Zephyra let loose the arrow, a sudden burst of wind giving it more speed, and she immediately notched the last one she held in her hand. Lysandra cried out as Zephyra’s arrow knocked the gun out of her hand. “Don’t,” Zephyra told her as she started to reach for it. “Don’t do it. Don’t make me kill you, Lysandra. I don’t want to do it, but if I have to choose, I’ll choose them over you.”
Despite her exhaustion, Zephyra didn’t sleep well. It took her forever to fall asleep, and when she did, nightmares plagued her. At least it was over. The nightmares would fade and pass. That’s what she told herself, anyway.Getting out of bed, Zephyra started down the hall towards the bathroom when she noti
Zephyra was glad Ethan wasn’t going to try to ferret the real reason out of her. “Yeah, sure.” Ethan took her jacket and draped it over a stool near the island. “This is a nice place,” she said as she sat down, watching him dish food onto two plates.“Thanks. I don’t spend a who
The musty smell of damp earth tickled Zephyra Callahan’s nose, and she had to resist the urge to rub
As Zephyra drove home, the thick trees slowly gave way to civilization as the two-lane country road widened and nature
The room broke out in whispers again. “A female alpha? Is that really possible?” The speaker sounded as stunned as Zephyra felt. She looked at the three men, curious to see their reactions, and again was surprised. They appeared to accept the woman’s claim as alpha. Furthermore, they looked proud and ready to challenge anyone who would say otherwise.
Zephyra pulled her jacket closer as she stepped out of the city hall and into the dark parking lot. The soft orange and purple rays of the setting sun were visible just behind the small strip mall across the street, which was practically empty. The chilly, damp air clung to her and stole what little warmth she had like the hand of death itself. Zephyra shuddered at the sudden and short gust of wind. She tugged at the zipper of her jacket as if that would improve its ability to shield her from the cold.
It was only a few minutes’ drive to Angie’s, and the only conversation until they pulled into the parking lot consisted of giving directions. The brick diner sat at one of the town’s most busy intersections. Its neighbors were a pharmacy, a gas station, and a car factory. This made it the go-to spot. It also helped that Angie was willing to hire and serve anyone as long as they knew how to behave. She didn’t care if you were an aberration or a norm.
Zephyra handed the older woman her order with her polite business smile in full force. Upon seeing the next customer, she shuddered mentally. Jack Donalds, the wannabe Don Juan to all aberration women and one of the few people Zephyra tried hard to avoid. It wasn’t that Jack was a bad guy. He was polite and his rough voice had that Southern twang, which gave him a bit of rustic charm.
Zephyra was glad Ethan wasn’t going to try to ferret the real reason out of her. “Yeah, sure.” Ethan took her jacket and draped it over a stool near the island. “This is a nice place,” she said as she sat down, watching him dish food onto two plates.“Thanks. I don’t spend a who
Despite her exhaustion, Zephyra didn’t sleep well. It took her forever to fall asleep, and when she did, nightmares plagued her. At least it was over. The nightmares would fade and pass. That’s what she told herself, anyway.Getting out of bed, Zephyra started down the hall towards the bathroom when she noti
Zephyra let loose the arrow, a sudden burst of wind giving it more speed, and she immediately notched the last one she held in her hand. Lysandra cried out as Zephyra’s arrow knocked the gun out of her hand. “Don’t,” Zephyra told her as she started to reach for it. “Don’t do it. Don’t make me kill you, Lysandra. I don’t want to do it, but if I have to choose, I’ll choose them over you.”
“God, you killed her?” Tommy’s eyes widened and his mouth fell slack a moment before his expression hardened. Anger now blazed in his narrowed eyes. “How could you, Zeph! She was my sister!”Was he serious? Zephyra stared at him, and, sure enough, he wa
“You crying?” Tonya mocked. “Oh, don’t worry, I’m not going to shoot you,” she went on, mocking Zephyra with her false compassion. “That would be far too quick. Oh no, I’ll let Rhys and Jaxie do that. Just like they did to that slutty witch friend of yours.”
“That’s it?” Brady said after a long moment.“What are you talking about?” Zephyra asked him, not sure what he was getting at.
Zephyra’s head hurt. The pain stabbed at her temples and thrummed through the rest of her head in rhythm with the beat of her pulse. This was worse than the hangover she had the day after her first college frat party. Opening her eyes, Zephyra stared down at her lap in the dim light. She was sitting and judging by the almost painful pressure across her chest, she was willing to bet that she was tied to a chair. Zephyra started to lift her head when a sharp pain shot through it, making her wince. Maybe moving wasn’t such a great idea right about now.
“Hey, Brady,” Zephyra said with a smile. She was really glad that he wasn’t the bad guy anymore, even if he was an asshole. The memory of him telling her that he was done with all of this wiped the smile off her face. “Bye Brady,” Zephyra said and again started to get into the jeep.
As soon as Zephyra was in her Jeep, a torrent of rain let loose. It was raining so hard it took her double the time to get to her parents’ house than it usually does. Her mother ushered Zephyra inside and out of the storm when she knocked. “What happened now?” her mom asked, taking the dripping jacket off Zephyra. Her dad put away the book he was reading and gave her a worried look.