"Did I wake you up?" I ask.
He shakes his head. "Nah I couldn't sleep, I was drawing," he says.
"Can I see?"
Jax reaches around behind me and grabs his sketchbook. I take it and look over the unfinished blue flowers. "What are these?"
"Coal blossoms, haven't you seen them before? They grow all over the volcanoes in the wintertime."
"I usually spend winter near the witches' territory," I tell him, handing back the drawing.
"Why there?"
"The witch queen turned it into a sanctuary of sorts, everyone there has their own problems, so they don't bother anyone," I say.
"Yeah Queen Syrra is a pretty amazing, my brother is lucky to have her as a mate," he remarks. "This winter though you should stay in the Circle."
"Why?" I ask.
He shrugs. "I think you'd like it. Most of the dragons don't like the snow so they stay inside even though it's still pretty warm thanks to the volcanoes," he says.
"I'll probably have to an
"Taylor!"I sigh heavily into my pillow. "What?" I yell but it's muffled.I hear my door open. "Alpha Dorian is here to see you," Logan says.I groan. "Why the fuck can't he come at a normal time? Why must he show up so early in the morning?" I grumble."He's an alpha Tay, he has a pack to run. Honestly, you're lucky he's putting in this much effort and showing up at all," he snorts."Get out," I spit. I hear the floor creak as he moves closer and a growl escapes my lips. "Logan get the fuck out of my room before I put my foot up your ass."The door slams shut and a few moments later, there's a soft knock. "You can come in Shawn," I mutter, rolling over with a small sigh. It's dark in my room but I can still see.The door slowly opens and my mate steps inside. I can't help the smile that creeps onto my face at the sight of his childish grin. "I apologize for coming so early in the morning," he says.I sit up with a yawn. "Why d
"Thanks for helping out dad," I say as I step into the kitchen. I pull off my apron and hang it by the door.My father nods and smiles a little. "Did they like it?""They loved it. You should have seen them, they're so cute together," I gush.He chuckles. "Alpha Dorian is a good guy, he'll make a perfect mate for Taylor."I bite my cheek when I see his smile falter. His eyes are red and the dark circles under them confirm my thoughts. "Hey dad, why don't you try to get some sleep? I can take care of the pack today," I offer."That's very sweet of you Maia but I don't want to give you all that responsibility quite yet."I shrug. "I'll get Mykael to help me, he enjoys my company anyway."He snorts. "I'm sure he does. Alright well I guess you couldn't do too much damage in just one day. Thank you," he says, pulling me into a hug.My stomach twists as I hug him back. His body feels so frail, like if I hug any tighter, I might break
"―a few here actually. They're staying in the tent-hut things just outside the main clearing."I frown. "Syrra did you say you brought someone here?" I ask, looking up from my book."Yes, I apologize Queen Zari, I meant to inform you but it slipped my mind. A few of the vampires living on my territory wanted to see the Circle and meet some dragons," she explains."This place is turning into a tourist attraction," I mutter. "If they cause any problems they will have to leave.""They're very docile creatures, all the ferocity and aggression has left them after centuries of being endangered. They wouldn't dare cause any problems, they're too afraid of extinction," she tells me.I nod and she turns away. A smile crawls onto my lips as I watch her begin to speak again. She sits on Kaine's lap and they face Jaxon and Ash. The boys are all intensely focused, listening to Syrra's stories with animated faces.I notice Jax is braiding Ash's hair and s
He still hasn't let go of the letter. He keeps staring at. He reads it over and over again then closes his eyes for a few moments. When he opens them again and sees the letter still in his hands his shoulders slump a little more."There's no way this is real right?" he whispers, looking up at me.The pain on his face and the hopeful look in his golden eyes makes my stomach turn. I open my mouth, but nothing comes out. I don't know what to say."Please tell me this is all just a bad dream," he begs.I bite my lip hard.It's going to be okay, I want to tell him, but I know it's a lie. I bite harder until I taste blood on my tongue. "I'm sorry Kaine," is all I manage.The last glimmer of hope in his eyes suddenly vanishes. I step closer to him and he wraps his arms around my waist. I suck in a sharp breath as I feel a sudden pressure behind my eyes.He is on his knees, hugging my waist to hold himself up. I can feel something wet
"What the hell just happened?" Ash whispers.I shrug a little. "I have no idea but that bastard died screaming, so I don't really care," I growl."Fair enough," he mutters with a heavy sigh. "Are you doing okay?"I find myself staring at the ground until it goes fuzzy. "I don't know," I admit.He grabs my hand and interlaces our fingers, leaning his head on my shoulder. "Honestly that's probably a good thing," he murmurs.Kaine suddenly walks toward us, his expression unreadable. "Thank you," he says with a tiny smile.I frown. "For what?""Defending my mate's honor, what he said was―""Disgusting," I growl. "I know you would have done something too, but I just snapped. I mean you did the same for Ash and I yesterday.""Yeah," he sighs. He looks like he's going to say something else but then he turns away and returns to his mate. Syrra is talking to my mother, both with broken smiles on their lips.Peter's body st
"Thank you for coming with me," I mutter, curling my fingers into his brown and gold fur.You still haven't told me what we're doing here, he says."I already told you, I don't know," I sigh.I'd feel a lot better if I knew why I was taking you to the heart of dragon territory,he growls."The Queen asked us to come that's why. You don't trust her?"I don't trust anyone.I frown. "Not even me?"He stops and cranes his head to look at me. His eyes take my breath away. He told me they are a genetic mutation that runs in his family. All of the males have wolves with eyes of icy blue instead of yellow.Taylor, do you trust me?he asks.The question catches me off guard. I open my mouth to say something, but nothing comes out.He turns away and begins walking again. I grip his fur tighter as he picks up the pace and starts to jog down the mountain path.I'll trust
"Jaxon!"I wince at the sound of my mother screaming my name. "You are so dead," Maia taunts with a smirk.I toss her a glare before getting up from the couch and walking to my father's office. The door is already open."Jaxon how many times do I have to explain the rules to you before you actually start following them?" My mom growls, furiously running her fingers through her mess of curly red hair.I drag my hands down my face with a groan. "It was an accident—""Anaccident?Jaxon you know you're not allowed to shift during the day!" She seethes."I'm sorry, I lost control because Layton was pissing me off. But dad immediately had him sent to the Devil's Circle for confinement and no one else saw so it's okay," I assure her.Her fiery eyes search mine for several mi
I jerk awake to banging on my door. I sit up with a growl. "Whoever woke me up is going to die!" I yell, throwing off the silk sheets.The door opens and Kaine smirks at me. "Dad says you have training today," he says quickly then slams the door shut.I stalk to my connected bathroom, muttering curse words under my breath. I strip down and take a cold shower to wake me up. While I dry myself off, I stare at my reflection in the mirror.I look a lot like my mom, everything but my eyes and hair are the same. My hair is curly like hers but it's brown instead of red, and my eyes are also green but generously flecked with gold making them appear hazel.My brothers look like almost identical copies of my dad, all except for Jaxon's red hair and Kaine's dark demeanor.I hear harsh knocking on my door. "Maia get out of there!" Jaxon yells.
"Thank you for coming with me," I mutter, curling my fingers into his brown and gold fur.You still haven't told me what we're doing here, he says."I already told you, I don't know," I sigh.I'd feel a lot better if I knew why I was taking you to the heart of dragon territory,he growls."The Queen asked us to come that's why. You don't trust her?"I don't trust anyone.I frown. "Not even me?"He stops and cranes his head to look at me. His eyes take my breath away. He told me they are a genetic mutation that runs in his family. All of the males have wolves with eyes of icy blue instead of yellow.Taylor, do you trust me?he asks.The question catches me off guard. I open my mouth to say something, but nothing comes out.He turns away and begins walking again. I grip his fur tighter as he picks up the pace and starts to jog down the mountain path.I'll trust
"What the hell just happened?" Ash whispers.I shrug a little. "I have no idea but that bastard died screaming, so I don't really care," I growl."Fair enough," he mutters with a heavy sigh. "Are you doing okay?"I find myself staring at the ground until it goes fuzzy. "I don't know," I admit.He grabs my hand and interlaces our fingers, leaning his head on my shoulder. "Honestly that's probably a good thing," he murmurs.Kaine suddenly walks toward us, his expression unreadable. "Thank you," he says with a tiny smile.I frown. "For what?""Defending my mate's honor, what he said was―""Disgusting," I growl. "I know you would have done something too, but I just snapped. I mean you did the same for Ash and I yesterday.""Yeah," he sighs. He looks like he's going to say something else but then he turns away and returns to his mate. Syrra is talking to my mother, both with broken smiles on their lips.Peter's body st
He still hasn't let go of the letter. He keeps staring at. He reads it over and over again then closes his eyes for a few moments. When he opens them again and sees the letter still in his hands his shoulders slump a little more."There's no way this is real right?" he whispers, looking up at me.The pain on his face and the hopeful look in his golden eyes makes my stomach turn. I open my mouth, but nothing comes out. I don't know what to say."Please tell me this is all just a bad dream," he begs.I bite my lip hard.It's going to be okay, I want to tell him, but I know it's a lie. I bite harder until I taste blood on my tongue. "I'm sorry Kaine," is all I manage.The last glimmer of hope in his eyes suddenly vanishes. I step closer to him and he wraps his arms around my waist. I suck in a sharp breath as I feel a sudden pressure behind my eyes.He is on his knees, hugging my waist to hold himself up. I can feel something wet
"―a few here actually. They're staying in the tent-hut things just outside the main clearing."I frown. "Syrra did you say you brought someone here?" I ask, looking up from my book."Yes, I apologize Queen Zari, I meant to inform you but it slipped my mind. A few of the vampires living on my territory wanted to see the Circle and meet some dragons," she explains."This place is turning into a tourist attraction," I mutter. "If they cause any problems they will have to leave.""They're very docile creatures, all the ferocity and aggression has left them after centuries of being endangered. They wouldn't dare cause any problems, they're too afraid of extinction," she tells me.I nod and she turns away. A smile crawls onto my lips as I watch her begin to speak again. She sits on Kaine's lap and they face Jaxon and Ash. The boys are all intensely focused, listening to Syrra's stories with animated faces.I notice Jax is braiding Ash's hair and s
"Thanks for helping out dad," I say as I step into the kitchen. I pull off my apron and hang it by the door.My father nods and smiles a little. "Did they like it?""They loved it. You should have seen them, they're so cute together," I gush.He chuckles. "Alpha Dorian is a good guy, he'll make a perfect mate for Taylor."I bite my cheek when I see his smile falter. His eyes are red and the dark circles under them confirm my thoughts. "Hey dad, why don't you try to get some sleep? I can take care of the pack today," I offer."That's very sweet of you Maia but I don't want to give you all that responsibility quite yet."I shrug. "I'll get Mykael to help me, he enjoys my company anyway."He snorts. "I'm sure he does. Alright well I guess you couldn't do too much damage in just one day. Thank you," he says, pulling me into a hug.My stomach twists as I hug him back. His body feels so frail, like if I hug any tighter, I might break
"Taylor!"I sigh heavily into my pillow. "What?" I yell but it's muffled.I hear my door open. "Alpha Dorian is here to see you," Logan says.I groan. "Why the fuck can't he come at a normal time? Why must he show up so early in the morning?" I grumble."He's an alpha Tay, he has a pack to run. Honestly, you're lucky he's putting in this much effort and showing up at all," he snorts."Get out," I spit. I hear the floor creak as he moves closer and a growl escapes my lips. "Logan get the fuck out of my room before I put my foot up your ass."The door slams shut and a few moments later, there's a soft knock. "You can come in Shawn," I mutter, rolling over with a small sigh. It's dark in my room but I can still see.The door slowly opens and my mate steps inside. I can't help the smile that creeps onto my face at the sight of his childish grin. "I apologize for coming so early in the morning," he says.I sit up with a yawn. "Why d
"Did I wake you up?" I ask.He shakes his head. "Nah I couldn't sleep, I was drawing," he says."Can I see?"Jax reaches around behind me and grabs his sketchbook. I take it and look over the unfinished blue flowers. "What are these?""Coal blossoms, haven't you seen them before? They grow all over the volcanoes in the wintertime.""I usually spend winter near the witches' territory," I tell him, handing back the drawing."Why there?""The witch queen turned it into a sanctuary of sorts, everyone there has their own problems, so they don't bother anyone," I say."Yeah Queen Syrra is a pretty amazing, my brother is lucky to have her as a mate," he remarks. "This winter though you should stay in the Circle.""Why?" I ask.He shrugs. "I think you'd like it. Most of the dragons don't like the snow so they stay inside even though it's still pretty warm thanks to the volcanoes," he says."I'll probably have to an
Anyone who says that brown eyes aren't beautiful is an idiot,I think as I pull Ash's hair into a bun again.The early morning sun shines directly into the cave, turning Ash's blonde hair to bright gold and his brown eyes to molten copper. The freckles scattered across his nose are faintly visible in the light too.I use the wet strip of cloth to wipe the blood off his face. He lets out a sharp wince making me sigh. "You know if you didn't move so much, I wouldn't have to keep doing this," I tell him."Maybe I'm doing it on purpose, so you have to keep cleaning it," he mutters.I grin with a small shake of my head. "Gods Ash, why do I get the feeling you're just going to be more and more trouble the healthier you get?""More like the longer I'm away from everyone else," he says."Is it bad in the Circle too?" I ask gently."It's better than it is out here, your mother helps a lot, she's one of the nicest dragons I've eve
If Lucifer was a human, he'd be smacking my arm and shaking me right now.Dude! Dude! Did you just see that?You saw it so obviously I did too,I growl in annoyance.That was the hottest thing I've ever seen!Yes, it was now stop talking, you're ruining this for me.I push him to the back of my mind so I can focus on my mate. She sits tall on her golden throne, her violet gaze cold as ice as it sweeps the room. I can honestly say I have never felt prouder than I do at this moment.She locks eyes with me and motions for me to come forward. My hand rests on the hilt of my sword as I walk across the room to stand beside her."This is Prince Kaine, a warrior of the Dragon Guard and son of Queen Zari," Syrra says, "I expect the clans to pay their respects to such an esteemed visitor considering the unfortunate circumstances under which the Dragon Queen previously visited."Damn,