Jude“I’m going to kill her.”Ryker sighed, the sound only half as grating as Kimberly’s nasal laugh.“No, you’re not.”“I am.”“Jude—”“Ryker.”“You’re not going to kill her.”“You’re right. I’m going to torture her first. Then, I’ll kill her.”Kimberly rolled her eyes from the passengers seat. Biting down on a plastic forkful of gas station salad, she smacked her lips and clapped her teeth, crushing the foliage in between her molars.“Honestly, I’m trembling in my wedges.” She clicked her shoes together.I turned to Ryker, whose jaw was clenched as he glowered at the road. His fingers tightened on the steering wheel. The bastard would deny it until his final breath, but he hated Kimberly just as much as I did.“Let me drive.”He sighed, again. “No.”“Why the fuck not?”“You’ll drive us into a tree.”I sank into the seat and folded my arms over my chest, “Whatever.”I wouldn’t have. Well, I would’ve. But I would’ve only crashed into Kimberly’s side. See? Big difference.Popping an ea
JudeI grinned at Kimberly, “I’ll hold him down, and you tie him up.” When she refused to move, shuffling her weight between her teeth, I chuckled. “Don’t look so worried, Kim-Kim. I’ll make sure he doesn’t bite you.”The rope we used to restrain the demon was soaked in purified water. Humans had crafted legends of their own about demons and angels, and while I didn’t know shit about angels, I did know that demons didn’t give two fucks about “holy water” or priests.It was purified water that weakened them, burning their skin like acid.Exorcisms were all for show. In fact, I’d bet my dick there hasn’t been a single human priest alive that’s actually come into contact with a demon.I grabbed Flint by the ankles, snorting when he tried to sit up and snap at me. I began dragging him towards the back door, pausing when Kimberly moved to follow.“Where do you think you’re going?”“Inside. Where the fuck else?” She snapped.I pointed at the half-decomposed corpse lying in the dirt. “No, yo
OpheliaRyker had left after our conversation, intent on finding Jude before he could take his aggression out on another Dark Matter dealer.To be honest, I didn’t want to think about Jude.I knew in my bones he felt something for me. Even if it was only the tug of the mate bond trying to draw us together, it was something. He could deny it, fight it—and part of me wanted him to—but it was there, nonetheless. Rather than think more on the topic, I turned my attention to my chores.Neither my cousin nor Lucille had a thing to say about the seven piles of laundry I’d miraculously managed to clean in one day. Without Nova, I would’ve never gotten it all done. Now all that was left was to get her out of the house without Lucille noticing.It had been Astrid of all people who had caught us red handed.It was well past midnight. She must’ve crept downstairs in search of a snack, because she was at the counter making a miniature fruit platter when Nova and I slipped from the laundry room.I
OpheliaAn hour later, and I was ready to strangle each and every one of Lucille’s friends. If one could even call them that.Mrs. Samuels, an older woman who would’ve appeared elegant if not for the perpetual sneer on her face, continued to ask me for every nutritional fact for every dish placed in front of her. After the fifth time, I started lying.“This honey braised Atlantic Bluefin is sugar and fat free? How delightful!”I smiled until my cheeks ached, barely holding back the urge to roll my eyes. We were werewolves, for crying out loud! What did the sugar content in a baked fish matter?Mrs. Denmark, who sat to the left of Lucille, prodded her fish with her fork. She by far looked the youngest of the bunch, her dark skin free of any wrinkles. The only creases on her face were around her eyes, telling me she either smiled or scowled a lot.I was willing to bet it was the latter.“When was this fish caught?” She sniffed, “I only eat seafood if it’s been captured the same day.”I
OpheliaRyker, Jude, and Kimberly returned the very next day.“We managed to find another two demons after the one Jude interrogated,” Ryker supplied, looking much too appealing in his crisp suit. This one was the color of storm clouds and matched his intoxicating eyes perfectly. “They were lower level, so we weren’t able to get any information from them.”Nova frowned and brushed a lock of pale hair from her face. She peeked into the dining room and called out, “The tables been set.”We were going to discuss everything we’d learned over dinner. I wasn’t sure how to reveal what Lucille had told us without alerting Kimberly to the fact that we used magic on her mother, but I was sure I’d figure something out.I turned to Ryker. Butterflies swarmed my stomach. I pushed them down, along with the blush that rose to my cheeks.“How exactly do you kill a demon?”His thick brows gnashed together, telling me this was a sore subject for him.“The only way to expel the demon back to their realm
Ophelia“Oh, shit. Oh, shit.” Nova murmured, leaning into Sterling’s side.My lips popped open in mock surprise, “Oh, gosh! I wasn’t supposed to say that, was I? Sorry, I’ve never been a good secret keeper.”It was petty, but I didn’t care.Sterling snickered under his breath, “I fucking love you, Ophelia.”“She’s my mother, Ryker! My mother!” Kimberly squealed, her voice ratcheting in volume, “How dare you go behind my back. I’m going to be your Luna! You can’t keep blatantly disrespecting me like this. I won’t stand for it. I already told you my mother is off limits. OFF! LIMITS!”“For fucks sake,” Jude snarled, “Shut the fuck up already. Can’t you see he doesn’t give a fuck?”“You shut up! You’re just mad we’re visiting your dead mommy’s house for a séance. You’re an angry little boy who—”A fractured, unhinged sort of rage filled Jude’s eyes. His teeth were bared, clenched so hard I could hear them grinding against one another like stone on stone. The sound that flew past his lips
OpheliaWhile Sterling and Nova set up the candles, because apparently spirits enjoyed the “spooky atmosphere”, I couldn’t help but wander around the hollow shell of the home Jude had grown up in.The longer I looked, the more I learned about Regina Romero.After the death of Ryker’s mother, Regina had been quick to swoop in and claim Alpha Matteo for her own.That kind of cold cunning was reflected in the layout of her home, in the pale walls and marble floors, in the expensive furniture hiding beneath the thick layer of dust. Even the chandelier, which held hundreds, if not thousands, of crystals screamed soulless elegance.What I found most surprising were the framed photographs hanging on the walls and perched on the mantle of the great fire place.As though there were a tether attached to my chest, to some dark part of me that wanted to know the secrets hidden in these walls, I was drawn to the photos.Each one was professionally taken, that much was obvious at first glance. The
OpheliaThe sneer laced within her voice made me bristle, especially since it was directed towards Jude and Jude alone.Sterling snapped his fingers impatiently, “Eyes on me, Regina. I’m the one that called you here. I can banish you just as quickly if you choose not to answer our questions.”Her expression turned to one of innocence, but it was all a farce. Beneath it’s flimsy layer was anger. Anger at being controlled, and anger at having her attention turned away from Jude.“I’ll answer your questions, boy.” She spat the word at Sterling’s feet, “But only if I get to talk to my son.”“No,” Ryker snarled with such ferocity my own wolf rose in response.Jude stepped forward, cutting off his brother as he lifted his hand. With him standing so close to Regina’s translucent form, I could pick out the similarities between them.Both had plump lips with a razor-sharp edge, and high cheekbones. While Jude’s silver eyes came from his father, the shape belonged to that of Regina. Both had a
OpheliaWe ran into a familiar face just outside of La Stella.“Ophelia?”Nova stood a few feet away from the back-alley door leading into the club. She wasn’t wearing her usual lacey, coquette clothing. The babydoll dresses, Mary Jane shoes, and frilly socks were her staple. Her outfits were what drew my attention when we first met. This time there were no bows in her hair or eyeshadow on her lids. It was exhaustion she wore.Her eyes darted around before settling on us. Something had her on edge. Nova wasn’t usually this flighty.“Nova.”I meant for her name to come out as nothing more than a passing greeting, a wall thrown up between two people who had once been friends, but instead it came out like a projectile. The stupid drink that heightened my emotions was still screwing with me.Stupid, it had been so very stupid taking a sip of that drink without confirming it had been the right one. I’d been distracted from the girls slamming into me, but that was no excuse. I had only mysel
RykerI had never paid much attention to what women wore. To get my attention they typically dressed themselves in the finest clothing they had. Jewelry, heels, gowns, the works. They thought it impressed me. It should have.I liked Ophelia most when she wore those small jean shorts that hugged her bottom while she ran across the beach. The little lace tank top she paired with it barely concealed her perky breasts. It wasn’t at all modest, but she was oblivious to that fact. Tomorrow she’d quietly whine and pout, muttering about the horrible sunburn she had. A sunburn that traveled down her chest to the soft swells I wanted to taste.Ophelia was the warmth of Lunar Isle. She was the brightest of colors and softest of sounds.The memory left as quickly as it had come.We talked as we danced. She had her back flush against my chest, her chin tipped to the side as she spoke. Back and forth we went. She was intoxicated from something and would need to be watched. As for me, I was drunk on
RykerWe arrived back at my place to find the house empty, and the wards carved through like sheets of tissue paper.Scraps of the residual magic hovered over just about every surface like confetti.Jude stuffed his hands into his pockets and whistled. “She did this on purpose. Could’ve just unraveled or drained them in that little way of hers, but this? She wanted us to notice.” His eyes sparkled. “Our mate wanted our approval.”I wasn’t going to risk his heart—or his sanity—by telling him I didn’t think that was the case.We found the door to her bedroom wide open, which wasn’t a surprise. I noticed a ball of crumpled paper sitting on the bedside table and picked it up. Almost immediately I could feel Jude hovering over my shoulder like a phantom.“…tasks for Ryker and Jude … earn forgiveness—” Jude lunged forward to try and snatch the paper from my hands. I evaded his grasp and used my magic to knock him back a step. His nostrils flared. “I want it. I’m not fucking around. Give it
RykerA few hours ago…We left Ophelia at the house knowing she’d find some way to eventually break out. Morningstar clearly left her here for a reason and underestimating her had only fucked us over several times. It would never happen again.She was our mate. Kind and compassionate as a ruler should be, but also as vicious and bloodthirsty as a wolf.Jude loved Ophelia as much as he was capable of loving anything. I knew my brother better than anyone else in the world, and I could see that she now meant more to him than I ever had. It didn’t upset me, but it did make me cautious.She knew she held him in the palm of her hand, but I wasn’t sure she realized just how fragile he could be. Her praise would transform him just as quickly as her rejection would shatter him.I wouldn’t lie and say her rejection wouldn’t shatter me as well, but no one had to worry about me leaving a string of bodies in the wake of my grief.Everything would work out in the end, I told myself. We would give ou
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
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
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
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
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