What do you think of the clues for finding Ennata? Any ideas on the anagram?
Drake lays the map out on the table and immediately, I’m completely lost. It’s just a big circle. Drake however, seems excited. “My grandfather used to play this game with me,” he says as he flips the map over, looking at the back side, then turning it over to the front as a huge smile spreads across his face. “What game is that, exactly?” I ask frowning. “It’s like the anagram. Well, not really. This one is about finding the hidden treasure,” he says, still focusing on the map. He begins folding the map over lining up the lines on the back side with the circle on the front. I stand by and watch as he continues to flip the map back and forth before finding another spot to fold. It takes an hour or so, but when he’s done, there is actually a map. He leans over, looking at it and I come up beside him, wrapping my arm around his waist and leaning over the table to look at it. “Where is this?” I ask, trying to get my bearings on the map. “We’re here,” he says, pointing to the lower
I take another day before deciding it's time to leave so I can research the area where we were going. It’s a very small town, one that I’m surprised is even on a map, although it’s possible that my grandfather actually drew it onto the map for me. What little I can find out about the town let’s me know that it’s very small, less than a thousand people. That’s it. That’s all there is about the town. No sights to see, no hotels to stay in, no restaurants advertising for travelers to stop in for a bite to eat. Nothing. I let Demetrius know that we’re leaving, and I have no idea when I’ll be back. I tell him to protect the estate and to let no one in who is aligned with my father. “We need to be careful,” I say as we pack up her car. “Aren’t we always?” she asks. “If this is a town of witches and warlocks, we’re going to be outnumbered,” I say seriously. I’m still not thrilled that she wants to fight beside me, but no matter how strong I am, or how strong she is, one thousand witches,
I can feel the moment we leave the cover of magic. Drake and I find a place to park, hiding the car in the darkness. “Are you hungry, Leana? It’s been awhile since you’ve eaten,” he asks me. “I can eat later. I want to see what they are hiding,” I tell him as we begin to make our way back. We both stop when we feel the pressure of magic. “It’s interesting. It’s like a diversion spell, like it feels like you'll face misery if you go forward, like you’ll meet your end if you do,” I say. “I’m sure in some instances, that’s true. That group was ready to come after us until they realized you were a Guardian. Me being a vampire didn’t phase them at all,” Drake says. “Powerful witches,” I agree. “What did you think of the leader?” “He has power, but it feels more like he’s expecting to be powerful because of his magic, not that he has worked to make himself powerful by practicing his magic. Does that make sense?” “Yes. It’s like a werewolf that assumes they are strong because they are
I come awake slowly to the sounds of snarling, growling and hissing. My body feels like it’s been hit by a truck and I have the healing capacity of a human. What happened? As I try to get my bearings, it comes back to me. I had come down here to rescue my sister. I found her, talked to her, had even gotten the door to her prison cell open, and then she had blasted me with magic, slamming me against the wall and knocking me unconscious. I shake my head, tasting Leana’s blood in my mouth and that brings my senses into sharp focus. What have I done? I open my eyes and I see Kella fighting against three vampires. The space in here is narrow and they are using her much larger size and their numbers to corral her against the wall. As I watch, they surround her, pinning her against the cell wall. All three have their fangs out and they are obviously willing to share, all three wanting to feed on my mate. I watch as she leaps at the throat of one of the vampires, tackling him against the
I come awake, feeling snuggly and surrounded by the scent of my mate. “Finally,” I hear Drake say quietly. I open my eyes, and look into his concerned ones. “Where are we?” I ask. “Home,” he says. “What happened?” I ask, trying to remember. “You and Kella showed all those witches and warlocks what it means to go against a Guardian,” he says. The memory comes slowly. “The wall, the barrier.” “Yes, you pushed your power into it and it impacted every witch and warlock whose magic was in the barrier,” he says. “How did we get out of there?” “When your power blasted the wall, it also impacted the powerful witches that had put their magic into it, knocking them out. The weaker ones wanted nothing to do with me, so I raced off with you, getting you safe before trying to find my sister,” he says. I lift my head off his chest. “Did you find her?” “No. But I have a general idea of where she’s going,” he says. “So, what’s the plan?” I ask, sitting up and immediately feeling dizzy. “
When I left Leana, not at all happy that she is planning to confront my father, I raced back to the last spot where I smelled my sister’s scent. Her scent is strange, cold, like a vampire’s but also with an earthy, herbal scent which must come from the witch side. Although the other witches’ scents don’t smell good to me, my sister’s does. I follow the scent to the next town, slowly making my way through, staying in the shadows. I find the remnants of humans that my sister has drained and left to rot. I quickly clean up the mess, disposing of the bodies. I realize that she was starving. I’m guessing the witches were trying to feed her human food, not feeding her human blood. I work my way through the town, stopping at the local bar, and ordering a whiskey so I can hear any rumors that are going around. There are several about Ennata, some about a beautiful girl who stopped briefly, and some about the wild animal that has been attacking people. They don’t seem to realize that they are
I knew Drake was going to search for vampire clans around the area where we found the witch city. I’m nervous, feeling the need to be with him, protect him, but I’m also feeling the need to help my family. We’re being attacked on multiple sides and right now, the issue between Rich and Emlyn takes center stage. So, rather than joining my mate to search for the vampire clans that may be going against the Guardians, I’m here in Rich’s office waiting for Alpha Carter and Beta Trevor to arrive. I’ve been working to get the pack back to normal. It didn’t take Gwen any time at all to make a complete mess of it. And, once a day, I go to check on her. Three days after being put in the cells, she’s still demanding to be released, demanding to see Rich, to speak to him. Every day, I tell the guards to keep her there. Xander has been out searching for the witch, so I’m taking the lead in dealing with Gwen. When they arrive, Beta Jackson escorts them to Rich’s office. Beta Trevor, Gwen’s father,
I follow Lady Mehira out of the hotel, much to the chagrin of the humans who see us. Mehira doesn’t hide her sex appeal and based on the conversations that I heard from the humans, they recognize that she’s from the castle on the hill. As she walks, people stop talking, standing to watch as she passes, and me as well. “You,” she says to a very attractive man whose blood smells sweet even from here. He falls in line behind us, pumping his fist to his friends. “You,” she says to a beautiful woman whose blood smells similarly to the man’s, sweet like honey, and she raises her chin and falls into line behind us. “Hey. Hey!” the guy behind me stage whispers. I turn and look at him as Mehira continues to call to the ones whose blood smells the sweetest. I’m not sure if that’s the draw, or if that’s just the draw tonight, but it’s obviously what she’s looking for. “We’re the elite man,” he says, putting his fist out toward me. I frown at him and turn back around. “Dude, don’t be a dick
One hundred and fifty years later I think Lily said it right. She called it a price, a price you have to pay for being mated to an immortal. I have paid more prices than I ever realized I would have to pay when I accepted Drake as my mate. It’s not that I would ever change my decision, even over a century later I still love my mate more than anything. If possible, our love has only increased with time. But saying goodbye to your loved ones is never easy. First there was my mother. She became ill, something only very old werewolves and Guardians do. Because we knew she was dying, all of her children and grandchildren were there when she passed away. My father held her, crying his silent tears as he told her that he loved her, that she had always been the love of his life and that there was never anyone who could have made him happier than she did. She had died in his arms and all of us had cried, holding each other and lamenting our loss. My mate was among those, crying his blood tea
Two Months Later My mate and I have gotten into a routine of working at the castle and managing our vampire clan, then spending time at our home on the outskirts of the city when Leana needs to be in the city for the council. It wasn’t long before Mehira was pregnant and with how often she growls, I wasn’t at all surprised to hear that she’s having a boy. A boy who is obviously an Alpha werewolf male. We have confirmed that Leana is having a boy too and while none of the tests can tell us that our son has the vampire gene, Leana’s need for bloody meat has led everyone to believe that she’s having a vampire hybrid. Because Alpha Leonardo’s pack is closer, his pack doctor has been monitoring Leana during her pregnancy. Honestly, it’s been easier than I expected, possibly due to Lucero’s blessing over Leana and our child. Ennata and Demetrius have joined the witch faction that is working for Holstin Enterprises. While she doesn’t have the ability to work for them full time, being Lea
We didn’t wait too long before going to visit my family. King Reyes and Marlene joined us, as did Demetrius and Ennata. She wanted to meet Maeve. We went to my brother’s pack first, making sure to let the pack know to expect three vampires on the pack lands. It was still tense until mom greeted us at the packhouse and hugged Drake, smiling up at him happily. After that, it was as if the pack relaxed. I didn’t realize that they all still felt such a sense of protectiveness over my mother, but I guess once a wolf is your Luna, they are always your Luna. Or maybe, it’s just my mother. She seems to elicit that response from those around her, my mate included. Maeve and Ennata hit it off right away, both of them having difficult childhoods and both being witches. They talked a long time about Levana and how she has mistreated both of them. I took the time to talk to Xander about everything that had happened between me and Drake, including my own coronation. “You didn’t think to invite
My mate and I quickly get into a routine of ruling over our vampire clan. We begin to make plans to visit the packs and to visit the fae land. Leana doesn’t like it, but she does find a way to eat real food and still feed on me to fulfil her need for blood. I know it’s only temporary, but I love my mate feeding on me, wanting me, needing me, the same way that I want and need her. It took a couple of days until we saw Ennata and Demetrius again. I heard that food was being sent to their bedroom and I definitely heard enough screeching and banging to know that Demetruis was doing his best bond my sister to him. When they finally emerged from the bedroom, Ennata seemed much more calm that she did when she arrived. “Do I take this to mean that you’re staying?” I ask her when she and Demetrius come into the office that Leana and I now share. She looks at Demetrius. “Try to deny me my love, I dare you,” Demetrius says to her. Ennata grits her teeth but pulls her turtleneck away from her
I wake up warm, wrapped in my mate’s arms. However, as I wake, I realize that I’m stiff. I open my eyes and sit up, realizing that Drake has been holding me while I slept all day. “Hello baby,” I say, tilting my neck and feeling the release as it cracks, then stretching my back and feeling the cracks down my spine as well. “How long have I been asleep?” “Most of the day. I was just about to wake you so I can get you fed before we begin to make our way home,” Drake says, smiling at me. “Food, mmmmm,” I say, then I remember and my head whips around to see Ennata sitting with us. “Hey,” I say to her. “Hey,” she says. “Do you sleep?” I ask her. “Not really, it’s more of a deep meditation.” “What about food? Do you eat or do you drink blood.” “Both. I can survive off of either one.” “Preference?” I ask as I stand, feeling every joint in my body cracking from so many hours of being in the same position. “I like blood,” she says. “Well, I need real food and since I’m pregnant and
The moment I caught her scent, I went after her. This time, I’m prepared. I won’t let her get away. “Ennata!” I yell as she runs. In response, she throws a ball of magic my way. I notice that hers is a lighter color than the other witches, not quite white, not quite purple, something in between, almost a lilac color. I duck the magic as I chase her, hearing Leana behind us, trying to catch up. “Ennata, please. I just want to talk to you,” I say. “Yeah, just like everyone else!” she yells, tossing multiple balls of magic at me this time. “I’m done being locked up!” “I have no intention of locking you up.” “Then you want to sink your fangs into me and bleed me dry, no thanks,” she yells, sending more magic over her shoulder. “I have a mate. Believe me when I tell you that no one’s blood tastes better to me than hers,” I say, leaping over fallen trees and branches that magically move into my way as I approach them. “Prove it,” she yells. “I would if you’d stop running. Listen, y
After my coronation, Drake and I sat down with the Alphas and Lunas of the packs, including my two sisters and my brother, and also with Aolis and Lily. King Reyes joined us with his mate, Marlene, and together we formed an alliance unlike any alliance that has ever been created before. “While our new alliance allows vampires onto our lands, I’d prefer to get my people used to it by having the two of you, or even the four of you, come for a visit first,” King Aolis. “I would love to visit the fairy tale lands,” Marlene says. “The fae lands, love,” Reyes gently corrects her. “Are they not the same?” she asks, looking from Reyes to Aolis. “Not exactly. A fairy tale land is a fake world that humans created for books. The fae land has many fae creatures but it is ruled by the elves,” Aolis explains. “But, there are leprechauns, giants, and unicorns, right?” she asks excitedly. “Just one, unicorn, Lucero,” Lily tells her. “There were many prophecies about my mate,” Aolis says, smili
After I wear my mate out, I lay with her for a few hours until I hear the others start to get up. Last night was great, better than I expected, but tonight, it will be even better. My mate will take her place at my side as my Queen. I disengage myself from her, feeling happy and excited in a way that only Leana and Kella can make me feel. When I get downstairs, I check in with Demetrius who tells me that all of our werewolf guests are still sleeping. I make sure there is food available for when they wake up, and for the rest of the morning the clan and I make our preparations for the ceremony and the party afterward. “Do you need some help?” Reyes asks, coming up beside me. I turn and look at him. “Did you do this with your mate? Make her your Queen?” “Not yet, but after this, I’m sure she’ll expect it.” “Because you didn’t already have a plan in place to make her your Queen?” I ask, jokingly. “Actually, I’m trying to convince her not to change. She lets me feed on her, but I ha
The week without Drake goes by quickly. Whether it’s because she knows that it’s hard for me to be away from my mate or because she’s trying to pack months of shopping into a few days, my mother makes sure that I fall into bed exhausted every night. My time in the council is great. I love learning all about how to make our decisions, and Riley, Mehira and I are taking this time to get to know each other better. It’s great because I know in the future, I can invite them to stay with me when they’re in town. Or, if they choose to stay elsewhere, we’ll still be able to spend time together. Riley and Mehira hit it off right away and I invited Mehira to stay with me this week while she’s in town. She declined because Alpha Leonardo came with her this week, wanting to make sure that his new Luna was safe. The second night, I had everyone over for dinner and Alpha Leonardo and dad went around my property. When they returned, Alpha Leonardo looked at Mehira. “We need to find a house like th