Everything went still. Phoenix hovered in the air, a stricken look on her face as she looked around as if searching for something to fall as if the sky would come falling on her head at any second.Maggie waited.Asher waited.Lance waited.Ezekiel waited.Then Phoenix started to laugh. A peal of nervous laughter spurted out of her. She looked even crazier than before as she opened her mouth unnaturally wide to laugh at Maggie’s foolishness.“It failed!” She laughed. “Nothing happened.”She spun in the air laughing as she tossed her hair about. “Oh, mortal. Foolish, foolish mortal! You have failed. You have brought an end to your kind!”Without warning she snatched the sword from a dazed Maggie’s hands. It was coated with her blood.“Oh, look,” Phoenix taunted her. “I win!” she chuckled.Maggie didn’t know what to do. She lost. She lost and now…She looked back at Asher and Lance. Would they start disintegrating or would the goddess kill them after she was dead?“I’m sorry,” she sighe
“You are lucky Anthony was right, you know?” Maggie looked up from her wine glass with a smile. Cathy was holding a wine glass of her own. They were celebrating life after the goddess’ curse. Luckily, Ezekiel’s army hadn’t done much damage to their house and what had been destroyed was rebuilt, partially with Ginny’s help. “I know that. If that blood offering hadn’t worked we’ll not be enjoying this nice bottle of wine right now.” Maggie raised her brow at the woman. “Do you still think challenging the goddess to a fight was a stupid idea?” Cathy’s lips stretched into a reluctant smile. “Well maybe you’re not as foolish as I thought, Dark Storm.” “You are a Dark Storm too.” “Yeah yeah.” Cathy raised her glass as she turned and left. She had to go to be club. Business was booming faster than she could manage. As she started to leave she looked back at Maggie. “Thank you, Maggie.” As soon as she left Asher came in carrying another bottle of wine and he raised his brow. “Did Cathy j
The forest was quiet and obscured by wispy grey fog. The silence was deceiving. No one would have guessed that only an hour ago a crime against humanity and every other form of life had just been committed. Even the night birds nestled in the trees were quiet as they looked down without so much as a chirp or a hoot. Why were they looking down you ask?On the mossy forest floor where the trickles from the night rain dropped and soaked the earth laid my pathetic broken body covered with soot and dirt. I was naked. I was dead. My killers had not even bothered to hide the evidence of my death. I, Maggie Storm, the daughter of Alpha Ezra of the Dark Storm pack was killed and discarded like a common animal. They let the dirt of the earth mar my skin.I remember how it all happened. The wedding ceremony that never took place.Lance and I were supposed to be married. We were supposed to unite both of our packs. That was the plan of our fathers when they contracted our marriage even before I
A tall, handsome, muscular figure stood in front of the glass windows overlooking the city skyline with his hands deep in the pockets of his sweatpants. He was naked from the waist up with a sheen of sweat covering every inch of his skin, a result of an intensive workout. Yet not even that exhaustive routine could take his mind off the guilt chewing at his conscience. The city was just waking up, taxis honked below his condominium apartment causing a frown to mar his brows. Once the city was his place of refuge but that was when he had Maggie in his life. Now as guilt racked him he longed for the solitude of his cabin. The only solitude he had was the stillness in the condo.But even that little solitude disappeared when the light sound of feet against tiles reached his ears. He didn't need to look back to know who it was coming down the stairs naked. He could see her reflection in the glass.She walked behind him and slipped her arms around his waist and the toes of her left foot tou
"Shoot! No please don't call him." Maggie begged. The girl looked harmless enough if she could overlook the huge frown on her face. "Look, I don't want to be here. Just show me the way, I need to get out of here as soon as I can."The girl cocked her head to the side, her mouth moved as if she was chewing a gum. She seemed to be considering Maggie's words then suddenly threw her head back and yelled. "Asher! She's awake!""I'll pay you!" Maggie cried desperately."What?" There was interest in her voice now as the greedy glint came into her eyes.Just then Asher appeared at the doorway."Whoopies, sorry," the girl said not sounding sorry at all. "Here comes Asher now." She gave Asher the stink eye as she stepped back for him to come through. "A second late and I would have sold my dignity."He laughed at that. "Tried to bribe you?""Not that I'm complaining.""Thanks." The girl shrugged her shoulders and left. Maggie had her hands on her waist as she glared at him. "If I had my way yo
In a few minutes, the pain in his ass was walking out in one of Ginny’s leather jackets, jeans and boots. He had had to bribe her for them. He couldn’t help but notice how well they encased her shapely legs, fitting her like a second skin. No doubt someone like her was used to having better clothes than Ginny’s coarse ripped jeans but for once Princess High and Mighty was not complaining. He could tell something else occupied her mind as she walked briskly toward him as he stood by the bike waiting.Maggie collected the helmet he held out to her, her eyes sweeping the small ‘town’ that held only a few houses, maybe 8 or 10, in a regular square pattern. Right now it was just her and Asher. While she changed her clothes, the rest of the pack had gone out one after the other and the only few remaining had gone behind closed doors. She could tell she wasn’t welcome. That was no problem. She was glad to be out of their hair.“Ready?” Asher asked.She nodded and hoisted herself on the back
The Dark Storm Board of Directors was made of leaders from the different subunits that made up the Dark Storm pack. While Ezra Storm was the backbone behind the success of the business, employed pack members managed individual sections. Since the conglomeration of the different sectors of Dark Storm Enterprises was the source of livelihood for all the park members, a board was created to unite each section leader for efficiency. Ordinarily, Ezra Storm, as founder and Alpha sat at the head of the table and his vote held the most power. In his absence Maggie’s vote was final. But now without Maggie or Ezra, they needed a new leader. With Ezra out of the way, the snakes could now meet out in the spacious conference room to discuss the future of the pack. The pack’s first Beta, Ezekiel, cousin to Ezra Storm took his usual seat, second to the head. 2 other Beta took their places on the table, and the remaining 2 occupants of the room were the pack warriors, Noah and Caleb. They were assig
“What do you mean she’s still alive? I gave you a simple instruction. Kill her!”Ezekiel watched Vivian march the length of the warehouse. It was one of the empty ones belonging to the pack. It was the one place Vivian always chose to meet him since it was so far out of town and away from the others.As soon as Noah and Caleb kicked him unceremoniously out of the building, he had gotten into his car, drove off, and called her on the way. He had reserved his information telling her instead that he had a matter of great urgency he had to discuss and she had chosen the warehouse. She was a beautiful woman but her heart was colder than ice. He had known her as the young girl growing up with his little niece. They were best friends. Or so he thought. Until Lance.“Didn’t Lance tell you? He killed her himself. I held her down and so did Axel and the rest of us.”She spun on her red-heeled shoes. “You all are wretched incompetent men! All of you are useless as hell!” she suddenly stopped pac
“You are lucky Anthony was right, you know?” Maggie looked up from her wine glass with a smile. Cathy was holding a wine glass of her own. They were celebrating life after the goddess’ curse. Luckily, Ezekiel’s army hadn’t done much damage to their house and what had been destroyed was rebuilt, partially with Ginny’s help. “I know that. If that blood offering hadn’t worked we’ll not be enjoying this nice bottle of wine right now.” Maggie raised her brow at the woman. “Do you still think challenging the goddess to a fight was a stupid idea?” Cathy’s lips stretched into a reluctant smile. “Well maybe you’re not as foolish as I thought, Dark Storm.” “You are a Dark Storm too.” “Yeah yeah.” Cathy raised her glass as she turned and left. She had to go to be club. Business was booming faster than she could manage. As she started to leave she looked back at Maggie. “Thank you, Maggie.” As soon as she left Asher came in carrying another bottle of wine and he raised his brow. “Did Cathy j
Everything went still. Phoenix hovered in the air, a stricken look on her face as she looked around as if searching for something to fall as if the sky would come falling on her head at any second.Maggie waited.Asher waited.Lance waited.Ezekiel waited.Then Phoenix started to laugh. A peal of nervous laughter spurted out of her. She looked even crazier than before as she opened her mouth unnaturally wide to laugh at Maggie’s foolishness.“It failed!” She laughed. “Nothing happened.”She spun in the air laughing as she tossed her hair about. “Oh, mortal. Foolish, foolish mortal! You have failed. You have brought an end to your kind!”Without warning she snatched the sword from a dazed Maggie’s hands. It was coated with her blood.“Oh, look,” Phoenix taunted her. “I win!” she chuckled.Maggie didn’t know what to do. She lost. She lost and now…She looked back at Asher and Lance. Would they start disintegrating or would the goddess kill them after she was dead?“I’m sorry,” she sighe
Maggie put her feet on the gold armor, feeling the cold metal beneath her feet and grunting, she kicked the goddess off her, put her hands behind her head, and pushed herself off the ground. In a flash, she transformed into her wolf.Vapor escaped her nostrils. She looked down at her paws noting that the proximity of Asher and Lance reduced the bleeding to a nonexistent point. She sighed gratefully and glared at the goddess who was on her feet smiling at Maggie.“You sure took your time showing up,” Maggie told her.“I wanted to see what your pathetic uncle would do. Shall I leave him or shall I kill him?”“He’s mine for me to kill.”“Are you sure?” Phoenix asked with a lopsided grin.“He is mine to kill!”“Hmm, then I should let the men fight to keep them busy. That way Asher and Lance will have their hands full to protect you.” With a snap of her fingers, she summoned 3 more wolves and sent them at the men. “Ezekiel Dark Storm, take these wolves, they are yours. That makes things eq
It was a gloomy day. At least for the newly formed Dark Storm members. Even though the sky was bright and sunny, the occupants of the car moving Eastward were silent and dull.Maggie tightened her hand on the wheel. Asher had opted to drive but Maggie wanted to be behind the wheel. Staying still and doing nothing would make her go crazy and she didn’t want to think about what the outcome of the day would be like. It was time to face the goddess, time to decide the fate of her kind. Did she have what it took?Her hands were shaking on the wheel. So much training but it would all be for nothing if she couldn’t win.She had more than the fight with the goddess to worry about. She also worried about the others remaining in the mansion. So far they hadn’t heard anything about Ezekiel. Since his last attack, he had not attempted attacking again. But she knew trouble with him wasn’t over yet. He wouldn’t rest until she was dead. A second time.For that reason she had Greg and his team stay b
“What do you know about my mother…”They were in the study. Asher, Lance, and Noah stood behind Maggie ready to battle if their visitors pulled any silly games.None of the External Threat unit members sat. Maggie didn’t offer them seats either. They weren’t friends nor foes and depending on their actions, she would decide whether or not she could accept them as part of her new family.For now, however…“I know that your father was in love with her,” Greg answered.Maggie waited but when he didn’t continue she held out her hand. “But?”“But your mother…she used to love your father until his brother, Ezekiel, came along and swept her off her feet.”Maggie couldn’t believe it. She didn’t know her mother but she always dreamed of her as the perfect mother who would have been there for her if death hadn’t snatched her so far out of her reach. She liked to imagine that her parents were so in love that her father was devastated after her mother’s death. She imagined he was so devastated and
Lance was standing outside the balcony where the sun was high and bright. The golden rays glistened off his dark hair and on his face. He squinted his eyes as he gazed off into the woods surrounding the Dark Storm property and could clearly see Jennifer’s red head bobbing as she encouraged Maggie to continue to work with her breath.Maggie was scantily dressed in a pair of shorts and a thin shirt. Even though the sun was out the weather was a bit drafty but Jennifer, whom Maggie had invited earlier that morning before the doctor came, wanted Maggie to practice in harsh conditions.According to her, the goddess was crafty, and who knew what kind of tricks she would play. Maggie had to be prepared for anything.So with goosebumps on her flesh, she practiced holding her breath to build her endurance while fighting the various enemies Jennifer created with her powers. After all, she had only three days left to train before facing her opponent, an ageless goddess with a penchant for murder
It was precisely 12 when he arrived and Ginny was the first to see him.“What the hell…?! It’s you!”His smile was cocky as he wagged his brows upward. “Cathy’s waiting?”“Waiting and ready to shred your ass most likely. Why are you here?” The teen asked defensively crossing her arms in front of her chest as she eyed him derisively.“To see Cathy. Give us some privacy will you?”Ginny exchanged a glance with Darren. “Cathy’s gonna be mad.”“Do you know him?” Darren asked.“Let’s just say yes and leave it at that.” She turned to the man and tilted her chin upward toward the office. “She’s in there. She’s in a mood and seeing you is not going to make her calm. Knowing you’re the one offering to buy the club, she’ll probably bare her teeth at you again.”“I don’t mind Cathy’s teeth.”Ginny couldn’t hold her laugh. She slapped her hand over her mouth. “I hear you, sir, up you go. Try not to get eaten.”Theodore left Ginny and Darren to continue with their jobs and he made his way up the s
Maggie stood back while Anthony examined Caleb. She had sent Asher back to take care of other things so that she could help Anthony if he needed any help. Carl was in the room with her watching Anthony through narrowed eyes. He didn’t trust anyone but he trusted the vampire doctor even less.Anthony took one look at Caleb’s weak form. “How has he managed to stay alive?”He was pale as death, his skin held a very translucent look. His shirt had been taken off to reveal his emaciated body, his ribs very clear through his pale skin. The gap in his neck and side had crusted over and were showing no further signs of healing. Through the gap in his neck, Caleb’s pulse beat an unsteady rhythm. His lung rose and fell, visible from the side where he was stabbed. His bronze wolf heart beat unsteadily.“Steph and I did the best we could.”“I’m amazed,” Anthony said genuinely impressed. “But I am afraid that cannot keep him alive.”“You think I don’t know that?” Carl said annoyed. “We couldn’t ge
The doctor came two days later. Tall and pale as always. He wore a polite smile like Asher remembered from the last time.Asher still couldn’t shake his distrust for the man. He was a vampire! Why would Ezra Dark Storm employ a vampire in his service? He couldn’t help but wonder.“Miss Dark Storm sent for me,” Anthony said in his lilting accent, his golden eyes bright as ever. It was a cloudy day, perfect weather for bloodsuckers.“Yes, she did.”He stepped inside the mansion and took off his coat. “I am glad she is doing a lot better. I told you not to worry,” his gaze was direct. “Asher.”“You know my name.”“Your name and that of the others have been included in Miss Dark Storm’s health insurance. Her father did the same thing for every member of his pack while he was still alive. She’s filling his shoes nicely.”Asher didn’t know what to say when the man was being openly friendly. Too friendly.Anthony grinned and held his hand out. “I am harmless.”His hand was icy cold in Asher’