SorenThe relief when we finally get going is immense. I saw King Arlo and his Beta scrambling to swop out guards and I know exactly why. I’m not an idiot, I’ve noticed the way many of his pack members glare at me suspiciously.Given a choice, this is the last place in the world I’d choose to be. As luck would have it, the only place I intend to be is by Cerelia’s side and she’s determined to help them. She should help them, I just wish she could do it from the safety of our pack house, surrounded by my own men.King Arlo made it very clear that none of them are to come here, especially not Damon. Given his history with Hilda, I get that. And the presence of my own army would stretch the already thin tolerance of his people to breaking point.I’m not here to make trouble. I want to make amends, protect my Luna and then go home. Maybe start a family. Cerelia would be an incredible mother. She’s different since she found her magic. More ambitious and assertive. I still love her just the
HildaWe’re traveling at an easy pace, more focused on stealth than speed, in hopes that Maelor and his companions don’t know we’re coming for them. The thought that by tomorrow this could all be over is exhilarating. I want my honeymoon period with Arlo. Uninterrupted and without any concerns that pull us out of each other’s arms.It’s good to see Cerelia and Soren bonding. He’s different with her than he was with me. Much gentler. Of course I was an incredible brat who was always courting trouble, but it’s more than that. I don’t know if it’s possible for the magic of the mating bond to make mistakes. It shouldn’t be. Yet, as content and in love as we were once, we’re both far better matched and happier now.Soren and I loved one another deeply, but I don’t think we were ever truly, madly, deeply in love. We would have been at peace together if I was never wounded and left comatose. I prefer what I have now, which is ecstatic bliss. I’m sure Soren would agree with that sentiment.Af
Hilda We push forward and the fog disappears as suddenly as it came. The relief at being able to see barely sets in when an arrow comes flying out of nowhere, straight into Arlo’s chest. Blood immediately starts pouring from the wound, dripping in thick splotches to the ground, forming a puddle in seconds.No! No, Arlo, don’t you dare die on me, hang on. Take some of my life essence. We’ll get you out of here and to a healer, I tell him, desperately attempting to share my animus with him. It should be possible, but no matter how hard I push, nothing happens.He sways on his feet, then falls heavily to his side, sending up a flurry of leaves as his large body hits the forest floor. I’m howling in agony, calling the others to us, but they’re nowhere to be seen. It’s just me and Arlo in the half-light of the forest and his eyes are starting to dim.I can’t. This can’t be happening to me again. I won’t survive this loss. Please Arlo, I beg again, but his eyes are wide open and blank. He’
HildaI’m not sure how close we are to Maelor and the other mages. Cerelia assured us they were all in the same area and I suspect it’s taking their combined power to send the illusions. If he was able to do this over a substantial distance, he would have tried to stop us earlier, or lure me to him when I was alone.The thought terrifies me. If Arlo hadn’t been here to stop me, I’d have run straight back into whatever trap Maelor had waiting. More proof that Arlo and I are stronger together. Hopefully strong enough to defeat a cabal of mages.I wonder whether Maelor figured out yet how I got away from him. The wards must have warned him that we’re on our way, but I’m sure he knew that we’d be coming for him sooner or later. Leaving them to continue plotting would be foolish and I trust he knows Arlo is no fool.We have to continue, Arlo says. Even if we can’t get to them, we have to give Cerelia and the others a fighting chance at freeing the women. He’s right. I have to ignore the tr
CereliaSoren’s true to his word, he doesn’t leave my side for a second and I’m very grateful. I know the others here have their doubts about me. I’m finding it difficult enough to reconcile being a mage and a werewolf, how can I expect them to simply accept it?The pull to the source of power is still strong and Soren and I take the lead, with Percy flanking my other side. “You’re sure we’re still on the right path?” he asks carefully as we’re struggling through a thicket of underbrush.Soren tenses next to me, ready to defend my honor from this perceived slight. “Yes, I can feel them and this is the most direct route, if not exactly the easiest to travel.” Percy smiles at me comfortingly, “As long as we find them, that’s all that matters.”“It would be easier if we could just travel as wolves, but my powers don’t seem to work when I change,” I continue apologetically. “That doesn’t matter,” Soren interjects forcefully. “You’re the only one who can find the women, you’re not inconven
Soren POVPercy turns around to call for torches and to warn his soldiers. “We don’t know what’s lying in wait down there, keep your eyes and ears wide open and use the mind link if you notice anything that may warrant further inspection. You can rather be the wolf who cries danger when there’s nothing, than ignore a possible threat.”Most of the squad are still in wolf form, with only a handful changing human again to carry torches. We have excellent night vision, but it’s impossible to see in pitch darkness and there’s obviously no natural source of light underground.The steps are narrow and high, leaving me wondering what kind of creature they’d originally been made for. Undoubtedly something with very long legs. It’s not exactly a comfortable climb and the darkness seems to be doing its best to swallow our light.When we finally reach level ground, I’m sure we’ve descended at least 2000 feet. The air is freezing cold and musty, but the worst thing down here are the faint whispers
Hilda POVThis place is creepy as hell. Being lost down here on your own would be a nightmare. We catch up to Soren and Cerelia, who seem to be unable to stop smiling at each other. We obviously missed a special moment between the two. I’m in no position to judge where they find joy in each other, considering Arlo and I didn’t make it out of the caves without ripping each other’s clothes off.“We only got four of them and Maelor got away,” I tell them, briefly filling them in on what had happened to us. Cerelia looks at me wide-eyed, “I should have stayed with you. What if Arlo hadn’t been able to catch you in time?”“He did, so we’re not going to fret about what ifs. This was more important anyway. Percy let us know how difficult it was to find the entrance and if Maelor and the others decide to chase after us, I’d rather we have a head start on saving these women’s lives.”Cerelia smiles at me and it’s the first time there’s no hesitation in her eyes. I can’t explain why it means so
CereliaI imagine this is what being a tick feels like. Instead of blood, I’m a skin sac bloated with magic, right on the edge of bursting at the seams. Soren, Hilda, King Arlo and Percy are working on the pillar, handing the tatters of material they’re tearing loose to the soldiers waiting below.It’s taking a while, but lives are at stake and everyone’s being extra careful. The pods are very slowly getting closer to the ground around the perimeter of the chamber and I’m looking forward to the moment when I can release the power I’m hoarding.The relief of letting go is profound and I watch in relief as the magic races back to where it came from. The power is more than the weakened structure can contain and everyone scatters when it crumbles to dust, sending molecules of magic draining into the earthen floor.“It’s like walking on a carpet made exclusively from static electricity,” Hilda says, grinning at the way everyone’s hair is standing up and floating around their heads. I hope
ArloShe wants to breed with me. In spite of Tara and her doom prophesying, Hilda still wants me to fertilize her eggs with my sperm and see if her belly will swell with our child. I can already picture it. How ripe and lovely she would look. How unbearably protective I’ll be of her. I want it so much. To raise a family with her. To have as many offspring as I can manage to put inside her.But not if it means flipping a coin and the other side is her life. “I can’t lose you,” I tell her huskily, my throat swollen with emotion. “You won’t,” she says with more certainty than she has any right to feel. “I’m yours, Arlo. Death can’t have me, I belong to one man only.”She’s so bloody infuriatingly stubborn. “Yet you refuse to listen to that man,” I argue back. “Belong as in give myself freely to, not as in a slave,” she tells me patiently. “You know I have the strength to do this. I need you to believe in me.”“That’s not fair, Hilda. This has nothing to do with me doubting how tough you
HildaCerelia reads the entry aloud so Arlo and Soren are also brought up to speed.“5th Night of the Harvest Moon.The veil grows thin with the turning of the seasons, and again, I feel the weight of my duty. The Veilbreaker rests as it has for generations, untouched beneath the watchful gaze of the whispering stones. There, where the moonlight spills unbroken upon the earth, it lies within the roots of the lone ash, its heart wrapped in silver-threaded cloth. Only the blood of our line may stir it from slumber, and only in dire need shall it waken.I have walked the glade many times, counting the standing sentinels, tracing the ancient runes chiseled by hands long gone. The wind carries their whispers still, and in their counsel, I am reminded: the Veilbreaker does not serve lightly. It unravels the falsehoods spun by magic, sundering illusions and piercing deception. Yet, such power demands balance. That which is revealed cannot be unseen, and the bearer must be strong enough to wi
Hilda I’d love to stay right here and roll around on the floor with my king, but we have to get this done. It feels less weird being in Soren’s cabin with my true mate than I could ever have imagined, but it’s still a bit strange.“See, just like a puppy, no self-control,” I keep baiting Arlo, loving the way he bristles in mock annoyance. “Now get up, we have to…Ohhhh,” I moan shakily when he starts lightly rocking his incredible hard-on against me. One hand is already slithering under my shirt and reaching for my nipple, tweaking it through my bra.“You’re right,” he admits huskily, “When it comes to you I don’t have any self-control.” He’s pushing my shirt up, groaning hungrily when my breasts are exposed. “Do you want me to stop?” he asks, tonguing my flesh through the flimsy fabric of my bra, those polished amber eyes glowing up at me, before closing his teeth around my nipple and suckling on the tip.A jolt of desire lights up my entire body. “Never,” I whisper tremulously, bury
Arlo“I’m just dying to know what those plans were, Damon,” I say silkily. Feeling great satisfaction when he flinches away in fear. I can smell his agitation and it makes me want to attack so badly. He’s weaker than I am and he’s a threat to my mate, I should eliminate him right here and now. It would be over in a second.Unfortunately I promised Hilda I wouldn’t. She got impatient with how long Soren and Cerelia were taking and convinced me that time was of the essence and I had to control my inner beast for the sake of everyone’s lives. I’m not sure at this moment if it’s worth it.Hilda wraps both her hands around one of mine. “Save your energy for a real challenge, baby. He’s nothing but a distraction.” Damon wants to snarl at her, but his survival instinct seems to override his bad judgment and he settles for pretending not to have heard Hilda.I have to stop thinking about him putting his hands on her or I’m going to lose it. “Soren, is it okay if Arlo and I go to your cottage
DamonI don’t know what the hell is going on here, but I definitely don’t like it. They’ve infected my sister with magic and turned her into one of those harpies who think they should act like one of the boys. I won’t turn my back on her. We’ll find a way to get her back to normal.“What happened to you?” I ask in a low voice, trying to pull her away from Soren. “Did he have you enchanted in some way? Don’t worry, we’ll find a way to fix…whatever this is,” I say, gesturing at the glowing orb.“Damon, please, there’s no time,” Cerelia begs, her big blue eyes staring up at me. I’ve never been able to resist that pleading look.After my mother died, my dad kind of disappeared from our lives too. There was always food in the house, but someone had to prepare it. I was 10 and Cerelia 3 when I made her a sandwich and a cup of milk for the first time and she looked at me like I hung the moon.Nothing else in the world has ever come close to the way I felt that day. Like a hero. Someone to be
CereliaThe closer we get to our pack house, the more out of control my nerves get. Damon is unpredictable at the best of times and I don’t know what his reaction will be to seeing Hilda and King Arlo.He accepted Soren as my mate only because he knew the mating bond had snapped into place and he didn’t want to hurt me by denying me close proximity to my mate. Our pack members believed he was also tired of the constant losses caused by the war with Soren’s pack, but Damon likes war.I love my brother. He looked out for me all our lives and protected me like I’m some fragile treasure. My father wasn’t around much after my mother died, as though being at home with his children was some kind of terrible burden. Damon stepped into the void left by my parents, loving and caring for me all through my childhood.I adored him growing up and it was only at around 16 or so that I became aware that our relationship wasn’t completely normal. He didn’t like other boys looking at me and the way he
Hilda“I get where you’re coming from, but waiting here will waste time. I don’t know where the glade is, but my family belonged to the same pack for many generations. In all likelihood it’ll be on those lands.” I tell Arlo softly.“Hilda, you were pierced with several arrows and just about dead when I found you. Not to mention that you were skin and bones. Clearly too weak to be running or fighting. That asshole used you for sport.”“I know, but he drove me straight to you, so there’s a silver lining,” I say with a smile, trying to dispel his brooding expression. “I would have found you even if you were on the opposite side of the world,” he growls. “I definitely didn’t need him to try and kill you so I could find you.”“Baby, I love that you’re protective and furious about what he did. If our roles were reversed, I’d feel exactly the same way, but this is more important than that. I’m still alive and happier than anybody has any right to be. We’ll ask Soren to make sure he stays hid
HildaI go to find Cerelia first. I’m pretty sure there’s no lingering resentment or jealousy about my and Soren’s past, but just in case it upsets her to know I still have stuff in Soren’s attic, I’d like to give her advance warning to deal with it.“Hilda, that’s incredible! We have to go and look through your stuff immediately,” she says excitedly, nearly vibrating with elation. “Combined with what I’ve just learned, I think we’ll have an edge Maelor will never see coming!”I’m cautiously optimistic that the artifact will help, but there are no guarantees we’ll even find it. I also don’t want to deflate Cerelia’s optimism with my doubts.“So you have more control now?” I ask with a smile. Perhaps her power alone will be enough to beat back Maelor now that her latent powers are being unleashed. Cerelia smacks her forehead, “I haven’t told you!” she practically crows with delight.“Told me what?” I’m becoming a little concerned that there may be too much magic flowing through her vei
Hilda I’ve been uncomfortable in Tara’s presence since the day we met and she blew a hole in my near-perfect life, but I’m glad Cerelia came to me to accompany her to the small cottage we’d allocated to Tara.“I just need a second pair of eyes to help me make sure she’s not lying,” Cerelia explains. Clutching the piece of obsidian in her hand like it’s tethering her to the world.“Very wise and I’m happy to lend you my deception detection capabilities,” I tell her grandiloquently. She’s apologized twice for bothering me and since nothing else seems to convince her, I’ll tease her instead. Cerelia grins at me, “Okay, fine, I get it,” she retorts.Tara looks surprised to see us and I have to suppress the urge to ask whether she didn’t see us coming. Despite my best efforts, I can’t quite keep myself from resenting her. I do my damnedest to hide it though.After a few quick pleasantries to make sure she’s settling in well, I turn the conversation over to Cerelia.Tara’s eyes grow wide w