Oh no. Nothing good ever accompanies the Darkies.
IMEELAToday was a big day for first impressions. I was going to a brand-new place as Jackson’s mate. These people knew him and were important to him. Therefore, I wanted to appear as a confident mate even if that was not what I felt like right now.“You look positively beautiful, love,” Jackson whispered into the shell of my ear.My body relaxed underneath his influence. The muscles that had been coiled tightly were slowly releasing their vice grip.“Thank you, habibi.” I smiled at him, leaning against his side while we walked to the conference room.He stopped us while the others continued walking. He turned us so that the wall was against my back. The love in his eyes melted me until I felt like a pile of goo.‘I want you to know that every single person that’ll be in that room is trustworthy with any information that they hear. It’s a group where our secrets can be laid bare without fear of betrayal,’ he shared with me.I let out a measured breath, feeling so much better. I had not
JACKSONImeela and I were working on hand-to-hand maneuvers with training this morning. She started off at my speed and slowly increased it so that my reflexes would learn to react faster.Was I getting my ass handed to me? Yes.Were there bruises forming? Also, yes.Was I going to give up? FUCK NO.Brynn was an amazing opponent to fight against because she had an innate ability to observe, move, and countermove. It was just like how chess pros could visualize like ten moves ahead. I knew that Imeela would be able to get me as close to that point as I could be. If I could hold my own against her, then I would be able to hold my own against others.There was clapping when we ended our session. Dante stood beside Ziyah, arms crossed over his chest, and was smirking at me. I did not miss the way his eyes tallied my multiple bruises.“I have to say that I’m impressed because you kept up with her moves better than most could. She’ll have you at assassin level in no time. We were actually ho
IMEELA ‘Being a leader is about more than the title. It is about seeing the silent struggles of your people and finding a way to lift some of their burdens. It is about what you are willing to sacrifice for their safety and prosperity. It is also about the lengths at which you would go in order to protect them.’ Those were words that my mother had once spoken to me when I was afraid of being Queen one day. My mother had been adamant that I would be the ruler instead of my siblings who had more of a claim to the throne than I did. She never explained why she felt that way, but she told me that I had to keep it to myself. All would be revealed in time, and I supposed that it had been. My mind was still reeling with what we learned from Dante and Ziyah yesterday. First of all, I was incredibly happy for Byron. He would be able to experience new things every full moon like holding his children on his own and playing with them. He would also be able to be with Ziyah in her natural form
JACKSON I was trying my hardest to push away the memory of how delicious her blood was. I could totally get behind that. Not to mention that I could feel that invigorating rush of strength and power that she had mentioned. ‘It’d also help us if we ever needed to protect her. Between dealing with the Dark Fae, the fucker responsible for the massacre, and getting everything in order there, we would need to be at the top of our game at all times,’ Zeus added. Those were all very good points indeed. I did not see any downsides to this. We made our way down to the cells. The interrogation room was all set up and ready for her, but Dickless Dexy would be brought in once Imeela was ready. It looked like he would be strapped down to the table. There were two trays filled with fun tools. There were a few beakers with different colored liquids in them. Next to them were syringes. On the other tray there were some painful-looking blades and long wires. Color me curious. I leaned my head dow
JACKSONThere was an immediate surge of anger and pain down the bond. Then guilt and shame were added on top of that. I did not have to hear her confirmation to know where her mind had gone. Imeela was the next in line. She was the only remaining Precoza. While her people suffered greatly, she was a world away trying to remain hidden.I understood where those types of thoughts came from, and what spurred them on, because I was a leader as well. That would be where my emotions would be placed. Hers were misplaced because she was only ten when her father forced her and Emilio to flee. Those two fought and survived, barely at times, for all those years. They were not living a life of luxury on a private island. Their lives were worse than typical nomads because they were actively evading bounty hunters at every turn. I did not even want to imagine what the lowest points in her past would be.“How many chose each option?” she asked him, pushing aside her emotions.A hiss escaped him becaus
JACKSONBrynn had shared the Goddess’ message with us. It hit Imeela really hard, especially after everything she had just heard. That was what prompted the night run into the mountains so that she could focus on something besides the crushing emotions.Zeus took her up a somewhat challenging trail. It was amazing to feel her absolute elation at the freedom of letting go and giving herself over to this. Zeus felt the same way about running. Imeela and I shared the same way about sparring. It showed just how perfect she was for the both of us.My wolf collapsed against the ground once they made it to the top, and our mate collapsed nearly on top of him. She let out a deep laugh as she caught her breath.‘We’re here for you if you want to talk, beautiful,’ Zeus told her, nuzzling her neck.Her fingers ran through his fur while her body curled into his, seeking his comfort.‘Guilt is threatening to drown me. I can’t do anything right now while all of those innocent people are being treate
IMEELA ‘Hey, love. Dahlia said that she’s ready whenever we are. I’m just finishing up my session with Theo,’ Jackson’s voice filtered into my mind. ‘Be there shortly,’ I told him. I would honestly say that I had no idea what I had done right in life to be given two amazing mates. Jackson comforted me when I had my slight breakdown after learning what my coven had been going through and then was told that we had to wait. When I felt like I was being crushed underneath the harsh reality of what waiting meant, Jackson was able to grab hold of me and pull me back to the top. He gave me something to focus on besides that guilt and shame. He made me realize how much needed to be done, and preparing for that was something that I could do now. First thing first, we had enlisted Dahlia’s help with hacking into whatever she could. It would help us strategize. We knew nothing about our enemies right now, and that was unacceptable. It would be fantastic if we could find out all of their weak
JACKSONWe knew that Imeela was an expert with her knife. Now, we would be doing the same thing that my father had done when we were younger. She would be trying out different weapons to see what sparked her interest as well as worked during a fight.I was not certain that it would be possible, but I would love to see if there was anything that Ziyah or Janina could do with blessings so that it worked the same as the knife in regard to the Precozas.“We’ll be meeting everyone at the private training building where Brynn’s father had trained her instead of her attending training when she was younger. Mike is one of the best trainers in this pack as well as his mate Tris.”Brynn had opened up to Imeela on her own about being a Vessel. It was something that she felt Imeela should know about, especially given the fact that Imeela had placed a lot of trust in all of us. Imeela had been very intrigued with the fact that Tris had died but was given a new start.I had asked Imeela’s permission
To all of my amazing readers, I am happy to tell you that “Destined Alpha of Change” is now officially up on the app and ready to begin being read. Now, onto other important matters. First and foremost, I would like to thank you for how much support you have given me throughout these books. I love reading all of your comments, whether they were negative or positive, and use them to help shape the story as it evolves. Jackson and Imeela’s story was one story that I could not begin to write. I know that not everyone was thrilled during Theo’s story when Jackson took Brynn’s side after the rejection. However, it just showed the type of man that he was. The one who would help protect those who needed it, just like he did with Brynn. One thing that many of you had mentioned was that you enjoyed the species integration seen throughout this book and the Fated series. We will see the byproduct of that during the Legacies of Destiny series. Kalen’s story will be the first one, followed by
SNEAK PEEK – “DESTINED ALPHA OF CHANGE”– KALENLater on in life, I would look back and wonder how I survived what I willingly threw myself into.Visions led me down this path. They were warnings of what was to come. A single person was going to be the spark that ignited the fire that would destroy everything that I held dear. It would lead to countless graves. The peace that our world experienced would be wiped away, leaving nothing but pain and chaos in its wake.The only way to prevent this was for me to identify the supernatural that was aiding him. My visions only showed me this one path to potential success. Yes, I said potential. If I succeeded, then it would save everyone and everything. However, it could very well be my demise.The plan unfolded where I would create my own trap to catch his attention. It worked like a charm, and that was how I ended up in this make-shift dungeon cell. He really spent too much time watching B-rated horror films.I lost track of how long I had
EMILIOMy mind was a complete mess right now. I had a sleeping Princess cradled in my arms as I ran, searching for somewhere that was safe enough to rest.‘It is your duty to keep her safe. Run and do not look back. There will come a day when she returns here to avenge us, but it will be when she is older. We have every faith in you when it comes to protecting one of the most important gifts that we have ever been given and will never be able to express just how much we appreciate it. We have always loved you like a son, so let me give you one last piece of advice. Do not harbor guilt for leaving instead of fighting alongside the coven because you are protecting the future of our kind. That is the most important mission that has ever existed.’Those were his parting words. As much as he said not to harbor guilt… it was easier said than done. Instead of focusing on that, I focused on the fact that it was my duty as her personal bodyguard to always do what was necessary to protect her.J
LOLAI had been different my entire life. Not being able to hear anything made life hard. That was why Mom taught me ASL and how to read lips. It did not always help, but it did help sometimes. Mom and Dad were my only sources of consistency, but even that did not last.We were always moving around. They never told me why, but I had the feeling that it was because of me. Dad was a special kind of vampire, and Mom was an Elemental dragon. I might be young, but I understood what that meant for me.Sadly, we could not outrun every danger. Vampires caught up with us. Mom and Dad fought them off with everything they had. They took down many of the vampires. Then something hit my head, and I blacked out. I came to and saw my parent’s dead bodies next to me.My heart broke because I was all alone now. They would never be able to tell me another bedtime story. I would never ride on Mom’s dragon form again. There would never be another opportunity to tell them that I loved them.Lost in my sadn
JACKSON At the same conference as Epilogue 1 – I could not be any prouder of Lola as I watched her get everything prepared for her presentation. She worked her ass off to get to where she was at right now in life. Nothing held her back, and nothing slowed her down. It had been hard for her at first because she desired to be independent, but not everyone could communicate with her and vice versa. My amazing mate was the one who could break through her barriers and encourage her to get right back up. I had never seen Lola happier than when Ziyah had given her the hearing aids that she created for her years back. Lola was born deaf, so she never had the opportunity to hear people speak to her or around her. She never had the ability to listen to the sounds of nature. While she could not do anything for the second part, Ziyah had been able to fix it to where the words were picked up by the devices and then sent as a mindlink. A lot of attention to detail was found in how they worked.
IMEELASix years later –I checked my appearance one last time just to make certain that I looked presentable for the supernatural conference that we were attending.The pencil dress came to my knees. The top was white with a notched neck and three-quarters sleeves. The bottom was black with strips of black and white crisscrossing the waist. My hair was pulled into a low side bun with my newly designed diadem.Honestly, I hated wearing the crown in public, which this conference was, but our normal diadems were not official enough, according to our Cabinet, so we designed new ones that were more official looking. They were more pronounced with the Precoza crest designed within it.I opted for a natural look with my makeup, so it just highlighted my features. Luckily, my mates did not care if I wore makeup or not because it was not something that I cared about either.“You look beautiful, Mom,” Zion said from behind me.I turned around and smiled at my handsome son. He was as tall and bu
IMEELAZiyah had called me earlier and said that she had something special for Lola that should help the most with her deafness.Lola was a blessing in disguise when we first met her. She had been through so much in her short life, but it proved that she was strong and resilient enough to soldier on and keep going. Her biggest hurdle in life was learning to navigate being deaf in a supernatural world.There were many shows and movies out there that show how easy it was to overcome that hurdle and still live a completely normal life. That might be how it worked for humans, but it was extremely dangerous for supernaturals. Our world was a chaotic one where we always had to look out for the dangers hiding in the shadows, waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike.Lola was so fucking strong that it made us incredibly proud of her. She had learned how to read lips with damn near perfect accuracy. She was also learning how to defend herself against any attack. Zion took it upon himself t
JACKSONThree years later –I chuckled as I watched Amira and Cyrus playing tag with Zion outside.Imeela rested her back against my chest. It was a very comfortable Spring with the sun shining down on us.Amira was a pro at this game already because of her gift. She could use her shield to essentially cloak her just like I could via casting. This, however, also hid her scent, breathing, and heartbeat. Thankfully, Ziyah was able to put a block on it so that we would always be able to find her even if she was cloaked.Emery was practicing her dance routine off to the side where she would not be in the way. The girl was really fucking talented. I had never liked ballet before, but I watched every routine she had and got swept away in the emotions that it evoked each and every time.Zion fell to his knees and gripped his head, crying out.We were next to him in an instant. Zion had a high pain tolerance. He broke his arm last year and did not scream or anything. He whimpered, but that was
JACKSONI was currently sparring with Santiago. He was a great opponent because his training and heritage really made him really fucking lethal when he wanted to be. Thankfully, he liked me enough to allow my continued breathing.It only took training with vampires for about four months before I could keep up with them entirely speed wise. Strength was a different matter because there was a biological difference between our species. However, sealing the bond with my girl gave me additional strength. I might not have been able to deck a vampire quite as hard as another one could, but it did not matter. I just had to be more strategic on when and where to hit. However, the blessing of strength that Hecate had given to me at the coronation and also the boost from being crowned King put me as close as possible to being at the level of vampires.My fist connected in an uppercut, causing Santiago to fly up and backwards with his ass landing on the ground.He just laid there, panting heavily.