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
OpheliaSnarling under his breath, Jude released his hold on me. My heart lurched as he pulled away, my lips swollen and much too desperate for more. I swallowed, glancing over his shoulder to lock eyes with Ryker.His stare remained on Jude for several seconds before darting to my face. I could feel him taking stock of me, ensuring that I was unharmed.“Regina’s gone. She said some interesting things. Come into the living room and we can talk about it.”As his footsteps faded, Jude took another step back.I watched him turn away and run a hand through his hair, messing it up even further. Only when he had crossed the kitchen was I able to unscramble my thoughts.“The women that—that…” I couldn’t say the words, “What happened to them?”Jude froze. He turned his head slightly, giving me a partial view of his face.“They’re all dead.”I could see it all playing out in my head. Jude hunting each and every one of them down, repaying them for every touch, every lingering glance, every perv
OpheliaThat night all the unanswered questions churned in my head, muddying my thoughts until it became almost impossible to sleep. Even after slipping onto the roof to smoke I was unable to sink into sweet oblivion. Every time I closed my eyes I saw Regina towering over Jude as a young boy. I heard his voice as he recounted the awful, terrible things she’d make him do. I felt the rage that came with having something so horrible happen to my mate and being powerless to stop it. As the sun rose and I got dressed for work I knew what I needed to do.Whilst taking orders, bussing tables, and returning with platters full of expensive foods, all I could think about was the fact that Kimberly and I had the same father. The same demon controlling, dark magic using, cult leader of a father.Goddess, I had such bad luck it was almost laughable.I shouldn’t have been eavesdropping, but last night after arguing with Lucille, Kimberly sped from the house claiming she was going to Rykers. It to
OpheliaCome on, baby. You’re smarter than this.They were wrong, the two of them. They didn’t know the truth. All they knew was what we were shown the day we scried. I was sure I could’ve found a way to show them the truth myself, but was there a point? Did I really want them on my side?They weren’t on it before. Why would they be now?Just two days later I managed to evade Edward and shift into my wolf to run to the library. I needed to research what might’ve happened to my mother’s soul without him hovering over my shoulder. Surprisingly, Jude and Ryker had been busy the past couple of days. Neither one bothered to tell me what they were doing, but I didn’t care.A twinge started in my chest.Correction, the mate-bond cared.As soon as the library’s door closed behind me I shuffled behind the nearest stack and followed it deeper into the room. There were a few students seated at tables in front of the librarian’s desk. I’d have to avoid them. Word traveled fast when you were a par
OpheliaIt was tempting to change into something flat and lifeless. Some black scrap of fabric that would act as armor between me and the world. I was going to conjure something along those lines when I turned and caught a glimpse of the sunset through the window.The sun was hovering just a few inches above the ocean, painting the waves in such vibrant color that they looked like a sea of living flame. It was life and beauty, and I wanted to hold onto that even if it were for just a night.I conjured something simple. Something that wasn’t quite the old me, but also wasn’t quite the new me either.The sundress had thin straps that tied at the shoulders, along with a square neckline that showed off my chest and throat. The fabric was a rich green and soft to the touch, with a lace overlay embroidered with black roses. A slit ran up the side, exposing my bare foot and part of my calf.I held my breath as I emerged into the kitchen. There were warriors everywhere, lounging and grabbing
OpheliaThe ripples in the water fell flat and the herbs began to float to the surface. I stared at them, watching them swirl around and around, while my silencing spell slowly crumbled.Edward walked back in as the final shards of it disintegrated. He leaned against the doorframe, arms folded over his chest. The picture of wealth and good genetics. His lips quirked up into a self-satisfied smirk as he caught me staring.I didn’t have it in me to tell him I wasn’t checking him out in that way.I tried to picture myself standing by Edward’s side—by any male’s side that wasn’t Ryker or Jude. It wasn’t just the bond that revolted at the thought, but my very soul. I wanted to tip my head back and laugh up at the heavens. I wanted to demand an audience with the goddess. With the damned deity who gave me three Alpha-hole mates.Even worse, I was fairly sure I’d never be able to feel anything for another man in my life. Wait … that might be a good thing.I was halfway through planning my lif
Ophelia“Are you sure about this, dad? They’re going to try and use the bond against me.” I winced and rubbed my chest. The phantom ache was right there, stronger than ever. If I listened hard enough, I could hear it urging me to them. “It’s not the most pleasant thing, but I can resist. I’ll do what needs to be done, I promise.”The words tasted like poison, sweet and deadly.Edwards shock turned to disbelief. He looked up at me again and shook his head, miming zipping his lips. I held up a hand and told him to wait. He thought my father would be angry with me, but he didn’t know my father the way I did.My father wasn’t like his.“I know you will, my girl.” Warmth filled his voice. “Accept the Romero brother’s terms. You’ll spend your days with Edward seeing to our plans, and your nights under their roof. There are ways to temporarily dull the effects of a mate-bond. The ingredients are hard to come by, but I’ll have a friend procure them and bring them to the island. It may take a
Ophelia“They won’t get away with this,” Edward snarled.Ever since the others left he’d been on edge. The vine situation didn’t help his mood, but I wasn’t sure that was what had him all worked up. One look at his pink cheeks and I could tell it definitely wounded his pride a little, but this was something else.Shaking his head, he flicked his sun-bleached hair out of his eyes. They were the color of the ocean, and that should have been enticing considering I loved the waves surrounding Lunar Isle, but I felt nothing when I looked into them.“Their family has done nothing but suppress the people since they stepped into power. There hasn’t been a good Alpha since Alpha Lorenzo. That’s Alpha Ryker’s grandfather if you weren’t already aware.” Pulling back his shoulders splayed each hand out on the counters surface and leaned forward so that our eyes were level. “You won’t be staying with them. I won’t let it happen, and more importantly, your father won’t let it happen.”Who was he to
OpheliaThis was not going to go well.I looked around at the sea of familiar faces staring out at me. Ryker, Jude, Sterling, Nova, and Edward all scattered about, perched in seats around a rattan dining table.“You didn’t tell me we were getting the Brady bunch back together.”“You are still a part of this coven, Ophelia. As a coven we make decisions together. It’s important we stick to that now that we have a new member.” Ryker replied from his place at the head of the table. His hands sat clasped in front of him. A strip of tanned skin peaked out from his shirt where the fabric was unbuttoned. I caught a glimpse of hard muscle as he leaned forward in his seat.He continued speaking, but my mind was lost. Snagged on something he had previously said.… now that we have a new member …Astrid was a part of our coven now. I knew this would happen when I made the decision to put Kimberly in that room, but for some reason it hadn’t hit me as real until now.Goddess, did she know?The shar
OpheliaSomething very strange was going on here.Edwards kindness stretched far beyond wanting me to know the layout of the top floor. Far beyond the odd lingering glances and the pathetic attempts at joking, and far beyond merely wanting to ensure my safety by suggesting I pick the bedroom directly next door to his.Not happening, buddy.Maybe if I were that girl—the one I was before—I would have fallen for it, but I wasn’t and so I recognized the signs immediately. There was no mistaking that pit in the center of my gut, the one that filled with dread and paranoia the longer I thought about his odd behavior.Edward Van Houten was flirting with me.No, I didn’t have much experience with men. Most of said experience was with Ryker and Jude, anyway. That didn’t mean I couldn’t tell when a male was interested in me.After choosing a room far away from his I locked myself away within it. I didn’t spare a glance at the four-postered bed or the wall of glass to my left, one that gave a pe
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