LloydRenae swiveled, displeasure curling her thin lips. Her fingers rose, snapping twice to the bed. "I'll have you know there are worse ways to cause you pain. Lay down. Now."Lloyd's gaze flicked to the bed and back to the Luna's hazel eyes--Kier's eyes. "Randale knows. It's only a matter of time before Kier finds out. I cannot do this with you anymore, Renae." He paused, pain tightening his throat. "You gave your word to help Nadine get out if we did this. You have done nothing to that effort."Renae shrugged off her robe, placing it against her chair. She settled on the edge of the bed, raising her chemise high enough for Lloyd to peek the smooth skin between her thighs. The heady scent of arousal teased his nostrils. "Getting a message to Atticus is harder than you think it is, and receiving a response is just as difficult. Your sister will be home, safe, as long as you play your part. I'll have no more complaints from you. Come here," she said, parting her legs wider.Lloyd hat
I wake up to whispers by my door that chased me from my bed. I'm angry, but the feeling isn't mine. It's a murderous thing that has my insides twisting, raging, demanding I draw blood from something. Someone. Anyone.I empty out the pitcher of water by my bed stand, gulping down in large amounts in hopes to cool the heat rising from my stomach. But nothing works. The pitcher falls from my grasp, crashing to the ground as I double over, gasping for air. The rage intensifies, and I shut my eyes forcing deep breaths into my lungs. I need…I don’t know what I need, and before I can think, I’m lurching for the door, grabbing an oversized robe and wrapping myself in it.It's late at night. Very late, yet, I can hear hurried footsteps outside my door. Twisting the doorknob, I pull the door open, half-walking, half-running towards the source of the tug in my chest."What's happening?" I ask the maid on my right, and when she turns, I see it is Amelia. She sneers and walks ahead, ignoring me a
JessamineThe ride to Aldenwood is a two-day journey. Twelve hours in and I’m already miserable.Between the scorching sun beating down on me, the saddle bruising my thighs and Kier’s gaze digging into my back, I can’t tell which is the main cause of my abject misery. I forge ahead, taking a swig from my water skin, and I wipe the sweat from my neck, panting.I nearly fled from the castle in the early hours of this morning. Very nearly. But I decided I would see this to the end, even if Kier no longer has respect or interest in me because of my mother’s roots. I’ve never been one to leave things half way done. I am in no mood to explain that my mother’s choices DO NOT define who I am, and if he rejects me one more because of this, I swear the Moon and Sun Goddess that I will kill him in his sleep.Alright, maybe that’s a little too extreme. I could totally pull a Moira. Intoxicate his drink, have sex with him in that state and have his children. That’s a plan I would totally pull off
I turn, tangling in…sheets. A bed, perhaps? No, the surface is too coarse, and the fabric beneath my head carries a scent of...“Sometimes I forget how fragile you are,” a deep voice says as I rouse from sleep. I stiffen, eyes flying open, and I jolt when I see Kier seated on a wooden stool, watching me. I sit up straighter, looking around me, confused. I’m in a tent, and from the darkness creeping into the space, nearly overshadowing the lit candles, night has fallen.I…passed out? My gaze flicks to my ankle and it is wrapped up snugly with splints. Embarrassed by my exceptional ability to take pain, I avoid his gaze. The scent of food teases my nose and my mouth waters. Globes of plump red and green grapes, hard cheese, milk, cured meat and other delicacies adorns the plates. My stomach growls, violently, and I swallow focusing my gaze on the flickering candle. “Are we sharing a tent tonight?”"No. Randale thought it best to keep you here until you awoke, rather than risk having yo
JessamineThe last lock of hair falls across my cheek and the maid steps away, letting me look at myself. To paint a picture of virtue, purity and submission, it is tradition that all unmated women dress in nothing but white to the Howling. No adornments, either facial paintings or jewelry. Nothing other than a plain, white dress, that hides nothing of our bodies underneath. Why wear so much when it gets ripped during the shift?We may wear cloaks, until the main event starts, after which we shed them, sing to the Goddess, dance around bonfires with cups filled with liquor and bodies slick with heat. Then we shift and run into the wild, giving into the beastly side; becoming one with the air, wind, earth and heat. We? Who’s we? I’m not even one of them, and I have a feeling I’ll never be. The possibility that my dress will be drenched in blood tonight is rather high, and not even the daggers I’ve strapped to my thighs make feel less vulnerable. Exposed. Already, I can hear the beati
JessamineAn icy wave of fear crashes over me, and I scramble back, despair freezing me at the edge of the field. It's too big, too fast, and murderous. What do I have to fight against that? Them? My tiny daggers? Oh, Goddess. I had gambled on the assumption that they would be too preoccupied watching their backs to attack me.This held true for only one minute before Moira tore out a substantial chunk of Cassandra’s neck, rendering her unconscious in mere seconds. The crowd went mad and wild, clamoring for more with repulsive bloodlust.I couldn’t even tell if Cassandra was dead or alive. She didn’t twitch, not once, as the men took her from the field. Ava didn’t miss a heartbeat after that; she fled from the scene with such frightening speed, I’d felt tempted to follow her.Between Moira, Helen, Katherine, and Keisha— who didn’t hesitate to sink her claws into Vivian— taking down the rest was child’s play. Moira didn’t even bother with them; they were small fry. Me? I’m the one she
JessamineI chose to leave with Lloyd instead. I won’t live with him. He’s only escorting me to the borders where I’m supposed to live out the rest of my days as a loner. Yes, I got banished from the Sunfire pack, as per the council's demand.Kier hadn’t even fought to make me stay. Am I surprised? No. Disappointed? Yes. Angry? Very. Loathsome? I don’t know, but I’m done here. I’ve done everything I can. Anything more and I’d be bordering on desperate. My heart has been caving in on itself since he named Moira his winner. My insides have been twisting since he made the announcement that she would be crowned in a fortnight.I feel betrayed and my emotions are all over the place. But I won’t cry or make a fool of myself. I’m too much of a mess right now to decide what to do next, but I’ll figure it out. Soon.Lloyd jogs down to where I stand, and I peek a blonde trailing behind him. Helen. Right. She must be here to rub it in my face that her friend won. I hardly see the need, since Moi
************We ride in silence, and aside the constant cooing of birds and the flaps of their wings, coupled with the animals darting about the forests, weaving through the trees and hiding behind the trunks as we pass by, I see and hear nothing else. I hover atop the saddle, keeping my thighs still to minimize contact with the horrible thing. I wonder if I'll ever like riding. Maybe I should have taken the carriage."A little further and we'll reach the borders of Aldenwood," Lloyd says, breaking the silence. He slows his beast's pace to match mine. "We should stop for camp. It'd be dangerous to be close to the borders at night.""How long until we reach?" I ask, wiping the sweat rolling down my neck irritably."Five days tops." He leans over, brushing his fingers of my horse's rear. "Three if we ditched the horses and ran all the way, but you can't shift.""No, I can't.""About last night --""I don't want to talk about last night."He raises his hands in the air, clearly frustrat
Az rubbed his eyes tiredly. It’d been days since he last had a peaceful night’s rest. Lord of Grimstone. He often found himself laughing at the title. He wasn’t lord of anything—at least not yet. His people didn’t seem to think so with their constant rebellion of him and stealing from him, no matter that he tried his best to ensure even the darkest parts of Grimstone got ridded of their poverty.They didn’t warm up to him. They called him a freak. It was pathetic and he should have known Jessamine was lying the moment she started batting those long lashes of hers and speaking to him sweetly.He left Dawn after the wedding and he’d been at Grimstone for a total of seven months now. And in that time she’d come to see him thrice, with her twin boys, Wren and Alder. They both had their mother's eyes, but that was where the resemblance ended. The rest was all Kier. From their red hair down to their angry growls whenever Az didn't give them what they wanted.Of course, Jessamine had come to
Jessamine If you’ve ever been away from home for too long, you’d understand the feeling of your stomach plummeting at the most familiar scents, the urge to breathe in deeply, feel everything, reacquaint yourself with every single detail—details that suddenly seem more vivid and…and intense. That is all I can call this—coming home. Somehow, between punching Kier and telling him I hate him and I’ll return to my father’s castle and find me a man who isn’t quite as infuriating as he is, he’d kissed me. Concussion be damned, Kier’s lips heal me in more ways than any physician could. I walk Kier back into the throne room, pushing off the remains of his shirt. His fingers tangle in my hair as his lips on mine reminds me of the first time…the first time I saw him. His eyes looked like a tear from an ocean of peridots. His hair was shorter, not long enough to run my fingers through, but I was fascinated by the rich hue of it. He rarely smiled then, but when he did, it was bright as starlight
My fingers shake and I hide them behind my back as I round the corner. Slowly, I approach, the large oak door standing ominously in the distance. I wipe the sweat from my wrist against my light skirts and grip tightly as my chest thumps. Once. Twice. The closer I draw, the heavier the dagger under my skirt weighs. The maids behind me chatter, but I barely hear the words they say. I try to hide it behind a show of boredom but the fear creeps up my spine and it is all I can do to keep going. It takes an eternity, but I reach the door eventually. “He’s not in,” the guard tells me when I start to open the door. There usually aren’t any, but after this morning, I understand why he has his chambers guarded. My fingers still by the door. Not in? This is when we have dinner. Every night. I didn’t factor his possible absence into my plans. Gods above. “Where is he?”“Throne room. The reports from the prisoners came back. He’s off attending to it and said to tell you to wait for him.”Oh no.
Jessamine“I didn’t do it,” Killian growls for the umpteenth time. His gaze darts to me. “She did. This is her attempt at trying to get rid of me. Tell me what motive I would have to set the freak free. I’d gain nothing from it. I wasn’t even in the castle!”His argument would seem solid enough to Atticus if he wasn’t also accusing me of framing him. Darrock got out last night. Kier didn’t. When I heard the news, I bawled for hours in the bathroom, keeping the water running to drown out the sound. Why didn’t he leave? Because he’s mad at me? He claimed that I destroyed him last night. His eyes were hurt and broken. Why didn’t he just fucking leave?Atticus’s head tilts left. “Where were you last night?”Killian hesitates, his jaw grinding. I ponder on his reluctance to tell Atticus where he’d run off to. The bonfire. His gaze cuts to Raya and his fists clench. “The queen informed me of Raya’s plans to leave. I had to go bring her back.”Raya gives me a look that is equal parts be
JessamineHe’s drunk. I should have known serving him glass after glass would lead here. My hands trapped in his, held above my head, and his body a cage above mine. His long lashes flutter as he breathes in deeply. “Say it again.”The lie comes as easy as breathing. “I’m yours.”His canines gleam as he gives me a smile no one else has seen. “Youknowwhat intriguesme themostaboutyou?” His words tumble out together and it takes only a second to pull them apart as he leans in, his hot breath tickling my nose. “That I can’t tell your lies apart from your truths.”“Now, that is a terrible lie,” I whisper, reaching up to brush my lips against his chin. He shudders, a strangled noise building in his throat. “You like that you never know what I’m thinking. You love the danger I present. It excites you. It is why you keep me close, despite knowing I have a dagger strapped to my thigh, especially made to kill you. You romanticize with death, and death I will be, for you.”His response is a hea
JessamineKier might have been in chains and covered in dirt and blood, but there will never be any man as beautiful as him. He hasn’t noticed me yet, his teeth bared at the guards fighting to put him on his knees. The humans gasp, the smell of their fear filling the room when his bound arms ram into the side of a guard’s head, knocking him out.That earns him a growl from Killian who doesn’t hesitate to draw his sword and ram it into the back of Kier’s head. My mate stumbles, his blood spilling down his torn brown shirt, and he falls on one knee. I start to stand from Atticus’s lap, a growl traveling up my throat, when Atticus breathes against my neck, “Does his discomfort trouble you? You forget that he abandoned you, left you to rot here while he chose them again over you.”Kier would never, but I don’t say that. My mind is whirling in so many directions. How could he surrender? How could he let them…take him? How…my eyes widen when Lloyd walks in next and bows low, to the hip as h
JessamineI’ve been involved in an unhealthy number of ceremonies, and each time, it’s even less eventful. That isn’t to say that our wedding wasn’t a large affair. I’m fairly certain nearly all of Ashbourne was in attendance, all eager to see the werewolf princess with eyes like precious stones. Yes, someone said that as she delivered gifts to me, wishing me a long, happy marriage—a duchess, maybe. If only she knew.The castle couldn’t contain all of the guests and the guards around me were triple the normal size, like Atticus half expected someone to disrupt the ceremony. Someone who I can bet is Kier. Nervous, the entire time, I’d waited, staring at the door, hoping for a commotion that would bring a special redhead to me.But Kier never showed up and the ceremony was sealed. I was the puppet queen of Ashbourne. I was Atticus’s dove, his pet. I was thankful that nothing else was expected of me, other than sitting still and looking pretty. Unlike Kier, Atticus didn’t entertain the
JessamineI get a visitor a few minutes to my…wedding. My gaze lands on Darrock’s and nothing could have held me back. I launch myself at him with whatever little strength I have garnered in the past hour—which is close to nothing and he snatches my wrist before I can impale him with the butterknife I’d stolen from my dinner tray earlier.“Violet, please,” he rasps. “Listen to me—”Reaching up, I slam my head into his. He groans, retreating a step back and I see that I have caused no damage except the ache spreading through my head. I stumble in the bid to attack him again and he steadies me before I can fall. “Take your hands off me—” A firm hand clamps down on my mouth, silencing my scream of outrage before it can escape. “I’m trying to help,” he whispers. “We’re leaving. Now.”I let him see the response to that in my gaze; Over my dead body will I follow him anywhere.Darrock glances over his shoulder and when his eyes return to me, they’re troubled. “I know you have questions, an
Kier“It can’t be breached,” Lloyd explains and a disgruntled sound from the man seated beside me, whose aura rivals against mine greatly seems to set us all over the edge again. “Do not speak in absolutes,” King Hunter murmurs, his grimace turning darker. “He doesn’t have enough of us to guard his foothold. Surely, an army of humans can’t be that lethal.”Lloyd laughs, and it is nothing charming. He’d been the first I’d gone to for help after Randale convinced me that I’d get myself and Jessamine killed if I headed first into Ashbourne without a plan, and it had taken a lot of convincing to get him in here—the council room. “They have weapons and banes that’d render you useless in the twinkle of an eye. If you wish to bring him down, you must do it from within. An outright attack will if anything, help him kill your daughter quicker—and believe me, there is no level of relevance that would prevent him from doing that once he decides he has no use for her.”Pain flickers behind Lloyd