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Those Red Eyes iv
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2021-09-11 01:00:53~ Lochlan stood holding the knife in his hand, knowing what he had to do and dreading it. The flesh around the claw marks had festered, turning a sickly black. It smelled like dying flesh. He had to remove it. All of it. That meant skinning eighty percent of her back. That percent rose with every minute he stood there, unable to get it done. Penny was still unconscious and would remain so until he woke her. To be sure she would feel none of it, he sent her into a deeper sleep. A kind of coma.
Taking his time and being thorough, he removed every inch of infected flesh, sometimes having to take out chunks of muscles that had gone bad. There was blood everywhere, as the procedure was a messy one. A tedious one that took hours. In between, he had to wake her partially, feeding her his blood while holding back the pain from registering to her. It took a toll on him as well.
The healing would be painful. Penny would feel every muscle regenerating, he
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Enter the Shadows Those Red Eyes v
~ For days, Penny wandered around the house in a fugue state. She spent hours sitting in one place, staring at nothing in particular. She barely ate. Only came out of bed when he carried her. It was painful watching her punish herself. Her back was healed, but the wounds went deeper than that. Deeper than he could reach to heal. This she had to do on her own. At night Penny laid awake, staring into the darkness of her room. Heavy drapes at her window blocked out the sun by day, and the moon at night. What it couldn't block out were Black's mournful howls. Or the screaming in her head. Lochlan did all he could to comfort her. He could stop the dreams that had her fighting herself awake at night He could numb the guilt that rode her hard. But he couldn't erase what had happened, not really. He could compel her to eat, to forget, but he couldn't give those families back the loved ones they had lost. Penny knew she could ask Lochlan to make the pain go away. He would do
Last Updated : 2021-09-14Enter the Shadows Those Red Eyes vi
~Lochlan heard Penny screaming. When she’d been taken from the porch, he attempted to go after her but was pulled back into the fight with the werewolf he now faced. Older, stronger, bigger, Lochlan couldn't shake him to get to her aide. He had made it out of the clearing into the woods, but he was right back where they had started. Because of the lack of urgency of the werewolf he fought, he knew the other man was working with him. One kept him busy, while the other snatched Penny and got away. With Black injured, he knew he couldn't send his wolf after them. In this storm, there wouldn't be a trail to follow. Distracted by his concern for her, he was too slow to block a blow that landed solidly in the center of his chest. It knocked the wind right out of him and sent him flying backward. He landed hard. Rain beating down on his face, he listened but heard nothing but the storm and his breathing. Panic tried to rise in his chest, but he stamped it down. She was fine.
Last Updated : 2021-09-16Enter the Shadows 3. Choices Are i
~The creaks stopped. Penny held her breath, waiting for the force that would send the door flying to splinters off its hinges. She looked down at Lochlan, who was still unconscious. To Black, who could barely hold up his head. The wolf was wounded and needed help. Seeing him like that, unable to move... Penny swallowed a lump in her throat as a new realization formed in her mind. She had followed a wolf. A wolf she thought had been Black. Maybe Lochlan had a few tricks up his sleeve that she didn't know about. Or maybe it just wasn't Black she had followed in the dark woods, in the middle of a rainstorm with no questions. Penny swallowed again. Not that she was eager to die, but waiting for it to happen when she knew it was so close was nerve-racking. Lochlan stirred, changing back to his human form just as there was a knock at the door. Penny shushed him when he groaned. "There is someone out there," she whispered, going over to kneel by him. She cast
Last Updated : 2021-09-18Enter the Shadows Choices Are ii
~Even if she ran away, her options remained the same. Death or the change. Those were the glaring options she had left. She could either become a werewolf, or she could, well, kill herself. Neither of them sounded pleasing to her; she wanted to live, and she wanted to remain human. The third option was the vampires. She had done some research based on some things Lochlan had told her about them. They were rich. Like filthy rich. The top tier of the society. They owned multimillion-dollar companies, held prime seats in government, and headed major charity boards. If she went into one of the five cities they controlled, Sven could not hunt her there. That, however, would leave her at their mercy. It really was just a matter of the lesser evil. "What are you thinking about?" Lochlan asked. "Death or the change," Penny said thoughtfully. Lochlan stood there, looking down at the top of her head. He could feel her fingers along his skin as she r
Last Updated : 2021-09-21Enter the Shadows Choices Are iii
~At dawn, Penny snuck out of the house. She did not know where she was going, but she knew she needed to go. Her night with Lochlan had only proven that she needed to put space between them. She needed to keep him safe. Not just from the werewolves who hunted her, but from himself. He loved her. Would sacrifice his life for her, and she loved him too much to ask that of him. Finally, she knew how he felt, and instead of bringing them together, it only proved that it was better if they were apart. Marx was right. She was a liability. With what Lochlan had done, no werewolf could change her. That would buy her some time, at least. Now only the vampires could get at her. She would have to go underground. Only leave her safe house when she had to. She could order anything online now. From groceries to clothes, anything she needed. She would be fine. Hidden away from anyone who could see and recognize what she was. She had enough money from her inheritance to get her new li
Last Updated : 2021-09-21Enter the Shadows Choices Are iv
~Penny woke up, panic tightening her chest. It had been two days since she had tried to leave, and she hadn't spoken to Lochlan since. She couldn't. She couldn't even look at him. Marx, the consummate voice of reason, was all help and smiles. He told her they had to suck it up and learn how to deal with it. Learn to control it. He didn't mince words about the importance of Lochlan being able to move around without collapsing in a helpless heap at the feet of his enemies. A liability. She was becoming more and more so. The man really was a charm. His charm made her grit her teeth. Gripping a fist of her shirt over her heart, she stumbled out of bed. What was he doing? Was there another attack? If there was, he would be useless. Penny took grim comfort because her chest felt like it was being ripped apart. He lived. Sobs shaking her body, she crawled to her door. Her feeling this way meant he was alive, and that was good. Penny wanted to kill him herself. She tried to re
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~They got closer. Marx and his little exercises were doing more than just creating some hoodoo mind link between them. Penny wasn't even sure when she had stopped being mad at Lochlan for what he had done to her. When she tried to rouse the anger again, there was nothing there. She was where she wanted to be. Lochlan, Black, Marx, and his scary pack of red-eyed wolves were feeling like family. She hadn't had one in such a long time. The thought scared her. Even more so with the danger that was prowling in the woods to get them. More and more, she was growing disconnected from the life she had before. Now she didn't feel like there was a gaping hole in her chest. This new life that was taking form around her was giving her something she never knew she desperately wanted, and that was a family. As weird as they were. Sometimes she felt guilty that maybe she was getting more out of this arrangement than they were. She had brought nothing but danger into their lives, after
Last Updated : 2021-09-23Enter the Shadows Choices Are vi
~Penny sat on the edge of her bed, waiting. To say she was nervous was an understatement. Twisting her fingers in her lap, she tried to keep her mind clear, breathing even. She thought about mixing an herb relaxer, but then she couldn't get herself to move. The only part of her that moved were her fingers, and her teeth chewing on her bottom lip. Lochlan was taking an uncomfortably long time getting to her room. He had told her to wait there, and she had been waiting for a while. Black came in first. He rested his head on her lap, looking up with his warm, gold eyes. Her fingers buried themselves into the black silk of his pelt. His warmth was reassuring to her. A minute later, Lochlan came to stand at the door. "Are you ready?" "As ready as I'll ever be." Penny kicked off her shoes before lying down on the bed. "Can he stay with me?" Penny asked when Black walked away. In response, he jumped up, stepping over her to lie on the other side. Penny
Last Updated : 2021-09-25
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~ Marx stood looking at the carbonated lump that used to be four people he knew. Four people he loved. Ava, Lochlan, Zack, and Dempsey. Around him, the grass had grown again. The earth showed no signs of the battle that raged there. Mother earth had healed, but he had not. None of the others had. The world was safe, but a gap remained in their hearts that could never be filled. Around the base of the carbon memorial, laid fresh flowers. Every day for the past six months, Martha came with a new bouquet. Today was no different. He arrived as she did. “You came,” she had said to him when she saw him. In her hands, she had more than a dozen bulbs of tulips. Her summer dress fluttered in the breeze, strands of her now brown hair escaping her ponytail. The smile she gave him out shunned the sun, and Marx, for the life
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~Marx was leading the last assault; one meant to be a distraction. Ava moved her palm away from the wound on her side. Bleeding still felt strange to her. Martha was the only one with whom she could go into details about her plans. “Penny has the last rune. All she has to do is plant it on him. When she does, we have only a few minutes to get our part done,” she said to Martha. “What is our part?” “I’m going to use you like an amplifier. I know how it sounds and yes, it is dangerous. For me more than you.” “Then we can’t do it,” Martha said. “If you’re going to get hurt—” “I have a contingency for that as well.” “Ava—” She
Enter the Shadows The Last Stand ii
~Rea and Cale launched direct attacks on Kunz while Ava tried to unravel his protections. Each layer she pulled apart revealed another was more entrenched and more intricate than the one preceding it. She almost got another layer undone when she heard Cale shout— “Look out.” Ava had enough time to react, the death rune crackling through the air towards her. She split the force in half, saving herself by a hair. In the duel that ensued, Cale made the ultimate sacrifice. Rea tried to stop him as he ran straight for Kunz. Ava threw up a rune between Cale and the King; it was too late. Like dust, Cale disappeared. A self-satisfied smile lifted the side of Kunz’s lips. “Come now Avana. You cannot hope to defeat me. Even with all the knowledge at your disposal, I have spent years perfecting my craft.”
Enter the Shadows 26. The Last Stand i
~They came through using three portals. Cale and Rea helped Ava to create one large enough to transport all of their forces. On the other side, they emerged on the field of battle in Hedgewood. The ground was scarred black. Trees toppled over and uprooted. It looked like a nuclear weapon went off, turning black everything in its path. The familiarity of the scene had an itch running down Marx’s spine. This place was either where they would claim victory or where he would walk over the corpses of the people he loved. He brushed his somber thoughts aside. Victory was their only option. To Ava, who stood on his right, Marx said, “Your handy work?” “I may have caused a patch here and there.” She bobbed her head from side to side. It was such a human gesture Marx found he had an urge to smile. He allowed his amu
Enter the Shadows To Hell and Back xii
~ Storming Hedgewood had to wait. Ava’s ‘problem’ required a second’s more thought. So close to the end, Marx was growing impatient. They needed to strike while they could and delays after delays were shifting the advantage square into the enemy’s hands. He folded his arms across his chest, keeping his face void of his emotions as he listened to Ava. “He has layers of protection wrapped around him like a shawl,” she was telling them as they stood inside the lobby of Anax Corp. Having the conversation on the outside felt too open. While they conversed, the last of the civilians and the injured were being ushered to the safety of the Mountain. Those left behind were there to fight. Marx found he was itching to fight. Ava continued. “We got through three of them before we had to retreat.” “Kunz spent years perfectin
Enter the Shadows To Hell and Back xi
~The sky was a battlefield. Above Pentorium, spreading out for miles, the shadows fought amongst themselves. Those made from the spirits of dead vampires clashing against those created from werewolves. Marx had control of the latter. It was surreal watching it all unfold. Anabella came to stand by Marx as he stood gazing up at the result of his power. Power he would never have dreamed of having. Explaining to the others what he could do would have paled compared to the scene unfolding over their heads. “This is what Sven wanted from her,” Anabella said about Sven and his sister, Marx’s mate, Celeste. “And when he couldn’t take it, he planned to break the seal on the portal.” “I can’t imagine having that man’s thoughts inside my head,” Marx said. “I rather
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~Vescovi’s head throbbed as if a drummer band was marching across his forehead. Making his way through the tunnel with his men, a blast came out of nowhere, knocking them down and rendering them unconscious. He woke up in a crumpled heap with his men, all in various stages of recovery. It took him several tries to get to his feet and stay there, the drumming in his head growing louder with each movement. Walking straight was a task, but it was urgent that they get to Xavier and the others. They were delayed enough as it was getting the remaining civilians under Anax Corp ready for transport to the Mountain. Pentorium was under an evacuation order. He paused when he saw that the panel leading out of the tunnels was open. It was plausible that Xavier had left it like that since it was their way in and out, but Vescovi could not ignore the prickle at
Enter the Shadows To Hell and Back ix
~Martha moved to run to Nico as a shadow took possession of his body. Four steps in his direction, she stopped. Nico faced her direction, his eyes twin pools of swirling mist. The thing inside of him had his lips turn up in a smirk. With hot tears streaming unchecked down her cheeks, Martha clutched her fingers into tight fists. The words came from the pits of her stomach. The ground under her feet undulated, rippling with energy as she spoke them. Nico charged in her direction, his face twisted in rage. Martha held up her hand, palm open, continuing the chant, repeating it with fervor and a new understanding. Death fueled shadow magic. Hate. Anger. All the dark things that sullied the world. The spell was the most powerful she had ever attempted since Ava infused the revenant soul with hers. She had to release control to it. Allow the magic to ru
Enter the Shadows To Hell and Back viii
~Martha couldn’t breathe, her anxiety tightening her chest. Through her link with Nico, she could feel his growing distress. It urged her to move faster as she sprinted through the hidden tunnels leading down into the subway. Back at Anax Corp, Vescovi was assembling a team, a process that was taking longer than was comfortable with her. Nico and the others needed immediate help. Communications, already spotty, had gone dead. Not a single response, only the constant frying of static. Unable to stand around doing nothing while the man she loved probably laid gutted and dying, Martha snuck off when no one was looking. None of the others knew what she was planning to do. If they did, they would have tried to stop her. She was the passive one. The one who chose not to fight. For a werewolf, her reliance on that part of herself never went past her prim
