After a shower and some food, I collapsed on Dastien’s bed.
A towel was wrapped around his waist, but as water dripped down his abs, I found it hard to concentrate.
“Let me get dressed.”
I squeezed my eyes shut. We’d have time for us later. Now was not the moment. He opened and shut some drawers. “Dressed,” he said, and I opened my eyes.
You okay? He asked through the bond, and I felt his wave of concern.
The bond is back. I really like being able to do this creepy, silent-talking thing with you.
He leaned down, brushing a kiss against my forehead. “Now, tell me something.”
“What?”
“What did you know about the fight before it started? There was something—and now I feel your guilt through the bond. So, spill.”
I didn’t see what good it would do to spill, but it wasn’t like I could keep secrets anymore. “I dreamed that Mr. Hoel
After a shower and some food, I collapsed on Dastien’s bed.A towel was wrapped around his waist, but as water dripped down his abs, I found it hard to concentrate.“Let me get dressed.”I squeezed my eyes shut. We’d have time for us later. Now was not the moment. He opened and shut some drawers. “Dressed,” he said, and I opened my eyes.You okay? He asked through the bond, and I felt his wave of concern.The bond is back. I really like being able to do this creepy, silent-talking thing with you.He leaned down, brushing a kiss against my forehead. “Now, tell me something.”“What?”“What did you know about the fight before it started? There was something—and now I feel your guilt through the bond. So, spill.”I didn’t see what good it would do to spill, but it wasn’t like I could keep secrets anymore. “I dreamed that Mr. Hoel
Devlin Schaefer, the Duke of Westcliff, wasn’t in a very good mood. He had a headache—not a new occurrence ever since he’d woken up on Calluvia to find the previous two months of his life gone from his memory—but this morning it was particularly aggravating. For one very specific reason.“Your Grace, His Majesty is waiting for you.”Devlin gave a clipped nod before walking toward the king’s office. He paused for a moment, reinforcing the bland, neutral expression on his face, and then entered the room.The king wasn’t alone. Austin Cormack, the palace press officer, was there too. He bowed to Devlin, his gaze lowered.King Stefan regarded Devlin with a deep frown, a hint of displeasure in his scent. “Nephew,” he said coldly.Devlin briefly entertained the thought of calling the king Father. He almost laughed out loud.“Your Majesty,” he said instead, as coldly.&l
Fury studied the table. “Is that for me?” Ellie smiled. “Yes. I swear I’m a good cook. It’s safe to eat.” His dark gaze fixed on her. “That was nice. What is the reason?” “There isn’t one. I just wanted to do something nice for you. I love to cook. They delivered groceries yesterday. I cooked last night but you didn’t show up until late. Tonight you arrived on time.” He studied her closely. “You wish to do something nice for me?” “Yes.” “Why?” “I wanted to do something special for you. You have taken me into your home and you—” Fury moved so suddenly Ellie didn’t have time to react before he grabbed her. Strong arms lifted her into his arms and carried her toward the hallway before she realized where they headed. “Fury?” Alarm jolted through her and she clutched at him. He walked into his bedroom and dropped her onto his bed gently. Ellie gawked at him while he grabbed the front of his shirt, tearing it
Fury studied the table. “Is that for me?”Ellie smiled. “Yes. I swear I’m a good cook. It’s safe to eat.”His dark gaze fixed on her. “That was nice. What is the reason?”“There isn’t one. I just wanted to do something nice for you. I love to cook. They delivered groceries yesterday. I cooked last night but you didn’t show up until late. Tonight you arrived on time.”He studied her closely. “You wish to do something nice for me?”“Yes.”“Why?”“I wanted to do something special for you. You have taken me into your home and you—”Fury moved so suddenly Ellie didn’t have time to react before he grabbed her. Strong arms lifted her into his arms and carried her toward the hallway before she realized where they headed.“Fury?” Alarm jolted through her and she clutched at him.He
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 carpet without causing injury. Ellie grinned. Whatever the cause, for the past three weeks the women had accepted her. They’d allowed her to talk to them, laugh with them, and teach them household education. “Ellie?” Ellie spun to face Breeze with a grin. The tall New Species had
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 carpet without causing injury. Ellie grinned. Whatever the cause, for the past three weeks the women had accepted her. They’d allowed her to talk to them, laugh with them, and teach them household education. “Ellie?” Ellie spun to face Breeze with a grin. The tall New Species had
DO YOU WEEP for the battered, empty heart of the gumiho? You should. Though she has often yearned for love, she has always been denied it.There is a tale that takes place long after the first gumiho had become nothing but myth. And many more had risen to take her place as monsters of the night. Humankind traded stories of their existence like they were fables warning men against temptation. And only a few knew that there lay truth in the terrifying stories.During this time lived the son of a poor scholar, bright and precocious.Along the road to his private tutoring sat a Chinese Scholar tree.All were warned not to stand under the tree at night since the spirits liked to visit it when the moon was high.One night, the boy walked home long after the sun had set. He spotted a figure under the tree and app
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 carpet without causing injury. Ellie grinned. Whatever the cause, for the past three weeks the women had accepted her. They’d allowed her to talk to them, laugh
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