*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,
*Gwen’s POV*Darick inhaled deeply. He took a moment to reply—and even though it was a fraction of a second, the hesitancy worried me."Are you sure?" he finally asked. I interlocked my fingers with his, more for my own reassurance than his. "Yes, I'm not afraid. I want to, Darick. I'm ready to give myself to you. All of me." "It may hurt. You may even pass out," he noted with a hint of seriousness in his eyes. "I'm not afraid," I repeated.Darick observed me for a little while longer before walking to his closet. I watched him as he shuffled through clothes and other items. He grabbed what looked like lingerie and then shut the closet door.“Do you know what this fully means?” he asked me. It seemed like he was giving me another chance to back out, but I wasn’t going to. I was determined on my decision.“Yes,” I replied. “Well, somewhat. Isabella briefly told me.”Darick nodded. "The ‘kiss’ is a special ritual. It's an act of ecstatic an
*Gwen’s POV*That night, after returning downstairs to help Amber tend to the others and get them to their respective bedrooms, we crashed. We were both exhausted—me, from giving so much blood, and Darick, from battle.When I woke the next day, I saw Darick already awake, staring at me. "Good morning, beautiful." He leaned forward and kissed my forehead. I smiled scooting closer to him.“Good morning,” I replied.Darick pushed a strand of hair behind my ear. "You slept so peacefully last night." "I slept peacefully because I was in your arms," I said, resting my hand on his chest. Darick looked at the clock on the bedside table and sighed. "I can't stay long, but there are some things I need to share with you before I go into my meeting with Amber." "Okay…" I climbed on top of him, and he swaddled the covers over me, hemming me in."Vampires…we’re particular creatures. We like to keep the knowledge of our politics to ourselves. Few
*Gwen’s POV*"Gwen… I-I don't know what to say. I'm so sorry this is happening to you. What can I do to help," Isabella said, grabbing my hand.I gazed at the wall, lost in a trance. Was this situation of me being held hostage by vampires and falling in love with one real? Was I stuck in a nightmare? Vampires aren't real. None of this is real. I wanted someone to pinch me and wake me up. But it never came."Gwen, are you okay? Please say something." Isabella waved her hand in front of my trying to gain my attention. "Please tell me I'm dreaming,” was all I could say. “Please tell me this is just all a bad nightmare, and I'm going to wake up any minute now." My bottom lip trembled as tears streamed down my cheek. "I'm so sorry, Gwen. I wish this were all a bad dream." She wrapped her around me, and my face plunged into her chest. "What can I do?" Isabella said softly as she rubbed my back. I lifted my head and grabbed the picture of Che
*Darick’s POV*I stormed into my office and began tearing through papers and books. I needed to formulate a plan of some sort—one that would help save this Chelsea woman, and also protect Gwen. To be honest, after what she said to me, I didn’t know why I was still helping her.But I was.I growled. Situations like this are why I don't get into relationships. I knew the minute I started having feelings for Gwen, her life was going to be in danger. Love was a weakness, and arsenal for your enemies. It was even worse as a vampire.Edward once told me love would be the death of vampires. We aren't made for love, only lust. We are demonized and shunned—we'll never be accepted. I should have listened to Edward. But here I was, searching the room for answers to help someone who had already turned her back on me.To top it all off, I’d be getting a summons from the Elders soon regarding the last fight. Too many issues had gotten out of my control under my leadership. Ther