The studio was deserted, all except for one lone figure, seated at a piano, waiting for the night to lull the Alpha to sleep so she wouldn't feel him anymore.
April knew that the lyrics to her latest song would stir up some emotions, but maybe it would prove cathartic for her heart as well.
Writing about Zade was always hard, but bringing the lyrics to life with her voice took the pain to a whole new level, it made her heart bleed, combined with her wolf's melancholy howling it sometimes drove her a little mad.
The music started out slowly, April's fingers gliding across the keys, like a familiar lover as she hummed the opening bars, losing herself in the song.
"You step into the night, complete the darkness, with your silver smile and eyes that see through the parts of me, covered in other people's prints.
You bleed me dry, tearing at this foolish heart, this foolish heart of mine, and I come undone. So take what you need from me, I give all I am to you, I bare my throat to you, put my trust in you, and yet you let me go.
So now I reach out I reach for up the sky. And I'm running out of reasons not to die. Don't let me don't let me go on. Why am I forever and always alone? You were the shadow to my light, but did you see me, did you feel me bleed?
A stranger, I'm just a stranger outside looking in at you smothered in other people's prints and right now I need a miracle I think I'm losing my mind now, set me free don't murder me, don't watch me bleed. Don't let me bleed out on the floor."
April knew the song was in its rough stages, and there were many nights ahead working with the band to polish it before she was to be put on display, singing her heart out. A part of April wondered if Zade heard her music, had he figured out the lyrics were about him?
It was the only way she could communicate her pain and she hoped deep down, her fated mate hurt just as badly.
As April crossed out lyrics and reworked them to the piece of music she had chosen, she was unaware of being watched, the shadows shimmering slightly as the Goddess who had taken an interest in her made sure the young lady couldn't see her.
NEFELE
Sometimes, she reacted before thinking things through, but the young Goddess was tempestuous and had taken a liking to the she-wolf bleeding lyrics into the mic, and, well sometimes gals just have to have each other's backs.
FLASHBACK
Nefele enjoyed creating storms.
From her vantage point up in the Heavens, the cloud Goddess put every ounce of emotion she had into making her once a year worldwide event as fierce as possible; usually, the silly little humans had enough sense to stay inside while she wreaked havoc upon the land but that year, as the heart of her creation, was nearing its magnificent crescendo, Nefele spotted a small gathering of were creatures forming a circle around two figures.
Feeling affronted, the vengeful Goddess pointed her fingers near them, sending lightning crashing into the trees behind the circle, thinking this should be enough to send the ugly creatures scurrying into their homes, but no one moved.
Piqued now, Nefele summoned a blanket of heavy rain and hurled the angry mass towards the circle, but still, no one moved.
"AAaaaaargh!" How infuriating!
Deciding that this warranted a closer look, she settled into her true form and floated closer.
The two wolves in the center were clearly going through the rejection process, a curious little ceremony that Nefele personally found distasteful.
She knew how her sister Selene agonized over each pairing she made, and rejections from fated mates tended to cause death in the weakest wolf, which was truly barbaric.
The young she-wolf stood bravely though, on her own as the male grandstanded to their audience, and Nefele's brow furrowed at his arrogance.
Against her better judgment, she seeped into both minds, trying to locate the source of the rejection. and whilst the young she-wolf held nothing but purity in her soul, Nefele could plainly see that the young male Alpha wanted a strong bloodline to bear his future pups.
The petite woman stood her ground as Nefele's storm raged around her, refusing to bow down and accept the rejection and the cloud Goddess found herself admiring her inner strength; how wrong it was to assume higher blood meant stronger children, as Nefele recalled many an underdog coming out on top and proving more worthy than those of higher rank.
Making up her mind, she whispered the words in an ancient language known only to the Gods, and set in motion a course that would change werewolf kind forever.
As transparent as mist in the rain Nefele placed a kiss lighter than a lover's sigh on the she-wolf's throat, infusing her voice with the gift of fertility, whilst simultaneously unleashing the curse of sterility on all male werewolves, the only cure would be the gift of song, the only person who could save their species from extinction would be the little wolf they were carelessly throwing away.
"Don't let them take that from you little wolf." The young Goddess whispered as the pack males led April away, and satisfied that justice had been served she let loose the storm of the century, reminding Earth dwellers of the power of the Gods.
END OF FLASHBACK
Nefele was only seen when she wanted to be, and over the past couple of years she found herself popping in regularly to check in with her self appointed charge, yes she watched as April fought against the rogue madness, stood by when she sung in the streets for a crust of bread, manipulated the weather so the young wolf wasn't too cold out on her own.
Of course, she couldn't help but meddle a little in that upstart little Alpha's life too, a fact that his wolf was only too happy to support her in.
And a cheeky smile flitted across her face as she remembered the look on Zade's face the first time Chase had torn the throat out of his bed companion; Nefele had damn near fallen off her cloud with laughter.
From within the comforting shadows of April's studio, she was able to properly see the tremors underneath the young girl's skin, it wouldn't be long now until April's wolf released herself and was ready to face the world again, blood will call to blood, soulmates will be reunited and Nefele hoped April was ready to face the maelstrom.
There were many things that Zade should be doing right now, border patrol rosters, war council meetings, young warrior training...instead he snuck out of the packhouse like a naughty kid to come here. It was his secret, the hidden lagoon nestled deep in the heart of the pack forest, spelled by a witch with familial ties so that generations of Alpha's could relax when things got too much for them.The well-traveled path down into the Gully felt soft beneath his feet and as he stopped for a second to fully appreciate its beauty, Zade thought back to a time where things were easier. When
Her voice was tired and her eyes hurt, but April couldn't bring herself to turn away her youngest fans, begging for their autographs. Truth be told sometimes it was the only thing that kept her singing. Gods when did her life get so boring? She had sell-out tours for the next three years, and a more than healthy bank account, but what did it matter when there was no one waiting for her at home? Signing the last piece of paper thrust into her hands, April finally made it backstage and out of the public eyes." Another stunning performance." Kevin drawled, packing up his equipment into the band's road wagon. If it wasn't for the bags under his eyes and the tightness in his features, April would have thought everything was okay, but because she knew the details, she could see beyond the smoke and mirrors. "How is Celine?" She whispered, briefly touching his arm in an attempt to offer comfort. The fact that Kevin pulled away, creating distance hurt her but she u
April enjoyed moments likethese, where she could wander through the A-lister club, mixing with other celebrities, and supernaturals in a special area closed off from the human public. Venom was a place to unwind and forget about life for a while. She fleetingly felt a stab of guilt for ditching the girls but dammit, she needed this, and she was sick of fighting herself.The atmosphere was sultry, the smell of sex dominating the air as April watched the beautiful bodies grinding against each other, lost in the music, drunk off the promises whispered in each other's ears as they danced in the rapture of lust.
Adrastus made short work of April's dress, tearing it from her body before it was pitched straight into the fire.She should have been afraid but instead, it seemed to arouse April more. She could feel his warm strength, hands worshipping her body as she stood dressed only in her lacy black g string and high heels."Take it off.." He whispered huskily, down on hisknees before her, and April knew what he wanted because she wanted it too.
ZADE POVIt was peaceful underground, Zade could just be himself, his blasted wolf was subdued, no one could mind link him, the warmth of the water relaxed his muscles, and soothed his soul.Sometimes he wondered what might have been if he had defied his father and accepted April, would she still be a superstar? Would his father really have killed a member of his own pack? Instinct told Zade he would have followed through on his threat.And he had done what he thought was best at the time.Except now, Zade was completely alone;
April couldn't ever remember being this happy before, it was so cliche but since Adrastus had entered the she-wolf's life, she felt like she was finally living in color again; it didn't even matter that he wasn't a wolf, that they weren't even the same species, Adrastus made her feel loved, and to April that was everything.At times he would try to talk to her about serious things but, it didn't take much before they were rolling around naked, enjoying each others flesh, and indulging in the most carnal pleasures where ever they happened to be, and all serious talk would be lost amidst the throes of ecstasy.She let herself into her apartment several days later, still in a sexual daze after leaving her gorgeous m
'Nooooo!' Adrastus bellowed into the wind, the giant flame skinned dragon roaring out his fury as he flew high above New York City to avoid being seen.How could he have been so careless? The Dragonlord knew the prophecy like the back of his hand, but April and Adrastus had been so happy he hadn't wanted to mar that with talks of mate choices and curses.Now he could only hope he wasn't too late, as the giant dragontorpedoed through the sky, leaving thunder and lightning in his wake.
The ride back to the Midnight pack was a tense one.Todd stayed as close as he could to the still figure on thestretcher, watching as Neville, the packs top physician cleaned, and stitched Aprils wounds, covering the multiple sites in gauze before he went on to his next task. An hour into their journey her heart had stopped, sending the doctor into afrenzy of instrument wielding madness as Neville became a one-man operating team, forcing her heart to start again, inserting tubes, draining fluid,monitoring vitals and cataloguing injuries in order of seriousness. In the end, Todd had a whole new level of respect for the man.Aprils injuries were numerous, every bone was broken, organs ruptured ski
The days blurred in the young dragon's mind. No one spoke to him for fear of Loki's wrath, and Adrastus kept his head down to avoid confrontation. Cindelle hurried away whenever they were in the same vicinity, and although he knew why it still broke Adrastus's young heart. This day was like any other. Adrastus trained hard. He studied, ate, and performed his duties. The only saving grace was the swim at the end of it. He wandered down the familiar path to where the waterfalls of Asgaard were, only this time when he reached his destination Adrastus was not alone.Staring into the crystal, clear waters was the Oracle-Cindele's grandmother."Come closer, child, I don't have much time," The old woman beckoned, and Adrastus obeyed. She had her feet in the water, and her milky eyes shone with a strange light, yet when she grasped onto his hand Adrastus wasn't afraid, "I have had a vision, and you need to see it, close your eyes and open your heart and mind." Again Adrastus d
Sometimes living amongst the clouds made it difficult to know when one year ended and another began. And so it was for Adrastus.His form had filled out to a mass of rippling sinew and muscle. Adrastus's voice was deep, seductive, and pulled at the heartstrings of even the most cynical young maiden in Asgard. And therein lay the problem for Loki.His charge was nearing the mating age for dragons, and although they never spoke about it, Adrastus was aware that he was the only
The storm boy.Alexander Storm looked down on his newborn son, marveling at the miracle of birth while his mate Ruby took a well-deserved shower. Marcus was a small boy by dragon standards, but Alex didn’t mind. Being from a minor hoard meant Marcus could never ascend to the royal throne. Alex and Ruby didn’t even have titles, so size wasn’t an indication of power within their community anyway. To outside appearances, they were just another wealthy family living in a gated community by the sea. His only son would be doted on b
"My birthday?"Down Adrastus plummeted, a vision of jagged rocks tormenting his mind as he struggled to comprehend why his cousins would do this. Why did they want him dead? It was a keen sense of betrayal that curled its way through his body as his closest friends watched from above, and liquid fire ran so hotly through his veins it itched. Suddenly his skin felt too tight on his body, and Adrastus wondered if everyone's last moments were like these.
Hi, and thank you for reading this far. I hope you enjoyed Adrastus and April's story. A fun fact about my books is that they all tie into each other. I have created an entire world for you to lose yourself in. Whether it be high in the Desdayos mountains where the dragons live or deep in the valleys where Werewolves are the Kings, I'm sure you'll find someone to fall in love with. Join Aimee and the Aces and Eights for some good MC drama, or dream with no boundaries as the Baku guides your sleep at Ravenclaw-you are only limited by your imagination.The following series is called Fire and Ice. The first book is about Adrastus and how he came to be the King. Join him on his journey before April was even born and learn why he earned his title of the forsaken one. Please leave a review at the end of the book, so I know how you're feeling. THANKS!!Fire and Ice part one: Adrastus the Forsaken one.
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Colette heard it, the moment she shifted into her Russett colored wolf. The powerful howl pulled her in and before she knew it she was answering his call with one of her own.Her mate was here!Any thoughts of Mikhail fled as she searched for the owner of the compelling howling, picking up itś pace now that he had heard her wolfś answering call, wolves from different packs began todisengage from the masses, trotting to the front, making it easier to find their fated mate.
Dedicated to my eldest daughter Hayley, turning 13 today and never doubting my ability to write these books, Happy birthday sweetheart xxLong ago when this world was young, ancient beings roamed freely, living off the land and their skills, survival a natural way of life, as deeply engrained as the desire to breathe.Within this world two young lovers gave birth to a special little girl, whom they called Vilinelle; and she was a symbol of the best parts of every living thing wrapped up in one tiny form.As Vilinelle grew
Moltenlava warmed the skin of the old ones, bathing in the furnaces. Scales alight with flames as the legends made flesh revelled in their mighty forms.Dragonlords ruled the salty earth, making other species bow to their wills, as it should be, as it will be forever. And the dragons were happy.But high above in the heavens of Asgard, a trickster watched the great beasts frolic in the volcanoes they called home and plotted a grand misdeed.