Connor stood outside the pack lands waiting for Oliver. He had texted him and told him to meet him an hour ago, but there was no response. Where was he? He needed to know what was going on inside the pack. If Zoe was the princess, she might already be awakening her lycan. They couldn't allow her to fully transition, or it would be a lot harder for him to stop Ryder. Not impossible, just harder. He was getting anxious while he waited. Why hadn't he received anything from Oliver? Connor decided to try Crystal. He had promised her that she would be his mate if they took down Ryder, and she would have special abilities from mating with a Lightning Guardian, but in truth, all he was doing was using her. He forced Crystal to have sex with him whenever he wanted with the promise he would mark her once Ryder was dealt with. He would dispose of her like he'd done with all the others before her. When he didn't get a response from Crystal, he began getting worrie
Ryder and Zoe had just gotten out of the bathtub when Nick mindlinked her. He said one of his lycans saw Connor sneaking onto the pack lands. He had a spell on him that made him invisible to werewolves but not to lycans. Nick figured whatever witch gave him the spell didn't tell him it didn't work on all shifters. Ryder told Zoe to act casual when her dad said they saw him going upstairs. When Connor came in with the woman who brought their food, Zoe could see him, but Ryder couldn't. They decided to talk in mindlink to not let him hear them."He's standing on the side of the room watching us. He looks pretty smug," Zoe smiled at Ryder as he leaned over to kiss her. "After we eat, we'll go to bed. I've got a plan. Tell your dad to have his lycans ready to come in when we tell them." Ryder said. It was time for them to have the upper hand. When they were done eating, he put the tray in the hallway and saw the lycans, Nick, Darina, Chase, Sonia, and Nathan, standing
Zoe looked at Cressida and smiled. She could tell most of the injuries were superficial, so she quickly cleaned them. None of them needed any bandages. "I don't trust her. There's something off about her scent. Be careful." Lyra told Zoe, still trying to get a feel for the young woman."Do you know who attacked you?" Zoe asked as she cleaned a few scratches on her arm. "No. I was taking an early morning walk when I was attacked. So tell me about this place." Cressida didn't want to waste time with her fake story. She needed to move fast before anyone was able to tell she wasn't a human."There's not much to tell. We just prefer to live in a remote location away from the city." Zoe answered cautiously. Cressida smiled widely at her."It's nice out here. So was that your brother you were with? He's really hot. Do you think I have a chance with him?" Cressida could feel the anger in Zoe, and it took everything in her not to laugh."He's not my brother. He's my
Ryder woke up when he heard Zoe crying. He was concerned that she was hurt, but when he looked into her eyes, she looked heartbroken."What's wrong?" He asked, sitting up and pulling her onto his lap. Zoe cried even harder as she clung to him. Ryder had never done anything to make her think he would ever leave her. They were already fully mated, but that didn't stop the pain in her heart from the dream she had. It had felt so real. When she could finally speak, she looked up into his eyes. He had so much concern and love for her she felt ridiculous for thinking he would betray her."I had a bad dream," She said, leaning against him, burying her face in his neck. His scent made her heart feel a little better."What type of dream?" Ryder asked softly, running his hand up and down her arm. "I dreamt that you and Marisa were having sex. When you were done, your marked and mated her. It felt so real I expected to wake up alone." Zoe replied, sliding her hands over his w
"What do you mean she was your first mate?" Zoe asked carefully. Nick looked around and realized there were too many ears."Let's go somewhere we can talk privately," He said. Ryder led Zoe, Nick, Darina, Chase, and Sonia to his office. Once they had all sat down, Nick took a deep breath."Dad, I thought Mom was your fated mate? How were you mated to that witch?" Zoe questioned. She saw the look of pain on her mother's face, making her heart ache."Your mom is my fated mate. I was mated to Cressida about thirty years before I met your mom. I was a king with no mate, searching desperately for my fated mate. I didn't realize she was a human that hadn't been born yet." Nick wrapped his arm around Darina. He knew this hurt her every time it was brought up, but he needed to explain how he mated with the witch."When I was searching for my mate, I ran into this beautiful young woman. I instantly felt the mate bond; even my wolf felt it. We knew we had finally found our ma
Nick met with Julius and tasked him with finding a hybrid witch to help them with Cressida. His heart still hurt thinking about how she had betrayed him all those years ago. He was in love with her, and when he found out it was all a lie, it took time for him to trust another woman until he met his real fated mate, Darina. She was the angel that brought him back to life. Nick smiled as he walked toward Ryder's office. Without Darina, he would have continued down that lonely black hole of despair. When he opened the door, he saw his mate sitting with Zoe, talking quietly on one of the couches. He walked over to where Ryder was seated at his desk."Everything okay?" Nick asked Ryder looking toward the two women."Yeah, they're talking about Cressida. They both have their concerns about what she did to you and how she got in Zoe's head. I think Darina would prefer not to have her anywhere near you." Ryder answered truthfully. He glanced up at Nick, who was frowning."I w
Ryder jumped up when the room went black, ready to fight, but Ariel was doing a little show and tell. She made an image appear in front of them. It looked like a black forest with a small hut."Sorry about the sudden darkness, but it's best for what I want to show you. This is Cressida's forest. She has a spell on the entire area, so she knows when anyone enters. There are several caves; in one, she keeps men who she refers to as her soldiers. Do you know anything about what Cressida does?" Ariel looked around at the others."No. We know she likes to mess with people's lives, but that's all." Darina answered bitterly."I've hired spies to go into her forest and report back to me. Some of them didn't make it out, but the ones who did all told me the same thing. Cressida prefers young virgin women over men. She puts a spell on them, making them sexually compliant with her. After having sex with the women multiple times, she'll have one of her soldiers come in and have se
Cressida was so angry that Charlotte was not what she appeared to be that she sent her back to the park they had been in. The witch felt fury like she hadn't felt in a long time. It was all Ryder and Zoe's fault. Once she got her hands on them, she would torture them as soon as she had robbed them of their power. She didn't know what to do with no woman to keep her distracted and no spell to place. Cressida paced around her hut, trying to come up with a plan. Maybe it was time to send her army to the Dark Moon Guardians. They wouldn't expect her to attack. She laughed as she sat down, looking through her spell book that had the darkest magic. The soldiers were her distraction; the magic would get her what she wanted. ________________"What do I need to do?" Zoe asked Ariel. She hoped that this plan worked and that she could resist Cressida's spell and kill her once and for all. "You are one of the chosen ones, so you may have some natural resistance. I don't do blac
One Year LaterDavina's P.O.V.I look down at my sleeping daughter, Aleigha, in my arms and smile. She's almost six months old. If she only knew what we went through to have her. One day, I'll be sure to tell her. She has red hair just like me and dark brown eyes like Jock. Despite Trevor's constant teasing that our baby could be Karl's, Rmina assured us that the spell would have killed any viable sperm, so there was no way it could cause me to get pregnant. After defeating Surtur, everything calmed down around here. Jill and Karl returned home to have their twins with a promise they would visit and that they could visit us any time. I didn't let them fight with us because they hadn't trained, and Jill was pregnant, but I was so grateful they had come to help when we needed it. All of our other guests remained at the palace. Zoe and Ryder were fine with all the new people. We're truly a family.Everyone has little ones now. We have a baby phoenix,
Davina's P.O.V. Xantha moves to stand with Surtur while the other demons run toward us. It's time for the battle to begin. Izzy and Shadow return to the skies to do what they can. Our side spreads out, with everyone sticking with their mates. A demon runs toward me and Jock. I leap in the air and kick him in the face while blowing my dust on him to blind him. Jock uses his sword, piercing it through his heart and then cutting off his head. We toss him into the crack that Surtur made. It actually helps us so we can send all the demons where they deserve to go, to burn in hell. We move on to the next one, and I see the others are doing the same as we did, sending the demons to hell. Izzy swoops down, chomps two demons in half, and spits them into the hole in the ground. Shadow picks one up with his talons and tears him apart before sending him to hell. Malantha and Maelani are working with Dion to
Davina's P.O.V. "How did they get you and the kids?" I mindlink Zoe, Ryder and everyone who's fighting with us. "We were hiding in the basement with the kids when we were suddenly outside, and the demons had us. I don't understand how it happened." Zoe mindlinks us back. I can hear the desperation in her voice. This sounds like something Cressida would do, but she's dead. It has to be a witch. Just as I'm about to mindlink everyone, a woman walks out from behind the demons. She's beautiful with long reddish blonde hair, but her eyes are completely black. "She's a witch and not just any witch. Her magic is darker than we've ever seen. Everyone be careful." I mindlink them. "Well, hello there, fine palace dwellers. I have been anxious to meet the people who killed Cressida. I'm Xantha." I glare at the witch. I want to squash her with my foot, but I can't do anything until
Davina's P.O.V.When we see the hounds and lower demons, I look at Jessi. We all know this is only Surtur's first attack. He'll save the best for last, so we need to reserve our energy. "Everyone stay back. Let me take care of these rats." I make myself tiny and fly over those running through the gates. I sprinkle my dust as I go. They all turn into giant rats. Hmmmm, what dance shall we have them do? I know this isn't the time for fun and games, but we need a little laughter before we face the fire demon. I've got the perfect song. I return to the others, and they all look at me."Come on, fellas, show us what you got." I clap my hands, and the rats all line up in rows, standing on their hind legs. When they begin singing and dancing, everyone howls with laughter. "You have them singing Y.M.C.A.?" Jessi asks while wiping the tears from her eyes."Yep, why was there something else you'd rather hear?" Jessi shakes her head while pulling out
Davina's P.O.V. After Karl gave his sample to Rmina. We got him, and Jill settled into a guest room. Rmina kicked me out of her bedroom when I kept asking her how much longer it would be, so now I'm pacing in the hallway. I could make myself tiny and get back in, but I don't want to make her mess up the potion. Jock is leaning against the wall, watching me. This is our chance to have a baby, and we both feel anxious. When the door to Rmina and Trevor's bedroom opens, I stop. Rmina walks out with a smile, holding up a small glass bottle. "I made it into an oil. You need to rub it all over your body and let it soak in for an hour, and then you can take a shower. After that, you should be able to get pregnant." She hands me the small bottle and I wrap my arms around her. "Thank you. I love you, Rmina." She chuckles and hugs me back. "I love you too, you crazy fai
Davina's P.O.V. "So, can I have some of your semen?" I look at Jill and Karl, and they both look like they're ready to run away. Jessi, Wyatt, and Trevor are laughing so hard I think they might fall over. This is no laughing matter."Why do you need Karl's semen?" Jill asks. I guess I should have explained it a little better."I need it so I can have a baby. So can I have some?" The others are laughing even harder while Jock's hold on me gets stronger. What is wrong with everyone? I'm telling the truth. Jill stands in front of Karl like she's going to attack me if I get near him."You want to have sex with my mate?" She asks through clenched teeth. I shake my head."Let me explain." Rmina steps forward. I wish her luck because I told them what I needed it for. What else is there to say? "I'm Rmina, and I'm a witch. The demon Asmodeus had a spell placed on Davina so she couldn't get pregnant with anyone except him. She is now mated to Jock, the man w
Rmina's P.O.V.While the others are going through the palace looking for any more spies, Trevor and I are working on a special project. Even though Asmodeus is dead, the spell on Davina is still in place. I need to find a way to remove it. I feel bad now that she's explained why she always picks on me. It has to be hard on her knowing she can't get pregnant when she wants a child so badly. "Any luck?" Trevor asks, putting his arms around me from behind. "Not yet, but I think I'm getting closer," I answer as he kisses my cheek. Most people see him as nothing more than a warrior, but I know the truth. Trevor has one of the biggest hearts of anyone I know. He doesn't always know how to show it because, let's face it, Gabe and Cressida weren't exactly good role models. His hands slide down to my belly to cover my small bump where our son is growing. "I can't wait until he's here," Trevor says against my ear. "Me neither. I know he's a pup, but
Gabriel's P.O.V. No one ever asks for my help. Most people don't even know I exist. They think of other shifters like wolves or bears, but there aren't many like me. I'm an alicorn. My alicorn's name is Thunder. He's dark gray with blue eyes like mine. We're running to the palace rather than flying because we'd be noticed by humans. Selene reached out to me and asked for my assistance. I was honored that she considered me. I spend all my time alone. After my parents left me when I was a foal, I've been alone ever since. They said I could take care of myself because I was a shifter. That was over twenty years ago, and I'm now thirty. Thunder reaches the palace gates and shifts. An advantage of being an alicorn is that we have a little magic and can shift without removing our clothes. I run my fingers through my golden brown hair while the guards look at me with their mouths open. Well, at least someone is impresse
Surtur's P.O.V. I can't believe that idiot thought he could go after Davina and the others with guns blazing but with no plan. Well, that's one nuisance out of the way. Asmodeus wasn't even worthy to be down here, in my opinion. He was too caught up in all his women. I understand he was the demon of lust, but there is more to life than sex. One of my hounds was spying on him, and he saw the entire fight. Even I almost laughed when he said Davina made Asmodeus and his hounds do the Macarena. That fool was probably madder than hell. He didn't have a firm grip on anything, it seems. Two of his daughters and his head hound turned their backs on him and chose another life. That would never happen to me. The people around me know if there was any type of insubordination, they would be dead. I look at the demons in front of me who have agreed to go against Satan and take over the Earth. It is time that w