SIX MONTHS LATER.
My charge was slowly gaining his strength back. When I dragged him back to my cave, Santos was barely alive. I gave him some of my blood, and then I broke his neck. When he woke up, he was a Vampyre. Since then, I have been teaching him about our way of life; he's a fast learner.
Dad was gone. I could hardly believe it. The Vampyres had scattered to the four winds, and I was left alone in my coffin, forgotten. Jezzabelle, my mother, had left me with M
The sound of rain thundering down on the roof should have been enough to wake him up, but for some reason, his body was not responding. There was nothing but silence in his head, no smart ass wolf giving him hell or helping him to swim up from the darkness, and the Alpha felt the unfamiliar stirrings of panic start to spread throughout his core. Snippets of conversation could be heard every now and again, disjointed sentences mainly, although whenever she visited, Bella's scent had him crav
Isabella had more family. She could barely believe it, but staring at the little girl telling her these fantastical things, instinctively, she knew Maeve was telling the truth.Suddenly Santos’s trips away to the mountains made more sense, and how reserved her Mama was whenever he would return,had she known?It felt like an information overload for the tired Luna.
Isabella waited with bated breath as Maeve entered Shadow's hospital room. Everything was as she had left it. Her heart of hearts still slept, tubes were everywhere, and Dr. Packard stood monitoring him with a puzzled look on his face. He looked up as the Luna entered and smiled at the close family resemblance indicating the same parentage for the two young ladies."Is there any change?" Bella asked hopefully, and David shook his head, hating that he had to keep disappointing her. Meanwhile, Maeve had glided forward and gazed down at her sister's mate. For a minute, her brow furrowed as if she was having an internal conversation, and then she clo
Every sense was heightened to the point where it was almost painful. Santos was no longer a wolf.For the first few weeks, he had begged for death, pleaded on his knees, with blood tears dripping from his red eyes, but Lenore turned a deaf ear to his cries, disgusted at his insinuation that vampirism was somehowinferiorto being adog.
The room was humming with all that needed to be said between the two lovers as the last of Shadow’s visitors pulled the door closed behind them. Passion swirled to turn the atmosphere x rated as Shadow turned his heated gaze to his beautiful mate, still tucked under his arm where she refused to move, and truthfully he didn’t think that he could bear it if she did. His best friend, his brightest star Isabella...The pack women hustled their beautiful children away so that the young couple could have some time to themselves and after discover
Santos couldn't believe his eyes. After taking up Lenora's challenge and chasing her through the caves and around the unclaimed territory outside the boundaries of the Howling Warriors lands, Magnus's daughter leads him into the mouth of a giant gully, completely hidden unless a person knew where to look for the entrance. As he sped through the opening she stood there waiting for him with a small smile on her face, and he stopped abruptly, as the entire gully opened up before his eyes. There were vampires everywhere, some of them sat in groups polishing weapons, others stood talking among themselves. Lenora was standing right in the thick of things, where Santos had come to a halt, belatedly realizing he had sped right into the middle of a huge clutch of vampires."Welcome home Santos." She greeted him as their eyes met again, "Meet the Nightstalkers, my handpicked Army." But that wasn't what caught and held his attention. No, what caught his attention was the squirming
Watching the old guard piss his pants was embarrassing for both Lucien and the man, and he felt a twinge of regret for letting his wolf scare him. After all, the old guy was just doing his job, so Lucien reined in his power and presented his hands, willingly allowing himself to be cuffed. As far as he knew, he wasn't scheduled for visitors, not that any came when he was, but still.The guard was gentle in response, walking slowly with him through the cellblock until they reached the locked door that leads to the visitor's area. Once there, a retinal scan verified the guard's identity and unlocked itself, allowing both of the men to step through it. Every pass through the gauntlet was silent whenever Lucien was escorted anywhere. The inmates respected him as the Alpha male, which made him chuckle because he was currently incarcerated in a human prison. There were no words spoken as Lucien presented himself to the guard's window, where his wrist was lifted, and the mic
'I have to stop doing this.'Maeve thought as she once again woke up in the hospital room. True to form, Onyx lay sprawled in the armchair next to her bed. He was fast asleep but she knew her brother would wake up at the sound of a pin drop, he was always hyper-aware of any change in the spaces Maeve occupied. It was kind of cool, although she would never admit it to Onyx, he had a large enough ego as it was. Maeve carefully stretched her arms, basking in the happiness that she felt having been able to give back to Isabella, 'I wonder what they are doing now?'She pondered with all the innocence of a ten-year-old.Onyx was startled awake as a jolt of power coursed through his body, 'Brother I need your help.'He heard faintly above the roar of his blood coursing through his system, and a brief image of Raeann and Isabella passed his mind's eye before a huge wave of despair swamped him. In her hospital bed, Maeve gasped, clutching her
Shadow felt his breathing begin to slow as he looked up at his mate. He tried to manage a smile, but the pain was too real, and all he could do was grimace as it arced through his torn-up body. Bella was telling him to hold on, that Valenar was reasoning with the threat, but he knew that there wasn't enough time for him, so using the last of his strength, he lifted his hand and gently placed it against her lips. "I waited a lifetime for you, my Bella," he struggled to get out the words, knowing that this was the last time he would feel her touch, "I will search through a thousand lifetimes to find you mate. You have my heart, you have my soul and no matter where you go after I'm gone, know that in your heart I'll always be here." Bella's lips trembled, and her eyes filled with tears as she shook her head at him, "You promised me forever, Shadow, please don't leave me!" As Shadow closed his eyes against the pain, he was vaguely aware of Bella's screams,
Down in the cellar, the children were quiet. Some trembled while others bristled, eager to get out amidst the fray and earn their place as pack warriors. When the ground above started trembling, and the hatch heaved as though the earth itself was trying to break in, that's when hysteria hit. Onyx struggled to hold back the retired warriors and mothers whose children were valiantly fighting to keep them safe. The tension grew higher as Onyx barked for them all to calm down. Reason was rapidly going out the window, and Lucifer awakened, shining wrathfully through Onyx's eyes as his leadership was challenged. Then, out of the darkness, a clear voice rose, weaving its way through the pack bunched up in close quarters, and Onyx looked gratefully over at his nephew.Tarakona sang of times gone by, the history of the Howling warriors, and his parents' courtship. He spread calm throughout the cellar as they were all transported back to the time of Shadow and Isabella, the magic of th
Like the plague, Hael's anger washed through Howling, killing dozens in its wake. Pyro's magic was depleting itself quickly under the onslaught of his friend's fury, and sensing his master's struggle, Barghest's howl signaled his hellhound's arrival in Howling. Unfortunately, the boy had only lasted seconds as Hael tore his intestines out, half-crazed by the thoughts of his mate being with another man. For the first time in their lifelong friendship, Pyro doubted his ability to reign Hael in."Marie is going to make me eat my own balls," He thought grimly as his legs gave way, blood dripping from his ears as Pyro faced his death. He was lucky in the sense that while he would die in this space, as an overlord in Hade's realm, Pyro would end up back where he belonged anyway, and Marie would be waiting to tear him a new one, as she did every time he went on a jaunt with Hael. Barghest came at a run, bowling through half a dozen wolves as Pyro's magic finally deserted him. His fa
Ratchet left Sal's with a full belly and a grin on his face. Maeve was like the ray of sunshine in his life that made everything okay, and whatever it was that she was dealing with, he was sure she would slay it like she did everything else in her life.Lost in his thoughts, Ian reached his bike in no time, grabbing his helmet and pulling his bandana up to keep the bugs out of his teeth. He didn't see the freight train until it hit him full force in his side. Like a spring flinging loose from a trampoline, he sailed through the air landing heavily on his side. "What the fuck?!" He roared, reaching for his handpiece. When Ratchet found who had rammed him, his mouth dropped open, and the gun fell from his boneless fingers. It was the two giants he caught sniffing around Maeve's shop earlier on. Only now, the one called Hael looked like some avenging angel. His eyes glowed with fury, and his muscles quivered with the urge to smash someone's head in. That someone being Ian.
"I had to stay and run the pack!" Lucien barked defensively, crossing his arms and glaring at the pint-sized woman in front of him. Bella's eyes widened, and he swore he could see steam pouring from her ears. "I call bullshit!" She retorted, getting right in his face; her eyes crackled, and the fury held barely in check started to leak out, giving the Luna a frightening look."You haven't been running the pack," Bella brutally pointed out, "You've been curled up in your bed like a teenage girl listening to sad songs and eating ice cream. Why do you think I'm back so early?"Lucien couldn't find an answer for that. But it didn't matter because Bella wasn't finished, "You have thirty minutes to get dressed and pack a bag, I've already organized a replacement bike for you, and my strongest tracker picked up traces of her scent on the Eastern borders. Got and get your woman Lucien, before someone else claims her." She tossed him the keys to his bike and looked at her watch
The ground felt strange beneath his feet. Grass tickled his toes as he wandered along, breathing deeply of the mountainous air. Beside him strode his friend; he was aware of the appreciative stares from females as they passed by and wondered if maybe it was unusual to see humans in Howling, but then again, they weren't really human-now were they?"Of all the places Hael? I'm allowed one free pass from Hell each millennium, and you bring me to Hicksville?" Pyro Diego glanced at his friend, who didn't bother to answer, and hoped for the sixth time that venturing into a wolf pack disguised as humans was a wise choice. Shaetan only knows what Marie will think when he returns home in a few weeks, and he rather liked his balls."She's here, man, I can sense her," Hael muttered as he began to look in the shop windows, and as the demi-gods came to the one on the corner, Hael stopped and took a deep breath, a guttural growl sounding deep in his chest."This is it."
The vortex appeared directly in front of them, and Jarvis shoved Lucy behind him as he prepared to shift. The sound was deafening, and when the light pulsed, expelling a figure from the portal, Jarvis shielded his eyes from the glare."Well, damn, this is a sorry excuse for a welcome, but I'll take it."Bella stood there, cradling the pup gently in her arms. She knew that their luggage was already at home. Lucy and Jarvis looked at her with their eyes popping and jaws dropping as she smiled back at them. Lucy was the first to recover. "You weren't gone for that long, Luna? What is this? Immaculate conception or something?" She drawled, and Bella laughed. It was good to be home."It's a long story, my friend, and will need to wait until Caspian is settled in. Now, where is my foolish mate?" Bella easily took control, and as they continued walking down the street, it was a relief for Lucy to hand over the reins. As she revealed what had transpired in Bella's absen
Something was wrong in Howling. As Jarvis pulled up to the local herbal shop, it was obvious that something significant had happened here. Many stores were closed, and the usual hustle and bustle of a small town were missing. It made the lion shifter nervous. He was still in his car, wondering at the best course of action, when a familiar figure jogged straight past him."Lucy!"Lucy turned around, and a huge smile greeted him as she jogged back. Jarvis opened the door and stepped out in time for her to pull him in for a hug. "It's so good to see you," She gushed as they pulled away from each other, and Jarvis noticed her eyes sparkled and her mouth curved easily into a grin. If he were ten years younger, Onyx might have had a fight on his hands for Lucy's affections.As he looked at his friend Jarvis, saw the dark circles under her eyes and the weight she had lost, instinctively knowing that something was really, really wrong. When he quizzed her on it, L
"I know it's late, but do you think you would like to take a stroll with me?"Thorn felt like he was drowning as he waited for Raeann's answer. He couldn't even turn around to see what her expression was like; he was that nervous. There were several seconds of silence where Thorn thought he might actually throw up. Then with the tiniest of voices, she replied, "I think I'd like that." Expelling a breath he didn't know he was holding, Thorn turned and let his eyes drink in her beauty. Raeann smiled softly, "April tells me that the thermal baths on the other side of the mountain are nice at this time of the morning?" And Thorn almost stumbled over his own tongue as he hastened to agree. Raeann held out her hand for him to grasp, and he did, almost shyly, shivering as the ever-present tingles made their way up his arms.For a time, they walked in silence, taking in the beautiful view of the sun coming up, as they slowly traversed fire mountain. Eventually, it flattened out near t