NadineI looked at Aris without understanding what was going on and watched as he raised his eyebrows, surprised by the decision Connor had made. I didn't understand exactly if he was telling me to show my power in front of all these people or what exactly was going to happen.It's nothing like that, Aris said.I squeezed Connor's hand, and his response was to put his arm around my shoulders protectively, as if to get his point across.The worst part was seeing Ophelia's terrified expression.She was a beautiful and stunning woman, a woman who could have had a steady partner very well despite not having a mate. However, I could understand her frustration and suffering. The reality was that I would not know what I would be capable of if one of my mates died; however, harming others at the cost of that was well within my limits.I hoped not to challenge my limits in that way.“Condemnation granted,” said the council leader. “It will be enforced on such terms as the affected family sees
NadineDrago's kiss was gentle.It was exquisite and delicious.Drago was everything I needed at that moment.His lips were touching me as if he was afraid, as if testing the ground to know it properly and not overstep my boundaries, which was the best stimulant of all. That, somehow, seemed very tender to me, and so I indulged myself in extending the exploration.There was nothing to interrupt us, and I simply gave myself over to passion.Drago's mouth was a treasure for me; his lips were the chest, and his feelings were the crown jewel I wanted to touch. I had a compelling need to know everything Drago felt because of all that he was transmitting to me in each slow movement of our intertwined tongues.I knew he adored me, but with the bond, that love would settle in forever.I moved closer to Drago, promising to take this to another point, and that's how I ended up sitting on his legs as we extended a kiss that meant everything to both of us.He was giving every ounce of love he fel
NadineConnor made the formal request to the Lunarius council to set a definite date: in three days, Ophelia would die under Rose's hands.After that, we would leave to search for the next divine object.Drago and Aris, due to their knowledge of the language of the gods, were the only ones to help me hold the grimoire while Lion, along with Ale and Rex, pulled clues from the books we had read.“I haven't found anything else,” Rex said with a frown as I carefully turned the pages of the grimoire. “It's hard to do this if we can't touch the book.”Aris and Drago locked eyes for a split second.“Magic is conscious, so we must not tempt it,” Drago said seriously. “We just have to be perceptive with the facts and legends. The key is that.”I looked at my dragon mate with a sad smile and then saw the number in the palm of my hand.I had been so focused on other things that I hadn't realized that time was running mercilessly, and if I got careless, things were going to get out of hand.Aris
Country VillageAthens Region “Remember when I told you that one day we would play hide-and-seek any time?” my mom asked, and I nodded excitedly. “That time is now. Do you remember the rules?”“I have to find the best hiding place; I have to be quiet, and, no matter what I hear, I don't come out until you tell me the code word,” I replied efficiently.My mom smiled proudly, but there was something sad in her look. “You're a very sweet and smart girl, Nadine,” Mom said before giving me a kiss and drawing a picture on my forehead. “What's the key word?”“Chocolate,” I said before biting into the little chocolate bar she had given me minutes before, and that made her laugh, making her gray eyes sparkle with joy.“What's the other rule?” mom asked calmly.“I must never reveal our secret,” I said very seriously.Hide it our secret my biggest mission, so my tongue would never reveal it.“Okay, go hide, and no matter what, don't come out,” Mom ordered, and I nodded. ”I love you, Nadine. Al
Part I. Meeting of SoulsNadine13 years later...I woke up in the middle of the night with erratic breathing and a racing heart.I had dreamed again of my mother's death, but this time I saw her killed in a much more grotesque way. The hunters had sat her down in front of me and ripped out her heart so that I would suffer.I shook the horrific image out of my head.I brought my hand to my chest and felt the rune of protection.I sighed in relief, knowing that at least I had an advantage over the hunters. After years of running away, I had found a way to disappear from the map more effectively, and that was by sealing my energy trail so that searching for me would be like looking for a needle in a haystack. It was a trick I learned from my mother when I was old enough to know what she always drew on my forehead after kissing me.I moved all the time, didn't last long in one job, and used different aliases.It was all I could do to keep everyone alive, especially them.Don't think abou
NadineIf someone had told me what was going to happen, I would never have believed them.It was impossible to think that the most beautiful vision I had ever had in my life, one different from the images of terror that always flooded my brain, could turn into some kind of nightmare.Biel looked at me angrily, and I did not respond.The priest took the drawing and looked at it with interest, then frowned.“Who are the other men?” The old man asked, and I said nothing.I had sworn the sight of my gourds to secrecy, so I kept my mouth shut tight and stood up straight. That brought Biel and the priest into each other's eyes, then Biel nodded and walked toward the exit, but not before looking at me as if I were a serious problem. And yes, I was a problem he shouldn't be dealing with. When Biel left, I let go of my hands and tried to regulate my breathing.“Aren't you going to say anything about this drawing?” The priest asked curiously, and I shook my head. “Then I'm going to tell you who
BielHunting the woman of the prophecy had almost turned out to be an impossible mission.We didn't know who she was or what magical powers she had, so I couldn't find her trail. So when the temple gave us clues on how to catch a stripper who was related to her, I didn't hesitate to come up with a plan.I set up an intelligence operation with elite guards in the small city of Valkir. The capital of Valter, one of the 3 common areas of Kagolen, the continent where we lived. Once we found the club where the stripper worked, it was a matter of investigating her movements until she finally met the woman of the prophecy.It was a good move on my part, and when the woman was apprehended, I declared the operation a success. The woman was already hours into her processing, and all was going well until one of the operation's guards approached me with a serious expression.“What's going on, Jackson?” I immediately asked the vampire.“When the unknown female attempted to flee, I entered her apar
NadineBiel didn't miss the opportunity to hit me back.And when I saw the others, they were all serious, as if what I had told them was a sentence. And maybe it was, but it was just a way to protect them, and if I had to be a bitch to do it, I wouldn't hesitate to hurt them if it would keep them alive.“We don't need to be aggressive here,” said the blonde woman who had introduced us. “I think they need a moment to—”“We need privacy, Lu,” Biel answered her in a sweet voice. “Go find the high priest, Lion, please.”The blonde looked at him earnestly, and I could tell there was something longing in her eyes. That bothered me a lot, especially when she complied with Biel's order as if it was nothing.“Speak up, Nadine; we don't have our whole lives to put up with your tantrums,” Biel said, and I pursed my lips.“I don't owe you anything,” I replied immediately. “The soulmate test means nothing, so I'm not obligated to get involved with either of you.”“I'm sorry to be discerning with y
NadineConnor made the formal request to the Lunarius council to set a definite date: in three days, Ophelia would die under Rose's hands.After that, we would leave to search for the next divine object.Drago and Aris, due to their knowledge of the language of the gods, were the only ones to help me hold the grimoire while Lion, along with Ale and Rex, pulled clues from the books we had read.“I haven't found anything else,” Rex said with a frown as I carefully turned the pages of the grimoire. “It's hard to do this if we can't touch the book.”Aris and Drago locked eyes for a split second.“Magic is conscious, so we must not tempt it,” Drago said seriously. “We just have to be perceptive with the facts and legends. The key is that.”I looked at my dragon mate with a sad smile and then saw the number in the palm of my hand.I had been so focused on other things that I hadn't realized that time was running mercilessly, and if I got careless, things were going to get out of hand.Aris
NadineDrago's kiss was gentle.It was exquisite and delicious.Drago was everything I needed at that moment.His lips were touching me as if he was afraid, as if testing the ground to know it properly and not overstep my boundaries, which was the best stimulant of all. That, somehow, seemed very tender to me, and so I indulged myself in extending the exploration.There was nothing to interrupt us, and I simply gave myself over to passion.Drago's mouth was a treasure for me; his lips were the chest, and his feelings were the crown jewel I wanted to touch. I had a compelling need to know everything Drago felt because of all that he was transmitting to me in each slow movement of our intertwined tongues.I knew he adored me, but with the bond, that love would settle in forever.I moved closer to Drago, promising to take this to another point, and that's how I ended up sitting on his legs as we extended a kiss that meant everything to both of us.He was giving every ounce of love he fel
NadineI looked at Aris without understanding what was going on and watched as he raised his eyebrows, surprised by the decision Connor had made. I didn't understand exactly if he was telling me to show my power in front of all these people or what exactly was going to happen.It's nothing like that, Aris said.I squeezed Connor's hand, and his response was to put his arm around my shoulders protectively, as if to get his point across.The worst part was seeing Ophelia's terrified expression.She was a beautiful and stunning woman, a woman who could have had a steady partner very well despite not having a mate. However, I could understand her frustration and suffering. The reality was that I would not know what I would be capable of if one of my mates died; however, harming others at the cost of that was well within my limits.I hoped not to challenge my limits in that way.“Condemnation granted,” said the council leader. “It will be enforced on such terms as the affected family sees
ConnorThe evidence against Ophelia was heartbreaking.The bears sent to the herd everything they collected from her hideout, which turned out to date back years, many more years than I would have guessed. It was amazing what this woman was hiding. It felt like Pandora's box had been opened and a storm was about to break.And that was a minimal description, from a human story, to simplify the shit that had to be studied from that evidence. Every bit of power used in each of the objects she hid had to be analyzed, but the confirming evidence of my family's death was videos of the failed spells she tried to cast.That left me bad, so bad that my grandmother went to see what was wrong with me, and it was Nadine, as beautiful as she could be, who helped me confront the situation.I had no choice but to sit my grandmother down gently to break the news to her.“What's wrong, Connor?” My grandmother asked with a frown, as if she knew what was going to happen.Nadine at that point squeezed my
Nadine“Nadine, wake up!” exclaimed Biel in a hurry.I awoke to find my shadows filling the room like a cocoon of protection to the point of completely isolating us from the rest of the world. I frowned and then saw Biel standing beside me, looking in the direction of the door.His worried expression set me on edge.“What's going on?” I asked him.“There are strangers who have tried to enter the house,” Biel said and I looked at him sleepily, not quite understanding the situation. “More people have come to Raptart, and these ones are indeed well trained, unlike the rogues you caught. I guess your shadows sensed the danger and that's why they have isolated us, but we must help the wolves in the pack and Drago. It smells of dark magic.”Biel's words set me on edge.Please, shadows, show me what's going on outside, I whispered patiently.Biel watched as the shadows retreated, leaving only a small, almost transparent gray layer that let everything into the hallway. Inna was fighting like
ConnorI didn't like to get away from Nadine.I would take a trip south of Lunarius, right on the border with the Chozora Forest, original home of the bear shifters. They weren't our best friends, but they were decent neighbors who didn't get involved in anyone else's business.That's why I was surprised that Ophelia had enough connections to take refuge in that forest.“We have the meeting in a few minutes,” Drago said. “I've known the lead generation of family bears for millennia. They all deal directly with me when they go to Dragis.”“Do you think they will cooperate?” I asked, and Drago nodded.“They will,” said the high priest.Lion had decided to come with us as the authority of the Equilibrium Order, along with Jackson, who was the highest-ranking guardian after Biel.While the order did not act directly in the cooperation policies of the autonomous territories, it could intervene if it created conflict in the region or suspected alliances of anarchists.Soon the bears arrived
NadineWe let more than five hours go by until the fucker in the interrogation room started screaming. That was like music to my ears, and then I got up from the waiting room we were sitting in and Aris grabbed my hand.“Let him scream for another hour; its desperation will make him talk from the door,” the vampire said and I smiled at him. “If he really has people kidnapped as he says, he will scream very loudly.”I nodded, and to my surprise, Biel entered the room where I was waiting with my other mates. He walked with difficulty, as if the magical blow still really hurt him.“What the hell are you doing here?” I asked him annoyed.Biel's relief at seeing me jolted me, but I kept my stance fixed and unwavering.Seconds later, Samir ran up to where we were standing swearing.“I told him he shouldn't come here; he has to lie down right away; he's not fit to walk yet,” Samir said and I crossed my arms.Biel looked at him with annoyance, as if hearing him say those words was a damn prob
NadineI kept the men trapped in the shadows, but it wasn't me they really feared after the initial shock of knowing my power; their fear really lay in Aris, who suddenly rolled his eyes and started doing something I couldn't understand.The men started screaming all at once, as if they were being hurt badly and then I realized that what Aris was doing had to do with his telepathic powers.Connor returned to his human form, and so did the wolves around us.A couple of pack guards appeared wearing handcuffs with power-annulling runes, but these particular ones were made of moonstone and from what I could smell, they had aconite essence.The guardians were looking for all the ways to restrict the rogues' powers in a hurry.When Connor nodded, I released the shadows and the guards proceeded to seize all the rogues in a hurry. Whatever Aris was doing was helping them, then the men fell unconscious on the floor and I looked at my mate with many doubts about his powers.Aris was no simple e
ArisNadine felt too much.Her feelings used to be a balm for me, but that moment when she felt overwhelmed, I could do nothing but act to make the uneasiness she felt much less.What I did not imagine was that, when I kissed her, I was going to feel like an anxious child.I had to facilitate a couple of important talks with our linked group to respect not only Nadine's time but our own time. What Biel had done was just an explosion of his desperation; however, he had overstepped any boundaries.I heard the door open and Rose said something to Nadine; then she walked into the kitchen and saw me with a frown on her face.The woman adored me; she just liked to pick on me because it was fun.“What did you do to her?” asked Rose and I smiled at her.“She's like this because of what I didn't do to her,” I said loosely and Rose patted me on the shoulder.“You're incorrigible,” she said and sighed. “I need advice on something, but I don't want you to tell Connor yet; I need to address it bef