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Chapter 124
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2022-02-02 13:08:30The memory of Dain’s voice filled my head, stealing my breath and fueling the fire in my veins.
…ill-tempered and hot headed…
He wasn’t wrong, but that wasn’t the kind of thing a person was willing to admit in the heat of the moment.
I was flushed all the way down my neck. Images of myself naked and nestled in Dain’s arms flashed in my head, covered by a sugary-sweet haze that I now knew was from being drugged. My anger was tinged with a heavy dose of embarrassment, and it was that festering emotion that made me see red.
Adley’s cherry-blossom painted lips opened, “I don’t think you should—”
It wasn’t a place I pictured in my head as I turned the closet doorknob, but Dain’s face—his hair drooping in his eyes, and his lips tilted in a cocky smirk.
I held my breath the moment I stepped through the doorway and into Dain’s bathroom, willing some
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Iridian Chapter 125
I saved myself from swooning or worse, tearing this shirt off my body and leaping into his arms by remembering why I was here. As I looked at his arms, thick with muscle, I could still see myself being carried in them—vulnerable in more ways than one.Without the toned muscle and slender figure of the other she-wolves in town, I became aware of my body from a young age. My breasts made most tops provocative, and my soft stomach refused to flatten and tone no matter how many meals I had skipped or sit-ups I’d done.“You think I’m going to get naked and play with you after what just happened?” I narrowed my eyes at him.Dain’s smile was feline, “you did last time.”“It—it doesn’t matter. Don’t pull that shit again.” My voice wavered and my eyes darted to the far side of the bathroom as I issued my warning. Which was probably pointless considering he had no boundaries and had decad
Last Updated : 2022-02-02Iridian Chapter 126
I sucked in a sharp breath, feeling my face and neck heat. It only worsened when his eyes drifted away from my own, content to explore every place my skin had reddened.“If you already knew, then why did you need me to say it?” I asked, my voice losing its sharpness.“It makes no sense.” He blinked, true confusion in his star-flecked eyes. The emotion made him look younger, somehow. Not nearly as altered by death and tragedy. “You weren’t embarrassed when I had my head between your legs…you were begging for more.”“I was…distracted.” I scowled, hating the way the words lodged themselves in my throat. I had told myself a million times it didn’t matter what anyone thought of me, but I couldn’t seem to make it stick when Dain was involved. “I don’t know if you’ve noticed…but I’m bigger than the average she-wolf. Sometimes…sometimes I’
Last Updated : 2022-02-02Iridian Chapter 127
I was more than pleased to drag Adley along when Dain sent Leslie to let me know tonight’s dinner was now moved into his suite. It was the least he deserved considering I spent the better half of an hour scrubbing dirt from my body and extracting every twig from my hair.After four piss-poor attempts at removing them with magic, I was now left with four small yet unassuming bald spots. With Dain’s words playing on repeat in my head, I couldn’t properly focus on what I was doing. It was much harder to carefully detangle my hair with magic, than it was to simply tear the leaves and twigs out.Dain’s eyes found me the moment he opened the door to his suite. I could tell from the clusters of stars and how bright they were that he was far from letting go of what happened earlier. I could also tell from the muscle that ticked in his jaw that he hadn’t missed the blonde standing at my side, a wide grin on her face.“Oh, don’t b
Last Updated : 2022-02-04Iridian Chapter 128
Sympathy and understanding played across her face like a billboard. I had no clue if her friendship with Aidan meant anything, but I trusted that ours did. She knew from the beginning how much he meant to me, even if what we felt for one another weren’t one in the same.“He’s in…some.” She admitted, and while I was a little relieved the reluctance in her voice made me hold my breath. As if she couldn’t help herself, she added, “you and him…you’re not together in any of those futures.” I knew she was looking out for me, but I had come to terms with this truth before finding out Dain was my mate.“I wasn’t asking for that reason.” I was blushing like crazy, but I couldn’t tell if it were because of Adley’s assumption or because Dain was still watching me. “I know Aidan and I are on different paths, but if you see him in even one of those futures…that mean&rsq
Last Updated : 2022-02-04Iridian Chapter 129
All throughout dinner I looked for signs of fatigue in Dain. Healing Adley had nearly killed me, though I was wounded to begin with. He looked better than alright. Smirking and grinning as though the Russo’s hadn’t made a serious move just hours ago.“You don’t have any clue what they were looking for, do you?” I asked Adley a few hours after finishing dinner, back in the safety of my suite.My stomach was stuffed, mostly from the flaky pastries Dain kept pushing my way, insisting I try his childhood favorites. Somehow I wasn’t surprised to learn that he was a picky eater as a child. His eyes narrowed playfully when I told him it was fitting.I was curled up on my side of the bed, watching as Adley rummaged through her suitcase. Skirts and lacey underwear slid across the floor as she tossed them behind her, digging through the little zippered compartment in the back.“If I had to guess, they were probably looking
Last Updated : 2022-02-08Iridian Chapter 130
Since I had spent the day draining every ounce of my energy both mentally and physically, I was more than ready to curl up in bed. Seconds after my head hit the silken pillowcase I was out cold, but it wasn’t darkness I had slipped into.Colors flashed behind my eyes, like the world was being shaken up while I stood still. It stopped abruptly, but my head was spinning as it fought to catch up. The more I blinked, the clearer things became. Colors took form, morphing into different shapes and textures.I knew this was a dream from the strange floating feeling that encompassed my body, like a tether was keeping me grounded.One glance was all it took to realize I was standing in the living room of my house, right in front of the chipped coffee table we had since before Zack was born. There were still circular spots of coffee dried onto the table from where dad would bump into the rickety thing.I leaned down to touch mine and Aidan’s name, which
Last Updated : 2022-02-08Iridian Chapter 131
My eyes snapped open, and a rush of adrenaline laced panic overtook me. The bedroom was bathed in moonlight but was also flat and void of any color. It no longer felt real.The colors and sounds were all in my head, all overlapping one another as my panic grew. I hadn’t realized I was screaming, or that I was thrashing in bed, tangled in the blankets.All I could hear was my mom. You’ll never win against my Rachel, never. Over and over it played in my head, overlapping Aidan’s warning and that voice…I couldn’t begin to process that otherworldly voice, not while the image of my dad and little brother still burned itself into my memory. The smell of tears and burning flesh stung my nose, but only the first one was real.“Ah!” Adley shrieked, and my mind snapped to the present as I felt her tumble off the bed. My scream cut off at that moment, sending the room into silence. The thud of her body hitting the
Last Updated : 2022-02-12Iridian Chapter 132
I counted down the hours until the solstice, and when that didn’t help I counted the minutes and seconds.Training was both my saving grace and the bane of my existence since Apollo and Helios seemed to be under direct order to keep me distracted until it was time to attend the party.While I was tired of being pulled back and forth, it did keep me from thinking about how terrified I felt. Considering my family survived the trip and all of us survived this solstice party, there would be one hell of a reckoning for me to face. In all my years, I never thought I’d make my mom this mad.Dad would be disappointed, that’s for sure. He’d purse his lips, shake his head, and then leave me to stew in my thoughts. His method worked on Zack, who would spend the afternoon sulking. I used it as an escape, which mom knew all too well.She was the one I wanted to avoid, the one who would corner me and demand answers to questions I’
Last Updated : 2022-02-18
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Iridian Epilogue Pt. 3
I stumbled over my words, forcing them into the space between us where they hovered like a noxious gas. “What—what do you mean? I killed Nadia…I don’t—” The Moon Goddess cut my rambling short by placing the palm of her hand against my cheek. It was something my mom had done whenever I was upset as a child, and somehow the Moon Goddess’s touch held that same level of comfort. She smiled sadly, but it was an expression of pure love and understanding. “Do not punish yourself, daughter. What was left of Nadia’s essence has returned home and rejoined that of her wolf, but her death does not mean Evil is gone from the world. Us celestial beings aren’t allowed to meet our creations, but this situation…it is unique. I’m afraid I cannot tell you much, but there is one who can.” Jumping at the chance to get some answers, to preserve the peace Dain and the warriors fought so hard for, I asked, “Who? Who can?” “It is time to awaken, daughter. It’s in the world of the living where you’ll find
Iridian Epilogue Pt. 2
All I could do was stand there and gape at him. Honesty shone in his eyes like newborn stars, but all it did was leave me confused. I replayed the last twenty-four hours in my head, searching for the moment where I’d won the game between us.When I came up empty handed, I stammered, “I did?”Dain nodded, staring down at me with hooded eyes. “You did.”“How? When?”“As for how, that’s the part where I cheated, I’m afraid. I didn’t admit out loud what I felt for you, but I felt it nonetheless.” He admitted, a sheepish tilt to his lips. “I realized I loved you the moment those doors opened, and you appeared at the top of the steps. I’m not sure I’ll ever forget the way you looked in that gown, which I’ll have to thank Adley for when she returns. You could’ve been an assassin here to put a dagger in my heart and I would’ve gladly let you.”There was an explosion of butterflies in my chest, their wings beating so frantically that the sound of my heartbeat was drowned out.Leaning into Dain
Iridian Epilogue Pt.1
Epilogue – Part OneIn every book, in every movie where a great battle is fought and won, they never show what happens after.I’m not talking about the following weeks or months, but hours and days. I’m talking about when the dust has yet to settle and the ghosts of the dead still linger in the walls, when every gust of wind or insignificant sound sends you freefalling through time. When every shadow bares the face of someone you know—or worse, someone you killed. When all that’s left is this numbing sense of disbelief that tries to trick you into thinking this new reality isn’t real—that it’s all some pitiful hope conjured up by a dying, fear-riddled mind.According to Dain, it’s a time to mourn what was lost while holding those we love near, a chance to silence the ghosts that haunt us by thinking of the future we’d create. When I asked this question, my mate wasn’t the only one with an opinion. In Apollo’s not so humble words, it’s a time to get absolutely plastered and to celebrat
Iridian Chapter 213
The elongated claws tipped with old blood were hers. I couldn’t forget the sight of her gnarled fingers, which had once been slender and elegant, even if I tried.With a loud smack, she flattened her palm against the stone floor. A second arm shot out of the water, followed by another wet smack.‘That puddle’s not nearly big enough for what she’s trying to do…’ Rayna pointed out, her voice just as sickly as I knew my own would be.Both of Nadia’s arms were bent at odd angles as they rose from the water, but that was the least disturbing thing I witnessed as this day began to quickly unfold. Next to appear were her eyes, the whites much too large to be considered normal, followed by the jagged slash that was her smile. In the memories I’d seen, her smile had been coy and playful, with the same softness as a flower’s petals. This one was of malice and envy, both deeply disturbing and in dire need of some chapstick.Her shoulders rose from the water at the same time but were bent awkward
Iridian Chapter 212
It took everything within me not to flinch at the sound of her voice and how close it truly was to my ear. Only when I felt her icy talons meet my skin did I act.‘It’s showtime.’ Rayna murmured, lending me all of her strength as I willed the floor to crumble beneath my feet.Together, my wolf and I fell.Since I was prepared for the impact, it was easy to call on my magic to lessen the blow. Warm air rushed beneath my gown and outstretched arms, acting as a safety net that slowed my fall and kept me from toppling over. It wasn’t the graceful landing I’d been trying for since Nadia was doing something to block our magic, but it kept me from breaking both my ankles on the way down.I didn’t wait for the dust to settle. The moment I felt solid stone beneath my feet, I took off running.Nadia’s snarl was one of surprise and outrage, strong enough that it made the castle tremble. I didn’t repress my grin or the laughter I spewed into the air, knowing both would entice her to follow—to con
Iridian Chapter 211
Nadia launched herself at me, and as she did so, her hair and dress billowed out at her sides. The movement was slow and lazy, almost like she was submerged in water and not hovering a solid three feet in the air. Even though her form was translucent, and she seemed to be neither here nor there, I had a sickening feeling she could still do significant damage if I let her reach me.Instinct took over, and for once in my life, it wasn’t telling me to run.I launched the orb in my hand like it were a baseball, and watched as it spiraled through the air, a small halo of light surrounding it. When it hit its mark, square in the center of Nadia’s face, I silently thanked Aidan for teaching me all those years ago. I had hated every second of his baseball phase, but he’d been so passionate about becoming a professional athlete and whisking us away that I couldn’t resist helping him practice. After a dozen scraped knees, a handful of bruises, and one broken arm, we both called it quits.The in
Iridian Chapter 210
For the longest time all I could hear was the sound of stone grinding against stone.There was a painful burn in my lungs, but I didn’t dare exhale. Instead, I held my breath and watched as the corridors around me shifted. Walls slid left and right, forming new pathways that hadn’t existed before. Many changed angles, creating sharp turns that you couldn’t see coming until it was too late.Some of the windows began to close, melting away as though they’d never been there, while others grew larger. The ones that grew in size turned into arched doorways narrow enough for but one person to slip through.While the castle itself wasn’t a sentient being, every brick and inch of tiled floor was alive with Dain’s magic. I could feel it’s alluring touch within everything I altered and couldn’t help but smile at how eager it was to please me. Even the paintings responded to my call, changing forms until each one was exactly the same.The brash strokes of oil paint shimmered as they changed colo
Iridian Chapter 209
“My sisters, are they safe?” Aidan asked, his voice low.Even with a side view of his face, I could see the way it twisted into a concerned grimace. With eyebrows knitted tightly together and jaw clenched, he pivoted his head from left to right, peering down each corridor as we crept through another intersection. The sword he clutched in his hand, it’s metal an impenetrable black that shimmered with blood, was raised and ready for use.“Is anyone truly safe?” I asked, eyeing one of the windows warily. It would be all too easy for Nadia or one of her monsters to slip through now that the hallways were conjoined. “They’re hidden away. The fight won’t reach them.”His shoulders slumped as much as they could with the defensive stance he held, and a sigh of relief escaped his lips.“Thank the Goddess. Even though I’d see them when I got back, I’m not sure I’d be able to handle it if they were dead.”He didn’t have to explain why, not when the answer hovered in the space between us.There w
Iridian Chapter 208
Selfishly, I tried to call on Helios, to summon him to my side like I’d been told I could. It was what he would’ve wanted, it was why we completed the bond in the first place. The issue was that no one told me how to do it.There was a sense of awareness that settled over me, followed by a wave of understanding that told me Helios was very much alive. He was feeling it too, a subtle tug that let him know I was still here. I concentrated on my golden-haired warrior harder, imagining him as a sword sheathed at my side, ready to be used at moment’s notice.I felt that tug turn into a harsh pull, but there was no smile of victory on my face, because the milky-eyed creature at the end of the hall let out a blood-curdling wail and charged.I’d never been afraid of horror movies, not with their make-shift gore and fake blood. The knowledge that the creepy monster on the television screen wasn’t actually real was enough to smother any fear I might’ve felt. As I scrambled to get away from the
