Stop embarrassing me.” Carl hissed the words, glancing around to make sure he couldn’t be overheard by anyone except his target. “My father said you’re surly. It reflects badly on him. I just got my ass chewed out. Keep smiling and nod, Vanni. He also said you were rude to a journalist.”
“Did you hear what he preached up there?” She was angry too. “I agreed to put on this long skirt because your father has a problem with women wearing pants. I didn’t say I’d talk with reporters and repeat the hatred he spews.”
“You’re not supposed to talk at all. I know he’s old school but he is my father. We’re here to represent him.”
“Old school? I’d use way harsher words for what he is. No, I only came because I thought we were having a romantic weekend at a nice hotel. Instead, I discover you’re sharing a suite with your father and I’m stuck rooming with hi
That just made Jihoon more determined to get a reaction out of her. “One of my favorite champions is Ahri.” Jihoon chuckled. “If you played, you’d get the joke.” He leaned in and said in a stage whisper, “She’s a gumiho.”Miyoung glared at him. Jihoon grinned. She continued to glower, unmoved by his best weapon. His smile wavered. “Do you really not do anything for fun? Sports? Knitting? Ancient tea ceremonies?”“I don’t do things for fun,” she said.“Why?”“Why do you care?”Jihoon shrugged. “Because it looks like you could use a friend.”“I don’t need friends,” Miyoung muttered.“Everyone needs friends,” Jihoon countered, despite the frown Miyoung gave h
Justice North sat behind his desk while Tiger and Fury had taken seats perched on the sides of the massive piece of furniture. Joy swallowed, waiting for the last person to arrive. Dr. Treadmont finally showed up for the meeting Joy had asked for. He closed the door behind him.“What did you wish to speak about?”“Moon believes he is at site four.”Silence greeted that statement until Dr. Treadmont asked a question.“What the hell is that?”“There were remote sites we were relocated to after we were freed from Mercile,” Fury answered. “We were hidden from the press and given time to assimilate into life outside of Mercile.”“They were motels,” Tiger added. “Out in bum-fuck nowhere that the government was easily able to buy or gain access to because they were abandoned. They sent in
EPILOGUETHE FOREST WAS dark despite the full moon. The branches now held so much foliage that it created a barrier between the earth and sky. The moonlight no longer hurt her, but still, Miyoung was grateful for the protection.She’d avoided the woods after losing her mother. But she’d missed her safe haven. The memories this place held were both comfort and pain. And now, as she picked her way over twisting roots and through reaching branches, she breathed in deeply. The scent of dirt and wood calmed her nerves.She loosened her grip on the flowers she carried. She didn’t want to break their delicate stems. Was it useless to bring such a token? Yena had hated flowers; she said they made a mess when they died. But her mother couldn’t voice her disapproval of such a gift. Not anymore.Miyoung swiped at he
There was a beast in their basement.Jules Blake had learned about it completely by accident. He had been looking for his kitten Sheba, and after fruitlessly searching the entire house, Jules had decided to check out the basement no one ever used. His hopes hadn’t been high—the basement was so cold, dark, and damp that even his not-very-bright kitten should have been smarter than to go there—but when Jules got downstairs, he was surprised to find security guards at the door. Armed security guards.There were suspicious noises coming from behind the door. Growls? Had someone just screamed? The guards’ eyes were wary and troubled, their hands close to their holsters. It was beyond strange, considering that the basement door was massive. Nothing should be able to break through that door. Why were the guards so twitchy, then?“What’s going on?” Jules asked, taking a step closer.The guards blocked his way.&ldq
Jules spent the next few days jumping at every little sound, scared that Uncle Wayne had found out about his visit to the basement. What if they noticed that someone had used a blood stancher on the Xeus? Jules could only hope they’d think it was the Xeus’s superior healing at work.But as three days passed without any trouble, Jules relaxed—enough to start considering going back.He knew it was crazy. It was a miracle he hadn’t gotten caught last time. He shouldn’t tempt fate again.But he had promised. Not to mention his own curiosity wouldn’t let him forget about the Xeus. Who was he? Why was he locked up in their basement? What did his uncle want with him?Okay, research time. He needed to research it. Or rather, he needed Eric to research it for him. Jules wasn’t the smart Blake brother, after all. He liked to think he was fairly intelligent, but he wasn’t embarrassed to admit that his bab
Jules was angry and embarrassed enough to push the Xeus to the back of his mind for a few days.But on the third day his curiosity—and his conscience—finally outweighed his other feelings and he decided to check out the files he’d copied to the flash drive.Two hours later, Jules closed the files, feeling a little sick to his stomach. And a little scared, if he were honest.The files were a log apparently maintained by a Dr. Umberto Navarra: his observations of the experiments done on the Xeus. The log was absolutely disgusting in its lack of compassion. Dr. Navarra treated the Xeus like a thing, dispassionately describing the drugs and toxic chemicals used on him and the effect they had on the “subject.”If Jules understood the log correctly, the doctor’s main goal was to reverse the kerosvarin’s work and give the feral Xeus his rationality back. Judging by the Xeus’s newfound ability to speak, the experime
They decided to turn the plan into action the very same evening. Liam was having doubts, but Jules convinced him that they should do it while their uncle wasn’t home. They might not get another chance like this anytime soon.So Jules huddled in the cupboard near the basement, waiting for Liam to do his part.He didn’t have to wait long.Soon enough, there were Liam’s panicked shouts and then the sounds of people in heavy boots running past the cupboard.Then everything went quiet.His heart pounding, Jules got out of the cupboard and quickly headed to the basement. He had no idea how much time he had: probably ten minutes, if he was lucky. It should be enough. It had to be. Hopefully the guards wouldn’t think to check on their prisoner—they rarely seemed to—so Jules hoped they wouldn’t find out that the Xeus was missing until the morning. And hopefully no one would notice that Jules was missing, too.
Jules returned home feeling far more downbeat and exhausted than the situation probably called for. It didn’t help that he had to spend half an hour deleting the flight logs from the aircar’s internal memory and applying a scent neutralizer all over it to eliminate even the barest hint of the Xeus’s scent. Although his uncle didn’t have the aircar keys, Jules didn’t want to leave anything to chance. He wanted his Xeus to get to relative safety, wherever that was. If there was a safe place for a feral Xeus.“None of your business,” Jules muttered, but the anxiety under his skin didn’t disappear.The house was mercifully quiet, but instead of calming him down, it only made him more anxious. It felt like the silence before the storm.After erasing his fingerprints from his uncle’s keys and putting them back, Jules returned to his room. He climbed into his bed and closed his eyes, willing himself to fall asleep.
EPILOGUETHE FOREST WAS dark despite the full moon. The branches now held so much foliage that it created a barrier between the earth and sky. The moonlight no longer hurt her, but still, Miyoung was grateful for the protection.She’d avoided the woods after losing her mother. But she’d missed her safe haven. The memories this place held were both comfort and pain. And now, as she picked her way over twisting roots and through reaching branches, she breathed in deeply. The scent of dirt and wood calmed her nerves.She loosened her grip on the flowers she carried. She didn’t want to break their delicate stems. Was it useless to bring such a token? Yena had hated flowers; she said they made a mess when they died. But her mother couldn’t voice her disapproval of such a gift. Not anymore.Miyoung swiped at he
Justice North sat behind his desk while Tiger and Fury had taken seats perched on the sides of the massive piece of furniture. Joy swallowed, waiting for the last person to arrive. Dr. Treadmont finally showed up for the meeting Joy had asked for. He closed the door behind him.“What did you wish to speak about?”“Moon believes he is at site four.”Silence greeted that statement until Dr. Treadmont asked a question.“What the hell is that?”“There were remote sites we were relocated to after we were freed from Mercile,” Fury answered. “We were hidden from the press and given time to assimilate into life outside of Mercile.”“They were motels,” Tiger added. “Out in bum-fuck nowhere that the government was easily able to buy or gain access to because they were abandoned. They sent in
That just made Jihoon more determined to get a reaction out of her. “One of my favorite champions is Ahri.” Jihoon chuckled. “If you played, you’d get the joke.” He leaned in and said in a stage whisper, “She’s a gumiho.”Miyoung glared at him. Jihoon grinned. She continued to glower, unmoved by his best weapon. His smile wavered. “Do you really not do anything for fun? Sports? Knitting? Ancient tea ceremonies?”“I don’t do things for fun,” she said.“Why?”“Why do you care?”Jihoon shrugged. “Because it looks like you could use a friend.”“I don’t need friends,” Miyoung muttered.“Everyone needs friends,” Jihoon countered, despite the frown Miyoung gave h
Stop embarrassing me.” Carl hissed the words, glancing around to make sure he couldn’t be overheard by anyone except his target. “My father said you’re surly. It reflects badly on him. I just got my ass chewed out. Keep smiling and nod, Vanni. He also said you were rude to a journalist.”“Did you hear what he preached up there?” She was angry too. “I agreed to put on this long skirt because your father has a problem with women wearing pants. I didn’t say I’d talk with reporters and repeat the hatred he spews.”“You’re not supposed to talk at all. I know he’s old school but he is my father. We’re here to represent him.”“Old school? I’d use way harsher words for what he is. No, I only came because I thought we were having a romantic weekend at a nice hotel. Instead, I discover you’re sharing a suite with your father and I’m stuck rooming with hi
# Upstate New York, 2018Wolves who drink smell like Baileys and kibble.It doesn’t matter that Ronan’s poison is a 7 and 7 and chimichangas at the casino over at Hogansburg, there’s something about our livers that still makes him smell like Baileys and kibble.He lies slumped partly on his stomach, partly on his side at the edge of the Clearing, the broad expanse of spongy grass and drowned trees that is what remains of an old beaver pond that fell into disrepair when the Pack ate the beavers one lean year. New beavers have established a new pond nearby. Eventually we will eat those too.And so it goes.The Clearing is used for ceremonies and rituals because it is open and accommodates larger numbers. Usually the Pack prefers the cool, muffled, fragrant darkness of the forest, treating the Clearing like an anxious Catholic treats the church. We shuffle in on major celebrations and otherwis
She licked her lips. “I believe you love me.” She stared down at his lap. “I said on the way here that I want to do things to you. Please stand up?”Blood rushed to his groin to make his dick painfully taut. He didn’t care anymore if it was a test. It seemed a win to him either way if she wanted his hips level with her face. He almost tripped on his way up, forgetting he hadn’t lost the pants entirely yet. He pushed them down and kicked them out of the way. His focus fixed on Joy when she reached out to brush the pad of her thumb over the crown of his dick.Her tongue wet her lips again and he knew what she was going to do. Her hot breath fanning across the tip of his dick forced him to clench his teeth. She deserved a mate who could control the sounds he wanted to make as she made one of his deepest fantasies come true.The first lick of her hot, soft tongue forced him to lock his knees. One of her hands braced on the curve of his
Darkness growled. “That’s it?” Almost-black eyes glared at Moon. “How did you leave? I’ve spent the past ninety minutes reviewing the camera footage along the walls and at both gates. You were not caught on any of them.”“Easy,” Fury warned. “We’ll get to that“If he could get out, someone could sneak in the same way,” Darkness protested. “We could be breached at any moment. My team needs to know how he did it“I exited from the hidden gate we recently constructed. I knew cameras hadn’t been installed there yet.” Moon took a deep breath. “It’s not True’s fault. He’s new and I’m higher ranking. I told him I was going on patrol on my motorcycle and used my authority, believing he wouldn’t question it if I lied by stating it was something I occasionally do.” He closed his mouth, not admit
Ellie laughed. “Come on, Monarch. You can totally do this.”Monarch, a blonde-haired woman just under six feet tall, examined the vacuum with disgust. “It’s too loud and I’m afraid it’s going to suck up my toes.”Ellie lifted her hand to cover her mouth, trying to hide her amusement. “We all think that. Trust me. I promise you, though, if you point it away from you, that won’t happen. You’ve mastered the washing machine and your cooking skills with a microwave are wonderful. You can handle this beast.”Monarch sighed. “Fine, but it hurts my ears.”Destiny, a black-haired woman, cheered her on. Monarch flipped on the vacuum and pushed it around the living room
front of the convenience store. The chill of the late-fall night made his cheeks red, and he wanted something hot to drink.To say his halmeoni was upset would be an understatement. But she’d needed to run the restaurant, so it had fallen to Jihoon to retrieve the scooter from the mechanic. The errand gave him a short reprieve from her wrath.Jihoon lingered at the case that warmed individual cans of coffee, his thoughts on things other than the toasty drinks inside. Turning toward the cold drinks, he caught a glimpse of movement outside.Like a vision called forth by force of will, Miyoung sat at one of the plastic tables. Her head hung low so her hair covered her face.Jihoon walked out and settled into the chair across from Mi