Nerezza's Point of ViewWith each passing second, the commotion outside grew louder. More violent. It also grew closer and closer until a single set of footsteps came echoing down the corridor. I braced myself for the inevitable. For my doom to settle in and devour me whole. What faced me instead were two sides to the same coin.Seeing Farren's face was both a relief and a burden. She hadn't gotten free. Instead, she was trying to get me free. So, the relief of seeing her was short-lived. Bittersweet. I hadn't anticipated for her to be here. Ever.Scuttling to my feet, I rushed to the bars. Threw my entire weight against them in an attempt to get closer to her. Feel her for a moment. My sister. The one person I knew would come for me but had hoped she would stay away. The girl I had raised and tended to when no one else wanted to. My light at the end of the tunnel."Nerezza!" The girl exclaimed and rushed to the bars as well. Her fingers fumbled through the bars. Tugged on my torn shi
Nerezza's Point of View We barely escaped with our lives. Guards had swarmed us from all sides. Despite my dislike of the two new additions to our group, they defended me with everything they got. Made sure that Farren was safe at all times as well. Although, Priamos kept his distance from her at all times. Couldn't even bring himself to look at her for too long. The shame in his eyes made a certain part of my soul giggle in pleasure. The white wolf was drenched in red by the time we exited the grounds. No one pursued. Couldn't leave their wards alone to fend for themselves. So, we ran out into the city and didn't look back once. Not as free as I had hoped to be but this was a small step in the right direction. But now I had several accomplices they could hang if they got hold of us. The situation was direr than I had previously thought. Besides my physical wounds, my mind was hurting as well. None of this truly made sense to me. Why had they come back? What would they gain from he
Lysander's Point of View"Are you just going to leave them down there?" I couldn't help but ask as we made our way up the stairs. Nerezza didn't look back at me. The bounce in her step I had come to love had vanished, seemingly overnight. But it was just from the trauma she had sustained.Whatever they had done to her down there, it was evident on her body. Torn clothes. Lethargic gait. Dirt covering every inch of her. No wonder she wasn't in a forgiving mood. I wouldn't be either, seeing as the men who were actually responsible stood just beneath us."She doesn't have to talk to them if she doesn't want to." Amadeus reminded me with a clipped voice. I glared at him over my shoulder as we trudged to Nerezza's room. Farren was the only one who had branched off into a different side of the house.Her complexion had turned ashen when Nerezza fought with her brother. I noticed the stiff spine and gnawing on her lower lip the moment the two clashed in front of her. She wasn't sure whose si
Nerezza's Point of ViewThe decent part of my heart knew I had to hear them out. Because at the end of the day, they had tried to clean up the mess they had created. Which was admirable. Kind. But it could wait until later. Much later, to apologize. The water was too intoxicating to let go to waste. Lavender filled the bathroom. Consumed my pounding heart and aching muscles. Easing deeper into the water, I felt the last strings of tension flood away. Bleed into the water as if they were a liquid themselves.This was what it felt like to be home. Calmed. Safe. A place where no one could touch me. For now. Because everything good had to come to an end. Reality had to emerge again. By the end of today, I would be a wanted criminal alongside my mates and Farren. There was no doubt in my mind that Reginald would send guards to seize me. I was not only a threat to his reign but to the fragile image he had constructed around it as well. Prison or death. Those were his only two options for
Zaven's Point of ViewIt was almost mind-boggling how much control this woman had over all these men. Including Priamos, who she hadn't seen in years. The moment the phrase left her lips, they were up. Ready to walk out and leave us to a private conversation.How said private conversation would turn out, I had no idea. I had come to realize that you never knew what you were going to get with Nerezza. Our mate. She was an enigma of her own making. Intricately woven but also tightly coiled and ready to bite when necessary.Before he walked away, Lysander tilted downward. Captured her lips in a searing kiss that made flames lick up my own cheeks. The caress seemed so familiar. As if they had been star-crossed in another life. They parted faster than they had started. Stared a moment longer into each other's eyes until Lysander disappeared fully. There had been a silent conversation waging between them. Not like with the twins. Oh no. This was on a much deeper level.I knew he was just go
Nerezza's Point of ViewI got overly defensive again. Locked down my heart the moment they started asking about Priamos and why I was avoiding him. It wasn't a topic I wanted to discuss at present. That was why I left him alone as well. I could have rushed into his arms upon seeing him today. Instead, I had settled into the back of the cell. Made myself smaller than I had in a long time. Seeing him had taken me off guard. Ruined the relief of escape. Because seeing him meant I had to face what had happened between us. Admit that I had opted for a simpler life than going after Conan.But Lysander had offered me a way out. A way to find my son. So, speaking to Priamos shouldn't have proven difficult. Yet my heart had kicked up. Paused my body from going after him. Because he had hurt me at the end of the day. Ran away when I had pleaded with him to let me go as well.Luckily for me, the conversation with Zaven and Kallik had been cut short. Unlucky for me, they were firing at my house.
Nerezza's Point of ViewThere was a bonfire raging at the back of the house. Flames licked up at the sky as if nothing else existed. The smell of roasting pork wafted on the wind. From my stance in my room, I could make out the top of it perfectly. Sometimes I noticed figures dancing inside the flames as well. Faces of people I had loved and lost. Priamos was unconcious on my bed. Passed out from blood loss and trauma. I had tried my best to patch him up. Healing had never been one of my strong points. Destroying things, now that was a different story entirely.About halfway through my stitching, he had collapsed. I had blown out a breath of relief. It meant he couldn't scream anymore. Especially seeing as the wound went into some of his organs. Going to a hospital hadn't been an option, either. They would report us to the guards and the next moment, we would be in the dungeon again.So, Kallik tried to talk me through the process. He had been calm as a surgeon performing surgery. Kn
Nerezza's Point of ViewThe smell of the bodies hadn't reached the inside of the house yet. But the flames could be vividly seen through the pristine windows. It cast the open-plan house in an eerie orange glow. The world was aflame from down here.Lysander had tossed the last corpse on the pile. Wiped his hands on his pants. Amadeus, Alastair, and Zaven were beside him. The four spoke in hushed tones, from this point I couldn't hear them or make out what they were saying. Amadeus produced beers from the cooler to their side. Cracked them open.I had long since wrapped my arms around myself. Watched as the sun set hastily. As if it no longer wanted to see the abominations of today. I wanted to sleep, myself, but I had other things to tend to.A light hand placed itself on my back. Soothed the ache that had started forming at the bottom of my spine. Small currents of electricity ran through my skin. Heated up the tender patch. Kallik, most likely. Inhaling, I knew it was him. Herbs waf
Alvara's Point of ViewEveryone was waiting. Everything was ready. Perfect. The best day of my life. But I couldn't help the sudden surge of nerves. What if the cake fell off the table? What if Ciaran had forgotten the rings? So many things could go wrong so fast. It was an endless cycle of what would be worse.Someone showing up in white or the brides' maids tripping halfway down the aisle. "Can you stop fidgeting? Geez. You look perfect!" Teagan exclaimed. Downed the last bit of champagne in her glass. I frowned at her. Looked toward Adelia to back me up. She only shrugged. Smiled and stood.Her long blue dress swayed against the tiles. Heels clicked as she moved closer. Wrapping her arms around my shoulders, we stared into the large mirror together. "You do look perfect. And you are marrying the loves of your life. Nothing can ruin today. I promise." She tried to comfort me. It wasn't working. My large A-line dress did the best it could at hiding the fact that I was pregnant. Nea
Nerezza's Point of ViewFarren had changed the estate exponentially. Enhanced it to the point where I was uncertain if we had come to the right place. No longer were the walls a dull black fence. In their place stood a large hedge with flowers sprouting in every direction. Security posted at the white frosted gates. White gravel leading into the place. It was exactly the type of wonderland I had thought her capable of constructing. A mansion fit for a fairy queen.I could feel my jaw slipping open. Feel awe creep up on me. She had accomplished so much in just over two weeks' time. Knew where her strengths were and used them to the best of her abilities. It was astonishing. We stopped in front of the gates. Were greeted by guards I knew the faces of. Couldn't place them immediately until one spoke up. "Miss Nerezza! Farren wasn't expecting you to be back so soon!" The man exclaimed. Held open his arms for a hug. I looked back at my mates. Noticed their frowns. But the gesture finally
Nerezza's Point of ViewWe had gathered everyone in the open space in front of the house. Gave them all blankets. Scavenged some clothes in all the surrounding houses and dressed the youngest of the children. Not all of the garments fit properly but it was enough to stave off the cold. Protect their innocence. Especially seeing as they had been through so much already.Conan was still passed out in the blanket Priamos had taken him away in. Milla sat close to him. Hugged his legs to her. Whimpered whenever one of my mates would get too close or linger too long. Her clear distrust of anyone was to be expected but I had never imagined someone of her age would already possess such hatred for other people.Alastair had turned back into his wolf form. Scouted for any remaining men in the surrounding area. He made his second lap around the premises before I stopped him. Held my hand on the patch of white he had on his forehead. The dark brown wolf nuzzled my hand. Looked me in the eyes."Go
Nerezza's Point of ViewThe brute had no time to recover. Or dodge. Only time to twist before Zaven lunged at him. This gave me an opening. Enough time to slip past the brawling bodies. Snarls and yips echoed into the hall. Slithered down my spine.I pushed them all away. Focussed on finding my son again. The chaos coming from downstairs was enough to bring me to my knees. The fighting had spilled inside. Men peppered the house with bullets. But none came up. Saw me at the top and shot but never pursued. "Conan!" I called down. Felt fear ripping at my heart again. If he was down there, the odds of him making it out alive were slipping away by the second. "I am in here!" The boy called dutifully. His voice came from behind me. From the door I had seen the brute enter. Slipping inside, I closed it. Pushed the closest thing I could find in front of it. Which was a doll house. Large enough that a toddler could climb in and disappear. The roof of the house was a bit worn but brand new t
Nerezza's Point of ViewThe second floor of the house wasn't nearly as run down as the first floor. Held much more luxury. Paintings of people long since passed. Pieces of art. The floors were of high-quality stone. Made me feel almost guilty for walking all over them with my dirty feet. Children's toys were also scattered about. Littered the landing of the stairs. Along with the modern living room beyond. Off to the right, there was a kitchen. Neat. Clean. State of the art. Glass front cupboards lit up by lights on the inside. It almost rivaled my own."This way." The elderly lady whispered. Touched my arm briefly in passing. She lead us down a short hall. Past two other rooms with their doors tightly shut. A bathroom light was on at the far end, just beyond the third room. This was where the lady slowed down. Stopped in front of. The door had a name on it in colorful lettering. Conan.I felt my heart skip a beat. Until voices drifted into my ears. Amadeus hadn't followed us up. H
Nerezza's Point of ViewWe moved toward the light. Split up into our respective groups as we progressed. Our paws made less noise in the snow. Or maybe I couldn't hear them anymore above the pounding of my own heart. Either way, Amadeus and I remained behind the rest. Lagged a bit.From our current vantage point, I could make out two trucks closest to us. Neither looked to be filled with children, which was a slight relief. Until I realized where most of them were. In a hole, unable to ever return to their hopeful parents.Under Reginald's rule, several hundred children had vanished, seemingly, into thin air. I had a part to play in that monstrosity of negligence. Had always swept it under the rug so that he focussed on what I had wanted first. Now I came to regret it. Knew that those children had most likely been peers of Conan's later on. Priamos lead the way for Lysander's team. Curled his head left. The assassins and the heir padded off in that direction. Settled in somewhere out
Nerezza's Point of ViewConan might be in a dark and freezing hole somewhere. Trapped by other children's corpses. His soul unable to return to the goddess by proper burial. Every instinct in my body screamed at me to run to that village. Scream at the top of my lungs until my son answered. But it was out of the question.I would get killed before I even made it inside the first circle of houses. Bunkers. Whatever they used to store these neglected children in. Anger mixed in with my despair. Coated my heart in a sickly black slime.They had to pay. Whether Conan was alive or dead, they had to face the consequences of their actions. Humans had long since forgotten there were monsters lurking in the dark. Had forgotten that firelight never scared us away. We would have to hunt all of them down. Every last one. Devour them.Because they had taken my son from me. The last ray of hope I had left in this life. No amount of tears would fill the hole he had left inside of me. I braced mysel
Nerezza's Point of ViewPriamos, the twins, and Lysander set out at first light. Four men innocently walking around in the jungle wouldn't spark much interest in the enemies we had more to the north. They had taken hunting bows with them. Arrows. Face coverings. No one would suspect them to be anything but four men trying to find food in this frozen wasteland.Zaven had set out to look for more firewood for the day. Or so he had claimed but I had a feeling there was something else brewing on his mind. Whatever it might have been was irrelevant. Trivial. We could deal with all the emotional fallout of the group once Conan was safely back within our reach."Have you ever fought someone before?" Kalliked asked. Shook out his black hair from some snow that had fallen on him. The snow made his caramel skin look lighter than it was. Made him seem less threatening and more clumsy. But it also made the white tattoos surrounding his neck stand out.Shaking off some of the same snowfall, I nodd
Nerezza's Point of ViewWe had drifted off to sleep. Comforted by the various warm bodies, I couldn't help myself. Felt more loved at that moment than I ever had before. It was a revelation to know that after so long, you were indeed loved and cherished. By the very men you had wronged time and time again.The goddess had known exactly who to give me. Even if I had failed to see that at the beginning. At least I was grateful now. If not for the cold then for their warmth.A persistent knocking drove me out of my slumber. I looked toward the door. Noticed the knocking turned into a frantic beat. This made me wiggle my way out of the mess of bodies. Some of them were even snuggled together. Like Lysander holding Priamos. Zaven holding Alastair. Slipping out of bed, I stared down at them. Felt my heart swell.After everything we had been through, they still remained. Devoted themselves to my happiness. To finding Conan. A few more hours of rest couldn't do anything to them but improve th