NATHANIEL"Word is getting around, Nathaniel. The demons are getting edgy. They say you're becoming weak," Rozol said as we made our way through the woods."They say that all the time. Nothing is new. I was banished from my lair, remember?"To be fair, they had every right to. Demons and werewolves didn't exactly mix well together. Toss some vampires and demons together, and everything was grand. Just not the former.It all stemmed from a war that ensued centuries ago, wiping out thousands of werewolves. To this day, no one knew what had caused the demons to act out, and declare war against the werewolves.Not one to back down from a fight, the werewolves had maintained the enmity.When you were born into two feuding species, it was hard to pick a side. Well, it had been hard at first, but I had no such difficulty anymore.I was the leader over my lair until they found out I was more than a demon. The betrayal had cut deep.A ferocious beast they
NATHANIEL"Why are people staring?" Ayra asked, raising a brow at me.It was surprising she even noticed. The woman had her face buried in her food the minute it arrived."You are dressed in a hospital gown. Put two and two together.""Oh," she said, looking down at her chest like she was just noticing she wasn't dressed to be out in public."Oh. You need not worry, though. You'll get appropriate clothes when you're done eating.""Silly me. I should have offered you some food. Would you like to eat anything?"I shook my head. "I already ate."She shrugged, returning to her food.Some minutes later, she was done, and we were heading for the mall."Alpha Nathaniel, what brings you by?" The sales attendant asked."Nathaniel is just fine." I pointed at Ayra who had her attention on a dress. "She needs some clothes. Get her everything she wants.""Of course… Nathaniel?" She asked with an awkward smile."Yes. Did the watches come in
AYRA"Hey, roomie," I heard from my bedroom doorway. I straightened, tucking my black strands behind my ear. "Oh, hey," I said with a smile."I'm Seth," he said. "Can I come in?""Sure. I'm Ayra.""My room is on the second floor. Looks like you have the third floor all to yourself. Prepared for the ceremony, yet?" He asked, dropping down on my bed.I gathered my clothes, shoving them into my bag.He held up a pink thong I missed while packing the others. "You left this."My face heated up in mortification. "Thanks." I snatched the thong out of his hand, shoving it into my pocket.He grinned at me. "You're cute when you blush.""Uh, thanks. What brings you by?""I wanted to invite you to swim with us. There's a huge-ass pool downstairs. The others are already there. Would you like to join us?""Yeah. Sure. Let me just put away the rest of my stuff.""We'll be waiting." ***"Marry me," a redhead said, kneeling in front
AYRAHe left.Was I that much of a bad kisser?I was confused as hell, but I had no way of l knowing. One moment, he had me pressed against him as he claimed my lips, and the next, he was running out of there like his ass was on fire.I wasn't in the mood to party anymore. I looked around for Nikki, informing her that I was heading home so she wouldn't worry.I stripped off my clothes, climbing into my bed where I took care of my burning desire, all the while envisioning his hands on my skin.I was about to drift off when I caught sight of something - or rather someone - through my floor-to-ceiling window. There on the balcony was Nathaniel, his hungry eyes burning with fiery desire as he trailed them over my naked body.I was instantly filled with embarrassment. He'd seen me jerk off with his name on my lips as I came apart.He growled something before storming inside his room, closing the French doors behind him.What the fuck was wron
AYRAI spent the next hour staring at the mark he left on my collarbone, wishing it'd just fade away, but of course, it didn't. I slid down the window, wishing I could undo the events of the last two hours. Then I wouldn't have this stupid mark that mocked me every time I looked at it in the mirror."Ayra. Lunch is ready," Reese called from downstairs. "I'm not hungry," I called back.It wasn't long before I heard the footsteps as they approached my bedroom."Ayra, are you okay?" Reese asked, knocking on my door."Yeah. I'm just tired. I'll come down when I've had some rest.""Okay. We're here if you need someone to talk to."Her footsteps faded, and it was quiet once more.Marking was supposed to be a special thing between mates, not something to be taken lightly. And it certainly wasn't something possessive douchebags had the right to do because they felt the need to.Thinking of what happened in his office filled me with renewed
NATHANIEL"He was also found dead. Murdered the way the other two had been. An injury to the head," Kai said as we made our way through the woods."Was there a human with its gut ripped out beside the werewolf just like the last time?""Yes. This one is more severe. All her limbs were separated from her body. Half of her head is crushed."I go to the scene, and I had to agree with Kai. This was more brutal. Her limbs were separated from her body, and the body itself was mauled beyond recognizing. Worst of all, the girl looked young. She was no more than fifteen if my guess was correct."I found her when I was doing security checks with Kai," Logan said."I have a theory," Kai said. "I think these wolves are being tested."*** "I got it," Kai said, bursting into my kitchen with a crazed look in his eyes. His chestnut brown hair flew in all directions while his gray eyes danced with accomplishment.He was so committed to what he found out that
NATHANIEL "Ishmael. It was quite a difficulty reaching you. Nice cave.""I wouldn't say so. You found me, didn't you?" The sorcerer turned away from the mirror, a smile on his face. "It's been a while, Nathaniel."He was just as I remembered. His features hadn't changed over a few years since I'd last seen him."Indeed. I need one of your weapons. Preferably the dagger if you have it.""Hm. What price are you willing to pay?"I'd prepared myself for this part. "How much do you want?""No, Nathaniel. I don't need your money. What do you have to offer?"His question threw me off. What else could he possibly want? In the past, when we had a business transaction, money was his priority."Oh, don't look like that. It's not something so grave.""What do you want?""Access to The Borough. I want to live there and have the freedom to leave whenever I want to.""Just access to The Borough?""Correct."I weighed my options in my he
AYRA"Ayra! Where were you? We saw the ashes in your bedroom," Reese said, pulling me into a hug the moment I stepped into the living room."Sorry. I followed Nathaniel somewhere to see if I could get back my memory."Nikki's eyes widened in surprise. "So, the rumors were true. You and the Alpha had a run in the woods.""Seriously, how fast do the rumors travel around here?""Well, did you?""No. I followed him somewhere to see if I can remember anything about my past.""Did you remember anything?"The woman and the man flashed through my mind again. "Not really. I need to take a bath. Can we have this talk later?"They both nodded. "Come downstairs when you're refreshed," said Reese.I climbed up the stairs, coming across Seth along the way."Hey." I waved at him, but he merely walked past me, ignoring me completely. I shrugged. Maybe he was having a bad day. Too tired to mull on it, I walked into my room, all traces of the
NATHANIEL"It took a long while to find you, but here I am. Three long decades since we last saw each other," Knox said with a smile."Why are you looking for me?" I asked.His lips twisted into a smirk. "I'm hurt, Nate. And here I was thinking you'd welcome me to your little island with a feast.I sighed, scrubbing my hand down my face. "My bad. I've just had a lot on my table for a while.""I heard. You're fucking Zachary's sister." He leaned back in his seat, propping his feet on my desk. "Does he know?""I'm not fucking her. She's my mate."He shrugged. "Same difference."Supernaturals didn't age as quickly as humans did, so after ten years, Knox still looked the same with his honey-colored eyes and dirty blond hair. The only thing that changed about him was the length of his hair and the scar that ran from his temple to his jaw.I first met him when I was pack hopping with my brothers. He ran away from home to escape his controlling father - his words, not mine - and he somehow e
RYKER"What's your problem, Ry? It's so early in the morning. What do you want to talk about?" Samuel asked, rubbing his eyes as he trudged into the room where kept Draven's unconscious body.He was still dressed in his pajamas, and clearly didn't appreciate being woken up, but I had to make some things clear.Starting with our uncles being alive."What happened to the Brothers of Doom?" I asked, and the change in Samuel was abrupt.His stance straightened while his eyes glared daggers at me. "What the fuck is wrong with you? What lies did Ishmael fill your head with?""That's funny seeing as Ishmael wasn't conscious when Benjamin and I got there." I walked over to Draven. He was strapped to a bed pushed against the wall, and above his bed hung Eris's bloodstones."Why are you asking me this?""Because I never saw their bodies. Raises some questions in the air, don't you think?""Do you think I'd lie about their deaths? For fuck's sake, what type of fucked up person do you think I am?
NATHANIEL“Who is Zachary?” Ayra asked out of the blue.I looked away from the movie playing on the TV screen. “Hm?”She rolled her eyes at me. “You heard me, Nathaniel.”I did, but I didn’t know whether to answer her question or lie. I wanted her to meet with her family, but at the same time, I didn’t know if she was ready for that yet.“I already told you. He’s a friend. Is something bugging you?”She shook her head. “No, not at all. My mind just kind of roamed.”“You’re lying.”She refused to meet my eyes. “No, I’m not.”“Don’t lie to me, Ayra. Why are you asking about Zachary?”“I hear voices in my head. I think it’s my family, and I think they are lost.”“Lost?”“Yes. They’ve been whispering in my head for the last few days, and they keep telling me to go look for Zachary. They said our relationship is cursed. And I think Zachary is my brother.”Did she know already? That meant there was no need to hide who Zachary was from her.“Let’s first start with this. Why didn’t you tell me
AYRA“Rise and shine, mate,” I sang, pushing the curtains aside to let the sunlight stream into the room.“Shut up,” Nathaniel groaned, placing his forearm over his eyes to block the unwanted light in the room. “It’s too early in the morning to be this chirpy.”“Says the freak who goes for a run and to the gym every morning. Plus, it’s one in the afternoon.”His eyes snapped open. “No shit?” He frowned, sitting up on the bed. “I never sleep for that long.”“I know.” That showed just how burned out he was. He was usually as early as five in the morning, and he didn’t go to bed until it was late. “You needed the rest.”He slid off the bed, scrubbing his hand down his face. “I should go check on Kai and the rest.”I jumped in front of him, blocking his path. “No, you also need some rest. I already checked on them, and I informed them of your condition.”“What condition? Nothing is wrong with me. I’m fine.”“Mentally?” I asked, raising a knowing brow at him. I knew he blamed himself for t
NATHANIEL“Logan, stand the fuck up. We have to get out of here!” I heard Theo scream from inside the temple. “It’s going to fucking sink.”Shit.I snapped my wings up behind me as it took off into the air, heading straight for the building. I went in through the wall Benjamin and I had broken down during our scuffle.“Holy shit,” Theo gasped.Fuck. I had temporarily forgotten that none of them knew the truth. I had a feeling things would go downhill from here, but I had to save them first.“Holy fuck, Nathaniel, is that you?” Theo asked as he struggled to lean up against the wall.“Yes. Hold on. I’ll get Logan down and come for you.”I flew out of the temple with Logan on my shoulder, all the while mindful of the cracks spreading across the walls.I had to get back to Theo before the building crumbled, but I also had to make sure Logan was far away from the building to avoid getting crushed when the building collapsed.When I was sure he and Ishmael were far enough from the building,
NATHANIELI eyed Benjamin as he walked in through the doors, a triumphant grin on his lips. He had Ryker and three other demons behind him, but Samuel was nowhere to be seen.“I honestly never thought it’d be this easy, but it seems we’ve placed you on this unreachable and unrealistic pedestal that we’ve let trap our minds and abilities.”“All that speech and you can’t even handle shit on your own.”“Yeah? Explain to me why I’ve got over ten of your Enforcers tied down right now. If those aren’t your lap dogs handling their master’s dirty work, then I don’t know what to call that.” He dug his hand into his pocket, pulling out a key, which he tossed at Tiana. “Good work keeping them busy. We’ve got it covered from here.”She dove for the key like her existence depended on it, something akin to relief flashing through her eyes. Her gaze cut over to me, and she offered me a sad smile.“It’s nothing personal,” she mouthed before promptly disappearing.Nothing personal, my ass. If I got the
NATHANIELI studied the cracks on the stone walls, wondering just how long this temple dated back. I was also questioning the durability of the building. Who knew if it would crumble any minute from now?There were no decorations inside the temple save for a wooden statue, which looked like a couple of termites had gone down to work on it over the years.“What are we gonna do? Call Ozark out here, and ask him to translate the spell?” Theo asked, his voice echoing off the walls.“And ask for the bloodstone. Don’t forget that.”“I’m doubting you now. What do we do? Sit?”Ishmael shrugged, reaching into his satchel. “You might as well. The same goes for you. Summoning Ozark is going to take a while.”Dismissed, I moved over to the half-broken wooden window, pushing it all the way open. It fell off its hinges, hitting the ground below.“I’ll go scout the place to see if anyone’s here. The dead body out front didn’t get there itself,” Theo informed us before going down a narrow hallway.“Wh
AYRAI paced the halls of the hospital, fear and anxiety making me jittery. I was anxious because Reese was in the delivery room, and afraid because I did not know how and what Nathaniel was doing right now.He left first thing in the morning with Ishmael and all his Enforcers, including Sawyer, so he wasn’t here to support Reese during her delivery.I had no idea where Nikki was, and Kimberly was busy with work, so I was here alone. Kimberly wanted to be here, but Reese ordered her not to. She said Kimberly could see the baby when it was born.“Anxious much?”I sighed in relief, turning to face the Nighthowler. “Dalia.” I needed someone to vent to, and she appeared at the right time.“What’s going on?”I pointed at the door behind me. “A friend of mine is in the delivery room.”“I see. The one you were shopping for.”“Yes.”“Anything else on your mind? Where is Nathaniel? Shouldn’t he be here?”“Why should he be?”Dalia shrugged noncommittally, dropping onto a chair placed in the hal
AYRAI stood on a podium in front of an immense crowd, fear licking every inch of my spine. Their faces were blurred, but I could still make out their anger.Was the anger directed at me?I panicked, my palms turning clammy while my mouth dried up. I took steps backward, ready to flee the scene, when a hand clamped down on my shoulder.I immediately felt calm soar through me, and my racing heart slowed down. I turned my head to the side to look at the woman, but her face was also blurry.Frustration replaced that calm. Why couldn’t I see anyone?“What’s going on?” I asked, pointing at the crowd.“Come here, honey,” the smoky voice said, but there was no mistaking the femininity it held.I knew that voice.“Mom?” I asked, tears suddenly pooling at the bottom of my lids.I could make out the outline of her smile as she raised her hand to cup the side of my face. “Yes, honey. It’s me. You’re all grown up now.”“What do you mean?”“It’s been a long year. I’ve missed you.”“Me too. Where a