NOLA“What the fuck was that?” I gasped, leaping from my uncomfortable spot on the fallen timber log where I'd been sitting with the Lycan and whipping my head back and forth over the sepia-shadowed line of trees.“Werewolves, but these are different, can’t be the rogues, the howls sound wrong, warped- Hybrid.” Hector hissed, snarling in what I thought was a possessive fashion.I felt the Lycan standing to his feet slowly, towering over me soundlessly as a shudder went through me, and I wrapped my hands over my ribs just as a pale-faced sentry jogged up the path with loud huffing breaths.“Your Highness, Intruders in the tree lines!” The man panted, pointing over his shoulder just as a bolt of lightning lit up the blue darkness of the sky-high birch trees surrounding us, their shadows appearing to shift just a little too late after the flash.I gasped, clapping my hands to my mouth in surprise and darting my eyes to the hard lines of the beast's face before the intense burn of his sil
HECTOR BAYESThe squelch of wet underbrush behind us had me barreling to an immediate stop in between the leaning towers of white birch trees.I turned to the side slowly, my wolf eyes scanning for movement between the trees and in the canopy foliage.“Stop.” I barked harshly, and the handful of footmen that had followed on our security check whipped to a stop immediately, the bulbous head of one werewolf tipping forward so that it looked like there was nothing, save for a lone branch, stopping him from plunging head-first into the bramble-covered rock of the forest floor.”Did you hear that?” I whispered, craning my neck in the stale air that now permeated the length of the forest but only the soft singing of crickets continued as we listened.I shook my head, feeling oddly uneasy.“Nothing your highness,” Gordon whispered, and I looked around at the other fur-skinned wolves before howling a long, bitter string of expletives and shifting back into my human form.This check was a bust
HECTORIt is sometime in the morning when I hear the shuffling outside the thick linen of my tent and the low whisper of conversation that blurred to an indecipherable hum.”Shit,” I groaned, stretching to a stand in the half-lit expanse of the tent. There was a low wooden stool at the center of the space which I regarded for a moment, before snatching the leather of my trench coat off the hanger and breaking through the lips of the tent flap.Some of the footmen who had been clearing the fallen logs off the dirt path bowed graciously when they saw me. “All done?” I whispered airily to the dark-haired blonde that was heaving armor back in the carriage, a sheen of perspiration coating his forehead even against the bite of cold air that I was sure had reddened the tips of my nose.“Yeah, would be faster if you lent a paw ya know?” Kalden grumbled, baring his teeth at me after he turned to see the smirk on my face as he slammed the carriage door closed.“No, you got it I'm sure, didn't
NOLAThe Lycan and the witch had been talking about me.I was almost certain that was what their rendezvous at the forest clearing had been about, huddled like they were, and with the man spotting me off the bat, it had been hard to listen in on their conversation.“Forget it, Nola,” I chided myself after I’d struck my foot on an unruly branch on my way to the line of wagons that had started to slowly move forward, the brown horses heading the maiden’s stations shuffling forward as the carriage master-a short beach all of a werewolf nodded his head to me and I managed an unconscious wave.“You're late.” Kalden’s deep baritone sent shudders through my frame as I froze, one foot poised over the railing of the carriage before I craned my neck to stare up at the thunderous face with a mousy croak.Nola, farthing's child, could you be any more pathetic?“Grab your shit, you're riding shotgun with me.” He growled, scowling like he had been forced to do babysitting duty while everyone else w
HECTOR“Halt!” I boomed, raising a clenched fist as the noise of chariots deadened to silence behind me, the only sound breaking the quiet being the whistle of the soft draft that swirled dried-up leaves across the path, and the metallic clang of the footmen's armor.A stretch of silence ensued as I peered into the fog, a lock of my waist-length gray hair flying into my face before I whipped it back, unsettled.Silence.“What's wrong?” Kalden’s frantic whisper came as his brown horse marched up beside mine, and I risked a glance at the woman he had cradled behind him, suppressing the bitter tang that barbed my chest.I raked my eyes across the landscape once more. The hills had leveled to a cluster of birch trees and intertwined foliage some while ago so that the winding dirt path was now surrounded by sticks of ash and black forest.“I could have sworn I saw...Never mind, it was probably -” I sighed, gasping and whipping my head violently to the side as a silver-tipped arrow whizzed
HECTOR“Halt!” I boomed, raising a clenched fist as the noise of chariots deadened to silence behind me, the only sound breaking the quiet being the whistle of the soft draft that swirled dried-up leaves across the path, and the metallic clang of the footmen's armor.A stretch of silence ensued as I peered into the fog, a lock of my waist-length gray hair flying into my face before I whipped it back, unsettled.Silence.“What's wrong?” Kalden’s frantic whisper came as his brown horse marched up beside mine, and I risked a glance at the woman he had cradled behind him, suppressing the bitter tang that barbed my chest.I raked my eyes across the landscape once more. The hills had leveled to a cluster of birch trees and intertwined foliage some while ago so that the winding dirt path was now surrounded by sticks of ash and black forest.“I could have sworn I saw...Never mind, it was probably -” I sighed, gasping and whipping my head violently to the side as a silver-tipped arrow whizzed
HECTOR BAYES“Nola! No!” I bellowed, leaping up to the carriage with a loud thunk to grip the woman's hand a second too late before she brought the sword down on the creature’s neck and I watched on in horror, my hands going around her waist and pulling her away a split second before I heard the loud snapping of the creature’s mouth falling closed, the sound of teeth connecting with flesh.“Nola!” I gasped as blood spurted from both extremities, one the black gooey ink of the creature’s substance, and the other was the thick viscose of werewolf blood.I felt it, the point when the chaos on the dirty path deadened to silence, and all eyes turned to face us as the creature fell to the dust path with a thundered gurgle, the slack mountain of its ashy jaws falling open to reveal the large stalagmites of yellowed canines with the hint of a stub of pale neck flesh peeking through the gaps in its teeth.The girl went rigid in my hands, before doubling over to vomit over the sill of the carri
NOLA REYNOLDSThe weight in my stomach churned almost painfully when I closed my eyes and the picture of Mary’s puckered stump of head came unbidden to rest under my eyelids until I snapped them open.I could still see that her head had been bitten through by the yellowed pikes until the balls of her eyes sagged outward.I'd done that, me.“The creature bit her head off when it went into rigor,” A sullen-looking woman came up to press a wet towel to my head sometime after the Lycan had released me to look over the prisoners.We had taken some in the clash, and I watched the contorted frame of their bodies as some of the iron nettle-armored guards poked them into the metal cage that had been fastened to the raft behind the food carriage.I nodded briefly in acknowledgment, settling on the thick bark of a fallen tree branch as she patched me up, the line of maidens beside me scooting away when I settled in, as though whatever accident disease I had was contagious. I didn't blame them o
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