(Quinn's POV)The door to my room opens, and I don’t have to look to know who it is. “Why aren’t you ready? I told you we have to go,” Kai booms. I don’t reply. There is no point arguing with him. All it will get me is another black eye. I roll on my side and stare at the magnolia wall. Maybe if I just lie here, he will go away and before he comes back, I will find my way out of there.“Get changed,” Kai demands, his tone daring me to defy him. He wants nothing more than to punish me again. “You can either get dressed in here, with me watching, or you can use the bathroom, but either way, you will put on the dress I gave you.”There is no way that this pervert is going to see any more of my body than he can right now. There is something about him that is even creepier than a regular vampire, and even the thought of him seeing me in my underwear makes bile rise in my throat. He won't leave until I get changed, so I have a choice to make. I can either put the dress on in front of him or
(Quinn's POV) As I reach the back of the car, I feel a sharp prick near my neck. I turn around and see Kai putting a syringe in his pocket. I cannot believe that he has injected me with something. Why not just hit me in the head again like he did last time? This feels different from when they first captured me. There must be a reason he chose to do it this way. The fact he had it on him makes me believe he had planned this all along. Whatever he has given me works fast, as I feel woozy already. Almost like being drunk, but a lot stronger. “This wolfsbane should keep you under control,” Kai laughs, just before I pass out again. When I wake up, I am still in the car, and I do not know how long we had been travelling for. I can’t see the driver through the blacked out screen that separates him from me, and when I look out the window, I can’t see anything because it is so dark. The limo is moving fast, and I assume we are on the motorway, which feels strange because it is busy, but I
(Salvatore's POV)Ever since I heard the news that one of my brother’s minions had captured a wolf in the city, I have been on edge. The chances of this being a different shifter from the one who has captivated me for weeks is slim. My brothers are desperate to play with their toy, unaware that I want to claim her as mine. I cannot let them find out my intentions for the wolf. I need to stay guarded until I can be sure she is the person I have been searching for, the one who can bring meaning to my empty existence.Thankfully, all of my brothers are currently away from our home. Dante is out building his army, and the others are out running our empire. Even though the country is in a semi state of lockdown, business for us and criminals like us is booming, and that means they are busier than ever. We may be immortal beings, but we still need money, and more than most people, because unlike mortal beings, we do not have a single lifetime. Over the centuries, our taste has become expens
(Quinn's POV) As my eyes flutter open, I am brought away from the serenity of my dream and into the reality of pain. Every bone in my body aches. As I pull my hand to my head to brush my hair away from my face, my fingers feel something cold and metallic around my neck. They fucking put a collar on me? I try to pull it off, and I am instantly hit with a jolt of electricity that courses through my body. I fall onto my back, my body shakes uncontrollably, and it feels like I have been hit by a Taser. I don’t know how long I am unable to move for, but when I eventually stop shaking, every muscle in my body aches, like I have had a hard session at the gym. I pull myself towards the wall and move into a sitting position, while I wait for the effects of the collar to fully wear off. As I look at my surroundings, I can’t help but feel deflated. The cold, hard floor and steel bars of the cell remind me of my old cage in the laundry room of the university halls. Unlike the old times, thou
(Quinn's POV)I have spent the past few days trying to adjust to my new life, but no matter how hard I try, I despise what I am becoming. The seven treat me like something they have stepped in. I am an inconvenience to some of them, and a punch bag for the rest. There is nothing I can seem to get right, and they took pleasure in making me learn from my so-called mistake. The only one that treats me differently is Salvatore, and he just ignores me. I can walk straight past him, without him noticing me. I feel invisible in his presence, and I hate it bothers me.Today is my worst day yet. When I am cleaning up blood from the floor, Dante kicks my dirty bucket over. He has quickly become the worst of my captors. I’m not sure why he is so mean to me, not that he needs a reason. It appears that he is trying to assert himself as the sole leader, but maybe that is just in my mind, because I am so used to pack mentality.As soon as I open my mouth, I know I should have stayed silent, and not
(Salvatore's POV) In the shadowy confines of the office, the weight of Quinn being here, and the eclipse, weighs heavily on my mind. Ever since my encounter with the shifter, and my admission that we share a connection, a burning desire has coursed through me, urging me to seek more moments alone with the wolf. To do this without repercussions from my brother, I would need to speak with Dante, and convince him of my intentions to interrogate her, in the hope of gaining an insight into the wolves' knowledge about the perpetual twilight. In order to speak with my brother, I would need to go to the casino. He is there almost twenty-four hours a day of late. As I approach the gambling lounge, the stench of blood mixed with alcohol invades my nostrils. I spot Dante sitting in the corner of the room, watching the room, alone. Taking the opportunity, I walk over to him. “Dante, I need to speak with you in private,” I state, my voice low, but my tone conveys a sense of urgency. He shoots
(Quinn's POV) The air in the mansion is heavy with secrets. Every floorboard inside the old building holds a story of a time long ago. It’s been hours since my conversation with Salvatore, but his words weigh heavy on my mind. Trusting a vampire seems like another one of my stupid ideas, and I have been making a lot of them recently. It’s like I enjoy playing stupid games with my life, but I don’t. I’m helpless and, as the saying goes, desperate times call for desperate measures. There is nothing more miserable than a lone wolf an outcast from the pack. Or at least that was what I thought until I was captured by a shifter’s mortal enemy... A clan of vampires. With the other members of the Seven preoccupied with whatever has been keeping them away from the living quarters, it feels like I can breathe a little easier. Despite the weight of the collar, that is still wrapped around my neck. The absence of their evil presence makes me feel like some of the darkness that has been weighing
(Salvatore's POV)We have been inside my study for hours. Having someone else in here with me feels strange. The fact that it is Quinn brings me a little comfort. I just hope the others don’t come home and realise she is not in her room. As we look at the text, Quinn’s concentration is commendable. She moves a stray hair away from her face, and frowns at the intricate drawings in the book. Every part of her face shows her determination. Her fingers trace something on the page, and she turns to me. “Salvatore, what is this?” she asks. I glance at her book. “I’m not sure, but I don’t think it relates to the perpetual twilight,” I reply. “Well, I’m sure I have seen it before. I just can’t remember where,” she frowns. “It’s not just a random mark, it’s a symbol of some sort.”I study the intricate lines, tracing the curves with my fingers. “You’re right, Quinn. There’s something precise about the design that’s more than just random lines.”Quinn gasps, “This could be the breakthrough we
(Quinn’s POV)We get dressed quickly. The air in the library is freezing against my clammy skin. Salvatore watches me as I put on my jeans. I check my pocket to make sure that Arion’s relic is still tucked safely inside. When I feel the small, solid pendant, I let out a sigh of relief. We are going to have to be more careful now that it is in our possession. It’s so tiny that it will be easy to lose, and although what just happened between us made me feel amazing, tossing my jeans on the floor with the relic in the pocket was kind of reckless. As Salvatore and I leave the mine shaft, I feel like everything is finally falling into place at last. We have something that will help us use the obsidian veil. Although we don’t know exactly how it works, I have faith that the relic changes everything. As we make our way through the dense forest, we try to be as quiet as possible. I move with caution. Every step I take is calculated. My heart pounds in my chest and adrenaline courses through
~*~Warning the following chapter contains a sexually explicit scene. ~*~(Salvatore’s POV) We follow the path around the village until we reach an old abandoned mine shaft. It’s the most random place for a library I have ever seen, but the supernatural said it was here and I have to believe him. We venture inside the tunnel that runs into the cave, following the old cart tracks that run underground.Wherever this secret library is inside the maze of tunnels, the tracks will lead us to it. As we move deeper into the tunnels and further underground, the air is heavy with the scent of dirt and dampness. How anyone could have spent their lives working underground in such harsh conditions, I do not know. It is difficult enough for me to breathe easily in here, so I can only imagine how hard it must be for a human. We walk in silence, focusing on trying to find the hidden library. I use my vampiric sight to scan the area, looking for anything out of place, and then I see it.“Over there
(Quinn's POV)As the final particles of the supernatural fade out of sight, I am left standing open-mouthed. I have no idea what the gift is that she gave us, where she went, or how she knew about our encounter with Arion. Then again, nothing in this place has been straightforward. Actually, it’s like the entire universe has gone crazy since the eclipse. Hopefully, when we find the obsidian veil, things will return to normal when the sun is back. “Come on, let’s head deeper into the forest to see what we can find,” Salvatore says. “Alright,” I reply, but I am not sure if I want to explore anymore with all the strange things we have found so far. We move further away from where we met Arion, and I hope we are on the right path. The relic he said we needed to use the veil is the most important thing right now. There are way too many things that we have to do, and it’s best to focus on one thing at a time. I’ve come a long way from my mission to bring back the sun. I knew it would be
~*~Warning the following chapter contains a sexually explicit scene. ~*~(Salvatore’s POV) The icy chill of the air surrounds us as we stand at the edge of the secluded forest. I lock eyes with my Quinn, her piercing blue eyes seem to glow in the strange light emanating from the trees and plants inside the clearing. It is a stark contrast to the darkness that has sucked the life out of us. Quinn is determined to complete our mission, but as she looks out into the unknown, there is a vulnerability there, buried beneath her fierce exterior. We move deeper into the forest in search of the being who is allegedly causing problems for the other supernaturals who call this place home. There is something about this place that feels different. It is almost like the air around us pulsates with an energy of its own. The whole area, in fact, seems to have its own heartbeat. We don’t even know what this creature we are hunting looks like, which could cause problems if we run into more than one
(Quinn’s POV)Even though it’s dark everywhere, somehow it seems to engulf us as we follow the path further into the dense forest. It isn’t easy to do, even with my shifter eyesight, because the path isn’t straight. It weaves through the trees, over ancient roots, and fallen branches that are thicker than my thighs. I’m glad that Salvatore is by my side. I can lean on him when it is too difficult for me to navigate. Ever since the eclipse, my senses have become more heightened in the darkness, making every rustle and whisper of the wind feel like a threat.“Are you sure this is the right way?” I ask, as we pass by a large tree that looks exactly like one we walked by five minutes ago. Even though I’m panicking, I try to keep calm despite feeling like we are lost in the middle of nowhere. I’m half expecting something to jump out on us any second. Salvatore looks at me, his eyes glow, even in our black surroundings, he presses his lips tightly together so they form a thin line as he tri
~*~Warning the following chapter contains a sexually explicit scene.~*~(Salvatore’s POV)As we sit amongst the trees, a sense of hope washes over me. There was never any doubt in my mind that we can do anything together. But with the odds stacked against us, it seems at times an impossible task. When we walked away from the first trial unscathed, I felt a sense of accomplishment. Our strange encounter with Arion, and his words of belief, makes me feel a little lighter. I can’t help but feel like the universe has given us a push in the right direction. Maybe we aren’t as alone in this as we thought. I glance over at Quinn and she appears to have a similar belief. The fierceness that has been engraved in her aura since my brothers captured her seems softer, and there is a glimmer of optimism.I turn to Quinn, “We should get moving. We still have to find the relic.” She stands up, and we move deeper into the dense forest. As we walk, I am on high alert, looking for any sign of the nex
(Salvatore’s POV)The loud clash of power echoes through the glen like thunder. Quinn stands by my side, ready to fight with every inch of her being. Her presence is like a beacon fuelling my strength. Together, we will do whatever it takes to get to the mysterious relic, that is supposed to be the key to unlocking the obsidian veil. The grotesque figure looms before us. Its size makes it a formidable adversary, but we won’t back down. We have faced so much the past few weeks and we have overcome every single one of them, even when they seemed impossible. This fight is no different. I look over to Quinn and see a fire in her eyes that mirrors my own. In this moment, she is more than a powerful shifter. She is the woman I love. She is a warrior and a force to be reckoned with. Her strength fuels my own, pushing me forward.We launch at the figure, and it moves with agility that contradicts its size. It takes all of our strength just to keep it away. I watch closely as it moves, lookin
(Quinn’s POV)We move deeper into the glen, guided by Arion’s prophecy. The air inside the ravine is filled with magic and mystery. The powerful energy I felt at the glowing rocks grows stronger with every step we take.“Quinn, look,” Salvatore says, pointing towards a clearing along the overgrown path.I squint, and notice what looks like the crumbling remains of an immense structure that seems to have been hidden from the rest of the world.“We should go check it out,” I suggest, and Salvatore nods. I’m on high alert as we carefully manoeuvre through the dense trees. Not only are we stepping into sacred ground, but I’m also on high alert. Arion said the relic was heavily guarded, and I have to be ready for anything. As we enter the clearing, I’m amazed at how beautiful the ruins are. Ivy covers the once magnificent walls. Between the vines, there are several intricate carvings poking through, and the images seem to depict some sort of great battle.“This could be where the relic is
(Quinn’s POV)As we leave the cabin, the chill of the early morning air nips at my skin. Today’s plan is to head deeper into the forest so that we can make our way to Wales undetected. The sky is a canvas of muted greys, blues and purples that should give way to the warm hues of dawn, but since the eclipse happened, we haven’t seen the sun. It feels like a lifetime ago, but it’s only been a few weeks. My heart sinks at the thought of this never ending night being a permanent thing. As much as we have been trying to stop it, it feels like we keep hitting dead ends. We stick to the dusty track, following a bend in its path, until we reach a secluded glade that seems to appear out of nowhere from deep within the shadows. As we get closer, I can feel a shift in the air. Someone has cloaked this place in ancient magical. That has created a mystical aura that sends a shiver down my spine. It’s as if time stands still inside here. Even the trees seem to whisper secrets, and I’m strangely dr