*Gwen’s POV*Upon seeing the news, Isabella had invited me to her room after Darick's outburst. I was glad Darick had calmed down. I'd seen him mad before, but never in the manner he was when Viktor showed him the news about the dead college girls. I was almost scared to be around him after he punched a hole into the wall. I wanted to know his plans, but I wasn't sure if he would tell me. "Gwen? Gwen, are you okay? You look as if you're lost in your thoughts." Isabella’s voice broke my internal dialogue, bringing me back to reality.I sighed. "I'm okay. I'm just worried about Darick. I’ve never seen him so mad." Isabella patted my shoulder gently. "Darick has worked hard to make sure the vampires don't draw attention to themselves. It's a good sign that right now, most people don't believe in vampires and will only see this as a sick cult ritual." Just then, a knock on the door interrupted our conversation. "Come in, Viktor!" Isabella shout
*Gwen’s POV*I rolled over and yawned, basking in the glow of another morning waking up in Darick's bed. I was starting to feel like I could get used to this. I yawned and rubbed my eyes, then reached over only to feel the cool pillow beside me. My eyes slowly opened, noticing his side was empty.Where was he?I pulled the covers back and climbed out of bed. I checked the bathroom, but he wasn't there. Maybe he was cooking breakfast for me again. The thought of pancakes again made my stomach growl in response. I grabbed my clothes and set them on the bed.'Maybe he'll be back by the time I get out of the shower,' I thought to myself as I grabbed my toothbrush.There was a lot I wanted to talk with him about, especially after last night. I needed to know what he was thinking before we take anything further.First, the standard questions came. What did this mean for us? Were there feelings on his part? Were we a couple or just friends with benefits?Then, more pointed questions
*Darick’s POV*I shouldn't have been so cold and callous to Gwen. She didn't deserve to be treated like a one-night stand. However, ending whatever we had was for the best. I would never be able to give myself to her entirely, and despite my heart telling me there was a way, I knew deep down there wasn’t. Not one that we’d both benefit from. I couldn’t leave my men without a responsible leader. Kindred and vampires worldwide depended on me to take back the territory that belonged to the Blood Brothers for thousands of years. I should have never let my guard down. Having sex with Gwen was a distraction. Ever since she arrived, I’d barely made any moves—any plans. Hell, Amon had entered our home, and I hadn’t even made a move. Who the hell was I lately?My plans to take back our territory started to fall apart from the day she broke into my home, and I knew it. Why did she have to break into my fucking house?And to make matters worse, why did I even put that blood oath on her i
*Gwen’s POV*'I have to do something to keep my mind off Darick,' I thought to myself as I tossed and turned in the bed. I had only slept in the bed with Darick for a few nights, but waking up in a different room was weird. I had grown accustomed to being in Darick's room and having him by my side. I pushed the covers off and walked to the bathroom. Oh, God. I looked like I had transformed from Goldy Locks to Goldy Monster as I stared at my reflection in the mirror. Dark circles encamped around my eyes, and I had bags big enough to fill sacks of water. But despite it all, I had no motivation to enhance my appearance. Maybe if I looked ugly enough, it would keep Darick away. I never wanted to see him again. Sadly, I had to accept the reality that not seeing him, however, wasn’t even an option. Maybe we could live in the same house and avoid each other. I knew couples who lived together but in separate areas of the house, and I was used to maneuvering l
*Darick’s POV*Last night was the first night I laid in my bed without Gwen, and it drove me crazy. Not just because I wanted the warmth of her body close to mine, but because I was also responsible for watching over her. I crept down the hallway and peeked into her room several times throughout the night to make sure she was safe, despite my better judgment. I replayed the argument between Gwen and I in my mind. I wished I could take back every hurtful word I had spoken to her. I tried rehearsing multiple apologies, but none of them made sense. And none of them would matter—I couldn’t be with her.But I wondered…if we had to be in the same house, we should at least be on good terms.Maybe I could get her some flowers, but I wasn’t sure if she was the flower type. For a second, I considered asking Isabella what to get her to help smooth this over, but I didn't want to drag her into this. I didn't know what to do for Gwen as I had never been in this situation before
*Darick’s POV*"All right, let's go over who will be doing what. Martin, you and Wendall will go after Claudia,” I instructed, looking around the table."Got it, boss,” they said in unison with a sharp nod."Viktor and I will go after Amon. Remember, if we take him down, we have to kill him.""And the rest of his crew,” Viktor added.I nodded. "We'll hold and extract as much information as possible from them and then kill them.""What if they want to join us?” Wendall asked."That's not a decision I can make. It has to go through the elders,” I said. "Amber, remember, you're on standby and our lookout."Amber nodded and handed each of us a walkie-talkie.Wendall inhaled deeply. "I've been waiting for this day for months now.""Don't be so quick to run to death, boy,” said Martin with a stern expression."I'm not afraid of death. I'm not afraid of anything.""Spoken like a newbie," Viktor teased.I never told Wendall about
*Gwen’s POV*I awoke to a loud scream that sent shivers down my spine. I could hear shouting and commotion downstairs. My heartbeat hammered in my ears. I ran to the door and rested my head against it. 'What was going on down there?' I thought to myself. I cracked the door open to see if I could hear better. The screams were getting louder, and I could no longer contain my curiosity. I raced down the steps and stumbled upon a scene that looked like a horror movie. Blood covered the floor and coated the air with a metallic taste. Darick and his men were groaning in agony. Martin was trying to keep blood from gushing out of Wendall's stomach, but the blood was seeping through his hands. Isabella sobbed as she held Viktor's bleeding head. Fear gripped me as I stood frozen, staring at the blood bath scene before me. "I'm starting to see stars…" Wendall stated with a rough cough.And then not a second later, a scream rattled through Wendall's lips. Darick l
*Darick’s POV*I grunted, resting my hand on my lower back. From head to toe, every bone in my body felt like it was on fire. A searing pain erupted at the back of my head, and pain tore through me like shattered glass with every step. As bad as the pain was, nothing bothered me more than my own pride.I had almost got my men killed. I HAD gotten men killed…all because I wasn’t on my game. All because I was distracted. All because Amon got the upper hand. The look of despair on their faces would haunt me for many nights to come. I could still see Amon grabbing Blade's body from the van as we drove away. The question of whether or not he was still alive plagued me. Knowing Amon, it could go either way. I had never left a man behind, and I wasn't going to start now. I was already plotting a way to free him and prayed Amon hadn't killed him. It was the worst battle I had ever lost. I tried to wrap my mind around what went wrong, but it hurt to think about it,