-Xenia-Kat is going to owe me big time for this. While she’s at home getting her lady bits wrecked, I’m out here feeling awkward as hell with two of the hottest guys in this shady-ass biker bar. She can be lucky that I love her so much.I never would have expected this town to have a bar like this, seeing that it’s so nose-in-the-air, but I suppose every perfect thing has a hidden flaw. And I’m all for flaws. Dark corners, wooden exterior with matching barstools, tables, and chairs, and honest to God jukebox blasting Sabbath, leather, boots, and cigarette smoke.Yeah, flaws are my thing. I leave Valentine and Church and walk up to the bar, signaling for the bartender. “Jack and coke - heavy on the Jack,” I order when she approaches, eyeing my chest and smirking. No fucking idea what she’s eyeing since I’m only dressed in jeans, a black tank top showing no cleavage, and a leather jacket. She puts the tumbler down in front of me, nodding. “Running a tab?” “I think I might,” I grumbl
-Katherine-My entire body is on fire, but I find myself unable to move or call out. My mouth hurts, and my gums feel like I’ve chewed on too much Doritos and got shards stuck in them. With heavy eyelids, I drift off to sleep, but a few hours later something claws at my stomach and I wake up.Hunger - soul-splitting hunger.“What the fuck are you doing, little lamb?” Gabriel’s voice interrupts my chewing and I peer up at him while chewing at the leftover pizza in the fridge. I’ve had six slices, but nothing is stopping this fucking feeling.“I’m hungry,” I say, shaking my head. “I’ve eaten so much already but I’m still fucking hungry! My mouth hurts, my body aches as if I have hectic flu, and my head feels like it’s about to explode! What’s wrong with me?! And why the fuck am I so emotional?!”He sighs and walks over to me, taking the pizza from my finger and planting me on the counter top. Then he wipes my tears away and kisses my forehead. “Here,” he tilts his head to the side. “Dri
-Katherine- “Kazimir and Eirisse Vasile from Germany, Ezra Aviet from Armenia, Nisha and Niall Deveraux from France, Dante and Demetria Principe from Italy - these are the heads of the council. They’re old, powerful, and hold sway with a lot of important people because of the snakes they’ve managed to slip into government. Like me, for instance.” Gabriel explains while we drive along the snowy mountains. He’s been trying to teach me more about these people he says I shouldn’t be scared of, but the more he tells me, the more their names haunt me. “Is there anyone I should be particularly scared - uh, wary of?” I ask, and he shoots me a look. None of them can be trusted, I know but there must be one of them who I need to be extra careful of. There always is. “Yes; Kazimir and Eirisse. They’re twins and equally vicious as the other. Eirisse has drained her Fated while Kazimir keeps his locked up, so other lives mean absolutely jack shit to either of them. Don’t let your guard down; d
-Gabriel-If there’s one thing I hate, it’s the way Kazimir looked at Katherine; as if she was the most appetizing thing he’s ever seen. It pissed me off because not only could I not protect her, but if I made a move, it would have meant my death.Then Katherine would be alone in these mountains with Kazimir as her captor.“I couldn’t fucking do anything!” I cry out, punching the castle wall of the bedroom they made us stay in. “He stood there, leering over you and I couldn’t do a damn thing!”Katherine runs over to me and takes my face in her hands. “Babe, if you did anything in retaliation, you would be dead right now. I understand and don’t think any less of you,” she says, stroking my cheek. I shake my head, placing my hands over hers. “You’re my woman, my Fated; if anyone threatens you, I should be the one to defend you-!”“Gabriel, I am not some fragile princess who needs protecting!” she exclaims, her eyes shifting to crimson. “I don’t see you as weak in front of all those Pur
-Gabriel-“Are you sure you’re okay, love?” I ask Katherine for the fifth time since we left Blutholz Castle. She’s been quiet, and if there’s one thing I know about Katherine, it’s that she’s not a quiet person. Ever.“I’m okay, I promise. She sighs and hugs her coat closer to her body as she says, "I just want to get out of this country." “I don’t ever want to come back here.”“We won’t have to after you gave the coordinates and codes to Kazimir this morning. I doubt we’ll see the council any time soon.” I say, noticing how she flinches when I mention the Pureblood cunt’s name.I get it. Most vampires would cower at Kazimir’s feet, but she stood her ground yesterday. Katherine is not weak, I know this, but I still want to protect her at all costs; even if she thinks she doesn’t need it. Taking her hand in mine, I kiss the back of it and bring the car to a stop on the tarmac. “Let's go home,” I say, opening the door and leading her to the waiting jet.We left the castle about three
-Gabriel-The anger has simmered down; now all that’s left is vengeance and a pain in my heart knowing I slept soundly next to Katherine while Kazimir violated her. Pain knowing that someone harmed my Fated and tried to protect me from someone who could easily have killed her. The broken look in her eyes shouldn’t be there; they should be filled with love and happiness knowing we have our forever together. But our happiness was stolen - and her pain only fuels my vendetta.I hold her hand and walk out toward the SUV, where Valentine is waiting for us. He’s wearing a relieved expression, but it slips away when he sees the look on my face.“Welcome home, Pres; Kitty Kat,” he says, nodding to both of us before I open the door for Katherine to get in. I look up at Valentine before following her in. “Meet me in my study the second we arrive at the estate. There’s a war coming.” His eyes narrow when I say this, but he nods anyway.When I get inside the SUV, I pull her into my arms and we
-Katherine-It’s been three days and I can still feel Kazimir’s hands all over my body. I try to brush it off when everyone asks how I’m doing, try to make it seem like it’s not affecting me; when in all honesty it feels like I’m slowly being eaten alive.Gabriel has been nothing but sweet and caring; taking care of me and loving me right through it all. I wake up and he’s holding me; I go to sleep, and he's holding me… all this love and I still feel Kazimir’s touch.My bedroom door opens and Xenia walks in with the same concerned expression as before. She blames everything on Gabriel, even though I told her it's not his fault at all. When a vampire sleeps, nothing will wake him until the sun goes down - it’s like a literal hibernation.“Kat, please talk to me,” she says, walking over to where I’m standing at the window. “You haven’t left this room since you came back from Germany, and you keep saying you’re fine when we all can see you’re not.”I sigh. “You guys have been talking abo
-Katherine-I walk downstairs the following evening and see a flash of blonde hair and a tight red dress whipping past me. She stops in her tracks when she sees me and I can literally see the blood draining from her face.How can anyone be this beautiful without even trying? I feel like a trash goblin next to this flawless woman.“You’re Gabriel’s Fated,” she says, all perfect poise and not a hair out of place. “And you’re his fake wife. Nice to finally meet you, I’m Katherine.” Oh my God, why am I sounding so petty? This woman has the ability to turn me into a raging jealousy-fuelled piece of shit and all she has to do is breathe.Her lips are a thin line and she nods. “Amara,” she says and is about to turn around when I call out to her, feeling like a massive asshole for being rude for no reason.“Wait, sorry, I didn’t mean for that to come out as harsh as it did,” I say, walking the last few steps down and coming to a stop in front of her. “Newborn emotions and pregnancy hormones.
The filth of Las Vegas never fails to disgust me. I don’t know why my father insists that I come here and take over what he’s left behind when I would gladly have stayed at his side as his second. But I suppose that my best friend is here, and he owns Vegas, so there’s an upside to it. I walk into the upmarket club I’m supposed to meet him in and take a seat in the reserved VIP section. We’re meeting up for a few drinks to formally welcome me to Vegas. However, he also has some news regarding his ascension after his father’s retirement and wanted to get pissed while he’s at it. Not that it will help, since he’s a hybrid Lycan. After ordering a bourbon from the server, I sit down and observe the cattle rolling in. Every woman looks the same and they all want the same thing; it’s even more evident when you’re a vampire. You can smell the lust coming off them in waves and if there’s one thing I can’t stand, it’s a needy, easy woman. The blatant stares coming my way makes me roll my ey
-Katherine- It's been six months, and I knew this day would come. Gabriel and I are sitting in Autumn’s office and I have Elijah in my lap. He’s cooing and making cute as fuck baby noises; this shouldn’t be a problem at all since it signifies a happy, healthy baby. But for Pureblood vampires it is because the infancy stage usually lasts for five years whereas Elijah is growing like an average human baby. “Okay, there’s no bad news,” Autumn says as she opens the folder in front of her. “But there is something.” I can tell Gabriel’s getting antsy, and so am I but there’s no point in getting impatient with the messenger who’s trying to help us. “We’re listening,” I say, taking Gabriel’s hand in mine under the table and giving it a squeeze. Autumn sighs. “Elijah is growing like a human baby because of what happened to him in utero; the stakes, the baobab mixed with blood that you ingested. This seems to have interfered with the slow growth spurt of an average Pureblood baby,” she sa
-Gabriel-“GABE!” My heart literally drops when Katherine’s scream echoes throughout the mansion. I run from my office and fly up the stairs to our bedroom, only to see Katherine standing there looking down at her feet. Her head whips up towards me and she points down. “My water broke!” And that is how I felt fear chill me to my bones. I move on autopilot and grab a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt from her walk-in, then slowly walk with her to the bathroom. Her panicked heartbeat keeps me calm for some reason, even as she trembles while I help her clean up and get into dry clothing.Afterward, I grab the overnight hospital bag by the bedroom door and pull out my cell phone. “It’s time, let Autumn know,” I tell Valentine, then kill the call and lead my woman downstairs with the SUV keys in hand. Luckily it’s just after 1 AM, so we’re able to get to Autumn’s without a problem. However, just as I put her into the passenger seat, I feel a sharp sting on my shoulder - a familiar fuckin
-Gabriel-It’s been a week since we returned from Las Vegas. Katherine is settling back in again but she’s been busy with her secret project while I’ve had to deal with starting up something similar to the council. The twins and Gustav are helping me back in Europe, while I oversee the States for now. There will be a meeting in about a month’s time to see where we sit with everything after the demise of the original council.After getting back to DC, we haven’t been able to schedule a checkup with Autumn for Katherine since the doctor has been busy. But right now we’re on our way to her first checkup and to say she’s nervous is putting it lightly.“Don’t worry, little lamb, I am sure everything is fine with the little one,” I say for the fifth time as I pull into the parking lot of her clinic. It’s 9 PM, so there’s no one around right now.“I know! But I can’t help worrying about the baby after everything that has happened. The baobab stakes, the baobab in the blood Matthew gave me, n
-Katherine-Gabriel and Church join us outside not too long after that and we sit at the pool’s edge. He takes my hand and kisses the back of it before chuckling; all of us look at him as if he’s gone insane.“I forgot to tell you all Valentine has met his second chance Fated,” he says, stunning us all with this news. Church’s mouth hangs open and Xenia literally has to close it, I am sure that I’m wearing the same shocked expression on my face. “Second chance Fated? I thought that doesn’t exist for vampires?”Gabriel nods and leans forward with his elbows resting on his knees. “They rarely happen since we never reject what the Goddess has given us; I mean, 200 years of waiting for your soulmate is a long time!” He says, winking at me. “However, if a vampire finds themselves rejecting their Fated, they have the option to choose who they want to be with afterward. This is why the second chance Fated is called a Chosen. Their Threads of Fate are gold, similar to a wedding ring.”This c
-Katherine-Gabriel is quiet while staring at my stomach, but I can hear how his heartbeat picks up after a few seconds… then he looks up at me with wide eyes.“W-what…? I don’t understand, how is this possible?” he asks, his voice and scent both laced thickly with confusion.I sigh. “At first when I left DC, it was because I was hurt and angry at everything that happened; but then when I went up to our bedroom, I heard our baby’s heartbeat and knew I had to make a choice for all three of us.”He furrows his brow and lightly shakes his head, but I continue. “I wanted you to put your all into picking up the pieces of the authority you had left, I wanted you to grow into the leader everyone wants you to be. I wanted you to focus on the role you had…without worrying about me and placing me above everything else.” He stares at me with a glazed expression while I explain.“You left not only because you were hurt, but so I can focus on being a leader?” he asks incredulously, and I catch a q
-Gabriel-I can’t blame Church for not telling me about Matthew Décès before I tended to Xenia; he only wanted to save his Fated. But this might leave me without mine and while running into the mansion, I pray to fucking Gods that I’m not too late.I strain my hearing to listen out for her, but all I hear are muffled voices. There’s no scent of blood either, and I have no idea if this is a good thing or not. Following the voices, I barge into the room that used to be Katherine’s…Only to find Matthew sitting on the bed with her, holding her hands gently in his. Her head whips up towards me and her eyes widen; that heartbeat I’ve missed so much picks up its pace and she gets to her feet.“Gabe!” she exclaims, her hand going to her chest as she takes a tentative step toward me. She’s wearing a pair of black silk shorts and a tank top to match, but it still makes her look like the most beautiful woman in the world.My eyes flicker to Matthew, who stands up and crosses his arms, grinning
-Xenia-It’s a blistering day today and I find myself at the pool after 4 pm. Last night was somewhat therapeutic; clearing things up with Church and having a heart-to-heart with Kat about what’s going to happen next. Things feel better, and less strained and I actually feel lighter because of it.They should be waking up soon, too.The conversation Church and I had still sticks with me. It looks like he knows me better than I know myself and this is all from spending maybe a week or two with me. I have to admit that thinking about Entwining with him still scares me a bit, but he knew that before I even admitted it to myself.Becoming a vampire is a scary as fuck thing, so unless it’s a life-or-death situation, I’d rather stay warm-blooded for now. But Church knew that too.God, the man is perfect; while I’m over here, still indecisive about things.I hear the roar of a vehicle in the distance and get to my feet; no one should be heading this way unless they’re a Devil’s Void member o
-Church-Xenia doesn’t know this yet, but I can tell when she’s serious about something and when she’s just saying it out of excitement. I’ve been around her long enough these last few weeks to know this about her.So when she mentions she wants to Entwine in the middle of sex, I knew that she didn’t mean a fucking word of it. I storm into my bathroom and wash my hands before splashing my face with cold water and raking my fingers through my hair in frustration. This is definitely not how I pictured our first intimate moment going. It started off sexy as hell, I could barely contain myself while slamming into her; then she had to fucking ruin it with those words.How the fuck do we come back from that?A knock on my door and I know it was Xenia. She opens it and walks inside, wearing nothing but a t-shirt. Her face is somewhat red, and a confused expression marrs over her face.“I’m not in the mood for a fight right now, Xenia,” I sigh, pinching the bridge of my nose. “Let’s just coo