LILITH
It surprised me how much pull the mate bond had even though we hadn't sealed it. I guess all we had left was the actual mating since we couldn't mark one another. That made following the pull of the bond all that more easier. Where it led me, though, had my nostrils flaring in fury.
I glared up at the apartment complex I knew housed Julian. He was in the building, I knew it. I could feel it in the pit of my stomach. Julian didn't run from me like I originally suspected. No. He did something more cowardly than that.
He hid from me.
It left me wondering whether he wanted me as a mate. If I could get past him being a vampire, could he get past me being a werewolf? Right now it didn't seem like it and — if I were being completely honest — my self-esteem and ego may have taken a blow. Visually, I was appealing to most men. I knew this. I earned money off this. Relationships w
LILITH"Your timing is impeccable," I heard Julian sarcastically greet whoever disrupted the little moment we were about to share.But no response came to the sarcasm. My wolf stirred anxiously and I felt an overpowering presence near me. I feared that I knew the presence — not personally but I could feel the ranking of the wolf about to step foot into this apartment. The earthy, musky scent only cemented that it was a werewolf.Julian strolled in, hands in the pockets of his sweatpants. He had a sheepish smile tugging at his lips. My eyes moved from him to the more domineering presence that stood behind him. The man was tall and muscular — filling out his silk black button-down. I quickly did a sweep of him, finding him in black dress slacks that hugged his thighs and loafers.His face was hard, long hair tied into a top knot and a neatly trimmed beard framing his lower face.
JULIANI took in a controlled breath, clamping my molars at the acid-like burn that scorched my throat. Even in my office, barricaded from the countless number of humans in the club, I could still smell them. The sweet, tempting aroma of their blood had me fighting off my most primal instincts. I could picture myself leisurely strolling out of this office just to analyze my surroundings and work out my best plan of attack. There would be no survivors.None but her.A separate section of my mind, a larger section than I possibly cared to admit, was cordoned off and dedicated to Lilith. From what I had been told, this wasn't odd. Sylvain had warned me that the mate bond would do anything in its power to bring us together — we were meant to complete the bond but that wasn't a step I wanted to take.I thought of the betrayal that sparked in those yellowish-hazel orbs when she met the rog
LILITHFuck this life and every life that came before and after!Victor made me shift from wolf to human and back the entire night. My entire body was sore beyond comprehension and I couldn't move a single limb anymore. He only made me stop when it took me around a minute to complete a single shift. With time, he said, I'd be able to shift within seconds but it was taking a while since I had been stifling my beast and I had been keeping her away from other werewolves.It hadn't always been that way. There were wolves that were around me at one point. But things changed and I moved on. I was quite content with the life I was building for myself until my mate literally shook it up. Now, I had a new life waiting out there for me; a life that I didn't fit into.Being the Vampire Queen came with responsibilities but I couldn't uphold those responsibilities — not with me being an ordinary
LILITH "A graveyard, seriously?" I shrieked incredulously, looking between Victor and Julian — who was damn lucky that no one had found this body before now. "Would you keep your voice down," Victor growled through the mind link, leveling me with a glare that showed me he meant business. It was dark and, for obvious reasons, the graveyard had not a person in sight. Thick smog lingered close to the ground, weaving around the tall tombstones. I shivered, feeling the pricking sensation of every tiny hair on my body standing on end. This was not how I planned on spending my night. I could have been on stage, could have been dancing and doing something I loved but I was brought here instead. Julian all but stared at me as if he could see right to the heart of my soul. His white eyes were brighter in the moonlight, the specks of blue glinting with every subtle movement of his head. He then c
LILITHI held the blood bag up to Julian's lips. His fangs penetrated the plastic, a sigh instantly leaving him once the thick, crimson substance caressed his tongue. Those white orbs of his rolled to the back of his head in content and my immediate thought was, 'Damn he looks so sexy.'I had one of his t-shirts on. We made it home at a little past nine. It was still an early night but it was eventful as hell. The rogues had gone off to do what they did best — hunt and live off the lands, while Victor remained behind to make sure Julian hadn't suffered from anything severe.With each mouthful of blood, his skin began to heal itself. The burns he had suffered from entering the fire were close to being non-existent, leaving a smooth surface behind. After the fourth bag of blood, I could see him returning to reality. He didn't look as dazed or exhausted."I must have done something righ
JULIAN My patience was wearing thin. Oh so thin. Thorne's heart hammered in his chest, an uneven rhythm that had the monster in me grinning menacingly. How I was able to strike fear in such a man, I would never understand but I quite liked the feeling of having the upper hand — for now. I still had an uncomfortable situation down south but it was slowly dying down — until my gaze settled on Lilith again and whatever blood I had consumed ran downstream. I held my breath, giving my lungs a reprieve from the stench of werewolf, from the delicious aroma of Thorne's blood, from the temptation of the little she-wolf that claimed herself as my mate. My thoughts were scattered but it only took me a mere second to rearrange and compartmentalize them. My priorities were clear. Right now I had to handle Thorne and whatever information he had to disclose. But once I had Lilith alone— "Well, what d
LILITHJulian kept close to me as we navigated the streets. When we landed in Russia, I didn't know what to expect. To be honest, I still didn't know what to expect because Julian barely spoke a single word about the woman we were about to meet. I did, however, know that she resigned from living the normal vampire drifter life. She lived in an old cathedral in Moscow. I wasn't sure how she pulled that off. People were bound to notice that she didn't age.Julian guided me into the massive gates, leading me into the courtyard of the cathedral. It was a beautiful place with water fountains, blossoming flowers, and statues of all kinds. In the center of the courtyard was a statue of Mother Mary with a gentle smile on her face.I could bet my entire life savings that this place looked breathtaking in the light of day. It definitely made one believe in divinity. In the same way, we had the Moon Goddess, humans p
LILITH We were hauled up in a hotel room once the sun began to peak the horizon. I admired the beauty and simplicity that came with a sunrise. Warmth caressed my face, an ombre blend of pink, yellow, and burnt orange washing over the blank canvas of the sky. I could smell the heavy aroma of coffee brewing from the coffee shop down the street and the delicious sweet scent of the pastries and cakes being made. Mornings weren't my favorite, especially since I spent most of my mornings sleeping in because I was too exhausted from the night before. But this, this made mornings worthwhile. Once I could see the bright orange ball fully on the horizon, I snuck back into the room which was bathed in a warm yellow glow from the lamps that sat on either side of the king-sized bed. It was a simple room with different tones of white making up the color scheme. Julian sat on one of the lazy boy couc
LILITH I twirled around the cool metal pole that Julian had installed in his office while we were away — I was actually surprised that there wasn't one installed previously. 'I Feel Like I'm Drowning' by Two Feet spilled from the speakers in the room as I swished, twirled, and danced freely for the vampire in front of me. For my mate. I clutched the pole in my hands, then dropped before gradually rising and arching my back to give him the perfect view of my ass. Then, I threw my head back so my lilac locks could kiss the air. I could feel Julian's heated gaze pricking my skin. Those beautiful white irises never wavered, taking in every curve of my body as it moved gracefully and erotically for him — seducing him in the best way. He stood in front of his desk, ass perched on the edge and arms crossed. I realized, once we came back and he had returned to suits, that I fucking loved how m
LILITH"I think I'm going to need you to explain more than half of that all over again," Phillip said, gaze bobbing between his brother and me. We were back at the packhouse and I was doing my best to fill him in on what he needed to know — more importantly, why we hadn't killed his sister's killer."How do you have the brain of a vampire yet your mind is so utterly slow, brother?" Julian grumbled, laying back in bed with his hands under his head, eyes closed, and ankles crossed. He was the picture of relaxed but I knew he was anything but. His attention never wavered from us even if it looked like he paid no attention at all."It's a lot to take in," Phillip breathed, running his large hand through his silky locks.Julian sighed, "You'll get used to it. I did.""You're a king," Phillip muttered in what sounded like astonishment, "from an ordinary human boy to a vamp
LILITHI made my way into the living room knowing that Victor and Quade were there since they were finally out of the infirmary. It took a while — and Silas and Sydney's help — to get the sticky obsidian silver laced powder off their flesh. Everyone else who attempted the task ended up getting burned by the silver which meant the two wolves immune to the substance had to do it. I was almost certain that they were scrubbed raw because of how sticky the powder was. The witch didn't go into detail about it because we were in the middle of a life and death situation and now that she was dead...I figured after we left Julian would track down another witch to help him understand it better. However, I had a feeling the witches would tell us little. These were things they kept a secret from us for a reason. It was what helped them defend themselves once their magic waned.I knew Thorne hadn't left his
JULIANI settled my brother in the room opposite mine so I could keep an eye on him. He was still going through the painful transition but I had a feeling he would stick to his room after I had warned him that a werewolf bite was potentially deadly to us. That paired with the fact that their stench was potent enough to have me gagging kept him in check. He wouldn't risk leaving the room to hunt and I'd give him blood as soon as his system could ingest it.I gently closed the room door behind me as I exited only to find Sylvain leaning against the wall opposite with four bags of blood cradled in his hands. A groan of displeasure crawled up the back of my throat and with much effort, I swallowed it. As much as I hated what he had done. As much as the memory of my sister falling to the ground with fear blowing her eyes wide and causing her jaw to unhinge. I understood why he did what he did. If I were in his place and Lilith
LILITH I hissed, unfurling my fingers from the tight hold I kept on Thorne and Sydney's necks. They could have incinerated me when I used my unnatural newborn speed and strength against them. Instead, they used heat waves of splintering hot fire to burn my flesh. The skin from my fingers up to my arms was bubbled with blisters and steaming with burns that would probably only heal if I had a taste of human blood.My golden eyes latched onto the corpse of Julian's sister sprawled in the ground. I dug my heels in and clamped my jaw shut to prevent myself from moving but it was admittedly fucking difficult. The sweet and potent scent of the thick crimson substance sang to me. It was a siren's call that begged me to fall under its spell. To let the inner huntress in me free and soothe the aching burn that flared at the back of my throat and the external burns that I couldn't ignore on my arms. My fangs snapped out and venom dr
JULIAN The half-blood's purple flames cut through the shadows — not as well as hellfire did — but it weakened them enough to allow me to breathe. I regretted taking in the burning lungful of air when notes of human blood stroked the back of my throat. I wasn't certain how Lilith tolerated it but I kept a firm grip in her hand in case the huntress within reared its head and she sped off in the direction of my siblings. We continued quickly and silently down the narrow passage. I could sense that it was barely wide enough for Lilith and me to walk shoulder to shoulder, hence, I walked a step ahead. We didn't race forward like before because I knew Grace was up ahead and I didn't want to risk slamming into a magical barrier or a wall that I wouldn't be able to see. With my sense of sight out of play, I relied on everything else. I touched the smooth, cold walls and created a mental map of every turn I took. If this was under different circumstances I may have commended Tania on how well
LILITH"Where is she?" I whispered with a hiss, my gaze skittering across the area.Penelope had warned us that entering through the illusion would notify Tania but I didn't think she'd manage to get to us so quickly. We barely gathered ourselves from the landing and she was already ready to attack."I don't know. Like I said before, there's one thing she doesn't need to siphon and that's her ability to control the shadows. She can use them to disguise herself or travel. Like teleportation," Witchy explained and I didn't think that this was the right time for a history lesson.I did remember her telling us about this, though, which made things a lot more difficult than they were original. Julian's hand found mine, gripping it tightly in his hold. The sparks that erupted had me releasing a breath I didn't even know I was holding. If my heart wasn't still in my chest I would have been suffer
LILITHWe were gone and back from our hunt within an hour and for the entire hour, Julian graced me with silence. He was angry that he wouldn't have a say in Tania's fate after everything she had done to him — done to all of us — but Witchy had already struck her bargain and it sounded as if her plan would work. It was solid, better than any plan any of us could come up with. We needed her magic so agreeing to let her and her ancestors deal with Tania's fate was a small price to pay.I just hoped that the witch didn't overexert herself leaving her useless to us. If she guttered her magic then we would have a serious problem.I swallowed the venom filling my mouth at the thought. It was bitter, just like the blood I had ingested thanks to the drugs riddling the human's system. Whether Julian and I killed the couple or not, they were bound to die soon probably from an overdose. It didn't make me
LILITHWe shot down into the living room, finding it already dark outside through the large windows. Julian and I had both been stuck in that suspended state of sleep without actually being asleep for hours. Even with myself being so frightfully aware, I now somehow felt fresher, stronger, less exhausted. It made no sense but when you really thought of it, the entire vampire species made no sense.A species that was now my own.My eyes latched onto the source of the scream finding Witchy awake and twitching, fully drenched from head to toe with what looked like icy cold water. She opened her mouth and then closed it, gaping like a fish out of water and looking the part as well. The beta of the pack, Enzo, stood with a tight smile on his face and a massive bucket in his hands.Julian brought his fist up to his mouth and bit down on his knuckles to suppress his laugh whereas I simply bit the