"YOU FUCKED UP," Vorenus said, tossing the man into the small, dark room and slamming the door behind him."Vorenus, please," The vampire rushed forward and banged against the door. "Please."Vorenus looked at the man. He knew him. His name was Jack and it was Vorenus who changed him."Please-" Jack begged again, his voice cracked. He had a crazed look in his eyes.Vorenus stared coldly, without showing any emotions. "You brought this upon yourself. Vladimir is unforgiving.""I didn't bring any of this on myself!" Jack yelled. "I never asked for any of this. You brought this on me."Vorenus growled. "You didn't think so when you were feeling powerful. When you were enjoying the perks of being a vampire... you didn't blame me for that." His eyes flashed dark red.Jack whimpered and shrunk away from the door."You brought this on yourself and your family," Vorenus snarled. "Every member of your family, including the extended ones, is going to die." He turned away. "Knowing Vladimir, he
ANNIE KYLIN CHESTERI CLASPED LORNA'S hand in mine tightly."YOU should be in the school," she said softly. "I would not want you to miss out on the event they were hosting in your honor."I scoffed. "The event was not IN my honor," I said. "I happen to stumble on it." I rubbed her hand gently. "But I do think we should go back to the kingdom," I said, looking around. We were in the middle of the woods, underneath a thick blanket of creeping plants. Lorna had conjured up a spark of fire to keep the logs burning so we were warm. Slightly."This place is peaceful," she said, staring intently into the dancing flames.I admitted that it was peaceful. Surrounded by nature... and night insects. I slapped one away from crawling up my leg.After staring in silence at the flame, Lorna gave a slight chuckle. "If we had been organized as we had been centuries ago, something like this could never happen." She said."You don't know that," I said softly. I did not want her to go down that self-guil
MITCH CHESTERMITCH SAW THE blood drained from Anna's face. His well-tuned ears picked up the sped-up beating of her heart. She was going into shock.He looked at Lorna. Her last sentence, too, was a shock. It was something he had never expected."Your-" Draco croaked. He cleared his throat and said, "Your g-grandmother?""I am as surprised as you, Beta," Lorna said softly. Her eyes never left Anna's face. "It was all fate. Everything was pre-planned.""What are you talking about?" Mitch asked, shaking his head to clear the cobwebs. This was no longer his conversation. Lorna had taken over."You," Lorna said. She looked at Anna. "The witch blood in you pulled you here. To us. To me." She cocked her head. "You are the reincarnation of her.""Wha-" Draco scoffed. "Lorna, all these -""You even bear her name..." Lorna said, ignoring Draco. "Anna... Annika... they are the same.""I. Am. Not. A. Witch," Anna said tightly, pulling her hand away from Lorna's grip. "I've never been. You are a
ANNA KYLIN CHESTER"BEAUTIFUL NIGHT, INDEED," my wolf, Ava, scoffed at me as I made my way through the woods.After all these years. In my late twenties, and I am suddenly being told that I am a witch? Or worse, the reincarnation of the creator of vampires.I chuffed under my breath. Surely, if it was true what they said, I would have known or seen some signs over the years, but I did not see anything.Was it even possible to be a witch and Werewolf at the same time? I wondered. That would make me... a hybrid. A hybrid?My foot caught the edge of a low branch and I almost stumbled into a shrub, catching myself just in time before I fell headfirst. A clumsy hybrid, I chuckled as I tried to get my directional bearings correct. I turned around. I could see the faint warm glow of the fire in the canopy. I didn't know if they had all followed me out, surely Draco would. He was the Beta, and he took his duties very seriously.I sighed, seeing my breath frost up in the air. I wrapped my ar
MITCH CHESTERHE REMAINED WITH Lorna inside the canopy of plants while Draco hurried after Anna. They exchanged glances over the fire."You are supposed to be with her now," Lorna said, throwing some dry sticks into the fire and watching them burn. "Anyone would be overwhelmed by what she heard this evening."Mitch kept quiet. His gaze was fixated on the fire."She needs you by her side," Lorna said again."Are you still going to leave?" Mitch asked.Lorna sighed. "With what I've just heard?" She scoffed. "Leaving the borders of this kingdom would be like putting a red-hot target on my back..." she looked up. "... but I have to.""What?!" Mitch could not believe his ears."I will not allow the bodies of my sisters to rot on the ground and be feasted upon by vultures." She said in a strong voice."You'd risk your life for... for what?" Mitch asked, exasperated."It's tradition, Mitch," Lorna said. "One that dates back farther than the first Lycan ever appeared."Mitch scowled. "Your si
ANNA KYLIN CHESTERI MUST HAVE underestimated how tired I was because after making sure that the girl's vitals were stable, I only wanted to "rest my head" for a few minutes on the desk in the waiting room, but I dozed off soundly even though it was uncomfortable.I woke up and immediately checked the time on my watch; it was past 7 a.m., meaning that I had slept for about 4 hours. I rubbed my eyes and looked around, and almost had a heart attack at the black eyes staring at me from across the table."Don't do that!" I snapped. "How long have you been there?""3 hours maybe," Mitch replied."So you did not get any sleep, yourself," I said in a matter-of-fact manner."I don't need to sleep," He replied, leaning across and pressing a kiss on my forehead, which I found adorable. "How are you?" He whispered.I nodded dumbly, standing up, and stretching out the cramp in my neck. "I need to check on the girl," I said, coming round the table. He followed me closely as we went into the room.
ANNA KYLIN CHESTER "YOU SHOULD WASH up," Mitch said to me after the children were out of sight."You should, too," I replied. Still holding my hand, he led me into the palace. We passed by the dining room. Enrique sat down alone at the table, wolfing down his breakfast."We could wash up together," he mindlinked me. His words painted a stark image of naked bodies and soap that made me flush red on my neck. He noticed it and smiled. I slipped my fingers out of his and hurried up the stairs, feeling his gaze on my back.As I washed up, I half-expected him to come and join me in the bathroom, but I managed my disappointment when it didn't happen. I packed my hair in a tight ponytail and dressed casually before I went downstairs, suddenly feeling hungry. Mitch was at the table with his uncle; he looked freshened up, too. He must have taken his bath in another bathroom. I sighed in another bout of disappointment and sat down.He took my hand and mindlinked me, "You needed your time alone.
ANNA KYLIN CHESTER TREATING THE BEEPING from my phone as an emergency, I hopped into a small car in the parking lot of the palace and headed to the hospital. I read the details on my phone as I drove. The child's breath was picking up, and her heart rate was getting faster, too.She was definitely waking up, I said to myself.I screeched the electric car to a stop and hurried into the hospital, almost pushing Lorna to the floor. She was just about to come out. "What's the rush for?" She asked, surprised."The girl child found in the snow," I said. She dogged my steps to the girl's room. As soon as I entered the ward, I checked the monitors and then removed the oxygen mask from the rousing girl.Her eyes opened slowly and focused on my face. She did not give any reaction to being in a strange place with strange people. She looked... dazed. Like she was still under the effects of drugs."Hey there," I said softly, crouching beside her bed. She looked at me without saying anything. "Do
ANNA KYLIN CHESTERTHE DINNER PROGRESSED silently between me and Janet after Vladimir left. I was not inclined to say anything to her, so I ignored all the stares she sent my way. I was focused on the meal, because I do not know the next time I would eat again. It might not be until the ritual, and if I had any hopes of escaping, then I need all the energy I can get.When I had eaten to my fill, I sat back, watching Janet's thin hands pick at her food tastelessly.“You are vegan,“ I said, noting that there was no meat nor fish on her plate.She scoffed, “Unlike you savages, I care about the lives of animals.“ She stuffed a strip of carrot into her mouth. “I heard that you dogs even eat raw meat. That is just disgusting.““And yet you sleep with a man - a creature that drinks raw blood… you don’t think that is disgusting?“ I retorted, knowing that she was right about us eating raw meat. Sometimes when in our wolf skin, he could go hunting and eat whatever we catch, which could range fr
ANNA KYLIN CHESTERHOLDING ON TO Vorenus softly as he led me out, We walked up a flight of stairs and down a hallway till we stopped in front of a thick, mahogany wood. I took a deep breath as Vorenus pushed the door open and stood aside to let me through. Taking careful steps, I walked into the room. It was like a large hall, lit up beautifully with gold chandeliers. There was a small round table in the middle of the room, and Vorenus was seated at the head of the table.He looked at me as I walked in; his eyes widened slightly, but that was the only reaction he gave. His human mistress sat beside me; the look she gave was a nasty, dirty stare, but she kept her mouth shut. Vladimir's eyes followed me all the way to the table. I nodded at him curtly and took a seat. The table was filled with many delicacies, and even a full roast pig sat in the center.“Thank you for coming,“ Vladimir said.It was not like I had any option; I scoffed under my breath. I turned and looked behind me, exp
ANNA KYLIN CHESTERI DO NOT know how long I remained in the cage — listening to the dripping of water in the far dark distance. But I knew when the sun went down, because the mansion became more active, and the sound of night bugs joined in the sound of water droplets.I felt like I was going to run mad, but the door opened and the butler came in. He was human, I was sure of it, but still, there was something off about him. But I could not place my hand on it. He stood a few feet away from my cell and looked at me in a spiteful manner. “My name is Bartholomew the Fourteenth,“ he said.The fourteenth? I asked myself. Does that mean that fourteen generations of this man's family had lived with and worked for Vladimir?“What you are thinking is exactly correct,“ the butler said. “And no, I cannot read minds, but I could clearly see the confusion written on your face.”“What do you want?“ I asked. If he was going to be anything like the other human in the mansion - Janet, I wanted to prep
320LORNA DID NOT know her next move, or why she washed the mind of this vampire, but she knew she had to do something, and this seemed like the first step.“Rise,“ she commanded.The vampire stood up robotically and looked at her with his soulless eyes.“What are you doing here?“ she asked him.“Keeping watch on the borders of this kingdom,“ he replied.“Why?““I was just following orders,“ he said.“Whose orders?“ Lorna asked, even though she already knew the answer, but she wanted to be sure.“The king,“ the vampire replied.Lorna scoffed under her breath. Vladimir. She turned and looked at the way she had come from, considering her options. Should she take this vampire back to the kingdom where he could be interviewed by Mitch for information, or should she take the more riskier option and tell the vampire to take her to where Anna was being kept prisoner?She looked back and forth a couple of times, then she made her decision. She was not going back to the kingdom. She and they w
LORNA LOOKED OUT the window and watched as Mitch addressed the guest from the Red Moon pack; she saw the way they looked at him with awe and adoration. They were here out of respect for him and love for Anna.She turned away from the window and went to the bed where Aiden was sleeping, brushing her hand across his forehead. He mumbled something inaudible and shuffled slightly, but he did not wake up. She sighed sadly, wondering what the medical personnel were going to make of this. Aiden was not entirely in a coma. He responded to touch, and she had seen his flicker in his eyelids when Mitch had whispered something in his ear a few hours ago. It was just like he was in a deep slumber without being able to wake up. She imagined it to be like he was trapped in his own body.“If only your mother were here,“ she muttered in a small voice. “She would know what to do to bring you back.“ Lorna spoke gently to herself. She sighed and leaned in to kiss Aiden's forehead. She felt very connected
MITCH CHESTERMITCH COULD FEEL the animosity in the tense air as soon as they walked in. Draco was behind him, and Delta Adam walked beside him as they walked to the front of the hall. All heads followed their movement. Mitch stopped and overlooked the senate; he cleared his throat to stop all side talks and make sure all the attention was on him before he said, “We have some guests in our midst,“ he said in a strong voice. “And I expect us to be hospitable and treat them well.““They are from the inland pack,“ a small, stubby man muttered.“From the lunas former pack,“ Mitch nodded. “And they are here to help us in rescuing her. I hope we will be able to put aside your differences and work together.“The hall was silent for the next few seconds, so Mitch continued, “And they brought some weapons to give us an added advantage,“ he said.“We will be fighting with weapons now?“ Sil asked, astonished, “Like the humans?“Mitch cocked his head and nodded. “I'm afraid so,“ he said. “We need
MITCH CHESTERMITCH SAT DOWN heavily and examined the faces of the members of the Senate before him. They knew something was off in the balance of the kingdom. He cleared his throat and said, “What called for this meeting?““I think the meeting is long over due, Your Highness,“ Lane said in a small voice. Mitch looked around at the nods of agreement around the table.Mitch snorted.“We got the news that we had guests.“ a fat man muttered. “Guest. Warriors from another pack. As if the military in this kingdom is not enough.““So it means there is a heavy war coming,“ Sil said. She paused and continued, “A war that would mean we are accepting help from other inland packs.“A ripple of murmuring went round the pack again.“It is not just any inland pack,“ Mitch said. “They are from the red moon pack. Luna Anna's former pack.““Talking of Luna Anna,“ Sil cut in. “Where is she?“Mitch sighed. Truly, there are so many things that they need to address. Where would he even start? He asked him
MITCH CHESTERMITCH HAD BEEN waiting for the past 20 hours. All the pent up and nervous energy was making him agitated. He hated waiting, but that was what he had been forced to do for the past 20 hours. When he could not take it anymore, he went upstairs to Aiden's room, Lorna was still there. But up in Aiden's room was another waiting session as they waited for him to wake up.Lorna sat up when Mitch walked in. He looked around and noted that Elijah and Oliver were absent. “What of the boys?“ he asked.“They left an hour ago," she replied. “They had to eat and wash up, but I think they will be back here anytime soon.“Mitch nodded and sat down heavily with a sigh. He rubbed his eyes with the heel of his palms.“How did the meeting go?“ Lorna asked after a few seconds of silence.“As fine as it can get,“ he said.“You and Enrique did not clash heads?“ she asked. Everyone knew about the both of them.He shrugged, “We did. But we came to an agreement.“She smiled softly. “That is good
315ANNA KYLIN CHESTERI HAD NO idea how long I had been locked in the cell when the door opened. I sat up expecting it to be Vorenus; instead, it was the skinny, sick looking mistress of Vladimir. Her name was Janet or something like that.She stalked to the front of my cell and pouted at me. “So you are a woman… and pretty too.“ If that was meant to be a compliment, it did not sound so, as it was laced with venom.Gathering some energy, I stood up. I was taller than her and was pleased when she tilted her head to look up at me. She took an involuntary step backward. I smirked at her.“You are never going to take Vladimir from me,“ she blurted.“What?“ I gagged. Who was this dumb lady? “If you are thinking I am here of my own free will to snatch your undead boyfriend, you have the brain of a 15 year old high schooler.“She placed her hand on her hip and frowned. “And what? You have the brain of a mature woman…“ She frowned and leaned closer to me. “Wait a minute, don't I know you?”I