The Land Rover pulled up into the motel's parking lot. The three black SUVs stood out among the old cars. It had taken Ruben longer than he thought to track down Lisa, but he was pretty sure he was right this time.
“Scan the parking lot,” Ruben told his team. “ See if anyone leaves their room.”He straightened his jacket and went into the manager's office. A slimy looking man was leaned over the counter reading a magazine. He ignored Ruben, so he rang the bell. The worker looked up, unamused.“Have you seen this girl?” He held up Lisa's picture on his phone.“No,” the man said before looking back down.Ruben was bored with this. He reached in his pocket and threw a one hundred dollar bill on the counter. This caught the man's attention.
“It might be the girl who is staying in unit 11,” he said.“Can I have the key to unit 11?” Ruben asked.
“That will cost you,” he said. Ruben thr
“How do you know her ?” Ruben eyed Sebastian curiously.“It's a long story, which happened long ago, it caused quite a stir back then. Right?” Sebastian grinned at Serena.Serena stared at the ancient vampire, she was slightly alarmed that he still remembered her. They had met briefly.“Hello Sebastian, it's been a long time.” Serena replied then turned to face Ruben, “She is injured, she needs help.”“Yeah, but I need to know who are you ?”“I am Serena, Lisa's great-great-grandmother.” She replied in a placid tone.“No way! You are a wolf? But Lisa is a human. How is that possible?” Ruben asked with a hint of suspicion. He had assumed much that the woman was related to Lisa, due to their uncanny resemblance.“I can explain, but first we need to assure her safety.” Serena insisted.They all proceeded to the airport in Ru
Sebastian struggled to keep his expression carefully neutral. He smiled as he watched her silently, seeing her green eyes sizing him up just as intently as he was her. So that scent belonged to Ruben's sister. He doubted that Ruben would be amused by that.Andrea was still because she quite literally found herself unable to move. Sebastian Winter was even more beautiful than she remembered from their first meeting. Granted she was just 15 then and she assumed it was a schoolgirl crush on a hot vampire. She was also in a considerable amount of pain at the time, but still, she had registered his inhuman beauty despite that. Her memory had been clouded with the pain because it didn't do him justice though.His long, black hair was loose around his shoulder, his brown eyes intent as they travelled over her body very slowly and caused a stirring of liquid heat inside her which she fought down before she started scenting up the room in a very embarrassing way. Her gaze slowl
The oldest werewolf in the pack was not pleased to be ignored, she was antsy because no one informed her about the commotion which had happened in the main hall earlier.“I can't believe we had a vampire in our compound, your grandfather would be turning in his grave!” She said, shaking her head.Andrea tapped the joystick with an extra force. While her avatar killed several zombies on the gaming console.“Grandfather was cremated Beth, and Sebastian is our friend,” Andrea mumbled.Vampires and werewolves had a love-hate relationship over the centuries. There had been a time when both species had started accepting each other, then some random dickhead would break the treaty and attack on a pack or a coven. And they would be back to where they started. About 50 years ago, Sebastian had helped Ruben by informing him about a rogue coven who were planning an attack on the River moon pack. That started their friendship
"Leonard? That man called himself Leonard?" Ruben asked, frowning. "Yeah, and he was a werewolf or a vampire. Something I am not sure what." Then suddenly recalling something she said, "Serena, I was supposed to meet Serena." "She is here, at the compound. She is safe." He assured her and narrated everything which had happened so far. By the time he had finished her head hurt and her stomach growled. "My head is pounding. How long was I knocked out? " Lisa, whimpered while rubbing her head. "The doctor said a week but you woke up in just two days, which is a good thing I suppose. Wait, I will get some food for you." He directed the two betas near the door to continue guarding and left for the kitchen. Keith had been taking care of the pack business that had stacked up since Ruben had been pre-occupied, he was dragged away to the mess hall for breakfast by his mate Amber. The mess hall was full of people eating and laughing. The noi
Ruben was lovingly staring at his mate. He had tried to be gentle but their lovemaking had exhausted her. She smiled sleepily. However, sleep was the last on her mind. He kissed her nose and said seriously, "we need to talk....."A knock at the door interrupted him mid-sentence. Keith walked in and bowed to the alpha couple in the bed. The air was filled with the unmistakable aroma of arousal and sex. He hid a smile for his alpha. Lisa felt her cheeks turn a bright crimson and drowned herself under the sheets a little more."What is it?" asked Ruben impatiently. He had hoped to get a full conversation with Lisa, without being interrupted."Councilman Raphael and Sebastian are here, as you requested," reported his Beta."Serve them refreshments; I will be there shortly," he replied waving a hand.Lisa looked between the two men in confusion. Keith left with a short bow and left the room. Ruben watched his lover carefully, trying to guess the thoughts
“I'm sorry, I didn't mean to intrude. It sounded like you were talking to someone.” Ruben walked into the bathroom. It was large, but it wasn't large enough for Leonard or his hallucination to hide. “Just myself,” she said. She moved the bubbles over her body, making sure nothing was visible. Which was stupid? There was nothing he had never seen before. “Alright, I will wait for you outside.” He started walking towards the door. But she didn't what him to leave, she had an ominous feeling if she was left alone her hallucination of Leonard would return. “Wait, why did you return? You had a meeting?” “Ah! I was going to talk to Serena to hear her side of the story and thought you might be interested.” “I am done, guess I can join you.” She said quickly. She wanted to avoid staying alone. She tried to push herself up, then looked at him. “A little help, please,” she said. He sm
The year 1820 -In her sleep, she felt warm and safe. She heard unspoken words and occasionally caught glimpses of her name and a woman. Occasionally, she'd catch glimpses of red, and then it would hide away from her.'Come back to me,' she'd say into the nothingness that was her mind. Most of the time, she was met with silence. Today, she was met by a howl.She heard someone opening a door and screamed once more, hoping that someone would hear her. “Please, can somebody help me? Does anybody hear me? Please help!”The burning pain in her body made it difficult to speak. 'Where am I?' She started to feel panicky. The last thing she remembered before she had passed out was the black wolf. What had happened since then? Slowly, she pulled the top sheet off the bed and covered herself as good as she could, wondering where her clothes were. Where was William? And her baby, Sarah?She decided to calm herself by taking in her surro
Shifting the heavy burden of dirty linens, Victoria wished that she wasn't an omega, but she knew if she wanted that to change, that complaining wouldn't get her there. Victoria passed the large mahogany doors of the Alpha's room, wishing she had been born with enough rank for the Alpha to notice her. Heaving a sigh, she went to the laundry room on the alpha's floor.She rushed out of the room and hurried down the hall, only to come to a halt when she heard screams coming from the Alpha's room. Dropping the clothing, Victoria ran towards beta Peter's room and burst through the door panting.“Sir…you have to come…quickly…there's screaming coming from Alpha's room. I think there's something wrong with the human.”“Screaming? Go get Alpha, quickly! Tell him I need him in his room immediately.”Peter ran down the hallway, still throwing orders over his shoulder. “Go now. Hurry!”“Ye
There werewolves and vampires in the room. Lisa's scarlet dress clung to her figure snugly, making her appear more shapely. Ruben spun her across the dance floor, bringing her through unfamiliar moves. She admired the way he made it appear as though she knew what she was doing. She felt a sting as his gaze shifted away from hers. Everyone kept reminding her that this night was all about her, but it was also partly about him. He was her mate, and she had been increasingly aware since the transformation that it was in his nature to desire the best for her and the pack. He wanted to talk business with the Alphas of the other packs because he was surrounded by them, but he was stuck with her. "So, who is the blue-shirted gentleman?" Lisa inquired. Ruben answered with a deep growl that she wouldn't have heard a few weeks before. He was still a little possessive of her. Ruben said, "Lucian. He's the Crimson Shadow Pack's Alpha. They are from Florida. We don
The pack was standing together in a circle. Beth and those who had died in the battle were honoured with a brief memorial service.Lisa approached Andrea, who was solemnly observing the happenings. Andrea was depressed, she could tell. She was reminiscing about Elizabeth, small details like how the old wolf made up stories."She loved you. She expressed her gratitude for being such a nice friend." Lisa said.Andrea turned around and looked at her with a puzzled expression."I met her after I was put into a coma. It felt like a dream, yet I believe she came to see me."Andrea stifled a sob as she continued, "I miss her."Lisa took her hand in hers and gently squeezed it. "We all miss her. She claimed, however, that she had a good life and wished to be free. We should probably be happy for her. And most of her stories were made up. But you already know that right?"Andrea gave her a friendly grin and a nod.*************
Sebastian had been bothered by something, so he patiently waited for the meeting to end before scooting over to Ruben and his companion."Ruben, when you say I'm now a member of the pack, do you mean I have to obey you like your dogs?" He roared, his rage erupting in waves. Andrea was rolling her eyes and trying not to giggle as he turned to face her."Whatever gave you that idea, Sebastian?" she asked softly, her arms slipping around his shoulders."Alphas don't give ridiculous orders every five minutes. That is not my objective." Ruben said, amusingly, he understood vampire-wolf mating would be difficult. Vampires were fiercely self-reliant and thrived in their seclusion. Wolves, on the other hand, were devoted to their packs and could not survive without them."Excuse my scepticism, but what exactly do you mean by being a part of the pack?"Sebastian asked sarcastically."It was the quickest means to show my pa
Lisa's chest rose and fell in front of Ruben's eyes. He knew she was his, but he wasn't sure if she realised he belonged to her as well. He carefully lifted her shoulders and climbed out from beneath her when the doorbell rang. On the other side, he was not surprised to see Serena."How is she doing?""Sleeping," he explained.Serena responded, "The last thing that girl needs is more sleep."Ruben stated, "She is alive. Don't think I'm unaware of my good fortune. That's the only thing that matters.""Can you tell me what she remembers?" Serena inquired.Ruben said, "Not much. However, she recalls her mother's or rather her aunt's betrayal.""Mary is still imprisoned among us. What are your plans for her?" Serena enquired."Kill her," Ruben stated emphatically.Serena's pupils dilated."Lisa?""Lisa is unconcerned about my decision. And she has no desire to know."Serena smiled and n
Lisa apologised, "I'm sorry, I don't understand." "Can you tell me what you remember?" Beth inquired. "I recall feeling like I was being sucked into an abyss. I had no sensations. I only saw darkness everywhere, punctuated by agonising screaming." As she described her ordeal, Lisa trembled. "Well, he came close to catching you. Until I arrived and expelled him." Beth remarked. "Are you....dead?" Beth burst out laughing. "Nobody ever dies; they only pass into another realm. Reincarnate into a new body after bidding their time. You offered me the freedom I so sorely desired but couldn't achieve on my own. It can be tiresome to live a long life. Don't be concerned about me. I'm fine." Lisa blinked, unsure of what she was seeing. Then she spotted Beth's red hair, which was identical to hers. "I am your one-in-a-million grandaunt," Beth explained. "What
It had been a week and a half. Ten days since everything had ended. Andrea stood in the doorway of the clinic, watching Ruben gently lower his sleeping mate onto her bed. With a profound frown on his face, he covered her and then looked down at her.Sebastian muttered gently from behind her, "Hey," and she knew exactly what he wanted to hear, but she didn't believe it was the best time.He started to add, "Andrea, she'll be OK..." but her head swung around and his deep blue eyes pierced into her green ones. She groaned and walked down the corridor to a bench to sit.She said calmly, "Lisa was fatally injured. Beth is still missing, and I believe it's all my fault."Sebastian was stiff, his rage pouring out in waves, yet when he spoke again, his tone was soothing. "That is not the case. Even you were on the verge of passing away. Dorcas' use of you as bait was not your fault."Andrea bit her lower lip and swallowed."I miss Beth b
Dorcas got the chance to hit Ruben on his shoulder. Ruben was not anticipating the action and was jerked away, slamming into the far tree. The wind was knocked out of him, and he was gasping for breath.“Clever dog,” Dorcas said.Ruben started to stand up, but felt a hand around his neck, lifting him in the air. He knew that Dorcas could beat him on brute strength, and he needed to think fast. He put his hands against the tree trunk and brought his knees to his chest, using all his force to shove them in Dorcas's chest. It worked and he was released.Taking advantage of the rain, he threw a fist and connected with Dorcas's face. He fell to the ground and Ruben started to kick him. It didn't take long for Dorcas to grab hold of his foot and flip Ruben down on his back. Ruben was on the ground looking up at the monster.“That wasn't very nice,” Dorcas roared.Dorcas darted away with speed, b
Trent was tearing through the maze of dark wolves, his heart pounded so loudly it was all he could hear through the rain and screams. A wolf was suddenly whirling towards him. He positioned himself to take on him when the wolf was suddenly sliced in half and thrown aside.“Serena!” Her name sounded as if it came from a distance, even though it had been directed from his lips. He watched as her body flew through the air, her top wet with rain and blood.“Thanks !” He said.She nodded, "where is Ruben?” She asked.His brain finally connected with what was happening.“I… I am not sure,” he replied, still in awe. Serena had saved his life!“Ruben, where are you !” She almost wept with relief as Ruben's alert mental voice answered her.Her mate knew instantly that something was wrong and didn't stop to
Andrea felt herself falling, heard Lisa's scream. She knew she was going to die. Ruben would go insane with grief if she did. And Sebastian, well, she was terrified for her vampire. Maybe once their mate bond was gone he would go back to living his normal life. Lisa screamed and caught Andrea as she fell. She had seconds to catch her, a very few precious seconds. She reached out, forcing her tired body to move faster than she'd ever moved before. She had no idea where Ruben was, and she didn't care. Her hand caught Andrea's outstretched arm, she pulled hard, wincing as she felt her shoulder dislocate. She managed to slide her body beneath her friend a split second before they hit the ground. She attempted to cushion most of the impact, to keep Andrea protected in her firm embrace, but she heard the other woman cry out in pain and knew that she was badly hurt. “Why did you do that ?” She screamed at Dorcas,” I said I was ready to cooperate.” “She