"Baby girl, wake up." Bella stretched out languidly in their bed with a huge grin on her face, as she prepared for another day at Howling Warriors. She opened her eyes, and once she looked at Shadow, all dressed in black, and the land outside that was hidden by the night, Bella remembered.
"It's time."
She nodded and rolled out of bed, grimly putting on her fatigues, and together they locked the door to their home, before starting the short walk to the packhouse. Scouting from the treeline, the Cerberus Alpha followed the wolves he was charged with protecting, keeping to the shadows as he scented the air, searching for any sign of the enemy, and he stayed like that, on guard and alert every step of the way until the Alpha couple entered the town square, where their Army awaited them.
Lucy was already there, checking her equipment for the extraction and Bella took a moment to speak with her friend. Since the incident in Lucy's office, they hadn't really had
Jarvis crouched low to the ground, as his pride spread out, stalking their prey. The dragons circled overhead and he watched as they threw the scouts' bodies down from the sky, scattering their easy kill. 'Wait,' he commanded as the dragons made their second pass, this time blowing ice from their mouths, freezing the vampire's front line before a lone figure leaped gracefully to the ground. He signaled to his lions to split and take both sides of the wall, as the coppery stench of blood perfumed the air, and in one fluid movement, they burst from their cover, building their rapid momentum to get past the barrier and into the battle unfolding. The Vampyres never heard them coming as the Marcioni pride launched their massive bodies onto the nearest enemy, latching onto their throats and tearing out jugulars with relish. There was an impressive pile of corpses on his right as the Seductress wove her deadly web of swinging swords, pirouetting with lightning speed around an onslaught of
The sounds of battle could be heard from miles away, and although Lucy ached to go back and help her pack, she pushed on with her team determinedly. The Alpha and Luna had tasked her with finding their daughter, and she would bring Maria home no matter what.The Cerberus fanned out as soon as they snuck behind the Vampire army, picking off stragglers, swiftly clearing the area for the Beta and her extraction team to move quickly across the terrain in human form, looking for any sign that might lead to Maria. As they passed a shaded area with shallow trenches and gentle nolls, Lucy realized that everything had gone strangely quiet.'Gabrielle?' She called for her Gamma through the pack link. But only silence greeted her. She looked over to where Warren was supposed to be, but the delta was gone as well. Feeling uneasy now, she opened the link to her entire team, feeling it spread out through the pack bond, trying to locate any of the twenty members she had started with.
Shadow stalked towards Santos, his fury a physical entity as all other sounds of battle faded. With a roar that thundered over the plains, Malik burst free while he closed the distance between himself and the man who had caused his family so much misery. Santos laughed and spread his arms wide even though the wolf raced towards him, and then his face changed, as his eyes glowed bright red and the muscles of his body contorted and transformed into a hideous beast with wings. Santos and Shadow met in the middle, clashing like titans, while Santos reigned lightning-fast punches down on the Alpha. Before Shadow could gain any momentum, Santos picked him up and threw him with superhuman force onto the ground before kicking him in his soft underbelly. Malik grunted but shook off the pain as he scrambled to his feet, snarling ferociously at the dhampir. Santos spread his membranous wings to fly a short distance to regroup, but Malik leaped fiercely into the air, grabbing onto his body and
Jarvis returned home with the bodies of his family after promising Lucy that he would take the time to visit. It was a heavy burden to bear as the rest of the Marcioni pride met him at the airport, their solemn faces reflecting shared grief as coffin after coffin was slowly lowered onto the tarmac. He made a single phone call to the prison, and Emilio, his wife, and their newborn son waited on the doorstep as he exited the limo awhile later, striding up the path towards them."Your debt is cleared," Jarvis said to his son before entering his home and heading up the stairs. He liked to grieve alone, and as the door to his bedroom closed, that's exactly what the lion shifter did.2.One year later...Quinley Barrett sat at her desk, going over paperwork and assessing student papers, when the call came through. The high priestess was relieved to hear that Valenar and Raeann had finally regained control of their kingdom with help from the Desdeyos dr
"My birthday?"Down Adrastus plummeted, a vision of jagged rocks tormenting his mind as he struggled to comprehend why his cousins would do this; why did they want him dead? It was a keen sense of betrayal that curled its way through his body as his closest friends watched from above, and liquid fire ran so hotly through his veinsit itched.Suddenly his skin felt too tight on his body, and Adrastus wondered if everyone's last moments were like the
The jukebox seemed to stop the moment Aimee entered the bar, several heads turned towards the door, and she could hear some poorly covered gasps. Yes, ladies and gents, the wild child has returned,she thought to herself, proudly raising her head and looking at each member daring to stare at her directly in the eyes.Her presence crackled with violence and confidence as she sauntered up to the bar, raising an eyebrow at the rotter sitting on her barstool; the middle-aged woman quickly vacated her seat, clearly not willing to get into things with a
Long ago, when this world was young, ancient beings roamed freely, living off the land and their skills, survival a natural way of life, as deeply ingrained as the desire to breathe.Within this world, two young lovers gave birth to a special little girl, whom they called Villanelle; and she was a symbol of the best parts of every living thing wrapped up in one tiny form.As Villanelle grew older, her beauty became legendary, and her parents, worried for her safety, pleaded with the Gods, begging them to send her a protector.One that knew right from wrong, with the strength of a hundred wolves and the magic to pass judg
The roar of a motorcycle rumbled down the quiet street, a bulky figure clad in black leathers sitting astride his iron horse, the helmet visor blacked out so no one could see who was behind the mask. Slowly the bike and its rider gathered stares as they passed, some from children playing in their front yards, others from parents wondering who was in their midst. All wary of the power radiating from the stranger riding his Harley, there was another Alpha in Howling Warrior territory.Up Ghost mountain, the motorcycle went, its
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