"You need only call if you need any assistance," the Hunter reminded her as he reached over to unbolt the door and grasp the handle.
"I will remain here as well." Geldan declared, his tone forceful. "If he gives you any trouble at all—""I will call." Allorah finished for him. "You may open the door, Hunter." The guard nodded again, and pulled the door open enough for her to step through.As it swung closed again, Allorah paused to let her eyes adjust to the sudden gloom. The one window had been covered with a thick piece of cloth, perhaps to keep its occupant disoriented as to the time of day, or just enhance the feeling of isolation. Still, she knew better than to fumble around blindly, so she waited until she could see enough of the room to find her way safely to the window. Carefully setting the tray on the floor, she felt for the edges of the crude drapery before drawing it up and tucking it out of the way. She blinked rapidlGeldan gave a frustrated sigh. "But we don't have time, Allorah. At the point that you learn enough to be able to understand him, his information will already be so outdated that..." He stopped himself then, lowering his gaze and nodding deferentially. "My apologies. I don't mean to question you."Allorah looked at him tiredly, and sighed too. Though only two years her senior, she could see visible signs in his face of the toll the war and his hasty rise to leadership had taken on him. "No," she said slowly. "You're right; it's too slow. We will need to think of something else."He glanced at her, frowning. "But what?""I... I don't know." Idly, her amethyst eyes drifted down to the tray she carried as she thought. "I shall consult with Priestess Dannonae." Her voice, even to her own ears sounded weary.Geldan opened his mouth as if to say something, then closed it again, exhaling sharply through his nose. He nodded again to her.
Samuel’s POVEverybody thinks vampires are so damn sexy! I mean, even in the movies they are portrayed by the likes of Tom Cruise and Stuart Townshend. Meanwhile, we lycanthropes are stuck with Jack Nicholson and Michael J. Fox. Where's the justice in that I ask you? Of course, there are other issues that separate our kind. Vampires tend to be solitary creatures, while werewolves are very social, the original party animals, you might say. Another reason I've never much cared for vamps is their scent; vampires are dead, after all, and most of them smell like it. So, all in all, I've never been a huge fan of the undead...never really bought into the sexy stereotype...until I met Kim.It was a regular Friday night for me. It just happened to also be Halloween. The full moon was out, but I've been dealing with my condition most of my life so I'm able to keep it under control. Besides I was hanging at TJ's, a hangout owned by a member of my pack, so I wasn't exact
Red was looking at him as if he had grown two horns and then she said,” why are you telling the stories of your sexual exploits with a vampire woman?”“Maybe I wanted you to know that all kinds of supernatural creatures are there and we are all not as bad as you think we are,” said Samuel and Red scoffed and said,” Are you going to tell me that you can read my mind now?”“Maybe I want to make sure that you know that what you are up against and make you aware about it,” said Samuel with a cocky grin and Red looked at him in shock.Then said,” I don’t understand. What do you even want to do with me?”Samuel gave her a cup and said,” Drink up. You need this soon enough to make yourself understand what is going to happen with you tomorrow.”Red was surprised but she did not argue and drank the liquid. It was white and smelled funny. And soon enough her eyes became so he
The young woman stood at the ponds edge, staring at the rippling waters. Old gnarled Oak trees surround her, the leaves blowing gently in the breeze. The cool shade offered respite from the heat of summer. Running a hand though her long, dark auburn hair she sighed deeply. Turning emerald green eyes to the magnificent glory of the mountains off in the distance, she dreamed of freedom... freedom from her life and freedom from her village.Each village had five Elders that served the Alpha Leader of their wolf pack. The humans called them werewolves and accepted them, after much governmental debate and racism, into their society fifty years ago. Through the years some things had changed, both in society and pack life, while others remained the same. However, the treatment of females had not changed, at least in her pack. Women were second-class citizens.And in two days it was her birthday.Finally she would be twenty-one, a woman, according to the village Elders.
It was a particularly dark, still night; cloudy; no moonlight; no stars. Quiet. Almost unbelievably quiet - except for her! She was in a hurry to get home so her high heels rhythmically clicked on the footpath, only to be echoed by the sound of firm, purposeful footsteps behind her. She stopped, her eyes darting in every direction. The sound of the footsteps seemed to be louder - getting ever closer! Sweat started to appear as her skin tingled. She hurried on, until she came to a path - a path through the park .. a quick way home. Should she take it? Many thoughts raced through her mind. Okay, but quickly, .. moving at a very fast walking pace she hurriedly started along the path. She was constantly turning to look behind, her eyes searching the darkness. But she saw nothing. Her mind momentarily breathed a sigh of relief. With a mind-numbing jolt out of the stillness came *that* unnerving echo again. Footsteps again - more of a solid sound this time - more demanding - threatening h
Red’s DreamShe could feel his breath warmly caressing the nape of her neck. Suddenly she shivered from more than just pleasure, feeling the heat and strength of him against her back. She turned slowly to face him and put one had against the strong planes of his chest. Looking into his eyes she almost felt swallowed. Their living emerald depths defied all that she had known before.Gently he reached down to cup her cheek. She could feel the power he kept in check, knowing how easy it would be to destroy her. Slowly she pushed against his chest and smiled as he eased himself back on the soft carpet. Still smiling she bent down to kiss him, first his mouth, then his jaw, and then the hollow of his neck. He stiffened then as if to protest, but then looking up into her luminous gray eyes he relaxed. Slowly she kissed her way down his throat and onto his chest. He was so warm she almost felt as if her mouth was being seared. She reached one small male nipple and swirl
The garage where he'd parked the van was large, holding two more vans just like it, along with a few expensive-looking cars and a motorcycle. Every one gleamed as if it'd been freshly detailed. That gave her hope: if there was some kind of staff here, or at least visiting attendants, there was a chance of escape.Out of the garage and into a basement hallway lined with six ominous metal doors; the clanking she'd heard must mean that the brunette girl was behind one of these now. She noticed that each one had a peephole--but that the eyepiece was set to look inward.They came to a more normal-looking staircase with hardwood steps, split by a landing halfway up, and began to climb. As they went, Red noticed the door of what was almost definitely an elevator opposite the stairs. How bigwasthis place? It seemed like just a large house, but what kind of house had an elevator, and why?Then she had a vision of herself tied to that pillar again, bu
Red sped away in the car and thought that how could it be so easy to flee away from the place where she was being kept imprisoned. But then she heard the howl and she knew that the entire pack of wolves was going to come to find her. She knew that she had to run in some place where they were never going to find her. And even if they did find her then they would not dare to come and get her. She did not try to look back neither did she bother about the small clothes that she was wearing. She knew that if she went in the forest then that would cause a lot of problem for her since the ones that she was fleeing from were wolves.However, the town, now that she knew that they would not come for her there in hordes. And that was two months ago. Since then, no one had bothered her and after telling her mother that she had gone to party and woken up three days later, everything was good enough to go back to normal. She remembered about the Wuvern Crest and the treasure that Veronica
First light found Red and Makaran seated on the house-sized boulders in the midst of a nearby river. The wood was beginning to wake as the wind changed with the rising of the sun. Small creatures crept amidst the giant rocks, and birdsong began to accompany the rush of the river. There was still a chill in the air and Red saw Makaran's breath in vapor as he spoke."First I must ask a potentially awkward question. How comfortable are you with being naked?""I have nothing to be ashamed of," Red shrugged."Good. I spend so much time in other skins, that I do not actually own any clothes. Obviously I had to borrow these from Mother Hannah. Shape changing in clothes does not work at all. They do not change with you when the Spirit transforms your body.""Spirit?""Aye, Spirit. That is what Mother Hannah and I have reckoned this to be. I have a very strong animal part to the Spirit inside me, and it allows me to wear its skins.""How many?"
It was during one of those rambles through the woods that she had come upon the castle. The trees had thinned, melting into brush and then into a meadow, unkempt and overrun, and there it stood ... in the middle of the sun drenched clearing – solid, unforgiving, a wall of unremitting black broken only by thin embrasures from which arrows could be fired at unwelcome intruders. As she stood within the fringe of trees, concealed by the broad trunk of an ancient oak, peering at the battlements, she felt a shiver run down her spine. It was a clear sunny day, but around the castle, the air seemed to thicken and she wrapped her arms around herself against the sudden cold.Her first instinct was one of flight, but her curiosity overcame the sudden rush of panic and she settled herself to survey the place more carefully. The castle was laid out in a rectangle, its smooth straight lines broken only by the swelling of the towers that marked each corner. There was no sign of life.
Somewhere in the Cathalian wilderness...Red swept her red cloak out of the way as she stooped down to pick another mushroom. She added it to the collection of its kin in her basket and danced off to find another. Soon it would be too warm to wear her cloak and hood, but her mistress insisted she wear it this evening in case she got caught out after dark in falling temperatures. Spring had just begun, after all, and Winter still thought it ruled the night.Indeed a chill did seem to be creeping through the wood. The sun was fast setting and the shadows were long. The red dusk peaked through the newly budding branches of the hardwoods and colored the girl's pale skin in bloodtones. Soon it would be dark, and Red did not know that she was being shadowed.The monster had been following her scent for miles, and now its luminous yellow eyes spied the girl in the gathering gloom. Her red hood bobbed along in the undergrowth as she worked her way toward the cottage in
Once upon a time...Three massive wolves stalked through the village streets, growling and snapping at the frightened citizens that dared peer through their windows. A young beggar ran across the street and the largest wolf, wind rushing through the shining black fur, pounced, pinning him with one large paw and leaning his head down, tearing out the young boy's throat. He let out a howl and his companions joined him, howling up at the moon, full above them. The eldest of the three, who was as black as his nephew, though the smooth fur bore streaks of silver, paused, lowering his gaze to a young woman who stood calmly in the middle of the street. A long hooded cloak of vibrant red silk hung from her slender frame and beneath the hood the wolves caught glimpses of soft blonde curls and blue eyes, dark as the sky above. She stepped back and they stalked closer, sniffing curiously."Creatures of the fullest moon, great wolves, I offer myself, my body in exchange for the sa
When Red awakens she can only see darkness. As she come to she can feel the smooth silk bedding beneath her and then she realizes that her robes and undergarments had been taken from her. She was here in a strange place, naked on silk linens. When she tries to cover herself her hands were halted but the leather bonds around her wrists that were connected to the chains that hung from the wall behind the bed. This came as an amazing shock. But what was the biggest shock was when she discovered that a steel rod separated her ankles so she couldn't close her legs. Now she was fully awake and terrified.Then, in the middle of her terror a light came from the hall. Dimly at first be then growing brighter. It wasn't long before she heard footsteps approaching. She did her best to struggle against the chains and bracer, trying to hide herself from whoever was approaching. But it was too late. A candle's flame peaked it's way around a corner and behind it followed a man so dashing tha
"What does that mean?""Young dragons--well, relatively young, to you they would be very old indeed--have the great desires. It is they who kidnap princesses, crush knights, sack towns and generally make nuisances of themselves. Not unlike young humans, they have to find their way and that often includes some temper tantrums and fits of pique. Over time, they mature and the need to prove their potency to themselves diminishes. Like old humans, they get set in their ways and a nice long nap in the sunshine seems a much better way to spend a day than burning knights to a crisp or gobbling up maidens.""I don't mean to be rude, but I thought dragons were evil? Don't you...do things just to be bad?"The dragon laughed then, so deeply and completely that small flames shout out of his nostrils and smoke curled up. When he had mastered his mirth, he at last spoke."We're no more evil than any other race. There are good and bad among us. The good can be very good
Red looked at Seth and said,” You need to begin the ceremony now..”Samuel was going say something when Seth growled at him and said,” For that we will have to do this in a different setting altogether..are you ready to take a trip in fantasy?”As soon as Red nodded she was covered in a fine mist ad everything was gone.They came for her while the sun was still high. Proctor Vesle, Constable Varlet, and the town elders. She saw them coming long before they arrived and her sobbing mother begged her to run, but it wasn't in her nature. Someone would have to die today, and she couldn't allow this mantle to fall onto one of her friends.She made tea and had it poured and ready by the time the men arrived. She could smell the sweat, see the stains in their somber attire, and sense their fear and hate. It no longer bothered her. She knew very well she was signing her own death warrant when she refused the Proctor's advances
Samuel’s POVI smell blood. A wounded animal. An easy kill. The blood is still fresh. Not dead yet. A noise ahead, whimpering. Getting close. Big animal. No not animal.The part of my brain that is still human tries to comprehend. No fur. Clothing. Human. Must not kill. It's female and injured. Blood covers her ragged clothing.Smells like sweat, blood and desperation. Can't smell her. Can't smell animal on her.She trips and I move closer careful not to frighten her. A twig snaps under my feet and she sits on her heels terrified. The terror leaves her eyes almost instantly when she see me and is replaced by hope. She reaches a hand towards me and I see the other arm is being held awkwardly. It is broken and the bone has torn through the skin.Wolf. Not pack. Strange wolf. Injured wolf. Not pack. Not enemy.After sniffing her skin I move closer letting her palm glide over my head, down my neck. She screams an
Samuel’s POVThe moon was luminescent, casting its silvery shadow over the trees like some snowy net, lighting a dirt path that wound deeper and deeper into the thick, dangerous forest. But the cloud covered orb was robbed of its full lustre, far too darkened by the wispy fog rising in off the marsh to the east.I pulled my flashlight from my knapsack and let it shine a reflection of precious light, causing snakes to coil away, and poisonous spiders to rise on silky strands back into hiding.The sound of her panting breath, still hot and desperate, led me uphill toward the meandering stream, whose running water echoed like some rushing wind, rustling fall leaves until a hundred colors struck the ground.I was closing in on her, and could almost see her now, smelling her running shapely curves as she weaved and bobbed past dangling branches that tore, gouged and scratched her human flesh. But still she pressed on at full speed, her slender, racing an