KEEGAN The tension in the air did not fade. Ava stood in the corner of Darian's study, her head lowered. I bet she was embarrassed because Darian's visitor had seen her in her provocative maid costume. On the other hand, I was more embarrassed. This was new to me. Getting embarrassed over a kiss wasn't something I'd experienced before. For some reason, Darian didn't appear bothered. Infact, he seemed more satisfied like never before."Are you going to tell me what this is about or do I have to do some digging?" said the vampire whose name was Caspian.Darian leaned back on his seat, a smug grin tugging at his lips. His gaze found mine and grew heated. There was something about his gaze that made me want to claim his lips again. "I don't have to explain anything to you" Darian stated as his gaze drifted away and rested on Caspian. Caspian turned around to glance at us causing Ava to sink further into the corner. He smirked and turned away. "From what I see here, there's so
AVA The silent hostility between Keegan and Venom was somewhat deafening. Poor Hayley was curled up into my side, her face as white as sheets. I felt sorry for her. Every few minutes, she would whimper, a shiver running through her. Her condition had taken a painful dive. According to Venom, he'd been desperate to find me because Hayley's life force was quickly diminishing. "Are you sure that Hayley is not just an excuse for you to see Ava again?" Keegan said, his arms folded across his chest. Venom's eyes darkened, his lips set in a grim line. "Keegan, stop it. She's obviously in a terrible condition," I said. "I can clearly see that. However, my last memory of him..." "Let's not bring that up, okay? It was in the past. Now, I have not one but two mates. There's no possibility of me getting kissed by anyone else," I said. Confusion flashed in Venom's eyes, his brows furrowed. "What do you mean by two mates?" He asked."Why do you think we live in the apartment of a vampire?
AVA "She is my mate," a familiar voice said. Slowly, I turned around. Astoria frowned. "Y...you..." She stuttered, unable to hide her shock. "Who are you?" She asked, her fists clenched. "Venom is my name.""Right. What business do you have here? No, scratch that... how are you here?" He shrugged and halted beside me, wrapping an arm around my waist. I stiffened. "I have a business with Mr Edwards. Do you have a problem with that?" Astoria eyed him with disdain, her lips curled into a sneer. "Well, I'll be taking my leave now," she said and hurried away. "What's with Darian and these stinking mutts?" She mumbled under her breath. The moment she was out of sight, I moved away from Venom. Tucking strands of hair behind my ear, I heaved a sigh."Why are you here?" I demanded. He stared at me, his gaze soft. I tried not to squirm at the spot. "Why? Do I make you feel uncomfortable? I believe I just rescued you from a catastrophe. Don't you see that?" He questioned. I didn'
KEEGAN "Cora?" I breathed, my eyes wide. She blinked, unmoving. She was different now. The cold blankness in her eyes made me realize how much she'd changed. She was no longer innocent and cheerful. Somehow, I felt that I was to be blamed for this. The sight of the nasty scar marring her left cheek brought angry tears to my eyes. I wanted to hurt whoever had hurt her that way. As much as I wanted to rush towards her and sweep her into my embrace, there were several questions that needed to be answered. How did she find me?I dashed out of the room before I could let these thoughts consume me. I headed down the hall and stepped out of the front door. The moment I stepped into the front porch, my sister vanished into thin air. I froze, my blood running cold in my veins. "No," I breathed, rushing towards the spot she'd stood in. Disbelief and dismay smacked me hard. Realization followed not long after. My sister had just slipped right out of my hands, once again. My knees gave
AVA Darian was pissed. It was written all over his face. The weight of his power grew, causing the vampires who were holding me captive to tremble. I was in awe of how powerful my mate was. When he snatched the knife out of the grip of one of the vampires, his movement was a blur. Keegan grabbed my hand and pulled me to himself. Resting my head on his chest, I watched Darian as he lifted both vampires off their feet, his hands wrapped around their throats. They gasped and sputtered, their eyes rolling into the back of their head. "Are you alright, Ava?" Keegan asked and I nodded in response. While he examined the cut on my neck, he muttered under his breath."Remind me never to get on his bad side."I grinned. "We've got to get out of here, Darian. There's no point in lingering around here any longer," Keegan said. Clenching his jaw, Darian released them. They fell to the ground like ragged dolls, blood oozing out of their mouths."What about your sister?" Darian asked when he
Several years ago,KEEGAN Coughing into the palm of my hands, I doubled over as pain racked my skull, black spots dancing across my eyes. I stumbled forward, reaching out to rest my hand on the tree in front of me. My chest hurt. "Are you alright?"a masculine voice said. I groaned, squeezing my eyes shut. At this rate, I would collapse soon. Shade's venom was tearing away at my defences, not even my healing abilities were helping. In her fit of rage, she had injured me with her claws. This was because I'd failed to complete my mission. Now, I had no choice but to find my targets and finish them off. Shade had given me two days to do this. "Do you need help?" the voice continued.I parted my lips to drag in air into my lungs but ended up choking on my blood. I gasped for air, coughing and sputtering as I fell to my knees. A large hand rubbed my back in small circles. I lifted my head to look at this person and found him staring at me with an eye full of concern. His left eye
DARIAN I felt physically sick. I couldn't help but notice everything. The wine, the lights, the decor, the fake smiles, the fancy dresses and suits...At this point, everything sickened me.Probing stares were constantly sent my way and every few minutes, a guest would approach me to whisper congratulatory words in my ear. My skin crawled and my stomach churned with discomfort. But, there I was, seated beside my fiancee in an impromptu engagement party which had more attendees than I'd hoped. The thought of actually marrying Astoria was consuming me. Even worse, I couldn't stop picturing the look on Ava's face when she would discover it. I'd assured Keegan that I was going to avoid my marriage with Astoria in whatever way possible. Nevertheless, it was easier said than done. "Is everything okay? You don't look so good" Astoria said to me, her brows furrowed. When I didn't give her a response, her frown was replaced by a big smile. "Is Darian the great already experiencing
AVA I couldn't bring myself to succumb to my exhaustion no matter how many times my heavy lidded eyelids slipped close. Darian's fever had reduced a little, but it wasn't enough to make me feel relieved. His face was still much paler than it usually was and his skin was damp with a sheen of sweat. I turned to look at Keegan who was standing by the window, his arms folded across his chest. His brows were furrowed, his shoulders tense. Behind him, I could see the rising sun through the open window. "You can go to sleep. I'll watch over him" he said. I shook my head, rubbing my eyes. "I don't want to. I have to stay by his side" I mumbled. Keegan sighed and walked up to me. "He's no ordinary vampire, you know? He's going to be fine"Keegan didn't understand. I just couldn't shake off the feeling. It was a sickening feeling, one that felt like a wet blanket. "We've never seen him in this state, you know that too. Keegan, he could barely walk. What if..."He crouched in front of