-Arkyn- I could feel Kira’s eyes on me throughout dinner, but I refused to acknowledge it and make things worse. But hearing her calling out for her mate, watching her lose her mind and fight to get to him, just pissed me off. Then my father mentioned Helseth was not her true mate, and shit started going downhill. What the fuck happened today while I was out attending to meetings? It’s fucked up; I know I should have been here for her today, but since uncle Andreas left, he has handed me over the Vega reins in my father’s stead. Duty before pleasure, as he always taught me. I nod at Kira’s words, then gesture for her to follow me as we walk up to her bedroom. She’d feel more comfortable here than in mine, anyway. We walk inside and she closes the door behind her, leaning the back of her head against it. “Adryan isn’t my mate.” Four words shouldn’t hold that much power over me, but those four words spoken by the woman I love have just knocked the wind out of me. “What do you mea
-Kira-I sink to the floor with my hand over my mouth; my heart is beating so fast that I’m struggling to form a coherent thought. He kissed the spot where my mate is supposed to mark me and I felt more than just a simple pull; desire flooded my entire body. One thing is clear…Arkyn just staked his claim on me. All these years I thought my feelings were one-sided, when in fact Arkyn felt the exact same way about me and thought I knew! How did everything change so quickly? From feeling lost and heartbroken to knowing the person I have always been in love with, feels the same?But even if we both feel the same, Arkyn is engaged to be married to another woman; another woman currently staying under his roof. What will become of Jade, or the agreement Alpha Fenriz has with the pack Jade belongs to? This is a lot more complicated than simply admitting our feelings; this could cause a rift between packs.I get to my feet and head over to the bathroom while trying to push these thoughts ou
-Kira-Day three of being at the Vega estate and I am slowly losing my mind. Arkyn left for work yesterday morning and hasn’t been back home, Luka basically lives in the gym, Jade avoids me like the plague and Alpha Fenriz is hardly here.And here I am, coiled up tight with anxiety.I walk out of my bedroom and make my way outside; summer is nearly here and with that comes Arkyn’s birthday and Ascension Ceremony. Or as I like to call it, the day I lose him.I’m in a white flowery summer dress and walking the gardens barefoot when I spot Jade sitting on a stone bench next to a fountain. She sees me and I promptly turn on my heel to get away from her; there’s no way I’m going to force a conversation with someone who clearly doesn’t like me.“Kira, wait!”Okay, so this is new. I literally have to blink a few times before stopping after I hear her call my name. Then I hear the clicking of her heels coming up behind me and hope this isn’t going to be a stand-off for Arkyn's affection. I f
-Arkyn-Nothing. Absolutely nothing.“Well, that was a fucking waste of time!” I growl as we walk into the private jet heading back home. “They’re not even at the Volkov estate!”I know I’ll be returning home to my father’s ‘I told you so’ face and it grates me to admit that this was all for nothing. There’s no trace or scent of the Volkov family; everyone is under the impression that they’ve gone away for a while.“My father did warn us that things were quiet,” Elijah says as he flops down in his seat. “He’s a mercenary, if he can’t find shit, you won’t either.”“Yeah, but Alpha Kai rigged the entrance of the estate so I could enter as well. I didn’t fucking expect the estate to be going as usual and the Volkov mansion to be empty, I thought Adryan would have taken over like he truly wanted to.” I say, still in awe that no one knew their Alpha was in danger.“Even the clubs were still going.”“It makes me nervous as fuck, Eli. Where are they? What’s happened to them?” Elijah shrugs.
-Kira-With my heart literally sitting in my throat, I hold the necklace up to the light and frown. Why did my mother put this at the bottom of my shoe? She was still wearing it at the wedding, wasn’t she? I’ve never seen her without it. She refused to part with it, so why leave this with me?I touch the stone and feel an icy shiver run down my spine; flashes of my face appear in my peripheral… flashes of me crying and screaming while Arkyn carried me out of The Hall of the Five.“What…?” I trail off and look at my mother’s most precious object, glinting as if it’s nothing when this little thing carries more power than anyone, except Marle, is aware of./“Maybe Luna had a vision,”/ Yailyn echoes in my head. /“Maybe she saw what the Helseths were planning and decided to act quietly on her own so she wouldn’t worry anyone.”//“That’s the worst thing she could have done,”/ I groan and pull my legs up toward my chest while holding her necklace close. /“But that sounds like my mother; alwa
-Arkyn-Her scream shatters every resolve I had left, and I nearly feel myself shift as I run toward the back of the mansion. The entire plane ride over, I played out all the worst scenarios in my head - Kira gone, Kira kidnapped, or Kira dead. But my father assured me she was fine - then why the fuck is she screaming?“KIRA!” I cry out, rounding the corner to see her on all fours, along with Luka. At first, I think he’s done something to her, but his deathly pale expression matches hers, as well as the way they’re both clutching their chests.Her head whips towards me, and the second our eyes connect, she lets out a scream that shakes me to my very core. I rush and scoop her into my arms, holding her close even as she continues to scream and thrash out.“I’m here, Blue,” I try to comfort her, rubbing her back in small circles. “Shhh, it’s okay-”“Someone died! The link snapped, Arkyn!” she exclaims and tries to move out of my arms, but I hold her tight against my chest. “He killed th
-Kira-I don’t know why I never thought of this myself. My mother is a goddamn Goddess, I can pray to her! Then again, I’ve never really seen my mother as a Goddess; she was always just my Mamma.Alpha Fenriz asked Arkyn to bring me to his offices in town, so now I’m sitting in the passenger seat of his Bugatti. I think this is the first time we’ve been in each other’s company while level-headed, and to be honest, I am extremely nervous.We’ve never spoken clearly about the kiss and our mutual attraction to each other. I don’t want to bring it up, especially since we have important things to think about now. Whatever happens between us can wait for now.I’m staring out the window on my side when I suddenly feel Arkyn’s hand on mine. He’s still facing the road when I turn my head to look at him, but he has a slightly crooked smile on his face... That smile that I love so much.Damn it, my heart.“Don’t think about it right now; we’ll have all the time in the world to talk about us when
-Kira-Arkyn’s lips are soft on mine, his pierced tongue coaxing me into an even deeper kiss than the one laced with excitement. I still don’t know why I wrapped my arms around his neck and crashed my lips to his, especially after what I’d just come back from. But it just feels so… right.He groans into my mouth and pulls me onto his lap so I’m straddling him, neither of us breaking the kiss or hurrying it along. He tastes like expensive bourbon, his scent driving me wild and leaving my head swimming with want. I can feel the hardness of his cock pressed up against my throbbing core; the dress I put on after my shower does nothing to hide the scent of my arousal. With his hands on my hips, he grinds against me and the delicious friction makes my body tremble and I let out a moan filled with desire just for him. Goddess, I want this man more than I thought I did; I want him to devour me right now.However, Arkyn is the one to pull us both out of the pit of desire. He breaks off the ki
Nox and Reyvenne Priest - 100 Years Epilogue (100 Years old in Vampire Years but they're basically eighteen years old in human years) “Ugh, can you stop popping that gum for fuck’s sake, Rey,” I grumble as my sister’s pop echoes in my ear again and grinding my gears to dust. She looks at me with a grin, then wriggles her eyebrows. “This is my first piece of gum since we left for CFA; just allow me to chew and be happy,” she says and sits back with her arms crossed. It never fails to amaze me at how much she looks like our mother; dark hair, bright blue eyes, an affinity for dark lips and always dressing in dark colours. I’ve had to fuck up a few boys who tried their luck with her, assuming she’s easy to break just because she’s softly spoken. There’s one particular Gorgon I’ve gotten suspended over twice, simply because he wouldn’t fucking leave her alone. My blood still boils at the thought of him and again I wish that I pulled out one of his fucking snakes. We’ll see who’s bloodi
-Elijah- I get out of my SUV and walk into Arkyn’s building where he’s waiting for me. There have been some big developments regarding the recent spate of hunter attacks. Some of the packs under him have been obliterated, while my father nearly missed being assassinated. To say we need that school for our kids is putting it lightly. Carpe Fatum might just save our bloodlines. “Good to see you again, brother,” Arkyn greets me with a handshake and a hug before we sit down. He breathes out a long sigh, then pinches the bridge of his nose between his fingers. “Your mother has been a lot of help throughout all of this, but it seems the hunters have developed new toys after nearly going extinct,” he says, then slides something across the table towards me. It looks like a playing dart; definitely made out of silver and smells like baobab pulp. When I pick it up, it immediately sears the tips of my fingers nearly to the bone. “What the fuck!” “What the fuck indeed,” he says, picking up
-Kaia-I’m going over the paperwork for Carpe Fatum Academy when suddenly I feel an overwhelming need to use the bathroom. I should be used to this by now, hell sometimes I don’t even make it to the bathroom in time. But the moment I stand up, it feels like that plan has gone out the window.The first thing I notice when I look down is how the fluid isn’t clear, but blood red. This should freak me out, right? This isn’t normal, right? Wait, did my water just…“Uhm…” I can feel more fluid sliding down my legs before I decide to let out a blood-curdling scream. Elijah is home as well as our parents and Autumn and Valentine; leave it to all of them to run into my study.“Kaia-!” Elijah trails off when he sees the pool of blood at my feet. He goes pale and almost takes a step backward when our parents rush in. I just had to wear a baby blue dress on my due date. And of course, I forgot it’s my due date too! “Someone please call Autumn up here and let her know Kaia is ready,” Katherine s
-Kaia-Elijah holds my hand as we walk into Autumn’s office for my final check-up, kissing the ring on my left ring finger and smiling. My pregnancy has been normal for a Pureblood, even if I am nothing of the sort. I’ve also finally come into my full demonic powers, well my succubus side anyway.My mother has been helping me control that side of me. It’s so weird what it entails, but it’s so fascinating to learn about something I knew nothing about. Autumn has also been giving me pointers since she has dealt with succubi before.“Why are you always so worried when we walk in here?” Elijah asks me as he opens the door for me. “You know everything will be fine, right?”“It’s a mother thing,” I say, brushing him off. “I’ll always worry.”I never used to get why Alpha Azura faffed over her daughter so much, but now I understand completely. Even if this child gets older than me, I’ll always worry about him or her. I just hope they don’t resent me for being over protective.When I had my f
-Elijah-Out of all the reactions in the world, this one was not what I expected.I watch as Kaia runs out of the restaurant, that wild, uncertain look in her eyes will forever haunt me. Tonight didn’t go as planned; I should have known something was wrong because she’s been acting odd all evening.My father rushes over to me with a look of disbelief and concern. “What happened? Is she okay?” “I don’t know, but I have to find out,” I say and run after her. I hope I’m not too fucking late, I hope I can still fucking fix this. I run out of the place and as soon as I get outside; I spot her standing by my car. She has her arms wrapped around her and I catch the sadness in her scent. Why did I not notice this before? How did I think everything was okay after last night?“Kaia,” I call out her name and watch as her shoulders slump at the sound of my voice. I stride over to her, but she doesn’t turn around, so I wrap my arms around her and kiss her neck gently. “What’s wrong, kitten?”She
-Kaia-How did I let myself get dragged into this? Gods, I may be a woman, but I’m not the type for pamper sessions, manicures, pedicures, or being waited on hand and foot. This is a Kira thing, not a Kaia thing.“Now, are you gonna tell me why you’re pouting?” she asks while we sit having brunch in one of the restaurants Arkyn owns. She shoots me an odd stare and scoffs. “You hate this.”“No!” I exclaim, feeling like a piece of shit. “No, it’s not that. I just…have a lot on my mind, especially after last night.” She leans over and squeezes my hand, offering me a slight smile. “I’m sorry, I thought this would help you forget a little while but it hasn’t helped at all,” she says, making me feel even worse than before.Poor Kira, she’s always trying to make everyone feel better even if her offerings are less than ideal. She’s Luna even outside of the estate.“Thank you, I really appreciate this, you have no idea. I’ve just been caught up in my head today, it’s nothing anyone has done,”
-Kaia-Aunty Cat mentioned my bond to Bjorn would sever over the next few days, I just didn’t expect it to be Elijah who would sever it. How the hell did we get here and how am I supposed to feel about this?“Name it and it’s yours, kitten,”Elijah should not have said that because common sense left my body at those words. I wanted to just take a long bath and go to bed, but now my body might have other things planned. How the hell can I be thinking about sex when Elijah just ripped out Bjorn’s heart?Goddess, does this make me cruel?We’re both quiet as Elijah drives us to one of Arkyn’s hotels because no way am I going back to my house and I still think Elijah shares a place with Avanah. I don’t want to ask.“You still haven’t told me what you want, kitten,” he suddenly says just as we enter the strip. “I told you that you can have anything you want.”“Right now I just want a hot bath to wash this entire day away, not to mention the jetlag and stress of the entire weekend,” I say as
-Elijah-The shock has all but dissipated; now silent fury stood in its place. Someone dared to touch what was mine, for that they will die.I pace the floor of Kaia’s shared home with Bjorn; my arms are in the pockets of my jeans as I try to make sense of this. Arkyn dispatches some of his warriors to look for Kaia and see if they can catch her scent, while we stay here to look for any clues left behind.“How did he get into the estate without anyone knowing? If he was innocent in everything, then he wouldn’t need to sneak in, right?” I say mostly to myself, trying to figure something out.“And why would he take Kaia against her will? From everything she told me, he treated her extremely well, so why resort to this?” I gesture to the blood splatter on the walls. “Why harm his mate?”Arkyn gives me an odd look, then he crosses his arms and sighs. “I think I know why he took her,” he says, looking down at his feet. “Freyja told me something that happened before I arrived in Norway, som
-Kaia-I don’t remember much after Bjorn punched the side of my face, but I recall him throwing me over his shoulder and putting me in the trunk of his car. He hasn't mentioned a word to me the entire time. How did he get onto the estate and where is he taking me?I try to contact Arkyn or Kira over the mind link, but I find I can’t reach them clearly. Then I bang on the inside of the trunk, only for my hands to burn as I punch it. Fucking silver; no wonder I can’t reach them.“Bjorn!” I call out. “Bjorn, I know you’re out there. What are you doing? Why am I in here?!”The car gradually comes to a stop, and I hear him getting out and slamming the car door. If I’m not too far from the estate, then I can still contact Arkyn or Kira over the mind link. But if not and Bjorn is aggressive, then I’ll have a harder time getting out of this.He pops open the trunk and drags me out; I can still smell the dry air of the desert, so I know we’re not far off from the estate. It’s still dark, too,