TYRIONA few hours earlierThe second Aria left, I couldn't get rid of the feeling that I had made a grave mistake. At first, I told myself that my uncertainty came from guilt. I had been trying to avoid Aria the entire day before she left. If there truly was a connection between Aria and the witch, I could only make things worse. The precautions I took now felt heavy in my heart because I knew that I wasn't there for Aria when she needed me.Now she was on the way to the coven's headquarters, and all the doubts I had concerning the ritual had doubled. As long as I can remember, the witches in the coven had always despised our race. The more I was surprised when their official delegation decided to show up at my palace after we informed them of finding a few dead witches close to our territory. They offered no help in finding the murderous witch, but they were greatly concerned about Aria and the magic she inherited from her warlock grandfather. Even if everything they said sounded ge
ARIA My head was pounding so painfully that I struggled to lift my eyelids. Then I felt my body moving… or rather I was being moved. Once I partially regained my focus, I saw two male guards holding me by my arms with my bare feet dragging across the floor. They were taking me somewhere while I could do nothing to stop them or protest. I looked at my clothes; I still had my shirt and jeans on, but had they taken my star-shaped talisman? I hoped they hadn't... I tried to summon my strength, but I couldn't. I tried reaching out to Aziz through the mind link, but that only caused another wave of pain to pierce through my skull. I was even unable to hold my head in one, steady position, which made me frantically wonder what the hell was in the water I had drunk?! The guards didn't seem to notice that I regained consciousness. Not that it mattered since I wasn't strong enough to kill a fly—or move my limbs at all—let alone fight two bulky human magic practitioners. As I managed to lift m
TYRION "OK, so now what do we do?" A nervous chuckle escaped Felix's throat as he stared at the coven's massive front gate. The gate was too thick to ram through and definitely too high to jump. Everything around the gate seemed ominous and strangely quiet. It was almost midnight, and thick clouds above our heads seemed to triple the darkness. I strengthened all my senses but still couldn't hear or smell anyone. I knew the witches could camouflage themselves, but I still should be able to sense weak traces of their bodies' warmth. Yet, I sensed nothing. Zane stepped closer and ran his fingers across the steel surface before looking at me. "We could try to blast it," he said. Felix huffed. "Seriously?! Have you packed explosives into the car?! Because I don't remember putting Semtex in the trunk just in case!" Harriet sighed, pushing Felix and Zane aside. "Stand back, kids. Granny needs to work some magic." She stepped toward the gate, closed her eyes, and stretched out her hands.
ARIA He came for me. I was unable to describe all the emotions I felt when I heard his voice and then when he saved me from falling. It felt surreal, as if I had woken up from a nightmare. Even now, when I walked beside him close enough to smell his scent and feel his body heat, I had to pinch myself to tell the difference between the dream and reality. "I don't know how long I was wandering inside that trap... I walked from one door to another but couldn't find the way out. I heard screams and groans, but I didn't know where the sounds were coming from. It was horrifying," I admitted. Tyrion grabbed my hand. "I should have known sooner. I will never forgive myself for believing that Cybele could cure you." He lowered his head, but I pulled up his chin with my hand. "I also wanted to believe her, but it seems that she was so desperate to protect her coven from the dark witch that she would stop at nothing." I smiled bitterly, remembering her words. "Unluckily for Cybele, the dark w
ARIANo. I refused to believe Felix, Harriet, or Tyrion died, and I would never believe a murderous witch who said so. I reached out to Tyrion using the mind link and prayed that he would answer.‘Aria, we're all right. Wait there, and we'll find a way to get to you,’ Tyrion said.I sighed in relief, but I couldn't obey him. ‘I'm going after the witch. She is going to the other part of the castle. Try to get there," I told him.‘Aria don't!’ I heard his angry voice through the link, but I chose to ignore him. My eyes were already on the witch, who had just run inside the other building joined by the covered bridge.I darted after her, driven by rage and hatred. The witch's black cape floated behind her as she turned into another corridor. I was almost catching up with her, but then she ran into something that used to be a ballroom. Now, its roof was ripped off and the marble chessboard-like floor was covered by rocks. Then I noticed a large hexagram inside a circle with magical symbol
ARIABefore the entire coven's castle turned into ruins, we discovered what had happened to the witches once Hespera "collected" their magic. Their bodies didn't disappear—they were stashed in a high pile of horrifying, bloody sacrifices in the corridor behind the ballroom. None of us said it aloud, but if Hespera had possessed all their magic, then it was more than merely possible that she was still alive, and we needed to prepare for her to attack again…"I need you to tell us everything you heard from Hespera one more time," Harriet demanded.Tyrion put his arm around me and pulled me close to him. "Give her a break. She told you everything a few times already.""I don't want us to miss any important detail. We need to figure out what she is planning," Harriet stated, crossing her arms.I sighed, feeling that my temple veins had already started to throb. It had been four days since we had returned from the coven. Aziz was still in the hospital, and Nova suffered from recurring head
ARIA "Aria, are you all right?!" Tyrion wrapped his hands around my trembling body. I couldn't stop crying, and I could still hear the cold Tyrion from my dream. I could feel the way his claws cut through my flesh, mercilessly taking my life away, and now, Tyrion's embrace felt too overwhelming. I pushed him away and crawled to sit at the foot of the bed. He observed me, confusion in his eyes, while I stretched my hand forward in a halting gesture, warning him not to get any closer. I knew that it was unfair to him, but I needed a moment to gather my thoughts. "Talk to me, angel," he said softly. I shook my head. "It's fine… It will be fine," I muttered, swallowing a deep breath to stabilize my rate. His eyes examined my obviously disturbed expression. "You don't look fine." I forced myself to smile. "I will be fine. I just had a very bad dream." "What did you dream about?" he asked, concerned. "Um…" I lowered my head. "I dreamed about the dark witch... and all those witches fr
TYRIONI didn't want to leave Aria. Seeing her cowering, crying, and reluctant to accept my touch was unbearable. She said that she was going to be fine, but it sounded more like she didn't want to talk about it. I respected her choice, yet the image of my shivering mate stayed in my mind for the rest of the day, filling me with anxiety.It was hard to focus on my duties, but I had to. I called the royal council meeting. It was time they stopped demanding and started helping like they were supposed to. After I got rid of the pests, Aldo Lefebre was appointed a natural council's leader. I couldn't be more glad of that choice. The mood in the council seemed to change as well. I could sense no stink of hostility or fear as I entered the audience hall to sit with the council."I came to inform you of the current situation, and I demand your assistance and guidance," I started. "A few days ago, my Luna fought against the dark witch. We now know that her name is Hespera. Hespera attacked he
TYRION Four months later I loved waking up while feeling the warmth of Aria's magnificent naked body. I could never restrain my fingers from tracing her curves while we were lying like this. I always looked forward to the soft gasps that broke through her plush lips each time my touch pleased her. This time was no different. A low growl left my throat as she shifted in her sleep, instinctively pushing her curvy butt toward my erection. I grabbed her hips and rubbed my hard cock against the sensitive skin between her thighs. She moaned. Her heart started to race, and the delicious scent of her arousal filled the air of our bedroom. My hands wandered to her breasts, feeling her nipples harden underneath the feather-like touch of my fingertips. Another moan left her lips when one of my hands slipped between her legs to tease her clit. "You're so bad for waking your Queen like this…" she breathed. "You love me when I'm bad," I purred before biting her neck. She turned around and pushe
ARIA Once the Moon Blade pierced my mate's chest, Gadreel looked at me in shock. Pain and fury twisted his expression. He curled his fingers on the silver blade and used the remains of his strength to pull it out. Too late. I might have been crying my eyes out, but my grip stayed as strong as it was at the moment I thrust the sword, ripping the flesh of my loved one. Suddenly, his body began convulsing as if he had been electrocuted. He roared viciously as his blazing eyes turned into black smoke. The overwhelming stink of sulfur hit my nostrils, making me lean back as more smoke evaporated through Tyrion's skin. I felt as if I was being led by the Moon Blade itself. It told me to withdraw the blade, and I obeyed. Once I did, Tyrion's body fell to the ground, and the sword began to shine brighter than before. Then the blade started sucking in the smoke. I could hear the shrieks of the dying demon as his essence sank in the glow of the Moon Blade until everything turned silent. I coll
ARIAMy eyes widened in terror as I saw the dark smoke surrounding Tyrion surge into his body. The demonic essence filled him in seconds, and I could only scream while watching it happen. Hespera was slowly regaining her strength. She got up to her knees, pulled out the remaining red crystal from the pocket of her robe, and squeezed it in her hand. Then her eyes shifted to Tyrion, and she welcomed the sight of him becoming possessed by the demon with a dark grin spreading her mouth.I yanked the silver rings, trying to loosen their anchorage in the rocks. My wrists were bleeding, but I couldn't care less about the physical pain. The only ache that became unbearable was my heart breaking at the sight of Felix's bloodied corpse and my mate, who was about to become someone else...Tyrion proudly straightened up his naked body, his blood-dirtied chest heaved and fell, emphasizing his defined muscles. When his eyes opened, I knew that he wasn't the one in control of this body. Tears floode
TYRIONEight hours earlierI almost lost it when I heard that Harriet was Hespera's sister and could have located her. We could have used that spell months ago and traced that bitch before she had begun her killing spree! Harriet tried to explain that she only found out recently, but that didn't lessen my fury."Alpha Tyrion, I beg you. Try to understand that for many years I was convinced that my sister died in a fire. Not until I saw her in the coven's castle did I know for certain—""Harriet, you suspected who the dark witch might be, but you haven't told anyone about it, not even Aria. Now Aria is in grave danger, and we could have avoided it if we had caught Hespera sooner. If anything happens to Aria, I will forever blame you for it." My tone was as sharp as the finest sword, but she should still be grateful that I used words instead of my claws.She stepped back cautiously and frowned. "You know that I would never do anything to hurt Aria."I slowly exhaled my anger. "Let's hop
ARIAI felt as if my body had been run over by a truck at least five times. At the same time, someone had installed hammer drills inside my head, and I could feel them piercing through my skull. I think I hated wolfsbane more than silver poisoning. And now the pain caused by the poison, mixed with the heartache caused by the betrayal of someone whom I trusted...A painful groan left my throat as I opened my eyes, and I was strangely grateful for not being blinded by light once I did. The place where I was looked like a cave filled with lit candles. I was lying on the hard, stone ground. I was cuffed in silver, and each of my hands was chained by a separate chain to a wall. The length of those chains allowed me to either lay on the ground or sit against the wall. I kept wondering why I was brought here. Should I be grateful for being still alive?"I can see that you're awake, she-wolf." Hespera's voice echoed in the cave's empty space.I turned my aching head toward the sound and saw h
TYRIONI was waiting in the side room attached to the auditorium, waiting for the ceremony to begin. It was supposed to start fifteen minutes ago. The audience had already filled their seats, and everyone was waiting for my mate to walk in and dazzle them with her beauty. Nova and Nessa stood next to me, and I could see they were more nervous by the second, just like I was.‘Alpha Tyrion, come to your office. This is deadly urgent!’ Aziz's sharp-edged voice sounded through the mind link.‘Aziz, you were supposed to be here. My wedding is about to start,’ I said, irritated.‘Where is Felix? Is he somewhere near you?’ Now I could sense panic in his voice.I leaned outside to check if he or Aria showed up, but there was no sign of either of them. ‘No. Felix is with Aria now,’ I replied.‘We need to find him and arrest him!’ he shouted frantically.‘What the fuck are you talking about?!’ I roared.‘Alpha, I've just received the remastered footage with a clear picture. The one who killed t
ARIA I had an odd and disturbing dream. It was nothing like my terrifying vision of Tyrion and me, but it still left my heart wildly pounding and my body tense. In my dream, I was merely an observer. I saw two little, smiling girls, and somehow I knew that it was Harriet and her sister. Harriet had her brown hair tied in a cute ponytail while her red-haired sister's hair was braided. They both wore similar dark-gray dresses with long sleeves, resembling the long robes the coven witches had. They were running through a flowery meadow. Then, they stopped to spin around among the flowers. At one moment, a butterfly sat on Harriet's finger. Harmony tried to touch it, but the butterfly flew away. Harriet picked up a red poppy flower and handed it to Harmony. "Harmony, look! Isn't it pretty?" she said. Harmony narrowed her deep-green eyes, and the flower dried in her hands. Then she gave Harriet a cold stare. "Don't call me Harmony. There is nothing harmonious about me," she hissed. Harr
ARIA My whole body hurt, but the dumb smile didn't leave my face. Was it what people call happiness? If so, then the hot embodiment of my happiness was lying next to me. His upper arm served as my pillow while his forearm uncontrollably caressed my back. Tyrion's other hand was lazily lying on my waist, giving him easy access to my naked buttocks. From the second I opened my eyes, I could enjoy his amazing features in a deep, peaceful sleep. I could never get enough of him. He had the amazing ability to disarm my fears, build my confidence and strength, fire up my senses, and overfill me with pleasure. Still, I knew that each day I would wake up in his arms, I would only ask for more. He was the cause of my insatiable thirst. "You're doing it again, angel." His deep purr sent a direct signal between my thighs. "I'm not doing anything… yet," I said hoarsely. He chuckled and pulled me close so I could feel every rigid inch of him. "You're aroused," he whispered as his hand stroked th
TYRIONI didn't want to leave Aria. Seeing her cowering, crying, and reluctant to accept my touch was unbearable. She said that she was going to be fine, but it sounded more like she didn't want to talk about it. I respected her choice, yet the image of my shivering mate stayed in my mind for the rest of the day, filling me with anxiety.It was hard to focus on my duties, but I had to. I called the royal council meeting. It was time they stopped demanding and started helping like they were supposed to. After I got rid of the pests, Aldo Lefebre was appointed a natural council's leader. I couldn't be more glad of that choice. The mood in the council seemed to change as well. I could sense no stink of hostility or fear as I entered the audience hall to sit with the council."I came to inform you of the current situation, and I demand your assistance and guidance," I started. "A few days ago, my Luna fought against the dark witch. We now know that her name is Hespera. Hespera attacked he