CereliaThere’s no other way to describe me and Soren than loved-up. We’re worse than teenagers feeling the first flush of love and quite possibly randier too. For days we haven’t been able to keep our hands off each other and leaving him to attend to other duties feels like being punished.We never had this when we first met and realized we were mated. Soren’s heart was still heavy with the loss of Hilda, made worse by the guilt he carried. She sacrificed her life for his and he felt ashamed for moving on with his life so soon.I was too timid to fully open myself to our sexual relations, always feeling like I was his second choice. Inferior to his first mate in every way. Not to mention that I’d been brought up to believe that a lady acted demurely in the bedroom. Always aiming to please, but never to demand. How wrong they’d been. Soren seems to adore it when I’m demanding.We loved each other, but we never had the opportunity to fall in love. Our time apart is quite possibly the m
Hilda“I am a mage,” she admits freely when I approach her. “My name is Tara and I was an apprentice to Maelor. He promised my mother he’d teach me how to control my magic. At first he did just that, but after a few months he asked me to join the meetings he had with others who practice magic.”Cerelia is frowning at the young woman, distrust written all over her face. I’m not sure what to make of Tara yet and I have to give her an opportunity to explain. Mage or not, she was in a pod, connected to the others, her life force being drained.“Continue please,” I say as mildly as I can, surreptitiously elbowing Cerelia in the side lightly. She refuses to take the hint, her eyes like chips of ice. Tara glances at her and swallows nervously before starting to speak again.“I was so excited to meet others like me. In my village nobody else could practice magic and I was always shunned. People fear what they don’t understand.”“Are you human?” I ask in consternation and she nods. “I know you
Hilda The words are impossible to comprehend. I love Arlo, how could I possibly affect his reign in a negative way? The whole not being able to have children with him thing is bad enough, but what she seems to be saying is that I’ll cause bad things to happen by merely being with him.“What do you mean?” I ask urgently, resisting the temptation to shake Tara by her shoulders. “What’s going to happen? I need to know!” But the young woman is staring at me wide-eyed, blinking in confusion.“I’m sorry, I don’t know what happened. Did I say something?” she asks in confusion. Her eyes are back to normal, but her skin is pale and clammy. “Yes, as a matter of fact you did. You tried to break up the King and his soon-to-be Luna. Which coincidentally is exactly what the cabal wants. Now you’re pretending to remember nothing, while you spouted answers like a broken water main a minute ago,” Cerelia snaps angrily.Tara looks like she’s going to burst any tears at any moment. “I understand that y
Hilda“I don’t fucking care what she said!” Arlo thunders, his hands gripping my shoulders tightly. “Hilda, you are my life. We can’t have children, so be it. I’ve told you before that as long as I have you my life is complete. If the pack is stupid enough to turn against you, fuck them too. I don’t need to be king, I do need you.”He doesn’t seem to find my offer to leave to be helpful. It may be selfish, but I can’t deny how happy I am about that. He doesn’t give me an opportunity to say anything else, crushing his lips to mine in a bruising kiss.“Don’t you ever dare offer to leave me again,” he growls when we pull apart, biting my neck hard enough to leave a mark. “Tonight I’ll be showing you just how much that displeases me.” Shivers of anticipation run down my spine. “You’re mine forever,” he adds, tilting my chin back so he can stare down into my eyes.“I’m yours,” I agree. He growls again when I say the words, his hands twisted into my hair painfully. “Yes. And I’m yours, neve
CereliaFighting does not come as naturally to me as magic does. Watching Hilda spin, duck, punch, sweep and stab in one fluid, incredibly fast, motion is humbling to say the least. When she does it, it looks like dancing. My attempts are more like someone rolling down the hill and repeatedly attempting to get up, only to topple over again.“It’s hopeless,” I finally pant, when I fail to block her punch for the umpteenth time. “It’s not hopeless, this is only your first lesson!” Hilda chides. I would love to find a handy barrel of ice cold water to dunk my head in. Sweat is pouring off me.“I’m sure that you didn’t suck this badly on your first day,” I tell her with grave certainty. Hilda shrugs, “I was barely more than a toddler when my parents started training me and I’m sure I wasn’t exactly an imposing figure. It takes a very long time and far more training than you’ll need to become a warrior. You just need to be able to move on instinct and defend yourself if necessary.”“And yo
SorenI shouldn’t be surprised to find Hilda sitting by the water. She always gravitated to streams and rivers when she was upset.“Mind if I join you?” I break into her reverie. She looks up and smiles and I’m glad to see the strain that’s been present for the past weeks is no longer present. Cerelia told me about their chat, before insisting I use my magical hands on her, after which we did less talking and more fooling around.“Of course not. Where’s Cerelia?” I’m not very happy about my mate’s whereabouts and I know Hilda made the suggestion, so I try to hide my uneasiness when I respond. “She’s gone to talk to Tara. She wants to find out if she knows more magic than Cerelia does. She was with Maelor for longer if her story is true.”Hilda looks at me sympathetically. “I’m sorry. I know how worried you have to be, but Cerelia’s chomping at the bit to advance her studies. At least we’re all here to keep an eye on them.” I shrug, “I know you were only trying to help and it’s the mos
ArloIt’s well past sundown when I get home and I find Hilda sitting in the dark and staring out the window, with a cup of coffee forgotten in front of her. I wanted to get back to her earlier, but I kept being waylaid by one responsibility or another.“Arlo,” she says with a smile when she realizes I’m there. Her eyes look bruised and tired and I just know she’s kept gnawing at the so-called prophecy like a dog with a bone.“Whatever it is you’re about to say, the answer’s no,” I forestall her, pulling out the chair opposite her and sitting down. “We’ve discussed this, there’s nothing more to say. I love you. I won’t give you up. It’s a moot point.”One side of her mouth tilts up slightly, “As simple as that?” she asks. “Hilda, it is as simple as that. I won’t allow you to leave me. If you go, I’m going with you. And Tara is full of shit, I don’t believe she had a real vision!”Hilda sighs softly. “I have a confession to make,” she tells me, picking up her mug and blowing on it befor
CereliaI’m not sure why I allowed Hilda to talk me into this. Her arguments all seemed to make sense at the time, now I’m not so sure. Yes, Tara could probably help me advance my magical abilities. And I’ll be able to get a better sense of whether she’s up to something if I spend more time with her.It grates having to ask a favor from someone I don’t trust and I’m not sure how to even start the conversation. She’s sitting up in bed and looks at me calmly while I approach her.“I’ve been expecting you,” she tells me. “I can help you, if you’re willing to allow it. You don’t have to trust me in order to learn from me.” I bristle at her presumptuousness, even if she is right.“I hope you don’t think this proves anything about your ability to see the future,” I inform her in a low voice. “It’s not exactly a great deductive leap to make. I still think you’re faking and upsetting Hilda for no reason.”Tara looks crestfallen at my words. If she’s only half as good at practicing magic as sh
AshRedgrave is sprawled across her settee, twirling a glass of whisky in one hand, watching me with that gleam in her eye. The one that says she thinks we’re sharing secrets, building a future, falling deeper into whatever twisted version of love she believes this is.I play my part. “There’s something you need to do,” I say, leaning forward. My voice is low, serious enough to catch her attention without sounding like I’m issuing orders. I’m not that careless. She likes to be consulted, not commanded.“Oh?” she purrs, raising a brow, clearly expecting me to suggest something erotic.“Malcolm will ask you to sign over the money to him soon. He’ll tell you he needs it in order to finalize the logistics. But what it really is, is the last step before he makes his move.”She frowns, sitting up straighter. “What move?” I meet her gaze. “He plans to kill you.” There’s a beat of silence, then she laughs. “Please. Malcolm doesn’t have the spine.”“He doesn’t need spine,” I say softly. “He has
HildaThe water in the creek is cold enough to make me gasp when I slip beneath the surface, but I don’t mind. It’s clean and fresh and I like the way it wakes my skin up. Besides, I’ve got a six-foot-five personal furnace about to follow me in.“You’re making that face,” Arlo says from the edge of the creek, voice low and amused. “What face?”“The smug one. The I know I look like a goddess in the moonlight face.” I swim backward a few strokes and lift my chin, hair slicked back, droplets sliding down my shoulders. “The only reason I believe that is because you keep telling me I do, so it’s all your fault.”He grins wolfishly, slow and appreciative, and steps into the water. It only takes him two strides to reach me. I get a full, brazen look at everything before the water hits his waist, and it’s a very enjoyable view.“You always get smug when you’re naked,” he murmurs, closing the space between us. “You say that like it’s a bad thing.”“It’s not.” His hands find my hips beneath the
AshThe moment we’re back in Isadora’s bedroom I close the door behind us and she presses her body against mine.She’s still wearing that flimsy excuse for a nightgown. Blood-red silk barely clinging to her hips, one shoulder falling in a way that’s clearly meant to look accidental. She reaches for my chest, fingertips tracing the edge of a fading bruise, but I step back.“Darling,” she purrs, tilting her head. “Surely you’re not in a rush to leave this room? I thought we could—”“I think we’re running out of time,” I cut in, sharper than I intended. Her pout falters. “We’ve only just been reunited. You don’t want to celebrate?”I force a smile, trying not to let my frustration show. “Believe me, I’d like nothing more than to lie in bed and let you distract me. But something tells me the wolves aren’t going to sit around and wait for us to finish indulging our passions.”She sighs and stalks to the chaise lounge, throwing herself down with the flair of a silent film star. “You’re righ
AshTara won’t look at me. It must sicken her to see me in such a dishevelled state with Isadora. I tried to convince her we should bathe and get dressed first, but I suspect she wants Tara to know what we’ve been up to.I’ve never had any trouble sexually pleasing my partners. I’m an inventive, attentive and insatiable lover under normal circumstances. Last night was the first time since becoming human that I had to close my eyes and pretend.I imagined Tara was the one in bed with me. The one I kissed. The one who sucked my cock with such exuberance. The one I fucked until she was exhausted and passed out in my arms.I didn’t offer Isadora pleasure with my tongue this time. Exceptionally talented as I am at cunnilingus, I know she was hoping I would. I haven’t had the pleasure of tasting Tara, but I know she would burst on my tongue like some exotic fruit. Intoxicating my senses. I couldn’t suckle Isadora’s clit and keep lying to myself about who I was with.“Tell me how to break th
TaraI feel violated and ill when I wake up the following morning. Ash certainly doesn’t have human stamina, based on the information gleaned from the books I’ve read. Human males apparently require a period of recovery between one bout of mating and the next.“Thank you for the books,” I tell the serving girl when she brings my breakfast. She glances at the bedside table and her eyes briefly meet mine before darting to the floor again. “That one’s good, but the other one is better,” she says quietly.So these aren’t from Redgrave at all. “I’ll make sure to hide them when I have visitors,” I promise her quietly. She lowers her head, “I don’t think she’ll know. She doesn’t pay much attention to the house. You can just say you found them in a drawer.”“My name is Tara,” I tell her gently. She looks at me again with a faint smile, “I know. The mistress cursed your name repeatedly when you took Sir Ash from her before.” Right. I wonder how Redgrave believes I managed that. It’s all to t
TaraAsh seems to have accelerated healing abilities like we do. He told me he’s never been sick and he doesn’t think he ages, but he has no idea if that’s pure luck or if he’s not as human as he seems.The black eye took a bit longer to heal than the lacerations from the whipping, but it was still much faster than a human would have mended.I wish I could see him. Just for a minute. Just to be sure he’s in the same shape physically that I am. Logically I know he has to be, but I need to see with my own eyes that he’s fine. Or at least as fine as it’s possible to be while pretending to be enchanted by a completely delusional woman.If Isadora Redgrave hadn’t shown up when she did, I know exactly what would have happened to me next in that cage and I despise having to feel grateful to her, but I can’t deny that I am. I’d rather be beaten for hours on end than sexually violated by Malcolm.I know the only reason I’m being kept in this beautiful room and fed like royalty is because
RedgraveAs much as I despise Tara, seeing her spread-eagled, bloody and whimpering in pain doesn’t bring me any pleasure. I’m not a cat, who needs to play with my food before I deal the final blow.“Do you no longer need her to get you across the border?” I ask with a raised brow. Malcolm frowns as though the question makes no sense. “I do. She’s not dead,” he responds sullenly.“I gather she attacked you?” His jaw clenches, “What are you getting at, Isadora?” he asks irritably. “I’m trying to understand why you’re torturing her. What’s the point?”“She came here to spy on us before. My men only caught her this time because she was chasing down your precious Ash. She may have important information that could impact the mission,” he informs me dryly. Like I’m a silly child asking stupid questions. I wonder whether he knows that the thin layer of ice that he’s standing on has already started to crack.“Have you asked her?” I enquire. I can hear his teeth grinding together before he
MalcolmEither I was incredibly unlucky with the first werewolf I captured, or this one is very weak for some reason. Maybe because she’s linked to the human.I need to know whether most of them are more like Arlo, or like her. It’s going to make a huge difference in the size of the force I need. Arlo bent steel bars and wouldn’t go down until he was peppered with tranquillizer darts.I wouldn’t have stepped into Arlo’s cage for all the money in the world. Not even when he’d just been knocked out. This little female is completely different. One shot puts her down and she hasn’t attempted to shift once.Maybe I don’t even need to keep putting up with Redgrave. I’ve acquired an arsenal of weapons because Arlo refused to bloody die. Something tells me if I shoot this one in the head, she’ll expire immediately.As tempted as I am to test out my theory, I need her to get me into the werewolves’ territory. Her screams are like the most beautiful symphony. Ringing out loudly with each e
TaraArlo’s advice definitely helped. I’ve been drifting in and out of consciousness from the one dart that hit me, but I never fully went under. I’m abruptly pulled from my dreamy state when pain explodes in my head and my left eye starts throbbing.Ash. What are they doing to him? I want to hurl myself at the bars of the cage surrounding me and demand that they set him free, but we have to maintain our cover.“What the hell are you yipping about?” one of the guards stationed around my prison asks. I hadn’t realized I was making small sounds of distress.Based on the sheer volume of armed guards surrounding me, it’s clear King Arlo gave them a lot of trouble. Pride swells in my chest. He truly is a worthy leader for our pack.“Did she just hit herself?” one of the others asked, gaping at what must be significant bruising around my eye.“Crazy bitch,” the first guy mutters. “I’ve been watching her, she didn’t do it to herself. Her head rocked back and then the bruise was there.