OpheliaThat one word, it was a warning. A warning wrapped in a neat, pretty bow. One meant to keep me safe. One meant to wrap me in wool because I was their precious mate. It was in Jude’s nature to harm, just as it was in Ryker’s to protect.Fuck his protection.The girl I was now…she no longer needed it.“That’s it, Jude,” I laughed. “Heel, Jude. Down, Jude. Obey, Jude.”Ryker’s eyes flashed with murder. I couldn’t see the expression on Jude’s face, but from the way his chest heaved against my back, I knew my words hit home. Jude’s teeth scraped along my ear, nipping so hard I yelped. A surge of—of emotion swelled in my chest, causing the bond to hum softly. I began to panic. “I’m going to enjoy tearing you apart, little dove. My perfect mate,” he whispered, “So pretty. So breakable.”As he lapped up my blood, his fingers flexing on my bare stomach, that panic began to grow.“Goddess,” my laughter was breathless. “You say you’re not his enforcer anymore, but you’re still his trai
Ophelia“You’re crazy.” I shook my head back and forth until the world blurred.There was no way, no way, he’d go through with this. This little game we played was one thing, but fucking me with the hilt of a knife? No, it was pure insanity.Jude’s smile was sardonic, “I prefer the term mentally unhinged.”The hilt of the blade grazed my inner thigh, causing me to tense. There was no barrier keeping it from entering me. Even trying to close my legs was futile as Jude’s large frame blocked me from doing so.His eyes never left my face.“Hold her hands behind her back,” he barked at Ryker, lips curling even higher. “You know what you have to do to stop this, little dove. Words won’t work,” A knuckle skated down my cheek. “You’ll have to fight, but we both know you won’t.”The hell I wouldn’t. I lunged forward and snapped my teeth, nearly catching Jude’s lip in the process. He leaned back, only marginally, to avoid getting bit. Ryker’s magic danced through the air, snaring my wrists an
Ophelia “Shit.” I cursed and spun on my heel, eying the walls of the tent we stood within. Ryker and Jude mirrored my movements, both more on edge than ever. I’d have to find some way to slip past them. Fighting them would be hard, both magically and emotionally, but I couldn’t let them steal me away. This was for Coop, I reminded myself. To find a way to get the demon out of him. It was also about learning my father’s plans. As much as I wished I could say that were it, that wasn’t the truth anymore. Asmodeus’s vision changed everything. I could bring my mother back. I could have her and my father by my side. I could have a family. A family that loved me. A family that wanted me. I’d do anything to make that vision come true. “What is it?” Ryker pinned me with a single dissecting look. “Something’s happened. Is it Morningstar? Has he done something to you?” “What? No!” I scoffed, “We came here for a reason. I have a job to do, and standing here with you two is wasting precio
OpheliaJude’s smile was dark, cloaked in shadows. The light of the flames reflected off his straight white teeth. He reminded me of Asmodeus. Beautiful and haunting in a carnal sort of way.“Anything for you.”My wolf liked that. She liked it a lot.He and Ryker exchanged a look.The two brothers were opposites in many ways. Ryker had a kindness within him. A kindness I once had too before it was snuffed out. He wanted to be different from the man his father was. He wanted to be a just Alpha. One worthy of following.For a moment, I wasn’t sure he’d agree to help.“No one gets hurt,” he said firmly.I lifted my shoulder in a half-shrug, swallowing the truth. “If they move fast enough they won’t.”His gaze was all consuming. “I know you, Ophelia. No matter how much you’ve changed you wouldn’t hurt innocent people.”The bond throbbed in my chest, causing a red-hot pain to streak through me. It stoked my temper, causing me to grit my teeth.“I can’t wait to prove you wrong.”It wasn’t a
OpheliaAs the three of us approached the air seemed to shift.Smoke billowed up into the night sky, thick and cloying as I inhaled it into my lungs. In the distance were shouts and screams to call the fire department so that they might put out the flames.I wiped the sweat off my forehead and branched off from Ryker and Jude, who seemed torn between following me and keeping their distance from my father. In the end they chose to trail close behind, their guards up and firmly in place. Magic swirled in the air around us, creating a stillness that I could feel deep within my very bones.“What’s he doing here?” I asked, my voice echoing despite the crackle of burning wood in the background. “I thought we were meeting up with your old friend.”I made sure not to mention Haruto Nakamura by name in fear that my father would think I betrayed him.My eyes strayed to Nail Sharpe. He stood beside my father, looking wholly out of place in his striped Polo and khaki’s. Even his loafers were fres
RykerTwo days had passed since we cornered Ophelia at that small town carnival.We carted Haruto Nakamura’s corpse back to Lunar Isle in hopes that Sterling might be able to use his empty flesh suit to make contact with his spirit. I was becoming desperate to rid myself of Kimberly and spare Jude in the process.With each passing day my hatred for her—and myself—grew tenfold.What kind of Alpha was I to have let her manipulate me in such a way? My father would have ended her life the moment she served her purpose. I had never wanted to emulate him. Never wanted to become the horrible person he was, and yet I was beginning to see that being cruel and ruthless had its benefits.That changed when my precious mate killed a man in cold blood.She hid it so well, but I could see the torment in her eyes. I could tell that her actions were chipping away at her beautiful soul and before long would consume it entirely.We had only ourselves to blame.I had been selfish and foolish wanting to s
RykerI had no choice but to leave the book behind for now. My shirt as well considering it was now coated in that strange, greasy substance the tendrils of darkness left in their wake. I’d have to come back for it later and make sure the spell that Kimberly placed on Jude wasn’t just broken.I wanted it destroyed.Sterling hadn’t been too far off when he claimed the disturbance on the island was Death.I raced through the winding streets of downtown Lunar Isle, craning my head left and right. My heart hammered in my chest. People were running in all directions, most shifting into their wolf forms to take off into the surrounding forest. The voices of my people assaulted me, racing down the mind-link in a slurry of panic and terror.“Alpha, help us!”“The children! Get the children!”“What’s happening? I don’t understand!”“What are these things? Someone needs to alert the covens!”Sunlight streamed down, bringing humidity and heat that my wolf’s tongue lolling out. It was a beautiful
Ryker“He’s not working alone.” Nova added quietly, “Ophelia’s with him. Do you think…”“Spit it out.” Jude snarled, his gaze turning murderous. Blood coated him from head-to-toe as if he’d bathed in the shit. “Go on, Nova. Say it with your chest.”“Jude,” Sterling sighed.Nova’s brows creased. “Ophelia could’ve helped him do this. You said he got away with that trunk of his. Why would they go through all that trouble if it weren’t for something worthwhile? She could be behind this too. Like it or not, she’s made her choice again and again.”Vines crawled up from the cracks within the earth, slithering along the ground as they crept towards Nova. More than one began to sprout thorns which twisted and curled upwards, ready to draw blood.“So what are you proposing?” Jude said quietly. “Are you saying we should kill them both? Get rid of them and maybe all of this will end?”“Goddess no, Jude. I’m not saying we should kill Ophelia you fucking crazy—”Sterling nudged her, “Maybe we shoul
NovaKaelith stepped back. I hadn’t noticed, but during our conversation the shadows had stretched behind him, forming a backdrop of darkness that reached out almost lovingly towards him. They coiled around his wrists, his ankles, his throat, like hungry serpents.His last look lingered on me like a bruise.And then he took another step into the darkness, melting into it like he’d never been there at all.The memory shattered like glass before my eyes.I blinked, my lungs dragging in air that tasted of chemicals and bitter loneliness. I was back outside Coop’s room, the linoleum floor spotless beneath my sandals. The corridor was quiet, but that was to be expected. The asylum had to be minutes away from closing, but that’s what I got for visiting so late in the day.Pressing my fingers to my lips, I held them against Coop’s door, silently scoffing at my own stupidity for this silly ritual of mine.I pushed away from the wall, my mind torn between thoughts of my brother and thoughts of
NovaSometimes the only way to draw a monster—although a beautiful monster—out of hiding was to pretend like you weren’t scared of it.That was the logic, anyway.Ophelia and I figured if we acted normally, went about our lives like nothing had changed, Kaelith would emerge on his own. And I would be lying if I said I didn’t want him to.That, in itself, was a problem. A massive, soul-staining problem.Because the demon haunting me wasn’t some wrinkled, gnarled horror crawling out from a crypt. Instead it wore shadows like skin, had lips that made me forget how to breathe, and eyes like polished rubies dipped in sin.So, we played the game.Each afternoon, once my classes let out, we went to the beach, burying our toes in the hot sand, our hair sticky with salt and dry from the sun. I brought homework I never worked on. Ophelia brought books she never opened. We talked about stupid things—pack gossip, Sterling’s weird fixation on this witch that had just moved to the island a month pr
OpheliaSucking his lower lip into his mouth, Jude set me on my feet and tangled his hand in my hair, drawing my lips to his while his other hand worked on my pants. I tried to swat his hands away, but his magic came out, yanking them both behind my back. I could have broken his hold, but my pussy was throbbing, begging for a taste of the mate who had fucked us first.Jude spun me around and kicked my pants to the side. Cold air licked up my pussy and I shuddered as his voice cracked with command.“Hands on the wall and spread your legs wide. I want to see my pretty cunt.” Not a second later I heard him drop to his knees and cried out as he buried his face in my pussy, his lips sucking and tongue tasting. His groan was a broken thing, low and deep and so very desperate it had me bending forward to give him access to all of me. “Nnnmm, you said I could eat your pussy, baby. I’m just being a good mate and doing what I’m told.”Fuck, he was right. I did say that.My restraint was a fickl
OpheliaPaintball. Of course it had to be paintball.I shouldn’t have been surprised. It was Jude, after all. This wasn’t the wildest thing he’d done by any means. However, it wasn’t the location that got me. It was the guest list.“You invited Ryker, Sterling, and Nova?” I stared at him like he’d grown a second head. “Since when do you voluntarily share me on our dates?”Jude just grinned, one sharp canine pressing down into his lip. He leaned lazily against the back of the Jeep, black hair tousled from the wind, scar catching in the light. The sun highlighted the swatches of ink along his arms. I itched to peel his shirt back and see the newest addition to his collection—the dove tattooed right over his heart. My dove.“Coven bonding,” he replied.I supposed it was better to shoot at one another over the alternative: wait for my father’s summon. My anxiety was growing with each passing day, and as if that weren’t bad enough, Edward hadn’t been seen all week. Apparently his father wa
JudePsychopath. Sociopath. That’s what they called me. They weren’t wrong wither. I’d gotten the fancy diagnosis years ago. Funny thing about labels, everyone used them like they were some kind of weakness. A vulnerability to exploit.The only vulnerabilities I’d ever known were currently gathered around Ryker’s obnoxiously large dining room table.Nova was mated to a fucking demon.The air felt thick, charged with tension as Nova quietly recounted exactly how she’d ended up entangled with that creature. Sterling watched silently, sitting rigid in his chair, hands clasped under his chin and eyes unreadable. He was protective over Nova. Often the very thing that kept me from wringing her skinny neck. Ours was a tolerate-hate relationship. Meanwhile, Ryker glared at a spot on the wall as if he planned on burning a hole through it.My gaze, as always, lingered shamelessly on Ophelia. My beautiful, perfect Ophelia. She leaned forward slightly, her pouty lips parting just a sliver. Her ha
NovaMy fingers itched to touch my hair. Kaelith’s eyes flicked up to my hands as if he saw the temptation.I managed a hoarse whisper. “He lost it. Trashed the house. Didn’t speak for m-m-months. My fault. It was my fault.”“No.” That one word was spoken with such absolution that my tears dried up, and my sobs quieted. I couldn’t look away, not while his eyes burned crimson, his tattoos dark against smooth skin. “You were a child whose innocence had not been beaten from them. Your actions did not warrant his response. It was not your fault.”I choked back the slew of responses that bubbled up. You need to learn how to think before you react, Nova, my old therapist had said. The world isn’t responsible for your emotional instability. Kaelith’s gaze searched mine, and I felt utterly naked—no, worse than naked—I felt fucking flayed beneath him. Quiet frustration simmered beneath his angelic face as he saw my denial.His expression darkened further, understanding shifting into something
NovaIf the Goddess hadn’t punished me enough by taking away my family, she had apparently decided to double down by giving me a suicidal demon for a mate.I stared at the incubus sprawled shamelessly across the foot of my bed, an inky stain against the lace and floral perfection. A smirk was etched onto his face as if he owned the entire world—as if he weren’t magically trapped to my bedroom. Then again, he could be smirking at what went down between Jude and Edward.Talking to Kaelith … it surprisingly wasn’t terrible. He was witty and sharp tongued, but his emotions were entirely unpredictable.“Are all demons allergic to boundaries, or is it just you?” I asked dryly, hoping my voice didn’t betray how my body responded to his presence.His crimson eyes danced with amusement. “Boundaries are a human invention. In my realm, we take what we desire.”“Yeah, well, we’re not in your realm,” I said lightly, adjusting the lace hem of my skirt. The way his gaze followed my fingers made my s
OpheliaI think I made a sound, something involuntary and small, because Jude went rigid. Slowly, he rose to stand his head tilting slightly as he turned to face us. His eyes found me, clear and bright, and so very blank. There was a knife in his hand. It dripped blood onto the floor in a steady rhythm.This was the real him, I told myself. The part he kept tucked beneath the charming smiles and clever words. It was the truth laid bare. Cold, hollow, and beautiful in the way a tsunami was before it devastated an entire island.Bile stung the back of my throat as I looked down at Edward, who lay curled into a ball at Jude’s feet. Thorned vines, thick and thin, were wrapped around his body so tightly that they cut into him in some areas. His right eye was nothing more than a fleshy cavern. Blood trickled from the wound, running down his nose and mouth. If that wasn’t bad enough, there was a gouge running across his forehead that nearly made me flinch.Goddess, I thought to myself, was h
OpheliaThe first thing we did was mind link the others to let them know we were alive, and to promise them we’d explain what happened to Ryker. After that we decided to spend the night—or at least, the next few hours—recuperating in this nice family’s home.We recuperated in the marble, clawfoot bathtub, and in the recliners in the lounge while some old action movie played in the background. Currently, we were recuperating in the master bedroom, which had a lovely view of the forest.Ryker’s hand slid around to grasp my throat. His hand, large enough to cradle half my face, pulled my head back until I was forced to look into his eyes. They were hooded, dark with lust, as they had been for hours now.“Enjoying the view?” He asked, his other hand traveling down, to toy with my clit. “Lo so, lo sono, amore.”He snapped his hips, driving the thick length of his cock deeper. I held onto the vanity, glancing at my own red-cheeked reflection in the mirror. Ryker’s eyes were dark as he watch