NOLA REYNOLDS“All this time, those maidens you kidnapped, what did you do with them?” I asked, remembering the kind-faced old maiden I’d seen at the Lycan’s welcoming party. Esmeralda?I made a mental note to speak with her next before I felt the man shift beside me, glancing at the window over my shoulder so that I turned to look.Empty. Surely no one could see us from outside, could they? Not unless they had their faces pressed up against the glass.“I never hurt anyone, Nola. Ever. I only used the cave to help them transition, get them jobs and houses for their new life in the mountain city.” The Lycan beast gritted and more goosebumps collided on my skin.I allowed my shoulders to drop, feeling the weight of caution drop from me as something thawed in my heart when I lifted my eyes to meet the man’s gray orbs.I opened and closed my mouth wordlessly under the man’s gaze, realizing with horror that I’d been thrusting my chest out to him so that my nipple was so close to his mouth
NOLA REYNOLDSI could still hear the screaming after I’d ducked under the scribe’s rubik table in the Lycan’s throne room.We weren't even two days in from the cave and it was already a mess.“Saints no! Please,” I whimpered, hugging my knees to my chest and clapping my hands to my ears as the screams from outside threatened to consume my mind and snapping my eyes open when the odd thumb came again.What the hell was that? My heart hammered between my ribs as I moved my eyes from the brass plate of the door to the sepia-shadowed blackness of the window.Empty. But it had come from there, hadn't it?I felt my wolf hairs rise with uneasiness, something was lurking outside, and whatever it was, I was almost certain it was waiting to play a game of ‘tag, you're dinner.’And damned if I waited around for that to happen.“Shit.” I cursed in a hushed tone as I scrambled out from my hiding place on my hands and knees, the metal tang of blood getting stronger as I approached the window.The L
HECTOR BAYESI let my wolf energy swirl around my hind legs as I bound over to the front of the castle before barreling to a stop when I saw that the double bronze doors to the banquet hall were hanging open, swaying softly in the air that had grown to become almost, stifling.Memories of what happened all those years ago flashed through my yellowed eyes like lightning as I tethered in the foyer, jolting when the slick body of a low-level hybrid settled heavily on the broad triangle of my back only seconds before I felt the pitchfork of its jagged teeth as they sank into my shoulder.“Saints!” I bellowed, throwing my head back in pain and slamming it into the hybrid’s skinhead with enough force that I felt the slippery skin break away and the bones of its skull poke into my heavily furred neck.“Fucking pigs!” I roared, pinpricks of rage dotting my vision as I wound one large fist around the creature’s slack neck, the slick goo of its fluids matting my fur as I snapped it up before sl
NOLA REYNOLDSSomething had followed me from the Lycan’s palace, into the shifting shadows of the forested valley beneath. Something that stayed in the dark leakage of the trees, shifting every time I blinked or looked away.It made the blood pound hotly between my ears as I backed up into the carcasses of trees, paying no mind to where I was going.“Hello?” I called out, after turning to stare at the slender skeleton of trees, my wolf eyes squinting as I peered over the underbrush.Crickets.I gasped, choking back a whimpered howl and striding forward, weaving past the sharp tips of the branches that seemed to take an odd fancy to my eyes when I was almost certain I had seen the shadow of the gargoyle hybrid hunched between the trees.I had looked back after my fall to make sure it wasn't following me and was surprised to find that the kinks of its milk-gray back were rigidly facing me, with only the decagon of its head twisted impossibly in my direction.Could it have gotten here th
HECTOR BAYESI’d been following the maiden’s scent for a while, Kalden’s frantic hoof falls trailing behind me on the forested path with the wicked hag of the mountains tottering ahead of us.Ma Jules had been acting weird ever since we arrived at the mountain city, but I hadn't given it much thought until now, in the dark shadows of the trees, where I was looking for my mate.Dammit if it didn't kill me to accept the fact, but there was something about the green-eyed imp that brought my temperature to boil.“Dammit! We're never going to find her!” I roared, throwing my fists into the closest tree I could find so that it cracked dramatically under my assault.There was silence for a moment as I tried to control the rise and fall of my chest, pushing back the anger that dotted the edges of my vision.“And what a blessing that would be,” The hag drawled airily, turning back to sigh at the path after I’d calmed down somewhat.“We'll find her Hector, best believe. We know she came down th
HECTOR BAYES”I’ve watched you, Lycan! Bringing your pert little whores into the city the way you do!” Esmeralda screamed gutturally, a bolt of lightning only just washing over her face so that her crazed expression was crystal clear.”The woman has gone mad!” Kalden screamed beside me, gritting his teeth and making to take a step forward when the old maids warning chuckle cut him off.I winced and shot my arm out to keep the angry werewolf in line, my eyes trained on the blade where a drop of blood had pooled on Nola’s neck.“What the fuck do you want Esmeralda? There's nothing between us, not anymore. Release the woman, DO NOT TEST ME.” I growled, the rumble of my Alpha voice so frightening it made the leaves on the trees around us wither and die.I remembered how I’d placated her even then, as any nobleman would, believing her homelessness to be the cause of her malaise- Never mind that I’d carved a queenly lot for her in the castle.If I could, I would go back and kick the young k
NOLA REYNOLDS”Your Highness!” I screamed mindlessly as the Lycan King fell on his knees, keeling over to reveal the wicked hags smirking face.“Should have left it alone as I told you to, now look what you made me do,” Ma Jules tutted, slamming the blunt end of the spear into the man’s silver-coated head as he turned sharply to growl at her before slumping back down.I gasped, scrambling back until I ran into what must have been Kalden’s unmoving chest as he stood behind me. I jolted away, before realizing that he had been shocked out of his mind too. It was unheard of for a witch mage to stab her king.I stepped forward to meet the wounded king before I felt the heat of his best friend’s hands grab me almost painfully.Was he a part of them too? I struggled against him, snapping my jaws at the space where his hand met my skin before his frantic whisper stilled me.“Don’t make a sound!” Kalden murmured, but it was already too late, I looked up to see that the two women were watching
NOLA REYNOLDSI gasped, sputtering until I'd managed to hack the clot of black goo out, blinking away the oily slime with a profound measure of disgust until the Lycan’s face came into view.”Nola, Are you okay?” Hector panted, his shoulders bowing forward as the split face of Esmeralda’s Gorgon fell to the earth with a wet splat, and I saw where the Lycan had clutched one half-shifted hand to his abdomen, the claws he’d used to burst the old maiden’s head pressed into the hole where his skin was overflowing with blood.So much red, the king was losing a lot of his essence!It shouldn't have been possible that the Lycan was able to stand and half-shift the way he had been this whole time, I gulped reflexively, unable to look into the smoky daze of his gray eyes.I nodded, “Yes, I-I am,” I breathed, raking my eyes over the man’s face as his gold-brown eyelashes fluttered with relief and the hole that had been burning in my heart sagged wider as he bowed forward, leaning heavily into my
NOLA BAYESIt had been months since my bonded died, but for the first time since that sordid night, I was feeling confident, happy even.The mountain city troops had grown to staggering numbers in the past months, so I had dispensed a good number of guards to survey the old wolf village.My new city. The King and I hadn't decided on a name yet, but I knew it was going to be soon.We had freed the wolf village captives the next day, after the gruesome war. Alpha Theo’s rescue had been one I handled myself, with admittedly way too much joy than I could think to hide.“R-Reynolds? I-is that you dear girl?” He had rasped, the curved nails of his claws coming through the wrought-iron bars to lace over my hand before I snatched it away, incensed.“That’s Queen of the Highlands to you Alpha Theo, a shame to see you like this I must say, especially with the way you threw us maidens out on our behinds with nothing to our names.” I spouted, watching with a measure of satisfaction when he bent
HECTOR BAYESI didn't want to let her go, Nola, but I knew in my heart that I had to.And she did run, jerking away from my arms, to throw open the underground chamber grates with a strength I hadn't imagined her capable of.I followed on her heels as we ran down the stone slab of stairs at breakneck speed, into the crematorium where Kalden was lying, still as a statue, encased in the frosty insides of a glass coffin.I felt my breath catch in my throat and I paused at the doorway, my eyes widening when I saw the wreath of white and blood-red hydrangea flower bushes decked in small steps around the dias.“Kalden? Kalden, say something!” Nola gasped, slapping open the casing as a whoosh of frigid air swept up from the body, hitting me right in the nostrils.“Hector, you can't do this, I won't let you!” She screamed, turning to grip the lapel of my shirt with tears glistening on her cheeks.I nodded to the mourners huddled off to the side, darting tear-filled looks at us, and they bowed
HECTOR BAYESThe feeling of the dead man’s body as I writhed on top of him had not left my chest as we rode on horseback, into the gates of the mountain city.“Are you alright?” The green-eyed woman who had been watching me since we passed through the gates whispered, clumps of mud and twigs sticking out of her hair from where she’d brushed her face against mine.The porcelain of her high cheekbones was ashen with dust and grime, and the sight of the salt streak of tears dried and flaky sent a pang through my frame.I allowed myself a shallow breath, We had come a long way, the imp and me, and I was almost certain I couldn't have won the war if it weren't for her quick thinking with the sword.God-freaking dammit, Was I alright? I couldn't tell.The singed fur of my son’s corpse weighed heavy on my heart. Or It might have been the hole of my soul sword that refused to heal.I hadn't wanted to kill the boy, the monster, far from it. Saints! Lord knew Japhtar deserved worse for coming
NOLA REYNOLDSThe sound of a woman screaming reached my ears, distorted in the quake that seemed to shake the earth all around us before I realized I was the one who had been screaming.The Lycan’s sword shook in my hands, the weight of the huge beast pressed against it towered over me, the sprain in my wrist threatening to explode through the net work of veins.“Oh, Dear God!” I screamed again, darting away and watching the impaled beast fall heavily to the dust with a rumbling groan, the Lycan following as I clapped cold hands to my mouth to stifle another scream.“What's happening?” They whispered,“By Joves!”“...Do you reckon he's dead?” The hushed voices of the werewolves gathered rose, seeming to come to a standstill with the skewered monsters as they huddled around the intertwined mass of the Lycan and his son, with the silver tip of his sword- MY sword, shooting up from the soaked due of his back.“Hector!” I shrieked, falling to my knees beside him as I watched the Lycan fal
HECTOR BAYESI am halfway across the field when I realize something is wrong.The man on the other end is grinning, the defined barrel of his chest rising and falling with excited breathing as I closed the distance between the two armies.“For the mountain city!” I bellowed, gripping the silver hilt of my sword as I sent the blade flying through the air in a neat arc, slashing the werewolves in my circle as the black goo of their blood sprayed into my eyes, stinging the liquid from them.Why the fuck did Japhtar keep smiling at me?I let my eyes roam over the lot, catching Nola’s tear-streaked face briefly, before the horde of werewolves fighting closed around her and I felt the rake of claws slice across my back.“Eyes in the heavens! Feast on their bones!” Japhtar’s deep voice boomed in the space as I felt the pound of my heart starting to hammer wildly in my ribcages.I snapped my head up to see that the same type of mist that hung over the city walls had climbed to cover the moon’
JAPHTAR“You’re sick Japhtar! That's what you are, a sick fucking bastard-” The maiden rasped hotly and I felt a bitter fork spike through me at her words, only seconds before I let the back of one giant hand rip across her cheek, sending her back into the hay with a loud thump.“Stupid, stupid girl,” I growled, stalking toward her and snatching the porcelain-faced dwarf by the lapel of her gown, raising her until she was suspended in the air, whimpering loudly.“Make no mistake wench,” I wheezed, shaking her roughly, as one would do to a dirty kitchen rag and watching the muscle in her tight little jaw tighten, no doubt holding back her pained screams.“I am not my father. I will not hesitate to snap your pert little neck, doesn't make a difference to me if you're alive or dead wench, pussy’s pussy.” I grinned, letting my eyes roam delightedly over the maiden’s body as I slammed my hairy paw into the crevice between her legs, her ear-splitting screams music to my ears.“And that's on
HECTOR BAYES“What did you just say?” I wheezed, my heart hammering wildly between the cages of my rib as heat rushed to my head and ears.“Y-your highness, I- they saw her, being carted away, over the north of the forest,” Gordon murmured in a mousey voice, and I felt my eyes grow until they were the size of fucking beach balls in my sockets.Japhtar had Nola? How did that happen? Saints! Why didn’t the imp ever listen to me? The irritation building inside me grew until it blotted out everything else as I clenched my fists until they shook lightly beside me.Taking my woman was the worst thing he could have done, and now, I was going to make him pay for it.“Assemble the royal troops, we're going to storm the outskirts.” I gritted, making a few of the werewolves present gasp as they cuddled around themselves before I strode out, Gordon running last me to assemble the troops before I got there and thoughts of the fair maiden swirling in my head.“Your highness?” Sarah whispered as I m
NOLA It was the whirl of the overhead ceiling fan I heard first as I came to, the ache in my temple searing through the balls of my eyes as I allowed my eyelids to flutter open, the memory of what had happened hit me like a freight train so that I let a loud gasp slip.What the fuck was that smell?I gagged, huffing frantically as I struggled against the wires that twisted into my skin painfully, the stench of male musk and excrement sticking to the hairs in my nose.“Oi! I reckon the princess’s awake, get a look at this eh?” A gravelly voice jeered as hushed whispers rose around me, the crooked claw of one werewolf poking the flesh of my hand hard enough thank screamed, tearing my eyes open to see the obelisk of their misshapen faces hovering over me.”Get the fuck away from me!” I screeched, aware that my chest was rising and falling frantically with suppressed pants as I watched the trio throw back their heads and laugh.Shit. How long had I been out? The man with pink eyes. I cou
HECTOR BAYESJaphtar Bayes was in the wild, He’d fled. The bastard.It was lucky that he had when he did, the moon goddess had hidden her silver bulb behind the iron-grey mist that kept as the fight died down around and wearied-looking soldiers from the royal army speared off the rogues that lingered.“After them!” I roared, struggling to my feet as the cobblestones of the ground rose to my vision again before I came down hard, my hand shooting out to strike the pavement, the tremors going through me.I’d been halfway up and on his heels, the ache from the gash in my midriff stinging enough that tears rose in the pools of my eyelids before I yelled for the soldiers to follow him, my heart sinking with each second that passed when I noticed he had run toward the castle.Nola! I couldn't let him make it to the gates even! Not when the stone city castle held the remainder of the survivors that had managed to escape the gruesome war.I straightened with a large inhale, feeling my muscles