Johnson’s POVJake suddenly changed directions and walked over to the one-way window. He tapped on it lightly. It seemed he wasn’t going to stop me from leaving after all. So I reached for the door handle.“My oh my,” Jake said, peering out the window. “What have we here?”He smacked his lips and looked at me over his shoulder.“You really ought to come see these ones, Johnson. The one in the gold dress? Mmmmm. She’s delicious.”Wait.Gold dress?Trista was wearing a gold dress. I saw her enter the room with Hazel.“I’d LOVE a taste of her,” Jake said, clutching his dick for effect.Maybe it was a coincidence? There were probably tons of women wearing gold dresses down there on that floor.But then again…What if it wasn’t? My protective instincts kicked in and I went over to the window.“That one…right….there.” Jake pointed at the window and I looked down. Sure enough, he pointed right at Trista. “She’s a tasty one, isn’t she?”My blood boiled.He was leering at Trista and the way he
Johnson’s POVThe men stepped back from the window.“Get me a drink,” Jake told one of them. He nodded and poured himself a whiskey.“You staying?” he asked me as I also walked over to the bar.“Yup,” I said nonchalantly. Even though I didn’t want Trista to have anything to do with me anymore, I couldn’t just abandon her. Not with these men ogling her like that.I’d tried to keep my distance from her. It had damn near killed me though. I missed her so so much. But I was caught up in this whole mess now with the mafia. And I still didn’t know the full truth about my father’s underground business.So I had to cut Trista free.AFTER the auction. First, I had to know she was safe.I poured myself a whiskey and swirled it around in the glass.“You were awfully quiet just now, cousin,” Jake said, eying me suspiciously. “What’s the matter? Don’t you like girls?”I had to keep playing the part. I had to keep convincing these men that I was on their side, that we were in an alliance. At least
Johnson’s POVTrista walked into the room and my heart stopped. It had been a while since I’d seen her this close up. She was radiant in her gold gown. She had a bright smile on her face, and rightfully so! She’d just sold her jewelry for $100 million dollars! Her eyes scanned the room and I saw her smile falter.She didn’t like the sight of these men lounging on the couch, sipping their whiskey. She hadn’t known what she was walking into and now that she was here, she was having doubts. I could read her thoughts on her face.I resisted the urge to rush to her and hold her in my arms, to tell her it was okay, that I was here. But I couldn’t do that. I couldn’t let her know it was me. I had to pretend I was one of these men so she wouldn’t recognize me. I also couldn’t let her see my face so I skulked into the back corner, into the shadows.I knew she wouldn’t be able to recognize me in the dark shadows, especially since she had such poor eyesight. She thanked the men on the couch, s
Johnson’s POV Was I a monster?That was the only explanation.I held Trista in my arms, torn between my desire for her and my need to protect her. “Such a tasty little treat,” Silver said, his voice dripping with desire. He was pacing, his fur bristled, his eyes locked on Trista.He wanted her. I could feel it, his desire for her. It was unlike anything I’d ever felt before. It was all-encompassing, all powerful.What would he do to her though? Would he…would he hurt her?He’d ripped an entire room full of men to shreds. What if he was so overcome with lust that he couldn’t control himself and he…he…I couldn’t even say the words.Trista shivered. She sighed. Was it her wolf reacting? Trista had a wolf, too, but she was blind. Trista told me about her, Serena. Her wolf was kind and sweet. Timid and shy. Compassionate. Serena was the antithesis of my wolf.Silver was savage. Brute. Violent and arrogant. He was demanding. There was nothing timid about him. I didn’t know him we
Trista’s POVHazel helped me to my feet. She wiped a tear from my face with her thumb and wrapped me into a tight embrace.“Your dress,” she said sadly. I cried on her shoulder and let her comfort me.I couldn’t believe what had just happened. Who was that man? He had the face of Johnson but his eyes?They were silver. They were ruthless. They weren’t anything like Johnson’s.“Where did Liam go?” I asked, taking a step back from Hazel.“Don’t worry about it,” she said softly, tucking a tendril of hair behind my ear. “Let’s get you cleaned up. You’re a mess.”“Am I?” I asked.She reached into her purse for a compact. She let me look at my reflection.“Good God,” I said, startled by my reflection. My black mascara had run all over my face. My lipstick was smeared and my eyes were red and puffy. There was snot dripping from my nose. I looked disgusting.“Don’t worry, I got you,” Hazel chuckled. She pulled out some wet wipes and went to work. Gingerly, she cleaned the smeared mascara from
Trista’s POV“Oh my God!” Hazel gasped.Screams erupted from the auction floor just as the glass from the VIP room shattered. Shards of glass exploded and people shielded themselves. Everyone turned to look.A man fell from the air, his arms flailing as he fell.“Liam!”He hit the floor with a thud. For a moment, I thought for sure he was dead. But then he struggled up to his feet. We rushed towards him as he simultaneously rushed towards us.When I saw his chest, my eyes flew open. His chest was covered in blood.I clamped my hand over my mouth. He’d been shot! This was exactly what I’d been afraid of. Those bastards put bullet holes into him.Or was it Johnson who shot him?Liam wasted no time, even though he was bleeding like crazy. He grabbed Hazel and I.“We need to GO,” he hissed at us, his eyes frantic.My mind reeled. “Liam, what happened?” I asked as he started pulling us towards the exit.“There isn’t time. We have to get out of here.”It was chaos on the floor. The gun sho
Trista’s POVI was transfixed by the voice and compelled to turn around.Where was it coming from? And why was it so insistent that I leave?I was the only one who could save them? Save who?“Trista! We have to go,” Hazel hissed in my ear. “Something’s wrong with Liam.”All around us, people pushed and shoved, trying to squeeze out the small exit door. Liam had a stern look on his face as his eyes remained fixed on the door. He was holding his wound with one hand. I looked down and saw that the wound was actually in his stomach. This was a relief. I thought he’d been shot in the chest. Given the fact that Liam was an alpha, a wound in the stomach shouldn’t be fatal.But something was wrong.His wolf should have been healing him already. Instead of getting better though, he seemed to be getting worse.Liam’s face was a peculiar gray color. His hand was caked in blood. Right then, Liam swooned. He reached out for Hazel, who caught his arm to steady him.“The stairwell,” I told Hazel. Ev
Trista’s POV“Oh my God, Hazel. It’s…it’s black. Why is it black? What’s wrong with him?”My words came out in a jumbled mess. I wasn’t a doctor, but I knew enough to know that a black wound was really, really bad. It likely pointed to some sort of poison. But that kind? It wasn’t wolfbane, that much was clear.Was it a human poison? And if so, what would that do to Liam’s wolf?Or was it a werewolf poison? I glanced at his chest. His veins were blackening, right there, in front of us, as though we could see whatever poison this was crawling up his chest through his veins in real time.It was horrifying.He needed a wolf doctor, that much was clear. This was no ordinary wound. Even if it was a human poison, he needed a doctor who knew about werewolf anatomy.I’d lived in Milan for five years, but I’d lived as a human in Milan. I didn’t know any wolf doctors. Not here.Liam’s body tensed. He clenched his fist and bit down on his teeth.“Hazel! What’s happening?”Liam began flailing, hi
Trista’s POVLiam and I arrived in Paris with plenty of time. We had dinner at the airport and waited for our flight to board. They called us for boarding and we both took our seats in first class. Liam offered me the window seat but I insisted that he have it. His wound was bothering him – I could tell – and if he sat by the window, he could sleep more easily with his head against the wall. As we settled in, a strange feeling washed over me. I realized that Liam and I had never travelled together. In all our years of marriage, we never strayed far from our pack, at least not as a couple. I glanced over at him. He was fastening his seatbelt.‘How odd,’ I thought to myself. ‘Here we are, together on a plane. I never, in a million years, could have imagined our first trip together would be like this!’“Champagne?” the stewardess asked, her eyes bright. Champagne was one of the perksof flying first class. Liam wasn’t much of a champagne drinker, though, so I went to shake my head and
Trista’s POVBack upstairs in the small cottage, Dagny rummaged through her cup boards. She produced a small, crystal jar.“This ointment will make Liam well enough to travel back to the United States,” she told us. Darren eyed the small jar and I looked at him for confirmation. He nodded, indicating that the ointment was fine.Dagny walked over to Liam, lifted his shirt, and removed his bandage. I gasped when I saw his wound. It was red and angry-looking, with small black veins spread out over his stomach and chest like a spider web. Dagny scooped up some of the ointment with her fingers and roughly rubbed it on Liam’s stomach. Liam inhaled a sharp breath and winced.“That hurts,” Liam said as Dagny continued to apply the ointment in a belligerent way. I had to admit, she could have been a lot gentler. Dagny didn’t reply to Liam’s comment so Liam put his hand over hers to stop her.“Dagny, do you have some sort of problem with me?” Liam asked. “You’ve been very polite to Trista and D
Johnson’s POV“My father wanted to hand over the family business to me,” I told Jake. “But I wanted to go to New York.”“Because of that bitch?” Jake asked smugly. I nodded.When Trista left to go to the US, I felt a void in my life. I realized how much she meant to me. My feelings for her were complicated since we were such good friends. But I missed her so much it hurt. And the twins too. So I’d asked my dad if I could follow her to New York and set up business there. My father had been very reluctant at first. He wanted me to stay in Italy for the family business. He was preparing me to take over, but he said there were a few loose ends he needed to tie up first. I argued with him. I was a grown man and if I wanted to go to New York, then I could. He disagreed. He said my responsibility was to the family first.But then, one day, he just changed his mind one day.“My father allowed me to go to New York because there was someone he wanted me to find.”My father’s instructions had be
Johnson’s POVThe bullet ripped through my shoulder. A bolt of pain ripped through my shoulder, so intense it made me dizzy. Jake chuckled at my reaction.I expected to die. I expected to bleed out from the bullet wound. So did Jake and his men. But as they held me, something unusual happened. The bullet wound spurted blood at first, thick and warm. Within seconds though, the blood stopped. The pain still radiated through my body, but I could feel it healing, as though my muscle fibers were somehow weaving themselves back together with extraordinary speed.Jack frowned, his eyes narrowing. He could see what I felt, that my wound was healing with remarkable speed. He didn’t like this. Flummoxed, he marched right up to me and grabbed my collar. He tore open my shirt to see the wound for himself. Sure enough, the hole from the bullet was already growing over with fresh skin.“I thought that was a special gun,” one of his men said.“Shut up,” he seethed at the man. Then he turned to me. “
Johnson’s POVI zipped through the streets like a maniac. Jake blew through several red lights and I had no choice but to do the same. I laid on my horn as I went, alerting the few cars on the road this late at night to get the fuck out of the way. My heart raced and my palms were thick with adrenaline-induced sweat.Jake had agreed to let me have Trista and the men she was with, but I didn’t trust Jake. He was a loose cannon and capable of anything. It didn’t take much to make him snap, so even though we had a deal, I had a feeling he’d break it without hesitation. I had no idea what I would do when I got to the Milan checkpoint. The police were crawling with Jake’s informants. I’d seen firsthand that the police were useless when it came to Jake and his men. They’d detained a car at the Milan border FOR Jake. I had no faith that they’d help me out in any way. If we got to the border, and Jake decided to kill Trista and Liam after all, there was no one to stop him. Except me.Jake
I…I loved her, I realized as my breath hitched in my throat. I had to save her from these men. But how?Just then, a phone rang. One of Jake’s men answered it. He nodded and then hung up.“That was the Milan border. The car with the woman and two men are being detained there.”“Looks like we were right in the first place,” Jake said. He kicked the corpse, rolling her onto her stomach. “This bitch here side-tracked us. Come on. Let’s go. The man in the picture must be with her. The hunt has begun. Time to kill the right slut. Am I right?” Jake smiled sardonically at me.“I’ll come with you,” I told Jake, my mind racing.“Good,” Jake replied. “I need to see you kill her yourself.”I shook my head.“What do you mean, ‘no’?” Jake asked, narrowing his eyes. “Cousin, it seems like this woman is very important to you. You've been acting awfully unusual.”“I hate her for what she did on me,” I told Jake, scrambling for an excuse. “You’re right she’s important. The bitch betrayed me. But I ca
Johnson’s POVI rushed out of the auction house, my heart hammering in my chest. I had to get away from these men and to the border before they did. But as I ran down an alley that would lead me to my car, I saw something that stopped me dead in my tracks.Jake and his men. They were at the end of the alley, crowded around a figure on the ground. I watched, horrified, as they kicked and beat the woman. And even more horrifying, there were two police men not even five feet away. At first, I was certain that the police would intervene. I mean, it was the POLICE after all. But the police did nothing. They only stood by and watched as Jake and his men kicked the figure on the ground.Cautiously, I took a few steps towards the men and the figure on the ground. It realized it was a woman – a woman who looked an awful lot like Trista!“No!” I hollered, rushing towards them, overcome with fear. Had they found Trista? Had she been here after all? It was possible! Maybe she hadn’t left yet. Or
“Who are you?” I asked the second voice in my head. Silver’s voice was gone. I didn’t understand. Where was this second voice coming from? It was so different than Silver’s. It was soft and gentle. Silver’s voice tore through my head like a whip. This voice rippled and floated. I was instantly drawn to it.“Quill,” the second voice said. “I’m your other wolf.”Other wolf? But how could that be? Did he mean that…Silver was my wolf? My heart dropped. If Silver was my wolf, then that meant – my wolf was a blood-thirsty, evil beast bent on killing everyone and anything in his path?Oh God.But wait. He’d just said ‘other wolf’. So that meant…“I have two wolves?” I asked, confused.“Yes. We’re twins,” the gentle voice confirmed.Twin…..wolves?“We’re nothing alike, Johnson,” the second voice, Quill, continued. “In fact, we’re polar opposites. We argue all the time.”“Why haven’t I heard your voice before?” I asked.“Silver often overpowers me,” Quill explained. “But I’ve found a way to br
Johnson’s POV“Impressive,” Jake smirked, looking at the shattered window. I hoped he bought it. If he knew that I was trying to protect both Liam and Trista, and that I let them go on purpose, it would only pique his interest in both of them, especially Trista. He’d want to find her and have a ‘good time with the bitch.’ I couldn’t let them happen. I had to persuade him that I hated both Liam and Trista. “Yeah well, he deserved it,” I snapped back, lacing my voice with as much venom as I could. “He was a pompous ass.”Jake nodded appreciatively. “And the bitch?” he asked, meaning Trista.“She’s nothing,” I snipped, waving my hand in the air dismissively. “I was nice to her at one point. I mean, come on, she’s a hot piece of ass, after all. I wanted a taste of her. But she chose that scumbag ex of hers over me. So I naturally got pissed and snapped. I wanted some revenge on the woman who hurt me. But she got away before I could.” I chose my words carefully, hoping I could fool Jake.