OpheliaI nudged her along, waiting patiently as she stumbled down the two steps leading to the lowered platform where the couch sat. As she breached the spell circle, the one my father had meticulously placed around the perimeter of the platform, I released the dark spell I had crafted.The ebony snakes vanished into wisps of smoke, leaving behind little red pinpricks where their fangs had cut into her flesh.I nearly sighed with relief. Already I could feel my strength returning to me. Dark magic still drained me much too quickly.Kimberly wasted no time. Ignoring our father completely she lunged at me, magic crackling at her fingertips. As she hit the barrier of the spell circle she was thrown backwards onto her ass.“What—” Her eyes darted around, making note of the grey substance circling her and the platform itself. “You trapped me in a fucking spell circle?”It wasn’t just any spell circle, but she’d find out soon enough. The mixture of black salt, crushed egg shells, and grind
OpheliaKimberly continued to curse me to hell and back while the demon dragged itself from the portal. She was very creative with her threats, which ranged from drowning all the way down to beheading and flaying me alive.With that tenacity she should have no problem controlling the demon.I unfurled my fingers around the timer and pressed the button, starting the countdown.Rapping my knuckles on the door, I shouted. “Thirty minutes, Kimberly. Tick-tock.”I could tell the moment the demon fully emerged from the portal. Kimberly’s brazen threats were cut off by an ear-piercing scream, the kind you saw in horror movies. I listened with my ear against the door.“Ophelia!”“What is this—”“GET AWAY FROM ME!”I rolled my eyes and exhaled through my nostrils. Was that her plan of action? To yell at it to death? Unless the demon had unnaturally sensitive hearing I was almost positive that wouldn’t work.Quickly realizing there was a gap in between the doors, I peered through it and into th
OpheliaI was asleep.I knew I was not because of the weight dragging me under, pulling me beneath waves like an anchor I couldn’t shake. No, it was the nightmares that told me I was unconscious.They flashed behind my eyelids in short bursts partially blocked by the potion I’d taken that morning. Once it was out of my system they would come back full force, haunting my sleeping moments until I did everything in my power to avoid falling into their grasp.It had happened before, which was why my father had shown me the recipe in the first place.Red tainted my vision. The taste of blood lingered on my tongue, as pungent as Kimberly’s shrill screams.I couldn’t take back what I’d done. Did I really want to though? I wasn’t sure.The nightmares flickered, taking on this blurry quality. Some distant part of me felt arms wrapping around my body. Warmth brushed across my flesh along with something that almost tickled.Sparks maybe? No, that couldn’t be it. Not unless one of them were touch
OpheliaI spun around. “Wards. You think wards are going to keep me in here? I’ll drain them just like I drained the dark spell Kimberly placed on Jude.”“That’s if you can find them all, which you won’t.” Jude rolled his lower lip between his teeth. The bond unfurled in my chest. I barely bit back the pathetic whine that threatened to leave me. “I missed hearing you say my name.”Ryker cleared his throat. His hands were clasped behind his back, making him even more imposing than he already was. It didn’t help that his dress shirt and slacks did nothing to conceal the muscled body that hid beneath.“I didn’t take a stand before, but I should have. We should have claimed you the second the bond snapped into place, because you’re all that matters, Ophelia. Not Kimberly. Not the idiotic deal I’d made with her. I fucked up by letting you think otherwise. You might end up hating me more, but this is me taking a stand.” He clenched his jaw, the muscles within twitching. “You aren’t leaving
OpheliaI had plenty of time to plot while spending the next two hours trying to untangle the mess of wards Jude and Ryker placed on my bedroom.Using a notepad and pen I found in the drawer of the bedside table, I’d compiled a list of tasks I’d have them to do earn my forgiveness. Most were juvenile like keying their cars (or in Jude’s case his motorcycle) or having them build me a castle with their own two hands. Others were a bit more demented and ranged from branding them with my name or tattooing it into their skin. Maybe I’d have Ryker declare me Alpha of Lunar Isle.Definitely adding that one.Oddly enough the bond, and my wolf, liked this little outlet I found. The thought of Ryker and Jude reduced to groveling had it humming in my chest.“Hah! Found it.” I lurched into a sitting position. Even though my back was sore from laying on the carpet, a grin took over my face. With a bit of magic I removed the sweat from my body and refreshed my clothes, swapping the torn shorts for
OpheliaWaltzing to the shelves of liquor he grabbed three off the first and began pouring random amounts into a large cup. I turned away at that point and leaned against the bar, scanning the basement for any familiar faces.The locator spell wanted me to head straight through the crowd towards the large fighting ring in the center of the room.Standing on my toes, I was immediately slammed into by a group of girls.I righted myself just in time, and bit down on my tongue to keep from lashing out. There were times I swore the potion I took nightly increased my anger. Perhaps that was another side effect.Standing front and center in a group of seven girls total was Diana, Chloe, and Gemma.They looked awful. All three had dark circles around their eyes and looked a good twenty pounds lighter.Before I could say a word the three of them paled, draining of blood until their faces were the color of cold marble. Chloe began to tremble, and Gemma looked as if she were going to vomit. Sens
OpheliaBrushing some stray curls back from his face he grabbed his drink and brought it to his lips. The way he moved was smooth and sensuous, as if he’d had plenty of practice mastering his reactions. “Isn’t it obvious? Our fathers want us to work together.”My eyebrows jumped. What on earth did my father have to do with Lunar Isles military commander? How did they know one another? Clearly my father must have inspired some kind of loyalty for them to go against Ryker.The bond tensed in my chest. On one hand this would benefit my father immensely, but on the other … the bond didn’t like that they could potentially hurt Ryker or Jude.Tears burned the backs of my eyes. What if one of them got hurt? What if one of them—oh that stupid fucking drink.I grabbed the glass of untouched water sitting on the table and took several gulps uncaring of how I looked. A glimmer of panic arose in my chest. The drink was definitely heightening my emotions. Even those few sips were affecting me.I h
OpheliaThe dickhead was right.The moment he stepped away, melting into the crowd, my mind began to race. Jude had been in the fighting ring the first time I laid eyes on him. The brutality of his fight had been both terrifying and beautiful. Would it be Ryker in the ring tonight? Or would it be Jude?I had a feeling they’d be using the remaining members of Diana’s coven. It wouldn’t surprise me if they punished them publicly to try and earn my forgiveness. Too bad it wouldn’t work.The only asses I wanted to kick were Ryker and Jude’s.I made a mental note to add that to my list.Half an hour later the lights flicked off, plunging the entire club into darkness. The music went down in volume until I could hear the excited chatter coming from the crowd.The fighting ring flared to life beneath the stage lights. A young guy with a mohawk stepped into the light. His voice rang with magic, the volume eclipsing that of the music.“Humans, Witches, and Wolves!” The murmuring died down. “We
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