“Felt...” the words died on her lips when a harsh burn scorched down her back. The tattoo there burnt fiercely like a fire razing down and entire forest. She wanted to scream but the only sound that parted her lips was a struggled cry. It hurt, worse than it did the first time she felt it. She felt Samson’s arms tighten around her, holding her stiffened body upright.
When it was finally over, she fell into his embrace, her body still buzzing with the painful sensation.
“How...?” she choked out.
Samson carried her to the couch and sat down, cradling her against his chest. “Merilee is alive.”
Merilee? She wanted to ask which one but it was obvious. The only time she felt her magick part from her with such excruciating pain was the night Martha came into her powers.
If she was not wrong, Merilee was a few months shy of nineteen... wasn’t this happening late?
She shook her head to clear her hazy mi
I had waited for this moment for years. Graduation! The official closing ceremony of my time in teenage prison. I was finally going to be done with high school. I’d finally be a college student, an adult, and Dad would have to stop treating me like a child. Dave had only let me spend one night in Ash’s room before he decided to enforce new house rules. I wasn’t allowed to spend the night in his room and neither was he in mine. During the day our doors had to remain open at all times. I put up a fight but no one helped me out, not even Ash. “Daddy, I’m eighteen. I’m old enough to do as I wish!” “Yes you are, but since I’ve watched you make an appalling mistake, namely Steve, I’m taking charge until you finish high school,” he declared with smug smile on his face. “I’m graduating in a few days, and Ash isn’t like him.” “No he’s not. He’s much more dangerous.” Everyone laughed at that, even Ash. That annoyed me even more. “Daddy, you are ruining my life!” I paused for a second. I
I had to lie to Jane about my shoulder. If I had given her an edited version of what really happened it would only open the door to a zillion questions. I also didn’t think telling them my new boyfriend beat my old boyfriend into a bloody broken pulp would have been clever after the length we went to, to keep it secret. Billy and Joe had replaced everything in the diner by the next morning. We quit working at Luke’s after Sabrina’s attack and constant lurking around the place. My sisters’ and I always had to go out with an escort, which I didn’t mind because I spent more time with both Ash and my dad.“Josh and Jane, meet my family. You remember my sisters?” I spoke fast to save Josh before he shrunk an inch more.“Yes. Ann and Maria, it’s nice to see you again,” Josh answered politely.“That’s Billy, Ann’s boyfriend and Joe, Maria’s boyfriend.”“Lucky girls,” Jane muttered under her breath as her eyes travelled over Billy then Joe. Josh wasn’t too pleased about it, but he quickly hid
He led me to his car, opened the door, and helped me in before he went to his side. We drove for a few miles before he pulled up at the beach. He got out and came round to open the door for me.A perfect wolf-gentleman.“What are we doing here?” I asked when we finally reached our destination. I was glad I wore jeans and a button down shirt under the gown. If I’d worn the girly dress and high heels Maria had picked out, I would have felt even more uncomfortable if we ended up in the water.His lips rose in half a smile. “You’ll see.” He took my hand and led me towards the rocks at the far end of the beach.“I’ve watched this movie before.” I stated taking off my tennis shoes. “The girl always ends up washed up in the morning naked and stabbed a couple of times. Her eyes wide open in terror.” I tied the shoelaces together then hung them over my shoulder. “Would you like to know how it ends?”Ash laughed. “I’m sure you’ll tell me.”“They arrest the jealous boyfriend a few days later and
The thought of him being dead, never meeting him, didn’t sit well with me.“Things happen for a reason, Ash. We suffered what we did so that we could have each other. Tell me about your eyes, why silver?” I asked quickly changing the topic.He was quiet for a while before he answered me. He was still stuck in that sad pit. “Silver because I don’t drink human blood,” he said bluntly.“What!” I shot out of his embrace and stared at him, shocked.“Now I’m sure you won’t fall asleep.” His eyes darted to the ground and he looked so uncomfortable. “Why do mine turn golden?”“Because a part of you is still human and your blood keeps them gold.” That didn’t make any sense. “I don’t understand.”“Your human blood is feeding the part of you that has been changed by the venom inside you.” “Why the diet change? Apart from the ethical part.” I was glad his conscience trumped his pleasure principle. Otherwise this would have been a barbecue instead of a romantic getaway.His lips curved up into
Maria and Ann looked at each other, and then they looked at me. They were afraid to ask. We had all been waiting to find out what chaos we had inadvertently pulled ourselves into.Normally, the only chaos a girlfriend gets into was the guy’s unruly friends, a mother who didn’t think she was good enough for her son, a father who thought she was a distraction, his sister who wanted to play dress up or spy and turtle tale or his younger brother who had a crush on her. We never expected to be attacked by a six-foot, two hundred, pound psycho ex-girlfriend-wolf, or the constant fear for our lives.“Dad, they want to know about the wolves.”He pursed his lips, his face tensed. He exhaled and spoke, his voice rigid, “I suppose you deserve the truth.” He sat upright in his chair. “The guys’ part of the history, they’ll have to tell you. I’ll just tell you as much as I know.”We went quiet, waiting for the stories to begin.“Ash is Alpha, the original werewolf. I never bothered to ask him how,
I blinked my eyes open waiting for the pain to hit me. Nothing. I exhaled in relief. I never want to feel that kind of pain again. Getting killed by Sabrina would have been far less painful than that.I pushed myself up on my elbows scanning the room to see where I woke up this time. I was in my room—correction, our room. The ‘our’ before room sounded so sweet, so together. I smiled thinking of all the other things I could put our before.In the midst of my daydreaming, I noticed I was alone. That was unusual. My sisters’ never left me alone when I passed out. How long was I out for this time?I pulled the silk covers off me and got out of bed. Before I could touch the door handle, the door flew open startling me. Within a second I was off my feet and getting crushed between something. It took me a while to realize I was in Ash’s arms. The familiar musky woods scent gave him away.I hadn
“Lee!” Ann and Maria rushed to me, almost knocking me over. They hugged me tight, not as tight as Ash did but tight enough to hurt my already throbbing ribs. “Careful with her, she just woke up.” Ash spoke softly behind me. I could feel his fingers on the small of my back, probably prepared to catch me if I fell or passed out again. I pulled out of their embrace and turned my head, just enough for him to see my sarcastic expression. “It’s a miracle, he speaks!” My voice echoed the sarcasm. His eyes mere slits glared at me. I couldn’t help but smile victoriously. “What?” Maria asked confused. I turned to her; she was shifting her gaze between Ash and me. “He’s giving me the silent treatment. Apparently, I’m not taking my fainting spells seriously enough,” I answered her. “We are taking you to the hospital!” Ann commanded. Before I could say anything, three voices boomed harshly, “No!” It was Joe, Billy and my dad. Ash said nothing he di
“What?” I stopped. I couldn’t believe it. That meant my dad’s mind wasn’t the only one I read.Ash pulled me forward forcing me to walk. “After you eat and you get checked out, we’ll talk.”I wanted to talk about it right now, but I knew Ash wouldn’t say a word unless I did what he said. He was bossy and stubborn—not as stubborn as I was but close enough.* * * *“So what’s the verdict?” Ann stood by the door, far away from the smell of the raw meat. Maria sat across from me with Joe next to her.Billy and Dad had gone out. I asked Ash where they had disappeared to, but he wasn’t offering any explanations. That only meant they had either gone hunting for food or Sabrina.Ash brought another plate of peppered steak and replaced it with the empty one I had. I cut into it, relishing its bloody taste. Maria was getting used to all the
“Felt...” the words died on her lips when a harsh burn scorched down her back. The tattoo there burnt fiercely like a fire razing down and entire forest. She wanted to scream but the only sound that parted her lips was a struggled cry. It hurt, worse than it did the first time she felt it. She felt Samson’s arms tighten around her, holding her stiffened body upright.When it was finally over, she fell into his embrace, her body still buzzing with the painful sensation.“How...?” she choked out.Samson carried her to the couch and sat down, cradling her against his chest. “Merilee is alive.”Merilee? She wanted to ask which one but it was obvious. The only time she felt her magick part from her with such excruciating pain was the night Martha came into her powers.If she was not wrong, Merilee was a few months shy of nineteen... wasn’t this happening late?She shook her head to clear her hazy mi
Lena patted the young boy’s head and gave him a reassuring smile, “You’ll be fine.” He nodded and smiled back, then turned his face into his mother’s chest. A few minutes later he was fast asleep. “Asante,” his mother said, gently holding his broken arm steady on his side. Lena smiled and nodded. Watching the boy turn to his mother for comfort seared a pain through her heart as if a hot blade had been driven through her chest. She missed Martha and Merilee, her two beautiful daughters. But it had been years since they were gone. Merilee died in a car crush as a teenager. She was rebellious, envious and jaded by the fact she was not born first. Lena knew if they could switch places, Martha would happily give her the burden. Lena sighed, Burden? The duties of being born the first daughter from a twentieth-tenth generation faerie had never felt like a burden to her. Granted it felt like a duty
Then everything in the room changed. I felt sick to my stomach. I moved back and put a hand over my mouth. I was aware of everyone, even my twins felt different but more like Ben. I looked at them. For a moment their eyes looked different but I couldn’t be sure. I felt too sick to be sure of anything in that moment. Loud hisses filled the room and then I was standing far away, Ash’s arms around me. “Lee, what’s wrong?” That was Maria’s voice. I felt a hand on my cheek and I knew that was her too. It was human. “I don’t know.” I whispered. “She’ll be fine once this is over.” Ben called out. I looked at him. His eyes had changed. I turned to Joe, his eyes were gold and his grip on Maria was tight. She was tucked into him, her eyes shifting between Ann and me. I leaned my head back against Ash’s chest and bit my teeth together as the back of my neck burned. “Just take a deep breathe,” Ash whispered in my ear. I did as instructed, and with each breath the pain subsided to being be
Three days passed and the house was like a minefield. Maria wouldn’t speak to anyone else but Ben and me. She also never left Ann’s side. She moved all her things in Ann’s room and Ben and I would go downstairs to get her something to eat.Billy felt uneasy staying with Ann. One the guilt of not being able to defend her was eating at him and two Maria made him feel very unwelcomed. But she didn’t care much about justice, or better yet vengeance. She was waiting for Ann to wake up. We all were. The three of us would guess how she’d look like, the color of her fur. But most importantly, how long it would take to subdue her craving for human blood and flesh.Of course we wanted to see the change. No one was looking forward to the pain that would come with it. But mostly, we were waiting for the first thing she’d do once she woke up. Hopefully go for Sabrina’s neck.Sabrina knew it too and it made her very uneasy. She
He pulled away and looked at me, holding my head back so that I looked into his pleading eyes. “I love you, only you. You know that so please don’t doubt my love for you or the twins.”I knew that, but Sabrina was standing in the living room disputing how much he truly loved me.I went to pull away but Ash pulled me back, trapping me in a long desperate kiss.And for the first time, I felt his heart beat in sync with mine. I felt his soul touch mine in a connection that was more than physical intimacy. Every single thing of him intertwined with every single thing of me. We were one and the same.And yet...“How much of an influence does my blood have on you?” I whispered breathlessly on his lips.“Like an energy drink would have on you. And yet it feels like I’ve just kissed the true you for the first time. You feel more a part of me than you ever did before. I don’t think I’ve wanted you
“Aww!” I cried out at the sizzling pain in the back of my neck. It felt like burning larva as it slowly crawled down my neck to the mid of my back. I stayed very still until the pain faded away. What the hell was that?I blinked my eyes open and looked around. I was in my room. Alive, I think.I rose up slowly into a sitting position. When I didn’t topple over I stood up on my feet on the warm floor. I rocked for a second as the room tilted. Once I felt steady enough I walked to the bathroom and pulled open the folding mirror.There was a large tattoo on the back of my neck. How the hell did that get there?Before I could explore further, Ben’s urgent voice filled the room. “Lee, Lee!”“I’m here,” I announced walking out of the bathroom.I saw his face relax and then crease as his eyes filled with tears. He rushed to me, hugging me tight against him.I cradled him, “Hey, I&rs
Five more werewolves shuffled into the room as Baku and Seth made their quick exit.I pulled out of his grip, “Not yet. Hold them off as long as you can.” I ran to Ash and sat next to him. I was close to sobbing when I saw his battered body. He had shrunk to my size.“Lee what are you doing!” Joe demanded.I turned to him, “What I have to.”He made to come near me but Ben stood in his way, “the fight is over there!” He bellowed.“Get out of my way!”“Joe, please,” I begged.“Joe I need you!” Billy yelled. There were five more of Baku’s men in the room. They stood in a circle around Billy and stalked towards him, tightening the circle with each step.“One minute Lee, not a second more!” Joe ordered rushing away.“Ben...”“One and a half... I know.” He answered without looking at me, wo
It took a few more dodging before Ben put me down, a solemn look in his face, “He’s in here.”I walked in, a quiver in each step I took. It wasn’t the hostage room I expected. It was beautiful and could have easily been mistaken for a living room if there was furniture in it. There was only one royal-like chair against the wall sitting on what looked like a very expensive rug. It was probably where Baku sat as he watched his men torture Ash. I felt the rage inside me boil up as I rushed to that chair. All I wanted to do was rip it to shreds!“Lee!” Ben called out to me, his hands on my arms. He turned me slowly, “there he is.”I felt my legs give under me when I saw him. That chained, withered, bloody body on the ground could not be my Ash. He just couldn’t!Ben held me tight against him, “He’s not dead but I can’t let you go to him. We’ll have to wait for Billy and Joe.”
I pulled off my coat and sat on it. Five more minutes on the cold floor and I wouldn’t be able to feel my ass again.The chains jingled when Ben tagged on them, “maybe this wasn’t a good idea after all.”He was on the other side of the cold dark steel room. Just like me, he’d been chained to the wall but he had six chains on him; one around his neck, one around his waist and the rest on his hands and legs. I only had one, around my wrist. It made sense, how could a little human break a chain used to weigh down anchors!“Can you tell if Ash is here?”He nodded, “I caught his scent when we boarded. He should have been here by now.”I felt relief flow through me, “Why?”He smiled, “Because you are here. Your scent should lead him right to us.”“Why.... do think he isn’t okay?” I stammered under a whisper.“He could be weak and cha