you always use?” I ask Kane after I take a shower. I am exhausted. I was up all night, watching my beautiful family sleep. Kane gives me a sceptical look, then opens the top drawer of his dresser and hands me one of the vials. “Be careful with this stuff,” he says and runs his eyes over me. “Maybe start with half a vial and see how it goes. You’re so small…” He’s not as protective as he used to be, which makes for a refreshing change in or relationship, but it’s not something that comes naturally to him – he has to force himself to stop doing it. “Thank you,” I say and drink only
Kane's POV “You want to do what?” Marlon asks, his eye big with shock. “Kill Milner,” I repeat myself. “He’s the only one who can tell you where the cabal is hiding out, what their plans are. If we can get rid of the cabal, we can avoid a war.” “He won’t tell us anything.” “Use magic then,” Marlon says, clearly frustrated. I glance at Willow, but she’s shaking her head. “It won’t work. You forget my mother used to sleep with him, she would have told him how to resist that kind of magic.” “Wait,” Alfred says, looking straight at Willow. “Mother’s sleeping with Milner?” Shit. We never told him. “Yes,” I say. “She was. She was a loyal cabal witch.” “Well that’s not good!” he exclaims. “She’ll try to get him out now, and she’ll find a way in, believe you me.” “No, she won’t,” Zael says. “She’s dead.” I give the vampire an exasperated look. “What?” he asks. “He had to find out sooner or later.” “How?” Alfred asks. The man is obviously gutted and trying his best not to cry. “Who k
Kane's POV I lift Milner’s dripping head off the ground, staring at the eyes that are wildly shifting from left to right, his mouth still open in a silent scream. “Good Goddess,” I groan and swallow against the bile. “Willow?” I gesture at my mate to come over. And to think, there was a time that I would have tried to shield her from such a gruesome sight. She immediately joins me, stopping short when she sees Milner’s mouth opening and closing, making a strange, wheezing sound as he sticks his tongue out and waggle it around in an attempt to lick his lips. Willow stares at the man that somehow didn’t die when I decapitated him. She goes a little green around the gills and her mouth sets in a thin line of disgust. “It’s the same spell Agatha used on herself that's keeping him alive.” Raymond, the hybrid vampire, lands next to us and starts to laugh. “Moron.” “Is there something you can do?” Willow asks. “To kill him properly?” “There’s only one way I know of – someone has to go
Kane grabs me by the hand and pulls me out of the kitchen into the living room. “Who is this?” he asks. “Jonathan Hastings,” a tinny voice replies from the other side. “I, ah, received your message.” “Did you?” my mate asks, his voice calm and even but I can hear his heart going like a jackhammer. “And?” The human ignores Kane’s question. “What kind of magic did you use on poor Bernhard? The unfortunate soul just will not die.” “That’s not our doing. One of your witches cast the spell that’s keeping him alive.” “And how do we break the spell?” “Ask your witches.” “Don’t you think I’ve already done that?” Jonathan asks, clearly impatient. “They don’t know.” Deciding to take matters in my own hands, I indicate to Kane to give me the phone. I don’t know why, as per usual I’m just going on instinct. “Hang on,” he barks into the receiver and gives me the phone. “Lord Hastings,” I say. “My name is Willow Madden, I’m--” “The high priestess, I know.” At least he didn’t call me the d
“Fuck me, it’s cold,” Kane says and pushes the tent flap aside. “Motherfucking son of a goat whore,” he exclaims, falls down on the soft sleeping bag next to me and pulls a blanket over himself. He has been in a foul mood for the last few days, mostly because it started snowing and he had hoped we’d be back home by now, spending the winter locked away in our fortress like last year, but the castle is under siege and there’s no way in or out. As far as we know, the cabal hasn't abandonded the castle even though we weren't there. The Templars and their new pope took residence in our home. It makes me sick to think that one of them, perhaps even the pope, might be sleeping in my bed. We evacuated the castle a week after the cyber-attacks, expecting Hastings to come after us. Kane made several attempts to make contact with the new overlord before we left for good, but his calls went unanswered. Hastings is exactly like Milner. There is no reasoning with the man. He called back once, a
Kane's POV “Good Goddess, Willow.” I laugh at my mate. “How much clothes are you wearing?” I ask as I try to fight my way through layer after layer to get to her. “What? It’s cold.” Fuck it. I just need to get to her bottom half. I yank her jeans and thermal underwear down to her knees and flip her on her side, covering the both of us with an ugly and scratchy, blanket. I miss the castle. My comfortable bed. I miss quiet nights alone with my mate, drinking hot chocolate and watching bad late-night television. I hate having sex in the tent. Supernatural creatures that could both smell and hear us, no matter how quiet we try to be, surround us. And it invariably attracts the nymphs to our tent like flies to shit. But it’s snowing, the campground is quiet. Even the nymphs don't want to be outside tonight. The only movement comes from the vampires patrolling the air and ground. They’re the only creatures able to withstand the extreme temperatures long enough. I slide my hand between
Kane's POV The days drag on, but a few very warm days make it possible for us to move out of the mountains into a village in a valley not far from the Alps. The moment we set foot in the quaint little town, I feel uneasy. “I don’t like this,” Zael says. “Neither do I.” “It’s like that town close to the castle,” Marlon says. “Just…void of life.” I look over my shoulder at Willow. “Magic?” I ask. “Yes, but…I don’t know what kind.” She steps closer to me, unconsciously seeking out my reassurance and safety. I put my arm around her shoulders, though I don’t know how I’m going to protect her against magic no one understands. Next to her, Alfred and Tully are pale and both of them are trembling, but I am unsure if it’s from the cold or fear. “It’s death,” Alfred says. “Can’t you feel it, sister? They conjured death itself. I can’t find anything living.” “Not even animals,” Willow says. “We need to leave.” “Why?” I ask. “If it’s empty, we might as well move in.” “No,” she gasps and
I stare up at the obsidian column rising up before me. The structure is huge, almost reaching the ceiling, and cut into a near perfect rectangle, ending in a spire at the top. I put my hand on the crystal. "I'm so sorry," I whisper, fighting against the tears that burn the back of my throat. "You didn't deserve this."The Cabal witches hid the crystal in a cellar of some sort, in a house right at the edge of the little village, protecting it with layers of magic. Finding it was easy, working our way through the ancient protection spells wasn’t. In the end, we had to join forces with the hybrids to do it.As always, the witches used me as their conduit, concentrating our magic into one big ball of energy so we could break through the deadly spells and safely make our way to the crystal.I hate the vampires’ magic. The darkness of it. Every time I have to channel it, it eats away at me like a leech, draining my positive energy. “Can we just destroy it?” Alfred asks.“No,” I say, as I ho
Dear readers, I would like to thank each and every one of you for taking the time to read Willow and Kane's story. This has been one of the longest books I've ever written, and when I started out I did not expect it to turn into this epic saga, but I regret nothing. Nothing I tell you :). I fell in love with Willow and Kane, and I am genuinely sad to say goodbye to these two, but unfortunately all stories must come to an end. Thank you for your support througout this wild ride. It means the world to me. I hope you enjoyed reading this book as much as I enjoyed writing it. Until we meet again. All my love, Celice
Kane Madden, Lycan King of Felan, wakes up to an unearthly racket right outside his bedroom door. Slightly concerned, he glances at his heavily pregnant wife and smiles despite his annoyance at his oldest son’s shenanigans in the hallway. Willow Madden, his mate of fifteen years is heavily pregnant with their second set of twins, two boys this time, and Kane sincerely hopes this is the last time. Goddess knows he loves his children, all eight of them, and he’s sure he’ll love numbers nine and ten just as much, but it’s getting difficult to keep up with all the pups. They are exhausting. For a time, he was sure that they’d never have more children, but after one wild afternoon in the forest, Willow did get pregnant with twins, a boy and a girl, as their remarkable son predicted. She named the twins Josiah and Jocelyn, after the previous occupants of their home. Kane thought it was macabre, but Willow insisted, saying they had to honour their ancestors. That would be the same twins wh
It’s a beautiful summer’s day, and the drive up to the cabin is pleasant enough. Kane and I have found a peaceful kind of comfort in each other’s silence, and we rarely need to fill the quiet with inane background chatter. We are content, just being together. I inhale the lovely fresh air, remembering the first time I came here. The night Suri was born, the sheer exhilaration of feeling my wolf come to life...and that was all thanks to Agatha. Dear, sweet Agatha who never found a final resting place because we went to war and in the chaos, we forgot all about her. Our funeral home has since been bombed off the planet, and we just take care of our dead our own way as we'd done during the war. There aren’t that many of us left anyway. The few surviving wolves live here now, and those that refuse to come to safety are dying off – Templars bearing a lingering grudge either murder them, or the wolves yield to their unrelenting urge to join a good war. Kane once told me that wolves had be
Kane's POV I wasn’t sure what would happen in the months and years that followed after we signed the peace treaty, so we went with the tried and tested 'go with the flow' method. For a time, everything went back to normal. Drake and Patrick ran the business, and more and more my little brother took over my duties in the company. Proof, Willow liked to remind me, that Omegas are just as competent as any other wolf. The overseas wolves went home, and as soon as they were sure the threat had really passed, the European wolves followed suit. The only ones that stayed were the humans. I claimed the human town as part of my territory during the peace talks, and the residents now affectionately call it Wolftonia. Leif left, taking his strange sister with him. Only later did we learn that Silke’s time on earth was limited and that she had foreseen her own death long before she ever came here. Unbeknownst to all of us, including Willow, a völva’s dying energy projects outwards, and what we m
Adare runs around the garden with Roland. The two boys growl and stalk each other like prey. My motherly instinct is to jump up and stop them before one of them gets seriously hurt, but Rosie quickly grabs me and pulls me back to my chair. “No Queen,” she says. “That’s how they learn. They won’t hurt each other.” “Are you sure?” “I’ve seen them play this game a hundred times. I’m sure.” Dammit. My throat burns and I have to fight against the tears. I’m so happy that my son is home, but I’ve missed so much. He is the size of an average three-year-old and when I talk to him, I sometimes forget that he’s not even two yet. I choose not the think about it. I choose to focus on the here and now. My family is whole and complete and that's what matters “Mama! Look!” Adare squeals and tackles Roland to the ground. “Good job, buddy,” Kane says behind me. I look over my shoulder at my mate. “You’re back early.” “Yes. Peace talks broke down.” “Why?” “Clement wants my humans.” “I thought
Kane rolls over to my side and pulls me into his embrace. I don’t even bother to open my eyes. It’s been a wild few days. “Oh Goddess, no,” I complain. “Haven’t you had enough?” He laughs breezily in my ear. “Never…but for now, yes.” He flutters kisses over my jaw and neck. “How do you feel?” “Like I got run over by a penis-shaped bulldozer.” “Hey, you wanted it.” I finally manage to drag my eyelids apart. “I did.” I smile at my impressive mate. “The first two days were great.” “I know.” He rolls away and swings his legs off the bed. “The last day always feels more like a punishment than pleasure.” I turn over onto my side and stare at his broad back, the strong muscles flexing under his skin. “No regrets though, right?” He looks over his shoulder at me. “None.” He gets up and stretches, scratching his ass as he walks to the bathroom. A minute later, I hear him open the tap. We don’t have electricity yet, but I’m not so sure I miss it. Life is kind of peaceful without the cons
Kane’s POV I sit on the couch in the dark living room, watching the glowing embers in the fireplace, trying to ignore the call of Willow’s heat and the fever that's trying to consume me. I'd go to her, but she's still asleep. t’s not time, she can’t feel it yet, but she will in another few hours. I should be sleeping, prepare myself properly this time, but I can’t switch my milling thoughts tumbling through my head off long enough so I can go to sleep. I’ve already sent orders out to bring the power stations back online and ordered our army to stand its ground. There’s nothing else to do now but wait for Clement to come back so we can finish up the peace agreement. In the absence of entertainment or imminent danger, the only thing I have to keep myself occupied is my own thoughts, and all I can think about is the possibility that Willow will get pregnant. Here, in the quiet of the night, all by myself, I have to admit the truth. I never want her to get pregnant again – not becaus
Kane’s POV For the next few hours, we talk about the meeting with Clement, the future, and a whole lot of nothing. There’s something comforting in it, just friends having a chat about life, love, and everything in between. I glance at my watch, surprised to see that it was well past midday. “That’s it,” I say and get up, stretching my too-tight muscles. “We’re taking the week off. I don't know about you, but I've had enough of war to last me a lifetime.” “Shall I collect Adare?” Zael asks on our way out. “Not yet. I don’t…Willow thinks he’ll be safe here, but I want to make sure.” “If what she said about The Goddess is true, she’s probably right. She hasn’t been wrong so far, has she?” I scrunch up my face and rub my forehead. “I don’t know. I can’t think straight anymore.” Zael nods. “I know the feeling.” “Did you get any retaliation over the Raymond thing?” “Of course I did.” “And?” “And nothing. I handled it...it won't come back to you.” “Do you think this war is over?”
Kane's POVIt had been weeks since we slept comfortably, and even though we both sort of hinted at passing the night making love, neither of us could actually gather the energy to do more than snuggle down in each other’s arms.For the first time in weeks, perhaps months, I wake with a smile on my face, completely relaxed and almost happy. The only thing I need to complete my joy is my son, and he'll be here soon enough.I stretch languidly, and slip out from under Willow and go to the bathroom to get ready for my meeting with Clement. I hope against all hope that Willow misunderstood The Goddess and that there would be no human war. I hope, and I pray, that Clement would listen to my advice and stop it before it even starts.The castle is freezing, and I’m shivering so much that I cut myself several times while I shave. Rattling like an excited dog, I run back to the bedroom, pull an extra blanket over Willow, then rush to the closet so I can dress in one of my suits and my long, thi