“Oh, excuse me. I’m just heading back to my room.”I tried to squeeze by him with my head down, but he grabbed my wrist with enough force to halt me instantly.“What are you doing? Get the fuck off me!” But his grip just grew stronger. He leaned into me smelling my scent as others had done before. He wasn’t going to actually hurt me, right? I was under protection and surely he wouldn’t defy that. That’s what I told myself, but the look in his eyes made me second guess that. His malicious intent was almost palpable at this point and I watched as his eyes darkened. He opened his mouth revealing fangs. I tried to scream but he moved quickly covering my mouth.My eyes widened fear taking over my body. Acelin was just down the hall. If I could somehow find a way to make enough noise, he would have to hear me, but he had now turned me around me holding me tight against him preventing me from being able to move. Just as I was about to give up, suddenly I felt a cool breeze and out of nowh
I groaned as I stretched my body and I realized I was still in Acelin’s arms. “Good morning, my little one.” He kissed the back of my shoulder and trailed his fingers down my side sending a shiver through me. My muscles were sore, a reminder from all the positions it had been in the night before. “Good morning.”I turned towards him and snuggled my face into his smooth chest thinking how nice it would be to stay like this all day. “Last night was..”“Perfect?” I asked completing his sentence as I pulled my head back searching for his eyes. “Perfect.” He smiled and he planted another kiss on my forehead before suddenly jumping up and reaching for my arms to pull me into the bathroom shower. We fought about the water temperature where I found out that apparently vampires don’t like heat very much since they are cold blooded by nature. I won, of course, turning the water to the hottest I could stand it and then proceeded to wash his back. He tried to object at first wanting to cater
“Uh wh- what are you doing here?” My voice came out shakingly. I opened the door when I heard someone knock dragging me out of my despaired thoughts about having the worst conversation ever with Adrian, and was now wishing there was a peep hole, because I definitely wouldn’t have opened it if I saw who was on the other side.I stared up into her fierce violet eyes. The color popped against her pale skin. She studied me with a critical squint. I was sure she was about to snap at me. It didn’t take a rocket scientist to know Onyx didn’t like me very much. Maybe it was because of the relationship I had with her brother or maybe it was just because I was breathing. I hadn’t actually done anything to her, but she was crazy and vicious, and I didn’t attempt to even try to get inside her head to understand the way her mind worked. I was already scared of her when I had Acelin and even Claudis there to protect me, but now I was alone. It was just us two.“Step aside, hybrid. It appears I’m
My hands gripped the paper tightly as I reread the first line over and over. “47% Zoldeck ancestry detected.” That’s what it said. The blood test results were in confirming everything I had ever known to be a lie.My chest tightened once the realization set it and my world was spinning. I felt woozy like I had just gotten off a roller coaster but in reality, I had been sitting still.My name wasn’t my real name. My family wasn’t my real family. I had no idea what was true and what wasn’t. I felt like my identity was gone. Who was I?I had so many questions. I thought about calling my mom and dad, but were they really my mom and dad? Was I adopted or could one of them be a witch? We had pictures together since I was an infant and I never witnessed anything that would give any indication of the sort. There were just too many variables. I didn’t want to take the risk of freaking them out or sounding crazy if they weren’t my biological parents. They already thought I was on the verge of
It had been a whole 24 hours since I’d last spoken to Adrian. Being here with Acelin made the time go by so fast. I didn’t even know how many days it had actually been, but it seemed like yesterday I had just been kidnapped by my vampire.. well, I wasn’t exactly sure of the status of our relationship. It was complicated.Life had been so hectic, and I was barely able to stay afloat. Never had I been away from my phone for as long as I can remember as much as I had the last couple of days. There was so many things going on and my mind was running all over the place, and that was one of the last things I was worried about.But now that I finally had it, I saw the messages and the missed calls. Adrian was a frantic mess. He had even threatened to come find me and kill everyone in sight again. I was sure he meant that, but it was my fault. Yes, I was busy and preoccupied, but I was also kind of avoiding him. I couldn’t really pretend like everything was perfectly fine after being with Ac
“I am not ready for you to leave.” The look on Acelin’s face said it all. He was going to make this hard on me. I guess I hadn’t really thought about this part that much. I was so eager to get the hell out of here and see Adrian to tell him about everything that’s happened, I didn’t realize the severity of the feeling of leaving Acelin behind. It wasn’t like I would never see him again. I actually planned to be seeing him very soon once I got things situated, but it would definitely be different. I had been living here for over a week and it was like a different life. Even though I was a prisoner and didn’t care too much for the vampires, I had been with him. His presence made everything better. Not to mention the fact pretty much anything I could ever ask for was within my grasp. But that had come at a cost, my freedom. And to me, it just wasn’t worth it. “I’m going to miss you too, but I will see you soon. I promise,” I gave him a hopeful look. “As soon as I’m able to talk to Adri
My mouth opened but no words came. I’m surprised I didn’t fall out right then and there. I had all intentions on telling him everything, the truth, but he had completely caught me off guard. Of course he smelled Acelin. How could I be so dumb to forget that he had the nose of a canine? He knew. Without me telling him, he knew. I had been so disrespectful and stupid to not even wash the sex off of me before I brought him over here.A dark thought popped in my head; one I didn’t want to believe. Did Acelin do this intentionally? Before he seemed to be accepting and understanding about Adrian being in my life but he was pretty upset about me leaving and he knew I intended to meet with Adrian. Could this be some sick attempt of marking his territory, making sure Adrian knew exactly what we had been doing together? I didn’t want to think that way, but Acelin was very smart and calculated. I found it hard to believe he would not have known Adrian would’ve picked his scent up immediately.
I had a hangover straight from hell the next day. Wine drunk is a different type of drunk. Pair that with crying, and it equals a migraine out of this world. I grabbed a bottle of water and chugged it empty after popping some pain meds in my mouth to help with the excruciating headache, then made my way upstairs to the bathroom. Steam filled the room as I turned the shower on to the hottest temperature I could stand. My head fell back as I adjusted to the heat, allowing the water to touch every part of my body. This is where I got most of my thinking done. One quiet place my mind could focus and find some clarity in the haze. No matter how badly I had been treated in the past, my heart was not cold. I hated knowing how I made Adrian feel, knowing I was the one causing him pain. I had felt that pain before and the last thing I wanted to do was to inflict that on someone else. My eyes welled up before releasing a few tears that ran down my cheeks blending in with the water. The int
Sleep didn’t come for me that night. A terrible storm brewed outside the window, matching my somber mood perfectly. Usually, a rainstorm would have had me knocked out, but right then, it only added to my discomfort. Rain poured down, lightening flashed, and thunder clapped loudly. The wind whistled harshly, scraping bare branches against the window. I recalled the story my mom used to tell me and my sister when we were little girls. When it thundered God was moving furniture around. When lightning flashed, he was turning on the lights. And when it rained, he was crying. We were taught to believe in a different God than the ones I more recently learned about, but is that what was happening? Were the gods crying?I laid on my back staring up into the dark as if would reveal the answers of the universe. The things that just happened haunted me. I wondered if they could have been handled differently or if somewhere we took a wrong turn. Would it always be like this?So typical of me to
Zariah was still in front of me with her hands held to my temples, but I no longer felt tired or weak. Actually, the complete opposite.The events of the last few months flashed in my mind like a rewinding function. I had been pushed to leave the place I’d known as home, finding myself in a new city so far away. At the time, I was down and out, depressed, feeling super low. My heart was completely broken. I was completely broken. But then Adrian and Acelin came into my life when I needed someone the most. That was no coincidence. And despite the fact of who they were, they showed me things I’d only dreamed of before. Almost as if something too good to be true, but it was just that. They gave me their hearts so willingly and they too had mine. Because of our bond and love I was stronger than ever. I found out who I was, became confident and more comfortable in my own skin. Met friends and family I never knew existed. Yes, it was kind of crazy, but my life had changed drastically for
The darkness bled into the light as my eyes scanned the empty, bright space that changed before my eyes. Call me Dorothy, because I definitely wasn’t in Kansas anymore.Was I dead? “No offense, but this is not what I was expecting heaven to look like,” I mumbled to myself because surely it wasn’t hell. There was no way, right?“You get your sense of humor from your father,” Someone laughed and I spun around. Not one, but three people stood before me, a man and two women. My feet moved on their own as I took a step towards them almost subconsciously. The man was young and handsome. The women were beautiful, one a bit older, but both with brown skin, long, thick hair, and gorgeous eyes. But I wasn’t surprised at their beauty. I’d seen them before… at least in pictures.“Antoinette and Angelique.” I whispered more to myself looking at them both respectively. The younger woman smiled widely, embracing me with her grace. My mother. Wow. She was so pretty. She opened her arms
A menacing and triumphant smile spread across her lips. I wanted nothing more than to smack it right off her bitch ass face. But I didn’t care about my pride, the fact she thought she’d won, or anything else at that moment other than saving Adrian. “You are bound to the wolf and the vampire separately. You have two mates, it’s true, but now what is required is for the bond to be completed between you three. They must be tied to each other just as they are tied to you.”Wait, what? My head was too all over the place for this. Adrian and Acelin had to bond too? Why and how would that even happen? I was pretty sure they wouldn’t be down for that thinking about the way I’d bonded with them.My eyes went to Acelin in confusion wondering if he had any idea what she was saying. His brows furrowed and the crease between them deepened, which made me think he might.“Okay. I have heard enough. This witch is dead if she believes that” -- Acelin cut Onyx off pulling her to the side in a heated c
“Acelin what the actual hell happened to you back there,” I questioned as me him and Onyx ran to meet up with the others. In the two minutes since we’d left the room we were hiding in they’d already killed a few others. Was it weird that seeing vampires get killed no longer bothered me that much?“When I ran out of the room, I realized I had made a miscalculation and there were a few more than what I had originally thought. They were lingering at the end of the long hall in wait, so I needed to take care of them before they attempted to alert others.”“Yes. When I passed him, three had been killed and he was actively fighting two others.”“Wow! You took out five vampires by yourself. How strong are you?”“Just barely above average.” Onyx responded and I saw Acelin glare at her letting me know he was much stronger that she mocked him about.“When he saw me, he knew there was no longer any need to fear. I am stronger than my brother, so he knew I would get to you and save the day.”“Humi
The confidence I had only moments ago was slowly fading. The longer we waited, the more worried I became. Acelin’s face was solemn, a permanent frown creased his brows. As best as he tried to mask it, the concern he felt inside was overpowering. I felt it as if it was my own anxiety. Some of it probably was. His emotions and my own were a perfect mixture.I was sure he was running the different scenarios through his mind, most likely coming up with endings that didn’t bode well for us. And I was also sure at that point Zariah knew we’d escaped, and it was only a matter of time before we were found. With no idea of how far we were from Adrian and the others, it was logical that she or the other vampires of the Guild would get to us before my people. My people…I missed them so much, and because of the situation I couldn’t help but think it might be the end. Would I ever see them again? Would I get to tell them goodbye? There were so many things left unsaid, so many things
“Stay close to me.” Acelin tugged me behind him. “No matter what. If for whatever reason I lose my hold on you or I need to use my hands, you grab on to me. I want to feel your body against mine at all times, stuck like glue. Climb onto my back if you must.” I struggled to hear his low whispers, but the last part made me smile. How he remained calm and composed, even able to crack a joke at a time like this, was beyond me. He wasn’t playing around, though. I knew he felt guilty that someone had lured me in by pretending to be him. So in case anything happened, he wanted me close so no one could get their hands on me again. We made our way through the dark building hugging the halls. Thankfully Acelin led, because I could barely see a thing. Of course vampires could see in the dark. The flooring felt like concrete, a bit damp and the air smelledk moldy. So we were underground, but where? Where had the lunatic witch brought us?“We need to find a quiet space. Zariah and
Tears of anger pooled into my eyes and began to stream down my face. She was taunting me, almost as if she enjoyed it, and I hated her with everything in my being. How could someone be so evil? In the past, I may have threatened but when it came down to it, I’m not so sure I would really go through with it, but never had I wanted to kill another so much in my life. My face warmed, then my whole body. A layer of sweat formed from the tension. She still held my wrists down tightly and she was freaking strong. But I was pissed off, and suddenly a woman scorned. I struggled against her hold and the restraints at my ankles calling upon all my strength to break myself free. Fueled by complete rage, I screamed in pure anguish, something grown from anger, grief, and helplessness. Zariah’s body was flung away from me like a ragdoll slamming against the wall and onto the floor with a satisfying thud. I looked down at myself confused, unsure what kind of magic that was but I wouldn’
Zariah stared down at me with narrowed eyes roaming over my body skeptically in contemplation. Then she turned, and for a moment I thought she was just going to walk out the door, leaving me alone. Instead, she grabbed a chair and sat it down right in front of me. “You ask a lot of questions, almost like a precocious child.”Yeah, yeah. So, I’d been told. “I can answer these questions if you really want to know. I can tell you how everything came to be, because none of it will matter in due time. But my question is are you ready for the truth, because I’m certain you won’t like what you learn.”Was I ready? Probably not. Did I really want to know about what truth she spoke of? Same answer. I already knew Zariah was capable of horrible things. And if in some crazy world she was as old as she claimed, she had time to commit other horrible things. But was it necessary? Yes. I didn’t want to know, I needed to. If I was going to be able to do anything to help, I had to figure out exactly