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
It’s full dark by the time I wake, but out here in the mountains it’s difficult to tell the time of day because the sun sets so early. I feel much better, stronger. My head is on Kane’s lap, and he’s gently stroking my hair. The first thing that hits me is the smell of blood. His blood. “How long was I out?” “Not long. An hour maybe,” he says in his familiar, comforting baritone. “You scared me a little this time, Willow. I swear…I thought you died.” “Felt like I died.” “Yes, your heart stopped. If it weren’t for Suri protecting you, you’d be dead.” “Is that why she’s so tired?” “She’s fine now. I healed you both.” I know. I can feel his magic inside me - the beautiful bright light chasing away the darkness that threatened to consume me earlier today. “Thank you.” He nods. “I want you to stop.” “Stop what? Using magic?” “No. I want you to…stop trying to save everyone. You can’t. People die in wars. You have to make peace with it.” “Yes,” I say and struggle upright. “And the
Kane’s POV “Kane,” Willow shakes me awake. I inhale sharply and bolt upright. My forehead connects with hers so hard that I nearly knock her out. “Shit--” I grab her before she can fall over --“I’m sorry.” “It’s okay.” She scrunches up her face and rubs her brow. “What’s wrong?” “Zael wants to talk to you.” “He couldn’t wake me himself?” “You told me it’s rude to walk into your bedroom,” Zael says right outside the tent. Willow laughs but quickly stops when she see the frown on my face. “What?” she shrugs. “I think he’s funny.” “Come in, Zael.” Zael unzips the tent and comes inside, shaking the snow off. “Fuck, it’s cold.” Willow hands him a towel and sits next to me, shivering and shaking like one of Adare's toys. I pull her against me and put my arms around her. “You know you can’t handle the cold,” I say. “I’m fine,” she mumbles, but she’s trembling so violently that she’s practically vibrating out of my arms. “What’s the matter, Zael?” I ask. “I think we found a way t
Kane's POV I close my eyes and pretend that I’m not being carried like an infant right now. Everyone else already made their displeasure known, but there’s nothing else we can do. Zael wasn’t lying when he said we wouldn’t be able to pass over the terrain. It’s rocky and slippery, and in places, the vampires have to fly with us over chasms, patches of deep snow, and icy streams. “How do the trucks get up here?” I ask, not really expecting an answer. “There’s a dirt road leading up to the caves,” the unknown vampire carrying me answers. “But it’s impassable right now, and well-guarded.” After what feels like hours, but it's probably closer to thirty minutes, the vampires come to a stop and lower us to the ground. There’s a very faint footpath winding through the pine trees and up the mountain. “Where are we?” “The back of the caves,” Zael answers. “There’s a way in from here, but…” he shrugs. “Yes,” I say. "I can feel it." There's a barrier of some kind, but unlike the one at the
Bridging the magical barrier is easier than breaking through it, but it’s as Raymond said - the spells are deceptive. The outer layer of the barrier is meant to fool us into thinking that it’s a simple protection spell, while the multiple inner layers could maim or kill us outright. The combination of both light and dark magic strengthens the spell and makes it difficult to break, but not impossible. Raymond didn’t lie -- it would take someone proficient in both the light and dark arts to fight against this magic. I’m not entirely sure I can do it. My knowledge of light magic is limited, but I’m the only one with the ability to channel both at once. I inhale deeply and start to pull energy from the gathered witches inside myself. I can feel it swirling around me, entering me, washing through my body, mixing in with my very essence. When I exhale, I let the magic explode out of me in one go, just as I did when I broke the soul-gathering spell. This time, I don’t blow a fuse, but all
Kane’s POVMy neck is killing me. The little girl came very close to wiping me of the planet. Her fangs tore through skin and flesh like a serrated knife, and the wounds are not closing up and healing like they’re supposed to. “Stop,” I order the vampire.He comes to a screeching halt on the other side of a frozen little stream and lowers me to the icy ground. “You’re not healing,” he says.“No.” In fact, it’s getting worse with blood steadily pumping out of my body through the two holes in my neck.Zael and Willow kneel next to me to examine the injury. “Shit,” the vampire says. “Why aren’t you healing?”“How the hell should I know?” I snap. I’m suddenly exhausted and cold. I just want to lie down and die.“Zael,” Willow says. “How does it work?”“A vampire bite?”“Uh-huh.”“Vampires have a type of anticoagulant in their fangs to stop the wounds from closing up and the blood from clotting too fast.”“So maybe the little girl released too much of it?” she asks.“And the wounds are too
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