The alarm buzzed on the nightstand, infiltrating my blessedly dreamless sleep. My eyes fluttered open as the sound filled the guest room. I turned over, pulling the pillow over my ears to block the obsessive buzzing as the soft orange glow of dawn crept through the currents. Irritation rose like a black cloud, tainting everything. I clamped the pillow around my head, wishing for the sound to stop, but with its high-pitched wailing, I knew I’d never get back to sleep. “Good morning,” Cillian said, wiggling the pillow off my head. Even with the alarm silenced, I could still hear it buzzing in my ears. “I suggest we get up if you want to make breakfast,” Cilliansaid. “You know how Bartholomew is when it comes to scheduling, and if we’re not at the breakfast table when he serves it, we’ll be on our own till lunch.” The thought of having breakfast with Cillian’s family wasn’t on my list of priorities today. All I wanted to do was hide under the blanket and nurse the headache banging agai
CILLIAN The soil squished between my toes as I raced through the woods. I wanted to make sure I got to the barracks before AP took off for his patrol. Knowing AP, there was a high probability that he wasn’t even up and around yet. The birds sang overhead, and the sounds of the forest always calmed me. But there was more to it now, as if everything was brighter and so full of life. Of course, it could have been me, and how wonderful it was not to be thinking of the possibility of losing Ciara. With everything so permanent now, I was free to focus my attention on more pressing matters. The huts of the barracks cut through the tree line, and I came to a stop. Sniffing the air, I hunted for one of the bags I had stashed around the place and quickly shifted to dress. The pack seemed in good spirits as I walked to the training arena. Laya grinned at me when she saw me and jumped out of the sparring pit. “Come on, let me see it,” she said, waggling her fingers at me. I stretched out my
Dust gathered on the old books that lined the shelves of the library in the Harkness Manor. So many of the volumes were on the history of the town and Cillian’s family. I’d always known Cillian’s family were the keepers of the past, but I hadn’t realized the magnitude of it. It was in this very room that I’d learned of my own family’s history and why we’d come to Moon Valley. I remembered the legends surrounding the founding families. Legends that turned into myths and ghost stories that humans would tell around campfires and adolescent sleepovers. The stories of skinwalkers and werewolves were the stuff of nightmares for humans. But for me, they were history. Sighing, I stepped back from the bookshelves. My mind raced through thought after thought, trying to figure out how we had come so far, yet everything still seemed so much the same. Even after two hundred years of living in peace and obscurity, humans wanted to eradicate us. I shook my head and turned my back to the books tha
CILLIAN “Thank you,” Colleen said as AP held the door of the precinct open for her. “Anytime, darling,” AP murmured, eyeing Colleen from behind. I nudged my shoulder into him and shook my head. “I’m going to head to the barr—” My lips disappeared into a thin line, and I shook my head as AP caught my warning. “What’s that?” Colleen asked as she stopped at the front desk, eyebrow arched. There was an expected glare in her eyes that I wished wasn’t there. “The bar,” AP answered. “You know, the Golden Goose?” Colleen’s attention shifted off AP and landed back on me. “It was nice to have met you.” “Oh, I’m sure we’ll be seeing more of each other.” AP winked, the corners of his mouth curling up. “Seriously?” Laya scolded. “All day. You know, I have it in my right mind to inform my sister what you’ve been up to.” “Go ahead,” AP said with a shrug. “It’s not like Malia and I are exclusive.” “Since when?” Laya asked as her voice trailed into the parking lot. I glanced at Colleen, but
The files in my hands felt like hot, smoldering coals. I had to get the information to Evelyn. The trek back to the Harkness Manor seemed to take forever on foot, but I didn’t want to ruin the evidence by shifting and having to carry it in my mouth. Sunlight filtered through the canopy, giving the forest a soft golden hue. If I hadn’t been in such a hurry, I would have enjoyed stopping at the river for a swim. It was a nice reprieve from the storms that had come through here. Monsoon season was nearly over. It pained me a bit to think I wouldn’t get a chance to snuggle into Cillian’s chest and listen to the rain with him anytime soon. But it would be one of those things that we’d look forward to and savor the moments when they did come. I exhaled as Harkness Manor came into view. For a fleeting moment, I wondered if Cillian was back, but as I probed my mind for him, I deflated. He wasn’t there. I wanted to tell him everything Holden found out, but I would have to wait. The only per
CILLIAN Ispun my car keys around my finger as the gravel crunched under my feet. Harkness Manor always looked so ostentatious to me with its wrought-iron lattice and wraparound porch. A million people would kill to live here, but the place didn’t fit me. It fit my parents to a T. But for me, it was simply too much. Maybe Ciara’s right. Having a nice place with room to grow wouldn’t be so bad. My mind stretched out to her, and I smiled when I sensed her in the house. I had hoped to have to track her to the hot springs, but as I climbed the steps, I couldn’t help but be grateful she was here when I came home. I pushed through the door and glanced around. The house was quieter than usual. There was a shift in the atmosphere. Bartholomew rushed down the steps to greet me. “Master Cillian,” Bartholomew said with a nod of his head. “I’ve come to inform you that your parents have left for a few days.” “Not surprising,” I said. “Where’d they head off to?” “Arizona, sir,” he said before
“Later,” I said. It took every ounce of my strength to pull away from Cillian’s kiss. His lips were so alluring and inviting. If I could, I would keep kissing him until I died. “What’s the matter?” he asked as he nibbled on my neck. “My parents are out of town—we practically have the place to ourselves.” “I want to, I do,” I said as Cillian slipped his finger under my bra strap and slid it down my arm. “What’s stopping you?” he whispered as his teeth grazed my earlobe. His kiss was intoxicating and so delectable. My body tingled from my head to my toes. Cillian pulled me closer to him as if he could will our bodies to merge right then and there. I lost myself in his kiss, all my thoughts and cares sinking like stones at my feet. Cillian grabbed me by the thigh and drew my leg to his hips. I stumbled back as he corralled me to the wall. Pinning my hand over my head, Cillian stared at me. The lust enhanced the golden flakes in his eyes. I yearned for him. Cillian slipped his free
CILLIAN My eyes fluttered open as I struggled to breathe. There was a great deal of pressure on my chest, and I thought I saw a metallic shimmer around my view. My heart stopped, and panic slammed into me, clouding my senses. The nightmare I had endured when I thought Ciara had been taken flashed through my mind, stealing every ounce of my reasoning. “Mmm,” Ciara’s low murmur startled me as my eyes adjusted. The metallic shimmer vanished and was replaced by the golden halo of dawn. I pulled in a ragged breath as I realized the only person pinning me down was Ciara. Her arm was draped over my chest and shoulder as she used me as a pillow. I chuckled. The woman took over the entire bed. I was surprised she hadn’t pushed me to the floor. Thirsty, I glanced to the left for the water bottle on the nightstand and sighed. It was torture to see it so far out of my reach yet so close. I tried lifting Ciara off me a bit so I could gain a few more inches. She didn’t budge. If I tried for the