Cassius POVMy eyes were scanning around her, and the fact that there were so many younger looking creatures and very young humans disturbed me greatly. “How old are they???” I asked, disdain evident in my voice. She arched her eyebrows, drinking and looking at me with her ice-purple eyes. “What does it matter??? Did you come here to ask about my parties and my sex life? Interested in joining??? Judging from that bulge in your pants, perhaps you need somebody to help you with that???”, she said, smirking at me.“We have not seen you here in a very long time after all”, her menacing smile was on her lips, her eyes drilling into me.The memory flashed in the back of my mind and both Marcus and I shuddered. Centuries ago, while I was still a virgin, my mother orchestrated a party, as she called it. A party where she ensured I “grew up and manned up” according to her. She brought humans and creatures alike, all experienced in some way…And she had me fuck them. While she watched!Cold shive
Cassius POV “My MATE”, I said, putting emphasis on the word “is MY MATE. And it is not a “she” – my MATE is a HE!” I retorted, my jaw clenching from stress. Marcus was fighting me for control. Agitated and upset, he wanted to fight. He wanted to scream and trash the place. The faces of those children still haunted us both, Marcus always having a soft spot protecting young ones. The person I called a mother has become even more depraved than I assumed, and it shook me to my core. I now understood why Milena did not want me to enter, alas it had to be done. Time was of the essence. Her manicured, long nail fingers were tapping on the table in a weird rhythm, her eyes not betraying any sign of emotion. However, I knew she was not pleased to put it mildly. “A he??? Is he now your mate????” she said mocking me. “Yes, my MATE is a male! Is that a problem for you???” I raised my voice. “Well, ok, which Lycan family does he come from? Do I know his parents???” I was afraid of this line of q
Emma’s POVLeo and I walked back in, sitting down back at the table with gregarious Myra and Nick – they were laughing and enjoying the dinner. I sat there, looking at the three people I loved most in the world. I called, I said. Money Bags, Money Bags.. Myra started teasing and laughing.. I blushed slightly looking at Leo.He looked like weight of the world was lifted off his shoulders. Seeing my brother happy warmed my heart. So, you’ll take it, asked Nick,Yes, I said. They are coming tomorrow to take me shopping and for a makeover I said shyly. WOW, Myra exclaimed. That is SOME PERK! Shopping! WOW – I want to work with you she was giggling. You landed in the lap of luxury she said. Err… I was getting little uncomfortable.. There is a business trip – a conference of some kind, I said.. Mr. Locke has expectations regarding appearance, I said. Nick was nodding. I can only imagine. He looks like a God – always dressed impeccably – did you see him on the cover of Time recently he menti
Leo POV Smoke and fire were engulfing the car.. I woke up coughing, barely catching my breath. Emma was out… I had to get her out of here before the car exploded!!! The door on my side was jammed. Shaking her, she did not wake up… “Please, Ems, come on princess, wake up .. c’mon Emma!!!” I kept saying. She was dead to the world. Shallow breathing told me that she was still alive, but I did see the knock on her head that was bleeding profusely now. “Come on, come on….Emms, wake up!!!” I was still shaking her, but she was not moving. Our house was engulfed in darkness, and the car was on fire. I have to get her out of here, she is in danger, I have to get her out..I keep thinking to myself… Focus Leo, focus.. I tried to push the door with my feet, banging on it, putting all my strength into it, straining every muscle, trying to make it loosen up. However, it appeared that the fire melted the door from the outside, somehow fusing the metal of the car so that way was not possible. The on
Emma’s POVThe sound of birds chirping was in the air.. Sounds of moving waters too.. It felt peaceful and serene. I did not know where I was, but I felt safe. I slowly opened my eyes and was met with clear skies and the fragrance of jasmine. I looked around.. I was lying on the sandy beach of a beautiful river, as green as my eyes. Sounds of birds chirping above me, waves on the shore. How did I get here???? I thought to myself confused, sitting up slowly…“I see you have woken”, a soft voice said.. I turned around in the direction of the voice, but my vision was blurry. Slowly it cleared up and I saw a woman, dressed in a flowing white dress, coming out of the water.. She looked ethereal, beautiful and almost like a vision of sorts. Her long dark hair was cascading in soft curls around her, but her face was not coming into focus. I sat there mesmerized, unable to move, my eyes glued onto her. She started slowly walking towards me, the green waters of the river glistening around her.
Emma POV I held her hand as if she was my lifeline. She walked with purpose and took me back into the green river waters. Leading me deeper towards the center of the river, I was getting nervous as the water was becoming deeper and deeper. “Mom??? Are you sure this is the way???”, I asked, fear evident in my voice. “Do not worry Princess, waters are your friend. In fact, you can breathe under water too!” I did not know what to make of that, but I decided to trust her. She was my mother after all. We walked slowly few more steps and at that point the waters of the river enveloped me, as we were now submerged. Mother finally stopped walking and we just stood there, the gentle river around us. It was a strange sensation as I stood there. Apprehensive at first, I now found great comfort in the water. She was right, being submerged did not bother me, in fact, it felt completely natural. Water felt like my second skin, although it took a moment for my eyes to adjust to seeing. This deep, wa
Leo POV Coughing up, I woke up.. The air was still thick with smoke, although the fire was dying down.. I sat up carefully, aware of the bruises and burns on my body. Interestingly enough, while there were scars of the fire burns, all I noticed now is the dried blood and healed scars in weird streaks of shimmering gold/amber color.. I have never had burns before, so not sure if this is how they heal normally, but something felt weird. I knew burn scars do not heal this quickly and most definitely not without professional medical help. “I told you that fire would not hurt us”, I heard the same voice again. This was strange. A strange sensation was circulating within me, energy I never felt before, yet I was not scared of it. It felt good, as if something finally clicked within me. If my hair had not burned, I would have thought I was not on the fire just a few moments ago! I needed to talk to Emma about this – I did not understand what was happening. I looked over to see if she was fe
Hendricks POV “Yes, Hendricks??? What news?!” Valor’s voice boomed when he picked up my call. “That is Captain Hendricks, Sir!” He was always extremely rude, and even though he paid well, I wanted to remind him to show some respect. “Hendricks, you may be a police captain in your own world, but I want to remind you - you are on my payroll!!!! I will call you whatever the fuck I want. Now tell me, why are you bothering me at this hour???!!!” he snapped at me. I should have known what I had gotten myself into. Dealing with vamps and supernatural creatures was always a big headache. They paid extremely generously though, so I really should not complain, but it did not mean I liked working with them. “Sir, you asked me to notify you about that address in San Diego. You said to call you directly and immediately if there was anything??” “Speak! You have my full attention!!”, Valor said, his voice now laced with concern. “Well, Sir, it appears that there was an explosion of some kind – EM
Leo POVThe night with Cassius was beyond words.. Beyond comprehension. I had never known love like this was possible, never knew that I could open up my heart to that extent. I did not even know that I had room for such love, that I was capable of such love. The only love up to this point in my life, the only belonging I felt was to my only family – my sister Emma. However, now, I understood that there are different kinds of love, that different possibilities existed within me, that I was capable of more, worthy of more, able to do everything, powerful enough to balance my life, and finally, my whole self. For the first time in my life, I felt complete. I did not know how to explain it. Being orphaned, Emma and I always missed that familial connection, that Sunday lunch with family, those kisses and hugs from your mom or dad, the way your parents smell, the way they smile at you.. The ways you will mess up and they will pretend to scold you, only to teach you about life, yet love you
Emma POVThese people were crazy! Totally and absolutely bat-shit crazy!!! There was no other explanation – no other possibility. Somehow, when I accepted the job opportunity with Mr. Locke, I somehow walked into a world of crazy people, a world of strange events and strange individuals, a world which almost seemed like an alternate reality. I should have known that all of this would have been too good to be true - regardless of their obvious support and well-wishes. It has become clear that whomever mysterious Ro is or was, that she was likely onto something, and her warnings obviously warranted. I should have listened when I had a chance, I really should not have been swayed. If only I had trusted Ro and Myra, I would have already been gone, safely somewhere with Leo, away from these crazy, cult-like people. Dear God, what did I get myself into???I felt a great sense of frustration, unease and felt completely stupid for trusting them, trusting them with my brother, trusting them wi
Angela’s POV “Was she going into heat??? Or shifting???” Celia asked the same questions that were stuck in my mind as well. The three of us were sitting in a lounge sipping tea after Emma’s episode. She was strong, much stronger than we anticipated and in a state that we did not understand fully. Dr Sina was thinking. He had this habit of rubbing his chin whenever he was in deep thought, and by the looks of his behavior, he was definitely going to rub some skin off his face. Looking at us both with his soulful, wise eyes, he nodded at first, getting up and starting to pace around, obviously stressed out. “It is possible. It certainly felt as if she was about to do both, and had we not injected her, chances are she would have become a full-blown dragon, likely leveling the hospital down, killing everyone in it”, he replied gravely. The confirmation did not surprise me. However, things were not adding up. Usually, she-dragons would go into heat once she found her mate. Dragons went int
Emma POVThe anxiety and heat within me subsided gradually, but the sense that I felt complete, where I was discovering something new stayed with me – even in the darkness of my dream. However, I was not sure if I could call this a dream. Once Dr. Sina injected something into me, the darkness claimed me. However, I did not sleep. Fully alert as if I was awake, I started moving toward a sensual scent, a scent of pinecone and berries, a scent that was pulling me in a very specific direction. All my senses were enhanced, and I could feel everything around me.“There you are!!”, I heard the now familiar voice of the mystery man in my dreams. His strong arms were wrapped around my waist tightly, while he pulled me to him from behind. I still could not see his face, but his scent, and the sense of familiarity, sense of knowing this person, and sense of belonging were overpowering me. It felt right to be in his arms. I felt happy.His warm breath was on my neck, his soft, warm lips gently ki
Emma POVMy heart was full for Leo. He had found him a man, a person to love him the way he deserved, the person to hold him, wipe his tears away when the skies go dark and cold, the person to make him laugh. He found his true love, or as the voice of my other-self within me said – his mate. Somehow, in my heart I knew this from the first time I ever saw Cassius. Everything within me screamed family, screamed recognition, screamed belonging, and the clarity hit me - as if I could see their life before them, their love and their day unfold. When Cassius called me to get advice as to how to set up a romantic date and dinner for Leo, I was only too happy to oblige. Plus, planning a romance took me away from dark thoughts about Mr. Locke, dark doubts and fears that were currently plaguing my mind. I was trying to give him the benefit of the doubt, as Leo suggested. I knew that life sometimes turns good people into bad ones. However, all that I have seen in the files could not be justifie
Lord Alwyin POVSo.. It was true. The prophecy of Amelia’s betrayal had come to pass. My wife and I had held on all this time, and tried our very best, including extreme measures to somehow offset and change her fate. Alas, what Lord Krimus had reported was dire. Aramah was back. And not just Aramah, its Queen Witch, Verena. I felt like I was in hell, betrayed by those closest to me, namely my child. I knew that in her own mind she held justification of what had happened, justification I could not negate, given that she thought her mate Darius was dead at my hands. When I saw her last, I could sense her anger and hatred towards me. At this point, she had hated me so long, that it was likely hard to pinpoint the origin of when that had begun.Xidna was a whole other story, her demands and her threats something completely else. I knew that I failed her, and whatever she had planned for us, was entirely my own fault. In truth, I should have known better. I should have known that she wou
Leo POVI had no words for what just happened. I had no explanations, no prior understanding, just the raw unbridled emotion cursing through my body, pure pleasure and euphoria. And another feeling which dominated every ounce of my being. Cassius was MINE!!! MINE ALONE!! I heard the grumble in my chest, the determination of those words. I had not spoken them as of yet, but my whole being was screaming that this was my guy, my person, and my love. MINE. And MINE ALONE! There was something that happened to me the moment he kissed me, the moment he fell on his knees. The moment of recognition of some kind, somehow, someway, I knew, without a shred of a doubt, that he was my soulmate, my everything, and the only person other than Emma that I would give my life for. The veracity of those feelings hit me unexpectedly, yet not irrationally. Right before he showed up in my life, things were different. And now, with him here, and what just happened, I found myself in a vortex of emotion, stood
Cassius POVI wanted tonight to be perfect. I called Emma in advance to learn more about Leo’s favorite foods, what he liked to drink, even what kind of flowers he liked. I realized that they came from humble backgrounds, and I desperately did not want to be a show-off, but at the same time I wanted to give him the world – everything I had, my heart included, already belonged to him anyway. I also had a surprise help from an unexpected source. His friend Theo, who worked at the garage with him, was there when I went to see Albert and asked discretely about him. Somehow, he overheard our conversation and decided to chime in and share that Leo’s dream car was a Mercedes G63, and I decided to buy him one as a present. The car I drove tonight was Leo’s and I hope he liked it. I was going to give it to him at the end of our date as a gift – I did not want to have him apprehensive during dinner. “We do not need to throw wealth in Leo’s face, Cassius. He is not like that”, Marcus advised. I
Leo POVCassius’ phone call was exciting. He said he had planned a special date for us, and I felt as if I was walking on clouds. My stomach tightened just at the sound of his voice, and I grew weak in my knees thinking of his plump, gentle lips, his chiseled jaw, and body the Gods themselves would be jealous of. My favorite thing about him was his smile. When he smiled at me, I felt like the only person in the world. That smile reached into the depths of my soul and touched my heart. Every time I heard his voice, my stomach and chest would both flutter as if dozens of butterflies danced around it. Timing worked out great - with Mr. Locke rescheduled the dinner. I had time to have my date with Cassius.Emma’s words and files I read weighed heavily on me. However, somehow, I was willing to give Mr. Locke the benefit of the doubt. Somehow, the timing of all this seemed too perfect, and too coincidental, and I was not a man that believed in coincidence. Moreover, the voice, my inner voic